Class Notes | 1990s

There’s a chance you read about our classmate Eli Newell in The New York Times—in March, they covered his story of two weddings and avoiding a funeral in the same year. An incredible story. We’re thrilled that Eli has recovered from his heart surgery and is happily married to the fast-thinking Dr. Erika Amundson!

Hannah Sharpless Graff shared that she is “in one of those life shifts right now. I feel old saying my husband, John (an engineer at Metalenz, based in Boston), and I have lived in Swampscott for almost 20 years. My 16-year-old, Theo, attends a very small boarding school in Connecticut that has absolutely changed our family dynamic, as he is finally content and getting the support and structure he needs to thrive. He is showing an extraordinary aptitude, and, more importantly, enthusiasm for chemistry. My eldest, Tex, is off to college next year and has some exciting choices to make—wherever he goes, he wants to be close to mountains. I am preparing, with a tiny knot in my stomach that is surrounded by excited butterflies, to wonder why the house is so quiet. In addition to ‘momming’ and community work, I have an art practice that is based in natural colors and nature-based exploration. I collaborate with local artists, teach occasional workshops, organize a local artisan festival, and design logos, tees, and more for my local town conservancy and other nonprofits. I am definitely most interested in the process, and my ADHD is sated by the infinite paths of learning that occur when working with and within nature. All in all, I’m a lucky human existing in a hard world and I find my peace walking my dogs in the woods and along the beaches of Swampscott. In a time where everything seems to devolve into the binary, I love that I can have rich, meaningful, and silly conversations with my Wes people online or, more rarely, in person.” 

Liz Garcia shared that our 25th was her first reunion EVER. “I’ve been back for film department occasions over the years, (such as teaching a writing workshop to the razor-sharp students this past fall) but the time has come to see as many folks as possible! Life in Brooklyn is much better now that the sun has come out and the flowers are blooming. My son and I have been loving every minute of Dan Shotz‘s Disney+ show, Percy Jackson (I highly recommend it to parents like me who have a hard time tearing their kids away from YouTube). My feature comedy, Space Cadet (which I wrote and directed), starring Emma Roberts and Gabrielle Union, comes out on Amazon Prime video this July (also family viewing material). My life is richer because I get to see Elizabeth LeSure Epstein and Jim Epstein, Carly Detterman, and Sarah Schorr on the regular. My kids and Joann Kamuf’s ’00 kids are school pals.

Hello classmates,

There is still snow on the ground as I write this (with a bit more falling), though I know we’re well into spring for most of you and it will be summer by the time you read this. Time certainly goes by differently these days, and I don’t know about you all, but for me, my time at Wesleyan feels like both yesterday and a million years ago. Though I finally just watched the first episode of How I Met Your Father last night and sure enjoyed hearing the Wes reference! A(n extremely) belated congrats to Carter Bays ’97 and Craig Thomas ’97 for the empire you have built. I still remember you from our earliest freshman year and it makes me smile.

Devin Robel wrote in to say that she is living her best bicoastal life, traveling from her home in Oregon to spend winters in Florida. She and her little horse, Gillou, are competing at the intermediate and international three-star level in three-day eventing, a triathlon combining dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. With a successful start to the season, Gillou is currently ranked first in the nation at the intermediate level.

Adam Borden (an art history major himself—thanks yearbook!) says that although he and his wife never expected his children to follow in their footsteps, he is pleasantly surprised their daughter has fallen in love with Williams. She and his wife visited a few weeks, and the aspiring art history major loved the offerings. Yay for more chances to visit beautiful New England!

Finally, I am very sorry to say that we lost Shani Tahir Mott this year, far too soon, on March 12, 2024. She was a Black studies scholar and lecturer in the Center for Africana Studies and Department of History at Johns Hopkins University. Her work on race and power focused not only on the academic—how institutions such as universities and publishing houses shape (and limit) our conversations and understanding of race and racial experiences through their choices around publication, funding, etc.—but also daily reality and lived experience. She sued the mortgage and appraisal companies that allegedly used racial bias in their appraisal and loan offering for Mott’s own house, and she received a settlement that included policy changes to hopefully improve the process for others. At Johns Hopkins she was the co-principal investigator of the Housing Our Story Project that worked to include Black voices from Hopkins workers who had been left out of previous archiving projects at the university, and she helped launch the university’s first social justice and equity collective. I can’t think of better ways to exemplify the Wesleyan spirit I remember than Dr. Mott’s career bringing awareness to the race and power injustices all around us and putting that work into meaningful action. You can read more about her and her work here and here.

I do love hearing from all of you, so please send in any sightings, thoughts, experiences, or anything else you want to share.

Happy summer, classmates! Here are the latest updates. . . .

First, Andrew Frishman shared some of his latest Wesconnections! “Leigh Needleman ’96, (who is the executive director of the Rowland Institute at Harvard University) and I continue to live in the Central Square/Cambridgeport area in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Our younger child will be in sixth grade, and our elder child is about to head to Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School in the fall, where she will join a child of Christian Housh. We enjoy getting together regularly with Laura Warren ’98 and her family, who live just down the street from us. A virtual [re]connection—I had an invigorating Zoom call with Ari Gerzon-Kessler ’99 who lives in Boulder, Colorado, and is engaged in some very cool parent/family engagement work with schools—check out his new book, On the Same Team  (https://www.solutiontree.com/on-the-same-team.html)! In early March, Arthur Baraf ’99, who is a principal at the Met High School in Providence, Rhode Island, brought up a few of his outstanding/inspiring students and we co-presented in an MIT class focused on educational innovation about the Big Picture Learning approach. Speaking of the power of the Wesleyan ’98 class, Jamie Pagliaro ’98 continues to do powerful work in the field of special education and I’ve been grateful for his support as an advisor to our ImBlaze initiative at Big Picture Learning focused on spreading/scaling high school career exploration and work-based learning including internships.”

Thank you for these wonderful updates, Andrew! We love that you are in touch with so many Wes alums! Thanks for reaching out to let us know how everyone is doing and their impact in education.

From Nashville, Michelle Conceison wrote: “In January I became chair of the Department of Recording Industry in the College of Media and Entertainment at Middle Tennessee State University. Any alums in music who find themselves in Nashville on business should come meet our students! I am continuing my work in artist management. My company Mmgt will be 20 years old in June. We represent Kyshona, Della Mae, Margo Cilker, Jeffrey Foucault, Laurel Lewis, Laura Cortese, Phoebe Hunt, RC1, the estate of Guy Clark, the estate of Scott Alarik, and many other artists and creators. Recently I presented research about fair pay for musicians that I worked on with Whippoorwill Arts at a Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association conference in Atlanta (mmgt.co/research).” We appreciate your work to improve working conditions in the music industry and providing mentorship and leadership for students, Michelle!

Alek Lev is producing a new podcast called Arts Educators Save the World. The show brings together successful artists in conversation with their mentors, and it has Wesleyan alum all over the place. For the premiere episode back in season one, they spoke with Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02, along with his (and Alek’s) elementary school music teacher. Season two includes a talk with Craig Thomas the co-creator of How I Met Your Mother and a sit-down with Emmy-winner Bradley Whitford ’81. Check out all episodes at www.ArtsEducatorsPodcast.com. Alek was also invited by the film department, along with our new ASL teacher, to screen his film, WHAT? at Wes on April 4. He can report back to his Class of ’97 that Foss Hill and Low Rise are still there, though In-Town is either gone or he just couldn’t find it.

Matthew Way wrote from Germany: “In November I released my second music video, again under the name Yóbaby. This time, I didn’t shoot in Berlin, Germany, rather returned to my roots in Philly. The video has garnered over one million views and 10,000 likes. It’s all been in preparation for my next feature, The Pillow Snake, which can be read about at pillowsnake.com. We’re cooperating with the Greater Philadelphia Film Office and hope to shoot this feature in one year’s time.”

We are heartbroken to report the December 2023 passing of Juliet Port, E&ES major, member of the swim team, and a beloved ’97 class alumna. After graduation, Juliet joined the Peace Corps in Mongolia. She was a geologist and also a volunteer with school groups. She is survived by her husband, Christopher Reading, her parents, Diane and Bob Port, her brother Nicholas, her twin sister, Cynthia Florence Port, their family, and friends. To read memorial posts about Juliet, or to leave your own, please use this link. We all share our deepest condolences with Juliet’s family and friends. 

Thanks for your updates, everyone.

Sasha and Jess

1996er fam—hope all is well this spring! Weather starting to get nice down here in the DMV—wishing you all happiness, health, and gratitude this season. Now on to some great updates from folks!

Jake Ward just finished five years as NBC’s technology correspondent and is now at work on a follow-up to his 2022 book, The Loop: How AI is Creating a World without Choices and How to Fight Back. He got to join Amber Frid-Jimenez ’97 on a panel at Wes about AI, and still regularly sees Zach Lyman ’97, Koyalee Chanda and Neal Brandenburg,and Dominique Andrews on his trips to D.C., Los Angeles, and New York.

Leigh Needleman, Laura Warren ’98, and Fawn Phelps ’97 send in news of a wonderful Wesleyan meeting in Cambridge: “We caught up on all things Wesleyan, women in our respective fields, raising headstrong kids, and all other things we folks all experience together. With our classmates turning 50 this year, it has been amazing reuniting and celebrating together.” Leigh continues, “Myself, Rob Mathews, Christian Housh ’97, Tassia Thomas, and Andrew Frishman ’97 enjoyed a sushi dinner and a ridiculous night of exploration at the Rowland Institute at Harvard on the banks of the Charles. A birthday dinner with Jeremy Abramson and our respective families was a blast last month. And, in one week, my family (Andrew Frishman and kids) is traveling to St. Paul to celebrate Daniela Bell’s daughter’s quinceanera.” She sends cheers to reuniting with old friends and looking forward to great future adventures together!

With more than two decades of experience working in network newsrooms, Stacey Samuel now has a boutique production company producing conferences and summits featuring newsmakers and influencers. And still, consults and produces narrative podcasts for former news colleagues and some corporate consulting firms. Stacey also writesin that she made a lovely trip out to Los Angeles to hang with Soraya Burtnett ’95 and her kids.

Revere Greist sends us news he, along with Dan Cohen and Henry Schneider, competed in the New York City Triathlon last October. “Water quality issues” after the heavy rains and flooding resulted in a canceled swim, but they had a great time riding and running and mainly being together again. “Lazar Treschan also raced but we didn’t realize that until afterward and could only share war stories electronically.”

Tom Constabile writes that he moved up to New Rochelle in Westchester County a few years back. After running business development and distribution for the streaming sports service zone in the U.S. and Canada, he’s recently launched a consulting business focused on digital media streaming entertainment, sports, telecom, and consumer technology called UP Media, now open for business and collaborations. His wife, Elena, works in nonprofit event planning for the America India Foundation, and his son attends Webster Elementary School and plays a lot of soccer.

Tracie Broom sends news that “in February 2024, I was voted board president of a small, national association of PR agency owners, PRConsultants Group, at our annual conference in Sacramento. It seemed like a good excuse to round up some old friends to toast turning 50 out West! I traveled from Columbia, South Carolina, joined by old friends Mariah Maclachlan and Peldi Guilizzoni from Bologna, Italy, with their son; I got to catch up with Samantha Kurtzman-Counter ’95 in Healdsburg, where she’s launching an amazing artist- and farmer-in-residence program, and I got to hug Nate Prouty ’01 and Abby Hippsup in Nevada City. Meanwhile, an assortment of ’96ers got together for various 50th birthday shenanigans in Central California. Kate Baker came up from Punta de Mita, Mexico, with her daughter; Bill Macomber, his wife, Annie Weisman, and their kids came from LA; and Jason Walchli, his wife, Pamela Bock, and their kids came down from Portland, Oregon. The Wes-heavy celebrations weren’t limited to the class of 1996. Tony Schloss ’97 left the kids in Brooklyn with Juno Shaye ’98 (who was missed!); Diego Gutierrez ’97 and Kim Diaz Gutierrez ’97 came up with their kids from LA, Katie Wright ’95 and Jason Agard ’94, still wearing their newlywed glow, came up from LA, and Jason Blalock ’94 rolled down from Oakland. In general, while there are still a few elementary and middle school-aged children in the mix, many of my old friends’ kids are teenagers, some in high school and some in college, like my partner Scott’s 17-year-old kiddo (who I joyfully claim as mine too), here in South Carolina. It’s wonderful to see how my friends are navigating changes in their careers, parenthood, and leisure time as their kids are becoming young adults.” 

As for me (Dacque), I am happy to report that I spent spring break in France (Paris, Caen, and Bordeaux) for my 50th birthday. Also, I ran into Shereem Herndon-Brown in Potomac, Maryland, as we both were watching  our children play in sporting events. We caught up on all the happenings in our lives and talked about getting lots of folks back for Reunion weekend. Shereem is founder and president of Strategic Admissions Advice, LLC and speaks nationally on the college admission process. He is the co-author The Black Family’s Guide to College Admissions. I will catch his next speech when he gives a talk at my son’s school.

Please write to your class secretaries.

Caissa writes for this issue.

Hello, all! I hope that this message finds you well. I pray that everyone is having a great year and enjoying the shift into spring. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone that is in a season of healing and recovery.

I know that many are still marveling at the opportunity to view the recent solar eclipse. However, I am still surprised to learn that the Northeast actually has “real” earthquakes. I was working from home last week when I heard an odd rumbling. I initially wondered what could be barreling down the street before realizing that the floor was also shaking. I have added appreciation, and concern, for our West Coast–loving alums who experience this regularly.

I’m happy to report that I just closed on a new house and am in the middle of moving. I’m becoming a regular at Home Depot and Lowe’s as I ponder design ideas and consider my options for the beautiful space. It’s a bittersweet mix of joy and stress. I look forward to having more space to paint, create culinary masterpieces, and invite friends and family over.

I am extremely grateful and thankful to share that my family is doing well. Work is busy, but exciting and I am happily thriving.

            In other news. . .

Charlotte Castillo writes that she is “leading Poderistas, a nonprofit for Latinas focused on power building and driving civic engagement amongst Latinas.” You can learn more about “Latinas who elevate, amplify, and build power through their own actions and by harnessing the power of the collective,” by visiting https://poderistas.com/. Charlotte also shared that “I live in Riverdale with my 14-year-old son and am adjusting to life as a widow. I am also keeping busy serving as co-chair of WesLAN, Wesleyan’s Latinx Alum Network, and as the reunion ambassador for our class.” Charlotte is “hoping to see everyone on campus for our Reunion in May and for Homecoming weekend’s Latino Alumni celebration in November.” She adds that “I live close by and spends lots of time with Cynthia Centeno ’93 and Lisette Nieves ’92, and recently had catch-ups with Tanya Schneider Robinson and Wendy Nivar.”

Kate Foster provided an update that she is “still in Baltimore.” She writes that “both my daughters are in college—one at UNC–Chapel Hill, studying photojournalism at the Hussman School of Journalism; and the other is studying philosophy and dance at Tufts, while also serving on the mock trial team.” Kate continues to serve as the Mid-Atlantic director of Trail Development with Rails to Trails Conservancy, which “allows me to work out of Baltimore and also takes me to D.C., Philadelphia, and Camden, New Jersey, on a regular basis.” She adds that she “saw Sondra Youdelman while in NYC last summer and has also been able to see Tyrone Williams when in Medford visiting her daughter at Tufts.” In closing she said, “Life is good!”

Matthew J. Fraser writes that he “enjoyed three semesters at Wes and grew very fond of my classmates but did not feel right not playing football in 1991.” Upon further inquiry, I also learned that Matthew later enjoyed kickboxing and grappling as an adult. He also shared that “in 1993 I was hired to be a full-time page for the Massachusetts State Senate, where I learned a great deal, while getting to know disabled champion Fred Berry (D-Peabody).” He “got an interview thanks to a man that was very active in the city at the time—my father. One perk of the job: I was allowed to use the Senate Reading Room, and I read there every day. Strange as it sounds, in a whole year, I think I saw someone else in there reading once. Seriously, once.” Now, in 2024, he is happy to announce that “the second edition of my book, Critical Infrastructure for Children: the Astonishing Potential of New England Schools, came out, with a strong four-page section on how supporting the disabled is synonymous with supporting the Massachusetts economy.” He adds fondly, “I will always call Boston home.” 

Zanne Gerrard shared that “I am directing an outdoor production of Henry VI: Parts 2 and 3 for GreenStage to be performed in parks around the Seattle area this summer.” It will run from July 12 through August 17. She added that she has “recruited Ian Gerrard ’91 to join the show as a props designer to help with the manufacture of several severed heads.” Zanne invites anyone that will be in the Seattle area, to “come see this tale of the War of the Roses and the becoming of Richard III. You can also check out  last summer’s production of Henry VI:  Part 1 on YouTube at https://youtu.be/4IZ45kO48fs?si=ADlxHHp1Jg_qE6_k.” Zanne hopes to see everyone at this year’s class reunion. 

Joseph Mahoney and Deborah Levin Mahoney ’96 have a son, Noah Mahoney, who continues the family legacy as a member of the Wesleyan Class of 2027. Joseph notes that Noah “is a freshman there. They apparently don’t say ‘frosh’ anymore. While the campus seems less radical than when we were there, he is taking a course on zombies.” I later learned that the zombies course is a religion class with a connection to Haiti. I await an update from Joseph to hear what Noah has to say about the class.

Michelle Montalbano MD writes that she is “an allergy/immunology specialist in Tulsa, Oklahoma.” She added that she and her “adventurous teenagers tent camped on a journey to New Mexico in 2023. Our excursions included stops in Taos, Chimayo, and Sante Fe, New Mexico, as well as Black Mesa State Park in Oklahoma.” I later learned that Michelle and I were both members of Ebony Singers while at Wesleyan and really enjoyed the experience.

Aram Sinnreich writes that he “and Jesse Gilbert have published a book entitled The Secret Life of Data: Navigating Hype and Uncertainty in the Age of Algorithmic Surveillance that was released by MIT Press in April 2024 and distributed by Penguin Random House. The book launch event was at the Microsoft New England Research & Development (NERD) Center, in collaboration with ACLU of Massachusetts. More information about the book is available at https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262048811/the-secret-life-of-data/.”

            Deborah Sorin writes that she has “been emailing and talking to classmates about the reunion and giving to Wesleyan.” She was happy to share what she had heard and added that “as a former secretary, I know how hard this job is.” Deborah went on to share that Aaron Pyles is “living in St. Paul, Minnesota, and working for a supply-chain software company called ‘Manhattan.’ Aaron added that he and his wife, Carri, “just moved into a new house and have been busy sanding floors and that sort of thing.” Deborah also connected with Aundrea Almond who writes that she “is in Wilmington, Delaware, where I work in county government.” She is currently chief of staff for the county commissioner. Lin (Zhong) ter Horst also connected with Deborah and shared that she “lives on Maui, where she has a small agro-processing company that makes purees and candy from Hawaiian produce.” Deborah had the opportunity to visit with Lin while on vacation a few years ago. She says, “Lin’s products are ‘Soooo good!’ You can try them for yourself by visiting https://www.mauifruitjewels.com/.” Lin added that “we have been doing as well as anyone could have after the August wildfires. The island economy has taken a big hit and there is no sign of improvement any time soon. We are starting to focus on e-commerce, which we have not had the time to leverage until now. We are also hoping to lease some farmland in the future to cultivate passion fruits.” Deborah also heard from Rula Geha, who writes that she “lives in San Diego with her 11-year-old daughter.” Rula adds that she was “formerly in general surgery and have moved into health-care consulting. Look me up if you’re in the area.” Rod Wallace also connected with Deborah, and shared that he is “in Wilmington, Delaware, working as part of a coalition to prioritize the role of nutrition in public health. As the creator of the Foundation for Innovation in Healthy Food, me and my team are currently working to increase the amount of dietary fiber in wheat.” 

Like many of our classmates, Deborah was looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion. Kudos, Deborah! I appreciate your assistance in garnering news and support for Wesleyan.

Hi, everyone! The notes are pretty sparse this time around, so if you’ve got something (anything!) for next time, please send it along to either Sue or me.

Jennifer Work Blattner writes, “I had a great time visiting Wes twice last fall to drop off my child, Suz, who is class of 2027! So much fun to visit the old haunts and realize Olin still smells the same! Also enjoyed seeing all the new things and hearing about Wes from Suz’s perspective. Brings back so many good memories.”

Diego von Vacano recently received a fellowship at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., to finish his book on the geopolitics and ethics of lithium in Latin America for Oxford University Press, for 2024–25. He is a professor of political science at Texas A&M University.

Hello, Class of 1992!

My desperate plea for class notes material brought on a flood of responses. So much, in fact, that I have more news than I can fit into the 800-word limit of a single column. So, if your update did not make into this set of notes, fear not, you will have prominent placement in the next edition!

My old housemate Simon Fulford continues to live in Portland, Oregon, where he has been the executive director of a child-and-family-serving nonprofit. Last October they broke ground on a $25 million youth residential treatment campus—Oregon ranks pretty much worst in the nation for addiction and recovery services for kids and adults. Simon’s two youngest sons are seventh and tenth graders, providing all the joys and challenges that come with that. His eldest, now 21, currently lives in Buenos Aires.

Dr. John “Juan” Luque is a full professor at Florida A&M University, in public health in Tallahassee, Florida. He was recently elected president of the American Association for Cancer Education. He spends his free time playing tennis in USTA league and defended his title in the annual local mixed doubles Sweetheart Tournament in February. He is also training his elementary school-age daughter in tennis so he can have a second career as a coach.

Cathy Keane continues to live in St. Louis where she has been teaching classics at Washington University since 2001.

This year Sara (Davidson) Flanders opened a yoga studio in Providence, Rhode Island, where she lives with her husband and 10-year-old kiddo. It’s the first yoga studio in Rhode Island that’s donation based with a majority of teachers of color and teachers in the LQBTQ community.

Dan Wulf recently musically directed Working for the third time (all three versions) for his 27th Watertown (Massachusetts) High School musical. Dan also conducts the Boston chapter of HaZamir, an international Jewish choir, and crossed paths with Allison (Wienir) Wissot ’93 at the annual festival performance weekend.

Valerie Nozick was recently promoted to chief commercial officer at Europcar Mobility Group USA/Fox Rent a Car. Last fall she joined Fox to establish the sales and marketing group and to get back to the travel industry. When not traveling, she spends her time at home in Seattle with her husband, Dan, and their spoiled dog, Geoffrey.

Kathryn Berlá was inspired by her experience with our 2022 30th Reunion and continues to see Wes folk. She was happy to connect with John Melnick and Hal Skinner (and their children) visiting NYC in December, and then again with Hal and Jonathan Liebson in February on another quick trip to the city.

Sam Ernst is living in the Berkshires, teaching middle school, and emptying the nest of his three collegiate children. Sam recently finished a tour of the last dregs of the ski season, along with the eclipse, in northern Vermont and New Hampshire: Magic, Sugarbush, Stowe, Bolton Valley, Mad River, and Tuckerman’s. The trip left him pining for a reunion of the Wes ski team, so be sure to get in touch with Sam if you find yourself in New England.

Matt Wein is now leading corporate law and compliance at Bay Area-based gene-editing biotech Metagenomi, which just completed a successful IPO in February. He’s residing in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and splitting his time between San Francisco and Boston.

Jen Mittelstadt reports that she and her husband, Aaron Matthews ’93, were thrilled be back on campus this year to drop off their son, Lucas Matthews, as a Wes frosh. She’s a professor of history at Rutgers University and Aaron is a documentary filmmaker. They live in Brooklyn with their daughter, Adelaide, who will be applying to college next year. 

Darcy Dennett is on hiatus from TV production, working on a corporate project for JPMorgan Chase & Co. She just ran the NYC Half, albeit it somewhat slowly in an effort to get into better shape for the Brooklyn Half in May. 

Rick Barot’s fifth book of poems, Moving the Bones, will be published in October 2024. He’s been a visiting writer at the University of Utah this year but will soon be back at his regular gig, directing the MFA program in creative writing at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington.

That’s all for now. But even though I have some extra news for the next column, I’m always looking for your updates, so please continue to send me your news—I would especially love to hear from you if it’s been a while since you last checked in. Your classmates want to know what you are up to!

Please write to your class secretary.

Hi all! Here’s what we have:

Victor Khodadad will be singing the role of Don Jose in Peter Brooks’ adaptation La tragedie de Carmen with New Camerata Opera in New York City this fall. Please visit www.newcamerataopera.org for more information. He recently saw Barry Levine for dinner and enjoyed reminiscing about the days of yore!

Jonathan Torop recently moved from UBS (after 11 years) to Morgan Stanley. “It’s a good change and I’m required to be in New York City twice a week, which is great because working from home was getting a bit boring. I’m also getting involved with AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, in order to maintain the bipartisan, pro-Israel consensus in Congress. In addition, I joined a group called the Israel Economic Forum that connects global businesspeople with Israel counterparts. We were in Spain in February where we spent time with members of Spain’s small Jewish community. We have a solidarity mission to Israel in June that I’m looking forward to.”

Peter Brastow and his wife, Carolyn (Gencarella), “are still swimming along—and getting along swimmingly. Thing 1 (Julian) does the ski-bum thing in Bend, Oregon, which will be followed by a stint on the local fire crew for the USFS this summer. Thing 2 (Kaden) will finish up at UCLA in June, and vamos a ver which road he chooses. Carolyn still has her toes in science education, doing a bit of work still for San Francisco Unified School District as well as teaching a class in the education department at San Francisco State University. I, myself, continue to try and save the world in my own little corner (the San Francisco Environment Department), while it otherwise goes to hell in a handbasket.” Peter added: “We’re getting a ton of rain again this winter—maybe won’t quite match last year—and the snow is coming down again in the Sierra, where I’m headed next weekend to ski with my sis.”

Peter and Carolyn regularly see Arieh Rosenbaum, his wife, Barbara, and their two children, who “live about a half mile away.” Their older child is graduating from high school. “Arieh continues to work at the intersection of medicine and information technology as the chief medical informatics officer for Brown and Toland.” Like Peter and Carolyn, he has dreams of retiring soon! In the meantime, he exercises even more than Peter does, and on April 14, completed a triathlon in Folsom, California, where he won his age group! Arieh and Peter, as usual, look forward to next year’s 35th (!) at Wes.

That’s all for now. I hope all of you have been enjoying the summer. Please write with any news or updates that you have.