Class Notes

Peter writes for this issue. Matt Olton reports in: “On picture perfect Saturday, May 27, in Los Angeles, Ricky Barragan and Samantha Goodman married in front of a small group of family and close friends that included Ricky’s daughters Bianca ’21 and Lauren ’21 (incoming Wes class) and Samantha’s children, Annabelle and William. A nice Wesleyan contingent was present that included Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, Victoria Harper, Tony Rosenthal, Craig Morgan ’89, Andy Stern ’87, and Matt Olton.”

Tim McCallum “had a kid: Logan McCallum, born in October to parents with a combined age of 94. First kid for us both.”

After 23 years at Silicon Valley Bank, Jim Maynard has departed to join MResult Corp out of Mystic, Conn., cutting his commute by 80 percent—but he still makes regular trips to Boston for Red Sox games.

Steve Morison shares: “After three terrific years in Rome we are returning to Cape Cod next year, largely to stay close to our daughter.”

In 2016, Dr. Emily Bliss Gerber joined UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland as Director of Behavioral Health.

Majora Carter advises: “My husband James Chase and I celebrated our 50th birthdays and our 10th wedding anniversary at a party last winter in NYC with awesome Wes friends: Evie Lovett and her husband Jeff Shumlin ’82, Leticia Pineiro ’88, Schuyler Allen-Kalb ’90, Steven Toledo ’04, and Sohana Punithakumar ’04. They all participated in what was an epic Soul Train line! I’m super excited about the new restaurant project I am co-developing in my hometown of Hunts Point and, I am the very proud co-owner of the only locally-owned specialty coffee shop in the South Bronx, the Boogie Down Grind Café.”

Michael and Cheryl Sheffler Rubenstein write: “We celebrated our oldest daughter Lily’s Bat Mitzvah in Arnold, Md., in May. We were blessed to be joined by David Lazer, Deborah Edelman Caney, and Gordon Agress ’89.”

Paul Lewis just published the award-winning book, Manual of Section, a comprehensive analysis of the history and the role of section in architecture, already in its third printing and available in six languages. Paul was recently elevated to the level of fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), and was promoted to full professor at Princeton University, where he serves as the associate dean of the School of Architecture.

Federico Quadrani is “executive producer of The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN, having moved to the D.C. area from New York four years ago to launch the program. My wife Elena and I live in Bethesda with our two children, Luca (15) and Chiara (10).”

Hannah Doress updates: “I recently joined the Steering Committee of Resilient Communities Initiative, a coalition of environmental justice groups in the San Francisco Bay Area, including ShoreUpMarin.org, which I co-founded. Since the election I made a resolution to be (even) more politically active (I know, shocking!). Among many other activities, I have started writing blogs on Medium and Daily Kos and was super honored when our classmate Brad Kramer picked up my piece on Trump’s gaslighting for his site LetsDoTruth.org. My Wesleyan experience was a major motivation to write about Neil Gorsuch, as was my role as VP for the Breaking News Network because of having a built-in audience. You can see my tweets/pieces there and follow local news in 400 cities at tbnn.it. We moved to Silicon Valley where my wife is a music teacher and our 13-year-old is a budding mechanic, musician, and rebel extraordinaire. We’ve been having fun Wes get-togethers in the Bay Area around author events with great turnouts for Alex Chee ‘89 and Hida Viloria ’90 this year. Some of the folks that turned up included Amy Randall ’89, Jason Dewees ’91, Judith Sansone, Kate Hellenga, Tawnya Dudash ’89, and Samantha Ostergaard ’91. Amy Randall and Mat Reed ‘91 joined us for a DIY progressive seder this year as well.”

Cecelia Bolden lets us know that “In June of 2016, I was promoted to chief delivery officer for my company (sdipresence.com).  We are a systems integrator, with a staff of 150, and offices in Chicago, Charleston, and LA. In 2016, I was honored to be selected as a Woman of Excellence by the Chicago Defender because of my work in the Chicago business community, as well as my philanthropic work within the city of Chicago. Also, I will be awarded the 2017 Business Leader of Color by Chicago United (chicago-united.org), an organization that advocates to achieve parity in economic opportunity for people of color by advancing multi racial leadership in corporate governance, executive level management, and business diversity.”

Andrew Drury shares: “I still manage to survive as a jazz drummer in New York somehow. I’m busy playing and recording with lots of groups. I’m co-curating this fall’s Edgefest (a jazz festival) in Ann Arbor and will be playing there with several groups, including my quartet, Content Provider, a trio with Joe McPhee, and a project with a large ensemble of UM students in a cathedral. I run a house concert series, Soup & Sound (soupandsound.org), at my house. I did a two-week music residency in Bogotá in February—performed and gave workshops at the Universidad de los Andes and Javeriana U, played at a percussion festival run by a musician’s collective, and did a lot of collaborating with locals. I’ll be doing similar work in the Fall in Argentina. My wife, Alissa Schwartz ’91, good friend Michael Reinke ’91, and I started a nonprofit organization, Continuum Culture & Arts (continuumculture.org), that does innovative educational programs in Brooklyn public schools, facilitates international cultural exchange, puts out recordings, and helps the music community in various ways. Also I was recently awarded a fellowship from the Jubilation Foundation.”

U.J. Sofia is “starting a new job (with the longest title ever!). On July 1, 2017, I will head west to become the Weinberg Family Dean of the W. M. Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges.”

Cyrillene Clark has been busy with her son’s college applications. “Through the whole college admissions whirlwind I got to reconnect with former Wesleyan dean and recently retired vice chancellor at UCLA, Janina Montero. She is still awesome.”

Finally, John “Sparky” Ferrara boasts: “My daughter Claudia ’21 has accepted her admittance to Wesleyan, joining her brother AJ ’18 next year (who will be a senior).”

Peter V.S. Bond | 007@pvsb.org 

Hillary Ross | hrossdance@yahoo.com

Thank you to everyone who made the trip to Middletown for our 30th Reunion. It was a great weekend!

Elizabeth Barnett Pathak thoroughly enjoyed her first Reunion. She caught up with Foss 5 dormmates Ellie Margolis, Julie Rioux, Sarah Projansky, Karen Steinberg Kennedy, Bruce Wintman, and Matt Weiner, along with lots of other 1987 friends. Her only regret was missing running into fellow “River Rat,” Simon Heart, at the class dinner.

Brad Fuller “had an amazing time at Reunion. Feels like even though 30 years have passed, those relationships made in the late 1980s continue to deepen and enhance our lives in wonderful ways. I had a blast getting caught up with everyone. I am especially grateful to Andrew Carpenter and Sibyll Catalan who kept the fun and laughs coming all weekend long.”

Sumana Chandrasekhar Rangachar is still thinking about how great last month’s Reunion was and realizes more than ever how much she loves her Wes friends. She lives in Montclair, N.J., and she and hubby of 25 years will be official empty nesters next month once their third and last child goes off to college! She works at New York Life, helping parents of children with disabilities navigate resources for financial security.

Judy Pan writes that “there were simply too many terrific people present and not enough time. I even went Friday and Saturday. Thanks to everyone who came back.”

“So great seeing everyone at Reunion,” writes Dan Rauch. “A few updates from me that I’m excited about. I am the inaugural chair of the new hospital medicine sub-board of the American Board of Pediatrics and I am moving to Boston this summer to become the chief of the division of pediatric hospital medicine for the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center.  I am also very proud of my daughter, Haley Rauch ’15 who is teaching high school math in Harlem and finishing up the New York City Teaching Fellowship this summer.”

Alisa Kwitney: “Sorry I couldn’t make Reunion, but it’s nice to be in more touch with people like John Dorsey on Facebook. I have some good news—my son, Matt, just graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in math, and my daughter, Elinor, just completed her first year at Bard. I have a new novel, Cadaver & Queen, coming out from Harlequin Teen, and have started Liminal Comics, an imprint of Brain Mill Press. I also have some really sad news. My old friend John Gould ’86, who also went to my high school, died unexpectedly this May of heart failure. He was a professor of speech and language pathology at Elms College and a wonderful father to his sons, Cooper and Griffin.”

Andrew Hall sent the following: “Sorry I missed Reunion. I bet it was a blast. Continuing to be busy playing upright bass in a number of projects. Had a good tour of the West Coast with the instrumental rock trio Big Lazy. We opened up for the guitarist Nels Cline at the fabulous Royce Hall at UCLA, and then drove the next day to Las Vegas where we played in one of the tackiest rock bars I’ve been to. I also joined the Greenwich Village Orchestra in playing Beethovens ‘Symphony No. 9,’ at least most of the notes.”

Nicholas Birns married Isabella Theresa Smalera (Seton Hall ’92) on May 20 at the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception in South Orange, N.J. Isabella is a biochemist and pharmaceutical professional.

Maureen Craig reports, “My oldest child just graduated from Amherst and starts work in Boston in July. One down, three to go! Life with me is going great. My company is growing, and my husband and I are celebrating our 22nd anniversary this summer.”

Chris Lotspeich, Dan Sharp, Rob Campbell, and Scott Pryce had their own mini-reunion exploring their Scottish heritage and some mountain peaks in May.

Finally, I must also say that I, too, loved Reunion. My one complaint was not having enough time to spend lounging on Foss Hill due to too many interesting seminars on the agenda. So many great people I loved seeing—too many to mention, but special thanks to Sibyll Carnochan Catalan and Naomi Mezey for a late night giggle-fest that was truly therapeutic. And to Matt Paul and Jeremy Mindich for a home-run breakfast on Sunday morning. Only four-and-three-quarter years to go until the 35th! Keep coming back! We need to connect to each other more, not less, as we enter this next phase (whatever that means) in our lives.

Amanda Jacobs Wolf | wolfabj@gmail.com

Jeffrey Mendelssohn: “Happy to report I’m alive and well in the Bay Area, working at a clean-tech startup focused on wastewater reuse. It’s been a fun coaster ride, even more so with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in office. My 13-year old son Gryffen woke up and became a teenager yesterday. Bad news: he’s now as tall as me and thinks he knows everything. Good news: he is memorizing Hamilton and ran for student council. Somehow, I think he has some Wesleyan blood in him, and I’m proud. This weekend I’m taking him for a butt kicker hike up Half Dome. We’ll see if he still speaks to me after that…”

Julia Lee Barclay-Morton has created a website for people to share stories about their grandmothers (or other older female ancestors) in her zeal to rewrite the 20th century archive. Feel free to check it out, submit stories and/or join the forum: ourgrandmothersourselves.org. Can’t get more Wesleyan than that, now can it?

Christine Fleming is living in Boston with her husband and two sons, one of which is approaching college and interested in Wesleyan—hard to believe how time flies! “Although my professional life has taken different and surprising turns in the road over the past 30 years, I did settle into a partnership at a global actuarial consulting firm making good use of my math major. I often think fondly of my math professor and advisor, W.W. Comfort—such an influence on my life, who so generously gave me a “mercy” B in Real Analysis senior year (thanks Wis!) With fond memories of Wesleyan, I eagerly look forward to visiting with my boys in the near future and wish all my classmates the best.”

Judith Hill-Weld noted that Professor Gertrude Hughes “shaped my Wesleyan career beginning to end: she allowed me to join her Four Poets/Emerson seminar as a first semester freshman, and she supervised my thesis. A brilliant mind and generous teacher. Anne Greene shaped much of the middle, and I was thrilled to be able to give her a quick hug at our 30th, in miniscule thanks for everything she did for me at Wes.”

Peter Crabtree is still enjoying life in in Portland, Oregon. “I am fortunate to have a thriving psychology practice focusing on adults and adolescents. My wife, Carolyn, and I are moving toward full empty nest status. My son, Owen, is a rising junior at Whitman College and my daughter, Ella, is a rising senior in high school. We will be visiting Wesleyan together in a couple weeks, but as of now she is leaning more toward Williams or Amherst Noooooo! I see Tony Green often, and I run into my old friend Carolyn Tesh ’87 here and there. I hope to attend at least one Reunion before I’m too old to enjoy it! Take care everyone.”

Alex Rothman and Nina are also bracing for the transition to an empty nest. Their youngest son, Simon ’21, is off to Wesleyan this fall. “Spent a great few days in April birding the Southeast Texas coast with Dave Warne, where we learned that a large coffee is 32 ounces and soup can be ordered in three sizes: cup, bowl, and bucket.”

Sam Connor and his wife Claudia just returned from India where they traveled for their eldest son Caleb’s high school graduation from the Woodstock School in Mussoorie, Asia’s oldest international boarding school. Son Luca was also there for a year, and both kids found it very stimulating and quite rich in many ways. Caleb is attending Ithaca College this fall. Luca and Gabriel will be continuing in the local school system in Norwalk, Conn., where the family has lived for nine years since returning from 10 years overseas. Claudia is CEO of a Connecticut-based nonprofit serving refugees and immigrants, called the International Institute of Connecticut. Sam runs a firm providing strategic guidance to the nonprofit and commercial sectors around shared values for social justice.

John Bogosian is excited about moving his business (zingFit) and family (wife Diana and Leo, 8, and Kali, 6) out West to Boulder, Colo. “Give me a shout out if you are in the area, and want to grab a beer, or meet up on the slopes (but don’t move here; lifestyle is really lacking).”

Timothy Dyke ’86, MALS ’89 published his first book of poetry, Atoms of Muses, with Tinfish Press in the spring of 2017. “Tinfish also published my chapbook, Awkward Hugger, in 2015. In addition to writing, I just finished my 23rd year teaching high school English at Punahou School, and my 32nd consecutive year in the teaching profession. I occasionally teach a student who eventually goes on to graduate from Wesleyan, and I am ever-grateful for the education I received in Middletown in the 1980s.”

Bill Greene’s daughter Corynn ’20 “had a great year and is now having a way more fabulous summer than I am. It was really fun being on campus packing her up and seeing her friends. I channeled my Wes DNA by marching with other biotech execs in the March for Science. It was just as much fun doing it as an adult, although the snacks were definitely improved. Still CEO of Iconic Therapeutics, living the dream by working 18-hour days and learning much more about HR than I ever thought I would. Enjoying getting reconnected with Wes folk since Corynn has joined the family. Had a great time catching up with Hal Ginsburg in Bethesda recently.

“In 2014, I sold the liberal talk radio station in Monterey, Calif., that I had operated since 2005 and returned full-time to Kensington, MD. I continue to be very active in progressive politics which includes writing and broadcasting on the internet. In April, the Baltimore Sun published my op-ed discussing how former NAACP President/CEO Ben Jealous, who is running for Maryland governor, could prevail in next year’s Democratic primary and then against the popular Republican incumbent. My wife, Mindy Burke, is an ESOL teacher at a public elementary school with a high percentage of low-income immigrants. My elder son, Michael, will enter Georgetown University in the fall as a sophomore transfer. Sadly, he showed no interest in applying to Wesleyan saying it was too liberal. My younger son, William, just completed his junior year in high school.  He is hoping to be accepted into a Naval ROTC program and to join the Marines as an officer upon graduation from college.   enjoyed visiting Wesleyan for our 30th Reunion last spring with Rick Davidman ’84 and was happy to see Bill Greene ’86, now a San Franciscan, when he recently came to suburban D.C. on business.”

Julie Stubbs is happily settled in the “Happy Valley” in Amherst, Mass., where she is the development director for the computer science/information science college at UMass Amherst. “Empty nesting is living up to its billing; my husband Petr Jirovsky and I enjoy our big mutts and the beautiful hiking trails in western Mass, and see our adult kids when possible. Kids: Ben is finishing his doctorate in microbiology at MIT; his twin brother Jacob is a computational biologist at the University of Pittsburgh; and Sarah graduates from the University of Edinburgh in a few weeks and then begins a marketing job in Boston. We traveled to Petr’s native country the Czech Republic en famille in April and the kids paid for themselves—wow! This new phase is as exciting as the last.”

Nancy (Dull) Heatley is now living in rural Perkinsville, Vt., with her Cornish husband, Gareth, two cats and dog. She has just taken a new job with the Society for Vascular Surgery running several education and communication programs from home so no commute! Nancy is also very involved in the local community on the Weathersfield Planning Commission and with local environmental issues with the Connecticut River Joint Commission.

Hunter Pearson Silides is “excited to have landed my dream job as the chaplain at the Canterbury School in Greensboro, N.C. My daughters (Grace and Hope) and I will be moving this summer and my husband of 20 years, George Silides, will join us in 15 months when our second son, Christian, graduates from Claremont High School. Our eldest son (Stephen) graduates this week from The Webb Schools of California and heads to the Flagship Chinese Program at San Francisco State in the fall. Had a lovely visit with Arthur Haubenstock ’85 earlier this month. Hoping you and all our classmates are well.”

Sue (Erikson) Bidwell finally has something worthy to report: “My youngest son, Sam, will be a member of Wes class of 2021 as a prospective math major! My older son is also pursuing liberal arts, but at Saint Michael’s College outside of Burlington, Vt.  My husband, Jeremy, and I are looking forward to trying this empty nest thing out.”

Cathy Cotins also has a child at Wes: “I’m excited to share that my younger son Cole Harris ’21 will be a frosh at Wes in the fall joining Wes class of 2021! He will be third generation at Wes which has me more excited than I expected. My dad is Arthur Cotins ’48. My older son will be a senior at Colgate University and I’m excited to be an empty nester. Life is awesome!”

Carlie (Masters) Williams still lives in Bethesda with her husband, Rick, and children, Katie (St Mary’s College of Maryland ’18) and Thomas (applying to colleges this year!). This summer they will be unchaperoned with both children away leaving them to manage the suburban farm, the backyard ponds, the dogs, and the bees in between rowing on the Anacostia. Carlie remains an HIV epidemiologist at NIH and can report that “yes, it is very hard to be a scientist these days.” Protesting skills learned at Wes are coming in handy as they man the resistance. This summer she saw Saundra Schwartz (classicist in the history department of University of Hawaii at Manoa) in NYC. Saundi and Allison Kaplan (journalist at Haaretz, Israel) saw each other in Boston where Saundi’s daughter, Elena, has recently graduated from Harvard. Ayelet Waldman (author in Berkeley, Calif.) and Saundi will meet up in a few weeks for Ayelet’s NYC book tour. As for Wes memories, when Carlie goes back to Wes, she goes to the boathouse. Go Wescrew.

Ann O’Hanlon is hoping that Carlie Williams keeps fighting that good fight: “I’m chief of staff to Congressman Don Beyer, who is vice ranking chair of the House Science Committee.  (The committee chairman is a climate change denier.) More happily, our eldest turned down parents’ alma maters (Wes and Carleton) and heads to Tufts in August, leaving us with just two kids at home.”

Elaine Taylor-Klaus: “I have thoroughly enjoyed re-connecting to Wes as my daughter, Syd ’20, joined the class of 2020—I’ve visited more in the last couple of years than I have in decades. Professionally, I was recruited to write a book which published last November, Parenting ADHD Now! Easy Intervention Strategies for Empowering Kids with ADHD. I have to say, chapter one offers a clear, succinct encapsulation of the essence of ADHD and its management. Personally, my husband and I have down-sized and moved in-town to Atlanta’s Beltline and Piedmont Park, where we plan to enjoy two more years of parenting-in-residence with our high school junior before he grants us the next best gift to grandchildren—an empty nest!”

Eric Hamre: “I can add a little from my end (Long Beach, Calif). Although I have been living on the West Coast for the last 20 years, it seems the East Coast keeps pulling me back. My older daughter, Sarah, just finished her freshman year at UMass Amherst where she plays for the Minute women softball team, while my younger daughter, Anna, has just finished her junior year of high school. As she is now well into her college search, the East Coast is calling her too!”

Eric Howard: “I’ve been adjusting to life as a divorced dad whose three kids are all in college while I’m the one who returned to the nest (living in my hometown and sharing a house with my 83-yr-old-mother). I was dating last year, but now I’m seeking happiness through Buddhist meditation, windsurfing, and walks in the woods.”

Eric Howard | ehoward86@wesleyan.edu

Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu

Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu

Hi, Class of 1983. It’s hard to believe it’s summer already. The flowers are blooming, and my kids all graduated from college and are planning the next phase in their lives. I continue being a data geek at Rutgers, working on the endless dissertation, and caring for my mother with Alzheimer’s. I suppose this is what they mean by a “full” life. Here’s what our classmates write…

E. Jenny K. Flanagan: “I’ve been living in Rhode Island since 1991, and for the past two years in the trending historic waterfront village of Warren, R.I. We bought a 240-year-old Colonial and rehabbed it. Our two sons, who we adopted from Ecuador in 1994, are now grown and living nearby. Tom ’82 is writing a book on systems science and democratic processes for large groups to solve complex problems. I have been working for the past 23 years as a commercial real estate appraiser, with a specialty in land conservation projects, working for clients throughout southern New England.”

Tim Brockett: “Gold fever has hit my new hometown of Emigrant, Mont. You may remember a few years back we had a huge forest fire that leveled thousands of acres in the adjoining Absaroka wilderness. Many people hiked in the next summer and found previously hidden outcrops and stream beds containing gold. Now the commercial operators are moving in and exploring the area. It is a terrific time for geology students to test their skills. Once again my Wesleyan degrees have come in handy.

“Hunting season went well. My friends bagged several elk, mule and white-tailed deer, a buffalo, and a gorgeous wolf. The wolf had incredibly soft and thick fur. He was stuffed and now poses no danger to people or livestock. I spent several days hiking, prospecting, and camping along the U.S. and Mexican border in March. Hunting, prospecting, and living in the mountains of Montana is wonderful.”

Mark Kushner: “I am still thriving in San Francisco, having opened and operated cutting-edge charter schools around the country for the last 22 years, and now leading my first independent school. I still love skiing (telemark and backcountry now), and playing soccer and tennis. My kids are now 14 and 11, with the oldest attending my alma mater, San Francisco University High School, and already expressing interest in Wesleyan! Please look me up if you are in the area.”

Glenn Lunden: “In February, I married my life-partner, Frank Meola, in a small civil ceremony at the Brooklyn Municipal Building, attended by both of our mothers and my brother, Jeff. After 23 years together (and a not-so-recent Supreme Court decision), we figured it was time. Besides, we wanted to legitimize our two cats.”

Lynn B. Ogden: “I transferred to Boyden’s New York metro office but haven’t abandoned Portland, Ore., completely. I enjoy catching up with friends and classmates. I am a regular on campus this spring cheering on my daughter, Emi Ogden-Fung ’19 and our amazing Wes Women’s Lacrosse team who are headed into the NCAA championship for the first time in the team’s history! Go Wes!”

Tim Backer has released “many works so far in 2017, with the culminating CD of a 22-year project, A Platform for Dreams. Classicality (based in Beethoven’s dialect, a reevaluation of understanding 20 years after grad school, having gained insight into cultural politics, European history, the classical music tradition, Chinese philosophy, and women-as-they-actually-are); The Musing Genie: Thirteen Electric Guitar Explorations (a documentary of sorts about achieving mastery of the instrument as a tool for improvisational classical music in the Zappa tradition); Patriotic Impromptus (a dramatic narrative constructed of seven pass-throughs of the U.S. national anthem); The Four Zoas By William Blake, A Recitation (five hours reading aloud the least-understood top-tier poem in the English literary canon).

“A Platform for Dreams is primarily a political text, encrypted into sheet music and then recorded and performed. All this has come out of my label, BackWords Recordings, an independent culture production house. The headwind of today’s biz has been an annoyance, but not much more than that. The business plan is to establish rock classical as a genre, allowing reentry of other artists’ back catalogs as well as giving the critical community something to chew on. backwordsrecordings.com.”

Until next time, namaste!

Laurie Hills | lauriec@rci.rutgers.edu

NEWSMAKERS | 1980s NEWSMAKER GLENN LIGON ’82 Glenn Ligon ’82, renowned conceptual artist, curated the exhibition Blue Black, a selection of pieces ranging from portraiture to African and American folk art, for the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis, Mo. “The content of Glenn’s work is incredibly meaningful in the context of St. Louis, being the epicenter of the Black Lives Matter movement,” Pulitzer director Cara Starke told art critic Hilarie M. Sheets, writing for the New York Times. Ligon described an Ellsworth Kelly painting, “Blue Black” (2000), which hangs in the Pulitzer, as his inspiration, and he cited “a very funny aural hallucination where I kept hearing Louis Armstrong’s voice singing ‘What did I do to be so black and blue?’“ He used that color combination to explore questions about race, history, identity, and memory. An art major at Wesleyan, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts from the university in 2012.

Dear classmates, I’m having a déjà vu here, writing the class notes. After the marvelous Stephanie Griffith stepped down, it seems everyone else in the class stepped back, and I was left volunteered. That’s okay; it’s like studying an interesting longitudinal cohort, or having a niche reporting beat of a creative and, need I say, diverse group. Just please help me out by feeding me some tidbits now and then. Class notes are the original social media.

Our 35th Reunion was genuinely warm, entertaining, and thoughtful. The Reunion committee, spearheaded by Kate Quigley Lynch (clap, clap), pulled off not only a wonderful “Recommencement” show and shenanigans (thanks to Beck Lee, David Brancaccio, and Joe Barrett), but our class funded a Class of ’82 Endowed Scholarship, beating our $100,000 goal (kudos to Stephen Daniel for leading us). We made an enormous difference in the life of a kid who otherwise might not have the privilege we’ve enjoyed to go to Wes. We hosted Professors Richard Ohmann and Leon Sigal (both of whom had a huge influence on my understanding of media, from the outside and in, respectively) and Professor Andy Szegedy-Maszak. The other news from Reunion is that beneath the thin scrim of age, everyone looked fantastic, just like they used to, only better dressed. Also, the Douglas Cannon reappeared, mysteriously, and I personally touched it. More on that below.

David Brancaccio spoke at our “Recommencement,” digging deep, citing from texts on rituals and cultural meaning in higher education to support his point that “our graduation ceremony 35 years ago was a wonderful occasion and, at the same time, it sucked.” Indeed, he reminded us that June 6, 1982, was the worst storm in the area since a 1955 hurricane, dumping nearly a foot of rain centered on Middletown, forcing us to graduate in the hot, stuffy, inelegant hockey rink. The sketchy sound system kept us from appreciating the speaker, diplomat and novelist Carlos Fuentes. David unearthed the address and read a few gems, then conferred “recommencement” certificates on us with quotes from the speech (if you’d like the full text, just e-mail Kate at klynch@wesleyan.edu, easier than doing what David did, tracking it down in NYC library archives, taking photos, and transcribing).

Among his remarks, Fuentes told us, “I know that sooner or later, your generation will be facing, courageously and decisively, the human needs in this country: democracy not only in the voting booth, but in the working place; decentralization, reindustrialization, the stamping out of crime, better schools, thorough racial integration and sexual equality, the great technological breakthroughs that can only be achieved through the quality of higher education and investment in research, all of this inseparable from compassion and legislation favoring the poor, the elderly, the handicapped.”

Beck Lee, our witty MC, said Fuentes’ remarks were like a “message in a bottle…speaking to our future selves, when his words might hold the deepest meaning.” Fuentes’ words were prescient, and remind us, as Beck said, that “the spirit for rebellion that was engendered in us then, in the early Reagan years, would be needed now more than ever.”

And then there was the brief reappearance of the Douglas Cannon, which a few of us were lucky enough to see, though I am not at liberty to divulge the circumstances. As you might recall, the D.C. made a surprise appearance in the University’s sesquicentennial birthday cake in 1981 before it disappeared once again in 1982. I have it on strong authority that a few of our ‘82 classmates were the 1982 liberators of the D.C. and that following some extensive travel, they returned it to Wesleyan in good faith upon Colin Campbell’s last Commencement.

These “Doug Addicts” have communicated their strong wish that 1) Whoever is in possession of the cannon today has the responsibility and obligation to facilitate the cannon’s return to the Wesleyan community; 2) Every student should know the D.C. story and have the experience of seeing the D.C. sometime during their time on campus; and 3) Whoever has it currently or in the future, needs to record Douglas Cannon’s travels and locations so that the Wesleyan community stays updated on the adventures of the D.C., perhaps via Douglas Cannon’s Facebook page.

More news about our classmates in the next notes, stay tuned. But quick congrats to Deedie Finney, whose lovely introduction to the anniversary edition of She’s Not There, the memoir by wife Jennifer Finney Boylan ’80, proves JFB is not the only writer in the family.

And don’t miss Suzanne Kay’s new documentary film, Sullivision: The Ed Sullivan Story, which takes a surprising look at the man who was once television’s most influential personality and his little-known support of black artists at the dawn of television. Check out her FB page, Sullivision, for more info.

Finally, to you guys at the Reunion who suggested my new husband, Peter Eckart ’86, go for the record and not stop at marrying just two Wesleyan women: over my dead body. Then you’ll be stuck having to find another willing class secretary.

Respectfully submitted,

Laura Fraser | laura@laurafraser.com

Greetings, classmates! It’s Joanne, writing to you from the comfortable confines of a German high-speed train, sipping wine, and admiring the scenery, efficiency of travel, and simple good sense of a country, that has spent decades investing in public transportation as a means of improving the public good and imagining how wonderful this would be if I could travel in a similar manner in my own country…

But I digress! I often wax nostalgic every time I return to Europe, where I was fortunate enough to live for so many years. Not to say that I don’t appreciate my home country; it’s just that in this time of political unease and unrest, it is nevertheless hard to not look away and see how things “could” be if only we’d open our eyes as to how others live, work and establish their societies.

That is my hope for my middle son, James, who just graduated from Indiana University with a degree in computer science. His last class before he actually gets his diploma in hand takes place in Tanzania, where he is studying the geology, archaeology, and anthropology as well as the flora, fauna, and history of the Olduvai Gorge area and the Serengeti plains. My eldest son, Alex (a computer science engineer), is in the Seattle area and works as a consultant to some of the “biggies” like SpaceX and Microsoft. My youngest, Christopher, just finished his first year at Indiana University, where he plans a double major in math and (surprise!) computer science. This summer, he is continuing as an AI in computer science—and to think I barely made it through all those punch cards for my senior project (and that was WITH help!).

Judith Newman wrote with some exciting news. Some of you may have read her wonderfully insightful 2014; New York Times’ article describing her autistic son’s relationship with Apple’s Siri, and how beneficial it has been for her son’s emotional and social growth. This research led to the book, To Siri With Love, with a publication date from Harper Collins of late August, early September. Learn more at judithnewman.com or tosiriwithlove.com. [See page 80.]

Mark Saba shared that he, too, has two books coming out. David Roberts Books published a volume of Mark’s poetry, Calling the Names, moving and compassionate poems which Vivian Shipley describes as “creat(ing) the bridge between life and death we all will cross.” The second book, Ghost Tracks: Stories of Pittsburgh Past, is due out in late summer with Big Table Publishing. Mark has been writing since he left Wesleyan, publishing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction (see marksabawriter.com). Mark is a painter as well! “I started working at Yale in 1990 as a medical illustrator in the medical school,” he shared. Mark has been at Yale for 29 years. He adds, “I am now still illustrating, but also doing graphic design, websites, and media walls for the whole university.”

To carry on with our literary trend, Kaylie Jones writes that when she is not spending time with her wonderful daughter, Eyrna, she continues to teach, lecture, travel, and publish. Her imprint, Kaylie Jones Books with Akashic Books, has added several new volumes from some very talented writers, including The Year of Needy Girls by Patty Smith ’82.

Diane Goldstein Stein writes that son Matthew ’16 graduated from Wesleyan last year and daughter Lisa ’21 will begin her freshman year at Wes this fall. Matthew is a software engineer in Mountain View, Calif., and plays with the Google orchestra. Matthew is a violinist, violist, and composer, and Lisa is a cellist and vocalist.

I had the pleasure of catching up with my dear friend and former housemate, Deb Chapin, on a trip to Boston. We had a lovely brunch downtown and reminisced about old times, past adventures, and the joys (and tribulations!) of raising teenagers. Plans are in the works for a get-together with the former Sunday night co-op group that also includes Kathy Prager Conrad and Livia Wong McCarthy.

According to Facebook, Wesleyan graduation saw many classmates in attendance. Katy Ward Koch celebrated the graduation of her niece, Hyunji Choi Ward ’17, along with her dad, Alan Ward ‘52, who enjoyed his class Reunion. Katy looks forward to another visit in a few years when her nephew, Hyunwoo Ward ’20, graduates. Chris Graves was also there to watch proudly as his daughter,  Julia Graves ’17 received her diploma. There he met up with Jim Friedlich ’79 and Melissa Stern ’80, whose son, Max ’17, graduated. Chris left a few days later for Belaggio, Italy, where he was back at the Rockefeller Center for a small U.N. summit on climate change. Ed Suslovic was also in attendance, and posted proud pics of himself with his daughter, Kate Suslovic ’17, resplendent in her cardinal-red robes. I know there are more classmates who had children graduating, but alas these are the only ones I happened to see.

Keep the news coming. David will be writing the next set of notes.

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

Marty Saggese writes: “I am one of those investors who have benefited from Joel Tillinghast’s investment expertise. I had the chance to sit next to Joel at one of our Reunion dinners a few years ago, and said thank you to him in person. I am looking forward to reading his book!”

Charla Reinganum writes: “Dan, my husband of 30 years, and I are starting a new chapter this July, moving from the third coast (Chicago) to the West Coast (Napa) less than a week after our daughter, Rachel Schwartz ’11, gets married with unbridled support by bridesmaids Ilyana Schwartz ’13, Janine Petito ’11, Anne Calder ’11, and Joanna Schiffman ’11. Bunny Benenson and Jane Carleton will be celebrating with us. No, we are not retiring. Dan has taken a new position as head of a local progressive private school and I will continue serving as chief environmental engineer for FedEx Express. My commute soon will wend through vineyards instead of interstates. Love to catch up if you happen to be Napa-bound.”

Aleta Staton writes: “I’m thankful to be going into my sixth year with the faculty of the theater department at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn. We are building a new theater space this year and look forward to a robust season of productions. I recently attended the Reunion for Wesleyan class of ‘81 with Carlia Francis ’82 (PhD and an August Wilson scholar) and ran into my good friend Beck Lee ’82 who happened to be the keynote speaker.”

Jon Martin, professor at University of Florida, writes: “I’m in the middle of a seven-week field expedition to Greenland. If anyone is curious, you can check out our Greenland project: grainfluxes.geology.ufl.edu.

Melissa Totten, content producer for MandCo.org, reports in from the Boston region, where she would rather not be living. She misses the desert chaparral and the vast southwestern skies. She remembers a life among like-minded adults. A prisoner of East Walpole, Ms. Totten has no access to culturally diverse people, lives, folkways, or foodways. Instead of writing the book she is outlining, she has become physically and emotionally dependent upon the consumption of cable television’s political coverage. Despite her stupor, she has become an accidental climate activist and an associate member of her hometown’s historical commission. In that position, she has great power. According to the town’s by-laws, the commission may issue a six-month demolition permit delay for “historically and/or architecturally significant buildings.” After six months of considering the value of preservation, an owner is free to pick up the demo permit from the building inspector and rip it all down to the earth below.

Melissa Hewey writes: “Alan Chebuske and I celebrated our first date at Wes 40 years ago in February. We now live in Portland, Maine, where Alan practices dentistry in between taking bike trips around the world. With two grandchildren, one living in Beijing, China (son of Cara Chebuske ’06 and Will McCue ’06), and another in Los Angeles, I am pretty sure the airlines are developing a new tier of elite status just for me.”

Mark Zitter writes: “My daughter, Tessa ’21, was accepted ED1 to Wesleyan and will begin this fall! She wants to double major in theater and chemistry, sing in an a capella group, and work in Admission as a tour guide to motivate visitors to apply to Wes. Proud to join the ranks of our classmates who are Wesleyan parents. Extremis, the short documentary featuring my wife and her ICU colleagues and patients, was nominated for an Oscar, so she got to go to the Academy Awards. (Couldn’t snag an extra ticket for me—my best shot to be arm candy!) I’m chairing both my company and The Zetema Project (zetemaproject.org), a group of U.S. healthcare leaders focused on policy issues. I’ve also found a second career as an interviewer at venues ranging from Stanford to the 92nd Street Y to the Commonwealth Club. I’ve hosted U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Obamacare architect Ezekiel Emanuel, palliative care doctor BJ Miller, and others. I joined the Board of the Commonwealth Club (commonwealthclub.org), America’s oldest and largest public affairs forum, which will move into a brand new facility on San Francisco’s Embarcadero this summer. This doesn’t feel like retirement, but it’s fun.”

Amy Kroll writes: “We are heading to Chicago for our son, Sam’s, graduation from the University of Chicago. We are thrilled for Sam (and ourselves—no more college tuition!), but wistful as this chapter of raising children closes. We are still in D.C., and I am a partner at Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP, watching the daily motorcades up and down Pennsylvania Avenue between the White House and Congress. I hope that all our class members will give to the Annual Fund—I see the value of a Wesleyan education frequently, as young lawyers and law students who are Wesleyan graduates join our firm and consistently excel. I enjoy periodic catch-ups with John Singer and David Resnick ’81, among others.  

KIMBERLY OFRIA SELBY | kim_selby@yahoo.com

KPBS in San Diego, Calif. named Anne Wilson a community hero for her work in affordable housing as both developer and advocate (read more). Anne also attended Wesleyan’s 185th Commencement to celebrate Eero Talo ’17 graduation.  Congratulations, Anne!

Matt Okun writes in that he has so many reasons to rejoice:”My daughters, Nina Okun Furia and Lia Okun, both live in NYC, and visited me on my recent trip to D.C. Lia is a licensed psychologist, and Nina is a personal assistant, pregnant with her second child. My brother’s (Steve Okun ’82) son (Alex Okun ’20) just completed his freshman year at WESU. My wife, Annie Wong, has three children from her former marriage and already has two grandchildren. So, by the time you read this, I should have a total of four grandkids! I continue to work for the Seattle Public Schools as a teacher trainer and administrator with a focus on social justice.  I love everything about Seattle, except for how far it is from the East Coast. Just saw the band U2 live, playing music from 30 years ago. I am in my 39th year as a teacher. What a long, strange trip it’s been! My message to all is: Savor each moment of life; they can be beautiful, sweet, challenging, but are most certainly fleeting.  All my love, Matt”

Carol Churgin is semi-retired. She left public education and just finished another master’s—in Social Work. So on to another chapter…  She’s very proud her son is a licensed acupuncturist and diplomate of oriental medicine. Anyone living in San Diego who needs an acupuncturist, feel free to contact Carol!

Since the presidential election, Ann Kaplan has been volunteering as a teach-in organizer with a group of psychologists called Duty to Warn. “This national group of psychologists aims to have the president removed from office under the 25th amendment.

“I spent New Year’s Eve on a dive trip with three friends. This summer, we are heading to the Lembeh strait in Indonesia to dive.  I have also become immersed in a yoga practice and will be heading to a villa in Nice for a week-long retreat. We’ll be practicing, dining, and drinking wine. I don’t do austere.

“My daughter is a personal trainer at Crunch gym and a performance artist, focusing on pole dancing and silks. She also played a slice of pizza and a vengeful, tutu-clad pig in a magnificent production at Bushwick’s House of Yes.“

Earlier this year, Jake Walles retired from the State Department after more than 35 years as a foreign service officer, including tours as U.S. Ambassador in Tunisia and Consul General in Jerusalem.  He’s now living in D.C. and looking forward to new adventures outside the government.”

After 34 years as Wesleyan’s sports info director, Brian Kattan accepted early retirement on October 1, 2015. “The last 19 months have been delightful and I highly recommend retirement to all ’79ers. For fun, I coach a middle-school boys basketball team and umpire high-school baseball. I still follow Cardinal athletics religiously and am enjoying all the team successes including Eudice Chong ’18’s third straight national tennis title and men’s lax making the NCAA semis in 2017. Go Cards!”

Julie Hacker just got back from her son Gabe’s RISD graduation complete with marching band and belly dancer. A week before she attended her step-grandson’s graduation from Westpoint complete with marching band but no belly dancers. Opposite ends of the spectrum, but couldn’t be more proud! She has been busy practicing architecture, serving as a preservation commissioner for the City of Evanston, rewriting the design guidelines for Evanston, competing in triathlons, and is performing in a musical theatre class (“my singing is sub-par”). “I am still short, with short, greying hair, and wear black most of the time and of course round glasses—the uniform of architects. See my latest work at www.cohen-hacker.com and my son’s latest work at www.gabrielscohen.com .”

Bill Davies and Candy downsized two years ago to a 100-year-old home in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. “We moved in after five months of renovating. Poughkeepsie is becoming a trendy place for young artists with families who can’t afford living in NYC and we love the neighborhood we are in.  I retired from IBM/GlobalFoundries in May and will be spending the summer rowing, biking, and gardening.  We are also preparing for our daughter’s wedding, Kim ’07, in September.  This fall I plan to start volunteering at the local schools to help kids with math skills.  Candy continues her social work as a counselor at SUNY, New Paltz.“

Alan Saly is happy to report that his daughter, Elaine Saly ’09, has graduated from NYU Law, and is on her way to Seattle to be a criminal defense attorney in the public defender’s office. Any Wes lawyers out there for her to touch base with?

Jono Cobb is back on Martha’s Vineyard for the summer. “During the months following graduation, I shared a single bathroom house on the Vineyard with Maureen Walsh, Deirdre Manning, Bethany Kandel, Spence Studwell, Mike Connelly, Dennis Archibald, and Mike Riera, as well as his not yet house-broken puppy. We also got to see many of our classmates who made our living room their first night’s stop after disembarking from the ferry. Whenever I drive past Little Walden, as we named it, I’m reminded of that summer of 1979…”

Luis Vidal still resides in Bridgeport, Conn. He retired from the Department of Social Services in 2011. He is presently working for Family ReEntry, Inc. as group facilitator of domestic violence groups in Bridgeport, Norwalk, New Haven, and Waterbury. He would love to hear from Ines Navarro ’81 and MaryAnn Gonzalez ’82 who graduated a couple of years after he did, and is wondering how they are, what they are up to, etc.

Thomas Brody, at 63, is still trying to find himself. Wish him luck, he says.

Denise Giacomozzi has been coordinating the Syrian Refugee Project at her church in conjunction with New Vision United Church of Canada (Hamilton, Ontario) whose pastor is married to a friend of hers from high school. The goal is to raise $50,000 USD to bring two families of four to Hamilton. They are halfway there. Contributions can be made by check to Rockville United Church, Syrian Refugee Project, 355 Linthicum St., Rockville, MD  20851 or PayPal. “On a personal note, my mother passed away in March at the hospice where I have been working as a chaplain.  I am on leave as I mourn. Elaine Winic was there by my side for the memorial service, ever the faithful friend since our days as freshmen roommates.”

Ralph Maltese: “On October 22, 2016, my best friend from college, Alan David Avner, passed away after a two-year bout with cancer. Alan was an enigma—a happy loner, a fine musician, a good friend. He was the healthiest living person I’ve ever known, had a razor sharp eclectic intelligence, sarcastic wit, love of all things jazz, a respect for all people and other living things and lived his life with caring and humility. He recently moved to Florida to care for his aging father, giving up the life he loved in San Francisco. I never ever heard him brag about anything. Throughout all his ordeals he never complained. Alan was always there for me, as my friend, confidante, best man, the first person I told I had cancer, and someone I could rely on for good advice even when it was the advice I did not want to hear but needed. He was and will always be my friend.  He is survived by his father, sister, and her family.”

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

Bill Adler “waves to classmates from Tokyo,” where he has been living for the past three years. He reports: “I spend my days writing novels and my nights sleeping only when my cat thinks I deserve to. If you like time-travel fiction, pick up a copy of my novella, No Time to Say Goodbye. I’m currently writing a Japanese ghost story.”

Wolfgang Natter proudly announces the graduation of his son, Joseph ’17, an honors physics major who plans to extend this background to “social physics of the law.” Wolfgang has accepted the position of vice president of academic affairs at The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn. He welcomes contact from “any Wes alumni who reside at or near the borders of Lake Superior and Minnesota.”

Rich Order continues to litigate business disputes as a principal partner in the firm of Updike, Kelly, and Spellacy, in Hartford, Conn. He and Denise, his wife of 34 years, live in Simsbury, Conn. Their son Daniel, a graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder, will be attending the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University this fall to pursue a master’s degree in documentary filmmaking.

Susie Muirhead Bates | sbatesdux@hotmail.com 

Ken Kramer | kmkramer78@hotmail.com