A photographer with National Geographic, Michael Yamashita ’71 received the National Journalism Award from the Asian American Journalists Association for his work, “DMZ: Korea’s Dangerous Divide.” The award, presented at the Unity Journalists of Color Conference this summer, recognizes excellence among Asian American journalists and outstanding coverage of Asian American issues. Yamashita’s most recent book, Marco Polo: A Photographer’s Journey (White Star, 2004), a 504-page photographic journal, retracing the 13th-century explorer’s route to China, is setting records as a bestseller around the world. It has been translated into 13 languages, and is again available.
Strauss Zelnick ’79 and Jim Friedlich ’79, who partnered in 2001 to form ZelnickMedia Corp., announced the acquisition of Time Life Inc., the direct marketing powerhouse, from Time Warner Inc. The partnership’s other holdings include interests in Columbia Music Entertainment, Savoy Jazz, Lillian Vernon, and the National Lampoon. Prior to this partnership, Friedlich was a senior publishing executive with the Wall Street Journal. He received his M.B.A. from Stanford. Zelnick was the former CEO of BMG Entertainment and president/COO of 20th Century Fox. He received his M.B.A. and his J.D. from Harvard University. He sits on the Board of Trustees at Wesleyan.
Stephen McCarthy ’75 is acting president of Shaking the Tree Foundation, a nonprofit that uses storytelling to improve personal and familial understanding of wealth management and philanthropic opportunities (shakingthetree.org). He is also senior vice president of KCG Capital Advisors, a family investment office he co-founded with his father, and a trustee of his family’s foundation. In 1997, he became involved in developing plays with the creative team at Shaking the Tree, using his expertise in the family dynamics of wealth management and philanthropy. An economics and government major at Wesleyan, he received his MBA from NYU/Stern.
Jane Eisner ’77 is the new editor-in-chief of The Forward, one of America’s most prominent Jewish newsweeklies. The first female to hold this position, she was also the first female editor of the Argus. Previously the vice president for National Programs and Initiatives at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Eisner worked in editorial and news positions with the Philadelphia Inquirer for most of her career. She joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 2002 as a senior fellow at the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program and as an adjunct professor in the Political Science Department. She received a master’s degree from the Columbia University School of Journalism.
Seth Lerer ’76, holder of an endowed chair in the humanities and a professor of English and comparative literature at Stanford University since 1990, has been named dean of arts and humanities at the University of California, San Diego. He is a widely regarded researcher in the area of medieval and Renaissance studies, comparative studies, and the history of scholarship and children’s literature. An English major at Wesleyan, Lerer has published 10 books, including his most recent, Children’s Literature: A Reader’s History from Aesop to Harry Potter.
Attorney Sally C. Merrell ’76, a partner in the Milwaukee office of Quarles & Brady LLP, a national firm, was recognized among the Top 25 Women Lawyers in Wisconsin by Law & Politics magazine. This annual list comprises attorneys who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. In another peer-rated review, Merrell has been recognized among the best lawyers in America since 1995. Merrell focuses her practice in the areas of trusts and estate, tax-exempt organizations, family and domestic relations, and privately held businesses. She has devoted more than 20 years to assisting individuals and family-owned businesses in preserving, protecting and enhancing their wealth. A history major at Wesleyan, she earned her JD at the University of Virginia.
John Gardner ’74, provost at Avon Old Farms School, completed his 33rd season as varsity hockey coach, with a 27–1 overall record, a Founders’ League title, and an unparalleled seventh New England Prep Division I championship. Additionally, he reached a 600-win total in his coaching career before March. “I really like what I do. It’s a very rewarding profession; it keeps you young,” he said of his career as a private-school teacher, coach, and administrator, when interviewed on the Hartford FOX network affiliate. He also focused on the team: “We’ve had a lot of really outstanding players come to Avon and I’ve just been fortunate enough to work with those guys.”
Two alumni received promotions at The Hartford Courant: Barbara T. Roessner ’75, formerly deputy managing editor, is now managing editor. Dan Haar ’81, the business and economics columnist, was named business editor. At Wesleyan, Roessner was a classics major and Haar majored in government.
Thomas L. Greaney ’70 is the 2007 recipient of the Jay Healey Health Law Teachers Award. A CSS major at Wesleyan, Greaney was a Fulbright Scholar before attending Harvard Law School. After working as an attorney for the U.S. Justice Department, Greaney joined the faculty of Saint Louis University in 1987 and is currently their Chester A. Myers Professor of Law and the co-director of the University’s Center for Health Law Studies.
Bob Glasspiegel ’77 was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best life insurance stock analyst in a recent survey of the master stock pickers from each industry. A co-manager at Langen McAlleney in Hartford, he was an economics major at Wesleyan, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He earned his MBA from Harvard University. This is the sixth time the Wall Street Journal has named him in its listing of top analysts.
