Tyler Anbinder, who you will remember from last issue, is publishing a book in March about the Irish emigration to New York and reports he hears regularly from Jeddy Lieber and Leah Chang ’95.
Ophelia Papoulas had the pleasure of attending her first Burning Man this year. She had a wonderful time, despite the difficult circumstances of the final couple of days. She’d like to know if there are any Wes folk who have gone or are planning to go.
Parul Kapur Hinzen’s debut novel, Inside the Mirror, about twin sisters who struggle against family and society to become artists in 1950s India in the aftermath of Empire, will be published by the University of Nebraska Press in March 2024. The novel won the AWP Prize for the Novel, judged by Brandon Hobson, who called it “a beautiful and ambitious work of fiction.” Parul fondly remembers her first creative writing course with Professor Phyllis Rose and abides by George Eliot’s adage: “It is never too late to be what who you might have been.”
Susan Howard, along with Jessica Posner’09, created a role-playing video game called Go Nisha Go, based on her Indian mother’s decision to delay marriage and choose education. It won the Best Learning Game at the 2023 Games for Change Festival in New York City, out of 340 entries. The game was developed by Howard Delafield International, cocreated with adolescent girls in India, with the input of several partners in many fields. The contributing organizations include Girl Effect, headed by Jessica. Susan is developing a companion game for boys.
Michael Lewyn continues his career as a law professor at Touro Law Center, and blogs on urban planning issues at planetizen.com. He is pleased to announce that he is now married, making him a stepfather.
Finally, Stephanie Fleischman caught us up with her latest project. She wrote the libretto for the new opera, Tevye’s Daughters, with composer Alex Weiser, based on the Isaac Bashevis Singer short stories that inspired Fiddler on the Roof. It had a first workshop in November 2023 in New York City.
Wintertime in New Jersey is not my favorite time of the year. I don’t mind the cold, and I do like the snow, however, the long dark days are, well, dark. The notes below took me away for a bit; thank you everyone for submitting.
Cat Maguire released her new book, Making Meaning with Machines: Somatic Strategies, Choreographic Technologies, and Notational Abstractions through a Laban/Bartenieff Lens. She coauthored the book with Amy Laviers and it is published by MIT Press. The text is a rigorous primer in movement studies and notation for designers, engineers, and scientists that draws on the fields of dance and robotics. The book offers a refreshingly embodied approach to machine design that supports the growing need to make meaning with machines by using the field of movement studies, including choreography, somatics, and notation, to engage in the process of designing expressive robots.
Gary Mezzi and his band, Bronson Rock, performed at a raucous alumni event in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in November. Tim Dibble ’86 hosted the event at his music club, The Cantab Lounge. The band blasted through two sets of music, with special guest, President Roth, on keyboards and vocals for an impromptu version of “Money (That’s What I Want).” Gary’s album, Alligator Shoes, is available on all the streaming platforms.
In June, the guys in Dr. Mezzi Fights Infection got together at Gary’s home in Connecticut for an all-day reunion with instruments. All six members of the band (Steve Levere, David Bondy, Rick Velleu, John Keaney ’84, Michael Canarie, and Gary) played for the first time since our 25th Reunion in 2008. If you squinted hard enough, it almost felt like a Thursday night at Downey House. The group hopes to play again next summer. (Gary, email me at triosmom@hotmail.com and I can send out an email blast with details of the event.)
Tim Brockett traveled back East to visit friends and family. While there he paddled down the Connecticut River from Canada to southern Vermont/New Hampshire. It reminded him of earlier journeys in 1979 when he paddled the entire river by himself in an inflatable kayak, hitchhiked solo to Nain, Labrador, and later applied to Wesleyan. His essay describing his travels gained him an acceptance letter to, and a full scholarship from, Wes. Now back in Montana he is busy exploring the Colorado River during the winter months, gardening in the summers, and hiking and enjoying the rural pace of life.
Cheri (Litton) Weiss is the rabbi-cantor of Temple Emanu-El in Honolulu, the largest Jewish institution in the state of Hawaii. She moved there in July 2022 with her husband, Dan, and dogs, Hope and Josie. In addition to serving her wonderful congregation, she has amazing opportunities to meet and work with faith leaders of many religions. Cheri included some photos:
Cheri and Dan rolling the torah for the high holy days
Cheri and Dan visiting the island of Kauai
Harry Gural and Maria Antonaccio were married in Maria’s hometown of Chappaqua, New York, on August 5, 2023. As reported by The New York Times, the happy couple met while taking care of their respective moms in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where Maria is a professor at Bucknell and where they continue to live happily today.
Karen Adair, Barb Bailey Beckwitt, Sue Stallone Kelley, and Tammy Rosengarten Darcas had a fun roommate reunion last summer in Lake Placid, New York. “We had a fabulous time enjoying the lake, hiking, watching the ski jumping, bobsledding, and skating in the Olympic oval! (Though we missed having Gretchen Millspaugh Cooney with us!)”
On the boat, from left to right: Tammy Rosengarten Darcas, Sue Stallone Kelley, Karen Adair Miller, and Barb Bailey Beckwitt
Kate Rabinowitz attended the Class of ’82 Reunion. She writes, “It was so fun to see people and remember my first WESU year . . . then I became class of ’83 after the year off to work in occupational therapy and study art in France . . . that time included a silent, solo Thoreau retreat in the countryside of Provence.” The journey continues. Now Kate runs an arts and wellness foundation for young people, makes art, teaches yoga, and is working the land. She is grateful to Wes for “the intensity of education, which is a way of life.”
Nancy Rommelmann writes for The Free Press, Reason, and other publications. She reported in the past year from Ukraine and Israel and various U.S. cities. She also cohosts the podcast Smoke ’Em If You Got ’Em, in which she discusses media, journalism, and culture. Nancy had Thanksgiving with Tory Estern Jadow ’82.
Ken Schneyer has at least two new stories coming out in 2024: “Winding Sheets” in Lightspeed Magazine, and “Tamaza’s Future and Mine” in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. This is his third sale to Lightspeed and his first to Asimov’s. He still teaches humanities and legal studies, and Janice Okoomian still teaches gender and women’s studies. Ken is now chair of the Interdisciplinary Curriculum Committee where he approves student-designed majors—a more Wes-type job he cannot imagine.
Wishing you a happy and healthy new year and praying for peace,
Just a little bit of news from a few Class of ’82 folks. Elon Musk says he’s glad to live in interesting times, so I guess we can all decide if it is a curse or not.
Book news from two of our classmates: Virginia (Ginny) Pye writes, “I’ve had an active fall with book events for my new novel, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann—a Gilded Age story of a dime novelist who sues her Boston publisher for underpaying her as a woman. And I’d be happy to visit book clubs, in person or virtually, of any fellow Wes alumni!” Michael Lucey was nominated for the Modernist Studies Association book award and took honorable mention for his quite incredible work about what happens when we talk, What Proust Heard: Novels and the Ethnography of Talk.
Carlos Hoyt, with a PhD and MSW in social work, teaches, practices, and leads in the Boston area. He is doing amazing work on race and other identity constructs, and shares that he had the good fortune of being featured (with an old family photo!) in this Washington Post article, “Race isn’t real, science says. Advocates want the census to reflect that.”
Emilie Attwell writes, “I am still working via telepsychiatry for the Harris Center (the huge multicenter place that covers Houston). I saw today a mother and her two daughters that have autism and ADHD. It boggles my mind to have one daughter that is nine years old and still needs help taking a bath, much less two, and to have to do it as a single mom. . . . Thank God the punitive heat from the summer has abated, and the plants can take a breather.” Thank God for your work, Emilie.
Diana Moller-Marino was an acting professor/director for over 20 years at the Hartt School, University of Hartford. “Loved preparing actors for the profession. Recently left there to teach privately out of my home. I’ve loved teaching students of all ages. Don’t miss the university setting one bit. Still work at Wes every year, guiding monologues written by current students on issues of identity (In the Company of Others) as a key part of new student orientation. It’s wildly appreciated and I find it both satisfying and weird to be back in the Jones Room. I recently directed my first documentary about folks who hang out by the soup kitchen: folks dealing with housing insecurity, addiction and/or mental illness.” You can see her Meet the Streets (about Middletown!) on YouTube.
Steve Maizes has been keeping in touch. “Michael Zeller, Vincent Bonazzoli, and our respective spouses enjoyed a fantastic night of ping-pong, swimming, weightlifting, nostalgic reminiscing, and delicious Italian food around a campfire.” Weightlifting? I didn’t do that at my last alumni get-together, but I read that we will all age better if we do that.
I will report that your co-secretaries spent Thanksgiving together in San Miguel de Allende, with Laura’s husband, Wes alum, Peter Eckart ’86, and with my wife, Laurie, and our eldest. My first Thanksgiving out of the country and it was lovely. After finally figuring out together that pumpkin and pecan pies cook quite differently at 6,200 feet of elevation, a sense of peace finally arrived.
I decided not to write about what I learned about so many of you from your out of office replies: what programs you run, that you are retiring, etc., and decided only to include what you’ve intended to share with the class. Perhaps I’ll have the courage (or guile) to do that next time. The years pass so swiftly, so please stay in touch, especially during these interesting times.
Greetings from the Heartland! As I write this, the winter solstice is fast upon us. I hope that by the time you read this, spring will be in full bloom, war behind us, and New Year’s reflections manifesting themselves into positive energy and actions.
Shadow Dancing by Debbie Mueller won first place at the Art2Life International Juried Exhibition.
I received a wonderful update from Debbie Underberg Mueller. After a very successful and satisfying full-time career as an OB/GYN, Debbie relocated to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire to work part time solely as a gynecologist; she is using her free time to pursue her newfound passion—painting. A moment of serendipity in 2016, during a visit to her mom, resulted in her discovering a new talent—one that has become more than “just a hobby.” Debbie wrote, “I had, up until this point, felt very confident that I was someone who was completely artistically challenged. At the end of an hour, I had created a pretty horrible painting, but loved the way that I felt during the experience of creating it. It was meditative, focused, productive—the closest activity that produced this same feeling was performing surgery, but of course, the stakes are a bit higher with that! When I got back from that trip, I bought a box of acrylic paint, and my life as an artist began.” As her skills improved, she entered competitions, resulting in a multitude of accolades and prizes. “This year I received first place in the Art2Life International Juried Exhibition, from a field of over 5,000 submissions.” And Debbie shared that “also this year, Modern Impressionist Magazineran a feature story about me and my work. I show . . . in numerous galleries and have had several opportunities to mount solo exhibitions.” Check out some more of her stunning work at www.debbiemuellerart.com.
In the Pink by Debbie Mueller won honorable mention at the American Impressionist Society National Exhibition.
David Miller, who is still hosting an online science fiction book club, shared that he and wife Cathryne took a two-week cruise down the Mississippi River from St. Paul, Minnesota, to New Orleans, Louisiana. “In Saint Louis,” Dave writes, “I had a chance to spend the day with Linda (Hornby) Shogren ’83, who is also in the science fiction book club, and her husband David.”
Dave continues, “We got [in] a couple of concerts by Ethan Leinwand ’05, covering ragtime and early blues. There were concerts every night, but these were some of the best. Surprising to me, the second half of the trip was the most enjoyable. Perhaps this was because of the music. . . . Perhaps it was due to the cruise line’s careful choosing of ports. Or, perhaps, (because) I was just a visitor and didn’t live there. Anyway, I learned a lot (including a bunch of history which may no longer be taught in Florida), heard some great music and stories, ate some wonderful foods, and generally had a good time. Highly recommended if you’ve got the resources, enjoy blues and jazz, and can learn when you hear about some of the horrendous things Americans have done in the past.”
John Ross wrote in with news of what sounded like a super-fun get-together with some of his Williams Street 10-person roommates: Greg Andris, Alan Mairson, and Sean Moran, who all joined Peter Gryska on his West Texas ranch recently for a long weekend of skeet shooting, wild boar tracking, fossil hunting, a “Friday night lights” high school football game, mesquite barbecuing, and general merrymaking, “Peter, who lives in Houston, is a director at SPECS, an iconic Texas retail chain. John is working on his sixth book and runs a food pantry in Bethesda, Maryland, which he founded, often assisted by Sean, a staff scientist at the military medical school at Walter Reed. Greg, who lives in Miami Beach, owns and manages a luxury resort in St. Lucia. Alan works on various media projects after a long career writing and editing at National Geographic. Much discussion revolved around what the other members of the 10-person—Anne Standley, Barb Parrot Katz, Leora Freedman, Mary Dowd, and Carol Muller—are up to.” Please—write me and let me know!
’81 roommates (from l to r): Peter Gryska, Greg Andris, Sean Moran, Alan Mairson, and John Ross.
Felicia Angus reported in from northern New Jersey, where she and her husband of 34 years, Mike, have lived for several decades after spending the first third of their marriage living and working in England. She writes, “I still work in the city on Wall Street, funding Mike’s retirement. Our kids are grown and living in NYC and Vancouver. A whole lifetime has passed since we’ve graduated . . . yet there’s not much else to report!”
Congratulations to Laurie Jacobs on her new job! She wrote in to share that she “remains happily living with Bob in NYC despite the Jersey commute to my new role as associate dean for faculty development at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. My kids, Liz (Wojnar) ’12, is in Brooklyn, Julia in Buenos Aires, and Ben in Los Angeles, but all make it home often. I saw Susan Stone and Laura Justice ’83, as well as Corinne Sternberg on a Seattle visit. Life is good.”
I do concur with Laurie. Despite the curveballs that life throws us, let us continue to focus on the positive—on the beauty around us
Your class secretary writes:When soliciting entries for this magazine, I wrote to our class: “I just want to note that the class notes were pretty much sidelined as I have been pretty caught up in the support (hugs, listening, meals, dog walking, etc.) of good friends who just lost the father/husband of their family to glioblastoma (brain cancer). Life is so fragile and so unpredictable. My husband, Andrew McKenna, and I learned that personally when he was diagnosed this past year with kidney cancer. But we were sooooo lucky, it was stage one, operable so that his kidney was 85% saved, the cancer extracted with clean margins, and he is considered cancer free. One day you’re tripping along merrily, the next in a nightmare. And after hearing from many of you, I know these are not isolated experiences. There are so many wrenching stories. So, let’s set aside our differences and treasure what we have, treasure our family and our loved ones, our neighbors, and our dear friends.” Thank you all for your care and support and your responses!
Karen Klapper: “Still working as a hospice physician in Palm Beach County, as I have been for the past 32 years. When I am not working, I am having fun doing organic gardening, butterfly gardening, and attracting hummingbirds to my yard. These are life-affirming activities, which help counterbalance me to keep taking care of the terminally ill. Plus, I read the comics daily!”
Janet Grillo: “Very sorry about the loss of your friend and what an ordeal you and your husband have been through. Yes, as we are in our 60s, mortality looms large. Here is my update: I am enjoying my 11th year as [a] full-time faculty arts professor at NYU Tisch Undergraduate Film school. The third indie-fiction feature I directed, originally titled The Warm Season but retitled Alien Intervention by the distributor (because no one ever called it ‘show art’) played festivals here and abroad, won the Festival Director Award at the Boston Sci Fi Film Festival, Best Cinematography Award at Santa Fe Film Festival, and played to a packed house at Woodstock Film Festival (my adopted ‘hometown’). Film Threat said, ‘The universal becomes highly personal—and overwrought special effects take a welcome holiday—in Janet Grillo’s The Warm Season, a science fiction drama of human-extraterrestrial contact that impresses with humor and heart. Reviving a few character and plot elements from the likes of John Carpenter’s Starman and Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the film, made for under $1 million over a couple of dozen shooting days, comes into its own as a compelling genre entry that covers more themes of existential relevance than those two major-studio pictures combined.’Alien Intervention can be streamed via SVOD on Apple, GooglePlay, Amazon, and Vimeo.
Randal Baron: “I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. These losses make me try to live life, fitting in as much good as possible. Luckily my husband and I have been relatively lucky with health, though not unscathed. We got in a trip to the Philippines and to Egypt [in 2023], both of which were terrific. I cannot recommend either enough. The Philippines has hands down some of the kindest people I have ever met. Egypt was also very hospitable despite the war, which had started the day we arrived. Unlike many Muslim countries, non-Muslims are welcomed into all the mosques and beautiful places. In 2024, we plan to visit Indonesia. We are enjoying life in Philadelphia, which is finally approaching a post-pandemic normal. We are hoping the city will mobilize again to save us from tyranny. I saw a T-shirt that says, ‘Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia since 1776.’”
Kenneth Toumey: “Thanks for the great message. Life is precious, thanks for the reminder. . . . I am semiretired, (working three days a week in a small but wonderful IT company servicing small businesses in northern New Jersey) , spending the ‘off days’ enjoying my coonhound, Clementine, my grandchildren, and playing guitar and bass in a band. Cherishing every moment! I am a lucky man. All the best to all of you from class of ’80!”
Wendy Davis: “So true, Jacquie, and a big hug to you for your resilience and grace under pressure. I’d just add prayers for all those caught in crossfire of the Middle East. Love to Andrew and welcome to the cancer survivors club, a great group with no initial vetting and no annual fees. 100% happy with my experience. . . . This will be our first Christmas in Devon in our ‘new’ 16th-century Manor House . . . takes some getting used to with no central heating; we’re improvising with fire in wood-burning fireplace [and] several superefficient and effective German heaters; body heat helps, too, after the months the house was empty before we moved in last January. Spring and summer were absolutely delightful in the garden as every day was a surprise with flowers blooming from previous owners’ planting. This year we’ll be looking forward to more of the same including the fish and frogs in the pond currently hibernating under ice (sincerely sorry for them).”
Mark Zitter: “Thanks for your message, especially the PS. We’re all at the age where various relatives and friends (as well as ourselves) are facing the health challenges you cite, with both tragic and magic results. They are a reality of life, and they test our character. For news: My wife and I were in Tel Aviv on October 7 when we awoke to sirens and rockets falling. From the bomb shelter I canceled the tour I was to host for 24 of my Stanford graduate school classmates. We were able to leave the country within a few days but ever since have been consumed with the conflict in Israel/Gaza and dismayed at the surging antisemitism in the U.S. As I write this in early December, it feels like a dark time for the world and for Jews. On a brighter note, in a few days Paul Singarella and Scott Hecker are flying into the Bay Area where we’ll head to the Napa Valley for a weekend of wine tasting, fine dining, and mud baths. We’ve been having Zoom calls every other month and decided it was time to get together in person. Meanwhile, I had Daryl Messinger at my house for dinner last Friday and spent an hour chatting with Paul Oxhom yesterday.”
Peter Feldman is currently living near Geneva, Switzerland, where his wife, Ritu, is a senior manager at the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). They have one daughter who’s now 17 and in her final year of high school. Peter, who earned an MS degree in hydrology from the University of Arizona in 1988, has been working for over two decades in the international development and humanitarian response field as a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) specialist. His geographic focus has been on Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. During the past year he was engaged on an assignment in Ukraine with the French NGO Solidarités International; and has recently joined IsraAID, an Israeli humanitarian NGO, as a senior technical advisor supporting programs in Africa as well as in Ukraine. He does want the E&ES faculty (past and present) to know that he still at heart considers himself a geoscientist and is prone to spending far too long studying road cuts, cliff faces, the geomorphic patterns of glacial terrain, and the polished stone used in any kitchen counter or, preferably, bar top.
Jonathan Needle: “A lot of us made it to 65 this year (2023), so hearty congratulations, and at this point you might consider trying to moderate your vaping as one of your New Year’s resolutions, as applicable. Another food for thought topic: there’s an open question whether all the microplastics in our American lives have adverse effects on humans, and possibly members of the plant and animal kingdoms generally. It seems like there’s little to be done about it (they are omnipresent) and the whole matter is still merely speculative. As to plastics in their many aggregated forms, consumer and plumbing products, for instance, I believe most of us in the U.S. have found them highly useful (but then few would cheer for a continuing blizzard of superfluous plastic packaging). With highest regards and wonderful wishes.”
Edwina Trentham: “I don’t have a note for the Class of 1980, but I just wanted to thank you for this beautiful message about the fragility of life and the importance of embracing it and treasuring our many blessings. [There is] a poem by Dane Cervine, which I recite every morning. I think you will like it. Again, thank you for your beautiful and important message.” (Note: the poem is called Sin and it can be found online.)
Faith Elizabeth Fuller: “I am on the executive board of the National Prevention Science Coalition, working with researchers across the country to bring information on evidence-based programs and policies to government/public health—the premise is to create nurturing environments for young people will help prevent future crime, poverty, substance abuse, violence. I am leading a Credible Messenger project in California, whereby former gang members who have served long terms in prison become mentors to young people in communities experiencing high rates of gun violence. It seems to be working! And the mentors and mentees are endlessly interesting—personalities that bring a lot of humor to the work.”
Cindy Ryan: “While many are enjoying the start of well-deserved retirement, I’m progressing in my third vocation as an LMHC (licensed mental health counselor) and have opened a private practice, which filled up rapidly, thanks to ways in which the pandemic destigmatized remote mental health treatment. I specialize in working with folks struggling with cancer, brain injuries, and other medical issues, so Jacquie’s message to our class resonated with me; my practice provides opportunities to deeply converse about existential realities we are starting to face. A few days per week I welcome the chance to work with lovely art students in the counseling center at MassArt in Boston. As for family, my son, Jonah, became a Canadian this summer, which I proudly witnessed. My daughter, Juliet, celebrated her 2020 pandemic marriage this spring and continues to work on her PhD in geology.”
Walter Calhoun had a Mexican fiesta/sushi dinner party at his home in Highland Park, Illinois, on October 25, 2023, for 10 people, and he was so fortunate Andrew and Elizabeth Parkinson were able to attend. Walter said, “It was so wonderful Andrew was able to bring me up to date on his Psi U friends like Bruce Bunnell ’81 and I was able to do the same with Chi Psi friends Stephen Freccero, Labeeb Abboud, and Scot Timmis ’82. Andrew’s wife, Elizabeth, is one of the most emotionally generous, empathetic, and wonderful women I have ever met and it was so great to see them both that night.”
Peter Campbell sent a nice update. “My wife, Joyce, and I are living in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Still spend plenty of time in Boston or on Cape Cod. At the most recent Homecoming, Jeff Nesson ’78 shared a picture of Joyce and me at a DEKE Christmas Party, so we go back a ways. I have retired from the corporate world but am involved in a more entrepreneurial venture that keeps me in it a bit. In the last few years, I have reconnected with friends from Wesleyan, many who I had not seen for a long time (you know, life gets in the way) but who I have always held close. Folks from those four years are overrepresented in my list of dear friends; I was lucky that way.”
Willie Jones shared news on his continued involvement with a special venture in the Charlotte area. He writes: “I’ve been very busy as the director of the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department. We are continuing to work on how we interpret and share the stories of the enslaved at some of our historic and cultural resource sites that were formerly plantations. In November of 2023, I received an Excellence in Leadership Award from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Branch of the NAACP for my efforts on the Historic Latta Reimagined Project. We’ve taken an innovative approach to community engagement that was required for this project. When the county opted not to renew its contract with the 501(c)(3) that had previously operated the site for decades, I worked with other county staff and community stakeholders to engage in a holistic assessment of best practices for interpreting difficult historic stories, including slavery. The guiding values developed for the Latta Project—Truth, Transparency, Compassion, Transformation, and Unity—have proved to be useful as Park and Recreation staff work side by side with community partners to plan for the site’s reopening in 2026. We’ve taken a major step forward but still have a long way to go.”
And here is a great article about an honor he recently received:
“County’s Park and Recreation Director Honored with Charlotte’s Men of Change Award”
“Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Director Lee Jones recently received the 2023 Charlotte’s Men of Change Award from the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture and the Levine Museum of the New South.
“Charlotte’s Men of Change recognizes Black community leaders for their work as business owners, teachers, political and justice activists, trainers, and visionaries. The Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibition Men of Change: Power, Triumph, and Truth inspired this local annual honor. Charlotte’s Men of Change was on display at the Levine Museum and the Gantt during 2023.”
Kudos, Willie. Amazing work and a great recognition!
Reminder: We are heading toward our 45th Reunion next May. Please save the date May 23–26, 2024. Our class has historically had record or near record attendance levels at our earlier reunions, so it should be fun! If you are interested in becoming a reunion ambassador to help with planning or would like to update your contact information to stay informed, please email Destiny Lopez (dlopez@wesleyan.edu) or Gina Driscoll (gdriscoll@wesleyan.edu).
That’s it for this issue. Thanks for the submissions!
Gail Boxer has been appointed board chair of Cyted, a cancer diagnostics company based in Cambridge, UK.
Geoff Ginsburg, chief medical and scientific officer of the NIH All of US Research Program, has received the PMWC Luminary Award for his pioneering work in personalized and genomic medicine.
Alison Gilchrist reports, “Loving and grateful for: life on the Maine coast, biking, sailing, fun volunteer work in the vast photo archives of a maritime museum, two grandboys, healthy family not far away (brother Geoff ’92 here), good health, and great friends. So happy I went to Wes, by the way!”
John McDermott welcomed his first grandchild, Liam McDermott Lockwood, into their family on November 7 (“everyone is healthy . . . all the best”).
Lucy Mize has welcomed her first grandchild as well— Anna (“she is divine”)—born on August 8 to her son Thaddeus ’17 and his wife, Alex. Lucy is close to finishing her dissertation, “End of Life Doulas in Vermont,” for her DrPh in life coaching. She also continues full-time work, traveling to India, Indonesia, and Thailand. Her daughter, Belle Brown ’22, has done extensive recent Asian travels as well, and is starting work in climate conservation. Lucy sends “all her best.”
Dana Rashti was able to recently spend a month in Sicily as part of an Italian language and cultural immersion program. It was based in Ortigia, a small island that was the historical center of Syracuse. He found Sicily rich in contrasts and history— economically, socially, topographically, culturally, and gastronomically—and was able to visit his grandparents’ hometowns of Agrigento and Canicatini Bagni (“stood on the ground that gave them life and where they spent their youth . . . that was special for me”). Dana has been pursuing nonprofit work since retiring last year.
Writing notes during the Thanksgiving holiday has filled me with an extra sense of poignancy as we find ourselves in a world seemingly more unstable and hateful than we have ever witnessed in our lifetime. Rachel and Mike Balf have been on many classmates’ minds, as well as in my thoughts, since the horror of October 7 in Israel. I am including Mike’s note here in its entirety:
“As you know Rachel and I are living in a war zone. Today (November 20) is the 45th day of war and my guess is that the combat will [still] continue when our classmates are reading this newsletter and possibly the next one as well. We are fine as a family, a kibbutz, and a community. We are not near Gaza nor the Lebanese border—although, if missile attacks from the north become more prolific, we are within range. I will not allow myself to turn this into a political diatribe. On October 7, 1,400 Israeli citizens, the majority civilians, were murdered in cold blood by Hamas fanatics who also kidnapped 250 hostages, many of them children, elderly, and simple civilians. Israel declared war and set out to return all the hostages and eliminate all the military capability of Hamas. Hopefully by the time that you are reading these words in your home the hostages will have been returned (at least the majority) to their homes and their families, though I doubt that the military operations will have ended. Our son, a called-up reservist, is on the outskirts of Gaza with his paratrooper unit. We worry but then there are tens of thousands of parents whose children are also out there defending the lives and livelihoods of our fellow citizens. I am not blind to the fact that there are humanitarian complications and that there are human tragedies on both sides. I have spent part of my adult life working for a two-state solution. I have heard that there are people who say ‘between the river and the sea’—I hope that there will come a day when we can say ‘between the river and the sea, neighbors we can be.’ I hope that wherever you are, you are working to fight antisemitism. We come from a great liberal tradition of defending the rights of all and I hope that can be maintained. We will continue that endeavor, and hopefully there will be an opening for peace down the road.”
Sue Guiney writes that while the world seems to get more and more dangerous and worrying every day, the summer had a real ray of hope—the birth of her first grandchild, Marcos Erix Santillana-Guiney (hoping that he turns out to be a good speller). The grandparent thing seems great. Otherwise, work is well, as Writing Through prepares for its 10th-anniversary celebrations—another ray of hope.
Jay Kilbourn writes after a challenging five years, marked by divorce, COVID, and remarriage, he has landed very happily with Wendy Berg. The Citizens’ Climate Lobby is where Jay is organizing and advocating for a national carbon-pricing policy. They spend time with John Wiliams, Daniel Cantor ’76, Michael Hamburger ’75.
Mark Slitt and freshman roommate Paul Boison continued their annual tradition of attending Homecoming together. The tradition usually includes a loss to whatever Little Three opponent we’re up against. But this year we routed Amherst 34–7.
Bob Glasspiegel and wife Sue moved from Connecticut for Kiawah River, South Carolina (near Charleston). People in their neighborhood are very friendly, much like freshman year when we start making friends from scratch. The big impetus was the warmer weather: year-round outdoor tennis and golf as well as the beauty of the area.
Jim Melloan reports that he’s retired from an editorial career in magazines and test-prep books. He is Living in Bushwick, Brooklyn, and still doing a weekly radio show 50 Years Ago This Week, on the internet radio station Radio Free Brooklyn.
Arnie Alpert and a friend filed suit against the State of New Hampshire for removing a historical marker about the life of Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, who was born in Concord and achieved notoriety as an effective agitator on behalf of workers. She was also known as a lifelong advocate for women’s equality and defender of civil liberties, especially during the country’s Red Scare. She had joined the Communist Party, for which she was tried and sent to prison under the Smith Act. It was Flynn’s Communist affiliation which drew the ire of the New Hampshire governor, who ordered the marker removed, even though all the proper procedures for establishing Flynn’s historical significance were observed, which is what the markers are supposed to demonstrate. The story has gained international attention. Arnie continues to fight the good fight. While these notes will be read in 2024, I want to send all the best wishes for a year of peace, kindness, and good health for us all. May the New Year be a return to greater civility.
Last notes for 2023! I hope you all had a peaceful and healthy end to 2023 and the best possible start of 2024.
Debra Haffner was recently honored with the World Association of Sexual Health’s Gold Medal for Lietime Achievement at their biannual global meeting. She is also happy to report that she is engaged to the love of her life. As she said in her email, “Life is a blessing!” Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes, Debra, for both life events.
From Robert Buccino, who kindly responded to my request for memories (as well as recent news):
“I’m originally a ’76er who took a year off and graduated in ’77. I retired after four decades in advertising and now split my time between NYC and Salisbury, Connecticut, with my wife of 41 years. I’m spending a lot of time with music these days, performing on guitar and piano at open mic nights in Litchfield and Berkshire Counties. I fondly remember music at Wesleyan—impromptu jam sessions with Tom Kovar, marveling at Nat Needle’sragtime piano chops, enjoying the Marching Ant Stompers jug band, seeing Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne in MoCon, and Dave Mason and Mahavishnu McLaughlin at the skating rink. Oh, and Orleans, of course. My daughter, Nora, finished her MBA at Stern last year and now works at McKinsey, when she’s not running marathons. I miss Dave Apicella and the Eclectic folks; fond memories.”
From Ron Epstein (to whom I send much gratitude for taking the time to send in such a lovely note):
“Having enjoyed 36 years as a family doctor in an urban academic setting in Rochester, New York, attending to patients who spoke any of 30 languages and spanning the socioeconomic spectrum, I stopped in 2019, shortly before the pandemic. I also did inpatient palliative-care consults for 16 years at the large academic teaching hospital, and stopped that, too, in December 2023, and now have left clinical practice entirely. A bittersweet transition. Yet, my patients’ illnesses, as varied and unusual as they could be, were never as compelling as their stories, and the stories continue to inspire my teaching, writing, and research.
“Starting in 1999, I’ve written articles and a book, Attending, about the inner lives of physicians, exploring how physicians can flourish, explore, and move toward what gives them a sense of purpose and meaning in their professional lives, develop community, and attenuate the epidemic of distress and burnout. With a Rochester colleague, I developed and continue to offer workshops in mindful practice for clinicians worldwide. My research focus has been on improving communication between clinicians and patients/families facing serious illnesses and navigating end-of-life care. Now, I spend most of my research time supported by an American Cancer Society professorship, mentoring younger researchers, enjoying, vicariously, the successes of mentees and junior colleagues as they grow and deepen their work. None of this could I have imagined in 1976.
“Stopping primary care enabled me to put music in a more central role in my life. About the time I stopped primary care practice, I was taken on by a fabulous harpsichord teacher who had just been hired at the Eastman School of Music, and I’ve been practicing daily and again giving small performances.
“My wife, Deborah Fox, continues her work as a freelance lutenist and founder and artistic director of Pegasus Early Music, which offers world-class performances in western New York State. Before the pandemic we both traveled a lot, often in different directions; Deb to perform, me to give talks and workshops. Now we travel together more of the time. Malka, our youngest, is finishing her second year as an OB/GYN resident and lives an eight-minute drive from us. In late 2019 we became a grandparents, and we spend considerable time with Eli, his wife, Qianqian, and Summer and Arlen, in Los Angeles.
“We are not the first to discover that, in the ‘troisieme age,’ after children are launched and before health and energy wane, letting go of ambition brings more creativity, generativity, discovery, and depth, an in-the-moment richness to the small moments of life, reveling in not knowing, directing passionate energy toward what really matters, and prioritizing love and friendship, regardless of the current state of the world.”
From Jim Rolston: “We did finally get to take the airstream to the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and the Black Bear Festival! Here is a photo of the rainy night at Black Bear.” (https://www.blackbearmusicfest.com/)
Jim’s airstream
From Melissa Blacker: “Samara Louise Bonham-Rynick was born on September 2. She joins her big brother, Isaiah, who is close to turning five. And my husband, David Rynick ’74, and I continue to lead our Zen organization, Boundless Way Zen Temple, with its main center in Worcester, Massachusetts, and practice groups around the country and the world.” (www.boundlessway.org)
Melissa Blacker’s grandkids: Samara and Isaiah
Byron Haskins and his wife, Gabrielle, have ended their adventure living in Montreal and have returned to Michigan (as he notes, “at least this time around”). If you’re on Facebook, find and “friend” Byron; he sometimes posts links to his music, and it’s worth hearing.
From Betsy Eisenmann: “As a now genuine ‘old person,’ my spouse and I went on two cruises in the past year—not to drink and carouse but see some sights we’d missed thus far. [In] June it was Alaska (Holland America) and in September the coast of Maine (American Cruise Lines, a riverboat type of ship). We had gone on their Snake River/Columbia River Cruise in 2022, which was excellent. Other than that, the spouse works part time as a driver for Audi of Nashua (some people just can’t entertain themselves after retiring!) and is the secretary of the town’s Recycling Committee—which entails not only attending meetings but overseeing and volunteering at the various drop-off events held during the year. As for me, I continue in my church choir and the church-associated Garden Committee and ‘Creation Care’ Committee (environmental, that’s the Diocese’s cute name in quotes). AND—pay attention, class—I just finished this year’s NaNoWriMo challenge, for the first time, with 64,984 words. (The minimum is 50,000 words in 30 days) My professors and other teachers can affirm that I can be quite verbose when writing.”
Bruce (in the back row) with his family
From Bruce Demple: “We had a combined Thanksgiving and (belated) birthday celebration for me, at a rental house that our daughters arranged, and it was outstanding. Both daughters got married recently, so we continued those celebrations. It was not without challenges: three-plus inches of snow on the evening we arrived, which forced one daughter to abandon a car at the foot of the very last hill… of course it got towed. On T-day itself, all was going smoothly until there was a local power outage when the turkey was only about halfway done. We kept the oven shut, and we were planning to get the outdoor grill going, when the lights returned after approximately two hours. So, we extended the cooking time, and nobody got sick! (It was also very good—one son-in-law gets to do the honors from now on!) The next day was for the birthday celebration, also a lot of fun. The photo is from that afternoon; for some reason, the instruction was to ‘look like you’re praying’; I’m not as good at the Vulcan sign as I once was. As one of the oldest members of our class, now clocking 70, I have always tried to share my wisdom and good judgement… Ha, ha, just kidding!”
From Sue (Feinstein) Barry: “My husband, Dan Barry, and I moved to Arlington, Massachusetts, during the pandemic to help take care of our granddaughter. Now we’re looking forward to the birth of a second granddaughter in mid-January. My third book will be published on January 30, 2024, and is titled Dear Oliver: An Unexpected Friendship with Oliver Sacks.”
From Barb Birney: “This year brought a special vacation. I took my niece and her father, Bob Birney ’81, on a tour of Northwest national parks, Oregon beaches, California redwoods, and Glacier National Park. As it was a camping trip, it was an overall comedic experience with much laughter. Apparently, I am to be gifted at Christmas this year with a mallet to assist with tent stakes in the future.”
From Susan (Petersen) Avitzour: “I’ve had quite an eventful half year.
“First of all, this past August I got married, in a civil ceremony in Amsterdam, to Fred Landman. Like me, Fred (a native of Amsterdam) lost his wife in 2019 after a long marriage. Fred and I met in 2021, in cyberspace; we soon discovered that before her marriage to Fred, his late wife had been a friend of Daniel’s and mine—we later found some beautiful photos of Daniel dancing at their wedding.
Fred and Susan
“We were planning a Jewish ceremony in Jerusalem for October 15, but then came Hamas’s attack on October 7 and the ensuing war. Since then we’ve been living with sirens and explosions from far and from near. Both of us are lucky enough not to have relatives near Gaza or children (or grandchildren) in the army, but everyone here knows someone who has been and is being personally and intensively affected by this horrific war. And we know that once it’s over, our lives will probably be irrevocably changed.
“I expect to be coming out of retirement from my profession as a psychotherapist (specializing, interalia, in PTSD), in order to help some of those traumatized by the attack and its aftermath. In the meantime, I’m praying for the safe return of all the hostages being held in Gaza, as well as for the people of Gaza to be able as soon as possible to rebuild their lives.
“May I have better news for the next Class Notes!”
And now for some of those memories I mentioned . . . in response to my mention of David Harmin’s memories of Harriman Hall, I received this:
Cathy Popkin: “Re: David and the broadcasts from his window—I have a vivid (and indelible) memory of the humpback whales…”
Tom Kovar: “Well, it’s [the memory] from the day I met David, which did indeed involve the windows. The big Trinity game was going on below, and somebody had hung a rude, insulting banner out the window. A group of big, angry Trinitarians pounded up the stairs to an anticlimactic conclusion. They got locked out. See if DAH has anything to add.”
And from David Harmin himself: “Recalling my freshman year living in the fourth-level Harriman Madhouse is like playing with magnets: I’ve got all the pieces but they can be stuck together in multiple magical ways. The normal pattern included Jay Hoggard’s vibes’ glorious tones sluicing down the hall, Ray Herrmann’s husky Boris getting all up in the business of the hall’s cat, Bernie Possidente and I blasting sonic experiments out our window across the field and over Foss Hill. Plenty of variations, such as. . .
“During that game that the Cardinals played against the Trinity Bantams, there was a long, wide banner that my hallmates had hung out and were threatening for at least the first two quarters to unfurl from a couple of windows at the field end of the building. This may have been proceeded by water balloons getting catapulted out the central window, thanks to an able piece of elastic someone (not me!) found somewhere and nailed to the jambs. I think that was the same day, probably was, and if so it must have riled the opposing supporters, in retrospect. Anyhow, despite the strong and reasonable objections and increasing alarm of our R.A., that banner wound up unwinding after all—a wisp of wind must’ve caught a corner—and jeez, it turned out to contain a message painted in a most legible font: ‘Bantams are cocks.’ A truism on the face of it. But in the event, more complicated.
“It surely did rile the Trinity fans. The clearest evidence of their displeasure came from the growling and pounding sounds quickly growing from down on the first floor. This was a different kind of threat; less cerebral. Glass may have been breaking below. We were saved, though, to the best of my recollection, by our goodwill ambassador Bob Thompson, who could charm anyone. Confrontation averted, sign removed, peace restored. And well, now I wonder whether that was the same day that the cat wound up outside that same window—not on the ledge but all the way down there on the sidewalk, unharmed but for the PTSD of being chased yet again by the dog.
“Actually, that was typical.”
From Nina Davis-Millis:
“After 38ish years at MIT, I’ll be retiring from my position as director of Community Engagement for the MIT Libraries in January. My plans for retirement include helping to care for Christopher Millis’s and my first grandchild, Zoe Davis-Millis, born in September. Zoe’s other regular Wesleyan caregiver is her father, Simon ’12. I’m also hoping to step up my political activities, building toward the November ’24 election cycle, and who knows—maybe I’ll get back to some music making too. Christopher is immersed in translating the work of Armenian author Krikor Beledian, along with his longtime collaborator, Taline Voskeritchian. He’s also having a grand time selling all kinds of collectibles at a delightful Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtandDesignMatters).”
From Maggie Heffernan, this very sad note: “It is with great sadness that I must tell you that Anita Hersh died suddenly on September 13. was happy to see Jeff Kahn in October when he came to NYC for Anita’s Memorial Service, which was held at the Union League Club on October 28. Anita was president and CEO of Lister Butler. She was an incredible intellect and extraordinarily generous with her friends giving of herself in every way. If you ever had a medical condition, Anita was the person to call because she always knew who the best doctors were. My family called her Dr. Anita! She was a great philanthropist and very generous with her synagogue, Jewish Center of The Hamptons, The Blue Card (an organization that supports U.S.–based Holocaust survivors and their descendants) and the Park Avenue Armory. Personally and financially she loved supporting young artists.”
In September we had a minireunion of some of the freshman East College folk. It’s funny what will trigger the most vivid memories, isn’t it? The little things struck me with greatest force—Beth’s smile, Janet’s laugh, everyone’s voice. We may not look entirely the same (although we’re still recognizable, I think), but we sound the same, and we still use the same mannerisms and inflections. A turn of the head or a particular gesture would immediately send me back to 1972. My only regret is that I was too discombobulated by being in college to understand what a fantastic group of people I was privileged to live with freshman year!
From left to right, David McCarthy ’77, Beth Penney Gilbert, Janet Brooks, Tom Kovar, me, David Harmin, and our fantastic hostess, Karen Gervasoni. (Photo taken by Karen’s husband Greg Horan).
I’ve fallen down on the job a bit, but here’s your secretary back in action. Thanks to all who sent me notes in the bustle of winter holiday season. Gina Novick is MIA too, though for good reason—email autoreply says she’s on sabbatical from Yale, July 2023 to January 2024.
Dr. Dennis Chin sent photos of his tour of duty as a retired orthopedic surgeon in the Navy Reserves. In early December, he was in the Solomon Islands as part of the Pacific partnership 2024 on the USS Mercy hospital ship, with a stop at the 2023 Pacific Games.
Dennis (third from right) arriving in Guam with colleagues on the USS Mercy hospital ship
A note from Jeff McChristian reported on his first year of retirement. He and Pat spent 2023 making up for travel lost to COVID. Their itinerary: A three-week trip to Steamboat Springs to see their son, daughter, and families. Then off to Guatemala, where Pat has participated in community mosaic projects since 2020. Jeff carries luggage and plays music for artists making beautiful mosaics to install along public streets in a small, traditional Mayan town. April was Italy, enjoying the pleasures of Rome, Florence, and Tuscany. Late June took them to Wisconsin’s Northwoods to see Jeff’s sister. Jeff celebrated his 70th at a weeklong guitar camp in Puget Sound in August (a gift from Pat), followed by 10 days of driving and hiking with Pat in nearby national parks. October found Jeff and Pat, with their daughter and son-in-law, exploring Morocco’s charms. In between trips, Jeff does projects around the house, sees friends and former colleagues, and has arbitrated a few cases. His summary? “Retirement suits me!”
It appears that after declaring retirement in December 2023, Judge J. D. Moore amended his decision within 30 days. In January, J. D. joined the Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice at Pullman & Comley, LLC in Hartford. With 10 years on Connecticut’s Superior Court bench, preceded by a career in litigation, he’ll bring vast experience to mediating or arbitrating a wide range of civil matters and family disputes. (With all due respect, J. D., this prompts the question of whether when a judge retires, one can say he has disrobed.)
David Leisner (middle) at the Wes Center for the Arts with soprano Katherine Whyte and his husband, Ralph Jackson, for the tribute to Professor Winslow
Meanwhile, David Leisner is going strong as a performer and composer. Recent highlights include performing a program of Shakespeare readings with solo guitar music with actor Anthony Heald. September 2023 saw the world premiere of Wayfaring, David’s concerto for guitar and orchestra, commissioned by the legendary Pepe Romero. In October, David and soprano Katherine Whyte performed in a tribute to the late Wesleyan professor Richard Winslow. The tribute at Crowell Concert Hall was directed by Neely Bruce, who joined the Wesleyan music faculty in 1974. David has a new solo recording coming out in February and is grateful for good health and 42 years with his husband, Ralph Jackson.
On another musical front, Bruce Weinraub closed his medical practice in Northampton, Massachusetts, to move to Clarksdale, Mississippi, home of the crossroads. He’ll work at the community health center and pursue his interest in blues. “Bennie Thompson is the congressman, Morgan Freeman has a club there, and 60 Minutes recently profiled the city— check it out!”
Some of us are getting a head start on reunions. Steve Levin sent a photo from fall 2023 “at Wes celebrating the 50th anniversary of our ECAC championship season in 1973.” Check out the formidable reunited team of Carl Cavrell, Mark Nickerson, Gary Steinel, Jeff Van Nest, Perry Cacace, and Steve:
From left to right: Carl, Mark, Gary, Jeff, Perry, and Steve on the Wes football field
Jill Rips and Carole Evans Sands, freshman roommates, did a road-trip reunion visiting New England museums, lakes, nature walks, a powwow, and Dana Asbury and her husband, Richard Levy, in Maine. Jill’s working in San Antonio with resettled Afghans who fled the Taliban.
Out on the Pacific fringe, Martha Faller Brown, Bruce Paton, and I have a get-together to hike and dine whenever Colorado-based Tim Brown ’72 and his wife, Rosie, visit their Bay Area grandkids. My husband, Bob, usually joins us.
Hiking along San Francisco Bay in Berkeley. From left to right: Rosie Pillar (Tim’s wife), Bob Daniel, Cindy Ulman, Martha Faller Brown, Tim Brown ’72 (no relation to Martha), and Bruce Paton
I’m introducing a new game for the next year. It’s called (apologies to Waldo) WHERE’S WES-O? A number of classmates seem to be hiding. Let me know if you find Debby Addis, Ramon Alonso, Steve Anderson, Mark Anderson, Deborah Appel, Robert Baratt, June Hatton Barr, or any other ’75ers who are out of touch with our class. There might be prizes at the 50th for our best detectives.
A great Reunion Committee has begun planning for our 50th. There’s still room to join this team, and we’d love to have you. See you in 2025!
