Class Notes

Another year and another good start for the Crucial Class as two of our classmates have responded to my quest for items of interest for all of us. And, as always, my sincere thanks to both Jim and Drew, who took the time to say “hello” to all of us.

Jim Shepard enclosed what may be the perfect response to all who may consider retirement as an option. He wrote, “I have closed down my Expert Witness Practice. I had my first job at 16 as a Howard Johnson’s cook, then I completed 70 years of work. Now, ready to party.” Can’t say the man has his priorities wrong, can we? Jim, enjoy yourself.

I received a wonderful holiday greetings letter from Drew Clemens, filled with much information and news. As mentioned previously, Drew and Julie have relocated to the retirement community of South Franklin Circle in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, near Cleveland, and are pleased and happy with their decision. Drew continues to teach psychoanalytic technique and do local and national organizational work in psychoanalysis. He still finds time to read, play tennis, take long walks, and write for the residents’ newsletter, fittingly named The Cardinal! He and Julie, as founding members, continue to sing with Choral Arts Cleveland and now are relearning bridge, which he maintains is a humbling experience. He reminds all of us that there are still ways to learn, play, and contribute to the world around us.

Even though I might sound somewhat disappointed to announce my completed bike mileage for 2019 was much less than the usual 5,000-plus miles, I can honestly state that recording 3,894 miles in spite of much unfavorable weather was still very satisfying. The challenge for this year will most like be whether we do the annual birthday ride (87) in miles or kilometers.

To all of you and your loved ones, may the new year bring you health, happiness, and peace.

DONALD J. BRAVERMAN | ybikedon@gmail.com
34 Southport Ln. Apt. C, Boynton Beach, FL 33436

Greetings, Classmates of ’54. Thanks to three of you for responding to my recent email seeking info on your doings.

Shep Johnson reports on three weeks in New England recently to officiate at the wedding of a grandson, and to satisfy his and Nancy’s lobster-and-clam-eating urges. Shep also says his battle with Parkinson’s seems to be at a standoff. Good news!

Len Stolba reported from Maui during a buffet breakfast. Lenny is okay approaching 88 and avoids stress by avoiding all news, especially political.

Dave Hodgin still chairs the Pathfinder Companies’ consulting business (just celebrated 50 years), is treasurer for his family business, MusicMe, Inc., is president of the local Senior Life Association, and is involved in building a performing arts center for his community, Scotts Valley, Calif.

Finally, guys, very sad news in that we lost two more of our classmates this past November: Chuck Davis (Nov. 12) and Dave Redfield (Nov. 26). Meanwhile your scribe, Bob Carey, and bride Libby are off to Sanibel Island, Fla., for five weeks in February and March, then back to Greenwich, Conn., and Bob’s Call-A-Ride and Meals-On-Wheels volunteer activities. That’s it, guys: a wrap. All the best!

BOB CAREY | popscarey@gmail.com
618 W. Lyon Farm Dr., Greenwich, CT 06831 | 203/532-1745

I received a handwritten note from Bill Rack for my missing class news in the latest magazine. I apologize for obviously overlooking the deadline. Bill and his wife, Barbara, are well in San Barbara, Calif., and fully expect to remain there, a long way from Wesleyan.

A belated recognition of the passing of Milton L. “Snuffy” Smith ’53, MAT ’55, 86, Aug. 23, 2018, in Georgia. Milton, a member of Delta Tau Delta, an English major, received an MAT degree in 1955. After a time in the Navy and at Perkin Elmer and Raytheon corporations, he joined the staff of the College of Technology SUNY, Utica, and was president of the local school board. After retirement, he with his wife, Gail, moved to Georgia, first to Big Canoe then to a retirement facility. He authored Wildlife Whimsy (2009) that described his encounter with a variety of wild animals in Upstate New York. The book was dedicated to his survivors: Gail and their four daughters. Plans were made to have his remains cremated and inurned in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, as is allowed for 29 years of service in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Earl J. Forman, 89, died Feb. 2, 2019, in Wayland, Mass. A member of the John Wesley Club and a chemistry major, Earl received his PhD in analytical chemistry from MIT in 1957. He joined Hercules, Inc., and then Polaroid Corp. in 1970, remaining until retirement in 1994. He was an active supporter of the Jewish community, serving as president of two congregations. In addition to being an avid bicyclist, he was often found on the golf course. Survivors include his wife Beatrice, three sons, and seven grandchildren.

Robert C. Lavin, 87, of Duxbury, Mass., died Nov. 24. President of Alpha Chi Sigma and a math major, Bob was best known for his pass-catching ability of the football team. After two years in the Army Counter Intelligence Corp., Bob joined the family business, manufacturing air pollution control systems. He became president of the Robert C. Lavin Corporation (LAVCOR). He served several organizations: the Shriners Hospital for Children-Boston, Masonic Lodge and district offices, and after moving to Duxbury, the Yacht Club, the senior center, and the Council on Aging and Rural and Historical Society.

Bob was known for his extraordinary talent at the piano. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Joan, three daughters, 10 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

On behalf of the class, condolences are offered for those classmates who have departed.

JOHN W. MILLER | jwalmiller@aol.com
306 Autumn Court, Bartlesville, OK 74006 | 918/335-0081 

More sad news to report. Russell Doolittle, an eminent biochemist, died on Oct. 11, 2019 at the age of 88, according to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, San Diego, which praised him as a “true pioneer in early gene science,” who “led the way to how it is used and understood today.” Russ was born in New Haven, Conn., on Jan. 10, 1931. After graduating from Wesleyan with a major in biology, he received a MA in education in 1957 from Trinity College and a PhD in biochemistry from Harvard in 1962. After a stint at Amherst and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden as a post-doctoral fellow, he spent the remainder of his career at the University of California, San Diego, receiving many honors, including election to the National Academy of Sciences as well as a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1984.

On the cheerier side, after receiving an email from Larry Oaks seeking information about his dad, James Howard Oaks (who passed away in 1999), specifically about his life at Wesleyan, I contacted our former scribe, Hal Buckingham Jr., who dug into his treasure trove of memorabilia and sent Larry photos and a bio from the 1952 yearbook, showing his father in the photo of the Pre-Med Club. Hal also told Larry (and Joyce confirmed) that his dad had married Joyce’s classmate at Mount Holyoke Class of 1954, Jane Basset. Hal and Joyce recalled that Jane and Howie were both widowed but had known each other way back, maybe in high school, and had reconnected and married shortly after. Hal also referred Larry to two Sigma Chis in the class for further information.

Additionally, Hal reported two significant events for him in 2019. One was his and Joyce’s 65th wedding anniversary. He remembered celebrating the wedding with three days in Cooperstown, N.Y., a 36-hour honeymoon, abbreviated of necessity. He had gotten home in Oneonta, N.Y. (also Joyce’s home), for the wedding on Friday, after being discharged from the Army, having spent 1.5 years in Korea. They returned to Oneonta early Monday morning to buy clothes and pack up to leave Tuesday for Charlottesville, Va., in order to matriculate in law school on Wednesday. They had no car or money, so his sister and brother-in-Iaw drove them to Virginia.

Another significant event involved Dave Welsh ’51 whom Hal spotted standing by the roadside in Korea in 1953 and he has waited all these years to tell him about it. Hal’s unit was conducting the exchange of POW’s after the Armistice (tabbed “Big Switch”). He was riding shotgun in the back of a truck convoying North Korean and Red Chinese POWs to Panmunjom, where they repatriated and brought back U.S. and U.N. POWs. His line of trucks had just crossed the bridge over the lmjin River when he saw a group of U.S. Marines working beside the road.

Much to his amazement, the officer supervising the work was clearly Dave Welsh ’51. He yelled at him and it was clear Dave heard it but could not have known who yelled at him as the convoy had passed by. Over 65 years later, he was able to email Dave, who called right back, and although he did not recall the incident, it had to have been him, as he was stationed in the area and remembered the bridge and the convoy of POW.

Finally, I received a Happy New Year card from Dwight Herrmann, who let me know he is happy in his new situation: independent living in a continuing care establishment, where both facility and residents are great. He drives, plays tennis, exercises, gathers at the bar before eating with his buddies, and is doing okay as a survivor bachelor. His family with seven grandchildren are well. He just returned from the West Coast visiting two daughters. Another lives in Vermont and the fourth is five miles away from his residence. He wishes all a happy 2020 and he’ll try to do the same. Contact me if you want his information.

Joseph N. Friedman  | jfriedman@regalnyc.com
400 East 56th Street, Apt. 28LM, New York, NY 10022 | 917/715-8881

We regret to inform you that James Shasha, a Sigma Chi at Wesleyan, passed away last October. He was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and emigrated to the United States. In 1955 he traveled to Argentina and spent most of his life there. He created a center at the Hebrew University in Buenos Aires called the Shasha Institute for Strategic Studies and was named an honorary member of the university. He also endowed Wesleyan’s Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns, which supports lifelong learning and encourages participants to expand their knowledge and perspectives on significant issues. We send condolences to his daughter Leslie ’82, and all their family.

Mark Sacharoff contributed a short note: “I reread A Tale of Two Cities recently and found that it was far, far better than I had realized.” He added: “A young man recently graduated from a top American prep school and was interviewed on national television. The reporter asked him what his plans were for college. He replied, ‘I could’ve went to Harvard or Yale, but I chose Princeton.’”

My wife Margie and I have been married for 65 years and will be 91 years old. Our son Alan ’83 and daughter Cindy ’81 and two granddaughters Ellie Dorsey ’12 and Emily Dorsey ’14 also graduated from Wesleyan.

Here’s hoping that we will see you or hear from you soon!

BUD DORSEY | margiedorsey5@gmail.com
121 Renegar Way #105, St. Simons Island, GA, 31522 | 912/638-5616

Ninety-seven is a good age, they tell me—no workplace frazzle, no need to hurry, lots of time for your hobbies, and for conversation with old friends. Really? Let’s see—frazzle is alive and well every time I go into combat putting socks on feet I can no longer reach (save the good exercise nonsense). I haven’t hurried since I was tagged “fall risk.” My hobbies were writing (I’m legally blind), skiing, and climbing (they call me “No Knees” today). I’d love to talk with my old friends, but they’re down to one, and he’s entirely deaf. One small quest is absorbing my attention of late: I seek to learn the requirements to be designated illegally blind. Any alumni/ae response (especially ’45) is welcome.

This stroll through antiquity reminds me of a verse, “On The Vanity of Earthly Greatness,” by Arthur Guiterman, which concludes: “Great Caesar’s bust is on the shelf, / And I don’t feel so well myself.”

Heaven’s gift to class secretaries, perspicacious and stylish writer, insightful and innovative journalist Cynthia Rockwell MALS ’19 is retired by the time you read this. I thank her for the happy years we spent together recording the fortunes and misfortunes of the Class of 1945, a class so fragmented by WWll’s ragged scheduling.

Thank you, Cynthia, for your patient acceptance of my versions of class notes, and for your unflagging sense of humor. Ah, lass, you have the makings of a fine Celt. May your retirement be years of joyous fulfillment of your heart’s desire. Sláinte! Agus slán go fóill.

FRANCIS W. LOVETT | lovettfrancis@gmail.com

315 14th Street, Unit A, Windsor, CO 80550 | 907/460-9338

Hey, class of 2019. Hope you all are doing well and had a great summer. Here are some updates:

Steven Fields is staying at Wesleyan for another year, finishing up the BA/MA program in psychology. He’s excited to have the opportunity to continue his education at Wes.

At the beginning of August, Michelle Fisher moved to Madison, Wis., to start a new job at Epic, working as a technical services engineer.

Carina Flaherty moved back to her hometown of Philadelphia, where she is a clinical research assistant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, specializing in asthma care.

Zachary Obstfeld is working at Tufts’ Fletcher School doing data analysis and visualization for a publication called Econofact that focuses on the dissemination of economic news and research.

Hannah Bolotin is living in Boston where she works as a research lab manager for Professor Katherine McAuliffe’s social and developmental psychology lab at Boston College.

Sahil Shah is working full-time at a mid-market private equity firm called CX Partners in New Delhi, India.

Maya Dorn has been working part-time as a barista at Uncommon Grounds Coffee & Bagels and just started as a laboratory assistant at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Rensselaer, N.Y. She tells us, “Upstate New York is where it’s at!”

Rhoen Fiutak has started a position as a math teacher at Northfield Mount Hermon. During this time, she will also be working towards a master’s degree in education from the University of Pennsylvania as a part of their independent boarding school fellowship program. She is looking forward to this new journey in Western Mass!

Aaron Cheung has started at Berkeley Law School.

Amabel Jeon moved to LA to start her first year as a PhD student in social psychology at the University of Southern California. Her research focus will be mainly on the role of culture on cognition through understanding the consequences of cultural fluency and honor.

Yahya Ladiwala has started working at a charter high school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and is teaching AP U.S. government to high school seniors. He has relocated to New York and is living with Josh Lane. He also wants to give a shout out to his amazing girlfriend, Cassie Morales ’20, who is about to start her senior year at Wesleyan.

Jennifer Gagne is living in Buffalo, N.Y., pursuing a master’s in urban childhood education with a specialization in TESOL (Teaching English as a New Language) while teaching ENL (English as a New Language) in Buffalo Public Schools.

Andrew Jacono is heading to Lyon for TAPIF (teaching assistant program in France) for the next seven months. He plans to do a lot of writing there to get a jumpstart on his writing career. He’ll be searching for a permanent job while abroad for when he returns in May 2020.

Sydney Riddick is pursuing a Sc.M. in biotechnology from Brown.

Devon Cooper moved to Worcester, Mass., where she is working as a laboratory research assistant in the department of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is helping to conduct research on a specific chemoreceptor and its potential role in microglial activation as involved in the progression of neurodegenerative disorders.

As for me, I just relocated to New York City, where I work as a paralegal for the Urban Justice Center. There I am an advocate for low-income folks who struggle with mental illnesses, helping them get the help and health care that they deserve.

And last but not least, Erin Angell and Max Wimer have gotten engaged and are set to have their wedding in May of next year!

Special thanks to everyone who reached out with their life updates.

Justin Campos | jxcampos@wesleyan.edu

Hello, class of 2018! For this round of class notes we will be featuring Aylin Garcia. After graduating Wesleyan, Aylin stayed at Wesleyan for three months to work on astronomy research with Professor William Herbst. She is writing a paper for that research, which is in its final draft.

She then worked at MIT for Professor Sara Seager and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission for around 10 months. TESS is a NASA/MIT mission launched last year. Its purpose is to search for planets around other sun-like stars. She worked as a research assistant, teaching people how to find exoplanets and managing the team and the public-facing and conference websites. This fall she will be attending Dartmouth College for an astronomy PhD.

Write in next time for a chance to be featured and to stay connected! Go Wes!

Najwa Anasse | nanasse@wesleyan.edu
Garett Larivee | gslarivee@gmail.com

Max Dietz and Anna Cocuzzo got married in June!

Torie White lives in Oakland, Calif., where she spends her days working at a community-minded café called The Well. Her afternoons and evenings are spent organizing with Resource Generation, a group that engages young people with wealth and/or class privilege to radically redistribute their resources to social justice movements. She’s also writing a screenplay and making space for as much fun, play, and pleasure in her life as possible. Hit her up if you’re about any of that.

Max Winter is training to go on American Ninja Warrior and firmly believes 2020 is going to be his year!

Lainey Hellman is entering her third year of teaching special education at an elementary school in Baltimore. She completed her master’s at Johns Hopkins. She is much more patient with her students than she was with customers at WesWings. If you are interested in supporting her classroom, visit donorschoose.org/hellman.

Taran Carr and Sarah Mi tied the knot on July 28 and live in Baltimore. Wedding party included Ethan Quinn, Jack Trowbridge, Emerson Obus (Taran’s roommates at Wes), Scarlett Harris, Melissa Leung, Mariam Torres ’16, MA’17 (Sarah’s roommates at Wes), and Deborah Mi ’14 (Sarah’s sister). Their wedding rehearsal ended up being Wes themed, thanks to Melissa, Scarlett, and Mariam, who drove to Wes the day before to pick up Wesleyan gear and banners. Most important, Melissa hit up Wes Co-Op’s local bakery in Connecticut and brought five delicious, fresh loaves of garlic asiago bread to share at the reception.

Sophie Breitbart is entering her second year as a PhD student in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Toronto. She’s investigating how urbanization influences the evolution of urban-dwelling plants, like the monarch butterfly’s darling common milkweed. She may extend her study to other cities, so if your area is a milkweed hub, she’d love to hear about it!

Lili Borland celebrated her marriage to Manan Dhulia on July 27 near her hometown in sunny California. The two met in Boston while working at Amadeus, and fell in love skiing and snowboarding the Northeast. Big shout out to Denise Francisco, who was a phenomenal bridesmaid and choreographed the couple’s first dance. Lili and Manan will move cross-country to the Bay Area.

Ellen Paik | epaik@wesleyan.edu