CLASS OF 1986 | 2015 | ISSUE 2
Elaine Taylor-Klaus, writes, “When I was at Wes, I understood the value of “learning to think” in theory, but I never could have imagined how it would serve me in my life—as a parent and as an entrepreneur. No day goes by that I do not actively continue the extraordinary personal growth that started for me in the early ’80s—the ability to see a need in the world, the confidence to address that need, and the wisdom to call on the intelligence (of myself and others) to figure out how do it effectively.”
Lonnie Shumsky: “I live in the West and have now for half my life, but I love visiting my Wes friends back East. As a physician and parent, I spend a lot of my time taking care of other people. When I travel to NYC to see friends, I turn back into the former and less encumbered me, at least for a few days. Having friends, great friends, for over 30 years is pretty powerful stuff.”
Daniel Seltzer is still living in NYC with a wonderful woman and a lot of kids (who are now heading off to colleges). He is currently CTO at a FinTech startup, playing music as much as possible, and biking/running/boarding within the bounds of aging tendons.
Jaclyn Brilliant and Anthony Jenks ’85 have been in Brooklyn together for more than 25 years. One kid is one year out of college, and the other just wrapped up her first year at Wes! She is loving it, and her experience takes me back to the joy of my own Wesleyan friendships. I’m still in touch with Nina Mehta and Sarah Porter, and looking to reconnect with Ann O’Hanlon, Jinny Kim, and many others (hoping we might all be at our 30th Reunion).
Samuel Connor wrote, “My Wesleyan experience led me straight into the Peace Corps, where I served in West Africa for a few years. I got hooked on adventure, diversity, challenges, and to contributing meaningfully to improve our world, and have stayed on that social justice course ever since. World music remains a passion.”
Steve Price has become a mild mannered commercial appraiser in Seattle, still doing lots in the mountains and now learning how to race surfskis. His latest pro-bono work is PR and fundraising for a state-wide ballot initiative that would impose a carbon tax and then use those proceeds to directly reduce other state taxes in a manner to make the state tax system more progressive and transfer about $200M a year back into the wallets of the bottom 40 percent.
In terms of progressives, Hal Ginsberg is blogging for the group Progressive Maryland. He owned and operated liberal talker KRXA 540 AM in Monterey, Calif., but sold it last May, and returned east. “Currently, I am focused on building audience for my politics-based website where I webcast a three-hour live call-in show Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to noon, East Coast.”
In terms of performers, Lisa Porter comments on the irony: “In 1985, I played Maria in Twelfth Night at Wesleyan. Today I play Viola/Sebastian in Twelfth Night at the California Shakespeare Theatre. Thirty year span … don’t really feel that different.”
Sarah Nazimova-Baum works nights as a crisis counselor on the overnight shift for LifeNet, a mental health crisis hotline. “Of course, now that our son Raphael is 14 and heading to high school, our home life is abundant in crisis as well.”
Ellen Limburg Santistevan was fortunate to receive so many extraordinary blessings over the last year, and has also “come to rely on two friends I made my freshman year at Wes, Karen Escovitz and Bennett Schneider, for their sensitivity and generosity of spirit as my family goes through some profound changes; I am so incredibly grateful to Wesleyan for putting us all in the same vicinity so our lives could weave these complex patterns.”
Complex networks! Judith Hill-Weld has her private psychotherapy practice, specializing in developmental disabilities, and added “debate coach” to a roster of responsibilities. “My husband and I took our son to visit East Coast colleges this spring, and traveled for a few days with Arthur Haubenstock ’84 and Amy Whiteside ’84 and their son. We said hello to Rob Lancefield ’82 at the Davison, and enjoyed seeing Laura Radin ’83 and Charlie Barber ’85 and their son. In Philadelphia, we shared a fabulous seder with Andy Clibanoff. Tyche Hendricks and her daughter joined us to walk the West Village and the Highline in Manhattan.”
Zahara Heckscher writes, “Highlight of Wes Friendship: Driving to Middletown for 25th Reunion with Dana Martin and her daughter and my son—discovering a friend of the heart for life. Look forward to the drive for 30th Reunion with Dana, and discovering more new and ‘golden’ friendships. In that spirit, in the meantime, I invite any Wes-folk in D.C. to contact me for an informal SUP lesson on the Potomac, or just a walk or jog in Rock Creek.”
Not much is changing for Kathryn Lotspeich Villano: “My son, Wes, will be Wes ’19 and fourth generation on my side. (I swear I didn’t name him after the family’s alma mater!) Love to all and hope to see you for our 30th. I know most of you won’t be using it as an excuse to visit your child and it’s not as big as the 25th but the 25th was so fun, so come!!! Brian Pass and his wife, Pascale (French TA ’86), have a son who just graduated from Wes; he is lawyering away at Sheppard Mullin in Los Angeles, focusing on technology transactions in the Internet space.
Karen Escovitz wrote, “For all of its foibles, I’m grateful for Facebook and the opportunity it provides to maintain contact with lots of friends from Wesleyan. It’s gratifying to see our lives evolve, to share ideas and inspirations, and to see your beautiful aging faces from time to time. Old fondness sometimes sparks new and vital connections. Hope to see some of you in May!”
From the class secretary: Lucy Seham Malatesta wrote me to say that she missed our 25th and now will also miss the 30th—this time it’s to be her son’s commissioning at the United States Naval Academy. If you don’t come next May, I hope you have an equally good and valid excuse!