Author: Randi Alexandra Plake

← 1988 | 1990 →

NEWSMAKERS | 1980s NEWSMAKER DAVID MILCH ’89 David Milch ’89 was named the program director of the Leadership in the Arts and Entertainment Industries program at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). This graduate program is a collaboration between NYIT and Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment in Manhattan. “I’m very excited to take the helm of this relatively new program with its focus on training the next generation of leaders within the arts and entertainment industries,” said Milch. “This program allows me to further my long-term work in empowering arts professionals and helping them understand their own value while providing them a greater ability to communicate that to wide ranging sectors of our society.” Previously, Milch was the associate director for student engagement at Columbia University. He was a program coordinator at Wesleyan, where he assisted in the creation of the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP) and is a member of the Association of Theater in Higher Education. A theater major as an undergraduate, he earned an MFA in theater directing from UCLA.

Jonathan writes for this issue: We start with some props for our class secretaries. Your erstwhile ’89 scribe, David Milch, moved on after nine years working with Columbia University performing arts students, and started a new position at New York Institute of Technology as the director of the MA program in Leadership in the Arts and Entertainment Industries.

Meanwhile, the Bonnie to my Clyde of these class notes, Michele Barnwell, completed principal production of her documentary Party Girls: Exploring Politics in America, which follows a small group of millennial women of color (all first-time voters) who travel together around the country engaging in the political process. It’s a learning journey Michele describes as a summer-long slumber party…with a brain. Part of the doc airs online election week as a 6-part series via ITVS/PBS, and soon-ish as an indie feature doc.

Thomas Policelli’s eldest daughter, Katherine ’20, started at Wes, where she lives in what is now called “Butts C.” Tom is impressed by the amazing classes Wesleyan still offers, but also is struck by the available sushi and free-range tofu. He is rather disoriented to be the theoretically responsible adult against whom this generation is supposed to rebel, even if today’s rebellion is via app. For those of you beginning the college application process, he offers a plug (which your class secretary echoes) for Wesleyan’s annual alumni Sons and Daughters weekend in November. It’s a really good overview of the college application process with separate sessions for students and parents. Tom expects to participate again with his other children, ages 16, 14, and 10.

Marshall Brozost changed law firms, moving from Schulte Roth & Zabel to head the New York real estate practice group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

Alissa Berman is living in East Greenwich, R.I., with her boys, a high school senior and an eighth grader. She and her husband are divorcing amicably after 24 years of marriage. She is a stylist for the Cabi clothing company, where she does home shows and enjoys helping women feel great about themselves.

Indy Neidell, in Sweden, writes on the success of his YouTube channel, The Great War. It is nearing 400,000 subscribers, with more than 40 million views. He hears from teachers across the world who use the show in their classes and he consulted on the computer game, Battlefield, providing all manner of descriptive text, from the Hejaz Railway, to Lawrence of Arabia, to zeppelin warfare. He is also still touring with a few different bands and doing voiceovers for games and commercials.

John DiPaolo and his wife relocated in D.C., moving to Cleveland Park, where their daughter is starting kindergarten. His bike-commute to work is now twice as long, but because he rides along Rock Creek Park and the Potomac River, the natural beauty more than compensates. John has been at the U.S. Department of Education since 2011 and is now the deputy general counsel. As a political appointee, however, he’ll likely leave in January when President Obama’s term ends.

Elaine Perlman keeps busy as the director of the Peace Corps Fellows Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she prepares returning Peace Corps volunteers to teach in high-need public schools. This year, she painted school murals in the South Bronx and Harlem, taught middle school classes at the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, mentored a high school student through iMentor, and was an advisor for the Parents League. She attended a book presentation by Mike Rubens ’90, who just published The Bad Decisions Playlist, which was so compelling that Elaine read it in one day!

David Jonas lives happily in Westport, Conn., with his wife of 24 years. Their eldest daughter started her freshman year at NYU, and they have one more at home. Over the past year, he has been raising capital for a fund that invests in independent film productions.

Mike Olinger has been living in Brussels, Belgium, for the past two years with his wife and two teenage sons. Any classmates who make it over that way should look him up for moules frites and cold beer.

Howard Diamond is enjoying the Colorado lifestyle and serving as general counsel of Frontier Airlines. He celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary and attended his son’s college graduation and commissioning as a naval flight officer. He is also very proud of both daughters, one attending college and one in high school.

Adina Hoffman published Till We Have Built Jerusalem: Architects of a New City, a biolographical triptych about three architects who helped shape the city in which she’s lived for the last 25 years. She now divides her time between Jerusalem and New Haven, and she is working on a short biography of Ben Hecht.

David Williams’ oldest son, Harry, is off to Boston University, where he will be studying mechanical engineering. Although Dafna (16), Seth (13), and Eli (11) are still at home, the family dynamic is shifting. His wife, Nyna Urovitch, is back at work after 15 years, teaching middle school math in a public school. David is still a healthcare consultant, but he also spends considerable time as president of Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, where he is leading a strategic transformation of the synagogue into a multi-organizational Jewish campus.

After 21 years, Lisa Nash gave up her chiropractor’s license and is starting a new chapter of life offering multi-disciplinary trauma transformation training as a Feldenkrais teacher, and as an ordained priestess in the ancient West African religion of Ifa. She continues to expand her residential healing and teaching center in Vermont, the Rainbow Serpent Mystery School, where four full-time residents share a kitchen, a bathroom, a ceremony and classroom space, and 21 acres, including veggie and herb gardens, fruit and nut trees, and chickens! The center offers retreats, workshops, and sanctuary for individuals, couples, and families in spiritual emergence/y.

David Eichler writes, “This will come as little surprise for those who remember the old days on Foss, but my digital marketing agency just spun off a sister firm called Decibel Green, specializing in, wait for it, cannabis and sustainability. Diane and I love living in Denver and would love to hear from Wes visitors.”

Finally, Broadway in Chicago’s annual free summer concert featured a performance from Hedwig and the Angry Inch by the show’s composer and lyricist, Stephen Trask.

Jonathan Fried | jonathan.l.fried@gmail.com 

MICHELE BARNWELL | fishtank_michele@yahoo.com

Peter writes for this issue. Justine Gubar reports: “I’ve moved to Miami to work at Fusion, Univision’s English-language cable network and digital platform, as the supervising producer of investigations.”

Pat McDarrah connected with some classmates in San Francisco, notably Jono Marcus, Andy Weissman, Robert Wilder, and Michael Shaffer. Pat writes, “Rob’s new novel, Nickel, is now available in stores and online. Jono just became a father for the second time. Andy came out to Bay Area to see a Phish show with Wilder, and they also had a mini-Wesleyan reunion at Toronado. Shaffer just started at Dropbox after a long stint at EA (Electronic Arts). He has a new son named Dylan. I’m good. All settled into NorCal life and will celebrate six years here this December with my wife, Emma Gardner ’89. We are up in Petaluma, Sonoma County. Look us up if you’re visiting wine country! I still keep in touch with other classmates. Perry Klebahn is a professor at Stanford and makes occasional appearances out. Dylan MacDonald comes out for beers. I saw my freshman roommate Chris Strobel ’89. His family moved to Dallas.”

Steve Pike writes, “I have retired from the Foreign Service in July 2016 and am now assistant professor of public relations at Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. My wife, Jenny, my kids, Aubrey and Zach, and I are getting used to a whole new life in Central New York, and looking forward to staying in one place for a while instead of moving every two to three years!”

Harry Berger sends an update: “I have taken a position as the tier one Canada research chair in ethnomusicology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where I will serve as director of the Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media, and Place, and professor of music and folklore. It’s a great gig at an excellent university in a wonderful town, St. John’s. My family and I are very happy to have made the move.”

Rob Wrubel shares, “David Mendels and Leila Yassa put together a weekend for their birthdays and invited a bunch of Wes friends and their families to celebrate at Squam Lake in New Hampshire. We spent the last weekend of June with Rob Krulak, Judy Haas, Laura Flynn, Karin Stack, Ryan Alexander, Carrie Corrigan, and other friends. There were close to 50 people paddle boarding, swimming in the lake, and catching up.”

John “Sparky” Ferrara writes, “In July, a Chi Psi reunion party was held at my Massachusetts home. The celebration was a weekend-long party that included the 1980s campus favorite Tommy O’Carroll, Irish folk singer. Attendees (60-plus) represented 13 Wesleyan classes spanning over 35 years, traveling from 10 states. Wes ’88 alumni included Jim Van Hoven, Stephen Worth, Andy Campbell, and Roger Scholl, among others.”

Tim McCallum reports some major changes in his life: “In 2014, I sold my business. In 2015, I moved to Hawaii. In 2016, my first kid arrives. In 2017, I can’t even imagine…”

Linda Brinen-Stout writes, “We are living in Mill Valley, Calif., and I’m still at UCSF, as an associate professor of pharmacology. In July and August, my husband, 11-year-old son, and I took an amazing trip to Alaska to celebrate the combination of my 50th birthday and seven years of survival post-brain cancer. We took a small plane into McCarthy, Alaska and explored from there. Unbelievable sights and experiences on land, glacier, in the air, and on the water throughout the trip.”

Jennifer Taylor writes, “I’m three weeks into my new position as director of design and construction at OHSU in Portland, Ore. This is an exciting career shift for me from practicing architecture to working on the owner side overseeing the department that runs all the construction projects for the hospital and university. It also means a return to Portland from the Bay Area. My whole family is enjoying being back in our house and neighborhood! I also had the pleasure of seeing Dina Goldman and meeting her son when they passed through Portland.”

Peter V.S. Bond | 007@pvsb.org 

Hillary Ross | hrossdance@yahoo.com

Hi everyone! Please mark your calendars for our 30th Reunion, May 25 to 28. Don’t think about it, just do it!

The day I sent out my query for notes, I immediately received a few (understandably) excited responses: Brad Lubin moved his daughter into Clark today. “Looking forward to her getting her Wes on.” Then from Trisha Lindemann: “I’m at Wesleyan right now dropping off my son, Jordan ’19, who is entering as a junior transfer student. So I guess that is news!” And from Steve Warner and Martha Haakmat: “We just dropped our middle daughter, Georgia ’20, off to join the Wes class of 2020. Being on campus brought back such great memories. We were tempted to stow away in Georgia’s room and live our Wes years all over again. It felt so good to know that although Wesleyan has changed and grown with new buildings and air-conditioned dorms and amazing new facilities, the heart and soul of the school feels exactly the same. We are so excited for Georgia and her 780 classmates!”

And in other news: Just over a year ago, Gabrielle Sellei celebrated 20 years of practice by finally launching her own law firm. “It’s going very well and I am thrilled. My practice is about half business/transactional work and half entertainment law, particularly television, film and literary/writers. I get to work with some of the smartest, cleverest, and coolest people around, and I do my little part to make their thing happen; I feel extremely lucky. Dave Sinkway and I have a 15-year-old daughter, Lily, and a 13-year-old son, Adam, who get their athleticism from their dad and their snarky humor from their mom. Life is good here in Philadelphia!”

Robert Norden writes,“This year marks the 30th year of my owning and operating America’s oldest tavern, The 76 House, just outside of Manhattan in Tappan, N.Y. It was recently the centerpiece of the AMC miniseries, Turn, but is best known for our farm-to-table cuisine and craft brews and ciders all served with a large slice of history!”

Sumana Chandrasekhar Rangachar and her hubby, Raghu Rangachar, just celebrated their 25th anniversary out in Boulder, Colo., and were fortunate to spend two fabulous days with Johanna Van Hise Heart and Simon Heart, who are living there. Other Wes friends she has seen include Pauline Frommer ’88, Eileen Deignan, Ruth Bodian ’88, Lucille Renwick Archibold, and Michele Ahern. She is looking forward to our 30th (eek!) Reunion next year with as many of you as possible!

Amy Baltzell has big news this year: “In addition to having a child in elementary school (Zoey), middle school (Luke), and high school (Shayna), I wrote a new book, Mindfulness & Performance, with Cambridge University Press (2016). I also was just elected president-elect for the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.”

Sue Roginski: “I’ve been teaching, choreographing, and gearing up for Trolley Dances Riverside. In July, I was humbled with an award called Arts Honoree of the Month by the City of Riverside and the Riverside Arts Council. This recognition took notice of various projects that I facilitate within the nonprofit called P.L.A.C.E. Performance. Down time was definitely needed so I headed East to see family and made a quick stop in NYC to have dinner with Molly Rabinowitz and George Kirjanov. Hoping to catch up with more Wes friends in May!”

Ian Rosen writes from London. “Family is doing well. Five years in and my firm, Temporis Capital, is thriving. We are focused on investment management in sustainability and renewable energy.”

David Goldberg writes, “Simon Connor, Susan (Toothaker) Skovron, John Skovron, and I caught up and got back on the bus for a night with Dead and Co., at the Gorge in Washington. Thirty years after graduation, we’re still able to let our hair down and share some laughs and experiences raising our kids. (The Skovrons’ daughter, Rosie ’20, is headed to Wes this fall.) I’m just starting work on a City of Seattle environmental justice and equitable development initiative for Seattle’s industrial center in the Duwamish Valley. I’d love to hear from classmates working on these issues elsewhere.”

Kim Sargent-Wishart has big news. “I finished my PhD this year in performance studies at Victoria University in Melbourne. Titled Making Nothing Out of Something: Emptiness, Embodiment, and Creative Activity, it was an adventure in somatic research into human anatomy and embryology, creative practices of dance/filmmaking, contemplative photography, and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. It brought me right back to my Wesleyan days of studying John Cage and doing pedestrian dance, except now we have the Internet. Last year, my family moved down to Warrnambool, where we get to enjoy the beach on the rare days when the wind dies down. I’ve been involved in a local arts organization here, helping run a volunteer art gallery and shop and a new artist-in-residence program. I’ve also been consulting on an embodied leadership program, leading some photography and Body-Mind Centering workshops, teaching Pilates, and starting up a professional development program in Melbourne based in somatics and contemplative arts. My son, Jarrah, is a teenager now and rocking the violin, guitar, and trombone in several bands while questioning the value of a standard education. Luckily we like the same music. My son, Rico, is 9 and loves telling jokes. My partner, Llewellyn, is a full-time academic and also trying to finish his doctorate by next year. We’re hoping there’s a sanity light at the end of this tunnel!”

Josh Bellin’s next novel, the young adult science fiction adventure/romance, Freefall, has been accepted for publication, with an anticipated fall 2017 release date.

And finally, it breaks my heart to report that we lost a classmate recently, Anna Luhrmann Dewdney. I wish I had known her.

As for me, I think this stage in life is challenging, but interesting. And I’m hoping to find myself any day now. See you in May.

With love,

Amanda Jacobs Wolf | wolfabj@gmail.com

Thanks again to all of the classmates who came to our Reunion earlier this year. It was great to see so many people having a good time—from meeting with old friends to learning about interesting ideas by Wes alumni they hadn’t met before. It’s 4.5 years to our next big Reunion, but all are welcome to come to campus next spring to participate in Reunion and Commencement Weekend. I think some of us even have a child graduating from Wes next spring.

From our classmates, here are some updates. Ayelet Waldman has a new book coming out: A Really Good Day: How a Microdose Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage and My Life. Elaine Taylor-Klaus and her co-author, Diane Dempster, also have a book coming out: Parenting ADHD Now! Easy Intervention Strategies to Empower Kids with ADHD. Elaine’s middle daughter is a frosh at Wes, as is the daughter of William Greene, who is still in San Francisco and CEO of Iconic Therapeutics. And there are probably some others in our class who are now ’86, P’20.

Liza Baron and her husband, Bart, were given their first foster baby in June. He’s a 9-month-old boy, and they are hoping to adopt him if none of his family members qualify to get him. They will know for sure early next year. “It is tiring to care for an infant again, but we are so enjoying it, and he has brought us a lot of love and joy.”

Debbie Roff is concluding a stint as the coordinator of community service for the Kinkaid School in Houston, where she directed a program in which 600 students complete more than 4,000 hours of service through 90-100 projects per year. They have done the usual building houses with Habitat for Humanity, tutoring underserved elementary school kids, playing cognitive games with residents at retirement centers, and feeding the hungry. Her students also initiated original projects including a music enrichment program for children living in a shelter, after-school field trips for inner-city children to tour Houston’s bayou and forested wetlands, and a bocce ball tournament for 150 Special Olympics athletes who will compete on 20 bocce courts constructed on the school’s football field.

Kathryn Lotspeich Villano is still super involved with Lotus House Shelter for Women and Children in Miami. She’s facilitating the addition of a free clinic for guests and uninsured neighbors and hopes to integrate functional medicine group visits for chronic disease management. Also, active in this sector is Marsha Cohen, who is executive director of the Homeless Advocacy Project in Philadelphia.

Lucy Malatesta is still involved with the homeless outreach organizations: Family Promise of Morris County and Bridges Outreach in Summit, N.J. This spring, Lucy and her son put together a wonderfully creative event. He’s on a robotics team, so they linked up with a friendly rival team, made 150 brown bag lunches, and convened for a competition. After feeding and hanging out with various homeless friends, they put on a little robotics demonstration. “It was a terrible, windy, freezing day, but our homeless friends stayed and watched as if they were these kids’ uncles, aunts, or grandparents, not wanting to disappoint these young people who had made an effort to connect with them. It was so sweet and lovely and important. People cannot move forward if they don’t believe in their own humanity.”

On our Reunion weekend, Emily Cowan heard that she had been hired by Between Us Associates, a group psychotherapy practice in Manchester, N.H. “I’m very happy there, after years of scraping by and fretting in a solo private practice. For fun I went rock-climbing and visited friends in Massachusetts and Connecticut.” She also noted that two good friends each lost their mothers. “I discovered that it’s a sacred time, when the everyday is sometimes indistinguishable from the profound.”

Ellen Santistevan says that she collaborated with a trans-massage therapist to create an ethics class for LMTs called The Trans Body On the Table. “There doesn’t seem to be any other class like it in the whole country, so we are pretty stoked about that. Who knows where it might lead? But it’s very important work nonetheless.” Ellen also went through the program from the Celebrant Institute and Foundation to become a life-cycle celebrant. This feels like important work to do as well, at a time when ritual and recognition of many important life passages go unremarked except for weddings and funerals and graduations!

Eric Howard | ehoward86@wesleyan.edu

Mary Beth writes for this issue. Vicente Caride joined Johnson & Johnson’s global strategic design office in New York City, where he is heading up digital design. Melissa Marks ’87 created an exciting site-specific art installation and exhibition in Vélez Blanco, Spain, this past August. Melissa’s Double Self Split was created as a spontaneous, three-week performance, with her painting covering 100 square meters of the courtyard of the Castillo de los Fajardo. The site-specific work is a reciprocal cultural gesture between Spain and New York, Melissa’s home, referencing the relocation of the original castle patio within The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sixteen large composite drawings were concurrently exhibited inside the 16th century Iglesia del Convento de San Luis. Melissa was honored by locals with the nickname “La Brocha” (The Brush), and the events were covered by the national Spanish press. Melissa and Vicente’s son, Archie, is enjoying his sophomore year in high school, is on the student council and is co-founder of the hip-hop club.

There have been lots of changes for Terry McClenahan and his family: “We moved from Manhattan to Buffalo as of August. My wife, Kara Kelly, M.D., is the new chief of pediatrics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. I’m leaving a fantastic job at FSI Architecture and many years of chief refereeing and head coaching in the West Side Soccer League. Our 13-year-old son, Rory, graduated from The School at Columbia University on a Monday and we moved out the next Sunday. Before the final move, we lived for the summer near Asbury Park in Ocean Grove, N.J. Last September our gutsy 16-year-old, Katie, left to attend Buffalo Seminary (non-religious girls’ school founded 1851). As a boarder she joined the sailing team and aced all her courses! My great son, Matt, now 26, is completing courses in structural timber framing at Sterling College in Vermont. And soon I’ll send photos of our new dog!”

Crystal Turner-Moffatt was married this September at a waterfront sunset ceremony in Peekskill, N.Y., to Jayson Moffatt of Stratford, Conn. Crystal and Jayson honeymooned in St. Thomas, where they also had a romantic beach ceremony. Crystal has been the owner of CDT EHS Consulting, LLC., a safety consulting firm, since 2007. Crystal also works for MP Engineers and serves as a safety consultant for the Office of General Services (OGS) for the State of New York. The couple will reside in Milford, Conn.

Wendy Buffett writes, “There’s something embarrassing about realizing that ’news’ right now constitutes being in the middle of a kitchen remodel! I had a wonderful time going back to Wesleyan in May to celebrate the retirement of Abraham Adzenyah MA ’79 and to dance again with Denise Paasche on campus. Joel Kreisberg ’82 and I have been married for the past eight years and are still sending teens out into the world. His oldest is working in Chicago and his youngest is at Oberlin. My daughter is at UCLA and we have a junior in high school who is just starting the process of finding his next gig. I’m practicing integrative primary care in Albany, Calif., and am quite grateful to have two black Labs to walk around the neighborhood.”

Amy Huber writes, “After 25 years living abroad, I have just completed my first year back in the USA. My third career has turned into my true vocation. I am employed as a high school math teacher in my local community of Rockport, Mass., teaching calculus, pre-calculus, and algebra. My oldest son is pursuing a career as a performance artist in London. My second son is in Japan to do a PhD at Kyoto University after graduating from Brown. My third son is a junior at UCSD studying global health and politics. My fourth son is a high school senior and in no hurry to leave home! I am looking forward to attending the Head of the Charles in October to see Marta Benson ’84 and Amy Baltzell ’87.”

Craig Pospisil: “As I write this, my daughter has just celebrated her second birthday. Elmo from Sesame Street played a big role, appearing on a balloon, every plate, napkin, cup, and the cake, too. In non-Elmo news: My play, Months on End, had a successful run in Hong Kong this past spring that was extended and taken to Foshan and Guangzhou, China. My one-act play, There’s No One Here, was published in Best American Short Plays 2014-2015. My short film, January, was accepted into the Adirondack Film Festival and the Nottingham International Film Festival, so it’s been a busy time!”

Nick Hill lives in Needham, Mass. with his wife, Audrey, and his son, Kevin, who graduated from Mass College of Liberal Arts with a degree in environmental science and semiotics. Nick has been working in the energy management field for 30 years, “and suddenly I’m in a sexy industry! Wow, I’m now in Cleantech!” For the past 14 years, he has consulted with businesses, universities, and municipalities to manage costs via energy efficiency, renewable energy projects, and energy procurement. Nick volunteers as a mentor with the Northeast Cleantech Open, an “accelerator [program] for early-stage clean technology startup companies” in New York and New England. This past summer he ran their program for startup teams. Nick is a board member of his local “green” committee alongside Jim Glickman ’84. Jim’s an attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor in Boston. I remembered him from my days in the Olin Reserve Room, checking out two-hour readings to beleaguered government and econ majors.

John Vigman writes, “Working most of the time out of Tokyo and Hong Kong, anyone out in Hong Kong out there? If so, lets grab a beer: john.vigman@gmail.com.”

Lisa Nevans Locke received a Montgomery College Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarly or Professional Accomplishments. The award reflects her work over the past 12 years as an adjunct professor of English, and her more than 25 years in journalism. In his remarks, Dr. Sanjay Rai, senior vice president for academic affairs who presented the award, noted her many journalism awards (including an Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors’ Award and a Society for Professional Journalists’ Dateline Award); previous work as a Congressional and White House correspondent; work for D.C.-area newspapers and magazines; and stories published in newspapers in places as far-flung as New York, Hawaii, and Hong Kong. Dr. Rai said, “This award recognizes your outstanding scholarly or professional accomplishment and sustained contributions to your department, your campus, the College, and the community.” He quoted a student who described her as “a teacher who speaks her mind to set an example to [students to] share their ideas with others.” Lisa has focused on teaching students from underrepresented communities and demographics who are frequently the first person or generation in their families to go to college.

CAROLINE WILKINS | cwilkins85@yahoo.com

MARY BETH KILKELLY | mbkeds@yahoo.com

Greetings, Fellow classmates. Michael Steven reporting this month. First up are my Gingerbread House alumni Peter Stine and Michael (“Misi”) Polgar. Peter, who chairs the department of physics and engineering at Bloomsburg University, reports the birth of his son, Milo, last April. Peter also referees roller derby. Misi lives with his family near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and teaches sociology at Penn State; he’d like to hear from classmates on any topic, especially the Holocaust and human rights education.

Gail Farris joins the rest of us recent empty-nesters after dropping her son, Dean, off at Harvard. Her daughter, Kim ’14, is engaged and will marry her high-school sweetheart next June. Her other daughter, Jen ’16, just graduated from Wes this year.

Alison Picher is a registered reverend of psychic healing and reading, and officiated her first wedding this summer at (appropriately enough) the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. She is also a pet psychic, helping humans communicate with their pets. Her website is alisonstanton.co (that’s co, not com). Her husband, Chris Allan ’83, started a consulting business as a social change evangelist, doing international evaluations and trainings on climate change adaptation and development. He’s spent many months in countries near the Sahara Desert this year. His website is chrisallan.info.

Alison also tells a story of Lisa Rein and Bonnie Auslander searching for Bonnie’s cat in the Colorado mountains, and attending a Sting/Peter Gabriel concert in Seattle with Deborah Wang. Alison’s daughter, Nina, spent the year in Boston and ran into Andrea Roman in a coffee shop. Nina works at NIH in malaria research, and Alison’s son, Ben, has moved out and works at a health food store.

Steve Herzog only had time to write that his daughter is a senior at Kenyon.

Jonathan Sadowsky has a book coming out from Routledge Press, Electroconvulsive Therapy in America: The Anatomy of a Medical Controversy. He completed nine years as the chair of the history department at Case Western Reserve University and remains on the faculty.

Joseph Pieropan was named Prosecutor of the Year in recognition of his 29 years as an assistant district attorney in the Berkshire District Attorney’s office. He lives in Pittsfield, Mass., with his wife, Amy, seven dogs, and two cats.

Li Wen is a design principal at Gensler LA, directing a variety of projects. She lives the urban life in Central Hollywood, and is a board member of LA Contemporary Exhibits. She enjoys exploring the various natural and urban landscapes of LA and California.

Mitzi Fennel sent us a wonderful picture. She and her 77 Home Ave. classmates get together every couple of years, and this year she was in Cancun with David Booker, Lesley Berglund, Larry Hafetz, Kevin McGowan, and Jennifer Hutchinson McGowan ’85.

Finally, some very sad news. Our classmate, Nancy Myron Crown, passed away suddenly in June, leaving behind her children, Molly and Sam. Her sister Susan contacted us to make sure Nancy was remembered in this issue. Nancy went from Wesleyan to Northwestern University, and went on to develop affordable housing in cities around the country, eventually joining the Charlotte Housing Authority. Recently, her frustration with the divisive political climate in the country drove her to found (with her sisters) a grassroots effort to encourage civil political discourse called Bridge the Political Divide.

Buffy Martin Brouckman attended Nancy’s memorial service, along with Foss 9 freshman hallmates Ina Jacobs, Heidi Ravis, and Linda Clumeck. Buffy remembers walking the High Line in NYC with Nancy and a few other friends just last year. She hopes that her own daughters will form the sort of friendships she had with Nancy and their other freshman year friends.

A longer obituary can be found here. Nancy’s sister encourages us all to sign the petition at the website above; and in lieu of flowers, to make a donation to Loaves and Fishes.

Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu

Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu

Here are a few updates from the Class of 1983:

Kirsten Wasson has been living in LA for three years, and works at a progressive high school as college counselor and internship coordinator. Her son, Noah, also moved to LA, and is acting and modeling. Kirsten is hiking, swimming, and writing. She traveled to Guatemala this fall.

Holly Gruskay writes, “I’ve been busy this summer juggling my kids’ sports activities as well as working to pay for it all. Son Seth Halpern finished out his high school swim teams with wonderful times, and just left us to study at RPI’s School of Science. Daughter Sofie Halpern is in recruiting mode for girls’ ice hockey…mostly to engineering schools, as well as NESCAC (yes, Wesleyan, you’re on the list!). We’ll be spending virtually every weekend this fall in Boston’s NEGHL league.”

Eve Silverman writes, “I know it’s been many years since I’ve submitted notes. I’ve been hit with a spell of nostalgia having just dropped off my firstborn at college. I’m approaching my 20th wedding anniversary and my 30th graduate school reunion, yikes. Old, yes, but happy living a split existence between southwest Connecticut and Mad River Valley, Vermont. Hope everyone is well!”

Cheri Weiss, former class secretary, supplies us with an update. She has been featured in the San Diego Union Tribune about her work as a cantor-in-training, bringing High Holy Days prayers and songs to shut-ins. Find a link to the article on the online class notes section at classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu.

Andrea Corney writes, “I finally have an update! Late bloomer that I am, on Aug. 20 I got married for the first time. My sweetheart is Chris Carneghi. His hair is so short because it all fell out during chemo. We were married at my parents’ retirement community in Saratoga, Calif. The great thing about getting married this late in life is that you can wear comfortable clothes and enjoy the day because you realize that as long as every guest feels welcomed and included, the day is perfect, even if none of the details are. We are savoring every day and hoping the chemo and radiation did the job.” For a photo of the wedding, see the online class notes.

Taya Glotzer attended a Wes reunion this summer in upstate New York at the Jankowski’s summer home. She was joined by Frank Moll ’84, Melanie Peters, Dottie Jankowski, Michael Sommer, Diana Moll, and Peter Jankowski.

Lastly, Sue Spaulding has photos from the Fort Bragg, Calif., Labor Day parade.

Laurie Hills | lauriec@rci.rutgers.edu

Class of 1983: The Stuff of Which Legends are Made.

No big, overarching themes, but a pupu platter of tasty tidbits from the Class of 1982 in these notes!

I’ll start with my buddy Roger Hale, with whom I had a delightful, daylong visit in mid-September, strolling the streets of D.C. and exploring the Phillips Collection, an emporium of Impressionist art. Never a dull time with Rog. I am happy to report that he and his family are living happily in San Jose, Calif.

Harold Bordwin writes that he and his wife, Julie Broude Bordwin, ran into Bob Russo at the Newport Folk Festival. “It was our sixth year at NFF, and (we) expect to keep the summer tradition going forward,” he said. “We’re just back from a 10-day family vacation to Croatia and Montenegro with our boys, Jesse ’10 and Simon (Bowdoin, 2013).”

Speaking of Bob Russo, he has sent us an update as well, sharing that his younger son just completed his freshman year at Oberlin College, “which feels to me like Wesleyan moved to Ohio,” he writes. “Once again this summer, a group of us (Mike Levine, Anthony Pahigian, Mike Greenstein ’83, Steve Davies ’83, and Joe Barrett) got together on Chappaquiddick Island at Joe’s cottage and had fun fishing, kayaking, bike riding, and catching up.”

Julie Kraushaar Zurcher writes that she “is thrilled to be returning to the Wesleyan campus on a regular basis again!” Her son, Bryce ’18, was accepted into the film studies program and is loving his time at Wesleyan, “both in and out of the classroom,” Julie writes. “His work with the film board and Cardinal Pictures has made him friends for life and enriched both his knowledge of and passion for film. So proud of the many great opportunities Wesleyan affords its students (and alumni!), and happier than ever to be a Cardinal. I was fortunate enough this August to attend our local Bay Area Summer Sendoff, where I met many amazing members of the Class of 2020 and their families. Also reconnected with my dear friend, Anne Anderson ’82, whose daughter, Brooke ’19, is at Wesleyan.”

Mark Leuchten’s update (his first since graduation!) reads thusly: “A career in landscape design, feng shui, fatherhood, and a complete old house renovation have given way to a return to oil painting,” he says. “My wife, Patty, runs her own business in Princeton, N.J., where she walks to work. We have lived in town for 25 years. I built an art studio in the backyard and will be spending more time there now that our youngest daughter, Jolene, will be leaving home to join her sister, Emma ’19, at Wesleyan. (Yes, both daughters at Wesleyan—we’re so proud!) But first she’s off to Myanmar for the first half of a gap year. Our son, Michael, is on the West Coast finishing a film major at UCSC.”

Kudos are in order for Sasha Alpert. We have just learned that she was a co-producer on a just-released film, They Call Us Monsters. A documentary about the juvenile justice system, the movie has been making the rounds, including at the 2016 LA Film Festival.

Patty Smith writes, “I am thrilled to announce that my debut novel, The Year of Needy Girls, is being published by Kaylie Jones Books, (Kaylie Jones ’81), an imprint of Akashic Books (Johnny Temple ’88). It will be out on Jan. 3. She adds: “Hope to see some of you at book events this spring and summer. Ginny Pye will be interviewing me at one event in Porter Square Books in May. Check my website: patricia-smith.com to see if I’ll be reading anywhere nearby—I’d love to see Wes friends!“

One other note: The years continue to slip by, dear friends, and our 35th Reunion is just around the corner! Can you believe it? A little reminder to mark your calendars now, if you have not already.

That also means, after five years in this gig, that my time as your class secretary is quickly drawing to a close. If you’re interested in taking up the mantle, Cynthia Rockwell (crockwell@wesleyan.edu) and the wonderful folks at the alumni office would be delighted to hear from you! Until then, keep those e-mails coming to me for a few months longer!

Stephanie Griffith | stephaniedgriffith@gmail.com

Joanne writes for this issue. Greetings from the heartland! Summer’s heat has dissipated, mercifully leaving behind cool air, clear skies and sun-dappled trees whose leaves are just barely brushed with a hint of the fall splendor to come. By the time you read this, however, winter will be settled upon us—perhaps under a blanket of snow, depending on your location.

As David Block wrote in the last set of notes, our 35th Reunion was not only a success but, quite simply, a blast! Reunion provided a wonderful opportunity to meet up with old friends, reconnect with acquaintances, and actually meet classmates that we hadn’t perhaps ever met! Hearing so many people’s stories just brings to mind what an astoundingly amazing and talented group our class is! Class of ’81 set the record for attendance with 94 attendees.

Committee Co-Chair Delcy Ziac Fox reported that 229 gifts raised $382,345 and she thanks everyone “for being so generous with your time, talent, and treasure.” On a more personal note, she shared three milestones in the Ziac-Fox family: “Our son graduated from Boston University; our daughter is beginning her college career at the University of Vermont; and my husband and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary! For our triple celebration, the family traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii, partaking in the release of turtles into the wild, hiking in Volcanoes National Park, and bodysurfing at Green Sands Beach…both exhilarating and relaxing!”

Joan Boughton wrote to say that she enjoyed Reunion with her husband, Henry, and also commemorated the graduation of daughter Andie Kleeman ’16. “The whole family (including our newly-engaged older daughter, Natalie, her fiancé, and my wonderful mother-in-law) was able to attend the celebration. In addition, I caught up with Tonie Kline, my best friend from Wes who also had a daughter, Julia Clemens ’16, graduating. Wesleyan remains a big, lovely part of our lives!”

My freshman-year roommate, Martha Arntzen Bockian, fell ill at the last minute and could not make Reunion. She did write, however, to let me know that in addition to her ongoing work in clinical psychology, she started a school. “It’s a Jewish school using a democratic model, and to my knowledge, is the only democratic school that has gone religious. I also spent eight weeks in Israel over the summer attending a seminar on how to turn a nonprofit into a sustainable business.” The best part, however, was “getting to spend time with my daughter Chaya, who emigrated to Israel last year and is doing National Service.”

Steve Misarski, who has been pastor of the English Congregation of the Chinese Gospel Church of Massachusetts for four years, is also still active in the military (24-plus years) as a lieutenant colonel, serving as the wing chaplain of the Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Mass. In addition, he has been working on his doctorate (“I’m a late bloomer!” he quips) which he hopes to have finished by spring of 2017. “My wife, Jan, and I celebrated 33 years of marriage. Together, we conduct marriage conferences for military personnel and New England churches. We have sent our third child off to college this fall, and we have one left at home. God has been good to us!”

Sofia Marchant, an editor and content consultant, wrote in from San Francisco. “My daughter, Isabella Banks ’15, was awarded a Watson Fellowship to study restorative justice practices. This required a year abroad, and she visited 10 countries. What an amazing experience for her, even though we missed her.”

Keeping her company at home is son Ezra, an eighth grader, and her husband, Joseph Banks, who recently edited a documentary film called It Ain’t Pretty, which opened the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival.

Congratulations to Laurie Jacobs, who is “very excited” to be starting as chairman of medicine at Hackensack-Meridian Health and the new medical school at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

Chris Graves, chairman of Oglivy Public Relations, added yet another accolade to his already impressive résumé: recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation’s prestigious Bellagio Residency. The residency on Italy’s Lake Como permitted Chris to continue his work to turn findings from cognitive neuroscience and behavioral economics into practical applications in the communications field. In addition, Chris worked collectively with other award-winners to explore how a better understanding of human behavior can enhance resilience-building efforts and create more inclusive economies that work for everyone, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

John Ravenal is now fully ensconced as director of deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in the Boston area. He was involved in an exciting curatorial project that “brings together the work of Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch.” The exhibit opened in Oslo in June, then traveled to Richmond, Va., in November. (The catalog is available from Yale University Press.)

Andra Rose, a climate activist, is deeply involved with a group called Mothers Out Front (not just for mothers). Although coming off a divorce after 29 years of marriage, Andra is very happy and excited about the successful culmination of a 22-year long challenging project: raising children! Daughter Ruth (known as “Fred”) just began her first year at the University of Chicago. Son Solomon Goldstein-Rose, who graduated from Brown University in May 2016, was elected State Representative from Andra’s home district in Amherst, Mass., where he intends to solve the climate crisis.

In conclusion, it is with great sadness that I announce the death of our classmate Paula Blank, a longtime professor of English at the College of William and Mary, who died unexpectedly at her home in Williamsburg, Va., this past August. Paula was a world-renowned scholar of Early Modern English, recipient of several highly selective fellowships, and also the recipient of her university’s Award for Faculty Excellence for her exemplary achievements in teaching, research and service. We extend our deepest sympathy to Paula’s family and friends.

David I. Block | david.I.block@gmail.com

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

September ’16 responses:

Douglas Cuomo writes, “My family and I (wife, the author Sharon Guskin, two boys Ben and Eli) just returned from a three-week stay in Kathmandu, where Arjuna’s Dilemma, an opera I’d written, was produced and performed. The production by One World Theatre, was mounted by a tremendous cast of artists from eight countries, mostly from Nepal, and was extremely well-received, by both audiences and the press. It was the first time a Western opera has been publicly performed in Nepal, and the experience was beyond description. The difficulties of mounting such a complicated show in a country like Nepal were not inconsiderable, but so were the rewards. You can see pictures and read more at douglasjcuomo.com. We also saw many important historical Buddhist sites, which was extremely meaningful to us, since both Sharon and I are Buddhists, and many important figures in our lineage spent time in Nepal. We visited the Segyu monastery in Kathmandu numerous times, with all four of us teaching English to the young monks living and studying there. I have upcoming performances of new pieces this fall in the UK by the Orchestra of the Swan, and in Florida and D.C., by the chorus, Seraphic Fire.”

Wendy Buskop writes, “My daughter, Jacqueline ’19, is now a sophomore at Wes studying earth and environmental science. She wants an internship with a company that builds robots for marine use, like underwater automated vehicles or remotely operated vehicles. Does anyone know someone that can help her? Contact Jacqueline at jbuskop@wesleyan.edu.”

Tamar Bauer writes, “Kim—Intrigued by your son’s start-up. My daughter is graduating with a mechanical engineering degree this spring. She is also into food and farming, and looking for a way to combine all three. Can we connect them?” (We are in the process of connecting them.)

Melissa Stern writes, “After a three-month run at Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston, my exhibition, The Talking Cure, opened at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, where it will reside for eight months. There is a wide variety of programming around the exhibition planned and I expect to travel to Minneapolis several times. In October my solo exhibition, Loose Lips, opened at the University of Alabama and I traveled there for the opening. Lastly, I will be teaching a one-week intensive class about storytelling, drawing, and collage at the famed Penland School of Art. In March, my solo show in New York City will open at Station Independent Gallery.”

May ’16 responses:

Ellen Catala writes, “Your e-mail about David Clair was so beautiful and so moving. I didn’t know David, but I am sure he was just as wonderful a person as you describe. My blessing, I will share on this Mother’s Day, was to spend the past 16 years caring for my mother as she lived with slowly advancing Parkinson’s. She died Apr. 5, and I miss her already, but at least I had the honor, privilege, and joy of taking care of her up to the very end. I found that in the last year, when it was becoming clear she would die from not being able to swallow very well, I started feeling towards her as you feel towards a precious infant. Her somewhat mild dementia allowed me to reach out in a different way than one might usually, and I kissed her often, stroked her hands and head, sung to her, and told her often how much I loved her. Were it not for her condition, I probably would never have expressed these feelings, and although I would have done anything to take away her illness, I still feel blessed by its unexpected consequence.

“Thank you for listening and for all the wonderful, loving work you do for our class. My most sincere sympathy to David’s friends and family. How tragic that he died so young, leaving behind a full life and many people who still needed him. By the way, Kim, you might recall that I shared a poem my son’s friend had written about the blood moon. Well, I am soon to become his foster mother. He was removed from his home a year ago and he is doing well—overcoming a sort of mutism that came on as his home life became traumatic. He continues to write beautifully and I am hopeful that he will benefit from his time with us, and vice versa. Happy Mother’s Day! God bless! Many thanks!”

Halsey Frank writes, “Scary how fast the time goes, even in the slow lane in Maine. We have been here almost 17 years. Our daughter, Laura, who was born in D.C., and was three when we moved, is now a freshman at Cornell after having taken a year off to see a bit of the world. Our son, Alex, who missed being a native-born Mainer by months, is a junior at Portland High and thinking about college himself. In addition to other sports, he plays a lot of soccer, which took us to Indianapolis with his travel team for the nationals last summer. My wife Eva’s latest get-rich-quick scheme is shopping bags with helpful logos such as “All mushrooms are edible, some only once.” I hope this one pays off.

“I am a prosecutor at the U.S. attorney’s office, have been somewhat active in local politics, write a column for The Forecaster weekly, and will once again this summer be trying to figure out how to race the Etchells sailboat I bought with friends (it’s got a lot of controls).”

Brian Hasbrouck writes, “I’m enjoying early retirement in Boston, sing in a couple of choruses, and have a variety of projects.”

John Snook writes, “I’m listed in the class of 1980, but I only attended Wesleyan formally from 1976–1977. I have been volunteering for 24 years at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. I would like to get in touch with some of my friends from the Class of 1980 including Jim Burnett, Bill Moss, Stuart Schonberger, Brook Morris, Addy Dix, and Thom Kleiner. My contact info: johnhsnook@gmail.com and 212/749-2707 or 212/666-3914.”

KIMBERLY OFRIA SELBY | kim_selby@yahoo.com