CLASS OF 1974 | 2015 | ISSUE 1
Congratulations on your re-election, Governor John Hickenlooper!!!
Jeanne Demko Chiang, wife of Jaf Chiang, died on Oct. 7. Jeanne spent her entire career at Travelers Insurance as an actuary. She loved music and was also passionate about traveling. Survivors include her husband, Jaf; daughter Jasmine Chiang, a physician, and her fiancé, Ryen Schimerman of Portland, Maine; son Colby Chiang, an MD-PhD candidate at the University of Virginia; and brother Thomas Demko of Cromwell. On behalf of our class, I would like to extend condolences to Jaf and his family.
Pat Mulcahy was featured in Publisher’s Weekly about re-inventing yourself after leaving corporate life in publishing: publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/people/article/65386-publishing-after-a-life-in-publishing.html. Pat adds, “I have so enjoyed re-connecting post-Reunion with members of the class of ’74, members of the women’s group in particular. In December I attended one of Claudia Catania’s Playing on Air sessions at the BRIC Theater in Brooklyn, as did Ellen Driscoll and Jai Imbrey. Well-done short plays with top talent, broadcast on NPR. Shortly thereafter Claudia, Jai, and I went to see one of Ellen’s art shows in Williamsburg, and a few weeks ago Ellen and I went to the Frick Collection with Jai. The creative ladies of ’74 have a lot going on!”
“A follow up from Lloyd Komesar regarding the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival—the window for film submission opened on January 15 and will stay open through June 15. Films can be submitted either through our website [middfilmfest.org] or directly on the Withoutabox or FilmFreeway platforms. My new Festival e-mail address is lk@middfilmfest.org. Hope to see many of you in Middlebury from Aug. 27–30 for our inaugural event. Should be a very entertaining occasion.”
Henry Avis-Vieira reports, “My wife recently won a research grant for developing new approaches to teaching medieval studies at Georgetown University. I have about four more chapters to go on my first book. It’s a young adult fantasy adventure concerning parallel worlds.”
Claudia Catania details, “Our 40th was great fun and particularly satisfying in that it got a number of us back in touch. I ran into Becky Ramsey ’75 visiting Ellen Driscoll and her outdoor art piece at Olana in Columbia County, N.Y., (where my husband, John Cady ’71, and I spend a lot of our time). It was raining and Ellen’s huge mirrored piece looked bejeweled under all the droplets.
“Lots of alums came to view a live Playing on Air recording of a short play by Willy Holtzman. (I founded and produce Playing on Air, which records short plays for public radio and podcast). Bill Pearson, Peter Woodin ’71, Pat Mulcahy, Bob Arcaro, June Anderson, Todd Jick ’71 (thank-you, Lloyd), Inara de Leon ’75, Vicky Bijur ’75, Ellen Driscoll, Orren Alperstein (Seth Gelblum ’75’s wife), Sam Miller ’75, and Jai Imbrey all attended that December recording! Wesleyan alums Frank Wood ’83 in a Lanford Wilson short, and Halley Feiffer ’07 in one by John Guare recorded live other fall evenings. Podcasting is beginning regularly this year so soon you can hear Willy’s play that way, and there is streaming at playingonair.org and public radio.
“Our older son, Max, returned to the States for grad school in technology and education after three years teaching at Liger Learning Center near Phnom Penh. Younger son, Gavin, opened a little restaurant in New Orleans. His food truck is called The Fat Falafel and his restaurant is 1000 Figs. Here’s its Gambit review: goo.gl/IP4yQP”
Bruce Duncan: “I’m on sabbatical this semester, with the goal of establishing a new course in the physics of music. Because I’m on sabbatical, I’m no longer chair of my department, which works out nicely since this semester would have been the last one of my term. We’ll see if my colleagues re-nominate me, as some have threatened to do.”
From Jim Krantz: “My son, Daniel ’11, has been awarded a Jacobson program scholarship at NYU Law and Business schools, a four-year JD/MBA program focused on the intersection of business and law. Sarah, age 20, is a junior at Barnard, deeply involved in her studies of anthropology and art history.”
Monique Witt states, “2014 was a really productive year for us. We finished recording the last two albums for the year (a blues and a jazz), both of which are slated to drop on Valentine’s Day. That brought the number to six. Interloper has gotten amazing press reviews and is playing around the world on jazz stations. We begin 2015 with a hip hop group that takes the music back to the political roots of the 1990s, and then we begin a six-record legacy series. My older son is still spending what open time he has as my lead engineer, and he is also collaborating on a screenplay. My younger is continuing full time at Columbia and part time at Juilliard, performing around the tri-state area, and playing piano for ensemble e. They were at jazz at Lincoln Center (Dizzy’s) in February. Steven’s law firm (Wachtel Lipton) will celebrate its 50th anniversary this week. So everyone is busy.”
Nancy Collins retired from child and adolescent psychiatry earlier than expected in August 2014 for a number of reasons. Medical issues (fractured shoulder 12/24/13, immobilizer, frozen shoulder, hydroplasty, and nine months of formal PT), long commutes, more frustration with the increasing number of parents and kids who felt they didn’t need to actually do anything to get better, and more frustration with insurance requirements that eroded into the time of building relationships and educating families. She expects that her husband, Brian Mahoney ’73, will be mostly retired next winter and they’ll split their time between winters in Rio Verde, Ariz. and spring-through-fall in North Oaks, Minn., gardening. Their adult kids: Katie is an ER doc in the Twin Cities metro; Meredith has her PsyD and is working at Pace University in New York and has a private practice in Manhattan; and Dan is a computer programmer in Milwaukee and a DJ in electronic house music on the weekends.
Tom Gelsomino writes, “I invited Jesus Christ into my life nearly 29 years ago. He is The Savior, The Messiah. The Way of Eternal Life. I desire to be with all our Wesleyan friends forever.”
SHARON PURDIE | spurdie@wesleyan.edu