CLASS OF 1981 | 2015 | ISSUE 1
Greetings once again from Brooklyn. There is ice and snow on the ground as I write this. I hope you are reading this on the beach with at least spf 30 slathered all over you….
I ran into Seth Kaufman ’70 recently, as it turns out that our wives work together for a Manhattan not-for-profit. We compared stories of takeovers of North and South College in our activist youth, eight years apart, and he told me, as head of the student body, how he convinced President Etherington not to call the State Police, and thereby prevented a riot.
“Etherington asked, ‘So what do I do?’
“I told him, ‘You do nothing. They’ll take over the building, they’ll stay for a while, and then they’ll leave!’”
And that’s pretty much what happened. Brilliant.
John Ravenal, formerly the curator for modern and contemporary art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, is the new executive director of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. He brings to deCordova extensive administrative and curatorial experience, having served as president of the Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC), and having held curatorial positions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and at the Wadsworth Atheneum, where he worked on the museum’s first showing of the Sol LeWitt collection.
Shelley Berson writes: “I still marvel every time I turn right onto the Wes campus to visit our daughter, Elizabeth Weinstein ’16, that my Wesleyan is as uniquely perfect for her as it was for me all those years ago.”
Shelley adds, “I’ve been busy growing my Zzenter—a wellness center in Bergen County, N.J., that merges my board certifications in ENT, sleep medicine, and allergy to answer the question ‘What’s going on in your bedroom?’ Using individualized form and function data, we create customized treatment plans to provide ‘CPR for your dreams’ (zzenter.com).” Her husband, Jack Weinstein, is a consultant who shares her pride in the accomplishments of Liz and their son, Aaron, (UPenn ’17). They look forward to a future joint a cappella concert of Liz’s “Notably Sharp” with Aaron’s “PennyLoafer” groups.
Stephen M. Misarski is serving as the English Pastor at the Chinese Gospel Church of Massachusetts in Southborough. He is in his 23rd year serving as an Massachusetts Air National Guard chaplain (Lt. Col.). He is also working on his doctor of ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Matthew King was selected to receive the Secretary of Homeland Security Exceptional Service Award (Gold Medal). This is the highest award for service granted by the Secretary. The award honors exceptional leadership or service that is distinguished by achievements of unique national or international significance, reflecting genuinely exceptional service rendered to the Department by markedly improving the security of our homeland.
Matt sent me part of the citation, which I assume is declassified! It reads like the plot of a spy novel, involving Panama, Cuba, North Korea, and “the seizure of sophisticated weapons and materials aboard a North Korean-flagged merchant vessel.” It concludes: “Your work is an example to your colleagues across the Office of Policy, and a great service to our Nation. The story of this operation will be retold across our Department as a model of all that we strive to accomplish.” Bravo, and, well… thanks!
Delcy Ziac Fox is pleased to announce the opening of her business, FoxCommunications. FoxComs provides marketing and communications planning; media relations; copywriting, editing, and proofing; and development communications. Those of you who are parents or professors, please spread the word that FoxComs offers student transition services, including an interviewing workshop. Check out FoxComs.com.
Finally, comes the sad news that our classmate Dorothy Christine Ames passed away on Sept. 22, 2014, at her home in Lambertville, N.J. She leaves behind four children, three sisters, her beloved Jack Russell terrier, and the memories that those of us who knew her will cherish.
David I. Block | david.I.block@gmail.com
JOANNE godin audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com