Columns compiled by your class correspondents<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1940s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1950s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1960s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1970s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1980s<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n 1990s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2000s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2010s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2020s<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Grad Notes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n The news is slowly arriving these days. Joyce Manley Forney<\/strong> has really kept me updated with her contacts. She happily also reported that her son Douglas, who builds homes, will be joined by his son and create a family business. Joyce related that Priscilla Alden<\/strong> Clement<\/strong> is pleasantly retired in Florida and able to get around the lake in the area. Virginia Dondero<\/strong> Pfundstein<\/strong> has moved in with her family and for a while shared a room with her grandson\u2014but now has her own space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eve Freyer<\/strong> Spencer \u201947<\/strong> wrote to inform us that her husband, Gordon<\/strong>, recently passed. She had attended Class of \u201946 Reunions with him and also knew many of the \u201946ers. She wonders if there were any V-12 grads still living. If so, please get in touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please send news to: \u2756 Dorothy Taylor<\/strong> Prey<\/strong>, 1 Baldwin Ave., #501, San Mateo, CA 94401; tel., (650) 342-1196; email, dmprey@aol.com. Class website<\/a>. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greetings, Class of \u201947! Did any of you make the trip back to the Hill for our 75th Reunion? Or did you enjoy any of the weekend\u2019s virtual events? If so, please send a note and let us know what you thought! \u2756 Class of 1947<\/strong>, c\/o Alexandra Bond \u201912<\/strong>, abb83@cornell.edu. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My Class of \u201948 fellow survivors (and I) apparently are tired or embarrassed about the somewhat trite and hopefully humorous (\u201cI wake up and am delighted to find I am still alive\u201d) reporting (and perhaps also the new online format), since I have had no reports for several issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let me tell readers a bit about the \u201cGreatest Generation,\u201d as I hear we are called. But I first must pay my greater respect to my parents\u2019 generation, since they were the ones who had to struggle through the Depression, hold their families together, raise children, and then build the massive military and manufacturing systems that won WWII and created the \u201cfree world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On to the Greatest Generation: I was a Cornell freshman when war broke out in December 1941; enlisted in early 1942 along with most of my classmates; was not called to active duty until June 1943; trained at Ft. Bragg and Ft. Monmouth; and then was sent overseas to England, France, Germany, the Philippines, and Japan. Sounds impressive, but my closest exposure to death was probably when our troop transport ship came under German submarine attack when the convoy was silhouetted against a lit-up hospital ship returning to the US. In actual combat, my greatest exposure probably was when we crossed the Rhine just two days behind the infantry, passing many shot-up German tanks and a completely devastated BASF chemical plant on the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let me tell readers a bit about the \u2018Greatest Generation,\u2019 as I hear we are called.<\/p>\nRay Tuttle \u201948<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n I was on a troop ship in the Pacific marshalling for the invasion of Japan when the two atom bombs were dropped and Japan surrendered. I am pretty sure I would not be here today if the invasion had been necessary; millions of Americans and Japanese would have died in sea\/land combat. Landing there as occupation troops was much safer, particularly since the emperor, who was allowed to remain, instructed his citizens to welcome us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was discharged and returned to Cornell in February 1946 and got my five-year BChemE degree in 1948. Over the next 40 years I worked for four chemical companies making, at different times: refined products from coal; various petrochemicals; agricultural fertilizers; biochemicals for food and agriculture; and chlorine for paper mills and water purification. I advanced through to general management by applying my training to solving manufacturing problems through technology\/investment ROI. I can say I led the efforts that successfully solved major manufacturing problems threatening the continued operation of three to four plants employing 400 people\u2014and in one case the whole company, which was a major supplier of fertilizers to US agriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My personal life centered on my marriage to a fellow Cornellian and our three children, one of whom got his bachelor\u2019s degree from Cornell and two of whom went on to earn PhDs. Though most of the women in our generation did not have paying jobs, Peg (Wilharm)<\/strong> volunteered extensively in local hospitals, at our church, and politically. I volunteered also and had various leadership roles in our churches, political parties, and golf clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the Greatest Generation has a claim, I guess I would identify three items: 1) we were the foot soldiers in the Army\/Navy that won WWII; 2) we staffed the companies that made the US the powerhouse manufacturing economy of the world, with manufacturing generating over 35% of GNP and US employment, while it is now down to 19% at recent count; and 3) the typical family had a working husband and a wife at home running the household and raising the children. \u2756 Ray Tuttle<\/strong>, 65 Oyster Reef Dr., Hilton Head Island, SC 29926; email, RayTutt@aol.com. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I hope you are all enjoying the summer months, wherever you are. If you have a moment, please send us a letter! What\u2019s on your mind these days? What are your most vibrant memories of our alma mater? Where are you writing from? Your classmates would love to hear from you. \u2756 Class of 1949<\/strong>, c\/o Alexandra Bond \u201912<\/strong>, abb83@cornell.edu. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back to the top<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The common saying that no news is good news does not apply to this column! So here I am, with a column due date and no news from you all. What to do? Well, jigger up a couple of stories of possible interest\u2014the first about a memorable Cornell football team, the other about my adopted state of Iowa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Story One: As an Ivy League grad, it\u2019s refreshing to know that Cornell, the other Ivies, and top liberal arts colleges play collegiate sports for fun, not for fame. We just ignore and avoid all the hoopla about national championships and noted players switching teams, and have real student<\/em>-athletes. It\u2019s also noteworthy that Cornell offers more collegiate sports than universities in the large conferences such as the SEC and Big Ten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking of that, I recalled that the 1939 Cornell football team, with a record of 8-0 and total score of 197-52, was named national champions. Then the team turned down an invitation to the Rose Bowl to allow the players to catch up on their studies and prepare for semester exams. Think of that! That jiggered up a question, \u201cWhat has been the greatest college football team since football became a collegiate sport?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The honor of the greatest football team of all time does not go to Alabama, UCLA, Michigan, or any other team in the top collegiate football conferences. Instead, it goes to a small, prestigious liberal arts college in southeast Tennessee called Sewanee, officially the U. of the South. Its 1899 football team is recognized by the College Football Hall of Fame as the greatest ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The greatest year in college football occurred when that team of only 15 players from that tiny college won the league title. The 12-game total score was 322-10! More remarkably, half<\/em> of those games were played on a six-day, 2,500-mile road trip by train with a travel team of only 13 players who played both offense and defense. They also played two games in one day! There were no forward passes and no substitutions except at the end of time periods. Helmets were made of leather and had no face masks. One remarkable athletic feat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 1939 Cornell football team was named national champions. Then the team turned down an invitation to the Rose Bowl to allow the players to catch up on their studies.<\/p>\nPaul Joslin \u201950<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Story Two: At age 39, I left the small, rural village of Elba, NY, to move 1,000 miles west to become a professor at Drake U. in Des Moines, IA. I planned to stay for only a few years and then move back to one of New York\u2019s fine public colleges. Instead, and happily so, I fell in love with Iowa and just stayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iowa is pattern, texture, and color. Changing with the seasons. Lit by the sun. Tossed and reborn with the wind. Our ocean<\/em>: an arching, clear blue sky above. Our recreational water access: 500 miles of shoreline along the Missouri River on the west and the mighty Mississippi River on the east\u2014both evoking reminiscences of 19th-century gingerbread steamboats and Mark Twain\u2019s Life on the Mississippi<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The wide, accommodating Mississippi with its fishing skiffs, houseboats, and river excursion boats, all sharing the river with commercial tows: powerful vessels pushing 15 or more huge barges each 35 feet wide and 200 feet long, an entire tow up to a fifth of a mile in length! (\u201cTow\u201d is a misnomer; the barges are actually pushed ahead of the tugboat, which is also misnamed.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scarcely visited Upper Mississippi River area with its high river bluffs cut through rugged, unglaciated land leaving hundreds of islands for recreational boaters, and miles of backwaters for avid anglers. And just north in Minnesota, large lakes, created by the huge dams and locks, all awaiting the most ardent of sailors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iowa, a land of small, neat villages with ethnic traditions, amid sprawling farms. Of course, an agricultural state: tops in corn, soybeans, chickens, and eggs, but little known for its high-tech and basic manufacturing. Google, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft have total investments of over $7 billion! Iowa\u2019s gross production in manufacturing exceeds agriculture. Iowa is rated number five in livability and rated number one in farm equipment manufacturing, aerospace avionics, motor homes and travel trailers, sports stadium lighting, golf course accessories, personal fishing equipment, mason\u2019s trowels, ice cream production, car wash equipment, and church and concert hall pipe organs. It\u2019s also ranked first in leading manufacturers of road paving equipment, small boat equipment and accessories, compressor controls, tire retreading, concrete construction forms, refrigerators and freezers, food and nutritional additives, windows, garbage trucks, and earth-boring equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And some trivia: Iowa is the home of the world\u2019s largest truck stop and the first US Muslim Mosque; it\u2019s number three in golf courses per capita; and the Iowa State Fair, typically listed in the top ten of the country\u2019s summer recreational attractions, has annual visitors of one million. Moreover, Iowa is not flat! It has the highest, longest two-track railroad bridge in the country. \u2756 Paul Joslin<\/strong>, 13731 Hickman Rd. #4207, Urbandale, IA 50323; email, phjoslin@aol.com. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have traveled the world over, but still want more,\u201d writes Bob Ackerly<\/strong>. \u201cI\u2019ve visited all seven continents, 80-plus countries, and both North and South Poles, but I would like to return to some places and see ten to twelve other places that I have overlooked. My wife and I will head to Maui in December for two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bob adds, \u201cI stopped playing tennis last fall to fight cancer. I hope to win the battle and get back on the court. I\u2019ve been enjoying life in San Diego for the last 58 years and being an associate professor at San Diego State U. for 30-plus years.\u201d He gets great satisfaction, he says, from \u201cwatching our children and grandchildren grow and start their families.\u201d Send your news to: \u2756 Brad Bond<\/strong>, email c\/o Alexandra Bond \u201912<\/strong>, abb83@cornell.edu. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sun is finally out, but there is no news. However, I have received the dues notice and the new news form. For us, I think the first question is a hoot. However, I hope you will fill in the form and send it in. As you can tell, I need it. Additionally, I know that some of you were able to get to our 70th Reunion. I wish I had been there and hope you had fun. If you saw people, had an interesting time, and learned new things, send me a note! Your impressions would be a treat for all of us who couldn\u2019t make it. \u2756 Joan Boffa<\/strong> Gaul<\/strong>, joangaul@mac.com. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Richard Hayes <\/strong>(richard.hayes32@gmail.com) writes, \u201cWe are now less than two hours from our daughter\u2019s home in Kirkland, WA, which is one reason why we wound up in this neck of the woods (Whidbey Island, WA) after 51 years living in Brazil. One son lives in Austin, and another just accepted a position in NYC. He and his family plan to move to the New York suburbs when they find good schools for their kids, 10 and 8,\u201d Richard reports. The family all got together \u201cfor the first time in nine years,\u201d to celebrate Richard\u2019s 89th birthday. What a very happy and memorable occasion! \u201cWe\u2019re both blessed with good health,\u201d he reports. \u201cProper diet and exercise help!\u201d May we all have that same good fortune.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cornelius<\/strong> \u201cNeil\u201d Jones <\/strong>(nrjones56@msn.com) and his wife, Ruth, have added a travel adventure to their retirement. \u201cWhen we returned to the US in 1980, after working 23 years in India and Thailand, we settled on the East Coast until 2021 and lived in South Jersey and Pennsylvania. Last year, we celebrated our 65th anniversary and<\/em> decided to cross the country and relocate to Southern California,\u201d he relates. \u201cWe now live close to our three daughters, which we find most gratifying.\u201d Neil says driving from Pennsylvania to California was a \u201ccross-country trek.\u201d I guess so\u2014right in the midst of COVID! Until then, Neil served as treasurer of their Baptist church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stanley Landau<\/strong>, MD \u201956 (stanlandau31@gmail.com) and wife Maxine reside in NYC in a complex that has helped enormously in coping with the loss of access to movies and museums during the pandemic. North Shore Towers, he reports, provides all of their needs \u201cincluding a gym, movie theater, supermarket, pharmacy, and more.\u201d Sounds great! Stan retired as a urologic surgeon and now devotes his energy to financial management for his family. He stays current reading the New York Times<\/em> and the Wall Street Journal<\/em> every morning. \u201cAt age 91 and in good health, I spend time daily in our gym staying fit.\u201d He plays duplicate bridge and reads a great deal. Like Jack Brophy<\/strong>, he participates in a creative writing club, where he enjoys writing short stories. Stan says he and Maxine are blessed with a closely knit family who are very caring and nurturing. The family, which includes five children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren, organized a wonderful birthday party to celebrate Stan\u2019s 90th year. He says, \u201cThe only thing I asked of them was they do it again when I am 95!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, we celebrated our 65th anniversary and<\/em> decided to cross the country and relocate to Southern California.<\/p>\nCornelius \u201cNeil\u201d Jones \u201953<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Vic Wintriss <\/strong>(sdvic@me.com) and Diane reside in San Diego. This was after 20 years as a Navy pilot (P2V and P3A patrol planes), flying missions designed to search for Russian submarines operating in the North Atlantic. Vic shared news of his current activities, which are really interesting: \u201cAfter selling my third electronic design\/manufacturing company, I decided it was time to give back,\u201d he says. So he started a nonprofit school, the League of Amazing Programmers, that features teaching Java computer programming to students beginning in the fifth grade. Vic reports that it\u2019s unique in the US in offering the Oracle professional programming certificate to graduates. He says there are many students from underserved communities who attend free of charge and benefit from career opportunities that open for them once they have Oracle certification. He suggests we all check it out<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Nixon<\/strong> (nixn1@hotmail.com) describes his unique treatment for a painful ankle injury. \u201cI found out last year that I had two torn tendons plus arthritis in my right ankle. It was beginning to get more painful and was interfering with my golf,\u201d he writes. \u201cI tried a brace for several months, but it didn\u2019t help much, so I had stem cell therapy. They sucked some fat out of my belly, ran it through a machine to sterilize it and break it down, and then used a syringe to put it into my ankle. The theory is that these new cells will regenerate themselves and also help the tendon cells. I had it done six weeks ago and progress is slow. The doctor says it could take four to six months for complete recovery. I\u2019m hoping it works and I can return to playing lousy golf this year.\u201d Hope you\u2019re back on the golf course soon, John.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First-year Cornell student Jada Mckie \u201925<\/strong> sent a letter thanking us for the grant she received from our Class of 1953 Cornell Tradition Fellowship. She writes: \u201cDear Class of 1953: Thank you for your generous contributions, which have allowed me to receive this fellowship. The reason I chose Cornell is because of its Biology and Society major (A&S), which stuck out to me. I plan to go into medicine, and a strong foundation in biology and the sciences is, of course, important\u2014but the social factors surrounding medicine are just as important. A major that combines the two, along with Cornell\u2019s commitment to accessibility, drove me to attend here. I cannot thank you enough for making such an amazing school more accessible to students like myself.\u201d \u2756 Jack Allen<\/strong>, jwallen@msu.edu; Caroline Mulford<\/strong> Owens, 53news.cornell@gmail.com; Ed Gibson<\/strong>, edwincosgibson@gmail.com; John Nixon<\/strong>, nixn1@hotmail.com; Bob Neff<\/strong>, princetoneff@aol.com. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though I write this column toward the end of March, you will see it in early summer. Our new digital magazine, Cornellians<\/em>, is available to all Cornellians. (We await a print subscription in 2023, which will comfort those of us who like to hold the magazine in our hands.) By the way, in Florida last week I met with a few classmates who were not receiving email newsletters from Cornellians<\/em>. If you do not receive these emails and want to, contact Lauren Coffey at LBC33@cornell.edu. She knows what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jane Barber<\/strong> Smith<\/strong> (janebarbersmith@gmail.com) continues with many activities. Having lived in Dutchess County, NY, for more than 50 years, she works on Democratic Party activities and summer camp at her urban Episcopal church. Her family includes several Cornellians: brother Don Barber \u201958<\/strong>, daughter Jean Smith Cunningham<\/strong> \u201985<\/strong>, daughter Barbara Wood \u201982<\/strong>, and nephew Jack Feldman \u201925<\/strong>. She found old Cornell friends while visiting in-laws at a senior residence in Sarasota. We remember Jane\u2019s husband, Fred Wood<\/strong>, an active classmate, who died in 1970; her second husband, Duane Smith, has also died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barbara Schickler<\/strong> Hankins<\/strong> (bshankins5225@gmail.com) has carried on after the death of her husband, Philip \u201952<\/strong>. And boy, has she ever carried on! \u201cI have been an active member of the League of Women Voters for 61 years, which is 59% of the league\u2019s existence. I just finished a two-year project on county finances. I belong to three book clubs (including the Cornell book club), play bridge a couple of times a week, and cope with an ever-increasing number of physical problems\u2014none fatal as yet, just annoying.\u201d Barb has joined the \u201cGreen Group\u201d in her building: they push for environmental change. She is interested in solar on their fairly flat roof. She hopes to go to Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, to help celebrate her first great-granddaughter\u2019s first birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have been an active member of the League of Women Voters for 61 years, which is 59% of the league\u2019s existence.<\/p>\nBarbara Schickler<\/strong> Hankins<\/strong> \u201954<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Barb writes that she gains satisfaction from being \u201cphysically pretty able and mentally very able and active. A social worker told me recently that they are having to change their ideas about what to expect of the very elderly because so many of us continue to have full and interesting lives.\u201d This reminds of me of an excellent book I read recently: Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life<\/em> by Louise Aronson. The author, a Harvard-trained MD and gerontologist, works to transform medical education and our society\u2019s attitudes toward the elderly in order to support and encourage us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You may receive notices of lectures named for Mitzi Sutton<\/strong> Russekoff<\/strong>. Mitzi served as our class secretary and co-president. After her death, her son David Russekoff \u201989<\/strong> established the lecture series in her memory. On March 31, the topic was \u201cRobots Under the Ice\u2014and One Day, in Space?\u201d\u2014a stimulating talk by a scientist new to Cornell. She chose Cornell in part because of the history of the University and its faithful implementation of its ideal, and also because of its interdepartmental collaboration. The topic in 2021 was \u201cThe Domestic Politics of Chinese Foreign Policy and US-China Relations.\u201d How remarkable these treasures are at our fingertips, as long as we can navigate the technology!<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the winter I met a new Cornell friend who remains very active. Paul Joslin \u201950<\/strong> lives three miles from me in the middle of Iowa. He has been his class correspondent for 20 years. I was eager to learn some of his secrets to writing such a good column for so long. Check out his column sometime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My recent visit to Florida reinforced for me the marvelous thing that is Cornell! My mother, Helen Worden<\/strong> Carpenter \u201928<\/strong>, believed Cornell is a lifelong relationship. (She was the first social director at Willard Straight in 1929\u201330. In those days, \u201cthe women\u2019s entrance\u201d was south of the main entrance!) Friendships spanning now 70 years surely have enriched my life. And continue to do so. I hope that is true for you as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help maintain these connections, please share your news and views with us via the online news form<\/a>, or send them directly to either of us: \u2756 Ruth Carpenter<\/strong> Bailey<\/strong>, rcbhtb@gmail.com; Bill Waters<\/strong>, billwaters@optonline.net. Class website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greetings, Class of \u201955! I hope you are all enjoying the summer months, wherever you are. If you have a moment, please send us a letter! What\u2019s on your mind these days? What are your most vibrant memories of our alma mater? Where are you writing from? Your classmates would love to hear from you. If any of you have submitted news recently, please look for it in an upcoming column! \u2756 Nancy Savage<\/strong> Petrie<\/strong>, 85 Brook St., Noank, CT 06340; email, nancysavagepetrie@yahoo.com. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A brief message from your class correspondent: \u201cI had hip surgery a month ago at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC. I\u2019m currently in a rehab facility for physical therapy. Best to all in the Super Class of 1956!\u201d \u2756 Phyllis Bosworth<\/strong>, phylboz@aol.com. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time this column is published, we will have experienced our 65th Reunion. News from that highly anticipated event will appear in a later column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of our classmates, John Ruszkiewicz<\/strong>, MBA \u201958, had a family reunion scheduled on the same weekend as our Reunion so could not be with us in June. As was true of so many of us, he was the first offspring of his immigrant grandparents to attend college. He chose to attend Cornell after his high school agriculture teacher took a group to a Cornell football game. John double-registered our senior year and earned his MBA in \u201958. Just before he would have been inducted to serve two years as a private, he saw a notice on the business school bulletin board announcing the US Army\u2019s offer to grant direct commissions to MBAs as finance lieutenants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That began his high adventures in 21 years of service to our country. He spent four years as a paratrooper, two of which were as a Green Beret. He spent two tours in Vietnam, six years in the Middle East (Turkey and Yemen), two and a half years doing foreign language training (Turkish, Arabic, and French), a year at the staff college, a year at Harvard earning a second master\u2019s degree, and three years on the West Point social sciences faculty as an assistant professor. His military specialty switched from finance to intelligence the first time he was sent to Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These next words are current and directly from John: \u201cAs we get older, our memories tend to sharpen in certain instances. Mine go back to my military career. I will share two of them. Through an organization of former advisors, I am in touch with fellow advisors who have either been with me on military operations or served in the same part of Vietnam on similar assignments. What strikes me is the number who have gone back to Vietnam in their retirement years. Bonds with your Vietnamese counterpart become very strong while serving in a combat situation. Tragically I had no need to go back because my counterpart was killed two days before I left my team to return to the States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we get older, our memories tend to sharpen in certain instances.<\/p>\nJohn Ruszkiewicz \u201957, MBA \u201958<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n John continues, \u201cI became the military attach\u00e9 in North Yemen about six months after a presidential assassination. Then, three months after my arrival, there was a second presidential assassination. Sometime later we had a border war, about which I testified in front of a congressional sub-committee. I remember the ambassador once explaining to me that in some parts of the world you came to power behind the barrel of a gun and left power in front of the barrel of a gun. Keeping up with events in Yemen over the years, a few years ago I noticed that the person who succeeded to the presidency after that second assassination, and had managed to stay in power some 40-plus years, had finally lost power in the current civil war. He did so in front of the barrel of a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n John left the military with the rank of retired lieutenant colonel. He then returned to the rich soil in Orange County and took over his family farm in Pine Island, NY. Of his six children, three became Cornellians. Two years ago, John published My Vietnam Anecdotes<\/em> using about 100 of his own photos, both in color and in black and white. He has agreed to make copies available to any classmate. He sent me a copy. I was transfixed as I read his experiences, so different from the experiences of those of us who were at home, seeing those Vietnam War tragedies through a television set. John sums up his message by saying that now he really enjoys his quiet country life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps, classmates, you now have a glimpse of how I see our column going forward. While this column will continue to note our interesting travels, etc., we will also be able to share our reflections of our significant experiences. Also, I am sure many of us have interesting stories of how we chose to attend Cornell and how that influenced the next steps in our lives. At our age, we each have taken many paths through the years. Remember that we are members of the Silent Generation, yet we have given much of our time and our talents to others, including our communities. We took our leadership abilities and put them to great use. I invite you to send what you wish to me so that I may feature you. \u2756 Connie Santagato<\/strong> Hosterman<\/strong>, shenhoop73@gmail.com. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What a terrific double career Stephen Yusem<\/strong> has had! We\u2019ve gotten notice of a special award to Steve, the first-ever granted by the Montgomery (PA) Bar Assn. for Lifetime Achievement. Steve has traveled throughout the world in his arbitrating and teaching, to Europe, Mongolia, Bahrain, Tehran, many places throughout the US, and Cornell, too. Somehow, with his excellent law career of counseling, arbitration, mediation, and teaching\u2014all widely known and now fully recognized\u2014Steve paralleled that with a Naval Reserve career, becoming the top Naval Reserve surface line officer in the country. As rear admiral, \u201che served as national president of the 120,000-member Reserve Officers Assn. of the US, working with the late Senator John McCain to provide health insurance for military veterans. He also represented the Reserve Officers Assn. at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), working with the former nations of the Warsaw Pact in support of the Partnership for Peace Program for their admission as NATO members.\u201d Steve and Anita (Wasserspring) \u201960 <\/strong>still reside in the Philadelphia suburb of Blue Bell, and, since we\u2019re now digital in this column, you can easily read more about Steve\u2019s illustrious careers via this link<\/a>. Congratulations, Steve, on your lifetime achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ron Demer \u201959<\/strong>, friend of many \u201958ers, sends us the following note: \u201cWilliam<\/strong> \u201cBritt\u201d Stitt<\/strong> called to tell me that John Lauren<\/strong> \u201cLarry\u201d Tracy<\/strong> passed away on February 1 from dementia. Larry had been ill for several years. Britt transferred to Columbia when he realized that he could get a Columbia BA and BS civil engineering in the same time that his Cornell BCE would require. Britt had lunch with Bob<\/strong> Turner<\/strong> recently in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, where Bob lives. Bob (turner@math.wisc.edu) is a retired math professor from the U. of Wisconsin, Madison. His wife, Rosine (Vance) \u201960<\/strong>, is in an assisted living facility nearby.\u201d Ron was one of many SAE brothers who attended their wedding near Boston around 1960.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve gotten notice of a special award to Stephen Yusem \u201958, the first-ever granted by the Montgomery, PA, Bar Association for Lifetime Achievement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n We have an update from Jenny Suk \u201923<\/strong>, who again thanks \u201cthe Ronald P. Lynch<\/strong> family and the Class of \u201958 for allowing me to attend Cornell with less of a financial burden.\u201d Jenny approaches a gap year in her pre-dental studies and will be working at Olin and Uris libraries as a student assistant. She graciously expresses her gratitude at being able to be a Cornellian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Robert Mayer<\/strong> wrote last year of his anguish over COVID and its impact on his family with no visits with his son and the loss of too many friends (\u201ca major drawback of living a long life,\u201d he adds). He is still involved with many charities, gets in lots of gardening and a bit of golf, and says his number-one project is \u201ctossing stuff out.\u201d Bob and Susan still reside in Linwood, NJ, and he\u2019s reachable at bobmay13@aol.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lastly, we learn of Al Podell<\/strong>\u2019s newest book<\/a>\u2014no, not of traveling the world, but of Muddling Through the Sexual Revolution<\/em>, its title. Having started reading his last draft, this correspondent can report that it\u2019s clearly Al, with his perspectives on the subject covering the time period from elementary school (yes, that early) to the present, including five chapters on life at Cornell. Lots of laughs, but those are also woven through some serious, some brave, vignettes, with two or three relevant quotes heading each of the many chapters (where did he find all of those?). All of this as Al romps through, shall we say, \u201csocial impediments of mid-century,\u201d and then on to many enjoyments of working\/playing through those times of America\u2019s sexual revolution, as Al experienced them. No doubt it\u2019s a worthy read covering much of our social, ethical, and moral behavior during the last 70 years. Cheers for now. \u2756 Dick Haggard<\/strong>, richardhaggard11@gmail.com; Jan Arps<\/strong> Jarvie<\/strong>, janjarvie@gmail.com. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our class lost a devoted alumna earlier this year when Marian Fay Levitt<\/strong> peacefully passed away from recurrent cancer. As an active class officer for many years, she served as class president (1994\u20132004) and, most recently, as co-vice president. Frequently she attended the annual Cornell Assn. of Class Officers meetings, plus events at the Cornell Club\u2013New York, class Reunions, and the Cornell\u2019s Adult University presidential election weekends. Together with another \u201959er, Marian compiled our class\u2019s 40th Reunion survey in 1999, which among other tidbits found that 92% considered themselves successful in their occupations\u2014but only 13% weighed the same as they did at graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Marian\u2019s most enduring Cornell legacy was the Class of \u201959 Scholarship, which was endowed in 2004. She zealously advocated to set up this investment for future generations. \u201cI will always remember Marian\u2019s devotion to our Class Scholarship Fund. She was determined to make it a success, and she did,\u201d notes current class president Barbara Hirsch Kaplan<\/strong>. Marian is survived by her daughter, Lisa Levitt \u201991<\/strong> (lisalevitt800@gmail.com), who writes, \u201cMy mother\u2019s proud school spirit encompassed the entire experience from intellectual training, Cornell traditions, the campus, and friendships with her classmates throughout the decades. As a changemaker, she envisioned the class scholarship as a vehicle to positively influence society. She cherished letters from talented scholarship recipients and loved learning about their lives and innovations to make the world better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grandson Sam Fulmer \u201925 has been keeping Carole Kenyon \u201959 entertained with tales of his freshman year in Dyson.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Each year, more than 10,000 alumni in the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) meet with high schoolers who are applying to the University. Carole Kenyon<\/strong> (carolekenyon59@verizon.net) has cheerfully been part of this network since the 1960s. \u201cTalking with the applicants, listening to their passions, interests, questions\u2014and, for foreign applicants, learning about their home countries\u2014are positive times for me. Nowadays I tell every one of them to read the Cornell Daily Sun<\/em>, a great publication that continues to be completely student-run and written. Yay!\u201d Carole is happy to report that three of the more than 40 applicants she spoke with this past school year were accepted on April 1. (Last year, not a one.) Carole\u2019s grandson Sam Fulmer \u201925<\/strong> has been keeping her entertained with tales of his freshman year in Dyson. \u201cHe was already meeting with clients during the spring semester; because of this, his family visit here in April featured a haircut and shopping for business-appropriate attire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was browsing art and auction sites and came across an item that was designed by my buddy, classmate, artist, and illustrator George Ladas<\/strong> (g.ladas@comcast.net). The recently sold object is one of George\u2019s Orbita timepieces from the late 1960s (one of which is in the permanent collection at NYC\u2019s Museum of Modern Art). With an outer shell of acrylic, it has three concentrically orbiting bodies: the large blue body revolves once every 12 hours, the green outer body revolves once every hour, and the smallest body, white, revolves once each minute. George, who now lives in retirement in Roselle, NJ, had a busy career as an illustrator, working for advertising agencies, NASA, the Franklin Library, etc. He also taught at Pratt Inst. and the New York Inst. of Technology, exhibited internationally, and created sculptures ranging from the Orbita to a 47-foot animated Trojan horse that long drew visitors to FAO Schwarz in the Forum in Las Vegas. \u2756 Jenny Tesar<\/strong>, jet24@cornell.edu. Online news form<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nClasses of the 1940s<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1946<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1947<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1948<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\n\n\n1949<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nClasses of the 1950s<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1950<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n1951<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1952<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1953<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n1954<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n1955<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1956<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1957<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n1958<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n\n\n\n1959<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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