Author: classnotes

Categories Obituaries, Obituaries | 1950-1959Posted on

S. Whitten “Whit” Rusk III ’56

S. Whitten “Whit” Rusk III ’56 passed away on April 29, 2023. A full obituary can be found here. In addition, Class Secretary George Chien shares this rembrance:

This is one I didn’t want ever to have to write.

I received a call from Pat Rusk to inform me that her husband of 64 years, Stanley Whitten Rusk IIII, died on April 29, surrounded by his loving family, in Connecticut.  The awful cause was cancer, from which he had suffered for a number of years and which he was thought to have defeated just a couple of years ago.

Whit was my sophomore roommate at Chi Psi. He was, I must say, a congenial roommate. I’ve searched my memory for anything resembling a long-buried issue and found nothing to report—except, of course, as avid sports fans. Whit grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey, so his teams were based in the City of Brotherly Love, whereas I was bred, though not born, in rural upstate New York, where faraway Philadelphia seemed like another universe altogether. As for participation, Whit tried out for football and baseball as a freshman, but did not play on the varsity in either. I never tried out for any school sports teams, but we both were stalwarts on the Lodge’s intermural touch football, basketball, and softball squads. Whit and I were like a Mutt and Jeff combo: He was even taller than me than I was taller than Don Vancini. Whit had a reputation for being clumsy. Was he still growing into his 6’4” frame? In fact, he was really a fine, under-appreciated athlete.

Our junior years, we split up. I roomed with Tom Reed, and Whit teamed up with Henry George Hager III. Whit and Merc (HG is the chemical symbol for mercury) were a good match. Perhaps it was their similar heights. Or the fact that both were sons of alumni. Or was it the III at the ends of their names? Whatever it was, it worked.

After graduation we went our separate ways. I think we saw each other only once—a brief chance encounter on a street in midtown Manhattan, undoubtedly more than a half-century ago. But we remained in contact over the years, and we always considered each other as friends.

We had a near miss a few years back at a Little-Three contest on Andrus Field. Ann and I were sitting on the Wesleyan side, of course. Unbeknown to us, Whit was on visiting side, cheering for his grandson who was then playing for (gasp) Amherst! A list of Whit’s grandson’s alma-maters, by the way, reads like who’s who of elite Eastern colleges. In no particular order: Bowdoin, Amherst, Tufts, Lafayette, and RPI!

We had a near miss a few years back at a Little-Three contest on Andrus Field. Ann and I were sitting on the Wesleyan side, of course. Unbeknown to us, Whit was in visitors’ bleachers, cheering for his grandson who was then playing for (*gasp*) Amherst! A list of Whit’s grandson’s alma-maters, by the way, reads like a who’s who of elite Eastern colleges. In no particular order: Bowdoin, Amherst, Tufts, Lafayette, and RPI!

Whit was the last of my Wesleyan roommates. The others, all sorely missed, were Tom Dinell, Bill Shephard, Tom Reed, and Kent Davies.

Gordy Krause will head a memorial service that will be held in June at the church in Haddonfield that was founded by Whit’s great-grandfather.  

So, “Good-bye” dear friend. Thanks for the memories.

George Chien

Categories Class Notes, Class Notes | 2020sPosted on

CLASS OF 2022 | 2023 | SPRING ISSUE

Postgraduation, our classmates are doing some amazing things! Thank you to everyone who contributed and congratulations on all that you have been achieving!

Milton Espinoza Jr.: “I moved to Harlem in September and recently started at the Columbia University School of the Arts for my master’s in acting.”

Annie Yu: “I moved to Pennsylvania in August and recently started at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine for my MD. I’m enjoying exploring different areas of health care and also hike in my free time!”

Gabby Roberts: “I’m about to finish my first semester at Washington and Lee law school!”

Yongxi Tan: “I quit my corporate job after graduation to work on my own beauty start-up.”

Nabiha Syed: After realizing chemistry was not her real dream, Nabiha moved to LA to start her own band called Nasty Nabs. She is now a drummer, inspired by our very own Taiko drumming class at Wesleyan.

Julia Nacario: Julia is a community engagement coordinator at Friends of the Urban Forest and also a camera assistant for documentaries on the side. They are able to be their whole self while pursuing both passions of being a community member and storyteller. You can learn more about her career journey by watching this segment: https://www.linkedin.com/video/event/urn:li:ugcPost:6994322128929988608/.

Categories Class Notes, Class Notes | 2020sPosted on

CLASS OF 2021 | 2023 | SPRING ISSUE

Virginia Sciolino has relocated from Mississippi to Los Angeles, California, where she is a paralegal with the civil rights firm, the PLC Law Group, LLC.

Sarah Lucente writes, “Since graduating from Wesleyan, I’ve become a middle school humanities teacher at Greenwich Country Day School, and spent last year co-teaching with fellow Cardinal and Head of School Adam Rohdie ’89. I’ve also worked on many short films and made my own short film alongside various Wes alums. Stay tuned!”

Categories Class Notes, Class Notes | 2020sPosted on

CLASS OF 2020 | 2023 | SPRING ISSUE

Kush Patel is halfway through PA school (at Tufts), heading to rotations starting January 2023, and graduating January 2024!

From Nick Ticali: “Life is good. I am now a little over two months into my PA program at the New York Institute of Technology. I have been regularly going to the gym, constantly studying, and spending the free time I do have with the ones I love.”

From Rachel Curran: “After working in Boston for the past two years, I recently drove cross country and moved to San Diego to pursue a new job! The trip itself was an amazing experience, and I am excited for this next chapter on the West Coast!”

Rajendra Amira Leila S. is currently based in Indonesia and has been involved in the musical theater production, Cerita Beda Hak Sama (Different Stories, Same Rights), a musical production focusing on HIV/AIDs that raises donations for two HIV/AIDs foundations: Akar Cinta Kasih Foundation in Bali and Syair Sahabat Foundation in Jakarta. As part of the ensemble and supporting cast, they are excited to share this story in contribution to erasing the stigma of HIV/AIDs in their region. You can find more info on the CBHS Instagram: @ceritabedahaksama.

I’m still in Chicago doing my best to stay warm this winter. Thanks again for all of your updates and look out for another email from me soon!

Categories Class Notes, Class Notes | 2010sPosted on

CLASS OF 2019 | 2023 | SPRING ISSUE

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well and staying safe. Here are some updates from our peers:

Katie Tyner recently published a co-authored, open-access article in Politics & Policy with Farida Jalalzai covering women prime ministers during COVID-19. Katie and Farida interviewed 45 politicians, civil servants, medical professionals, local journalists, and other leaders for this study, including Iceland Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdóttir and New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson. The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12511.

Sarah Paulson graduated this summer from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands with a master’s in marine biology. She recently started a new job as a coastal restoration science technician with the Nature Conservancy. Sarah’s girlfriend Anna Knes also recently received a master’s—hers in forensic science from the University of Amsterdam in October ’22. Both recently moved to Providence, Rhode Island, and together they are looking at adopting a cat!

Special thanks to everyone who reached out with their life updates. Keep an eye out for my next email about the next edition of the alumni magazine soon.