CLASS OF 1979 | 2015 | ISSUE 1
Gary, this time: I write this during the third large snowstorm in the last two weeks. It’s winter in New England.
In July, the inaugural Pigapalooza was held in the bucolic Lehigh Valley. Bill Conley conferred the festival’s name, celebrating all things bacon in honor of the Iron Pigs, the Phillies AAA baseball team. The Pawtucket Red Sox were visiting so it made a great excuse for another mini-reunion after the Reunion. George DuPaul hosted at his palatial Macungie estate. Also in attendance were Joe Britton, Jack Buckley, Tim Fitzgerald, Dennis Robinson, Gary Breitbord, and the elder statesman Jeff Gray ’77. Activities included an impromptu tour of Philly; 2 Iron Pigs games; Aw Shucks corn (delicious); chocolate covered bacon; and a Billy and T. Fitz jam session (I missed that part of the fun since I was taking a nap) warmly wrapped in bacon-inspired merriment.
In November, Dave Thomas ’77 graciously hosted a fete in honor of His Honor Connecticut Superior Court Judge for the New Britain District Robert Nastri ’77. In attendance were Paul Nelson ’78, Bill Ahern ’78, Paul Fichera ’77, Jeff Gray, Ken Langley ’77, and Gary Breitbord, as well as spouses and significant others. Also joining this band after 17 years away, none other than Charles “Sammy Hoch” Himelhoch ’78 all the way from the Motor City. He promised a shorter wait for a return engagement.
In December, the Dunn Gaherin crew got together in celebration of… well… nothing in particular, other than friendship forged by our Wesleyan/DKE bonds. Tim Fitzgerald, Gary Breitbord, Jeff Gray, Jeff Burns ’80, Mike Rosenblatt ’80, and Tim O’Brien ’81 (with a cameo by Steve Sorkin ’83) enjoyed stories of family, offspring (much kvelling), jobs, ailments, current affairs, and not-so-current affairs, all in true Wesleyan fashion.
Ann Biester Deane writes in that she attended the 1831 Society gathering hosted by Eva and John Usdan ’80 in January. It was a frigid night, but the cold didn’t deter Anne Schirrmeister, Bill Plotch, Melissa Stern ’80, Seta Nazarian with son Nicholas ’13, and Mitch Harwood from attending. The event was wonderful, complete with the a cappella group, The Wesleyan Spirits, providing entertainment. Ann Deane is a real estate broker in Manhattan with Halstead and enjoys driving her Porsche GT3 on racetracks throughout the East Coast.
Evan Bauer is still living in Park Slope, Brooklyn, with his wife, author Joan Bauer. Evan is now at KPMG LLP as executive director of technology operations.
Neil Fitzgerald reports that he is alive and well in Florida with no news other than that he’s alive and well in Florida.
Peter Campbell writes: “Checking in from Kansas City, I was happy to link up with George DuPaul at the seventh Game of the World Series. George was in town to visit with his son, Glenn, who worked for the Royals (and now works for the Brooklyn Nets). In other Kansas City news, Joyce and I are lucky enough to be able to chum with Tony DiFolco ’81, Lou Scimecca ’81, and Brad Toomey ’81 and their wives, who all reside in town, alternately enjoying dinners, concerts, games, gambling, and/or family events. It is a strange turn of events that four former fraternity brothers and teammates from an East Coast school end up here in Kansas City, but I feel lucky we did!”
Banning Eyre passes a milestone in May with the publication of his book Lion Songs: Thomas Mapfumo and the Music that Made Zimbabwe (Duke University Press). The book’s been 15 years in the works, but really, it goes all the way back to Wesleyan, where Banning first heard the amazing music of Zimbabwe.
Amy Seham writes in: “I’m a professor of theater and dance at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, where I direct and teach a wide range of courses in theater and gender, women, and sexuality studies. Peg O’Connor ’87 teaches philosophy and GWS here as well. Our student social justice theater group, known as I Am We Are, will be celebrating its 20-year anniversary this year—quite a remarkable record of continuous creative work. My daughter, Miranda, is 11, and yes, she is named for the character in The Tempest, a show I directed for my honors project at Wesleyan, directed for my theater company in New Haven, and directed again here at Gustavus. I would love to hear from any fellow alumni in the Minneapolis area.”
Cliff Hendel has some news to share: “After years (actually, decades) of practice as an international transactional lawyer in New York, Paris, and Madrid (during which time I’ve been admitted to practice as a lawyer in New York, a solicitor in England and Wales, an avocat in Paris, and an abogado in Madrid), I’ve “crossed over” and become a nearly-full-time international dispute resolution lawyer. I represent parties and, increasingly, act as neutral, i.e., as arbitrator or mediator in international disputes. My caseload is essentially commercial and sports-related. I’ve been a member (arbitrator) of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne for several years.”
Much to his pleasant surprise, Evan Flaschen has been named the global 2015 Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyer of the Year by the London-based legal industry survey firm, Who’s Who Legal, whoswholegal.com, whose awards are based on comments solicited from private practice lawyers and in-house counsel from around the world. Congratulations, Evan!
Candy and Bill Davies P’07 downsized from their country home and moved to the city of Poughkeepsie, where they are renovating a 100-year-old Craftsman home with beautiful woodwork and some pretty stained glass windows. They are both employed, Bill still an IBM engineer, and Candy a social worker at SUNY New Paltz, counseling college students.
Some sad news to report: Joan Markman, Philadelphia’s first chief integrity officer, lost her recurring battle with breast cancer and passed away in January. Another life lost too young.
Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com
Ann Biester Deane | Abdeane@gmail.com