CLASS OF 1982 | 2016 | ISSUE 2
The latest edition of our Class Notes Gazette.
Rachael Steinberg Adler writes that she is now entering the third year since founding the Waterfront Playhouse & Conservatory in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“We are training professional actors in ensemble in the Meisner Technique of Acting, Alexander and Feldenkrais Movement Techniques, Linklater Voice Technique, Shakespeare, and more, both at the Waterfront and at our sister school in Barcelona, where I teach master classes each year,” she writes.
Rachael’s work in theater is “driven by issues of social justice, which my years at Wesleyan both reinforced and encouraged.
“I’ve found that training acting ensembles, rich in class and racial diversity, to identify and address the historic and personal issues involving judgment, bias, criticism, prejudice, grief and celebration to be, in combination with a vivid imagination, a most effective tool for unleashing the written word and bringing it into full dramatic expression,” she says.
On a more personal note: “I am having the time of my life raising my incredible 14-year-old dancer daughter Sonya, into whose ear I have been whispering “Go to Wesleyan, go to Wesleyan!” since she was 8! Keeping my fingers crossed!”
This from Peri Smilow: “Perhaps our classmates will be interested in knowing that I’ll be publishing my first book this summer. I’ve been a composer and touring musician of contemporary Jewish music for the past 25 years.”
She adds: “This summer will mark the publication of The Peri Smilow Anthology, a collection of sheet music for all of the original songs on my first four recordings (Songs of Peace, Ashrey, The Freedom Music Project and Blessings).
Peri says the anthology is “intended as a resource guide for cantors, song leaders, and other Jewish musicians, as well as non-musician Jewish educators and communal workers, about how to use contemporary Jewish music in all aspects of Jewish life.” (For more info: perismilow.com).
Steve Okun, in a short and sweet note, writes: “My son, Alex ’20, will be attending Wesleyan in the fall!”
Becky Shuster, to whom we extended our congratulations last issue for being named assistant superintendent of equity for the Boston Public Schools, adds in a brief note that she lives in Boston with her 11-year-old daughter, Sage.
Rob Lancefield—who in addition to being a member of the class of ’82, is also M.A. ’93 and PhD ’05—writes that he enjoyed playing a gig on guitar for the first time in way too long, with a group called the Abraham Adzenyah Tribute Band. The band, filled with Wesleyan alumni, was formed specifically for last May’s eight-hour extravaganza honoring Abraham Adzenyah’s retirement after 46 years of teaching Ghanaian music at Wesleyan.
The band featured, among other performers, Abraham Adzenyah MA’79, David Bindman ’85, MA ’87, Wes Brown ’74, and Royal Hartigan MA’83, Ph.D. ’86. The celebration was organized by Robert Levin ’81 and Doug Berman ’84. You can read about the event at this link: newsletter.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2016/05/09/adzenyah
Rob also mentions that Wesleyan is working to raise $300,000 to endow a scholarship in honor of Abraham Adzenyah’s legacy at Wesleyan. He asks that those interested in making donations contact Marcy Herlihy—mherlihy@wesleyan.edu or 860/685-2523.
Karen Mohr Maier says she has worked for years as director of research at the world-renowned Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles. “I had the honor of putting together a permanent exhibit for the Baseball Hall of Fame honoring Dr. Jobe’s innovation in creating the Tommy John procedure that has saved the baseball careers of hundreds of players,” she writes.
“This is a permanent exhibit in the Baseball HOF’s new wing: A Whole New Ball Game, which features innovations that have impacted the game over the past 40 years.”
Daniel Meier writes that he lives in Berkeley, Calif., with his family and is teaching education at San Francisco State University, where he’s been for the last 20 years.
Once a year, he gets together with classmates Doug Jones, Peter Schochet, Dave Gaieski ’81, and Joe Merrill “for hiking, tennis, and sitting around and catching up.”
He’s also in contact with Roger Hale and a few other alums. He writes that he would “love to hear from other Wes alums around the ’81/’82 classes—Dave Preston ’81, Jeff Sayah, Lindsay South, Cindy Gherman, Christian Vescia and others.”
Martin “Chip” Shore writes: “I’m still with Fidelity (16 years!) and still loving it. I recently became a Certified Financial Planner and am trying to figure out how to take advantage of my new knowledge in the investment management work that I do.
“My wife, Shari, stays busy with her orthodontic practice in Brookline. Our son is graduating from Vanderbilt and is headed to Chicago, gainfully employed as a management consultant. We survived another college application process this year and our daughter is headed to Colorado College in the fall.”
“We are looking forward to being empty nesters, but nervous too, since so much of our lives have revolved around our children,” Chip writes.
Steve Budd writes: “I teach writing and lit. classes at a number of Bay Area colleges. I’m also a regular on the lively Bay Area storytelling, standup, and solo performance scene. I stay in touch with local alums Laura Fraser, Peter Eckart ’86, Marc Mowrey ’83, and Rolando Arroyo (whose sister-in-law, Carolina Grynbal, spent a year at Wesleyan and—how’s this for a coincidence?—is partnered up with my sister Sharon). Shoot me a line at stevebudd3@gmail.com.”
Rosemary Gombar Stutz says: “Did a lot of fun travel: Antarctica, Argentina, Niseko (skiing), Singapore, Raja Ampat (scuba diving), Myanmar (Burma), Taiwan, Italy (Matera and around), Zermatt, Switzerland (skiing, parasailing).
Her daughter, Victoria Stutz, a 2012 Georgetown graduate, just started a new job with Ernst & Young in New York. Her son, Eric Stutz, who got his master’s from U of Chicago in 2013, also works in the Big Apple as of this year, as manager for corporate strategy at SAP America.
In every issue, I hear from at least one member of our class—usually more—who hasn’t written before, which is gratifying. Updates happily accepted from repeat correspondents and newbies alike!
Stephanie Griffith | stephaniedgriffith@gmail.com