Class Notes

Hi, classmates. We have some exciting news in this edition of the class notes. We have a graduation, a few publications, and general updates. Please keep sharing your news with us!

In May, Ethan Fenn graduated from Harvard Extension School with an A.L.M. in teaching mathematics.

Hadley Gustafson writes in, “Aloha and joyous greetings to all. I’m enjoying celebrating life and health in Hawaii. I manage my own photography, video, and design business in Honolulu. Recent projects of interest include photographing the fiery caldera on Big Island (mere weeks before the disastrous eruptions began), photo-documenting the sustainable agriculture (decolonializing and reindigenous) convergence for the University of Hawaii’s Sustainability Department, full-page photographs published in Yoga Hawaii Magazine, and documenting a Lifetime Vitality Award ceremony for original Hawaii 5-0 cast member, Al Harington. I also manage design and marketing communications for a delicious gluten-free bakery, and love dancing, music, and spending time with my family, friends, pet birds, and nature, especially the ocean and mountain-forest. In kuleana, hadleyg23@gmail.com.

Dina Kaplan writes, “Hi, Wes folk! I loved seeing everyone at Reunion, which was so, so amazing. I’m now hosting curated meditation retreats—yes, determined to make meditation social and fun. Let me know if you’re interested in joining and a big hug to the whole class!”

Andy Nordvall published an illustrated fantasy novel, Siren’s Song, and a web comic, My Roommate the Internet, which has over 10k followers. Andy is working on Smuggler’s Cove, which will be published in 2019.

Tim Olevsky e-mails, “What a great time at Reunion catching up with old friends, meeting new friends, and being amazed at all the great things the current students are doing. Wish we had Taiko drumming when we were there! Especially great to see my old debate partner, Kara McCarthy, and reminisce about the time we beat Ted Cruz.”

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Greeting and salutations, Class of 1992. I begin these notes with some very sad news. Jim Kamm died suddenly on June 21. Many of our classmates wrote in to say how much they miss Jim, and we all do.

It’s just entering the fall months in Cambridge as I write this. Hope everyone had a great summer. I spent my summer vacation working at Facebook in Menlo Park, Calif., as a consultant on the newsfeed integrity team, working on undisclosable project, and eating lots of snacks. I spent a couple weeks of my time there staying with my undergrad advisors, Martha Crenshaw (who teaches at Stanford now) and Richard Boyd (who mainly golfs but takes time out to make a mean chili). It was great to see them.

While out west, I also saw Laura Hill and Marc Kuney ’91, as well as Sarah Tunik and her husband, Dan Oppenheimer ’89, who happened to be my frosh year biology TA. It was great catching up with everyone.

Also, on the West Coast is my old housemate, Simon Fulford. After a year of being employed by the State of Oregon, Simon realized that 26 years in the nonprofit sector was hard to shake. He was appointed executive director of Parrott Creek Child and Family Services in Oregon City, Ore., on Oct. 1.

Simon, Jonathan Pratt, and I had a fun weekend in Napa, Calif., in late June during my West Coast swing. Simon wrote, “The less said about that, the better!” Speaking of Jonathan, he’s back stateside after stints in Pakistan and China, working as the chief of staff to Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale.

Maurice Harris is living in Glenside, Pa., near Philly, working as associate director of affiliate support at Reconstructing Judaism, along with his wife Melissa Crabbe, and their children, Clarice (18) and Hunter (17). He is finishing up his third book, about a rabbi who lived close to 1,900 years ago named Joshua ben Hananiah and the ways in which he influenced Judaism.

Tamara O’Neil has entered a new phase of life, retiring from the Navy! Having moved in 2012 to Cabin John, Md., she took some time off to attend a women’s yoga and surf camp in Bali before accepting a job with the U.S. Postal Service as an ethics lawyer.

Teresa Van Hoy is now a professor of history at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. This past March, she launched at St. Mary’s University and Crystal City, Texas, a “Year of Remembrance,” focusing press and public attention on German-American internment during WWII. You can learn more about it here at tpr.org.

Jonathan Liebson was excited to see Joe Romano on a recent visit to Chicago. Jonathan lives in Brooklyn and regularly sees John Melnick (and kids), Rich Benjamin ’93, and Matt Solomon ’94, who lives in D.C. His writing has recently appeared in The Washington Post Book World, the Texas Observer, and Chicago Review of Books.

Cati Coe has a new book coming out in 2019 with NYU press, The New American Servitude: Political Belonging Among African Immigrant Home Care Workers.

Chris Chesak consults in the travel industry and is a travel writer.

And in closing, Byron King has issued a declaration, “I challenge our classmates on the East Coast (everywhere, actually) to do better with updates and with reaching out between Reunions. Get to it!”

Hear, hear! Paul and I would love to get your news!

Adam Berinsky | berinsky@mit.edu 

Paul Coviello | coviellop01@alum.darden.edu

In September, Sam Schneider launched the #CrossWithClams campaign, with graphics provided by Jamie Treworgy. While the hashtag never trended, the effort made a difference, and all are relieved to see the university abandon the rebranding of the logo.

Dan Mackta joined Qobuz as managing director. Qobuz, a Paris-based high-res music service with the reputation of great selection and high sound quality, launches in the U.S. in late 2018.

Brett Hardin serves as the head of the high school at Paideia School in Atlanta. His wife also works at the school as parent education coordinator and all three of their children attend the school (Alejandra, 12th, Carolina, seventh, and Russell, fifth), making it quite the family affair. Traditionally, Paideia has always had a strong link to Wesleyan and four graduates are current students.

Rajal Cohen writes with plenty to celebrate: she received tenure and is now an associate professor in the department of psychology and communication studies at the University of Idaho; and after 11 years with her partner, they married in 2017, just two years after marriage equality arrived in Idaho.

Rajal has also returned to backpacking, after a 30-year hiatus! In 2017 she explored the Seven Devils Mountains in the Hells Canyon Recreation Area, and this past summer, it was a trip to the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowa Mountains. “Scrambling up the Oregon Matterhorn was challenging—and coming down was harder—but it was worth it!”

Dana and Jeremy Sacks joined Nicki and Jim Miller on a trip to Glacier National Park, along with travel back to Portland via the Empire Builder. Jeremy reports, “There were still some glaciers to see.”

On July 14, 2018, in Brooklyn, Julia Fischer and Vincent Collazo married in the company of family and friends. “It was a wonderful, magical wedding, and we took a honeymoon to Croatia in August.”

George Irvine earned a PhD in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware in May. “It is possible to work full-time, have a family, coach Little League baseball, and earn a PhD—though in hindsight I have no idea how I did it. My Wesleyan liberal arts education really helped me with the PhD’s epistemology seminar. It pays to know Dewey, Weber, Kant, and Hegel when you’re debating how we know what we know.”

Now living in Nashua, N.H., Michael Reinke runs the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter and spends time exploring his New England roots.

After a brief stint in Montréal with his family, Spencer “Kip” Boyer is back in D.C. with affiliations at the Brookings Institution, the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy & Global Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania, and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Look for Jeremy Arnold’s new book, Christmas in the Movies: 30 Classics to Celebrate the Season, published by Running Press and Turner Classic Movies. He also contributed to The Call of the Heart: John M. Stahl and Hollywood Melodrama, which traces the career of classic director John Stahl. Some of his recent commentary tracks can be heard on the Blu-rays of Raw Deal (1948), You Only Live Once (1937), and Ride Lonesome (1959). Look for him on TCM in December as a guest host, introducing Christmas movies with Ben Mankiewicz.

And more news in the world of books: Andrew Junker’s book, Making Activists in Global China, will be published by Cambridge University Press in February. Andy moved to Hong Kong in last January to take on the role of the Hong Kong director of the Yale-China Association.

I’m managing in the chaos of D.C., helped by taking time in other locations. In August, Andy and I spent a week exploring Odessa, and were joined by Maria Floyd Cohen and her sons on an amazing trip through history. From Odessa, I traveled to Warsaw, Poland, and presented at the International Association of Jewish Genealogists. When not wearing out another pair of shoes marching in protest, I continue to provide research to a variety of clients as they explore their families’ pasts.

Renée K. Carl | rcarl@wesleyan.edu

I’ve noticed a correlation between turning 50 and prolific writing. Lots of news this time around so heavy editing was required.

Victor Khodadad, is the cofounder of New Camerata Opera that just finished an extremely successful second season. The company’s seven co-founders (all active singers) make all decisions democratically and share all duties. The organization has three branches: NCO, for main stage productions; Camerata Piccola, for children’s operas; and CamerataWorks, for in-house video productions that include The Ives Project, which will be releasing videos of Charles Ives’ art songs on YouTube. Wesleyan Professor of Music Neely Bruce played on the recording of nine Charles Ives songs. Victor gave a Tedx Talk on innovation in the arts in December 2016.

Laurel Stegina is living in Deep River, Conn., and has been working at a planning consulting firm for almost 15 years. Laurel wears several hats, including environmental planner and senior project manager, specializing in NEPA and permitting. Laurel was promoted to assistant director of operations, with a focus on professional development of staff, mentoring, and career coaching. As an owner, she is involved with strategic planning and governance issues. “Although no longer part of the ’monkey wrench gang,’ I remain passionate about environmental and social justice issues.”

After 13 years working for Framingham, Mass., public schools as a counselor (with Sarah Guernsey ’92, Gina Capodilupo ’03, and Cora Jeyadame ’96), Tim Hintz started with Brookline Public Schools this fall. Tim celebrated turning 50 with some local friends, including Amy Robins and Denise Casper. Tim has been cleaning out his childhood home near Chicago, where he had dinner with Andy Griffin, his wife, Catherine, and their daughters, Lulu and Meg. He “found some true treasures, including the Wesleyan pencils given to me by Andrea Morse ’89 when I was accepted (they still work) and an original Wes sweatshirt with the tags from Atticus still on (still fits!).” Tim discovered that his 8th grade diploma was signed by the class of ’55 secretary, Donald Braverman ’55. Tim has twin 15-year-old sons and a 10-year-old daughter.

Persis Howe moved from “dark and cold London to sunny California” to work for the City of San Francisco on their digital services. “My kids love Berkeley, especially having green, blue, and purple hair, and no school uniforms” and Persis is “enjoying not being the loud American always. I’ve already managed to meet a few Wes folks in the Bay Area, but would love to find more! On the downside, my husband is not enjoying the constant changes to U.S. immigration rules.”

Peter Gravin writes, “I know many of us, including me, are celebrating our 50th birthdays this year. Yikes. So, I asked myself, what’s the best way to avoid entering into a mid-life crisis? A baby!” Peter and his wife, Ramona, welcomed Arlo Benjamin Gravin in January and “couldn’t be more pleased with him.” Peter has already been asked (including by an OR doctor!) if Arlo is his grandson, and is “prepared for a sharp increase in those questions as he gets older. It’s totally worth it, though.” Peter is finding parenthood a “great way to keep feeling young and energetic!” He sends congratulations to Kok Chong, who also had a baby last year, and asks if there are any other new parents among us.

On the subject of parents/grandparents, Jeffrey Needelman wrote on his 50th birthday to share the birth of his second grandchild, Nola Afia Asantiwaa Ansuh. Jeffrey reminded me that when his grandson was born over two years ago, I commented that he was the first grandparent I knew of in our class. That’s still the case, but here’s my official request for any other grandparents to please come forward.

Finally, Dr. Debbie Gahr writes about NYC alumni celebrating collective 50th birthdays at her place. Despite their advanced ages, they had a fabulous time! The strong Gingerbread showing included Debbie, Schuyler Allen-Kalb, Nina Grekin, Ed Brown, and Kate Hardin. “To make it a Gingerbread coast-to-coast celebration we FaceTimed Todd Thorner in California (Eric Greene, we need your number!).”

Debbie loved catching up with Carolyn Clark and Dave Patterson, Iriss Shimony, Andrew Siff, Susan Wong, Stephanie Donohue Pilla, Eugenie Kim, and Kati Koerner. There were guest appearances from nearby classes, including Elaine Perlman ’89 and her husband Len Bernstein, Lauren Levy ’91, Marni Pedorella ’91, Melissa Sobel ’91, Becky Rumayor ’91, Lilli Link ’89 and Jay Rosenberg ’83, Mike Santoli ’92, Ellen Friedman Bender ’82 and Sam Bender ’82, and Melissa Resnick P’20 who brought her daughter, Emily Koh ’20.

Debbie’s three children, Rebecca (16), David (13), and Ricky (10), “are all super happy and enjoying their respective tap dance, tennis, and baseball endeavors.” Debbie “appreciated hearing from all the folks who almost made it to this shindig and sent their good wishes.” Debbie’s husband, Roy Pomerantz, enjoyed the party too. Debbie is trying to get him to admit that Wesleyan is way cooler than Columbia.

Vanessa Montag Brosgol | vanessa.brosgol@yahoo.com

Michele and I are thrilled to kick off this edition of class notes with a first-time submission from Marjorie Levine-Clark. She and Michael Levine-Clark ’92 dropped off their new frosh daughter, Isabel ’22, at Wes. They are so excited to be back at Wesleyan, living vicariously, and report that Foss 3 looks the same as it did 30 years ago and still has no air conditioning. Marjorie is a history professor and associate dean for diversity, outreach, and initiatives at the University of Colorado-Denver, and Michael is dean of libraries at the University of Denver. They’ve been out west for almost 20 years and love living in Denver. She plans to come to Reunion!

Keeping with the alumni legacy theme, Christopher Roberts writes that he is “pleased (and perhaps more than a little terrified) to report that my daughter, Beatrix ’22, is starting Wesleyan this fall. As a double-legacy (her mother is Alexis Neaman Roberts ’90), Beatrix assured us several times that she was not interested in going to Wesleyan. I guess she changed her mind . . . But now her two younger sisters are really, really sure that they don’t want to go to Wesleyan . . .” Christopher is living in Austin, Texas, where he works at The University of Texas alongside Ward Farnsworth. They had a visit from Stephanie Dolgoff a few months ago. Jeremy Dobrish ’90 and his family spent a week with them last year. He is hoping for more Wesleyan visits this year, though probably not during summer when it’s—almost literally—110 degrees in the shade.

Staying in the Lone Star State, Kelem Butts brings news from Dallas. “My girlfriend of 23 years, Lori Feathers, just pulled off a very Wes-like coup. She retired from practicing law and opened an independent bookstore here in Dallas, Interabang Books. It just earned kudos from D Magazine as the best independent book store in Dallas. I also just had lunch with Caroline Bhupathi ’20 who is working for Girls Who Code here at AT&T (side note, AT&T provides funding to this awesome organization). It’s so encouraging to talk to young Wes students who are totally awesome. Oh, and I am still doing corporate philanthropy at AT&T and I love it.”

Dave Keller just signed a record deal with Catfood Records of El Paso, Texas, and will be going into the studio at the end of June to record a batch of new original soul songs. Jim Gaines, who produced Santana’s mega-hit, “Smooth,” will be producing his record. He’s very excited! He’s living in Montpelier, Vt., and touring as much as possible, while raising two teenaged daughters.

Michelle Gonzalez added a second master’s degree in 2017, this time in clinical social work. She is working with those living with HIV/AIDS, taking care of (or trying to be cool for) her 16-year-old son and living in Providence. She published a paper about “non-offending mothers in child sexual abuse cases” and is teaching online at New England Institute of Technology on health care management and social marketing for MPH students. If you aspire to visit Providence, look her up!

Your erstwhile class secretary, David Milch, joined Baruch College as director of the master of arts in arts administration program and a distinguished lecturer. He also reports that he spent a wonderful vacation in June with Glarb (low-rise) housemate, Libby Neuman Bunn ’90. “Libby and I met up with Alex “Indy” Neidell and had an amazing time drinking and reminiscing our way across Berlin. I returned from that trip to journey to D.C. for the Pride March, where my daughter and I stayed with other Glarb housemate, John Hlinko, and dined with yet another Glarbster, Topher Sebest. Nothing like putting 10 sophomores in the smallest bedrooms ever to create life-long friendships! We are also happy to announce that Adina Hoffman’s new book, Ben Hecht: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures, is forthcoming in February from Yale University Press’s Jewish Lives series.”

S. Topiary Landberg just started a very exciting two-year Mellon Curatorial Fellowship at the Oakland Museum of California and is finishing up a PhD in film and digital media at the University of California, Santa Cruz—expecting to defend by June.

Abby Smuckler is planning to come to Reunion (yay!). We’re sure many more of you are too; and we can’t wait to see you! As we continue to gear up for our 30th Reunion (May 23-26, 2019), we are still in need of volunteers to get involved with planning. (Thanks to those of you who are already on the committee!) If you are interested, please contact: Megan Lenzzo, assistant director of annual giving at mlenzzo@wesleyan.edu. Go Wes Class of ’89!

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

Michele Barnwell | fishtank_michele@yahoo.com

Peter writes for this edition: Jim Most ’89, Joe Grasso ’86, Greg White, Jim Maynard, Phil Guidrey, Matt Nestor ’87, Jim Cashin ’89, Steven Therrien, and Jeff St. Sauveur gathered to honor the life and support the family of our friend and teammate, Greg Ballarino, who sadly passed away last spring after an illness.

Bronwyn Poole updates: “After more than 15 years in Chicago, my husband, Peter, and I have decided it’s time for a new adventure. We’re moving to Santa Fe in 2019. If anyone would like to visit, please come and experience the City Different! It will be bittersweet leaving our friends in Chicago, but we’re looking forward to hiking in the mountains from our backyard and walking to the Plaza for festivals.”

Natasha Judson writes in: “I’m preparing to lead my third trip for Williams College students to India, coming up this January for their winter study course. We will study at a Tibetan monastery in the south of India and practice Iyengar yoga next to the Ganges up north in Rishikesh, while volunteering at a school for kids living in the slums.”

Alex Bergstein was running for State Senate to represent Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan in the Connecticut legislature, and she won! “This seat has never been held by a Democrat, but it’s time for that to change. Campaigning has been an extraordinary experience because every day I get to do what I love—discuss serious issues and real solutions. I find that people are hungry for the truth and for a reason to hope.”

David Lazer shares: “I guess my big news is the release last week of my new book, Politics with the People: Building a Directly Representative Democracy. It is a reform proposal, in which we argue that the relationship between citizens and their elected representatives can be strengthened through regular (and specially structured) online town halls. It is based on a series of field experiments my collaborators and I did around online town halls, involving citizens meeting with their members of Congress. More info at politicswiththepeople.com.”

Hannah Doress: “I just started as a resource conservation climate specialist at County of San Mateo, recently cofounded the Bay Area Hub for the American Society of Adaptation Professionals and spoke at the California Adaptation Forum representing Women’s Alliance for Climate Justice. Living in San Carlos near San Francisco in Silicon Valley—come visit!”

Stuart Ellman reports, “I have gotten together with Mark Niles a few times since our sons were randomly paired as freshman roommates. Very nice coincidence.” Gail Agronick had lunch with Mark when he was dropping his son off and advises: “I really enjoyed spending a few days at Wesleyan last spring during WesFest with my daughter, Addie. The performing arts continue to thrive on campus and the food is much better than I remember!”

John Ferrara chimes in: “I had one child, A.J. ’18, graduate from Wesleyan this year, while I sent another child, Claudia ’21, into her freshman year at Wesleyan. Note to self—you do not get a family discount!”

Neil Benson and his wife, Lori Price ’87, advise their “oldest son, Oliver ’22, is happily ensconced at Wesleyan and is having a great time so far. He lives in Bennet (the new dorm where once MoCon did dwell). We can’t wait for parents’ weekend!” Neil got out of the music business and now owns a restaurant, Red Zebra, in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. Lori is a senior VP at Cornerstone Research in NYC.

Peter V.S. Bond | 007@pvsb.org 

Hillary Ross | hrossdance@yahoo.com

Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for keeping the notes coming.

Susan Arndt: “I married my one true love, Tracey, in 2015 and we have a little boy, Thomas, 3. He and his big brothers from my first marriage are totally besotted with each other, which makes me very happy. Jake is 14 and Angus is 12 and we are all three working hard to let them become their own people and still get a bit of love and care from mum when it counts. I work with start-ups to help them get to scale (having been involved in seven so far). I’m working for Founders4Schools, which connects professionals with secondary school students (many from disadvantaged backgrounds) who want to learn more about career opportunities. We’ve already touched the lives of 200,000 students in the U.K. and have great ambitions to grow. I keep in touch with Amy Baltzell, Stacy Owen, and Peg O’Connor.”

Scott Pryce: “Living in the D.C. area with family (wife and boys, ages 10 and 12). Last May, Chris Lotspeich, Dan Sharp ’88, Rob Campbell, and I reunited for what the Scots call ‘hill walking.’ And we did some cultural tourism visiting the family seats of various namesake, ancestral clans: Campbells, Sharps, Macdonalds (Chris), and MacLeods (Scott). Truly a once-in-a- lifetime experience with old friends!”

Joan Morgan: “I took an unexpected break from my dissertation writing when I was asked by Atria to pen a book on the 20th anniversary of the iconic The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. She Begat This: 20 Years of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released in August.”

Rebecca Zimbler Graziano met up with Steven Shackman and Ira Skolnik to see a Mets/Red Sox game in Boston in September. As seniors in 1987, they may have gone to opening day at New York’s Shea Stadium, but Re-University, and she visits Amy Mortimer-Lotke and Eric Lotke frequently when she gets to campus. Amy and Rebecca were lucky enough to grab a day with Grier Mendel in D.C. last April.

John and Trish McGovern Dorsey successfully launched child #1 to Hamilton College, class of 2022. He is spending his first semester on the Hamilton freshman exchange program in London with 37 of his Hamilton classmates. “His adventure has allowed us to see more of David Josephs and his lovely wife, Holly Bishop, who are living in London on a short-term exchange with DJ’s Visa gig. We enjoyed many family travels this summer, including a 20th wedding anniversary trip to Scandinavia and our annual visit with Holly Campbell Ambler and her family in Vinalhaven, Maine.”

Ken Mathews: “Just wanted to inform my Wes peeps that in addition to my wife, four kids, and two golden retrievers, I just welcomed our first grandchild on Jan. 26. Her name is Nova and she is incredible. Once she learns to talk, the plan is to call me Poppie. Two of my kids work in the fashion industry. One as a runway model and the other as a designer. They surely did not get their looks or artistic talents from me. With any luck I’ll be finishing my 35th and last year in public education by our 35th Reunion.”

Lori Benson: “Neil ’86 and I dropped oldest son Oliver ’22 off for his first year at Wesleyan. We are proud and excited for him. It was fun to be back on campus, and I must admit I was a bit jealous—it looked like such fun to be starting out in college. To add to the awesomeness of the day, Nelly Taveras was also there dropping off her daughter, Sophie ’22.”

John Snyder is “now a partner at Amherst Pediatrics in Amherst, Mass., enjoying the paradise of the Pioneer Valley with my daughter, Maggie.”

Amy Baltzell: “I am going into my annual conference as president of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology in October in Toronto. My new book is out: The Power of Mindfulness (2018, Springer). I just become a reiki master level 2, teacher. My three kids have all decided to row this fall.”

Cobina Gillitt: “During a sabbatical last spring semester to research a book on contemporary Indonesian theater and censorship, I stayed in Jakarta with Indonesian director and playwright, Putu Wijaya, who directed Roar at Wesleyan, starring several Wes ’87 students in 1986 during our junior year. Between March–May, I performed in his newest play, JPRUTT, with his company, Teater Mandiri. I wasn’t the oldest performer in the production, but I was the most senior, celebrating my 30th anniversary as a member of Teater Mandiri.”

Amanda Jacobs Wolf | wolfabj@gmail.com

[Ed.’s note: This is Amanda Jacobs Wolf’s last column as class secretary and we want to extend warm thanks for her years of service in this role.]

A long note from Hal Ginsberg: “Many thanks to Sandy Goldstein for organizing a Delta Tau Delta reunion in downtown Manhattan. A cross-section of mid-to-late-80s classes were there: Sandy and me, Rick Davidman ’84, Soren Pfeffer ’85, Steve Shackman ’87, Jim Freeman ’87, Bill Houston ’87, Ira Skolnik ’87, Dan Levy ’88, Scott Ades ’88, David Morse ’88, Ed Thorndike ’89, and Mike Marciello ’89.

“Atlantic seaboard Delts from Montpelier and Boston all the way to Palm Beach traveled by plane, bus, train, car, subway, and our own two feet to share memories and catch up on a Friday night. Some hadn’t seen others in well over 30 years. We started with drinks at a Union Square watering hole then proceeded to a nearby Italian restaurant where a multicourse repast was supplemented by numerous bottles of Tuscany’s (near) finest. Not wanting to end the evening, we moved on for a nightcap. Steve graciously hosted a lovely brunch the next day at his apartment. It was a great weekend!”

Hal was struck by the varied professions that we entered over the years. “Perhaps unsurprisingly, some of us went into finance. Others became doctors, lawyers, and business consultants. But one of us is a wine merchant, another is a real estate agent who doubles as a burrito shop owner, a third was an art dealer, a fourth a religious studies professor. I am now in my third and fourth acts. After practicing law then operating a radio station, I have been writing freelance and am acting as co-chair for the progressive group Our Revolution in Montgomery County, Md.”

Sally Spener writes, “In February, my husband and running partner, Sergio, and I completed our first marathon after taking up distance running in 2017 with the Jeff Galloway ’67 training group in El Paso, Texas. By press time, we will have completed the Ciudad Juarez Marathon as well. We enjoy weekend training runs along the Rio Grande.”

Hazlyn Fortune lives in Oakland and is an administrative law judge at the California Public Utilities Commission. “I’ve been at the Commission for over 18 years on a variety of energy and telecommunications issues. I’ve been a commissioner advisor and supervised a staff of nine implementing statewide energy efficiency programs. I love to garden, travel, dance, and cook, and look forward to hearing about everyone else in class notes update.” 

Beth Kaufman and Mark Miller ’87 shipped their daughter off to her last year of college, packed up their life, sold the Yonkers house, and moved to Harlem. “It’s a year of transition and a new chapter. The move puts us closer to friends and family. It also puts us closer to Mark’s new board game café, Hex & Co., on the Upper West Side. I got my certificate to teach English as a second language and I’m aiming to find work near our new home. Finally, after deciding to put our music on the back burner for a bit, I’ll be taking my band down to Jamaica for one final show in late October.”

John Ephron’s younger son, Sam ’22, just started as a freshman at Wes, happily ensconced in Butterfield C. John says it was nice to stroll the campus, and he’s looking forward to getting back more often.

Jaclyn Brilliant’s daughter, Josephine ’18, graduated from Wesleyan in May. “It was a ton of fun for us to be back on campus for the celebration. My husband, Anthony Jenks ’85, and I got to briefly catch up with Ann O’Hanlon during a trip to D.C. over Labor Day—drinks, HQ online trivia game, and nostalgia prevailed. I like to think the spirit of Jinny Kim was with us.”

Jim Clark: “I’m running the World Technology Network, a global association of the most innovative people in sci-tech—helping our 1,500 elected fellows know about each other’s innovations, and convening conferences with the U.N. and others on such topics as renewable energy, the future of work, and the governance of A.I.

“In addition to consulting, I’m also involved in political work, especially over the past two Trump years. Divorced 10 years, with two still-keeping-me-busy daughters (now 19 and 23), I see a lot of movies, still dance at festivals, write/perform poetry, take photos, hang out with my BFF since Wes days, Peter Benson, and marvel at the speed of time.”

Andy Clibanoff and his wife, Denise, are thrilled that their children (Callie ’19 and Leo ’22) are at Wes. Both kids experienced “the Butts” just as Andy did when he became good friends with Tanya Kalischer ’85 and Chris Coggins ’85, whose son, Noah Kalischer-Coggins ’22, is also living there. Andy is active in Wesleyan’s Philadelphia area regional alumni group and planned a happy hour and concert by the Wes alumni duo, The Overcoats. He and Denise hosted the Philadelphia Summer Sendoff. Nearly 75 students and family members attended in August. Professionally, Andy is an organizational and leadership development coach serving the sports and entertainment, technology, health care, and entrepreneurial environments. 

Eric Howard | ehoward86@wesleyan.edu

Hello, ’85ers! Caroline writing this time.

First, I’d like to thank my co-secretary, Marybeth Kilkelly, for her wonderful columns and great energy working on the class notes for the past however many years. I’ll be pulling them together on my own from now on . . . unless one of you wants to volunteer (hint, hint).

Mary Duke Smith is living in Silver Spring, Md., with her husband of over 25 years, Philippe Varlet. She has been working as a personal trainer and wellness educator for the past several years and “finally feels like [she] has found [her] dream job.”

Paula Kay Drapkin writes, “I am happy to report that my son, Jack Drapkin, just graduated from the D’Amore McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. He is attending Major League Soccer’s sales training in Blaine, Minn., and will be interviewing for a full-time job with one of the MLS teams in October. My daughter, Jordan Drapkin, is a junior at The Ohio State University double majoring in business and sports industry.”

I heard from Rosalin Acosta, who shares my astonishment that we’ve been out of college for 33 years: “After graduating from Wes, I decided to move to Massachusetts and not my home state of New Jersey. I got married two years after graduation and began my journey into motherhood and a professional career in banking. I spent 32 years in banking in the Greater Boston area and more importantly had five beautiful children during that time. Today they range in age from 19 to 31. I was remarried in 2015 to Ed Lynch, and we live south of Boston. In June 2017, I was honored to be asked by Governor Baker to become the Commonwealth’s Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development. It’s been an extremely fulfilling journey so far; I’ve been able to combine my business experience with my passion for social impact. Spending a few years in the public sector has always been a dream of mine. Now that I’m there, it’s been exciting, rewarding, and truly a great learning experience. Ed and I love traveling and spending time in both Boston and Chatham.”

Finally, we lost our classmate Susan Eastman Allison to cancer in May. Susan majored in African Studies at Wes, and shortly after we graduated she started Ibis Books & Gallery in Middletown. Later, the shop became The Buttonwood Tree, a performing arts and cultural space which remains a fixture on Main Street. Best known for her poetry, Susan published three volumes with another forthcoming; in addition, she was the first poet laureate of Middletown. She is survived by her husband, Stephan Allison, and their son John. Her loss is mourned by all who encountered her light.

Keep in touch, ’85ers. Much love,

CAROLINE WILKINS | cwilkins85@yahoo.com

 

Greetings to you all at the start of our 25th Reunion year. Hope to see some of you on Foss Hill from Friday, May 24, to Sunday, May 26, 2019.

My thanks to Roger Pincus for being co-class secretary these last few years. Roger has stepped down to concentrate on his now-empty nest, as daughter Jillian ’22 has started at Wesleyan, joining sister Heather ’19. Daughter Melanie is a sophomore at Brown and is referred to in Roger’s mail as “the family traitor.”

Laura Meyer is a professor of art history at California State University, Fresno, and husband David Lorey ’83 is a freelance consultant, working mostly with nonprofit organizations. Laura and David are celebrating 36 years together. She says, “Some of you may have wondered what the hell we were thinking having a baby (our daughter Lee Alex) during my senior year and generally behaving in an irrational, young-love-fueled way.” She is grateful to Wesleyan and to the fates. Lee Alex retired from the San Francisco Ballet after 15 years and is working toward a new career as a personal trainer and healer; son Robin is a senior at UCLA this year studying archeology. Laura thinks warmly of her many Wes friends who shared time with her, and even put up with her “stealing their sandwiches.”

James Glickman joined several classmates in their 19th annual baseball weekend, combining their love of baseball with their interest in historical sites (and food and beer). Along with Mark Randles, Michael Bailit, Bill Barry, and Hans Schweiger, they went to Atlanta to see the Braves and the MLK Center. Jay and Gail Jenkins Farris hosted them for a barbecue dinner, and Teresa Chin joined the festivities. Jim also joined Ellen Glazerman, who had just moved to Needham, Mass., for the 4th of July fireworks.

I was sent a picture of a group of classmates enjoying dinner at a Korean restaurant in New York. Randy Frisch, Monica Elias, Dan Motulsky, Sarah Jamison, Dana Sachs, Jeddy Lieber, Eileen Kelly, and Anthony Richter raised a toast to their being “not older, but better.”

David Rosenbaum is getting married in May (so may not make Reunion). He has been in the Boston area for 35 years, working as a senior solution architect at Acquia.

David also contributes a bit of sad news. Don Gillis has passed away. Don served in the Marines and taught at Brockton High School in Massachusetts. His full obituary is here: keohane.com/services/donald-s-gillis.

That’s pretty much all the news that’s fit to print, and a little that isn’t.

Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu