The empty nesters, and almost empty nesters, among us are multiplying.

Jennifer Tucker Rosenberg, who works in New York as a psychiatrist in private practice and with children and adolescents in an agency, writes that the youngest of her three children has flown the coop. “We settled our youngest daughter, Raquel, into Barnard, where she joined her sister, Michal, who is a senior,” she wrote. “Our son, Eitan, is a web coder for Vimeo,” she said, adding that it’s “great to have all our kids in the same city—especially a city we love.”

Larry Selzer is still working at The Conservation Fund after 24 years, “and enjoying every part of it.” With his middle son, Ned, starting his second year at the University of Virginia, there’s just his daughter, Ellie, a high school senior, left at home. “Almost an empty nest, though not too sure we are ready for that,” he writes.

Rolando Arroyo, who lives in Oakland, Calif., is celebrating 25 years as a cardiovascular anesthesiologist at Kaiser Permanente. “My daughter is starting her junior year at the University of San Francisco, and my son is taking a break and back home; we almost made it to ‘empty nester’ status!” He wrote that his family this summer went diving and snorkeling in southern Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, and that he has been on a “quest to perfect the art of empanadas baked in my outdoor pizza oven.” Send samples!

Congratulations are in order for Joshua Ehrlich, a clinical psychologist living in Ann Arbor, Mich., whose first book was published in May. “It’s called, Divorce and Loss: Helping Adults and Children Mourn When a Marriage Comes Apart. It is designed for therapists, but also might be helpful for divorcing parents.”

Greg Lewis, who lives with his wife in Berkeley, sent his update via cellphone while he was en route to Busan, South Korea, for a conference on international aerosol research. “Spending my spare time sculling and walking our 3-year-old dachshund,” he wrote.

Gordon Dutter has “no big news” to share, “but you can say that I still teach history at Monroe Community College and live with my wife, pets, and garden in the Western Finger Lakes region of New York.”

David Loucky, a professor of trombone and euphonium at Middle Tennessee State University, performs summers as Principal Trombonist at the New Hampshire Music Festival, a professional summer orchestra in Plymouth. He also is called on at times to play ophicleide—a 19th century predecessor of the tuba. Among his recent performances was one in Nashville, where he recorded extra ophicleide, trombone, and tuba parts to Ben Folds’ Piano Concerto, to be released this year.

Heather Baker-Sullivan wrote “from the tranquil shores of 55,” she’s reflecting on her life’s “quiet and unremarkable pleasures and achievements”—among them “intermittent employment” while raising four children. Currently, she’s an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College, teaching and tutoring English.

She says three of her children are attending university north of the border. “For any of you who are fortunate to have a Canadian parent (me), if not being Canada born (I wasn’t), feel free to e-mail me about how to get citizenship status for your children if they are not yet of college age and you want to explore that possibility: riverliffey4@aol.com. We couldn’t believe it was possible to qualify for domestic tuition, but it was! And McGill is not the only decent uni there!”

Reeve Huston just ended a sabbatical from his job teaching history at Duke University, and is working on a book tentatively titled Reforging American Democracy: Political Practices in the United States, 1812-1840. He lives in Durham, N.C., with his wife, Sally, and son, Isaac, and continues to sing and play guitar, as well as trying his hand at drums and songwriting.

Shelby Haverson wrote that he dropped his daughter Sallie ’18 off at Wesleyan this fall, while Richard Klein, an attorney in Manhattan, writes that he is “proud that his daughter, Nicole Emily Klein ’15, is following in his footsteps and will be graduating from Wes in June 2015.”

Tricia Beard Mosher and her husband Doug, a manager at Walt Disney World, have three children “at varying stages of teen and adult life.” She owns a consulting firm that focuses on social work, organizational development, and child welfare, working with states, tribes, the federal government, and community agencies. “Lucky to be able to do my type of work nationally and occasionally internationally, while having a great family to bring along sometimes, and to come home to.”

Patty Smith is teaching creative writing and American literature at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, in Petersburg, Va. “Still cycling, and I participated in the 2013 Pan Mass Challenge, a two-day 192-mile bike ride to raise money for cancer research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.” She’s had an essay appear this summer in Broad Street; A New Magazine of True Stories, and another in the 20th anniversary edition of One Teacher in Ten: Gay and Lesbian Educators Tell Their Stories. She also received a scholarship to attend the Key West Literary Seminars in January 2015, where she’ll be taking a workshop in spiritual autobiography.

Joe Fins is on sabbatical during the fall 2014 at Yale University as the Dwight H. Terry Visiting Scholar in Bioethics. He’s also a visiting professor of the History of Medicine at the med school and a senior research scholar at the law school.

Elyse Klaidman writes that she is happily living in Berkeley and working at Pixar Animation. “I love the work I get to do, and the people I get to do it with. And Berkeley has the best weather and food!” she writes. “My oldest son is starting his sophomore year at the Rhode Island School of Design. While we miss him like crazy, my husband and younger son keep me entertained.”

Bob Russo enjoyed what he called “a fun time for a bunch of old geezers. Anthony Pahigian hosted a bunch of us—Mike Greenstein, Steve Davies ’83, John Brautigam, Joe Barrett, and Bill MacNamara—in Bethesda, Md., for a hike up Old Rag in the Shenandoah and for zip lining and white-water tubing on the Potomac at Harper’s Ferry.”

After teaching at the Derby Academy in the Boston area for 16 years, Carl Schwaber several years ago moved to Los Angeles to further his acting career. Since then, he has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in a sketch with comedian Howie Mandel, and he has also appeared on an episode of Criminal Minds. Both scenes can be viewed on his website, carlschwaber.com and he can be contacted via Facebook.

Rachael Adler opened the Waterfront Playhouse & Conservatory in Berkeley three years ago, which she describes as “a professional acting training program.” The mom of a 12-year old daughter, Rachael, who is “healthy, happy, and getting wiser,” was planning this fall to teach master classes in Barcelona.

Also working in theater is Carlia Francis. “In August, I began teaching acting and directing in the Department of Theatre Arts at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla. Previously I taught acting, directing, and playwriting as the Heanon Wilkins Fellow in theatre at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. “The difference in the names is very slight but all other changes are significant. It is the first time in the last nine years I’ve lived in a ‘city’ city, and that is taking a bit of adjustment,” she wrote, adding that with a number of her family members already in Miami, “the move felt like coming home.”

Many thanks for all your dispatches, and more, please!

Stephanie Griffith | stephaniedgriffith@gmail.com

Greetings, classmates! It’s been a while since I have reported due to various and sundry electronic mishaps, so allow me to publicly thank my co-anchor, David Block, for pitching in at the last minute on several occasions. Much obliged, David!

Leora Freedman has joined Occidental College (in Eagle Rock/Los Angeles) as its general counsel after spending several years in the Office of General Counsel at California State University. “I am very excited about this new challenge and opportunity,” she writes. “The job keeps me very busy, which is good because our children have left the nest, and I miss them a lot!” Leora’s daughter, Anna, graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 2013 and lives in N.Y.; Leora’s son, Jeremy, is currently a junior at Berkeley. One nice thing, Leora notes, is that “Occidental is a beautiful school and working on the campus reminds me of my days at Wesleyan!” I guess we can’t go back… but we can sure appreciate the memories.

I received news from both Kaylie Jones and Lisa Greim as to how their paths crossed this summer at the Norman Mailer Center’s summer program in Salt Lake City, where Kaylie taught a memoir-writing workshop in which Lisa participated. “It’s the coolest thing I’ve done recently,” Lisa noted, “and it was the first time I’d seen Kaylie since graduation day in 1981! So it was especially fun to reconnect and bomb around SLC!” Lisa reports that she is still living in Denver, still writing, still empty-nesting—and still single!

As to the news from Kaylie: In addition to her writing and her regular university position, Kaylie often teaches at workshops like the one at the Norman Mailer Center. “It was one of the best workshops I’ve ever taught because Lisa Greim came from Colorado to be in the group. We reminisced about old times and our shared mentor, Jack Paton. It was a great gift to spend this time with her.” On a more personal note, Kaylie writes that her daughter Eyrna (a high school senior) spent the entire summer studying kung fu with Shaolin monks in Qufu, China. She is planning on applying to Wesleyan.

“When I brought her to my 20th Reunion,” Kaylie writes, “Eyrna went to Camp Cardinal for the day and said, ‘I like college very much. This is where I want to go.’ She was three and hasn’t changed her mind since!” One of the more exciting developments in Kaylie’s professional sphere is the new imprint she began under the aegis of Akashic Books which, she informed me, “just happens to be a fantastic independent publishing company created by another Wesleyan grad, Johnny Temple ’88.” This New York-based imprint, called “Kaylie Jones Books,” has created an exciting cooperative of dedicated emerging and established writers who are integrally involved in the entire publishing process. What an exciting endeavor!

It was great to hear from Charlie Newell, who deserves congratulations as he celebrates 20 years as the artistic director of the University of Chicago’s Court Theatre. The Theatre is poised to open their most ambitious season yet as they commemorate 60 years of theater. On the slate are two world premieres, a Greek tragedy, a Beckett masterpiece and a classic American musical—all supported by the Center for Classic Theatre at the U. of Chicago. If anyone is in the neighborhood, don’t miss one of these productions! Check out courtheatre.org for schedules and more information.

Ariel Rubissow Okamoto is still heavily involved in ecological issues out in the Bay Area, where she continues to write and publish on California water and ecosystem restoration issues. And speaking of restoration, Ariel writes that she and her family spent several weeks putting their vineyard to rights after the August 2014 earthquake in the Napa Valley. “Who knew so many plumbing and irrigation connections could be broken in 12 seconds,” she muses, “not to mention wine glasses? The tremor was so strong it broke the leg off the iron wood stove and the wheel off the grand piano!” Wow! Fortunately, everyone made it through the quake safely and—luckily for wine aficionados—the Rubissow wine inventory remained intact.

Matt King wrote in with news of his family. Daughter Isabelle ’16 is currently studying abroad in Copenhagen, where Matt and his wife plan to visit later this fall. On the work front, Matt has been asked to take over as the deputy assistant secretary of a new division at the Department of Homeland Security called “Law Enforcement Policy” while still keeping one foot in International Affairs. “This should be fun, and busy,” says Matt, “but it makes the holiday in Denmark seem too far away!” Congratulations on your new position, Matt, and all the best—it’s no easy task in today’s world!

Stephen White tells me that he retired from the military in 2011, is working at his wife Gayle’s property business, and enjoying it very much. Their 20-year-old daughter, Taylor, is living and working in Amherst, Mass. Steve also writes that he was “back on campus just last night picking up the latest sweatshirt!” Go Wes! He sends a special shout out to Jim White ’80, Mike Whalen ’83 and Bryon Lyons ’82.Another alum who was recently on campus is Ed Suslovic, who dropped off his daughter Kate ’17 for the start of her sophomore year. He and Spence Smith ran the Alumni Cross Country Race Sept. 6th., placing “respectably” behind the current set of runners. Ed writes that he and his wife dropped off their other daughter at Smith, where she is following in Ed’s footsteps as a cross-country runner. “I tried to keep up with her this summer with no success. I was hoping that experience would trump age but no such luck.” Son Matt started his sophomore year of high school and is unsure how he feels about being an only child. (My son Christopher found himself in the same boat last year… I think he’s looking forward to college!)

Kathy Prager Conrad, too, was back on campus in June for the graduation of her daughter Caroline ’14, who is now living in New York City along with her sister Liza ’11. This past July, Kathy, Deb Chapin Neebe, and Livia Wong McCarthy reunited at Livia’s beautiful home in Princeton—alas, without the fourth member of the Sunday Night Co-op (me!). Needless to say, a good time was had by all—even minus the Gallo Hearty Burgundy (and yours truly)!

Doug Mannen ’82 checked in from Oregon via Facebook. So much happening in his life! His two oldest daughters are getting married this coming year, child four of five just started college, and the youngest just entered high school. “It kind of feels like the beginning of the end of this phase of life,” writes Doug, a sentiment to which most of us can relate. He laments that he does not see too many Wes alum out in Oregon but this July he had the pleasure of welcoming Mark diTargiani ’85 and his family, as well as Coach Mike Whalen ’83.

Bart Brebner sent along this update: “In September, the following members of the Class of ’81 and ’82 held a dinner party in New York City to celebrate the milestone of their turning 55 in 2014: David Resnick P’13 (and wife Cathy Klema), Jeff Kluger (and wife Jenny), Laurie Jacobs P’12 (and friend, Robert Zorowitz), Jim Bordewick with his wife, Martha McNamara ’83, Amy Horowitz Schorr with her husband, Brian Schorr ’79, Joe Fins ’82 (and wife Amy Ehrlich) and Bart Brebner with his wife, Karen Liepmann ’83. Bart brought with him the Class of 1981 ‘Facebook’ printed in August 1977 and everyone—other than the spouses—agreed that we did not look much different from when we entered Wes!”

And as for me? I keep busy with my various volunteer activities, traveling, and teaching Zumba, which I really love. Our summer took us to Berlin (as usual) and then to the south of France (exceptionally). We happened to be in Nice during the jazz festival—wonderfully serendipitous and great fun! Where else can you sit back, sip champagne and listen to amazing jazz? That’s my kind of festival! All three of our sons are now here in town. Our eldest son, Alex (a software engineer), has returned home to the Midwest after a stint in Seattle working at Microsoft. He is happily ensconced back in Bloomington and gainfully employed in his field, and doing some consulting on the side. Our middle son, James, is a sophomore and studying informatics here at Indiana University, keeping busy with his studies (we hope!), his group house, his music, and his position on the IU Ultimate Frisbee Team. He took a summer class in Germany and apparently very much enjoyed showing the other students around the city of his birth, Berlin—or so it appeared from his Facebook posts! Last but not least, our third son, Christopher, is (maybe?) enjoying his status as “single child” as he enters his junior year in high school. He is a good student and musician (first chair sax in addition to being an accomplished pianist) as well as an athlete (tennis and ultimate Frisbee, whose team he captains); he also volunteers as a chess teacher in a local elementary school. So all in all, life is good!

Please write to me with news of you and yours.

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

JOANNE godin audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

For those of you who didn’t hear, our dear classmate Julia Tag Wu Trethaway passed away on July 9, 2014.

Gary Gilyard writes: “I was so sorry to hear about Julia Wu. I will always remember her smiling and full of energy…..so sad. My wife, Linda, and I just returned from taking our youngest Shelby ’17 back to school yesterday. She is a biology major and plays lacrosse for Wesleyan. So far she has lived exactly where I lived when I was a student. This year is William Street. I always love to be back at Wes. She is our youngest. Our middle daughter just got married six months ago and lives in Phoenix (hopefully temporarily), and our oldest is in Chicago. I can’t believe this will be our 35th Reunion. It really doesn’t feel like that long, but neither did my 30th wedding anniversary this past May. We will be back for Homecoming as well as the Reunion! My practice is going well, I am an orthopedic surgeon at the Detroit Medical Center specializing in sports medicine. I love what I do and am not even beginning to think about slowing down. My wife is a NICU nurse at the University of Michigan. I’m really looking forward to seeing as many classmates as possible this May.”

Pam Keon writes: “Thanks for sharing the very sad news about Tag. She touched so many lives in too short a time. My life is full. Although I’ve not had many opportunities to see Wes friends over the years, I was very lucky to reconnect recently with wonderful Lisa Kaufman, whom I’d not seen since graduation day. Over an all-too-brief lunch here in Mill Valley, sitting by the water in the company of her lovely husband, Peter, we attempted to catch up on the past 34 years. It was an impossible but delightful task. I am in the throes of trying to batten down the hatches as I head off in a few days for our first family vacation in 13 years! My son, Will, and my daughter, Mollie, and I are meeting in Ecuador to visit the Galapagos—a trip of a lifetime for us. Mollie just earned her undergraduate degree from Emerson, and Will just earned his graduate degree from Harvard, so it’s an unusual moment in time when everyone is in transition and not fully tied down by vocational obligations.” See complete entry on WesConnect for some interesting special interests of Pam’s.

Alan Jacobs writes: “Recently, I did the math and realized that I would have two kids in college for seven consecutive years. Apparently, we forgot to do that math when we were starting a family. Gil is graduating this year from Brandeis, Ron ’16 is a junior at Wesleyan, Avia is a senior in high school, being recruited/pushed by her dad to play soccer somewhere in the Northeast next fall, and Guy is a freshman in high school. I’m having a great time in the entertainment business here in Los Angeles. I’ve had the good fortune to work with many talented and inspiring people and though my heart will always be in New York, it’s been a great place to raise kids and make movies. Along the way, my company has provided summer internships to over a dozen Wesleyan students, most recently Ming Zhu ’15, Zoe Broad ’14 and Jenna Robbins ’13.

Scott Hecker writes: “Greetings from San Diego, which has now been home for over 10 years for me and my family (wife Gail, daughter Claire, 13, and son Niall, 11). Twenty years after leaving my cushy job at Pfizer to join the crazy world of biotech start-ups, and after twice experiencing the high of going public only to be dashed by seeing the stock price go through the floor, I finally have a modicum of success to report. My latest company, Rempex Pharmaceuticals, was acquired in December 2013 by The Medicines Company (headquartered in New Jersey). We have discovered and are developing a new antibiotic to deal with those nasty bacteria in hospitals that you keep hearing about. And, unlike most biotech acquisitions, we all still have our jobs! We spent a few days in New York this summer, and one of the highlights was seeing The Lion King on Broadway, with Robert Levin ’81 performing one of the feature drum parts. Hoping that Wesleyan will invite Urban Renewal back to play at Reunion/Commencement in 2015 or 2016!

Al Spohn writes: “I’m into year 24 of doing IT at the Mayo Clinic. Married with kids aged 2, 6 and 8… I’ve essentially become the grandfather that can’t run away. Not much else to report. Oh, I also accepted an adjunct faculty position at the Minnesota College of Art and Design this fall.”

Jenny Anne Horst-Martz writes: “I am living and working in Philadelphia, where I am a project manager at a law firm. My husband of more than 20 years is a teacher at a Friends school, and we have two kids. My daughter, Emma, is off to Connecticut College, where Katherine Bergeron—a fellow Catholic feminist of the Fr. Charlie Gonzalez era—is the new college president. It was great to see Katherine again at move-in day, and to hear that Brad Moss is also sending his son to Connecticut College this year. Some of you may not be aware that Connecticut College for Women was founded in 1911 when Wes kicked the women out. Now, both schools are coed with similar missions, but I’ll tell you, the campus at Connecticut College is even more beautiful than Wesleyan, and it retains a good deal of spunk from its origins, embracing the dromedary as its mascot. Go Camels!” See Wesconnect to see the other nine people Jenny mentions.

Reunion 2015 marks our 35th. Hope to see many of you there. 

KIMBERLY OFRIA SELBY | kim_selby@yahoo.com

By the time we’re reading this, our 25th Reunion party weekend is over. The highlights (lowlights?) from our great gathering (the ones you volunteer to share 🙂 with us will be included in our next column! Til then, we’ve got exciting news!

Our classmate Jodi Wenger recently moved from Vermont to Newton, Mass., with husband Stuart and three boys—12, 8 and 6. After 12 years at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center as a pediatric hospitalist and spina bifida doc she took a job with the Comprehensive Care Program at Boston Medical Center—a place that offers a primary care medical home for children with complex medical issues. “Stuart and I continue to support our amion.com, a website to post physician call schedules created using our software.”

Jessica Glass completed a documentary, The Fuentidueña Apse: A Journey from Castile to New York for The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 28 mins; 2013. It can be seen at: metmuseum.org/metmedia/video/collections/med/fuentiduena-apse.

She was invited to screen it in Spain at the XIIIth International Archaeological Film Festival of the Bidasoa last November, where she honeymooned with her husband of three years, Dave Raymond ’87, also the audio engineer for the film. They are back in the States, splitting their time between NYC and their sheep farm in South Windsor, Conn. Yes, I said SHEEP FARM y’all. Love our Wes peeps. Go, Jessica and husband!

For our classmate Tullan Spitz news of Nelson Mandela’s death brought back memories of the late 1980s on campus. Among those memories, she cites the popularity of West African dance and drumming courses, the student protests geared toward forcing the administration to divest from South Africa (which it ultimately did)….and more! She writes: “In the spirit of respect for a place that expanded my cultural horizons and helped shape my values and ideals, here are my notes…” Tullan has interacted with many of our classmates/friends recently. Here’s what they’ve ALL been up to, Tullan’s own words:

“I have been on the West Coast since 1991, first in San Francisco and currently in Portland, Ore. I am married to Andrew Robin and have a stepson, Nick (23) and a daughter, Astrid (7). I work at Oregon Public Broadcasting in the National and Educational Media department. Coincidentally, I report to VP Dave Davis ’70.

Despite residing in a hinterland, I have some long-time friends nearby. Suk Kim is VP and General Counsel at a technology company in Portland and is married to Amit Singh. Their two daughters (Téa, 11 and Juni, 7) are good friends with my daughter. I can also report that Julie Eigler ’89 is alive and well and working as a trauma nurse at Oregon Health Sciences University and for a hospice service. In summer 2012 Julie married John Goff here in Portland, an occasion that lured Julie Cluett ’90 and Kate True from the East Coast. It was great to see them both. After many years living abroad, Julie Cluett is back in the States, somewhere in Massachusetts. Kate has visited Portland often, and for the wedding brought her three daughters (Ona, 16, Flora, 14, and Tess, 9). Kate has a flourishing portrait business in Boston and this work and her other fine art has appeared in many shows in the region.

“I have been in touch on and off with my frosh and senior year roommate, Lynn Slobodien, who is a teacher in Minneapolis and has a son, Cecil, who turns 8 this month. I recently had occasion to reconnect with David Gimbel through my work on an archaeology project. He is married, living in New York, and has a new baby, Inés.

“My sister, Leslie Spitz-Edson ’86, her husband Mike Edson ’87 and their kids Guthrie (16) and Sigrid (almost 13) visited the great Northwest this fall and we took them up to Timberline Lodge at 6,000 feet on one of our local volcanoes, Mt. Hood. Leslie is working on a novel and Mike is a Web and new media strategist at the Smithsonian Institution.” Tullan would love to hear from folks!

Lara Balter lives in Wellesley, Mass., with her husband Steve ’90. They have four children, two in college. Their oldest daughter is a senior at Bates majoring in geology; their son is in his freshman year at Wake Forest. Lara says her son has “no major yet, but he’s on their golf team and enjoying that,” and life is “a bit calmer with two out the house.” Their 15-year-old daughter is a sophomore and their 12-year-old daughter is enjoying 7th grade. Husband Steve co-manages some funds at Fidelity with Chris Galizio ’90.

After a stint back working 80 hours a week Lara is now “enjoying driving in endless circles with her girls to and from school and visiting the two who have left the nest.” Way to go Lara!

Vermont-based soul and blues singer/guitarist Dave Keller is celebrating the release of his new CD, Soul Changes. Keller recorded the CD in Memphis and Brooklyn, with some of the finest soul musicians alive: Al Green’s original backing unit, The Hi Rhythm Section. Renowned guitarist Ronnie Earl has called Dave’s newest work: “One of the best records I’ve ever heard.” Umm, that’s pretty cool!!! If you all are looking for more information on Dave and his music visit his website davekeller.com.

Til next time, y’all!

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

MICHELE BARNWELL | fishtank_michele@yahoo.com

Hillary writes for this issue: Not many responses to my call for class notes, so I imagine you are all very busy enjoying spring.

Donna Propp writes: “Last summer I received an Earthwatch educator grant to travel to Easter Island to study its history and ecology and to assist with a local reforestation program. I spent most of my time hiking and gardening, two activities I love but rarely get to do, and used what I learned to develop lessons on environmental sustainability for math, history, and science classes.”

Michael Doran reports: “This summer, I return to the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law, where I will teach tax, property, legal theory, and Native American law. I seem to average about two Wesleyan graduates each year, and it’s always fun to have them in class. I will continue to live in Bethesda, Md., where my wife is a program director at the National Institutes of Health. Our three children are growing up fast—too fast.”

As for me, it feels like ages ago at this point, but I had the pleasure of reconnecting with Bronwyn Poole and Julie Lenner in Chicago when I was there for a meeting in November. Hope you are all well and happy!

PETER v.s. BOND | 007@pvsb.org

Hillary Ross | hrossdance@yahoo.com

Hi! So much news, so little space. So here goes. Please see online notes for many more details—I had to edit mercilessly.

Bill Shapiro wrote: “As many of you know, Chris Molnar died—tragically and unexpectedly—in January of 2013. It was an extremely difficult year. Chris and I were no longer married but lived a couple of blocks apart and had been raising our two kids together. I’m happy to report that the kids, despite missing their mom tremendously, are doing really well. Couldn’t have done it without my girlfriend, Naomi, and support from Chris’ Wes friends. Workwise, I’m now leading strategic ventures and partnerships at Fast Company magazine. And then there’s this: I helped Keith Richards write a children’s book called Gus & Me, which is out in September.”

After 20 years in education and five years as a life coach, Lisa Pavlovsky is now manager of scholarship programs for the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund.

Claudia Center writes, “In March, I will leave my longtime (19 years!) position as a disability rights attorney at the Legal Aid Society—Employment Law Center. In April, I will join the ACLU Foundation’s Equality Center as a disability rights attorney. I will be working out of the ACLU’s San Francisco office.

Beth Mix is working for the Manchester Youth Service Bureau coordinating positive youth development programs and advocating to keep kids out of the juvenile justice system. She is married and is raising two young sons.

Amy Baltzell is working on a new book entitled, The Cambridge Companion to Mindfulness and Performance. “I have 23 authors from around the world contributing chapters…We are learning that when we help performers accept unwanted thoughts and feelings—instead of trying to change them—that this helps tremendously with high-pressure performance and learning new skills. Other than that, our 8-year-old girl, Zoey, is playing boys’ lacrosse and is an avid Irish step dancer; our 10-year-old boy, Luke, is unicycle–crazed, and Shayna, our 5’7″ 12-year-old, is a ballet dancer.”

Elizabeth Kromelow Dietz got her coach’s level- one certification with USA Hockey last fall and instructed group and private skating lessons at Lasker Rink in Central Park this season. Krom’s younger son, James Dietz ’18, will attend Wes, joining his brother, Max Dietz ’16. Fun!

Last July, John Snyder left his position as director of the teaching clinic at Baystate Children’s Hospital and joined Amherst Pediatrics, a small private practice in Amherst, “I also remain actively involved in promoting science-based medicine, including writing for sciencebasedmedicine.org.

Andrew Hall has been playing jazz bass with a few different groups here in the New York City area. “When I’m not working, I’m either cooking, fooling about with our pair of Bengals, getting dirty in the garden, playing tennis, or just lolling around our lovely Jersey City townhouse with my wife, Lauren. Anyone heard from Andy Liss ’88?”

Sue Roginski has really planted seeds and rooted herself in Riverside, Calif. She is committed to making the city a “hub” for dance. She’s hopeful a few new events will encourage dancers to stay: Trolley Dances Riverside and dance­STORM. Check out info on placeperformance.org and visit Sue if you are in L.A….please?

Eileen Deignan has “had a good year for catching up with Wesleyan friends while in Colorado. Johanna Van Hise Heart and Simon Heart are in Boulder with their three beautiful children. Eric Peterson is back in Denver after a few decades away in Zaire and Arizona. He and his wife, Anne, also have three beautiful children. Eric is a family medicine physician. Eric and I had a great time looking through pictures and recalling adventures in his orange VW bug. I live in Newton, Mass., with my husband Victor and two sons.”

Simon Connor is married to Melissa Hadfield and lives in Seattle. He works as a psychotherapist in private practice, and plays in a rock band.

From Andrew Gaines: “I expect others of you have, or are about to have, the similar experience of crossing the big 50. I think it’s a moment for which one can make any meaning, complete any yearning, or simply allow to pass with a wee bit of recognition. That said, I recognize that as I near this supposed threshold life is fuller, busier and more engaged than ever. And my work as executive director of Ashby Village (ashbyvillage.org) continues to deepen and grow.”

Linda Malias Passaro headed back to Wesleyan for the career weekend in February. “Reconnected with old classmates and helped students on interviewing skills and developing ‘personal brands.’ Working now on getting summer interns and some graduates into permanent job placements. Amazing how the campus has grown but the spirit of the school remains so consistent after all these years! The visit was good for my soul.”

From Tim Sheridan: “After 10 years with Razorfish, I’m now digital creative director at Burrell Communications in Chicago and I’ve also been teaching at the Chicago Portfolio School.”

AJ Salerno “got a visit from Ted Galo ’85 and new girlfriend this weekend—dinner and laughs. Ted is JV hockey coach at Hingham High School. Ran into Tony Antonellis ’86 and his wife at the Wellfleet Oyster Festival in October. He gave me a hard time for wearing an Amherst football hat that my cousin gave me! From the looks of things, you can actually wear a Wesleyan football hat with pride for the first time in a while.”

Hope Salzer became president of her local League of Women Voters. “Even more exciting, I was voted to the board of a California-wide, grassroots, public education advocacy organization. The organization, Educate Our State, educateourstate.org, has taken the courageous step of filing a public ballot initiative in California that would prevent the state from siphoning off 25 percent of the local property taxes that are allocated to K through 14 education (schools and community colleges) and using it for other things.”

Lastly, I (Amanda) just want to report that Rob Campbell became a father this past February (a baby boy), and had a Broadway show open a month later. He was amazing in the play about LBJ and is overjoyed albeit exhausted. Such good news. Another highlight of the season was seeing Matt Paul and Naomi Mezey—love them always.

Until next time,

Amanda Jacobs Wolf | wolfabj@gmail.com

1988

For this issue of the class report, we begin with Lydia Crawford, who wrote: “I have not found the proverbial work-life balance—when my son was 10 and I was encouraging him to spend less time in front of the computer screen, he correctly noted that I spent my whole day in front of the computer! I then explained to him that I was paid to do work in front of the computer, to which he replied that I could certainly pay him to be at the computer….”

Some of the other news: Sam Atkinson has kept in touch with his three frosh roomies from Clark 312. He sees Tony Antonellis around Boston for lunch and Wes events. He recently spoke to Kevin Freund, who is in Ohio, has the 50th birthday year itch, and is planning the next chapter of his career. Sam also spends time with Peter Hammond every fall, when Peter visits for a reunion weekend in N.H., along with Mark Woodbury ’87.

Michael Tomasson and his wife, Kathy Weilbaecher (Harvard ’87), celebrated their 22nd anniversary. They are both physician researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, and their three kids are in 6th, 9th, and 12th grades. Michael is a physician on the leukemia and stem cell transplantation service and is scientific director of the multiple myeloma program. Generous with his time department: He does experimental science outreach as co-founder of PubStyleScience.com, which uses a combination of Google Hangouts and Twitter to host (very) informal dialogues about issues in biomedical science.

Lisa Clough and John (now Johan) Booth met up again this year at the South Pole. Lisa is a program manager at the National Science Foundation, and spends about a month a year in Antarctica. Johan was spending his 10th winter in Antarctica, where he works for NOAA on many things including keeping track of the size of the ozone hole.

Lydia Crawford also wrote, “I have been living in Saint Paul for the past 23 years and endured all 23 winters—not bad for a girl who grew up in Saudi Arabia! I moved here after law school at the University of Virginia, was in private practice for a while, clerked for a federal district court judge for a while, and have been with Wells Fargo for the past 13 years. I am a consumer credit attorney, working with all the so-called “alphabet regulations—A through Z—and since the advent of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, I have been quite busy.…[With husband and kids,] we keep busy skiing, hiking, camping, biking, taking in the excellent regional theater in the Twin Cities, and savoring any sunny day above freezing!”

Dan Kolbert has been in Portland, Maine, since 1988: “50 had me freaked out for at least a year but so far hasn’t been so bad (or my dread successfully prepared me). I’m a building contractor and active in the regional community of ‘green’ builders and designers. I host a monthly Building Science Discussion Group as well, which has been both fun and a great way to share best practices. My spousal equivalent and I have two kids, the younger of whom is completely sick of my inability to watch a movie or TV show without telling her who I went to college with. ‘How come you’re not rich?’ she asks.”

Jody Lewen has been in the Bay Area since 1994, currently the executive director of the Prison University Project, which runs an associate’s degree program inside San Quentin State Prison for over 300 people. “I often think about how much my experiences at Wesleyan have informed my work—I seem to be driven to create a little Wesleyan inside San Quentin. I love my colleagues and the students at SQ, but there’s also a great deal of extreme heartbreak in working inside the California prison system. Work is very much the center of my life, so it’s a good thing the Bay Area is as beautiful as it is. Most regularly in touch with Judith Hill-Weld and Katherine Forrest, with occasional signs of life from Tyche Hendricks and Lizzie Carty ’87.”

John McIntyre was on a medical mission to rural Haiti in April; one goal is integrating remote interpretation of medical images from Haiti into the neuroradiology program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where he works. “Great to have so much local cross-country skiing right out my door. Great fall and saw many Wes folks at the Head of the Charles when I rowed in a senior masters eight with Alex Thomson ’82 and Kevin Foley ’82. Seeing a lot of John Gemery ’85, Michael Zegans ’85, and Jinny Kim Hartman ’86, all DH doctors. Following in Jon Chatinover ’83’s footsteps in Martha’s Vineyard, I have gotten involved in coaching the Hanover High School swim team and enjoy the rapid improvement of the student swimmers over a relatively short season.”

Eileen Mohan Flaherty has found her second career as a high school English teacher in Hartford to be far more gratifying than the practice of law. She and her husband, Patrick, are savoring their time with daughter, Cat, before she heads off as a freshman to Sarah Lawrence College in the fall.

Bennett Schneider: “I celebrated my 50th on April 5 in New York, eating Chinese food with Julia Barclay, Shawn Cuddy, James Hallett, Cobina Gillitt ’87, and Nathan Gebert ’85. Melinda Newman and I explore restaurants around L.A. regularly and are as close as ever. I’m going on six years of performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (as an actor in their education series) and 10 years as creative director and director of operations with Doozycards.com, making short animations. The work I’ve done the longest has been as vice-president of the charitable group, The Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for five years now and as a gay Hindu drag nun for 18 years.”

Eric Howard | EricInMaine@gmail.com

Timothy Jacobs has been an anthropology and sociology professor at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, Conn. He belongs to more than 30 hereditary societies and is the genealogist and/or registrar for several of them. A professional genealogist, Tim also paints and makes stringed musical instruments. He is putting together several CDs of his music (some with Victoria Grace Landgraf ’88).

Marc Stein writes: “After sixteen years of living and teaching in Toronto, I’ll be moving to the Bay Area this summer to begin my new position as the Pasker Chair in U.S. history at San Francisco State University. I’m looking forward to my new adventure (and will continue to spend time in Maine, where my partner teaches).”

Michael Banbury, chief of cardiac surgery and chair of cardiovascular surgery for Christiana Care Health System in Newark, Del., just finished a “Master of Health Care Delivery Science” at Dartmouth: “The idea is to prepare people in the health care sector to think carefully about the challenges we face in this sector and to develop innovative solutions to the many problems at hand.”

Tim Clark visited Wesleyan with his son, Philip, for Alumni Sons and Daughters weekend. Larry Attia was also in attendance with his daughter. “… the campus looks great, particularly Clark Hall which was decidedly (but lovably) dumpy back in the day. After only a few minutes, my Wesleyan compass kicked in, allowing me to navigate parts of the campus indoors on what turned out to be a very cold day.  Had I only kept a copy of my old head resident master keys, I could have done the entire tour underground.” Tim, Larry, and Steve Pace ’84 will continue their now 30-year tradition of watching the Mets play on the road. This year they are bound for Denver. (Tim notes: “John Brown, if you are reading this, please join us in Section 101 — there is a ticket in your name at the will call window.”) Tim also caught up with Celia Vimont whose son is also applying to college.

Shelley Starkvolunteers for Dr. Donald Berwick who is running for governor of Massachusetts. “I interned for Don during one of my summers home from Wesleyan. I spend time with Rosilyn Ford and David Shopper ’81. Ros is a nurse practitioner in Belmont, and David continues to build his photography business on the North Shore.” Living in Attleboro with her husband, Louis Jackson, and their two children, Holland, 12, and Spenser, 11, Shelley works as a health policy consultant in Rhode Island.

John Brown and his wife moved to Jupiter, Fla., when he took a new job with INTECH.  They have adjusted very well to life without seasons and “live in shorts and flipflops.” Their new business venture is a wine bar: “We have access to some of the best wines in the world and would love to share them with Wes friends.”

Rich Adams started a new job, “working as a PA on the Ear, Nose and Throat service in Rhode Island, excited to be back in an academic environment and learning a ton. Being the least knowledgeable (and usually oldest) guy in the room, seems to be a trend for me….”

Bekkie Wright finished her 50 States marathon quest! Bekkie was in the Raleigh/Durham area in early February with her father, Jim Wright ’55, for his 80th birthday. “I still have a little speed left at the short distances because I scored as 3rd Female Master (40+) in the Run for the Roses 5K.”

Michael Solomon has a new job at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) as the senior regional director for the north east region, where he will oversee FINRA’s NYC, Long Island, Philadelphia, NJ, and Boston district offices. His oldest daughter, Emma,is going to Wes in the fall.

K.T. Whaley bought her mother’s company, the Center for Montessori Education. “We train people to be Montessori teachers. All my work at Wes in problem solving [and] identification, connecting themes, thinking creatively, and honing communication skills, were great training for this position.” K.T.’s eldest daughter, Sarah, is looking at colleges, and Emma is getting ready for her Bat Mitzvah next year.

Jessica Bernstein, a freelance writer and copy editor, lives in San Antonio with her husband, Jonathan Bernstein, a columnist covering U.S. politics for Bloomberg View. They have two daughters, ages 20 and 15, one a sophomore at Mount Holyoke and one a ninth grader.

Chris and Nancy Sinacola are pleased to announce the birth of their first grandchild, Jane Woolf Burress, born in early December to their daughter Alena Burress and her husband, Toby. Alena, a “campus baby” from 1983 to 1985, attended a few Classics Department classes and events. Chris is editorial page editor at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette; Nancy is tutoring Latin. Their son, Jonas, spent five years in the Marine Corps and now lives in Virginia. Their other daughters are finishing college: Mary is a senior at the Art Institute of Boston, and Lucy a junior at Northeastern.

Evan Nelson lives in Virginia and works as a forensic clinical psychologist. His practice has included high profile cases such as Lorena Bobbitt, the DC snipers, the Somalia pirates (of “Captain Philips” fame), and the Atkins case, which led to the U.S. Supreme Court to declare it illegal to execute intellectually disabled defendants. He and his wife (also a forensic clinical psychologist) have been in practice together for almost 20 years.  “The older of my two children is a senior in high school, so we visited Wesleyan as part of his college quest (but he has decided to go to William & Mary). I was impressed by the growth of the campus, but I mourned the loss of MoCon and my fond memories of socializing there.”

Amy Nash continues to love living in Minneapolis: “I have been with the same architecture firm (MSR) as a marketing specialist for almost 17 years now. I also nurture my passion for writing poetry and keep my poetry blog (arambler.com) alive. My poem, “Souvenir, Erosion,” will be published in an anthology about Martha’s Vineyard’s Gay Head Lighthouse. I will be attending a poetry workshop at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown this summer.”

CAROLINE WILKINS | mbkeds@yahoo.com

MARY BETH KILKELLY | cwilkins85@yahoo.com

Roger Pincus is your host this issue. Thanks to everyone who’s submitted news to us—here it is:

Michael Misi Polgar is an associate professor of sociology at Penn State University in Hazelton, Pa. His work includes sociological research on gendered variations in service learning. He and his wife, Michele, are happily busy with three daughters, but he finds time to volunteer in his community as a soccer coach.

Andy Peretz has avoided the winter blues as he practices commercial litigation and entertainment law in South Florida, where he represents entertainment companies producing music festivals and cruises. He also plays drums in area bands. The music-loving gene has been transmitted to both Andy’s teenage son and daughter, who enjoy attending rock shows with their dad.

Laura Simon remains in Connecticut working as the wildlife ecologist for the Humane Society of the United States. She proudly reports that her 10-year-old son, Jack, participated in a successful lobbying effort that culminated in a new state law giving students a choice to opt out of dissection.

Paul Gross has spent the last five years applying everything he learned in business to medical research by becoming board chair and the most active volunteer for the Hydrocephalus Association, the largest patient advocacy organization, for his son’s common but poorly treated brain condition. Paul had founded a clinical research network in neurosurgery a few years earlier and merged the two organizations so they wouldn’t be competing with one another for funding. He serves on the advisory council for one of the National Institutes of Health and travels often between Seattle and D.C. In his free time, Paul races mountain bikes in his home state of Washington.

Speaking of biking, Aaron Gershenberg has done several fundraising rides per year since graduation; last year, his team (Silicon Valley Bank) raised almost $1 million for Best Buddies, an organization that benefits the intellectually and developmentally challenged. Aaron also has joined the board of First Move, an organization that promotes the inclusion of chess in the second and third grade classroom. He works closely with Magnus Carlsen, current world chess champion.

Steven Herzog has been living in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his girlfriend/partner, Carrie Jabinsky, for about five years; they have a 3-year-old daughter, Sasha. Steven’s two older daughters are both doing well—Rachel is a junior majoring in classics at Barnard and Charlotte is a freshman at Kenyon planning to double major in theater and math. Steven continues working as a litigation counsel for Paul Weiss in New York, handling commercial cases and pro bono work on death penalty cases. He invites any classmate in or visiting New York to look him up.

Jeff Mehlman reports that he and wife Lynne Bono Mehlman are still in North Andover, Mass., where they have lived for more than 25 years. Jeff continues to work as a management and information technology consultant in the capital markets and Lynne is an accomplished painter in the classical tradition: lynnebmehlman.com. Their son, Jake, and daughter, Julia, are sophomores at the University of Denver and Bowdoin College respectively. Jake took a year off between high school and college, during which he walked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. He now enjoys his access to the Rockies and competing in rugby. Julia is thriving academically and as president of her social house. She also has had success competing as a sprinter.

Mark Randles continues to be a ball of fire when it comes to socializing with other Wesleyan alums. In March he attended a birthday party for Melany Kahn ’86 in New Hampshire. He reports that Michael Bailit and Jim Glickman were among those present. Days earlier, Mark spent time with David Booker, Mike Murphy, and Shakir Farsakh. David is a lawyer with Credit Agricole, Mike is with Morgan Stanley, and Shakir is with the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration. By the time you are reading this, Shakir may be reporting to Stefan Selig, whom the President has nominated as Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade.

Chuck Schneider is enjoying touring in support of his novel, A Portrait in Time, which was released in print in January 2014. And Michael Lewyn’s book, A Libertarian Smart Growth Agenda: How to Limit Sprawl Without Curbing Property Rights, was published by Lambert Academic Publishing. Mike continues to teach at Touro Law School and blog on urban affairs.

Finally, class co-secretary Michael Steven Schultz is happy to announce that his son Quinlan will be a freshman at Hampshire College this fall. In addition, Michael Steven was delighted to catch Beth Kaufman ’86 and Mark Miller ’88 with their band, Spuyten Duyvil, at Steel City Coffeehouse in Phoenixville, Pa. Beth is a powerhouse singer and anyone in New England or the NY/NJ/PA area should keep an eye out for their tour dates at sputyenduyvilmusic.com.

Michael Steven Schultz
mschultz84@wesleyan.edu

Roger PincuS | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu

Greetings, everyone. Sipping coffee at my kitchen table, looking outside at the daffodils and forsythia beginning to open, birds are singing in the background, and there is a pair of cardinals darting about the woods. Gonna spend the day in NYC with an old friend and kids are all doing well freshman year. Life is pretty good. Well, almost, —one gray cloud hovering, divorce. But, I recently got Reiki certified and am focusing on the positive energy. To that end, it is heartwarming as classmates continue to share their stories and thank me for compiling these notes. The truth is, I have to thank you…it’s wonderfully fun reading all the interesting paths everyone is on and catching up with former friends and acquaintances. Besides, it is easy…I just cut and paste (how did we ever survive with typewriters back in the ’80s?), and interweave a few connecting sentences to make it flow. Here now the news, which the editors have shortened to fit our allotted space. Please see the full notes at classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu/:

Children are a common theme. Marc Mowrey writes, “My son, Tennessee, graduates this spring and wife Susie and I will be in Middletown to see his senior thesis recital and again in May for graduation!” Mitch Plave shares, “My son, Aaron Plave ’15, is studying abroad this semester in Budapest at the Aquincum Institute of Technology (AIT), which is a computer sciences program for very serious students and professors. Aaron is a computer science major at Wes.” Mitch looks forward to visiting Aaron in Budapest and adds daughter Leah is a freshman at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a thriving cellist. She received high honors on her recent boards, which confirms for her unbiased dad that she is extraordinary. Mitch’s legal practice as a banking regulatory attorney D.C. continues to interest and challenge him. Mitch is in touch with Liam Newberg, who does analytics for Anheuser-Busch in California and Beth Tractenberg, who focuses on complex estate planning matters as a partner in NYC at Katten Muchin, Rosenman.” Small world…because, I (Laurie) work with Beth’s dad, Paul Tractenberg ’60 at Rutgers and he is a Wes alumnus, too, and apparently a very good cyclist.

Keeping with the law theme: Todd Maybrown does trial work (mostly criminal defense) and teaches at the University of Washington Law School. His daughter is a first-year at Oberlin and a musician. Todd sees David Kauff who lives just down the block. Miriam Hiser celebrates 15 years of practice with her own law firm in San Francisco and spends her off time swimming in the San Francisco Bay. She did a relay English Channel Swim in 2011 and would enjoy hearing from other Wesleyan classmates. Karen Liepman joined the Office of Counsel at Arizona State University after 26 years in private practice of law. In her role, she assists ASU with intellectual property protection and complex transactions.

Back to kids: Ken Fuchs reports, “I am now closer to Wes than ever, as my son, Ike Fuchs ’17, is finishing up his freshman year. I returned to campus a few times during fall to watch him play for our amazing NESCAC and Little 3 Champion football team.” Ken is proud of Ike and our classmate Mike Whalen’s team! Ken attended Homecoming and got re-acquainted with many old friends, including Alan Dorsey, Glenn Duhl and Mark Armstrong, and hung with his siblings and cousin, Fred Fuchs ’77, Paula Fuchs ’78, Ike Fuchs ’17, Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer ’74 and Marni Pedorella ’90. I (Laurie, again) was fortunate to see Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, who happens to be my former babysitter, and her beautiful daughter when I last visited Wes, a few years back.

Ken Fuchs adds, “I’ve been working in production since graduation and I love my job as a television director. I am fortunate to work on three hit shows: The Bachelor/Bachelorette (29 seasons), Family Feud (13 seasons) and Shark Tank (6 seasons). It’s hard to believe I get to do something I love so much for a living and never had to grow up and get a real job.” Ken credits Wesleyan with helping him see the endless possibilities available in life. He has lived in Los Angeles since graduation and sees and works with Matt Ember, Laurie Sklarin Ember ’84, Murray Oden, and childhood friend Richard Saperstein.

Sharon and Michael Steinberg relate, “Our three daughters are now young adults: Hannah Steinberg ’16 attends Wes and her twin sister, Kayla, is a student at Macalester College in St. Paul. Our eldest, Davia, will attend the Ph.D. program in clinical psychology at Wayne State University in Detroit next fall. We are excited to have another psychologist in the family and to enjoy her company close to home.” Additionally, Sharon writes she has a thriving psychotherapy practice in Ann Arbor and after leaving the University of Michigan, she co-founded Partners in Healing in 2011, which offers training and consultation for therapists who are interested in enhancing their emotional resonance with clients and in integrating psychodynamic and mind-body approaches in the treatment of trauma. Michael Steinberg shares, “In addition to my duties as legal director of the ACLU of Michigan, I am a visiting professor this semester at Wayne State University Law School, where I teach a civil rights clinic.” He also teaches public interest litigation at the University of Michigan Law School.

Michael Sommer and Taya Glotzer write: “Our son Adam, 22, is graduating from Duke in May with a double major in computer science and public policy, and will settle in DC working as a software engineer at a company called Appian. Our daughter, Carolyn, 20, is a junior at the University of Michigan and in Rome for a semester.” Taya practices electrophysiology in northern New Jersey and New York, and conducts research and writes for the Heart Rhythm Society, a national organization for the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders. Michael practices law at Wilson, Sonsini in NYC.

Holly Gruskay is raising two busy teenagers on her own in Westchester…and this school year her company partnered with a major Wall Street firm to start a FIRST Robotics team at the local high school. Both her kids are getting turned on to engineering, as are the other 20 in the club. In April the team competes at the Javits Center in NYC where Holly is one of the program emcees.

In addition to raising families, classmates have pursued a host of fascinating career paths and are award winners in diverse “spaces”: Ken Schneyer is nominated for the Nebula Award for his short story “Selected Program Notes from the Retrospective Exhibition of Theresa Rosenberg Latimer.” The story originally appeared in the anthology Clockwork Phoenix 4, and has since been translated into Chinese and read aloud on a podcast. Ken is also chair of a university speaker series that lets him chat with fascinating people. His wife, Janice Okoomian, teaches gender and women’s studies at Rhode Island College; daughter Phoebe Schneyer Okoomian is choosing among several colleges for the fall; son Arek Okoomian Schneyer is acting, writing, and taking a deep breath before the start of 9th grade.

Nancy Rommelmann writes that her e-book, “Going to Gacy: A cross-country journey to shake the devil’s hand”, about a trip she took to interview the serial killer John Wayne Gacy before his execution, will be released in May 2014. She is working on her next book, “To the Bridge” about a filicide in Portland, Ore., and she writes book reviews for the Wall Street Journal. Keeping with the author theme, Pat Roth’s recently published book, The End of Back Pain, came out in April 2014.

Alice Jankell is the creative director of FAB (For, About and By) Women, a theater company under the Off-Broadway umbrella of The Barrow Group in NYC. The company is 100 women strong, all professional actors, directors and writers, ranging in age from the 20s to 70s. Janet Lambert Preston entered the workforce again and teaches at Unity College in Maine. She and husband David Preston ’81 are celebrating their 28th anniversary and have two children, Elizabeth, 22, and Richard, 17. The Preston family enjoys life on China Lake—especially in the summer! Karen Adair Miller, resides in Lake Placid, N.Y., home to a number of Sochi medalists and enjoyed the town’s giant parade honoring all the winter bobsled, luge, skeleton, alpine/nordic skiing, biathlon, and snowboarding athletes.

Carl Sundberg works in Fukushima, Japan, on a cloud-computing start-up, “Smart Technology Partners,” that predates the Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disasters by several months. His idea had been to de-centralize Japan’s computing infrastructure from its over-concentration in the Tokyo earthquake/volcano risk area. Little did he think he was walking into a more immediate and global disaster! Carl writes working with the refugees and helping them to find new careers has been rewarding even if the business plan execution has had its set-backs. Carl is recycling abandoned elementary schools that were closed due to rural aging and de-population trends and refurbishes them cheaply to use renewable energy and air cooling to reduce the overall cost of the computing infrastructure as well as to create local, sustainable jobs. He adds, “The liberal side of a Wesleyan education obviously weathered a long career in banking as a CIO and is emerging intact if slightly aged!” Go, Carl!

Helen J.C. Uddoh Matausch is president and chief operations officer for Infinilytics— an analytics company based in Silicon Valley, Fremont, and Canada. She and her husband reside in Sonoma County, an hour outside of San Francisco. Hey, Helen, we were roommates sophomore year, so when I visit my daughter at Berkeley next year, may I take a side trip?) According to Bob Gordon, other West Coasters, “Bruce Glassman and Tracy Hughes are now empty-nesters. Son Nate studies film at NYU, and daughter Emma studies communications in the honors program at Emerson in Boston. Bruce publishes books in the food industry (chef bios, cookbooks, and the like), and is something of a local celebrity in San Diego’s craft beer industry (having written the leading guide). Tracy is a successful clinical psychologist.” Bob Gordon’s other news: Brad Galer is married to Lele Herron Galer for 25 years. They live in Pennsylvania and own an award-winning winery: Galer Estates. Chuck Schneider ’84, a highly regarded oncologist in Pennsylvania, writes fiction (check out A Portrait in Time—it’s terrific) and travels the world with soon-to-be wife, Dessi.

Notably, many of our classmates have pursued careers in education, including yours truly. I continue to conduct research at Rutgers on education reform. My latest endeavor is to map education (PreK-12 and post-secondary) and work force attachment which requires lots of state and federal agencies to cooperate and share data, which is easier said than done. Mark Kushner and wife Dr. Mimi Winsberg reside in San Francisco and have two wonderful kids (Kyra, 11, and Tor, 8)! He teaches at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and Graduate School of Education, and is opening cutting-edge high tech “blended” preK-12th grade charter schools in a number of states and D.C. Marc is always looking for Wesleyan educator talent (e-mail him with résumés at mkushner@k12.com) and he recently saw fellow Wesleyaners in D.C., including Ben Binswanger, Billy Weinreb, Lisa Goodman, Akiva Goldsman, Ted Kennedy, and Scott Pearson ’84.

Susanna Sharpe is the communications coordinator at the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies and Benson Latin American Collection (aka LLILAS Benson) at the University of Texas at Austin. The Benson houses the largest collection of books, publications, and archives from Latin America outside of the Library of Congress and the institute offers interdisciplinary degrees in Latin American studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as scholarly exchanges. Susanna continues to perform Brazilian music in Austin. Eileen Kelly-Aguirre works at The Gunnery, a coeducational college preparatory boarding and day school for students in grades 9–12/PG. Eileen heads up the strategic partnerships and global/summer program development. She had a great time at last year’s Reunion with Eclectic residents (absolutely delightful reunion buds), as well as with dear friends Cindy Robinson, Rick Velleu, Alice Jankell and Bennett Heart. Diagnosed with colon cancer last June, Eileen was declared disease free a few weeks ago. She would love to reconnect with more classmates via Facebook. On behalf of the class, I wish you continued health and strength, Eileen.

I have so gone over my space allotment. Forgive me if I did not include your information; I’ll add it to the next issue. Until then, Namaste.

LAURIE COHEN | lauriec@rci.rutgers.edu