Author: classnotes

Peter H. Kim, professor of management and organization at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California, is in the final stages of copyediting his first book. How Trust Works: The Science of How Relationships are Built, Broken, and Repaired, encapsulates more than 20 years of research on trust and will be published by Flatiron Books, August 2023. Peter and his wife, Beth Fortune, an interior architect, live with their chihuahua mix in Santa Monica.

            Sarah Blustain joined ProPublica in January 2021, to help lead the Local Reporting Network, which coordinates with local and regional newsrooms to create year-long investigations.

            Nikki Harmon is the program director for SIFTMedia 215 Collective, a cooperative that centers Black and Latinx women-identified media artists who work in the Philadelphia area. Nikki produced two short films this year and Tonight, We Eat Flowers, premiered at the BlackStar Film Festival in August. She is also the author of two novels centering on Black lesbian women, When I Was Your Girlfriend and Neither Here Nor There. Nikki and her partner of 21 years, Kelly, are the parents of three teenagers: Eli, Selena, and Natalie.

            Betsy Klimasmith, an English professor at UMass Boston, participated in a week-long seminar at the American Antiquarian Society called On Stage: Spectacle in the Nineteenth-Century America, led by Wendy Bellion, who is a professor of art history and associate dean of humanities at the University of Delaware College of Arts and Sciences.

Betsy writes, “Wendy put together a brilliant seminar that brought together a multi-disciplinary group of scholars to work on visual materials related to early U.S. theater and performance. What a treat it was to be a student in Wendy’s class—it brought back memories of some of our best classes at Wes.”

Speaking of Wes, Betsy’s son Isaac ’20 enjoyed his delayed commencement this June, and married his college sweetheart, Mariel Baitenmann-Middlebrook ’20 in July.

            George Irvine, married to Wendy Bellion, is also at University of Delaware, as associate vice provost for Professional and Continuing Studies and Online Initiatives, helping nontraditional students advance their education. Their son, Luke, heads to Fordham University, excited to study the liberal arts in NYC and eat awesome pizza.

            Rebeca Rumayor reports her son James is thriving at Indian Springs School in Pelham, Alabama, where as a ninth grader he takes on the added responsibility of being an RA. Rebeca is looking forward to once again volunteering at Sundance Film Festival in January 2023.

            Laura Fine lives in the Boston area and is preparing to be an empty nester. Her son Henry will begin junior year at Connecticut College and daughter Hannah is about to start her first year at Wesleyan.

            Greg Mandel is now the provost and chief academic officer at Temple University in Philadelphia, as well as the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Law. He’s adjusting to life as an empty nester and contemplating that his kids are the same age (or older!) as we were at Wesleyan.

            Ann Goebel-Fabbri is officially back in the office after more than two years of conducting tele-psychology from her third-floor-attic guest room. Ann is happy to return to in person, though some patients prefer the convenience of telehealth, so she’ll be in “hybrid” practice for the foreseeable future.

Ann and Bill Fabbri are anxious and excited for their daughter Kate’s first year at Oberlin. The transition will no doubt be assisted by the many other Wes alum parents also dropping off their kids in Ohio.

More drop-offs with Wes connections: Carrie Mosher Gadaleta’s daughter Jessie and Michele (Barth) Still’s son George both start Lafayette College in Pennsylvania this autumn.

Carrie is executive managing director at JLL. She just published her first book, Feed Your Future: Morsels on Building a Meaningful Career, a compilation of her LinkedIn stories from the past four years. Her goal with the posts and the book is to inspire and grow the next generation of leaders in commercial real estate and beyond. Carrie’s older daughter Shelby is class of 2024.

Michele, when not coordinating drop-offs with childhood friend Carrie, checks in on daughter Anna in D.C. and son Henry in NYC. While still Houston-based, Michele has her eye on New England, with a recent property purchase in Vermont. We all know Texas still needs her, with her efforts on behalf of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense and various political campaigns.

            Joshua Samuels is now vice chair of pediatrics at McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science in Houston, the same school where his oldest daughter just started medical school.

            Beth Haney and Scott Moore celebrated the graduation of daughter Lea Moore ’22 in May. They connected with Gregg Ribbatt ’90, many members of the class of 1992, and both Chris ’89 and Johannah Townsend whose daughter Rachel ’22, graduated as well.

Beth continues her role with Avenues for Youth, a nonprofit focused on supporting young adults experiencing homelessness. Scott is focused on all things start-up. One endeavor is the Wesleyan-focused WeSpark! and includes classmates Cecilia Pohorille McCall, Kiff Gallagher, and Lexy Funk, as well as alums from other years. The goal is to help aspiring and existing entrepreneurs across the alumni base. https://www.wesleyan.edu/alumni/connect/WeSpark.html. Scott is also a partner in Colaboratory.io, a new platform to facilitate brand x brand collaborations.

Cecilia and Jonathan Moss independently stopped in the Twin Cities to visit with Scott and Beth this year, and they expect more classmates to hit them up in St Paul!

Speaking of Jon Moss, he persuaded Brian Harlin to join him in a dragon boat race event at the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club. Brian connected with rower Mark Hunter ’92, who is prospering personally and professionally in Burlington, Vermont.

Brian also reports on serendipity, as one of his closest high school friends, Mark Sullivan, married our classmate Janine Manzo Sullivan. Their kids, like Brian’s, “are successfully moving off to college and life is good.”

I was also on campus at this year’s Reunion & Commencement weekend, though for a more somber affair as the swim team memorialized Michael Mahon ’89. This bittersweet gathering brought together many friends from many class years, but it was special to see all of the class of ’91 swimmers: myself, Jennifer Zoltners Sherer, Maria Floyd Cohen, Dana Schultz, Doug Bothner, Bill Fabbri, and Ernie Luikart (who is also claimed by ’90).

Take care and stay in touch!

Hi all! Here’s what we have since our last issue:

Alfredo Viegas writes that his oldest Alessandra ’20 “will be heading to USC this August to start her MFA and we will be making it a cross-country drive from NYC. Along the way we will meet up with my other daughter, Ariana, who will be a rising junior at Colorado College. My son Alex will also be a rising junior at Boston University. Likely, there is grad/professional school for the other two so it looks like no early retirement for me!”

Amy Zucker Morgenstern is going back to school to pursue a Doctor of Ministry in theology and the arts at the United Theological School of the Twin Cities, while continuing as a minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, California, where she has been since 2003. “I want to use art to further energize my congregation’s justice work. When I double majored in religious studies and studio art and did political work at Wes, I never imagined how those three threads would keep intertwining all these years later.” Amy also wrote that she was sad to learn of the death last month of retired professor of religion, Jeremy Zwelling. I would add here that while I was not a religious studies major at Wes, I share wonderful memories of Professor Zwelling, his personal kindness and his passionate and insightful teaching.

Victor Khodadad “will be singing the roles of Faust and Gonzalve in a French double bill of Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Helene and Maurice Ravel’s L’heure espagnole with New Camerata Opera in September of 2022. The production will take place at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn, New York, and will be sung in French and accompanied by orchestra. Please visit www.newcamerataopera.org for more information. Victor is a member of the company’s Artistic Committee and helps to lead the company with all elements of production including its children’s opera branch Camerata Piccola and its online video opera branch CamerataWorks.”

Tim Hintz is still living in Brookline, Massachusetts, and has been working as a counselor at one of the schools in town, “so I have a miniscule commute and then often keep in touch with people on my longer, after-school walks. I talked about schools and kids with Amy Robins of Milton, Massachusetts, and kvetch about local politics with Denise Casper, who lives in Brookline as well. I was reminded this year of the column that Andrew Siff wrote about me, Bill Sherman, and Andy Spear our senior year at Wes. We were rather enthusiastic and vocal fans of Wesleyan football, which seemingly made for good copy for the Argus. In 2022, I have been fortunate to visit all three of them in their homes—Spear is in his hometown of Berkeley, California, teaching high school; Siff is in NYC reporting on the news (he and I attended the middle-age sing-along at Madison Square Garden known as the Billy Joel residency. Siff is still 100 % on his game in Billy Joel knowledge). I finally saw Bill in Seattle at the end of a camping trip to Alaska with my family. He is still working hard for the attorney general to make sure that Washington’s air and water is clean. Also working hard is Meg Steele, whose history tours of Bath, Maine, are a must if you are visiting the MidCoast region.”

In April, Stephanie Donohue Pilla started a new job as assistant director of leadership giving at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. “If any of you attended or your kids attend/ed, please reach out to me; I’d love to connect!  In May, I spent a lovely afternoon in downtown NYC with Cameron Gearen ’91who was in the city for a wedding. In early August, I was in San Francisco, via Hawaii, and had lunch with Carolyn Gencarella. She had just returned from a trip to Spain and Portugal with Peter Brastow. Unfortunately, I didn’t see Peter because he was still in Europe on sabbatical. Their oldest son graduated from Lewis & Clark last spring and their younger son is a junior at UCLA. At the end of August, I spent time with Janet Hamada and her family for a few days in between East Coast college visits for her daughter who is a senior in high school. In September, my daughter started high school at Convent of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls independent school where Peggy Savino serves as the head of the Upper School!”

I’m sending in these notes as I head to Cape Cod for a week away with my husband David and three children (Eliza, 24; Jack, 21; and Camryn, 16). Summer will be long over by the time you are reading these notes, so signing off, I wish you all a fall/winter of health and happiness. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Y’ALL. Get the popcorn. Our Wes ’89 classmates shared some of their fave food/food hack and snack stories and they are here for you to graze thru. (See? I’m still totally corny and mercilessly single too. Gah! #sendhelp. I’m taking apps … as in appetizers! :))

Erik Attkisson leads with a passionate ode to cheese fries. He described them as a “no doubter” and the prime source of his frosh 15. He reminisced about how he “always found a willing partner to commiserate with” and “solved the world’s problems over” them. However, after “four years of indulgence he never wanted to eat any more. . . .”

Kelem Butts writes, “Living in Low Rise, I used to cook steak for dinner, this was grade-Z quality from Waldbaum’s mind you. But I was not an effective cook and I constantly cooked it on the top shelf of the oven, which would lead to smoke and a fire alarm at least once a week. But how cool was it to be able to eat what you want every night?” He provides a further food-related update: “In May of this year, housemates from Intown 21 all met in New York for dinner, as it’d been some time since we’d all been together, COVID you know. We dined at Congee Village Restaurant in Chinatown and my god was it fun. Greg Berman, Josh Drew, Kevin ‘Juice’ Majewski, Mark Saudek, spouses/significant others, and me. We dined in a private room designed for karaoke; I can neither confirm nor deny that we did a lovely rendition of Guns N’ Roses Paradise City. A joyous time was had by all.”

Carrie Holden Emmerson offers a veritable cornucopia of food memories. She recalls Dave Lahey, Adam Long, and John Hlinko making Taco Bell tacos their go-to dinner. Also, that Adam Weiss considered oatmeal an all-purpose meal. She also remembers Liz Gossels and Lisa Paolillo helping with carbo-loading on Friday nights before soccer games with fettuccine Alfredo.  She had never had it before and has loved it ever since. Also, senior year, Kelly Morgan’s mom visited one weekend and made a REAL MEAL of beef stew. There was also an awesome potluck Thanksgiving dinner with other folks who stuck around senior year.

Likewise, Reggie Jenkins would make REAL FOOD like roasts (!) in his kitchen in High Rise. He still makes magnificent food to this day. Junior year, she remembers Rosemary Reilly testing the “doneness” of our spaghetti by throwing it up on the ceiling. Sophomore year, she recalls Ed Thorndike and his girlfriend cooking meals for us once a week at Delta Tau Delta.  Maybe a precursor to WesWings? Other memories involve ramen, mac and cheese, pasta, and of course, CHEESE FRIES, as well as the sundaes at the pub. She mourns the days when she was exercising a lot more and could eat such things without worrying about adding extra pounds by even looking at it.

Also weighing in on CHEESE FRIES is Alisa Berman. They were “her food”—never had them before Wes and hasn’t eaten them since!

From Lynn Rosenbaum, the following food-related confession. “When studying in SciLi, I often visited the snack vending machine on the first floor. One evening, I discovered that when I pulled the handle, the snack came out—without putting in any money! I got a bunch of free snacks and might have tipped off a few other people.”

Michelle Cleaver relates a couple of quickie one-pot meals: couscous, hot dog, peanuts, and broccoli. Or baked potato, dill pickles, garlic, cheese. She also recalls that between herself and my fellow foodie, Anneliisa Aubrey-Walton, they had two hot plates and a toaster oven or two, which led to many wonderful meals in their Butterfield hall.

If alcohol counts as a food, then we can include Liz Marx’s memory of Sandeep Wahdwa blasting Born to Run on Friday afternoons while breaking open Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers.

David Bradley relates the “unexciting but true” observation that ramen figured large in his Wes dining. There was much controversy about preparation despite the mathematically small number of possible variations: Noodles into boiling water? Boiling water over noodles? Drain? Don’t drain? And critically, how much of that spice packet to add? As for the actual ramen variety/flavor, I’m not sure that mattered!” He also reports he’s in Kigali for the year on a Fulbright U. S. scholar grant, helping the University of Rwanda develop training programs in pediatric cardiology, taking time away from my work at the University of Michigan to commit some time to global health. Happy to connect with any Wes alums!

Jeff Brez offers a first-year memory from Butterfield C of snacking on “sleazy cheese” (Cheese Whiz) on crackers (or heck, just plain!) and enjoying “goldfish in a cloud” in MoCon, which was Pepperidge Farm Goldfish with cottage cheese. He also reports that he left the UN Secretariat in New York and “with my husband and two children moved to Rome” where he works for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

No food updates, but Garry Schumacher reports that his wife Nicole, and youngest son Stormy (now in high school) live pretty much across the street from the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville. They often see Ethan Garber ’90 who also lives there. And Bev Tomov (Wachtel) ’92. Anyone passing through is invited to say “hello.” His two older kids have just completed their degrees, one a bachelor’s and one a master’s, and so for the first time in years they have a hiatus in making tuition payments! Very exciting!

Lynn Lazarus and Andrew Shear relocated back to NYC last fall during COVID to be closer to family. Andrew just started a job as the director of post-conviction litigation at the Innocence Project. Lynn has been venturing into modern healthcare and working doing telehealth for two start-ups. She is enjoying taking a break from a physical clinic after spending a lot of time during COVID in full PPE. She specializes in seeing patients while on an island, so far working from Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, and Deer Isle, Maine, in addition to Manhattan. Their kids are both in NYC. Sam is a senior at Bard College and Leah is a junior at the New School. They are very happy to be back close to family and friends after 15 years in Oakland. “We’ve seen lots of Wes folk, including Jonathan Fried, Stephanie Dolgoff, Dave Milch, Art Halpern, and Greg Benson.”

Dave Milch also adds: “On a happy note, it was great to catch up with Josh Feldman at the ‘every-five-years’ celebration that Jonathan Fried and his Brooklyn-friends-since-kindergarten host that I’ve been fortunate to be ‘grandfathered’ into. Josh was visiting the East Coast from his digs in the Bay Area where he continues to build beautiful things (literally and metaphorically). On the sadder side, I was able to attend the dedication of a tree on Foss Hill in memory of our dear classmate, Mike Mahon who passed in 2020. Thanks in large part to the organization and love of the Wesleyan swim team (of which Mike was a member), the beautiful tree was planted at the top of Foss Hill between West Co and the Observatory. There was a lovely group that gathered to pay tribute to Mike and share stories of his unique and spirited friendship.  I hope everyone will be able to visit campus and take a moment to enjoy the beauty of the tree, and feel Mike’s warmth, friendship, and love of all things Wes when they do.”

Let’s plan on that for the 2024 Reunion. And also, Michele Barnwell may actually be open to going out for “apps” 🙂 IJS . . . If you’re in North America (or wherever planes fly) get app’ me. HAHA! (There’s no end to the corny, y’all. Save yourselves. 🙂

Hillary writes for this issue.

My fellow class notes solicitor/writer Pete Bond reports, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position at Fetch Rewards: senior vice president, Commercial Solutions and Business Development. I am honored to lead the team developing commercial solutions around quantitative research and user-generated content and the business development professionals supporting CPG customer teams calling on Walmart/Sam’s Club and Kroger!”

Dave Silverberg let us know that he’s Ashland University’s director of K–12 Professional Development in northeast Ohio and has conducted curriculum audits for over 40 school districts in Ohio and beyond. Dave is happily married with two teenagers and takes surf lessons whenever visiting the coasts.

Pete Ganbarg writes, “My podcast Rock & Roll High School just completed its second season with now over 30 episodes available and more coming. We started the podcast as an opportunity for our listeners to learn more about the history of contemporary music directly from the legendary people who helped create it. Our guests have included The Temptations, Todd Rundgren, Graham Nash, Kenny Loggins, Peter Frampton, Nile Rodgers, Clive Davis, The O’Jays, and more.”

Sid Ray reports that she, Mark Niles, Stu Ellman, and Gail Agronick all have children who graduated from Brown University in 2020.

Christie Trott writes, “The past few COVID years have been pretty busy for me out here in sunny Northern California! I co-founded a new K–8 school for gifted kids called Tessellations, which is currently located in Cupertino, California. We have over 130 students enrolled and 37 staff heading into year three. I’m a humanities teacher/administrator at the school and I’m loving it! I’m also a busy working mom of two teenagers.” Christie got to accompany her husband on a recent work trip to Zurich this summer and has been in touch with Wendy Blum ’87, Steve Morison, and Paul Gosselin. She hopes to see more Wes people at some upcoming reunions.

Julie Schwarzwald says, “It has been an interesting several years, to say the least. I am happily ensconced in my job as a synagogue education director with responsibility for preschool, religious school, adult education, and more. Having become a rabbi three years ago, I also have the privilege of independently officiating at life-cycle events. I am discovering the wonderful world of dating apps (!!). In August, I visited Hawaii with my younger son, a graduation trip postponed from June 2020 and my 50th state. I am loving and embracing my mid-50s and I have plenty of room in my West Orange, New Jersey, townhouse should you find yourself in the area!”

Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz’s new book, Menopause Bootcamp: Optimize Your Health, Empower Your Self, and Flourish as You Age, was released in October.

As for me, I loved catching up with Andy Goldman recently on Zoom, and hearing about some of you from him! Stay well and keep your news coming.

Several months after our 35th Reunion, I’m still smiling as I think of the wonderful conversations I had with so many of our classmates. Here’s an update:

Michael Bennet headlined a panel discussion about the state of American democracy, along with Robert Allbritton ’92, the founder and publisher of POLITICO. Many of the ’87 crew were in the audience at Crowell Concert Hall to hear the analysis. Take away for me: stay involved. Jeremy Mindich was on a panel about angel investors and how they decide how to invest capital.

Always looking for news to share here, I set up a table at the dinner to collect memories, and I shamelessly begged for participation. I got some notes. Naomi Mezey remembered having Michael Bennet as a TA for Modern American Novel, getting to be in Kim Sargent’s dances, and having a “spring fling” with Matt Paul during senior week that would change her life. In a separate note, Matt corroborated the story, adding that it was Bruno Weintraub’s senior week party where they met. They are now married and living in D.C.

Ken Mathews called out to me from his car near SciLi on Friday morning, but we missed seeing each other the rest of the weekend! Ken retired from his position as the supervisor of math at the New Haven Public Schools in June.

All over campus, we reconnected as if no time had passed. At our class dinner, I heard many conversations about the stage of life we’re in. Some are parenting kids who are navigating high school, touring colleges, or just out of school and working out the beginnings of their careers. Some are thinking about whether to retire or go the other way and amp up our careers. Some are hoping to travel. Some are downsizing; some are helping our parents. We stayed in the ’92 Theatre long after plates were cleared, pondering the questions, sharing the experiences, enjoying the company.

Those who couldn’t join us sent us some reflections too.

Giles Richter writes, “I was sorry to miss reunion this year, but I am still glowing from the great experience I had at the 25th, lingering in the shade by Butterfield C and the old Asia House at 200 College Street to reminisce about lifelong friends. Among them, I just got to see John and Susan (Toothaker) Skovron who visited with me this spring, and Debbie Krisher who I saw on my first trip back to Tokyo since the pandemic started. I am still working at Stanford managing the IUC Japanese overseas intensive program I attended 30 years ago.”

Alisa Kwitney remembered meeting her RA, Holly Harrison ’85—the start of a lifetime friendship. Now Holly and fellow alum Jim McManus’ (’85) daughter is starting as a freshling! Alisa also reports that her graphic novel GILT will be out soon, and you can tune in to Endless: A Sandman podcast to hear her memories of working on the comic and how the ’90s series was adapted into the Netflix show.

Michael Morris sent in these memories:

• Meeting my wife Djenne-amal Nubia at a MoCon dance party in ’83 while she visited her cousin Lyle Ashton Harris ’88
• Sitting in Downey House for hours after dinner with Zahara Deardre Duncan ’88, Joan Morgan, and Marilyn Anne McDonald Hendricks, dreaming about how we would change the world!
• Sitting in the sun on Foss Hill, listening to the smooth sounds of the Neville Brothers performing live.
• Seeing Jesse Jackson’s speech at Crowell Concert Hall. Who knew it was a prelude to his ’88 run for POTUS?

Michael Morris sent in his ID card. When we were students, we used our Social Security numbers for everything!

Despite the heat and humidity, the reunion on campus generated smiles and hugs, hundreds of group photos and selfies, a thousand small conversations, a million reconnections. The joyful weekend brought us back to our days as Wesleyan students. All too soon, we scattered back to our home bases, aging 35 years in the process.

Florence Dore has two new releases—a CD, Highways and Rocketships, and a new book, Ink in the Grooves: Conversations on Literature and Rock ‘n’ Roll. She says, “At Wes, I was a dB’s fan and an English major, studying Keats and rehearsing with my own band in an underground tunnel. After classes, in the glare of lamps stolen from dorm rooms, I sang, careful not to put my mouth too close to the microphone, experiencing a tiny, potent shock when I lost myself in the distortion and forgot. I married Will Rigby and got my PhD.

We have a Facebook group, a Spotify playlist, and a drive photo album of pictures from Reunion. Send me an email and I will share the information!

Till next time, friends!

Here’s some news from fellow ’86ers:

Jaclyn Brilliant writes: “A fond hello from New York City! I’ve spent the past 30-plus years working at Notre Dame School of Manhattan, a small high school in NYC’s West Village, including 10 years as principal—quite the ordeal during the height of COVID times! I’ve stepped down from that role starting with the 2021–22 school year but still work at the school as an English teacher and in the communications department. I’ve been married to Anthony Jenks ’85 for going on 33 years, and we have two adult daughters: Madeline, an attorney in D.C., and Josephine, a graduate student in art conservation at NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts. Empty nesters now, we moved out of our Brooklyn home and into an apartment in Midtown Manhattan a few years ago. Long walks along the East River with Nina Mehta, phone calls with Ann O’Hanlon, and lots of fine takeout sustained me through the COVID crisis. Anthony and I welcomed a puppy, Bonnie, and are now enjoying the chance to really explore our new neighborhood, travel, see live performances, and perch at restaurant bars again.”

Ellen Santistevan shares: “I can report that I have seen no one from Wes in years, although I recently had a very brief email exchange with John Tauxe ’84, who happens to live moderately close to me in New Mexico.

“My work as a craniosacral and visceral therapist has kind of exploded, and I have been teaching classes in ethics and bodywork, having finally come to recognize that ‘less is more’ when it comes to both work as well as teaching.

“I got to go to Yellowstone National Park in February with my other alumni association (from NM Tech) and fell absolutely in love with the landscape. I was absolutely transfixed by the vibration of the earth as the geysers rumbled and erupted. Although I did really want to pet one of the wooly cows, I refrained and stayed safe.”

Eric Howard sends in this update: He “is very excited to have started a new position: CEO/executive director of the Timber Framers Guild, a community of business owners, employees, and others who care about post-and-beam and timber-frame structures from the perspective of architecture, engineering, construction, renovation, and/or ownership. Some love the beauty or are excited by the sustainability angle; others appreciate on the art of creating or repairing a structure that will last 250 years. Guild members span the North American continent, and some are overseas.” Those who might want to take a weeklong class on timber framing (or send their child to a class) should contact him.

Julia Barclay says she has “a hybrid collection of essays, stories, and a stage text coming out in October entitled The Mortality Shot, which will be published by Liquid Cat Books. The material was written in the past five years and includes reflections on death of family and friends, intimations of all of that from childhood, and on my own mortality dealing with long-haul COVID. It also touches on process of my late-in-life (last year at age 57) diagnosis on autism spectrum, about which I am now writing a memoir. My website: TheUnadaptedOnes.com is where I announce new work, list services such as writing workshops, coaching, and gentle yoga for healing, and also write about life stuff on a blog. I was commissioned to record all of my experimental stage texts (22 years of them) for a 22-hour radio show RadioArtZone, broadcasting in Europe and online. That broadcast [occurred] in mid-September.

“Alums I have seen and been in touch with recently include Renee Bucciarelli ’83, Shawn Cuddy, Nathan Gebert ’85, Spencer Reece ’85, Bennett Schneider, Lisa Kaufman ’80, and Jenny Boylan ’80. Also chat online with West Coasters, Orna Izakson ’87, Don Rea ’84, and Andy Laken ’88. The whole Wes community is a thing of beauty and remains the reason I am happiest I attended our strange little university.”

Ralph Saverese reports that his book See It Feelingly was recently translated into Japanese. He and his son DJ have been teaching online creative writing workshops to intergenerational and inter-abled groups across the world.

From Lisa Porter: “I am currently working as the interim resident director and co-head of voice and dialects for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in San Francisco. I have been acting—Julia in Pam MacKinnon’s Fefu and Her Friends at ACT and going into rehearsals in a month as Gruach (Lady MacBeth) in Dunsinane at Marin Theatre Company. My daughter Maggie just graduated from Northwestern. While currently in the Bay Area, I am contemplating a move to NYC. In the last few months, I have seen Melinda Newman, Bennett Schneider, Pauline Frommer ’88, Kevin Pratt ’87, Ernie Laftky, Shawn Cuddy, and James Hallett, which has been amazing!”

Erika Levy is still enjoying her work as professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University. She lives in NYC with her husband and her son. She is thrilled that her daughter will be starting at Wesleyan in the fall! She loves staying in touch with her Wesleyan friends.

Ethan Halm took a new job as the vice chancellor for population health at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, and is the deputy chief population health officer in the RWJ Barnabas Health System in New Jersey. He is excited to be taking on these new challenges and being back in the Northeast.

And finally, we are sad to report that John “Johan” Booth passed away on June 29, 2022. His obituary can be read at https://www.gatheringus.com/memorial/john-johan-booth/9381. His brother David also wrote about John, which can be found here. David shared that his brother’s life work was in the U.S. Antarctic Program. “He worked at Palmer and South Pole Stations as a science technician. He loved the social life of the South Pole, where a small staff community would fend for itself during the long isolation of dark months. He loved the physical beauty of the South Pole, where the aurora danced overhead. He loved the varied science conducted at the Pole, where his intelligence, meticulousness, and curiosity found purpose. He loved mentoring others in that science. He loved sharing about Antarctica through countless visits and slideshows in schools and community settings, and through a celebrated email correspondence chronicling both the social and the scientific aspects of life on the ice.”

Please write to your class secretary.

Hello, Classmates!

Jim McGonagle submitted news just a little too late for the last outing. Bob Barringer was inducted into the Wesleyan Baseball Wall of Fame along with four others during a ceremony on Andrus Field on Saturday, April 30, 2022. He was recognized for his baseball achievements during his four years as an “offensive force” for the Cardinals.  Joining Bob and his family were 1984 classmates Steve Peck, Joel Armijo, Scott Sprague, as well as Jim; along with Todd Mogren ’83, Ken Janik ’85, Tony Rella ’86, Charlie Galland ’86, Ken Johnson ’86, Tim Sullivan ’87, and Michael Cooper ’87.

Stephanie Fleischmann also wrote just past the wire to give news of her opera collaboration with composer Christopher Cerrone, In a Grove. The opera is adapted from Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s story and created in collaboration with director Mary Birnbaum.   Originally commissioned by LA Opera, the Pittsburgh Opera production is available for streaming on YouTube.

Laura Simon thinks it is crazy how old we are all getting. She is (currently and still) the president of the Connecticut Wildlife Rehabilitators Association and does consulting work helping suburban/urban communities resolve wildlife issues and learn to coexist.   The current hot topic is black bears, as they are popping up in backyards throughout the state.

Michael (Misi) Polgar is coediting an open educational resource (OER) on the Holocaust. I am happy to pass along any messages to Misi if you want to know more about this project.

David Knudsen has recently launched Everything Set Inc., a start-up in the East Bay (with help from other Wes alums). His company, which is deep into beta testing, uses advanced AI on crowd-sourced real-time data to keep smart devices safe and secure.     His company website is everythingset.com, where you can get information about their Early Access program.

Mark Randles recently attended the wedding of Andy Peretz in Delray Beach, Florida, where he saw Jay and Gail Farris. Mark says it was the best wedding band he had ever seen, and Andy sat in with them on the drums (with wife Stephanie on cowbell). Mark also went to Kansas City and met up with James Glickman, Michael Bailit, David Booker, Hans Schweiger, and Bill Barry to enjoy a weekend of baseball games and museums. This Wes group has been meeting for 21 years at this point—they are headed to Toronto next year.

Paul Landau has a new book, Spear: Mandela and the Revolutionaries, which he has been working on for 12 years. His BA thesis (with Jeff Butler) was on U.S. policy in South Africa, so this book is a culmination of his study; Paul is a full professor at the University of Maryland, teaching the history of Africa, masked. His wife Emily teaches high school at Georgetown Day School (where Ketanji Brown Jackson is on the board).  Daughter Zoe is taking a year off from Oberlin, and Penelope is a junior counselor at Brown Ledge Camp this summer.

Paul lives a few blocks from the Capitol and had a front-row seat for the events of January 6. He lives on a pleasant and tree-lined street, but is in close proximity to homelessness, addiction, shootings, and other systemic municipal problems stemming from structural disinterest and federal neglect of the District. It is not lost on him that he is “getting ready again to teach about shantytowns, race, the role of self-told narratives in mobilizing, strong drink, the contest for public space, and White nationalism in apartheid South Africa.”

Susie Kang Sharpe is thrilled to have another exhibit of her artwork in Europe. This time it’s in Madrid, Spain. She ships her art to her fans to worldwide. Her work can be viewed: https://www.susiesharpe.net. She still enjoys being a physician and recently switched from traditional internal medicine practice to telemedicine. She loves the flexibility it provides. She is a frequent guest of many podcasts.

Maria Mead has been living in Santa Cruz, California, for the past 21 years. She is married and has two adult kids, who also live in California. She is a semiretired family practice physician—now busy with public health, trying to save our democracy, and reading and traveling as much as she can. Recently she got together with Jonathan Schwartz ’87 and Sophie Ziegler ’85, Heidi Wasch and Bob Leversee, and Veronica Masterson ’85. She is eager to hear from people visiting the Bay Area and can be reached at mariamead@gmail.com (and I have permission to forward her phone to other alums).

Kristin Kellom Damon continues to live in the beautiful Connecticut River Valley within the tri-state area of Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. She has officially retired from Northfield Mount Hermon where she worked for nearly three decades serving in a variety of roles, most recently as director of alumni and donor relations within the Advancement Office. She is relishing the extra time with family, especially being with her two sons as they launch their lives in college and beyond. In this particularly unsettled world, she increasingly appreciates the little things (that aren’t so little).

Finally, Molly (Willey) Tierney announces that she is a “grandma,” and welcomes baby boy Asher born to her daughter in May 2022.

Until next time.

Hi Class of 1983.

Yikes, the deadline is fast approaching and too much summer fun is getting in the way of responsibilities. Hey, I’m finally living on the edge! Life is good, dare I say normal, and it feels like the world can breathe again. At least for those of us fortunate enough to have access to medical care, food, shelter, and water. I’m not supposed to be political here, but dang, I’m tired of the news! Be well, safe, and enjoy the journey. Here now is what you all have to say . . . (I believe this is an online version . . . so the links should all work—it’s all new to me.)

Alice Jankell has co-founded Putnam Theatre Alliance, and the collaboration of multiple theaters has commissioned three playwrights to each write a piece about land ownership in the Hudson Valley in the tumultuous years between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. Alice will direct, and they’ll weave the pieces together into one epic play: Three writers, three bold protagonists, three unique perspectives, one big journey. Coming next year.

Ruth L. Schwartz is humbled and proud to have created what has become the leading global resource for lesbian/queer dating, relationship, and sexuality education at the Conscious Girlfriend Academy, www.consciousgirlfriendacademy.com. She’s also excited to be going to Sappho’s birthplace on the isle of Lesvos, Greece, in September, and contemplating a move there.

Kate Rabinowitz went to her first reunion since graduating. “It was so great to see people, who all looked radiant and as I remembered them. . . . Adding [to] the depth of the years we have continued our journey. The school has expanded in so many ways, yet it maintains its essence of sharp intellectual and creative pursuits.”

Andrew Bennet’s son really took a shine to Wesleyan, applied Early Decision, and was accepted. If everything goes according to plan, he graduates next May—right after our 40th Reunion. With two such auspicious events at once, Andrew will travel ‘en famille’ for that extended weekend from Madrid, Spain, where he lives. Andrew married a lady from Madrid 25 years ago and has two kids. He put a stop to his career in advertising since the start of COVID and enjoys having time to smell the roses. He writes, “I wouldn’t say I’m retired because I may well work again if the right opportunity comes along but I am not looking and only want to work again for pleasure. In the meantime, I also am helping as a volunteer for some midsize animal conservation groups in Spain with their communications and fundraising.”

Nicholas Herold and partner Emily have been in Maine for three years, hosting short vacation stays at their Portland Victorian home, in South Portland, and in Eaton, New Hampshire. They are also real estate agents (residential and commercial), but their main focus is how to keep providing an awesome experience for their guests. They operate their nine-room home like a hostel: guests in five bedrooms and three shared bathrooms, and he enjoys morning gatherings in the kitchen drinking coffee and eating quick bread. Last year they spent time in Portugal, Holland, and Belgium, and are super excited to travel to Chile in November.

After 36 years (!) of working for the New York MTA, Glenn Lunden is now a (very, very minor) YouTube star. The MTA asked him to host a three-minute video explaining why the MTA does so much track work in the New York Subway on three-day holiday weekends. Follow the link to learn a little bit about what he does as a subway planner https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARBIDMVzKtQ.

Taya V. Glotzer shares: Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine Professor and Director of Cardiac Research at Hackensack University Medical Center Named American Heart Association’s Researcher of the Year (hackensackmeridianhealth.org).

Claire Gleitman writes: “I’ve just published a book, titled Anxious Masculinity in the Drama of Arthur Miller and Beyond: Salesmen, Sluggers, and Big Daddies (Methuen Drama, 2022). In addition, after 28 years as a professor of dramatic literature in the English department at Ithaca College, I’ve moved to a new role: ‘I’m now the dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at IC. It’s a big change for me, but I hope it will be an interesting one. My older son just finished a master’s degree in history and is working as an academic adviser and instructor at a tribal community college in North Dakota; my younger son works with at-risk youth and young adults in upstate New York. My husband, David, is happily retired after many years as an associate dean at Cornell University.”

Tim Brockett is partially retired and a significant portion of his time is his. He uses his newfound freedom to “pursue happiness” as Alexander Pope and Thomas Jefferson promised. His happiness projects include: creating and maintaining lovely, multi-acre, classical French and English gardens in Montana, working a few months of the year selling books online, reading the 10-volume set Gateway to the Great Books, and keeping a journal and traveling.

And here is one last note item that somehow I missed from several issues ago. Apologies to Heather Rae who recently sold everything and relocated to southeastern Florida to build a functional health and genomics practice (cutting-edge science to assess root causes of chronic health conditions: environmental toxins, nutrient levels, variants in enzymes (genes) of inflammation and detoxification, cellular voltage, and membrane lipids). Anyone interested in going beyond protocols and cookie-cutter medicine is welcome to contact her: HeatherRaeINHC@protonmail.com. Heather—having just started with a foundational practitioner here, I’m super excited to hear of your news! Best of luck and to those wondering what is this . . .  I’d say check it out!

Finally, some ’83ers sent in photos. Take a gander!

Stay safe, be well, and namaste.