Author: classnotes

I write to you all on the heels of an extraordinary viewing of the total eclipse of April 8 in my town of Bloomington, Indiana, which was smack-dab in the middle of the eclipse path—with over four minutes of totality! Despite cautionary predictions about statistically cloudy weather at this time of year, the day could not have been more perfect: blue skies, warm temperatures, and many friends and family members gathered round in observance and reverence of this amazing  celestial display. My elderly neighbor of 83 started crying as she expressed gratitude at having the opportunity to see such a wonderful thing at least once in her life . . .  and I admit to wiping away a few tears of my own. (Hint, hint: you don’t have to hope and wait for 2044 . . .  there are several others that will be accessible in the nearer future, if you are willing and able to travel!)

Ariel Rubissow Okamoto is still hard at work publishing her regional digital magazine on climate resilience, KneeDeepTimes. She’s also in the “muddy middle” of a memoir rewrite about her days as a vintner, overlapping withe the multitasking of motherhood and science writing. She and hubby Paul still live in the heart of San Francisco and are empty nesters . . . both girls hatched and gone but taking up the family businesses: architecture, writing, equity, environment. 

Brian Tarbox wrote in from the Boston area to share some good news:  He was named an AWS (Amazon Web Services) Ambassador, one of only 250 worldwide, meaning he is one of Amazon’s designated top cloud experts in the world. In addition, he was designated “Alexa Champion”—a similar recognition program for people who develop code for Alexa (with whom we are all acquainted, I’m sure). Warmest congratulations on all that! Brian also writes that he had the pleasure of reuniting with Reina Galanes ’82 last December in California at AWS’s annual conference.  Another highlight of Brian’s year was a recent trip back to Middletown. “I was a panelist at the Wes career center meeting for STEM students. It was great to be back on campus and see all the construction (though I think the Butterfield dorms should get some love soon).”

Julie (Greenberg) Richman (originally Class of ’80) and her husband are still living in beautiful Colorado Springs, where she is now working as a freelance writer of op-ed pieces after many years working in organizational development, training, and project management.  Her husband retired from his psychiatry/pain management practice and now works remotely for Humana. “Our home is open to any Wesleyan alumni—and our view of Pikes Peak is amazing!” she writes. Julie shared some information about the fascinating work of her sons.  Adam (the younger) received his BS from University of Rochester, with a major in linguistics and brain and cognitive science, and his master’s in data science through Denver University; he is currently a data analyst with Waymo, but also nurtured his keen interest in genealogical research to develop an extensive family tree. Josh (the older) earned his BS in mechanical engineering as well as his MEng in aerospace engineering at Cornell. After two years spent with the DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) program, he currently works as the deputy spacecraft systems engineer for the Parker Solar Probe/NASA Dragonfly project. 

Brenda Zlamany continues to wow audiences with her stunning, evocative portraiture.  Among recent exhibitions, she recently unveiled portraits of William Brown and Martha Ann Tulip Lewis (Brown) at the Great Hall Portrait Gallery in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her portrait of interdisciplinary artist Zachary Fabri was shortlisted for the Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024 at the National Portrait Gallery in London. And she was selected for two artist residencies: the Glacier National Park Artist Residency in July 2024 and the “Reunion:  Friendship, Inspiration, and Landscape in Pouch Cove,” curated by Brenda and culminating in an exhibition at the James Baird Gallery.

Sinclair “Sindi” Sheers wrote in with some sad news but her entry nevertheless serves to inspire. She retired from her position at George Mason University teaching geography to care for her husband before he succumbed to cancer in January 2020. Since that tragic event, she has embraced life (and her husband’s memory) and has traveled the world, often with her daughter or her mom, to such far-flung destinations as Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Costa Rica, Panama, Iceland, France, Italy, Spain, the Balkans, and England. Closer to home, she visited Mexico, Yosemite and the Tetons, New Hampshire, Oregon, Miami, and an Exeter mini-reunion last year brought her together with old friends Sandy Smith, Miriam Block, and Chrissi Winkelbauer Kelly, and where she also had lunch with Richard Eastman. Here is her unabridged update:

“My husband died of cancer in January 2020, right before everything closed for COVID. I had planned to go on a cruise on the Danube River with my older daughter in April 2020 but that was cancelled. My younger daughter and I took a quick trip to Disney World with cousins in late January 2020 and then stayed home for a long time.

            “I had retired from teaching geography at George Mason University a few years before in order to take care of my husband, so I read 93 books in 2020 and 122 books in 2021. After the COVID vaccine became available, I started traveling again.

            “In June 2021, I went to Wyoming with my younger daughter and visited the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone: geysers, bison, beautiful mountains and lakes, and other animals.

            “In October, I went with my mother on a cruise to Greece, Egypt, and Jordan including Santorini, the Suez Canal, the pyramids, Pharos’ tombs, Petra, Amman, and Jerash where we saw many very old beautiful things and few other tourists.

            “In December, I went with my mother and younger daughter on a cruise to Costa Rica and Panama including the Panama Canal. We visited a coffee plantation, a sugar plantation, and saw many interesting plants and animals and few other tourists.

            “In 2022, in March, I went to Oaxaca and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, with my mother where the architecture is amazing.

            “In May, I went to meet friends in Oregon and took side trips to Cannon Beach, Montnomah Falls, and Crater Lake—such interesting natural phenomena. Later in May, I went to my 45th Reunion at Exeter in New Hampshire where I saw fellow Wesleyan classmate Chrissi Winkelbauer Kelly among others.

            “In June, I went with my younger daughter to Iceland and saw more geysers, waterfalls, the dividing line between two continents, elf houses, hot pools, beautiful Westman Island, and puffins.

            “In July, I joined a friend I met on the October 2021 cruise on a tour of Normandy, France, where we visited Monet’s house, Mont St. Michel, and Omaha Beach. It was above 90 degrees most of the time.

            “In September, I hosted to my older daughter’s wedding in Chicago. Later in September, I spent a few days in London getting together with Exeter classmates (and fellow Wesleyan classmate Chrissi Winkelbauer Kelly).

            “In October, I went on a tour of northern Italy including Milan, Lake Como, Bellagio, Bergamo, Verona, Bologna, and Venice. We toured a place where they made balsamic vinegar and watched glassblowing in Venice.

“In 2023, in January, I visited my aunt and uncle in Florida and met cousins at Disney World.

            “In April, I went to another Exeter mini-reunion in Los Angeles (where I saw fellow Wesleyan classmates Sandy Smith, Miriam Block, and Chrissi Winkelbauer Kelly) and had lunch with fellow Wesleyan classmate Richard Eastman. Also in April, I went on a week-long tour of Spain to Barcelona, Granada, Malaga, Seville, and Madrid.

            “In May, I went on a cruise on the Danube River with my mother that started in Sofia, Bulgaria, and ended in Passau, Germany, with a side trip to Prague, Czechia.

            “In July, I took a week-long tour of Scotland visiting Glasgow, Inverness, and Edinburgh.

            “In August, I joined my older daughter and her husband in Paris and then at a spa in Germany where I became familiar with the European train system.

            “In September, I took a tour of Alsace, France.

“In November, I had a hip replacement and stayed home for a while.

            “In February of 2024, I went to Miami Beach for a few days.

            “In March, I visited my younger daughter in her new home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

            “I am about to go join Exeter classmates (including Wesleyan classmates Sandy Smith and Chrissi Winkelbauer Kelly) in Austin to see the eclipse. I plan to see Wesleyan classmate Bob Sweeney while I’m there. Later in April, my older daughter is opening a yoga studio called Forth in Chicago, and I plan to be there to help. Then I plan to go on a tour of Portugal.

            “In May, I plan to return to Scotland to visit the Garden of Cosmic Speculation, which is only open once a year and spend more time in Edinburgh. Also in May, a friend that I met on my tour of northern Italy in October 2022 asked me if I would like to join her for a week in Paris. Of course!

            “In June, we will celebrate my mother’s 90th birthday in Rhode Island with her sister’s family. Later in June, I plan to get together with friends in Michigan and drive up to see Mackinac Island.

            “In July, I plan to tour Ireland with my younger daughter and then meet my older daughter, my sister, her family, and my mother for more 90th birthday festivities in the Netherlands.

            “In September, I plan to cruise the Adriatic with another friend I met on the Suez Canal cruise in 2021.

            “And then in November, I plan to go on a tour of Morocco.

            “Each year, I sign up for one or two tours and then things seem to get out of hand. I haven’t signed up for anything in 2025—yet !!

            “And I am not following Chrissi Winkelbauer Kelly around the world; we just end up going to the same mini-reunions; she seems to have a hand in organizing many of them.”

            – Sindi Sheers

In April I gathered at the lovely home of Kathy Prager Conrad in Alexandria, Virginia, with Livia Wong McCarthy and Deb Chapin for our annual reunion of senior year Sunday-night Coop. We had SUCH a blast reminiscing (as always!), eating, drinking, cooking, walking, visiting museums and the National Arboretum, and enjoying a magnificent nighttime tour of the monuments. So grateful for these friendships that have endured a lifetime—and I know I am not the only one!  So please . . . continue writing in, sharing your stories. And if you are trying to reach someone, know that David I. Block and I (as well as the Alumni office) are here to help you reconnect.

Freddi Wald (Sherman): “I continue to live in NYC with my husband, Roger, and beloved dog, Tuffy, and am so excited to see our daughter, Nora, a film major and Wesleyan senior graduating this spring with Wes Class of 2024! After almost four and one-half years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as head of membership (through COVID closures . . . don’t ask!) and a deputy chief officer in development, I’m thrilled to have switched gears and joined the Ackerman Institute for the Family, as chief of Development and External Affairs—overseeing marketing and all fundraising and board development for the institute. (Yes, you CAN get a new job at aged 65!) Ackerman is such a change from the big corporate and museum world I’ve experienced, but I’ve never felt so motivated and inspired by the great work we are doing, advocating for mental health services and new innovations in family therapy, serving all populations and communities in the five boroughs. I remain an avid enthusiast of musical theater and film and occasionally take modern dance classes, fondly remembering the Cheryl Cutler and Pam Finney classes from Wes—that kept me centered!”

Gigi Peeples (legally, Yvette): “I took early retirement in March 2022 after 23 years in the very demanding physician staffing industry (especially during COVID). Lots happened prior to this decision, including my father passing away after four years of caring for him and needing to take care of my mental and physical health. It was the best decision, although I find myself continuing to adjust to having so much free time (a good problem to have). After 27 years in Georgia, I am back in California along with my daughter, son-in-law, and nine-year-old granddaughter! We love it here! It was my son-in-law’s idea, then he and my daughter insisted I join them, which was an easy ‘yes’ for me. I still have lots of family and friends here from Marin County to San Diego and all points in-between. I sold my house of 17 years and downsized like CRAZY (donated a ton and had an estate sale). We arrived in June 2023 after a four-day cross-country trek, caravanning with three vehicles [and] four dogs and a cat and have since settled in nicely. We feel right at home and like true Californians . . . we are NOT loving the abnormal amounts of rain this past year, though it is good for drought recovery. My granddaughter made friends instantly and has a busy social life, as well as being a competitive dancer. My son-in-law has always been quite the entrepreneur and still has businesses in Georgia, which he and my daughter are able to run from California. He’s a custom home builder in Georgia and is looking into expanding that business to the West Coast. He and my daughter have made lots of new friends since we moved here, some of whom have expressed an interest in wanting to build homes. So, he’s starting the process of getting his California builder’s license. They also own 53 rental properties in Georgia and desperately need a property manager, so I’ve recently joined the ‘family business’ part time in that role. I hope to start traveling soon to see all my ‘peeps’ here in California and to Switzerland to visit my cousin.”

Randal Baron: “It feels like a traumatic year because of this fateful election and war, and on a more personal note, trying to find a place for my mother in her old age that she will accept. On a happier note, I have plans to see both Indonesia and Cuba in 2024 and to see our classmate, Michael Shulman.”

Melissa Stern: “My son’s (Max W. Friedlich ’17) play [Job] had an amazing off-Broadway run in the fall and winter. Seventeen weeks of performances, over 20,000 tickets sold. Wesleyan did a ‘friends and family’ night in October that included a talk back after the play with Max and producer Alex Levy ’08. We were all thrilled that so many WesTech folks showed up, both for that special night and over the course of the run! I am headed off to Portugal tonight for a two-week vacation. Hopefully it stops raining there. Unprecedented flooding and rain throughout the country. Oh fun!”

Mark Ritter: “I’m an entrepreneur advisor to ICI Fund, an Israeli venture fund focused on artificial intelligence (AI). I’m doing all I can to learn about the technology. It’s mind-blowing. Recently I’ve been researching and presenting on the use of AI in health care, which has tremendous promise but also plenty of risks. Many people would prefer to speak to an AI bot than a human provider because they find the chatbot more empathetic. Speaking as a human, this is disappointing and a bit creepy, but it also suggests opportunities to offer therapy and reduce loneliness.”

Best wishes to all Wes ’80 alums and your families.

Hi, all. I am writing this in late March, before our 45th Reunion, but by the time these notes appear in our mailboxes, it will be somewhat after the reunion. I will update everyone on turnout and highlights in the next (Fall) issue of these class notes.

Lisa Frantzis sent an update. “I am transitioning out of 40-plus years of clean energy consulting in April 2024. It has been such a fantastic ride, and I owe it all to Howard Brown and the College of Science and Society at Wesleyan for getting me started in this career. I still plan to stay engaged in the work through boards and additional side-consulting projects, but I am also looking forward to spending more time with my family, playing music, and having more freedom! I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, so if any of you are around the area, feel free to reach out. Now that I will not be working full time, I can spend quality time with former Wesleyan friends!” Sounds like a great plan, Lisa. Congrats on your retirement!

Mark Silbey also checked in with news on his retirement. “I recently retired from a wonderful career in orthopedic sports medicine. I had the pleasure of working with the U.S. Soccer Federation, ATP tennis tour, and several professional baseball teams. I’m now splitting time between New Hampshire and Florida. I still seem to be keeping busy in this life of leisure— skiing, playing golf, playing pickleball, and working on cars in my spare time. Looking forward to reunion.”  Mark, kudos on what sounds like a great career and a busy and fun retirement!

Jono Cobb shared news on his continued involvement with Wes and on his upcoming travel. “A number of us have been meeting virtually through the spring, under the fearless guidance of Maureen Walsh,planning our 45th. I am looking forward to a small cruise ship and bike trip in Portugal shortly after reunion.” Thanks to you, to Maureen, and to the rest of our reunion planning group for all your collective efforts!

Pamela Dorman is now senior vice president and publisher at Pamela Dorman Books/Viking at Penguin Random House, where she has spent most of her publishing career. Recent highlights include Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club series, Ashley Elston’s First Lie Wins (a Reese’s Book Club Pick), and Jenny Jackson’s Pineapple Street, all New York Times bestsellers.  She lives with her husband, Stuart Krichevsky, a literary agent, in New Rochelle, New York, and a Tibetan terrier, Benson. They have adult twins, Nicholas Krichevsky, a software engineer, and Sophie Krichevsky, a local newspaper reporter.

Phil O’Connell provided this newsy update. “I recently became the chairman of the Boston Wesleyan Law Alumni Association. I am eager to hear from Wesleyan grads who are Massachusetts lawyers. Although superannuated, I am still practicing law in Boston and am the office managing partner of the Boston office of Dentons U.S. LLP. My sixth grandchild, Philip Aloysius O’Connell IV, arrived in October 2023. I was in 13 plays while at Wesleyan and have a keen interest in Wesleyan theater; I’m eager to hear how things are going on that front. I can be reached at poconnelljr755@gmail.com.”

And here is a great write-up from Debbie Mincer about a recent group trip. “I traveled to Tanzania this past February on a trip sponsored by Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre, both class of ’79 and founders of Afropop Worldwide and Peabody Award winners. The amazing three-week trip centered on an African music festival in Zanzibar, musical and cultural events in Dar Es Salaam, and included a beach resort on the Indian Ocean and safari!” In addition to Sean,  Banning, and Debbie, “in attendance were Matthew Jarvinen, Richard Sussman, Ralph Maltese,and Sheila Peck ’81.” Thanks for sharing, Debbie. So great that you all were able to be part of such an amazing trip! And Sean Barlow wants you all to know that the next Afropop Tour to Tanzania is February 2025. Info@afropop.org

Here is a photo from the trip that Debbie sent along.

That’s it for this issue. Thanks for the submissions!

Greetings fellow classmates,

While these notes were compiled on a dreary, rainy day in early April, hopefully as you read them now, they find you enjoying a warm, wonderful summer! Here’s what some of your classmates are up to:

Robert Poss has released his fifth solo CD, entitled Drones, Songs, and Fairy Dust. It is available on all streaming and download services.

Cynthia Aaron checked in and hopes everyone is doing well. After 17 years with the Michigan Poison and Drug Information Center, the last 11 as medical director, she retired from active emergency medicine practice and moved back to New England. She keeps busy with toxicology consulting work for the Michigan Public Health Institute, online consulting with RubiconMD and webPOISONCONTROL. Cynthia left the “interesting but flat” Midwest and now lives in seacoast New Hampshire, where she built her, hopefully, last house. This is where she and her four-legged child, Sophia, plan on growing old together. She wonders if anyone has heard from Alex (Nancy) Rosentzweet?

Kevin Rose is very happy to share that his son, Danny ’19, just recently got engaged to Julia Kim ’20. They both live and work in NYC.

JD Solomon, who has published two historical novels, reports that he has become a storyteller in retirement, giving presentations about historical true crime at assisted living centers and senior centers in New Jersey. “Not surprisingly,” JD says, “audience favorites are stories about New Jersey’s two most notorious murders: the Lindbergh kidnapping and the 1971 John List family killing, which happened in my town of Westfield.”

Last issue we reported that Dana Rashti spent a month in Sicily as part of an Italian language and cultural immersion program. Dana let Ken know that we mistakenly identified “him” as a “her” in our note. We are so sorry, Dana! We hope you are enjoying your retirement.

Lots of comments this round of notes from folks thinking about our fast-approaching 70th-birthday year, most of us in 2025. Yikes! People took to heart my comment in Lyris underscoring the need to stay connected for which I am a direct beneficiary. Sharing these notes:

Andy Darpino (aka “Darp”) writes about the joys in his next chapter after retirement. This includes independent consulting with the aptly named “Darp Business Consulting,” which he describes keeps him “afloat in ample supply of bourbon and cigars” as well as occupies his time enough to keep his marriage strong. I was especially touched by the joy that the extra time affords Andy to watch his two granddaughters grow and develop.

Sue Guiney and husband, Don, have been meeting up with Mary Jo Wade and Jack Gray in San Francisco for proper catch-ups, while enjoying their grandparenting duties. Small world—a considerable number of my family are now claiming the Bay Area as home. I had a visit in late February and got to hike through Marin as well as enjoy San Francisco proper, enjoying surprisingly sunny weather.

Felice Burstein reminded me that I am due for a visit north to visit with John Roxby and her.

Mark Ellison wrote in having enjoyed his 50th high school reunion and stated that he looks forward to our college 50th in just a few years. Consider this a shameless plug for our 2027 gathering at Wes.

Susanna Peyton is busy training new-parent instructors at Yale School of Nursing with her Operation House Call course. On the home front, aging pets and parents along with “bouncy grandkids” are keeping her busy. Susanna met up with friend Sara Pasti ’75 in Maine recently.

I never knew that Jerry Caplin breeds and keeps pet finches. Apparently while his kids are grown and spread around the country, his nest is newly replenished. Jerry’s company, Silk Purse, celebrated its 30th year offering affordable old-house rentals in Charlottesville. Congrats and well done!

Mim Wolf has “unretired” herself and “shifting her focus from being an intuitive natural health-care consultant to being an intuitive transformational coach: moving client’s past limitations of body, mind, ego, spirit, and soul.” Mim’s daughter is expecting her first child this spring in Denver. Her son is close by in Vermont, doing well. Mim and her partner of 25 years have rediscovered traveling post COVID.

Joan Martin is working to verify that the Clean Slate Law passed in 2021, enacted to effectively erase misdemeanors records and low-level felony records after seven years, is happening.

William Altman’s latest book, Plotinus the Master and the Apotheosis of Imperial Platonism, has been published by Lexington Books.

Taur Orange had a chance to connect with Jane Eisner at a Wesleyan event at VSA’s Theater on 23rd Street; the reunion was 45 years in the making.

Don Ryan got together with Cal Dysinger, George Capone, and Elliot Epner ’76 at Django Fest in Baltimore recently. Unbeknownst to me, George is a Django Reinhardt afficionado.

Catherine Compton Swanson is planning a river cruise trip through the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland this November. Any folks who have done a similar trip and have advice should reach out to Catherine at cathyswanson13@gmail.com.

Joan Goldfeder has been satisfying her traveling bug by hiking in the Lake District of Chile and, more recently, going on a hiking/bike trip in Morocco.

My travels have taken me, in addition to Northern California, to Chicago where I met up with Iddy Olson for a weekend of fine dining, music, and art. We had an amazing dinner with Iddy’s stepmother, over 90 years young, whom I get along with famously. Midst all the stories of her stepmom’s celebrity friends, was a weekend full of laughter. Unfortunately, weeks later, Iddy’s dear 95-year-old mom departed from this world escorted by family, friends, caregivers, song, and prayer. With all of life’s ups and downs, it is great seeing how our friendship has evolved and deepened these many years. I feel fortunate to experience this with Iddy and I will add to many of you whom I have had the pleasure to get to know better after leaving Middletown. After all, it is the people in your life that make all the difference.

Martha Meade has been a painter in Los Angeles for many years now. In January she reported: “A great start to the year! My painting, La Vie en Rose, has been accepted into the group show BLOOM @ Shoebox Arts @ The Brewery Artist Complex in downtown LA.”

Mike Greenberg was awarded an honorary degree at Wes’s commencement on May 26, 2024.  You can read about all the honorees and their impressive accomplishments here.

Charlie Sedell passed away on January 27. His obituary notes that he worked at Electric Boat as a welder for 37 years; his Facebook page reveals that he was a true artist, creating extraordinary historical replicas of useful objects. After retiring he worked with the Waterford Historical Society to restore their model blacksmith shop to a working shop.

Seth Lerer has two publications of note. In January The American Scholar published his lovely essay “Bicentennial Beginnings”; you can (and should, particularly if you studied with Richard Wilbur) read it here. Routledge Press just released Seth’s Introducing the History of the English Language, available at www.routledge.com. Seth retired from UCSD in June 2023 and decided to unretire in 2024. He will be a visiting professor of literature at Claremont-McKenna. The students are lucky to have him!

From Bob Craft: “Two years ago my wife and family moved to Portland, Oregon. We love Portland, it’s very green and wet. My son, William Craft, has been made the data editor of The Guardian (investigative journalism).”

From Tom Kovar: “As you know, I am celebrating my 70th birthday by retiring, shortly afterward! Can’t wait.”

From Jack O’Donnell: “I turn 70 this month of April and although I’m playing it down, my family insists on playing it up and I’ll be playing along. . . .”

Barb Birney was “planning to visit Carol Bellhouse in New Mexico and then drive to Camp Wood, Texas, via Carlsbad Caverns to view the eclipse directly in the path of totality.”

Ken Carpenter, astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, was selected in early 2024 as a NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Fellow, to develop a mission concept for placing a UV/optical interferometer on the lunar surface, by leveraging off the Artemis moon base infrastructure. The NIAC Phase 1 Opportunity is among the most competitive in all of NASA with a roughly 4% success rate. The announcements of the Artemis-enabled Stellar Imager (AeSI) selection can be found at these sites:

https://www.nasa.gov/general/niac-2024-selections

https://www.nasa.gov/general/lunar_long_baseline_optical_imaging_interferometer

https://hires.gsfc.nasa.gov/si/aesi.html

From Deb Neuman: “As I march toward my 70th birthday in October, life is continuing to present new opportunities and challenges. It seems I will never retire! In March I accepted a new position as director of development for Safe Futures, whose mission is to stop abuse, restore hope, and save lives of people impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking in southeastern Connecticut. I’ll be working to raise the remaining $3 million needed to build the Center for Safe Futures Family Justice Center in Waterford, Connecticut.

“For me, this is like coming full circle from my first job in a nonprofit (after 22 years at IBM), heading external relations for CARE, the international poverty fighting NGO. I can’t think of a better cause to serve during the remaining years of my professional life.

“On the personal front, I am now in the fourth year living on my own after my husband’s death. I still miss him very much, but have found good friendships locally that make life rewarding. Our son, Josh, has moved to nearby Taftville, Connecticut, after many years in faraway locations. I’m glad to have him closer.

“My late in life hobbies, in addition to cycling, now include tap dancing and pickleball. I love pickleball, but unfortunately have developed my first sports injury—pickle elbow, aka, tendonitis.”

From Betsy Eisenmann: “In Chelmsford, south-side daffodils in full bloom took a March snowstorm in stride, with most still standing up once the snow melted. Have fingers crossed that the buds of flowering shrubs won’t get frostbitten before they bloom, as happened last year. The Big Seven-O on February 2 and took a (return—Dad was stationed in Pearl Harbor 1970–72) trip to Hawaii with family toward the end of the month. Note to self: jet lag is much easier to get through at age 18, than at 70.”

From Kyrie O’Connor: “My husband, Van Dittmer, and I left Texas in 2017, when I retired from newspapers, and moved to a log cabin on 20 acres in very rural Vermont. He makes and sells Shaker furniture. I just cause trouble. Between his kids and mine, we have five grandchildren living, literally, from Maine to California. We thought we’d have traveled more by now, but the pandemic knocked that into a cocked hat. This year, we’re getting rolling again. I’d love to hear from Wes folks.”

From Lenny Femino: “I have been blessed to have reached 70, still married to my beautiful bride with two daughters that are healthy, happy, and working in their respective fields. But it is the grandchildren that have blown me away. It has been such a gift that surprised us once they came into this world. I still work, but on easier matters so that I am around to enjoy the family and my precious grandchildren.”

From Chris Mahoney: “I am married to Joan Barrett whom I met at the Darden School (UVA). I retired (I was retired) from Moody’s in 2007. We split our time between Eleuthera and a farm near Gettysburg. Joan is the president the National Beagle Club (I’m not kidding) and has a pack of 24 beagles, which she hunts all the time. I have nothing to do with that activity. I collect cars, that’s my hobby.”

From Bruce Demple: “We experienced this year’s event from Wimberley, Texas, where our older daughter had a wedding celebration about a week earlier (more on that in a moment). In our part of Texas Hill Country, it was pretty cloudy, but we did get occasional glimpses with gaps in the lower clouds, and those became increasingly, with even a diamond ring effect before the actual one, thanks to the effects of the high clouds. We shuffled constantly between eclipse glasses, sunglasses, and no glasses. The abrupt appearances of the eclipse in progress were accompanied by simultaneous whooping from a few parties in the nearby hills. So, we had the sense of being in a bigger group even if we couldn’t see it. The clouds didn’t cooperate at all during totality, but it became almost pitch black with an astonishing speed. I came to realize that in 2017 out in crystal-clear Wyoming, there had been twilight all around, as though sunrise or sunset was occurring equally in every direction.

“But no beefing about that because the high point of our trip had already occurred: our older daughter Marie and her husband Latane’s celebration. They’d already gotten legally hitched at Brooklyn City Hall several months ago, but this event both had a big emotional impact on the whole crowd, not just Sue and me, followed by a party that was epic. Lots of musicians, and they know how to do that.”

From Nat Needle: “It’s April! My 32 piano students of all ages and I begin preparation in earnest for our annual recital, June 1 this year. All expect to perform; as of today, all have selected their music! As usual, it’s a lush mix of genres based on divergent interests, including original compositions and arrangements, and a few arrangements that I’ve had to create for them. In 2023–24, I engineered more opportunities for students to perform throughout the year, and encouraged some to perform at local ‘open mics,’ in their faith communities and in their schools.

“I still intend to go, as gracefully and harmlessly as I can, from teaching full time to half time so I can get into more public community activity. This includes performing as well as organizing events and projects in harmony with my friends here who are pointed in an evolutionary direction. Come find me nat@natneedle.com.”

David Harmin said: “Hi, everyone!  Still buzzed from seeing Monday’s totality in Monteplier, Vermont.  Have loved working in Mike Greenberg’s lab, but I’m looking forward to retiring at the end of the year.”   David and I are excited to be celebrating our 70th birthdays this fall by traveling to North Carolina for the wedding of his younger son.

From Marc Stier: “OK, since you asked. Ever since I heard that the CP USSR had a position called “chief ideologist” I’ve wanted to have that job for the Democrats. Last May I created a new organization called the Pennsylvania Policy Center that is the functional equivalent in Pennsylvania. We are working now on campaigns for tax justice, a higher minimum wage, and full and fair funding of our public schools.”

From Susan (Petersen) Avitzour: “On the personal level, things are good. Fred’s and my deferred chuppah is set to take place this Sunday – unfortunately after your deadline, so I can’t send photos from this wedding. I’ll be going to the chuppah wearing a sling, though, having fractured my shoulder last week—but fortunately the sling will match the color of my wedding dress!        

“All this feels somewhat frivolous, I know, given the general situation. Fred and I are desperately and perhaps quixotically hoping for a ceasefire and hostage/prisoner exchange, the sooner the better— even more quixotically—one that may lead to a just and lasting solution for all of us in this tortured corner of the world.”

From Gary Halberstadt:

“Hiya Class,

Never check in but after viewing otherworldly full eclipse in home in Indy why not?

Still solo pediatrics;

amazing wife of 39 years;

three kids, one grandkid, and one guard cat;

daily music food and outdoors;

will try to make 50th.”

Bob Osborne continues to enjoy teaching voice as a faculty member at Columbia University/Barnard College and Vassar College. He splits his time between New York City and the Hudson Valley, grateful to be able to attend the Met Opera one day and shovel manure the next. Still active as a baritone, he recently sang a recital in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Dusting off recipes from his days in Middletown, he actively replenishes his homemade granola stores.”

From Steve Goldman: “After 44 years, I am retiring as of May 1 from my law firm, Robinson + Cole. The firm, founded in 1845, consisted of 66 lawyers when I began in 1980, and its only office was in Hartford. It is now 255 lawyers with offices in nine cities. I have been fortunate to be able to grow with the firm and have taken on a wide range of roles, including serving as the managing partner for several years and starting an insurance coverage litigation practice that now consists of over 40 attorneys in multiple jurisdictions. My career has also allowed me to be inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Coverage Counsel. The cycle of life continues—I’ve now concluded that it is time for the next chapter, and I’m very excited to take on new challenges. In a strange way, it feels like being a freshman at Wesleyan all over again: little terrifying but also incredibly exciting as I explore new things that I can get involved in. I continue to live in West Hartford with my wife, Kathy ’78, and our four children are all embarked on exciting careers of their own.”

From Meredith Bergmann: “In a few weeks, on the 15th and 18th of May 2024, we will be celebrating the unveiling and dedication of my first new work of public art since the 2021 unveiling of my FDR Hope Memorial on Roosevelt Island, NYC .

“This new work is a commission for the historic town center of Lexington, Massachusetts. The monument, the first to celebrate women as participants in this place—often referred to as the birthplace of American liberty—is a free-standing ceremonial bronze gateway standing 12-feet high on a circular granite plaza. Among symbolic animals and plants, portraits of 24 women from Lexington’s history are sculpted in relief, with 12 different women and girls portrayed on each side. Visitors can stand in the central gateway and join hands with them.”

The unveiling ceremony took place on May 15, and on May 18, there was a  “Meet the Artist” event followed by the dedication.

Spring is sprung, and the emails are blooming, and our 50th Reunion is a year away! I’m looking for at least 100 classmates to help me blow up the Wes record for 50th attendance.

I heard from several new or long-absent contributors. David Arrick calls his five grandkids under age four “my current joy.” After post-Wes years that included business school (UCLA), a CPA career, and 40 years of marriage to his late wife, Andi, the lifelong San Franciscan is trying out living in NYC—a new neighborhood with a new girlfriend. “Work thoughts are rapidly receding. Life is about connecting and reconnecting with friends, adventures, and health on both coasts. Happy to hear from any and all!”

Cindi Aronson Silverman and her husband of 45-plus years, Rick, were in business as owners and operators of a home decorating center in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, for over 35 years. They raised two sons and have three grandchildren. Cindi and Rick have been very involved in social/political action, immigrant resettling, and the Living Water Children’s Fund NGO. Cindi still plays piano, accompanying her synagogue choir and local community theater productions. Rooming freshman year with Ellen Kabcenell Wayne, started a 50-year friendship, and they surprised one another for [their] 70th birthdays last June and January.

Richard Hume wrote from the edge of semi-retirement after 41 years on the molecular, cellular and developmental biology faculty at the University of Michigan, where he ran the undergraduate neuroscience major, which graduates about 200 students a year. He plans to keep some lab space through 2025 to finish research projects. Up next? Travel (including the Paris Olympics with his wife, Lesley, and his brother, Martin Hume ’78) and spending more time with their kids and grandkids. He reports, “Our daughter, Rebecca Hume ’01, lives in Brooklyn and recently took a new job at Protectdemocracy.org. The group was founded by experienced members of both political parties who are committed to having the U.S. remain a functioning democracy. Rebecca is the leader for media design strategy. One of the co-founders of the organization is Ian Bassin ’98. Our son, Michael, and his wife, Ashley Murray, are both attorneys in Chicago. They had a daughter in April, and Mike has two kids from his first marriage, Jackson (11) and Olivia (9). Michael and his ex-wife have a 50/50 shared custody arrangement and live only about a mile apart, so the kids can play with friends regardless of which parent’s house they are at.”  

David Garrow writes, “I’ve been in Squirrel Hill (Pittsburgh) since 2011, after six wonderful years in Cambridge, UK. I stopped teaching at Pitt Law School several years ago, when I anticipated feeling stale in the classroom. My big 2017 pre-presidential Obama biography, Rising Star, made The New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists and was a WaPo Top 10 Books of the Year. Notwithstanding a major brain hemorrhage and emergency surgery in early 2022, I’ve continued to write quite regularly, mainly for WSJ and The Spectator, and I vet book manuscripts for various publishers at least monthly, so I’m not truly retired. This northwestern quadrant of Squirrel Hill is a gorgeous place, Pittsburgh public transit is free for seniors and academics, and it’s a great city for craft beer. My three years in CSS were a formative experience, and I’m probably the only ’75er who owns neither a car nor a cell phone!”

Charlie Stolper lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Christy, and near their son, Chad, and his family, which includes the Stolpers’ first grandchild. Charlie has had some health setbacks recently but is still pursuing as much travel and golf as possible.

John Cavadini, director of McGrath Institute for Church Life at Notre Dame, couldn’t resist my invitation to write. He is still professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame, and also the director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life there. “I still live in South Bend. With six of our seven kids and all 18 grandchildren.”

Andy Barnes has been teaching history for the past 27 years as a professor at Arizona State University in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (SHPRS), where he will be taking over as head of the history faculty starting in June 2024. He has written three monographs and edited two anthologies, the latest of which, The Palgrave Handbook on Christianity in Africa from Apostolic Times to the Present, just came out in March 2024. Andy and his wife, Scarlett, have three sons. “I am still actively doing historical research and I hope to publish one last monograph before I retire.”

Karin Johnson has nice news: “My wonderful first grandchild was born in October and I’m having such a good time; looking forward to 50th!” Karen should snag the distance traveled award, as she’ll be coming from Tokyo!!

Nancy Luberoff is happy to say, “My partner and husband, Bruce Boehm, and I have been together nearly 50 years! We started as two and now we’re a family of 11, including four grandkids, all of whom are bilingual (German and English for the Berlin-based family; Spanish and English for the North Carolina family). We spend two months every year in Berlin and tackle two long-distance hikes in Europe every year. Much of our volunteer energy is focused on managing a small green Jewish cemetery.”

A note from Roger Weisberg brought news that he has significantly cut back his film production work during the past three years. “I didn’t want to be on the road during the COVID pandemic, and I needed to look after my frail elderly parents. Instead, I’ve been focusing on taking advantage of new distribution opportunities for the 33 documentaries I’ve made over the past four decades. Karen (Freedman) is still going strong. The law practice she founded, Lawyers for Children, celebrated its 40th anniversary in April. As the company’s president, she still manages much of the firm’s most important impact litigation involving children in foster care. Our three children—a lawyer, a doctor, and an art professor/administrator—all live within three blocks of one another in Brooklyn. And, between them, there are four grandchildren, and a fifth one is on the way. We are incredibly lucky to visit them all at least once a week.”

At Yale, where she did graduate work, Gina Novick teaches midwifery students, and her husband, Shelly Kagan ’76, teaches philosophy. Their three kids live in Boston and San Francisco. Gina and Shelly recently got to visit with Bobbie Spellman ’78 in Virginia and Michael Hardimon ’79 in San Diego. “I hope to see many of you soon!”

Clif Grandy retired in June 2023 after a career in the legal/judicial/court administration arena, and his wife, Nancy Lucas, retired in July 2023. Clif reports, “In May 2023, we hosted a brunch in D.C. for some 1975 classmates and college mates from ’74 and other classes. We reflected upon our Wesleyan experience and the need to support Wesleyan with financial contributions if able. Those who attended included: June Jefferies, Denise Fures, Karen (Seymore) Leftridge, Hampton Cross ’72, Robert “Bob” White ’72, Antonio “Tony” Michell ’74, Jerry Thomas ’74, Debbie Conner Mitchell ’74, and Hope Hill ’74. Another 2023 highlight was a December trip to see Purlie Victorious on Broadway. They also had a visit from Gail Robinson-Oturu, a classically trained vocalist who was with our class at Wes during freshman year and is now a music professor in Tennessee and Florida.

Jeff Morgan, founding winemaker of Covenant Winery, sent in an update: “With our 50th approaching, many of us have passed our 70th birthdays. I’m surprised at how young I (still) feel. My urban winery in Berkeley, California, produces about 8,000 cases of topflight wine per year. Alas, after nine years making Covenant wine in Israel as well as California, we stopped the Israeli program back in 2021. It had nothing to do with the current situation in Gaza and the Galilee, but rather, simple financials compounded by the COVID pandemic.  However, the isolation brought on by COVID inspired me to pick up my saxophone again after a 25-year hiatus. I played a gig with old musician friends at City Winery in New York last year.  More recently, I performed at a jazz club in Paris called Le Cercle Suedois with pianist Franck Amsallem’s quartet. Yes, I guess there is indeed life after 70. Both my daughters live nearby in Oakland, and each one recently made me and my wife, Jodie, grandparents for the first time! Feeling the love.”

Corinne Kratz submitted the final manuscript for her next book, Rhetorics of Value: Exhibition, Design, Communication, to Duke University Press, which should be out in early 2025. She’s just back from Cape Town for a workshop in the African Critical Inquiry Program that she helps to direct. She’ll be back there again for May and the next events in this year’s workshop series.

As for my own news, Deb Kosich and I are the youngest members of the class, as far as I know.  We always bring up the rear in the birthdays department. I celebrated my 70th in late March on a family trip to the Bahamas with my husband and kids. In addition to my birthday, we were celebrating the wedding of my only niece. It was a beautiful week, and we took full advantage of the warm weather, irresistible ocean, and island vibe. Our kids came up with the best birthday gift ever—my first SCUBA dive, a challenging and wonderful experience. Bob supported and watched our bubbles from the boat. The trip was dramatically capped off with a tropical storm and power outage on the day after the wedding. The other news we are celebrating the engagement of our son, Ethan; he and his fiancée, Amanda, plan to marry later this year.

I hate to turn to sad news, but Karen Sims, a resident of Waterford, Connecticut, since 1978, sent word that her husband of 48 years, Charlie Sedell ’76, died of ALS in January 2024.

Jeff Cox learned last winter of Don Perman’s death in December 2022. Jeff and his wife, Amy, knew Don from childhood and last saw him in early 2022. “He was as always full of plans—writing, learning a language, working on his drumming—and as always full of jokes and caustic comments on the world. He was always eager to hear about and joke about any latest excesses in higher education. He still loved his time at Wesleyan—but maybe not as much as he loved living in New York.”  Don worked as a brilliant copy editor for major publications including The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, and The New York Times.  He was a jazz lover and drummer, a creative writer, and even a comedian who performed on David Letterman. Infectious enthusiasm for life! There are some lovely tributes to him at Don Perman Obituary.

David Harrison passed away unexpectedly in March, just shy of his 71st birthday, while on vacation with his wife in Mexico. A friend wrote, “Smart, funny, athletic, generous, and a lifelong advocate for social justice, David ran his own criminal defense legal practice in San Francisco for over 35 years, focused primarily on representing indigent clients. He had just won a major case when he passed away. Before entering private practice, David worked for the San Francisco Neighborhood Legal Assistance Foundation, Marin Legal Aid, and the Legal Aid Foundation of Long Beach, where he was a distinguished Reginald Heber Smith Fellow. He also served two terms on the board of the New World Foundation.

As a Wesleyan undergraduate, David played on the club rugby team that competed against other small colleges and helped friends put on popular campus rock concerts featuring the likes of Jackson Browne, Lou Reed, and Orleans. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, a diverse fraternity where “David fit right in with his progressive thinking,” said longtime friend Mark Allard ’74. In addition to his wife, Colette Brooks, David is survived by daughters Simone Harrison ’18 and Marie Claire Harrison.”  There was a memorial gathering for David in the Bay Area in May.

Where’s WES-O?  This is our detective game to locate and reconnect with classmates who have dropped off Wesleyan’s radar. So far, we’ve had two successes, but that still leaves a lot of missing persons. 

FOUND:  Deborah Appel in Burien, Washington, thanks to Jill Rips. Paul Margolin sent me on a hunt for Harris Pitnof, who I found.

STILL MISSING: We have 80 more classmates with NO contact information. They won’t be invited to Reunion unless we can find them. If you know or can find out how to reach anyone on this list via email, phone, and/or snail mail, please let me know! Even better: have them reach out to the Alumni office so they may update their current contact information (alumni@wesleyan.edu).

Debby Addis, Ramon Alonso, Steve Anderson, Mark Anderson, Robert Baratt, June Hatton Barr, Rita Bauersmith, Susan Baugh, Thomas Berry, Andre Bourque, Willie Brown, Terry Button, Jacob Calm, John Caro, Alice Clark, Elaine Bourret Coleman, Andrea Cramer, Arthur Curtis, John Daniel, Steve Dixon, Leroy Doar, Richard Eisenberg, Harriet Farah, Kevin Fickling, Leo Fuchs, Larry Goodwin, Arlene Harris, Juliette Haynes, Colette Marie Goedde Hernandez, John Hulsebos, Frank Isaacs, Chris James, Brenda Jimenez, Richard Johnson, William Johnson, Norah Jones, Michael Kannan, David Kellogg, Genevieve Kerr, Tracy Killam, Didi (Stephanie) Lamm, Victoria Lauren, Sojin Lee, Molly Leong, Leonard Linden, Laura Livingstone, Nikki Makris, Andrew Maxwell, June Melton, Niles Murphy, Carol Parker, Deborah Paul, Kirk Pawlowski, Robert Phelps, Roberto Powers, Maurice Reidy, Ramona Reyes, Steve Riegelhaupt, Susan Riley, Digna Riva, Frederika Robinson, Michael Robinson, Bob Rockefeller, Charles Rose, Alida Santiago, Charles Shippee, Bill Smith, Carl Stevens, Don Strachan, Doug Stuart, Margaret Sullivan, Andy Sussman, Deb Thomas, Mary Tibbets, Rachel Trubowitz, Erica Udoff, Joseph Vaccaro, Sue Wieser, Bonnie Williams, Randy Hunter. 

Ilene Rosenthal reports, “I am excited that my educational software company, Footsteps2Brilliance, is partnering with PBS and SBCSS to create the first transmedia program that turns television from a passive to an active medium for young children. My company has also been hired to create a game-based financial literacy program for upper elementary students. This will help students learn and apply key principals so that they can make better financial decisions as an adult. My husband and I are thrilled that our Wes daughter (Alex Rosenthal Spencer ’17) and her Wes husband (Keith Spencer ’16) will be moving to D.C., where Keith will be starting his residency program at Georgetown Hospital.  We live in D.C. so this will put them close to us.”

Lloyd Komesar enthusiastically shares, “Greetings to all my ’74 classmates! The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival will be rolling out its 10th Anniversary Fest this August 21–25 in Middlebury, Vermont. Over the course of these five fun days, we’ll be screening 125 films on six screens, with 80-plus first- and second-time filmmakers in attendance from around the world, along with panels, presentations, special guests, happy hours and evening parties. Lots of parties. There are always many Wes grads who gather at the Fest, from ’74 and surrounding classes. We invariably have a damn good time. So, I extend an invitation to everyone who reads these notes to come join us in Vermont for our milestone 10th-anniversary celebration. If you have questions, contact me at lk@middfilmfest.org.”

Blaise Noto moved from Chapel Hill to upstate New York. He is living in Clifton Park/Halfmoon, halfway between Albany and Saratoga, to “semi-retire” and to be  close to family. He is teaching part time at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, in marketing and public relations, and is thrilled being part of that college community! “Looking forward to seeing all my friends and my brothers at DEKE at Reunion!”

Willy Holtzman shares, “In 2012 my play, The Morini Strad, inspired by the esteemed violin maker (and my best friend) Brian Skarstad ’73, had its New York premiere. A German language production recently premiered in Vienna to rave reviews. I took a bow for us both while Brian continued his magic at the bench.”

Howard Curzer writes, “I am still teaching philosophy at Texas Tech University. Teaching is getting a bit more difficult each year as academia begins to buckle under various stresses, and I get older and crankier. On the bright side, my research is bearing fruit. Last year I published a book on ethics. This year I published another. It is entitled, Difficult Virtues: An Aristotelian Perspective  (Routledge 2024).”  

Lee Coplan reports “Since retirement, my main commitments are music and bridge. I returned to playing the violin about 25 years ago when daughter needed a practice partner for Suzuki violin lessons. I’ve been playing in several klezmer groups for the past 13 years; since COVID hit only one group (KlezKonnection) is still operating. I played at a number of seniors’ homes, synagogues, city parks and bars, and several times at Toronto’s Ashkenaz Festival. I’ve also been playing in a community string orchestra (Strings Attached Orchestra) for the past 10 years, also with a mandate to play at seniors’ residences and schools, as well as community concerts twice a year. After a dry spell during the height of COVID, I’m happy to say that public performances are picking up again. It’s a pleasure to bring the joy of music into people’s lives.

            “After a 45-year (or so) gap, I resumed playing bridge in fall 2019. I originally learned bridge as a freshman at Wesleyan along with many classmates. The game has transformed over the intervening years, so I started with some refresher lessons. I started playing duplicate at the Toronto Bridge Club in February 2020. After three live games, COVID ended in-person play, and I eventually started playing online through Bridgebase (Lee_TO). Now I’m playing a mix of online and in-person games/tournaments. I hope to achieve life master status— I’m 40-plus silver points and 40-plus gold/red points short, so I need to get to, and be successful at, enough tournaments. I plan to play a good bit at the NABC summer tournament in Toronto this July, so I hope that brings me closer to my goal. I’d love to hear from any Wesleyan folks who come for the summer tournament.

            “Otherwise, I keep busy with theater, music, reading, etc. And, of course, I love to spend time with my sons and their families, including my two grandsons (two and nearly five) in Toronto and with my daughter either here or visiting her in Washington, D.C. Lydia and I also resumed traveling to a greater extent and look forward to doing a bit more over the next few years.”

Christine “Chris” Lees Jonientz of Hamden, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at Yale New Haven Hospital, with her family by her side. Chris was born in Hempstead, New York, on May 29,1952. She graduated magna cum laude from Wesleyan University in 1974 with a BA in English. She earned a master’s degree in American civilization from Brown University in 1975 and an MBA from Temple University in 1985. Chris worked as a consumer banker and was a certified master gardener.

We have updates from some of our prolific film directors and reflections from our 50th Reunion.

After our reunion, Michael Shoob writes that he had not been back to campus since our graduation so he says, “it was quite a mind-bending experience for me. Being there for the first time in half a century reminded me of one thing: I felt lucky to have had the opportunity to come to Wesleyan, and I’m sure many of our classmates felt the same way.” Michael reports in early April that he had finished shooting Road to Everywhere, a new feature film that he was directing and writing. He says Road to Everywhere “is a follow-up nearly 30 years later to my film Driven, which I also wrote and directed, about a group of LA cab drivers. Driven premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 1996.” He says, “A number of the actors from the original film reprised their roles and they had a memorable experience shooting the movie in Los Angeles and on the Navajo Reservation in Page, Arizona.” He says they anticipate a festival run for the film starting in the fall and adds, “None of this would have happened without Wesleyan.”

Billy Burke says, “Occasionally, another warm memory from our wonderful 50th Reunion pops into my head. The President’s Dinner on Friday night was held in Beckham Hall, a beautiful venue. Highlights included remarks by President Roth, amiable bar staff who know how to make a gin and tonic (Mike Robinson was designated driver), and the musical stylings of Blackwall Hitch. Many thanks to our classmate, Paul Fletcher, and the other members of that fabulous band. The ’60s–’70s music and associated slide presentation choreographed to each song brought it all back.” Billy says he’s been having a great time working with his son and his son’s new law partner on messaging and marketing. They became best friends in the Marine Corps while serving two combat tours in Iraq. After their enlistments were up, they went their separate ways. Billy reports, “Each earned his BA and JD. They just formed a law firm right here in Centennial, Colorado. I’m very proud.”

Ron Medley says he has managed to use his “Middletown hideaway to pretty good advantage since our reunion. My brother and sister, Jim and Linda, had a wonderful time reenacting our last visit to Middletown together, which was over 50 years ago. Amanda Broulik and Lydia Casparie from Wesleyan met us with a golf cart and we had a blast tooling up and down Foss Hill on a beautiful July afternoon. And, I’ve had two meet ups with Rob and Rich Charney, solving the world’s problems and dissing the Oscars over pasta at Mondo’s. Coming soon: an oral history presentation before Professor Jesse Nasta’s African American Studies class on the racial history of Middletown.”

Marc Levin says he had two major film releases in April: On April 16 his latest HBO documentary, An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th  premiered on HBO and MAX. He says, “The film looks at the evolution of political violence through the lens of the Oklahoma City bombing—from the roots in the early ’80s to the reverberations up to January 6. With the threat of political violence and civil unrest growing every day, this film is especially timely and relevant. It is the history of now.” Then on April 26, his feature film Slam, which won the Grand Prize at Sundance and the Camera D’or at the Cannes Film Festival, was re-released in a newly restored digital 4K version thanks to the the Academy of Motion Pictures, the Sundance Institute, and UCLA. The film was also featured at the UCLA preservation festival on April 6  (SLAM | UCLA Film & Television Archive).

Marc also has a documentary on guaranteed income, It’s Basic,  traveling the festival circuit. He says it won best documentary at the LA Downtown Film Festival, and had a screening on April 9 at the Cleveland International Festival: https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/its-basic.

He says, “Busy spring for us here at Blowback Productions.”

Dr. Michael Fossel, known worldwide for his work including his book, Reversing Human Aging, has a brief update, telling us that his new Academic Press textbook is out. 

Finally, we are all deeply saddened by the loss of the spirited Dave Moffenbeier. As if it were yesterday, I remember his intelligence in the classroom and his talents on the Wesleyan football team. A group of us huddled up and recruited Dave to join us in the spring of senior year on the rugby fields. He was an integral part of that team that went undefeated. His middle name could have been “Invictus.” Class secretary Seth Davis ’72 writes in his notes: “Another loss, although not from our class, but another good friend and Delta Tau brother, was that of Dave Moffenbeier ’73.  Moff fought tenaciously against a vicious form of cancer for over 20 years before leaving us in February.”

That’s the latest news from you for now.

Bob Medwid passed away this past Christmas Day, of a heart attack following some episodes of angina. In a lengthy chain of email correspondence among Delta Tau brothers and football teammates, the words “really good guy” recurred frequently, and I heartily concur. The always quotable Mike Carlson went further: “What a blow at the end of a tough year. I bonded with Bob early in freshman football, his end at East Meadow was a Carlson. He matured early: he might have been at his peak with the dirty dozen and a half. He was a perfectly controlled athlete in basketball, too, on our two intramural winners, and, of course, he was soon a married father too. As I matured very little, he was always a laconic counterpoint for me, and I wish I could remember where we started calling him ‘Hammer’ and if I was there, cause it fit so well. We didn’t see each other but a couple of times the rest of the way, but it was always a mature joy, and I could visualize him on the golf course every day, playing calm, collected, perfect golf. It’s hard to think of his going at all, much less that way.”

And this from Mike Kishbauch ’71: “Michael referenced our ragtag intramural Delt basketball team, which somehow managed to win two championships. My recollection is that happened because (1) Carlson stayed hot for two full seasons, throwing in Steph Curry bombs from all over Hell’s half acre (amid howls of protest from the rest of us) and (2) Medwid was easily the best pure passer of anyone I ever played hoops with, perfecting the no-look thing way before it became fashionable. I vividly remember my first game as Dwid’s basketball teammate. Because of my size (size, not height) I normally played center or low-post forward. At one moment, I found myself toggling back and forth in the low-post paint, with five or six guys (theirs and ours) between Bobby and me. Suddenly, without looking vaguely in my direction, he whips this pass threading between everyone, and it hits me square in the nose, nearly knocking me senseless. Whereupon . . . memo to Bowser: it appears there is NO pass this kid is unwilling to attempt, and it also seems like most/all of them will be on the mark; therefore, stay awake, lest you end up looking foolish; further, and for God’s sake, do NOT watch his eyes . . . they mean NOTHING in this context; just assume he’s watching you and nobody gets hurt! I miss him already. God knows he never missed me! . . .  RIP.”

I should also add that Bob was particularly helpful to my wife, Elisa ’76, when she entered the Peat Marwick training program after graduation. Bob was a veteran of the program and always kept an eye out for Wes folk.

Another loss, although not from our class, but another good friend and Delta Tau brother, was that of Dave Moffenbeier ’73.  Moff fought tenaciously against a vicious form of cancer for over 20 years before leaving us in February. I have particularly fond memories of visiting Moff while he was living in Holland in the ’80s.

Finally, I mourn the passing of my thesis tutor, mentor, and friend, Herb Arnold. I sent him a note of condolence on the death of his idol, Franz Beckenbauer, only to receive a note from his wife, Annemarie, telling me that Herb left us on the very same day. I had kept in touch with Herb, taking two Wasch Center seminars with him on medieval literature. A brilliant mind, a passionate and fervent soul, in many ways he epitomized what was the Wesleyan experience for many of us.

We just learned of the death of Bud Spurgeon on May 3. Bud’s memory will live on through his iconic photographs of the events of May 1970. He was also a major contributor to our legendary 50th Reunion and the ongoing class website. Those of us who worked with him in those efforts are greatly saddened by his passing. I will have more to say in the next issue.

I’ll try for better news next time.