Tag: 1979

Hello all. Gary Breitbord here. First things first. It’s our 40th Reunion May 24-26! Please put it on your calendars if it isn’t already there. We hope you will be attending to re-connect with other ’79ers and to enjoy the weekend’s festivities. Registration and more information can be found at: wesleyan.edu/rc. Be there or be square.

This is my swan song as co-class secretary. It’s been a fun 10 years. I’ve enjoyed being a conduit for all the class news that’s fit to print.

I spent a delightful evening with Jeff Gray ’77, Tim Fitzgerald, Mike Rosenblatt ’80, Jeff Burns ’80, and Tim O’Brien ’81 sharing life stories of family, friends, careers and, of course, Wesleyan and DKE.This time with spouses and significant others. We all consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have found such wonderful, and tolerant, life partners.

Rachel Bashevkin writes in: “In 2016, after 35 years in the small town of Middlebury, Conn., I retired as director of studies at Westover School and moved to New Haven. I am very much enjoying this new life!I’m looking forward to reunion in the spring.” Alright! First attendee identified. Who else?

Joe Wilson ’19 received the Gridiron Club of Boston’s prestigious Nils V. “Swede” Nelson Award for outstanding achievement in academics, athletics, sportsmanship, and citizenship. To celebrate with Joe, Dave Thomas ’77 graciously hosted a table that included Jeff Gray ’77, Paul Fichera ’77, Bill Ahern ’78, Paul Nelson ’78, Frank Hauser, and Mike Whalen ’83.

And from another classmate planning on attending Reunion Lisa Frantzis: “I will be attending Reunion and can’t wait to see friends again. I have been working in the clean energy sector since I left Wesleyan. I am wearing two hats these days . . . one as a managing director at Navigant consulting in clean energy and two as a senior vice president at Advanced Energy Economy where we are transforming policy at the state and federal level to accelerate the growth of clean, affordable and secure energy. I work with great people and love my work. I started to have kids late in life. Even though I have been married for 20 years to my partner Ophelia, we now have an 11-year-old boy named Luke who is terrific. I have tried to keep up my piano playing, but did not succeed in that as time has been tight. I have been keeping up with Roberta Rebold and Lisa Cunningham. Roberta lives in Israel with her family, Lisa lives in Brookline, Mass., and I live in nearby Cambridge, Mass.”

Rachel Christmas Derrick sent this update: “Wesleyan remains with me in many ways, particularly since my son is a freshman there. Unlike me, he is pre-med. Like me, he is thoroughly enjoying himself and is taking a fiction writing class. Our daughter, a junior at Yale, is studying political science in Rio this semester.

“After years as an editor in book publishing and a freelance writer, and after working in communications at the Rockefeller Foundation, Columbia University, and an affordable housing organization, I’m now Managing Editor of a financial services nonprofit with socially responsible investments ranging from renewable energy in India and small-scale farming in Tanzania to affordable housing in California. Never thought I’d end up in my husband’s field (finance)—but (apart from us) his passion lies with his part-time job: officiating football.”

Diane LaPointe: “I continue to enjoy working in the financial services industry as the principal financial officer for the asset management firm and mutual fund complex founded and headed by Mario Gabelli. Certainly, a very interesting place to be in this economic climate. Good people and challenging work. My husband and I have adapted to our empty nest. Our son Matthew (Princeton ‘13) has been happily living in San Francisco for the past 6 years and working in the tech space. Our daughter Megan ’17—Phi Beta Kappa and with high honors—spent a year in a fellowship with AmeriCorps, and is now attending UPenn grad school in Philadelphia working on her masters in urban education. I am looking forward to Reunion and seeing everyone but really can’t quite understand how it’s been 40 years!” I’m sensing a Reunion trend here.

Ellen M. Blau: “I’ve been living in beautiful but now bustling and too crowded Seattle for 30 years! My 28-year-old daughter and her new husband also live in Seattle. I’ve been a psychologist for 30 years here, mostly in private practice after a stint as a staff psychologist in physical medicine and rehab. Last year through a series of seemingly fated events I ended up working at a tech start up (like everyone else in Seattle) writing psychology and coaching web and app content. It was really interesting to have a Millennial boss and team (I learned bunch of phrases like “woke” and “avocado toast”) and challenging (they work hard in young tech companies) and I learned a bunch of other stuff (like that no one uses the same grammatical rules as our generation).

“That job ended this past summer, and my time, like many of us, I am sure, has been dominated by managing my 86-year-old mom’s life in Boca from across the continent. I had the thought recently that we should all share our stories about eldercare and support each other in this sacred duty. I’m now starting up a new chapter of psychology practice in an integrative medicine group focusing on positive psychology (mindfulness-based well-being, resilience, and self-efficacy practices, including applications of current neuroscience research on applied neuroplasticity). I’m thankful that my interest in biology and psychology has lasted a lifetime (did a joint bio-psych major at Wes, then MA and PhD. in clinical psych, postdoctoral training in neuropsychology and geriatric mental health). On the personal front I’ve been divorced for many years now but I’m truly blessed with friends, community, health, travel opportunities (including Cuba twice and the North Pole!) and I sing a lot (including Jewish leadership). I’m still learning as much as I can. Now that I know it’s our 40th Reunion maybe I’ll try to make it to Connecticut this May.”

Jane Marcellus: “My essay, My Father’s Tooth, made the Notables list in Best American Essays 2018. It’s set partly at Wesleyan. I also won the Betty Gabehart Award for nonfiction, given by the Kentucky Women Writers Conference, for work in progress.”

Adam Vickers: “Helen and I are enjoying life in Gaborone, Botswana. I’ve turned over the reins of our company to a younger man, so now I get to consult for the African Development Bank across the continent, do some executive mentoring and facilitate programs on strategic execution and sales. Helen operates her rentals and is involved with the community. Weddings and funerals are big on the social calendar, but we also get to travel a fair bit. We needed an excuse to see the rest of the family this year, so maybe reunion will work.” Excuse confirmed. Family and friends. Great reason for a trip.

Doug Pavlak: “I do not have a lot of exciting news to report since I last sent notes other than the fact that (finally) one of my (seven) children is going to Wesleyan! Gunter Haug-Pavlak was accepted early decision in December for the class of 2023. It was great to see the campus again while he interviewed, and my wife and I look forward to seeing him row on the crew (my sport).” Go Wes!

Jono Cobb: “This marks the 40th year since I shared a small four bedroom/one-bathroom house on Martha’s Vineyard with Maureen Walsh, Bethany Kandel, Deirdre Manning, Spence Studwell, Dennis Archibald, Jim Connery, Mike Riera and his un-housebroken dog. We named our mansion Little Walden.”

Reunion musing: “I thought growing old would take longer.

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

It’s officially summertime. Not that many submissions this issue. C’mon, send in your news please. Or are you saving it for our 40th next year?

Tina Binns Palmer: “We became grandparents in October for the first time as son #1 and wife became parents of a wonderful and happy son. Early this November, son #2 and wife will join the club and welcome their first child. Meanwhile son #3 is digging in various parts of Greece while pursuing his master’s in archaeology.”

Jane Marcellus: “I am part of an American Journalism Historians Association team building a database in anticipation of the centennial of the 19th Amendment. I had an essay ‘The Growing Rock’ published in the Gettysburg Review and a #MeToo piece in the Washington Post.”

Caroline Norden: “After working for 25 years on land protection and stewardship projects for various land trusts, I am now a stay-at-home mom, caring for two teenage daughters. I am excited that my eldest will be entering Wesleyan as a freshman this fall. I’m looking forward to becoming reacquainted with the college.”

Kimberley Carrell-Smith: “I’m still a professor of practice in public history at Lehigh University, where I also direct the interdisciplinary Community Fellows Graduate Program. As a former dumpster diver with 20 years and counting since my first university ‘garbage’ forays, I run a huge university-community sale project that collects student castoffs at the end of the year and turns them into gold through an enormous community sale. The aim is to channel high-end reusable goods into a sale in my low-income neighborhood surrounding our campus, inviting folks to buy with dignity at bargain prices. We made $20,000-plus this year for school field trips and programs for neighborhood kids! Pretty good haul for all items at about 25 cents to a dollar or two. Where else can you buy Prada or Versace apparel, a fan, a bucket, a pan, and a chair, and walk away with change from $20?”

Andrew Tanzer: “My book, Robert Kuok: A Memoir, has sold about 160,000 copies, mainly in Southeast Asia, and will go on sale in the U.S. market in September.”

Mecklenburg County Manager Dena R. Diorio announced that W. Lee Jones Jr. has been named as the new park and recreation director. Jones, a licensed architect and member of the American Institute of Architects, currently serves as the division director for Park and Recreation’s Capital Planning and Alliance Development Services. He is responsible for coordinating the planning, design, and construction of the department’s facilities and overseeing the development of many partnerships. Over the years, Jones worked on several notable park projects, including First Ward Park, Romare Bearden Park, and the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews.

From my partner in notes, Ann Biester Deane: “So proud of my son, Carter ’18, the sixth member of our family to graduate from Wes! Off to Cologne next year on a DAAD fellowship.” Six Wesleyan grads! It’s a dynasty.

Yours truly, Gary Breitbord, has been spending time with the usual cast of characters from DKE/Wesleyan. I know I keep writing about this group, but the bonds are stronger than ever, even 40 years later, and since no one else wrote in, I figured I’d bore you one more time. Many impromptu get togethers surrounding two noteworthy highlights: A fun reception at the DKE house on the Saturday of Reunion weekend then the next day at Gillette Stadium where the Wesleyan Men’s Lacrosse team won the NCAA Division III Championship!

The Reunion reception didn’t disappoint with classes from 1958–2013 (like Bart Bolton ’58 to Zach Binswanger ’13) and those in between well-represented. From our time on campus, the class of ’78 was in the house: John McDermott, Ralph Rotman, Bill Ahern, Paul Nelson, Jeff Nesson, Bill Weiss, Jeff Binswanger, and Michael Klingher. Also, in attendance representing the DKE Alumni Board of Directors: Jeff Gray ’77, Dave Thomas ’77, Tom Roberts ’77, Dave Bagatelle ’86, Scott Karsten ’74, and the illustrious Joe Britton.

There was a large Wesleyan contingent (the graduation ceremonies in Middletown precluded a much larger showing) cheering on the men’s lacrosse Cardinals in their unprecedented accomplishment. I was fortunate to join a legion of lacrosse luminaries including Pat McQuillan ’75, Jim Daley ’75, Charlie Cocores ’74, Bill Devereaux ’75, Jock Burns ’72, Al Poon ’76, Dave Campbell ’75, Pete McArdle ’75, and Peter Guenther ’77 in celebrating this Wesleyan milestone. And to our own class of ’79 lacrosse playing stud, Jono Cobb, it’s a different game than when you and I played, my friend.

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

Class of 1979 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship Fund

Julian Carraway ’18, Sociology

Happy Spring! My first PCA race of the season will be at Road Atlanta in April (ABD).

Ann Kaplan never ceases to amaze! “Last fall, I organized a conference, Duty to Warn. The speakers were psychologists who outlined their concerns about the president’s dangerousness. There’s nothing like successfully herding a group of NYC shrinks to give a person a sense of bewildered accomplishment. In August I dived the Lembeh Strait in Indonesia. The strange life there includes hairy frog fish, blue ringed octopi, stargazers, seahorses, ghost pipefish, devil fish, and scores of nudibranchs. I attended a Vinyasa yoga retreat in a villa in Nice. In addition to hours of yoga instruction, the retreat included meditation, indulgent food, and great wine. LuxYoga sells a T-shirt that reads: “F*ck Kale. Eat Butter.” Last year, I was promoted to vice president at Council for Aid to Education, where I have worked for 17 years as a researcher and writer. I spent much of 2017 working with a brilliant coder, Jacob Drew ’98, on a benchmarking platform for advancement professionals. Our new application just launched and has been very well-received.”

Martha Bush remarks, “After a wonderful run of 25-and-a-half years at SIGMA, I will be leaving as of the first of the year. I will be doing a couple of personal projects that I hope to tell you about later in 2018.”

Matt Jarvinen reports that Ralph Maltese and his bride, Sheila Peck ’81, visited him in Colorado last September. Ralph was named “Most Valuable Wedding Guest” by the family when his godson, John Jarvinen, was married in the hills west of Denver. Ralph stuck around for a few short hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park, topping out at an elevation just over 13,000 feet.

Melissa Stern ’80, Jim Friedlich ’79, and Max Friedlich ’17 spent a wonderful Christmas Eve with Tom Valtin, at Tom’s home in San Francisco. Jim hung out with Ralph Maltese in San Jose, last month. Tom is working at The Sierra Club as he has since Wesleyan. Ralph now runs operations for The Santa Clara Food Bank, serving hundreds of thousands of meals daily to the region’s most at-risk populations.

Robert Kuhn notified us that “after 11-plus years in Florida, my husband Steven and I moved back to the Northeast in April (with our two Irish Terriers). In fact, we moved to Salisbury, Conn., one town over from where I went to boarding school (Hotchkiss). We were ready for a change and needed to exit overcrowded South Florida—we just didn’t know we’d end up in a community I was a part of in the early 1970s! We’re very happy so far and look forward to reconnecting with northeastern friends and making new ones. Anyone in the area, feel free to reach out!”

Joy D’Amore moved to Philadelphia from Dallas in December to start as director of executive search at CBIZ CMF. She leads searches for CFOs for middle-market private equity-backed portfolio companies nationwide. On a personal note, Joy had a wonderful surprise. Thanks to Ancestry.com DNA testing, she discovered that she has four younger half-brothers who live in the Richmond area. Joy had been adopted at birth and grew up an only child. She met her brothers over New Years and is very happy to be developing a close relationship with them and their families, including seven nephews and two nieces. Joy had met a half-sister six years ago from her maternal side and stays in close touch with her and with her 14-year-old niece.”

Katharine McKenna visited her daughter, Eliza ’20, at Wes. Katharine continues to paint Wyoming and the West. Her paintings will be on exhibit at the President’s Office Gallery at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn until May. Still travelling, she visited Scotland and Costa Rica with upcoming trips to Las Vegas and Paris.

Andrew Tanzer reveals: “I just published my first book, Robert Kuok: A Memoir, the story of a low-profile, enormously wealthy Malaysian-Chinese tycoon. Published in English in Singapore and Chinese in Hong Kong, the book sold more than 100,000 copies in Southeast Asia in its first two months and will go on sale in the U.S. this spring. After 25 years in journalism, mostly in East Asia, I switched to private wealth management in 2011 and became a chartered financial analyst in 2012.”

Jono Cobb writes: “No big news on the home front but I want to encourage folks to get to the polls this November! If you think your vote doesn’t matter take a look around at the current situation in our country.”

Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre invite everyone to join them at Afropop’s 30th anniversary gala on May 3 at City Winery in NYC. Harry Belafonte is honorary co-chair. Aurelio Martinez and Mokoomba will be inducted into the Afropop Hall of Fame. Afropop’s galas are always exceptional (afropop.org/page/gala2018).

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

Douglas Pavlak: “My EMG laboratory at OA Centers for Orthopaedics in Portland, Maine, has received its accreditation with exemplary status by the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine. It’s the only lab north of Boston and one of only a few dozen in the country that holds this status. Otherwise, just trying to survive getting three more teenagers through high school and maybe one of them to Wes!?”

Julie Hacker: “My partner and husband, Stuart Cohen, and I were inducted into the Merchandise Mart Hall of Fame. I’m busy taking musical theater classes, still racing triathlons, and a preservation commissioner for the City of Evanston. Our son graduated from RISD and is living in Chicago, working in a gallery, making art, and off to the Vermont Studio Center in December for a residency. If you live in NYC, you can hear him weekly Tuesday mornings on WFMU’s program Wake with Clay Pigeon, titled Gabe Cohen’s Introspective Infrastructure.

Martha Bush: “Speeding up, not slowing down! In addition to SIGMA, starting a stint as board chair of Causewave Community Partners, a nonprofit agency matching local marketing talent with human services agencies or to support critical local issues. Enjoying the blooming of energy, music, food and arts here in Rochester, N.Y., in the beautiful Finger Lakes region.”

John Tjia: “I left Ernst & Young at the end of August, finishing my nearly 12 years there as an executive director in the Business Modeling Group, and amazingly as a retiree. Not quite ready to just sit on the porch, though: I am now with Wall Street Prep, a major player in the financial training space, leading the development of their financial modeling business. In September, I submitted the manuscript for the third edition of my book, Building Financial Models, to McGraw-Hill, to be published in the first quarter of 2018. Not bad for an East Asian Studies major! For the past four years, I’ve been chairman of the board for Subud New York, a nonprofit organization for personal spiritual growth. I had memorable travel this summer: a cruise from Copenhagen that went to the Norway coast, Scotland, England, and back (the fjords were awe-inspiring) and a jaunt to Missouri in August for the total solar eclipse (spectacular).”

Heidi Mastrogiovanni: “My comedic novel, Lala Pettibone’s Act Two, was released by Amberjack Publishing in February.  The sequel, Lala Pettibone: Standing Room Only, will be released by Amberjack in August. The title character is, of course, a Wesleyan graduate. I’m taking part in the Writing While Female 2017 Tour. We’re doing readings and book signings in Los Angeles, Denver, and NYC, and we’re adding dates and locations all the time. My website is frequently updated with new event listings: heidimastrogiovanni.com.”

Michelle Morancie: “For the past 38 years (OMG! It’s been 38 years since we graduated) this somewhat shy alumna hasn’t shared much about my life and times in class notes. However, today I am so excited about the release of my first book, that I had to share with my classmates. Crazymaker: A Psychologist’s Disturbing Encounter with Workplace Abuse is my story about how I coped with being bullied and harassed by a NYC public schools’ principal for five years. It’s scheduled to be released in mid-December.”

I write a lot about my Wesleyan/DKE brothers. That’s because the unconditional friendships and relationships forged while at Wesleyan have stood the test of time. In that vein, we celebrated a momentous milestone—150 years of DKE’s continuous presence on the Wesleyan campus. Over 100 alumni and 35 undergraduates celebrated the sesquicentennial on Saturday, October 7. Once again, the Old Stone House came alive.

From all over the country, some of the strongest alumni this university can boast were there to celebrate and reconnect with friends they hadn’t seen, in some cases, for over 40 years. Many were accompanied by their wives, partners, and significant others. A 65-year span of classes was represented from Jim McLean ’56 and Ted Bachman ’60 to Dylan Niehoff ’15 and Ben Kurtz ’17 to the undergraduate brothers graduating in 2020. Of course, our class was more than well represented by Kevin Bristow, Joe Britton, Peter Campbell, George DuPaul, Tim Fitzgerald, Kenny King ’80, Bob and Carol (Horowitz) Murphy, yours truly Gary Breitbord, and all the way from Nebraska—Michael J. Scacca.

Unlike Reunion years, there were attendees from surrounding classes including 1978—Bill Ahern, Jeff Nesson, Ralph Rotman, Paul Nelson; 1977—Ted Stevens, Jeff Gray, Bob Nastri, Tom Roberts, the ever-eloquent master of ceremonies Dave Thomas, Mike Coffey, Don Citak, and Steve Beauchamp; 1981—Lou Scimecca, Tim O’Brien, Pete Pezzelli, Sandy Herzlich, and Jim Baker.

As the evening entered the wee hours of the morning, a familiar sound was heard. Pat McQuillan ’75 playing his guitar, Dave Terrie ’76 accompanying him on the harmonica with a cast of characters including Jim “Fats” Farrell ’74, Jim “Jumbo” Daley ’75, Dave Harrison ’75, and Pete McArdle ’76, all singing Grateful Dead songs. Quintessential 1970s Wesleyan relived.  Scott Karsten ’73 put it best: “Here’s to lifelong brotherhood!” A raucous good time was had by all. A truly soul-enriching event.

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

KPBS in San Diego, Calif. named Anne Wilson a community hero for her work in affordable housing as both developer and advocate (read more). Anne also attended Wesleyan’s 185th Commencement to celebrate Eero Talo ’17 graduation.  Congratulations, Anne!

Matt Okun writes in that he has so many reasons to rejoice:”My daughters, Nina Okun Furia and Lia Okun, both live in NYC, and visited me on my recent trip to D.C. Lia is a licensed psychologist, and Nina is a personal assistant, pregnant with her second child. My brother’s (Steve Okun ’82) son (Alex Okun ’20) just completed his freshman year at WESU. My wife, Annie Wong, has three children from her former marriage and already has two grandchildren. So, by the time you read this, I should have a total of four grandkids! I continue to work for the Seattle Public Schools as a teacher trainer and administrator with a focus on social justice.  I love everything about Seattle, except for how far it is from the East Coast. Just saw the band U2 live, playing music from 30 years ago. I am in my 39th year as a teacher. What a long, strange trip it’s been! My message to all is: Savor each moment of life; they can be beautiful, sweet, challenging, but are most certainly fleeting.  All my love, Matt”

Carol Churgin is semi-retired. She left public education and just finished another master’s—in Social Work. So on to another chapter…  She’s very proud her son is a licensed acupuncturist and diplomate of oriental medicine. Anyone living in San Diego who needs an acupuncturist, feel free to contact Carol!

Since the presidential election, Ann Kaplan has been volunteering as a teach-in organizer with a group of psychologists called Duty to Warn. “This national group of psychologists aims to have the president removed from office under the 25th amendment.

“I spent New Year’s Eve on a dive trip with three friends. This summer, we are heading to the Lembeh strait in Indonesia to dive.  I have also become immersed in a yoga practice and will be heading to a villa in Nice for a week-long retreat. We’ll be practicing, dining, and drinking wine. I don’t do austere.

“My daughter is a personal trainer at Crunch gym and a performance artist, focusing on pole dancing and silks. She also played a slice of pizza and a vengeful, tutu-clad pig in a magnificent production at Bushwick’s House of Yes.“

Earlier this year, Jake Walles retired from the State Department after more than 35 years as a foreign service officer, including tours as U.S. Ambassador in Tunisia and Consul General in Jerusalem.  He’s now living in D.C. and looking forward to new adventures outside the government.”

After 34 years as Wesleyan’s sports info director, Brian Kattan accepted early retirement on October 1, 2015. “The last 19 months have been delightful and I highly recommend retirement to all ’79ers. For fun, I coach a middle-school boys basketball team and umpire high-school baseball. I still follow Cardinal athletics religiously and am enjoying all the team successes including Eudice Chong ’18’s third straight national tennis title and men’s lax making the NCAA semis in 2017. Go Cards!”

Julie Hacker just got back from her son Gabe’s RISD graduation complete with marching band and belly dancer. A week before she attended her step-grandson’s graduation from Westpoint complete with marching band but no belly dancers. Opposite ends of the spectrum, but couldn’t be more proud! She has been busy practicing architecture, serving as a preservation commissioner for the City of Evanston, rewriting the design guidelines for Evanston, competing in triathlons, and is performing in a musical theatre class (“my singing is sub-par”). “I am still short, with short, greying hair, and wear black most of the time and of course round glasses—the uniform of architects. See my latest work at www.cohen-hacker.com and my son’s latest work at www.gabrielscohen.com .”

Bill Davies and Candy downsized two years ago to a 100-year-old home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. “We moved in after five months of renovating. Poughkeepsie is becoming a trendy place for young artists with families who can’t afford living in NYC and we love the neighborhood we are in.  I retired from IBM/GlobalFoundries in May and will be spending the summer rowing, biking, and gardening.  We are also preparing for our daughter’s wedding, Kim ’07, in September.  This fall I plan to start volunteering at the local schools to help kids with math skills.  Candy continues her social work as a counselor at SUNY, New Paltz.“

Alan Saly is happy to report that his daughter, Elaine Saly ’09, has graduated from NYU Law, and is on her way to Seattle to be a criminal defense attorney in the public defender’s office. Any Wes lawyers out there for her to touch base with?

Jono Cobb is back on Martha’s Vineyard for the summer. “During the months following graduation, I shared a single bathroom house on the Vineyard with Maureen Walsh, Deirdre Manning, Bethany Kandel, Spence Studwell, Mike Connelly, Dennis Archibald, and Mike Riera, as well as his not yet house-broken puppy. We also got to see many of our classmates who made our living room their first night’s stop after disembarking from the ferry. Whenever I drive past Little Walden, as we named it, I’m reminded of that summer of 1979…”

Luis Vidal still resides in Bridgeport, Conn. He retired from the Department of Social Services in 2011. He is presently working for Family ReEntry, Inc. as group facilitator of domestic violence groups in Bridgeport, Norwalk, New Haven, and Waterbury. He would love to hear from Ines Navarro ’81 and MaryAnn Gonzalez ’82 who graduated a couple of years after he did, and is wondering how they are, what they are up to, etc.

Thomas Brody, at 63, is still trying to find himself. Wish him luck, he says.

Denise Giacomozzi has been coordinating the Syrian Refugee Project at her church in conjunction with New Vision United Church of Canada (Hamilton, Ontario) whose pastor is married to a friend of hers from high school. The goal is to raise $50,000 USD to bring two families of four to Hamilton. They are halfway there. Contributions can be made by check to Rockville United Church, Syrian Refugee Project, 355 Linthicum St., Rockville, MD  20851 or PayPal. “On a personal note, my mother passed away in March at the hospice where I have been working as a chaplain.  I am on leave as I mourn. Elaine Winic was there by my side for the memorial service, ever the faithful friend since our days as freshmen roommates.”

Ralph Maltese: “On October 22, 2016, my best friend from college, Alan David Avner, passed away after a two-year bout with cancer. Alan was an enigma—a happy loner, a fine musician, a good friend. He was the healthiest living person I’ve ever known, had a razor sharp eclectic intelligence, sarcastic wit, love of all things jazz, a respect for all people and other living things and lived his life with caring and humility. He recently moved to Florida to care for his aging father, giving up the life he loved in San Francisco. I never ever heard him brag about anything. Throughout all his ordeals he never complained. Alan was always there for me, as my friend, confidante, best man, the first person I told I had cancer, and someone I could rely on for good advice even when it was the advice I did not want to hear but needed. He was and will always be my friend.  He is survived by his father, sister, and her family.”

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

NEWSMAKERS | 1970s NEWSMAKER JIM FRIEDLICH ’79 Jim Friedlich ’79, P’14 was appointed the chief executive officer of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism in Philadelphia. This newly formed Institute has an endowment for investment in technology and innovations that advance the future of journalism. The Institute is also the parent company of The Philadelphia Inquirer, a winner of 20 Pulitzer Prizes and now the largest newspaper in America operated as a public-benefit company. Cable mogul and philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest said, “The hiring of Jim Friedlich—one of the most talented and capable thinkers in the business of journalism—will help propel our mission: developing effective models for powerful public-service journalism on a local and regional level in the digital age.” An English major at Wesleyan, Friedlich was chief executive of digital media advisory firm Empirical Media which was purchased by Lenfest. He worked as group publisher of The Wall Street Journal International and was a seed investor in Business Insider.

NEWSMAKERS | 1970s NEWSMAKER ELLIS NEUFELD ’79 Ellis Neufeld ’79, M.D., PhD., was appointed clinical director, physician-in-chief, and executive vice president of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, an internationally renowned center that pioneers research for and offers treatment to children with catastrophic illnesses. St. Jude President and Chief Executive Officer James Downing, M.D., said: “Dr. Neufeld’s leadership and experience will help steer St. Jude clinical operations as we expand our patient care programs, increase the number of patients treated and work to set the standard for pediatric cancer care delivery.” A biology and chemistry major at Wesleyan, Neufeld earned his doctoral degrees at Washington University in St. Louis, with specialty training in pediatrics and medical genetics at Boston Children’s Hospital and in pediatric hematology/oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s.

Class of 1979 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship Fund

Julian Carraway ’18, Sociology

Gary here, wishing everyone a healthy and happy new year from snowy Holliston, Mass.

It was great to see the DKE house packed once again with revelers for the annual Homecoming post-game party. It was well-attended by alumni from the class of 1964 to 2016 including George DuPaul, Joe Britton, John Papa, Bill Conley, Jack Buckley, Tim Fitzgerald, Dennis Archibald, Scott Karsten ’74, Dave Thomas ’77, Vanessa Burgess ’77, Ralph Rotman ’78, Bill Ahern ’78, Jeff Gray ’77, Steve Imbriglia ’77, Matt Hoey ’78, Shawn McKeown ’77, Gary Sturgis ’77, Peter McArdle ’77, Steve McArdle (legendary DKE chef), Dave Bagatelle ’86, Michael Ruderman ’11, Jeremy Edelberg ’14, Bob Bourne ’80 (my DKE “little brother”), Jack Meier ’69, and Frank Judson ’64, among a plethora of others I’m forgetting. Before the post-game festivities, we watched the Wesleyan Cardinals win the first leg of the Little Three title by beating Amherst before they traveled to Williams a few weeks later to officially capture the crown for the second time in four years. Congratulations to Mike Whalen ’83 and to the many DKE undergraduate brothers who played their hearts out in those games. Well done.

A great time was had by all in celebrating the 60th trip around the sun for John McDermott ’78 in New Jersey with Joe Britton, Tim Fitzgerald, Ralph Rotman ’78, Jeff Gray ’77, Dave Thomas ’77, and Paul Nelson ’78. Many of us will be joyfully embracing? Stoically facing? Unconditionally surrendering to? The milestone this year. I keep reminding myself it’s only a number. How the heck did we get here?

Ellis Neufeld writes: “I actually have news this time, after decades of doing more or less the same thing. Come March, I will move to Memphis to become physician-in-chief at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.” I have tremendous respect for people doing work that makes a significant difference in people’s lives, especially children’s lives. Kudos to you, Ellis.

Jodi Daynard writes that she is still writing: “Hi, there! I’m doing very well! Quit teaching last year. My third novel, A More Perfect Union, is coming out this May (Lake Union). It is the third of a trilogy that began with The Midwife’s Revolt.”

From John Tjia (originally Class of 1976, but took a three-year “gap year”): “I’m at the point in my life and career (executive director at Ernst & Young in New York) where I am starting to think about retiring. My daughter, Leonore, is on her own in San Francisco since graduating from the University of St. Andrews in 2011. My son, Alex, is in his sophomore year at Skidmore College, and my wife, Charlotte Okie, teaches the Alexander Technique in the drama department at the Juilliard School. I am writing the third edition of my book, Building Financial Models, for McGraw-Hill, and I take time out on the weekends to do some oil painting. Does anyone know where Anne Morningstar ’76 is?”

Jim Friedlich was named CEO of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the future of sustainable local news. Hong Qu ’99, a digital media entrepreneur, serves on Jim’s board. Jim and Alberto Ibargüen ’66, CEO of the Knight Foundation, announced a major national partnership between their respective organizations to help transform newsrooms around the country by more effective use of digital, mobile, and social platforms.

Joy D’Amore writes: “I head up global talent acquisition at Everest Group, a strategy consulting and research firm focused on global services. I moved to Dallas for the role a year and a half ago. We have offices in Dallas, Toronto, London, and Gurgaon, India. I’d love to connect with others in Dallas: damorej@gmail.com.”

Anne Wilson update: “Moved to San Diego Calif., in 1991 for a job and, to my surprise, stayed. Learning to surf helped. I am proud to be SVP of real estate development at Community HousingWorks, a nonprofit that develops, renovates, and owns apartment homes affordable to low-income working families, seniors and people with disabilities (almost 3,000 apartment homes across the state of California). I regularly hire recent grads with liberal arts degrees because they know how to write, think, research, and analyze problems. I just wish more of them would take a few courses that require quantitative work like statistics and economics.”

Bill Levinson update: “Julie and I finally pulled the plug on the Northeast. We’ve left New Hope, Pa., and moved to Key West. I’m still playing piano full-time down here.”

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

NEWSMAKERS | 1970s NEWSMAKER JOSEPH WRIGHT ’79 Joseph Wright ’79, MD, MPH, chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Howard University College of Medicine was recently elected to the prestigious American Pediatric Society (APS). Wright, as one of the nation’s leading pediatricians, has been recognized as an advocate for childcare, working to advancing pediatric research, developing educational opportunities for trainees, and expanding advocacy initiatives. For Wright, “Election to the APS is a special honor,” as membership provides a platform for him to further not only “Howard’s commitment to outstanding patient care and service to the community,” but also the missions of the numerous national advisory boards he serves on, including the National EMS Advisory Council (NEMSAC), the American Hospital Association’s Maternal and Child Health Council, and recently, as an Obama administration appointee to the Food and Drug Administration’s Pediatric Advisory Committee.

Greetings! A few of you have written in for the first time in many years—glad to hear from you!

On May 7, Nancy Katz Colman and David Colman’s middle child, Lily (Hampshire ’13), married Alistair Rée duPont in Philadelphia. Helping celebrate were cousin-by-marriage, Michael Kannan ’75, and Lew Gitlin. Lily works for David Zwirner Gallery in New York, and Alistair works for India-based banking firm, Avendus. Their youngest, Drew (Smith ’15), moved to Seattle in June; med school is on the horizon. Their eldest, Alex (Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts ’13), teaches in an after-school program in Philadelphia. David works in real estate, rehabbing and repurposing distressed urban properties for nonprofits and institutions. Nancy edits a publication for the Center City Residents’ Association. They enjoyed the wedding of Jeanne Cahn’s daughter, Rachel Sulsky.

After a 25-year hiatus, Doug Pavlak updated his status: “I continue to work as a neuromuscular specialist at the OA Centers for Orthopedics in Portland, Maine, where I am the head of the neurophysiology laboratory. I was voted ’Top Doc’ in my field by Down East magazine, thanks to my colleagues. I live in Falmouth, Maine, with my wife, Norma, and three of our seven children. The other four are grown and out of the house. Still trying to get one of them to go to Wesleyan!”

Rebecca Lyman lives in Seattle and owns a marketing and advertising agency called the Garrigan Lyman Group, glg.com. For 23 years, this strategic digital agency, with offices in Seattle, New York, and Boise, has been focused on delivering brand strategy, audience engagement, and digital delivery. She sees Kent Hellebust ’80 in Seattle, as they worked together, as well as Dr. Anne Peters, who is a rock star doctor in LA. Anne and her son, Max Votey ’14, visited her.

After becoming an empty-nester, and retiring from the corporate world, Ron Cooper took up photography. He found his photography class from J. Seeley at Wesleyan in 1977 fascinating. Not having picked up a camera in more than 30 years, he narrowed his interests to documentary, portrait, and travel photography. His images involve people and are made in the field with natural light. Ron had two solo gallery shows in Colorado, where he’s lived since 1996. You can see his photographs at ron-cooper.com.

For over a year, Lauren Steiner was the lead organizer in LA for Bernie Sanders and a delegate for Bernie at the Democratic National Convention, where, David and Nancy Colman so generously put her up in their lovely home. She organized Bernie delegates to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) on the floor of the convention. Back in LA, she organizes protests on the TPP, fracking, the Dakota Access Pipeline and other issues. She writes for the LA Progressive and had articles published in Truthout, Truthdig, AlterNet, Common Dreams, and Nation of Change. “It is very rewarding to work with people of all ages from college students to senior citizens on all these vital issues, and I’d like to invite any likeminded Wesleyan folks to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter @lauren_steiner.”

Daniel Morales is an MSW and works as a case manager coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. He has two daughters, Elizabeth, 25, and Melinda, 20, who are attending college. He is a Sabbath school teacher for the Hope Seventh-Day Adventist Church and the director of the Adventurers ministry for children ages 4-9 at the church. He is an avid volleyball player and reads as much as he can in his spare time. Daniel welcomes communiqués from friends in the 1977-79 classes at: dnjmorales@aol.com.

Gerard Koeppel writes that his book about rectilinear Manhattan, City on a Grid, won a New York City book award and he touched the gloved hand of possibly immortal fellow winner, Roger Angell. After a quarter-century of sharing his living arrangements with children, he and his wife, Diane, achieved empty nester-hood. Daughter Kate to USC; son Harry, a philosophy major/math minor, and a budding chef, aims to lead Boston College to a 2017 national sailing championship; and son Jackson continues in Detroit, (re)building the community one solar street light and one longtime resident at a time [soulardarity.nationbuilder.com].

Laura Tully writes in: “My husband, Robert Schneider, and I fled the arctic Boston winters and moved to the charming island of Alameda in the Bay Area last fall. I’ve found a wonderful congregation at First Unitarian Church of Oakland. I am looking for work as a team and leadership coach.”

Alan Saly documents the unrecognized efforts of transit workers at 9/11 with the Transport Workers Union. He is engaged in the traditional New York sport of sparring with a co-op board. He is pleased to see his daughter, Elaine ’09, in her third year at NYU Law School, preparing for a career in public defense.

Paul Landraitis is a founding member of the Seattle chapter of Conscious Capitalism. They had some great events, with conscious business leaders, Howard Behar (Starbucks) and Alex Thompson (REI). He just completed a certification program in Immunity to Change coaching with Bob Kegan and Lisa Lahey, and is looking forward to working to help more businesses and NGO’s become “deliberately developmental organizations.” He enjoys the great nature of the Northwest and hopes to see more Wesleyan folks.

Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre continue their Afropop adventures. Having won NEH funding for the 13th consecutive year, Afropop will be going to Nigeria to produce a four-part radio series in January. Home base is still Middletown, but no longer on campus, and the office is still in Brooklyn. It’s a crazy life, but hey, you’re only young once, right?

After losing his home, job, and community to the 2015 California wildfires, and his 20-year bodywork career for health reasons, Andrew Yavelow spent the last year wandering, relaxing, and recovering from those traumas. His goals are to find a new place to live (someplace green and beautiful, with short winters), and a new career (imagining himself in workplace wellness, and art photography). “Life is painful, hard, perplexing—and lovely.”

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

Another fine (except for the score) Red Sox Opening Day was attended by myself, George DuPaul, Jeff Gray ’77 and Tim O’Brien ’81. A toast was raised in honor of our good friend and brother Brad Toomey ’81, P’18, who passed away suddenly and much too soon. His life was celebrated in Kansas City, where he lived, by Peter Campbell (recently retired to Charleston, S.C., from his CIO role at Sprint), Pete Pezzelli ’81, Tony Difolco ’81, Tim O’Brien, Paul Disanto ’81, Rick Ciullo ‘81, and Lou Scimecca ’81. Another get-together of the DKE brethren was held in Boston where Bill Vernon ’73, Jeff Gray, Dave Thomas ’77, Ken Langley ’77, Paul Fichera ’77, Dave Matteodo ’77, Ralph Rotman ’78, Bill Ahern ’78, Tim Fitzgerald and I were in attendance. It’s been over 35 years and the DKE/Wesleyan bonds are as strong as they were when they were formed.

I had the good fortune to run into Dan Wolf at a local event. Dan continues his role as CEO of Cape Air, as well as a Massachusetts State Senator.

Jake Walles completed three years as Ambassador to Tunisia last September and shares: “I’m working on counter-terrorism issues in the State Department in DC. I’ve been spending quite a bit of time with our European partners following the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels.”

Melanie Freundlich: “I attended an alumni event in NYC and ran into Ann Biester Deane, also spied Anne Shirrmeister Goldrach. Heavily attended and organized by several illustrious women alumni including Vanessa Burgess ’77, it featured awe-inspiring stories from four amazing Wesleyan women. I am still living in Montclair, N.J., with my husband, Peter, and two daughters, Sophia and Ava (18 and 23), and running my architectural lighting design company on West 38th Street, sometimes collaborating (separately) on projects with architects Mark Ginsberg and Joan Craig.”

Chris Austill is living in Somerville, Mass., and has been a grant writer at the YMCA of Greater Boston for the last 13 years. Chris has a 14-year-old daughter who is a soccer goalie and plays soccer six days a week when she can.

Pamela Dorman is still publisher of her eponymous imprint, Pamela Dorman Books, at Penguin Random House, where she is publishing the bestselling Jojo Moyes and Carolyn Parkhurst ’92, whose new novel, Harmony, comes out this August. Pamela’s twins, Nick and Sophie Krichevsky, are juniors at New Rochelle High School and are embarked on twin college searches—Sophie is liberal arts and Nick is all tech.

Darlyne Johnson: “Still workingz—just GYN now. Had some health challenges but I take my handful of meds/vitamins and keep on moving. Have son in 9th grade and daughter at University of Tampa. Have seen Jim Brenner, Banning Eyre (hosted first book signing party in Milton for his book) and Sean Barlow.”

Craig McLaughlin is living in Santa Cruz, opening a new mediation and counseling business, getting certified in Hakomi, a mindfulness-based somatic psychotherapy approach, and awaiting his daughter’s return from her Fulbright year in Morocco. He and his father, Curtis McLaughlin ’54, just signed a contract to produce a third edition of their textbook, Health Policy Analysis: An Interdisciplinary Approach. In October, he finished the book tour for his memoir, Passing on Curves: While Death Rides Shotgun, with a spoken word performance at The Trident in Cambridge.

Bethany Kandel is finally done paying for college tuition for her sons! Her youngest son, Jared, just graduated from Tulane University with a degree in finance. Older son Ryan is a graphic designer. She still lives on the Upper West Side with her husband, Gary Fishman, and is a freelance journalist, content contributor, and consultant for websites and organizations. She also works to help breast cancer survivors with the website she founded, BreastCancerFreebies.com.

Jodi Daynard: “My second novel, Our Own Country, was published this past February. The first, The Midwife’s Revolt, became a bestseller last year. The third in the trilogy will be out next spring—I’m about to leave my teaching job forever! I’m happily living in Newton, Mass., with my British husband, Peter, and my two spaniels, Bailey and Rory. My son, Alex, is at M.I.T. getting his PhD in solar chemistry.”

Ben Solnit: “I still work part time for Connecticut Legal Services and serve on a number of nonprofit boards. My wife, Audrey, and I took a course this spring with Herr Doktor Professor Herb Arnold in the WILL program on The Epic of Gilgamesh. Our daughter, Rebecca (Dickinson ’12), is associate dean of graduate support at St. James School, a private middle school in Philadelphia, which serves a low income neighborhood. Our daughter, Anita (Tufts ’14), is finishing up her tenure at South Bay Mental Health in Lynn, Mass., and will attend the Columbia School of Social Work this fall in the MSW program. Audrey and I saw John Hatleberg and Rise Dimson in NYC in January for a joint birthday dinner.

Brian Katten: “I took early retirement on October 1, 2015, after 33 years as Wesleyan’s first full-time sports information director. I continue to do some freelance work and also got certified as a high-school baseball umpire. No grandkids yet but I expect my daughter (Anna ’11) to come through in that department next year!”

Allison Read Tom: “I took early (disability) retirement from my position as associate professor in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia. I’m now creating a new life, focused on gardening (well, supervising someone else in the garden), quilting, friends, cat, and grown children. Caitlin, my eldest, is a Ph.D. student in political science at Berkeley. Alanna, my youngest, is finishing her first year at UBC school of law as I write. I’m heading to France this summer for a luxurious week-long quilting workshop, followed by a few days in Paris. A new adventure for me, but I am learning many things and finding deep contentment.”

Martha Bush: “Good news from my side of the world in Rochester, N.Y. Recently we had a management buyout of our company, SIGMA Marketing Insights, and I was made president. Our daughter Lauren is graduating from Harvard so we’ve made our last tuition payments!”

Lincoln Frank continues to live in NYC with his wife, Molly O’Neil ’84, and sometimes-at-home children—two out, two in college (including Harry ’15). Molly just completed her MDiv on her way to becoming a board-certified chaplain. Linc still hits tennis balls with his old teammate David Schenkein, CEO of a terrific biotech in Cambridge.

Lauren Steiner: “I have been running LA for Bernie, the oldest and largest Bernie Sanders volunteer organization in LA. I will be going to the Democratic National Convention as a Bernie delegate in July in Philly and am looking forward to staying with Nancy Katz Colman and David Colman.”

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

Class of 1979 Scholarship

Julian Carraway ’18, Middletown, Conn.

A book that Jane Marcellus co-authored, Mad Men and Working Women: Feminist Perspectives on Historical Power, Resistance, and Otherness (Peter Lang, 2014, rev. ed. 2016) was named to Teen Vogue magazine’s “epic feminist reading list.” Here’s the link: teenvogue.com/gallery/feminist-literature-womens-equality-day/25. “Obviously, popular magazines have tremendous influence on young women, and we were thrilled to be part of a list that includes several feminist classics.”

Robert Kuhn and his husband, Steven, live in Fort Lauderdale with their two Irish Terriers. They have been together 11 years and married four years in February. They have pretty hectic lives, as they’re both in the consulting world—lots of work and travel. Robert’s sustainability consultancy has its ups and downs, but after almost eight years it’s still something he’s passionate about. He recently heard from Bob Murphy ’79, who’s in a related field. Anyone else? On the personal side, he’s in his sixth year on the board of Lambda Legal, the country’s largest and oldest civil rights organization focused on the LGBT and HIV-positive communities. Board service is a labor of love, but this cause speaks to him and has connected him with so many great, passionate folks.

Alan Saly is proudly collecting delegate signatures for Bernie Sanders in Brooklyn.

Gerard Koeppel wrote: “By the time you’re reading this, my latest book, City on a Grid: How New York Became New York, will be nearing the end of a pretty good run, which Adam Gopnik kicked off in the New Yorker a month before the book was published last November. I started writing when Alexandra Peers, editor of Ampersand, the late, great Argus arts section of her invention, asked me in sophomore year to do a piece about Essex, where the sailing club (WESail) I was running based its operations (boats, bought used from Yale with donor money, stored on the grounds of what was then the Wesleyan Marine Lab and launched into the Connecticut River by arrangement with adjoining Essex Yacht Club). The Essex profile went over well, I started writing more features, eventually a weekly column (and intercollegiate sailing competition sports reports under a variety of sailing-related pseudonyms), and switched from an econ major to English. Phyllis Rose taught me to read, visiting V. S. Naipaul (while alienating much of the Wesleyan community) taught me to write, and the rest, so to speak, after many years in journalism (mostly at CBS News) is history, writing everything from books to historical signage in New York City parks. To think that I practically failed Dick Buel’s American History survey course. For anyone who’s interested: gerardkoeppel.com.”

Toni Ross commented that “one child graduated from Bennington this year, the other back in school at NYU Tisch School of the Arts in their newly founded Game Design program, I am still living in Wainscott, N.Y. with my two dogs, George and Gracie, and preparing for three separate exhibitions in 2016 in New York City, East Hampton, and Sag Harbor, N.Y. Nick & Toni’s, my first restaurant venture, just celebrated its 27th anniversary. It is shocking to me that I could be so fortunate. My other restaurants La Fondita, Townline Barbeque, and Rowdy Hall, all located in the Hamptons and Nick & Toni’s Cafe in New York City are also celebrating many years in business. And, shhhhhhh, a new one is on the way. Stay tuned.”

Esslie Hughes is delighted to report that today (Jan. 14, 2016) she started her new position as chief of finance and operations for the Episcopal Diocese of New York!

Rachel Bashevkin will retire this spring as director of studies at Westover School in Middlebury, Conn., after 35 years there. She’ll be moving to New Haven to start a new chapter in her life. Feel free to send ideas for work, service, and entertainment in New Haven to her.

Joseph Wright, MD, MPH, was elected to the American Pediatric Society. Membership is reserved for those who have distinguished themselves as child health leaders, teachers, scholars, policymakers, and clinicians and whose important contributions are recognized nationally or internationally. He calls his membership “a platform for me to further Howard’s commitment to outstanding patient care and service to the community.”

Julie Hacker has been very busy. Her firm, Stuart Cohen & Julie Hacker Architects LLC, has just completed the first luxury showroom for Pella windows, which opened Jan. 14 in the Chicago Merchandise Mart.

She is serving as a preservation commissioner for the city of Evanston, Ill., where she gets to try to preserve the great historic building stock they have along the North Shore of Chicago. She ran a symposium, “The Iconic House,” as part of the recent Chicago Architecture Biennial, which just closed. Her recent books featuring the work of her firm include:100 Classical Architects for the 21st Century (Rizzoli) and Contemporary Renovations and Additions (Think Publishing). An active triathlon participant, she completed five short course events this past summer (sprint and Olympic distance) and placed first in her age group in the Michigan City Triathlon. On a personal note, her son, Gabriel, is now a junior at RISD, a double major in film/video/animation and sculpture, making really interesting installation pieces which she can honestly say, she does understand.

Bill Levinson took the plunge! “Well, we finally bought a house in Key West. What began as a one-month vacation, is now a five-month transformation. Julie is doing her graphic design remotely, and I am working five nights a week with The Happy Dog, an original music collaboration, playing gigs at bars, piers, and on boats: thehappydogband.com.”

Andrew Yavelow had a rough year. He lost his job, career, home, community, and friends—and his body fell apart. He moved from fire-ravaged northern California to warm and wet southern Florida, and is trying to pull himself back together and figure out what’s next. We wish him well.

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

Great snippet from Martha Bush: “An interesting Wes connection and coincidence. I rowed at Wes for a year with Kathy Keeler ’78, who, of course, went on to win Gold at the 1984 Olympics. We each had a single daughter in our late 30s. Those two young women (my daughter, Lauren Tracey, and her daughter, Abigail Parker) are killing it rowing together in the first boat for Harvard! Sadly not for Wes, but a small world, nonetheless.”

Philip A. O’Connell, Jr. has published a novella entitled The Sound of Silk. A work of historical fiction, it is set in the vice-ridden alleys of old San Francisco and the silver mines of the Sierras. It deals with the decline and fall of William Ralston, the man who built San Francisco. It is available on Amazon. Phil is a partner in the Boston office of the international law firm Dentons US LLP.

Jim Friedlich and Stuart Ellman ’88 were co-investors in Business Insider, a business information company sold recently to Axel Springer, the German media concern. Friedlich, a former Wall Street Journal executive, was a seed investor in the company at the time of its founding. Ellman, a partner at RRE, a NY-based venture capital firm, served on its board of directors.

Meg and Michael Gold write: “Shortly after the alumni magazine came with Sean and Banning on the cover (congrats to you both! Meg and I are longterm Afropop fans!) it was time for the annual Globalquerque Festival. What an unforgettable, amazing experience we had Saturday night. We got to see/hear: kassemadydiabatemusic.com. This group from Mali had three men accompanying the singer—one on a weird, gourd-harp thing, one on a sort of boxy guitar, and one on a sort of xylophone. Very trance like, hypnotic. According to the brochure, ’Kulanjan, his 1999 album with blues artist Taj Mahal, was famously cited by Barack Obama as one of his favorite albums of all time.’ facebook.com/OrlandoJuliusOfficial from Nigeria was my favorite—a sort of jazz, R&B, reggae mix called “high-life.” The groove was so intense it made me believe I was a good dancer. cimarroncolombia.com from Columbia had two intense guitarists, bass, two percussionists (maracas, hand-drum box thing) a guy on an electric harp (!!) and a flamenco singer/dancer. Unbelievably good guitar solos and a maraca/foot stomp competition thing. makinaloca.com from Congo had a jazzy, salsa, Cuban sound that was also impossible not to dance to. Everyone is invited for next year. Regards from Albuquerque, Michael & Meg Gold.”

Craig McLaughlin performs regularly at storytelling venues around the country. He can be seen most often in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lives, but he has recently performed in Los Angeles, Boston, Albuquerque, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, and Seattle. Passing on Curves: While Death Rides Shotgun, a memoir released in May, is built from the stories he tells on stage. He has just begun working on the third edition off his textbook, Health Policy Analysis: An Interdisciplinary Approach. For more, visit cdmclaughlin.com.

Jono Cobb writes: “My wife Suzzanne, daughter Jordan, and I had a great time in October at the Hamilton fundraiser, where Wesleyan raised nearly $1.5M for the scholarship fund. I’ve finished my three-year tenure on the President’s Advisory Council and will miss crossing paths at those meetings with Laura Walker and Lincoln Frank. Have a great fall and winter!”

Laura Tully writes: “After 27 years in the Boston area, I am moving with my husband, Rob Schneider, to Alameda in the Bay Area. The end of my team performance coach role at Philips provided the opportunity to leave the fierce Boston winters and join my brother, Andy Tully ’83, and his wife, Beth Mooney, in the San Francisco area. Our son, Simon Schneider, just moved into a triple-decker in Boston where he’s working for the social media marketing firm, Cortex. We’re looking forward to connecting with other Wes folks out West.“

John Papa shared: “After a two-year hiatus, the Sky View Concert Series fundraiser returned to my house on the hill in Avon, Conn., and playing off the hillside was The Marshall Tucker Band. Very cool to have them in the backyard. My wife, Sara, and I raised $20,000 for a local disability charity—Favarh. In attendance was the co-host John Majewski, Neil Fitzgerald, Kevin Bristow, the elusive Pat Kiley, the invisible Tom Dwyer (he actually didn’t sneak away), Billy Schmitt, and Bob Burnett. From other classes were Don Dandelske ’78, Jim Carey ’77, John Gaebe ’77, Paul, “the Beav” Malnati ’77, and of course Vinny “no hitter” Colelli ’76. It was a very special day that went into the late night. The band was extremely engaging with the crowd, and some of us were able to participate with some songs such as Can’t You See, Heard it in a Love Song, and Fire on the Mountain. Having Wes friends there makes these events all the more special. Gearing up for the next concert even though the band level continues to increase.”

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com 

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@gmail.com