Class Notes

I received a lot of responses to my requests for news this quarter, and I am not going to be able to fit it all in. Some will have to wait until next time. This column will focus on classmates who have not written in for a while.

Susan Peterson Avitzour, who has four thriving grandchildren, earned a master’s degree in English and creative writing last year. She continues to work as a psychotherapist but has also published four short stories and just finished her first novel.

Meredith Gang Bergmann sent me a wonderful photo of her presenting a bust that she created of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Justice. In New York this past October, Meredith’s husband, Michael, wrote and directed a libretto in an opera based on Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities. And, this past April, Michael’s film, Influence, for which Meredith did the production design and their son, Daniel,–– was the technical advisor won two awards at the Houston Film Festival.

Arvid Bloom is retired after 25 years as a psychology professor and has re-discovered an old passion for photography. Arvid also is learning guitar and is helping a museum to restore a helicopter from the Korean War era. He and his wife, Gretchen, also volunteer at a local animal rescue center.

Alida Jay Boye was stationed in Mali as counsellor for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2010-–2013. In appreciation for her work, she was knighted by the Malian Government and is now a “Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mali.”

Rob Briskin is a concierge internist in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He and his wife have twin 6-year-old girls.

Karen Adair Stephens Caplan is living in Wallingford with her husband, Dick. Their daughter, Samantha, lives in Carlsbad, Calif., and their son, Tom, is working as property manager with his dad. Karen has joined a hospital-based palliative consult team. She would love to hear from old friends.

Sidney Cohen (a doctor in cardiology and internal medicine with a PhD in biochemistry and biophysics) is now living in the Bay Area with his wife, the former Carol Fisher (second marriage). Sidney has three children: Jacob, who is a CPA and is married to Sarah Waxman; Rachel, who works at QVC; and Jonah, who is in med school in Israel.

Lawrence Davis and his wife, Ronna, will be away and regret that they are going to miss the Reunion. Their daughter, Ilana ’06, recently had her second child and their son just graduated from IDC Herzliya in Tel Aviv.

Ron Epstein is a family physician on the faculty at the University of Rochester. He and his wife Deborah have a son Eli ’11 who will be having an engagement party in Wenzhou, China, in March, followed by a wedding in Vermont. Their daughter, Malka, recently graduated from the College of Charleston. Ron is the president and Deborah is the artistic director of Pegasus Early Music, a NFP that serves Western New York.

Lenny Femino reports that our class had a great turnout for Homecoming and that, although the DKE House has been closed by the University, it was used for food and gathering after the game. Paul McMahon, Pete McArdle, Dennis Harrington, Bob Gandolfo, Jeff White, Al Poon, Dave Eckert, Jack O’Donnell, Steve Beauchamp ’77, Jeff Gray ’77 and his wife Joanne, Dennis Robinson ’79, and Scott Karsten ’74 among others, were in attendance.

Steve Goldman was elected managing partner of Robinson and Cole in Hartford. A trial lawyer at the firm since 1980, he has focused on insurance coverage and class action litigation, handling numerous federal and state appeals in multiple jurisdictions, including the Supreme Court of the United States.

Alan Haus writes about the upcoming election. He says that if Clinton wins, he may exercise his dual US/EU citizenship and move to Europe. And if Trump wins, he will find out how long it is before SpaceX is in full service!

Libby Horn’s chorus, Saratoga Soundtrack, came in fourth in the world in the small chorus division of the Sweet Adeline’s International Competition in Las Vegas this past October.

Nina Jaffe is on the graduate faculty of Bank Street College of Education in NYC, where she advises candidates involved in childhood education. Nina’s book The Golden Flower: A Taino Myth From Puerto Rico, was selected as a Staff Pick at The Bank Street Bookstore. Nina’s husband, Bob Armistead, is a special educator teaching in the South Bronx, and their son, Louis, is a free-lance film editor and producer.

Debbie King got (re)married this past June to Daniel Toth in Boulder, Colo., after a long engagement. Their daughters and granddaughters made up the wedding party. They honeymooned in Bordeaux, France, and the Cinque Terre in Italy.

Debra Gottheimer Neuman and husband, Paul, moved last year to Mystic, Conn., where they live in an 1806 cottage in the historic district. Last May, their son Joshua was married to Meagan Riley in Athens, Ga. The newlyweds are each pursuing MS degrees, he in plant pathology and she in nursing.

Joe Reiff’s book on the Civil Rights Movement. Born of Conviction: White Methodists and Mississippi’s Closed Society, has been published by Oxford University Press.

Lisa deSchweinitz and her husband will be downsizing into a co-housing community in their hometown of Anchorage. Lisa is a family physician. She does medical missions in Spanish-speaking countries and went to Nicaragua last fall.

Steve Smith started as a ’75 but joined ’76. He lives in East Flat Rock, N.C., with his wife Jean, who teaches in the local public school system. Steve did computer programming most of his career and now works for DHG in healthcare consulting in Athens. Their two children, Tara ’07 and Tyler, work in Charlotte, Tara as a librarian and Tyler as a computer programmer. Steve and Jean are active in the dulcimer club in Asheville.

Last December, Marc Stier became the director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, a leading progressive think tank in Pennsylvania. Marc’s book, Grassroots Advocacy and Healthcare Reform, was recently published. Marc’s daughter with Diane Gottlieb ’80 graduated from Hampshire College last spring.

Our Reunion is May 19–22, 2016. You can find more information at: wesconnect.wesleyan.edu, under “Events.” Hope to see you there.

Mitchell Marinello | mlmarinello@comcast.net

It appears that each New Year seems to be moving at a faster pace than the previous one. For 2016, it may have to do with this being an election year, complete with the bombardment of debates, ads, and unrelenting commentary (mostly negative) on everything. I am writing to you all from the chilly Northeast (minus-5 degrees this morning) by a nice fire with these updates:

Cindee Howard writes about her big year of anniversaries and changes: turning 60, celebrating 15 years with her partner, Jon, moving her 99-year-old father into assisted living, consolidating real estate.

Dave Levit writes about being a father of two Wesleyan grads. Dave and wife Ruth are enjoying life in Amherst Mass.; he writes about cutting back work to “full-time” (seriously?) in private practice of psychologist/psychoanalyst and teaching.

John Fink wrote in about connecting with Scott Director and his wife in Oregon while John was visiting his kids and grandson. John will be in NYC later this year and plans to visit with Peter Guenther and Rick Dennett. I appreciate John’s observation that with technology, a whole generation will never own a landline telephone nor subscribe to a newspaper. People’s continued interest in various screens makes it appear that his work in the television industry is safe for some time to come.

I received Janet Malkemes annual personal update of the comings and goings in her world. At her Community College of Charlotte she has been involved with the realization of a new building on campus. Janet has been enjoying some significant travel and meeting up with friends and family, both at home and away.

Jason Baron recently returned from Cambodia working with children in a remote village in Kampot Province. Jason created a nonprofit organization in his mother’s name with goal of building the first freestanding library at a high school there. After spending the better part of 35 years as a lawyer focused on preserving White House e-mail, this project has been life-changing. See thechellyfoundation.org for more information. Jason would love to hear from classmates, starting with his old gang at Foss Hill 5; reach him at jrbaron3@gmail.com.

Jim Melloan’s Radio Free Brooklyn (Internet station), which he began last year, made the UK Daily Telegraph’s list of best Internet radio stations. Jim has a weekly show Tuesday evenings. He also does some performing as a singer/songwriter in NYC.

Jody Friedman has moved, after 21 years, from Sylva, N.C., east one hour, to Asheville. Jody teaches adults with developmental differences at Asheville Buncombe Community College and is an urban-style homesteader growing edible and medicinal perennials, foraging, duck-keeping, water saving, etc. on the weekends. Her son and daughter live nearby and are doing well.

Joe Mabel sent an intriguing note that he is doing fine in Seattle, and that any other comments would have to wait until things settle out.

Lisa Nelkin has retired to a log cabin, along with a “completely spoiled rotten dog,” in the Colorado Rockies after living on her sailboat for four years: sailing from Baltimore to New Zealand with husband Bret. Lisa’s daughter and son-in-law live in Tampa.

Vanessa Burgess consoled me after the Patriots lost to Denver in the football playoffs. She joined Dave Thomas, Don Lowery, and Don Citak for dinner in New York (PJ Clarke’s). Vanessa mentioned that there will be a Wesleyan Women’s event in NYC in April. Stay tuned!

Will Altman wrote from Brazil that he has a new book expecting to be published this February: The Guardians in Action: Plato the Teacher and the Post-Republic Dialogues from Timaeus to Theaetetus (Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2016). Will has two grandchildren, Eliza and James.

A few mentions were made that folks are looking forward to our next Reunion, only a year away in 2017. It is never too early to plan!!

Gerry Frank | Gfrank@bfearc.com

Class of 1978 Endowed Scholarship Fund

Vera Benkoil ’18, New York, N.Y.

Nancy Chen is enjoying life in Boulder, Colo., where she is establishing a marketing strategy coaching business. Her daughter, Ariane, will be graduating this year from Chapman University in Orange, Calif., where she is majoring in environmental science. Her other daughter, Isabelle, is studying communications at Seattle University.

Glenn Heinmiller was inducted into the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) College of Fellows. Glenn is a principal at the architectural lighting design firm LAM in Cambridge, Mass. His expertise is in the production of high-quality electric and day-lighting solutions minimizing energy use and environmental impact, and he serves as chairman of the IALD energy and sustainability committee. He has received numerous awards for his lighting design work, about which he has written and lectured, and has taught at Boston Architectural College.

David Weild IV continues his work in the financial sector as CEO of Weild & Co., and continues his public policy working stemming from his contributions to the creation of the JOBS Act, as well. He was at the White House as a participant in the I Have a Dream Summit, and his work travels also took him to the G20 meeting in Istanbul and the Budapest Economic Forum. Dave will be doing some teaching in the Economics Department at Wes this semester; his sister actually teaches in the drama department. His children (“the joy in my life”)—Dave V, Michael, and Kelly—are all avid lacrosse players.

Bobbie (Barbara) Spellman recently published an article in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science, about “the current crisis of replicability in the social and life sciences.” She proudly reports having, in its acknowledgement section, thanked no less than 11 of her Wesleyan professors “for influencing my thinking oh-so-long ago.” Bobbie has also recently published a book, The Psychological Foundation of Evidence Law.

SUSIE MUIRHEAD BATES | sbatesdux@hotmail.com

Ken Kramer | kmkramer78@hotmail.com

Class of 1979 Scholarship

Julian Carraway ’18, Middletown, Conn.

A book that Jane Marcellus co-authored, Mad Men and Working Women: Feminist Perspectives on Historical Power, Resistance, and Otherness (Peter Lang, 2014, rev. ed. 2016) was named to Teen Vogue magazine’s “epic feminist reading list.” Here’s the link: teenvogue.com/gallery/feminist-literature-womens-equality-day/25. “Obviously, popular magazines have tremendous influence on young women, and we were thrilled to be part of a list that includes several feminist classics.”

Robert Kuhn and his husband, Steven, live in Fort Lauderdale with their two Irish Terriers. They have been together 11 years and married four years in February. They have pretty hectic lives, as they’re both in the consulting world—lots of work and travel. Robert’s sustainability consultancy has its ups and downs, but after almost eight years it’s still something he’s passionate about. He recently heard from Bob Murphy ’79, who’s in a related field. Anyone else? On the personal side, he’s in his sixth year on the board of Lambda Legal, the country’s largest and oldest civil rights organization focused on the LGBT and HIV-positive communities. Board service is a labor of love, but this cause speaks to him and has connected him with so many great, passionate folks.

Alan Saly is proudly collecting delegate signatures for Bernie Sanders in Brooklyn.

Gerard Koeppel wrote: “By the time you’re reading this, my latest book, City on a Grid: How New York Became New York, will be nearing the end of a pretty good run, which Adam Gopnik kicked off in the New Yorker a month before the book was published last November. I started writing when Alexandra Peers, editor of Ampersand, the late, great Argus arts section of her invention, asked me in sophomore year to do a piece about Essex, where the sailing club (WESail) I was running based its operations (boats, bought used from Yale with donor money, stored on the grounds of what was then the Wesleyan Marine Lab and launched into the Connecticut River by arrangement with adjoining Essex Yacht Club). The Essex profile went over well, I started writing more features, eventually a weekly column (and intercollegiate sailing competition sports reports under a variety of sailing-related pseudonyms), and switched from an econ major to English. Phyllis Rose taught me to read, visiting V. S. Naipaul (while alienating much of the Wesleyan community) taught me to write, and the rest, so to speak, after many years in journalism (mostly at CBS News) is history, writing everything from books to historical signage in New York City parks. To think that I practically failed Dick Buel’s American History survey course. For anyone who’s interested: gerardkoeppel.com.”

Toni Ross commented that “one child graduated from Bennington this year, the other back in school at NYU Tisch School of the Arts in their newly founded Game Design program, I am still living in Wainscott, N.Y. with my two dogs, George and Gracie, and preparing for three separate exhibitions in 2016 in New York City, East Hampton, and Sag Harbor, N.Y. Nick & Toni’s, my first restaurant venture, just celebrated its 27th anniversary. It is shocking to me that I could be so fortunate. My other restaurants La Fondita, Townline Barbeque, and Rowdy Hall, all located in the Hamptons and Nick & Toni’s Cafe in New York City are also celebrating many years in business. And, shhhhhhh, a new one is on the way. Stay tuned.”

Esslie Hughes is delighted to report that today (Jan. 14, 2016) she started her new position as chief of finance and operations for the Episcopal Diocese of New York!

Rachel Bashevkin will retire this spring as director of studies at Westover School in Middlebury, Conn., after 35 years there. She’ll be moving to New Haven to start a new chapter in her life. Feel free to send ideas for work, service, and entertainment in New Haven to her.

Joseph Wright, MD, MPH, was elected to the American Pediatric Society. Membership is reserved for those who have distinguished themselves as child health leaders, teachers, scholars, policymakers, and clinicians and whose important contributions are recognized nationally or internationally. He calls his membership “a platform for me to further Howard’s commitment to outstanding patient care and service to the community.”

Julie Hacker has been very busy. Her firm, Stuart Cohen & Julie Hacker Architects LLC, has just completed the first luxury showroom for Pella windows, which opened Jan. 14 in the Chicago Merchandise Mart.

She is serving as a preservation commissioner for the city of Evanston, Ill., where she gets to try to preserve the great historic building stock they have along the North Shore of Chicago. She ran a symposium, “The Iconic House,” as part of the recent Chicago Architecture Biennial, which just closed. Her recent books featuring the work of her firm include:100 Classical Architects for the 21st Century (Rizzoli) and Contemporary Renovations and Additions (Think Publishing). An active triathlon participant, she completed five short course events this past summer (sprint and Olympic distance) and placed first in her age group in the Michigan City Triathlon. On a personal note, her son, Gabriel, is now a junior at RISD, a double major in film/video/animation and sculpture, making really interesting installation pieces which she can honestly say, she does understand.

Bill Levinson took the plunge! “Well, we finally bought a house in Key West. What began as a one-month vacation, is now a five-month transformation. Julie is doing her graphic design remotely, and I am working five nights a week with The Happy Dog, an original music collaboration, playing gigs at bars, piers, and on boats: thehappydogband.com.”

Andrew Yavelow had a rough year. He lost his job, career, home, community, and friends—and his body fell apart. He moved from fire-ravaged northern California to warm and wet southern Florida, and is trying to pull himself back together and figure out what’s next. We wish him well.

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

Karen Murgolo is still surviving in book publishing and is editorial director of the nonfiction imprint, Grand Central Life & Style, at the Hachette Book Group. She works with fun chefs like Mario Batali, edited Ellen DeGeneres’ Home book, and is editor of Gwyneth Paltrow’s bestselling, It’s All Good, and upcoming It’s All Easy. Fun fact: She is currently working with Candace Nelson ’96, founder of the Sprinkles Bakeries and judge on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars on her amazing cookbook, The Sprinkles Baking Book: 100 Secrets From Candace’s Kitchen.

Janet Grillo directed the feature film Jack of the Red Hearts, starring Famke Janssen (X-Men, Taken) and AnnaSophia Robb (Carrie Diaries, The Way Way Back); the story of a teenage con artist who convinces the desperate mother to hire her as live-in caregiver for her child with severe autism. Jack Of The Red Hearts won the Jury Prize at the inaugural Bentonville Film Festival, founded by Geena Davis to promote gender equality in filmmaking; played festivals here and abroad, winning 11 awards; and will open in 25 AMC theaters nationwide on Feb. 26th. It will air on Lifetime in April, Autism Awareness Month.

F.X. White writes: “My three children are growing up too fast. Sophia is looking at colleges, and I hope she considers Wesleyan. I’ve been active on the Bernie Sanders campaign, and in fact am running as a delegate for Maryland’s Eighth District pledged to him. Still haven’t made it to a Reunion in all these years, but keeping in touch with a bunch of Wes folks on Facebook, which has been fun. Working as a software developer and writing a book about the year off I took in ’78. The education I had in the COL still sustains me. Recently started a book club with some neighbors. Also coaching a fourth-grade soccer team. Life is good. Best to all.”

Peter Scharf writes: “I’m also in Boston, rather Cambridge. I’m cataloguing the 1700 Sanskrit manuscripts at the Houghton Library at Harvard with the help of two assistants from India. We’ve finished about half of them as of now (Feb. 3) and include them in our Sanskrit manuscript catalogue at sanskritlibrary.org under Reference. I plan to head back to IIT Bombay to teach linguistics in the fall.”

David Hafter writes: “Like many of my classmates whose parents struggle with health and life-management issues, I have my challenges. Otherwise, however, I feel pretty lucky. My 50s have been more exciting than I anticipated. For a therapist, getting older is generally a good thing and I am enjoying running a program for Yolo County schools, where we do one-to-one brief therapy (early intervention), group counseling and mental health presentations/assemblies. I also do trainings for clinicians around California. For fun, I re-formed my Wesleyan band, Wealth of Nations, with a great group of guys who, like me, started playing music young and never stopped. I have gone from solo performing in the basement of Wesleyan frats, to playing with the Original Wealth of Nations (with James Marcus, Kathy Bergeron and Vic Tredwell) at Wesleyan to the new full, seven-piece rock band, playing my originals, lots of Dead covers and other great music from our era. Playing with these guys is more fun than I could put into words. My son, Noah, also a singer/guitar player, is settled in Seattle. So, no complaints here, at least not now; I’m enjoying the moment.”

Wendy Buskop writes: “Daughter Jacqueline ’19 is now in her freshman year. She needs internships in earth and environmental science, if anyone can help out. Contact her at jbuskop@wesleyan.edu. Celebrating 25 years this year of Buskop Law Group—a private practice law firm providing patent drafting, filing, and issuance of patents and trademarks, with five patent attorneys and clients in 23 states and 15 foreign countries.”

Your own Jenny Boylan has left the faculty of Colby College after 25 years, and taken on the new role of Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University. “This has me in the classroom in New York in the spring semesters; each May I return to Maine, where my wife, Deirdre Finney Boylan ’82, and I live on Long Pond, in Belgrade Lakes. It’s been a super busy and crazy time, and I beg for you to forgive me for the inevitable alumna boast-o-rama. Ready? I continue as the national co-chair of GLAAD, the media advocacy nonprofit for LGBTQ people, and also serve as a trustee for the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. On the writing front, I’m a contributing opinion writer for the op/ed page of the New York Times, with an essay appearing about every six weeks or so, or whenever I can think up something to say. My new novel, Long Black Veil, comes out in spring of 2017 from Penguin Random House; let’s call it a literary thriller with a twist. And I’m introducing my new line of fragrances, called KABOOM. No, wait, I’m only kidding about the fragrance. But I am not kidding about this: I’m a consultant and a cast member on I Am Cait, the E! Network reality show about Caitlyn Jenner, on which my primary role seems to be explaining to Cait that Everything She Knows is Wrong. It’s a weird position for me to be in, since playing yourself on TV turns out to be harder than pretending to be someone else. But I continue to believe that visibility brings acceptance, so on I go.

“I loved seeing so many old friends at Wesleyan at our Reunion, and receiving the Distinguished Alumna award from the University was one of the great honors of my life. It is weird to think that I am being feted for being an out trans person; the very thought of coming out when I was a Wesleyan student seemed like the most unlikely turn of events I could imagine. But the world has changed, I reckon. Just like a lot of people I know. And my beloved Wesleyan classmates not least.”

KIMBERLY OFRIA SELBY | kim_selby@yahoo.com

Joanne writes this time: Greetings from the heartland! Although my eyes gaze upon an idyllic Indiana landscape where a pair of fawns cavort in the snow, my thoughts have skipped ahead to the possibilities of spring, and with that, our forthcoming (gulp!) 35th Reunion. We hope that many of you have reserved the week-end of May 20–22, for a return visit to our alma mater for what is sure to be a wonderful weekend filled with rekindled friendships, warm memories, and much catching-up! The Reunion Committee has done a phenomenal job and has come up with a great slate of events which can be accessed online at wesconnect.wesleyan.edu/class-1981. If you have not yet reserved, it’s not too late! Just follow the links at the website above—registration is fast and easy. And definitely check out our Wesleyan Class of ’81 Reunion webpage on Facebook for some interactive fun. We need your input and comments there for a real trip down “Memory Lane.” The members of the committee have collectively donated countless hours of time, energy and creativity to the planning process. On behalf of the entire class, I would like to thank my co-chairs, Delcy Ziac Fox and Nancy Parker Wilson, as well as Kofi Appenteng, Bart Brebner, Rick Ciullo, Kathy Prager Conrad, Paul DiSanto, Sharon Fierstein, John Giammatteo, Lisa Greim, Keith Krakaur, Elisha Lawrence, Beck Lee, Liza Page Nelson, Livia Wong McCarthy, Matt McCreight, Dave Miller, Dave Resnick, Bradley Whitford and last but not least, our fearless liaison at Wesleyan, Kate Quigley Lynch ’82. Come early enough to join us for a cocktail party on Friday night. Our class dinner on Saturday evening will feature a few exciting guests: a current professor, Courtney Weiss Smith, as well as all-time favorites Rich Adelstein and Andy Szegedy-Maszak. The time in between will offer Wes seminars, impromptu get-togethers, and other forms of fun and frolic. As events get finalized, the Reunion Page will be updated—so make sure you check it frequently, particularly as May approaches. Looking forward to seeing you in Middletown on May 20th!

Keith Krakaur writes from across the Big Pond, where he and his wife, Nancy, recently relocated. Keith is a partner at Skadden Arps, where he has worked for the past 21 years, and will continue his white-collar criminal defense practice out of their London offices. He acts as the head of the firm’s enforcement and investigations practice in Europe; Nancy will be moving her photography career over with his. As for the kids? “Well, our three sons, Matthew ’14 (23), Daniel (21), and Jonathan (18) will have to suffer the hardship of visiting us abroad as they pursue their television writing, music, and who-knows-what careers in the U.S.,” says Keith. “On days when I think how lucky I am to have an interesting job that has allowed me to see and meet people in most corners of the world over the years, my family is happy to remind me that at least I tried to be as creative as they are when I was in college!” Certainly, that is one of the benefits of our Wesleyan education: the opportunity to explore unchartered territory, try new things, and yes—even “be creative” when we never really thought we were! Thanks for the reminder, Keith.

Delcy Ziac Fox notified us that she left the world of higher education for a foray into the private sector. She is now director of marketing and communications at Albany Valve & Fitting Co., Inc., in Schenectady, which is a newly created position. Albany Valve is a distributor of Swagelok fluid flow components. “Working with industrial customers is a 180-degree turn from my 16 years in higher ed,” explains Delcy, “but the marketing principles remain the same. One of the best things about the new job,” she notes, “is that the distributorship has an office in Essex Junction, Vt., the home of Gary ’77 and Miriam Stern Sturgis ’81. Delcy, Gary, and Miriam enjoyed reminiscing over dinner recently when Delcy and her daughter visited UVM. We may move here and there and around the world, but old Wesleyan friendships never die!

Dave Robertson wrote in from his office at the Wharton School, where he is a professor of practice, to let us know about a new radio show he hosts. He can be found on Sirius XM’s Channel 111. The show, Innovation Navigation, is recorded live every Tuesday between 8 and 10 am. It is also available as a podcast on iTunes. Dave’s guest on May 19th was old friend and classmate Matt McCreight. Matt does innovation consulting for Schaffer Consulting. “We had a wonderful conversation about the meaning of ‘innovation’ and how companies can become more innovative,” recalls Dave. To hear Dave and Matt, you can download this particular podcast at bit.ly/innonavipod. For more on the show, see the website: innonavi.com.

Kathy Prager Conrad, her husband, Jamie, and daughters Liza ’11 and Caroline ’14 recently returned from a magnificent journey to Antarctica. “It was extra special to be able to be all together for such a fabulous trip,” says Kathy. Despite almost being thwarted by a major blizzard in the D.C. area, they were able to make it to Buenos Aires in time. After a few days of enjoying the local sites, they embarked on their cruise. Looking at Kathy’s pictures on Facebook had me both in awe of the beauty of the place and its wildlife—and shivering! “Yes, I really did the polar plunge,” recounts Kathy, commenting on a photo of her entering the water in a blue swimsuit, feet-first. “Water temperature was an invigorating 30 degrees F (it doesn’t freeze because of salinity)!” She adds, “The shot of vodka and hot chocolate warmed us right up when we scrambled back aboard!”

That concludes our news for this trimester. I will look forward to catching up with you at Reunion May 20th to the 22nd.

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

Summer is over and the September back-to-school craziness finally subsided. Today I bought some mums and pumpkins to welcome fall. Thankfully, Hurricane Joaquin headed out to sea and all New Jersey had was lots of rain. I hope these class notes find you safe and warm enjoying the next change of seasons.

Harry Gural started a new job as Democratic staff director for the Joint Economic Committee, a House-Senate committee that produces reports and holds hearings on economic issues. Glad to be back on the Hill after a year-and-a-half working for a nonprofit on corporate tax policy, he writes, “The Senate is eerily quiet—guess I’ll always be a House guy. My four years with Barney Frank were about as good as it gets.” Harry sees David Hart, who lives just a couple miles from him in D.C. and speaks to Alison Neely and fellow head resident Marty Dobrow.

Helen Kohane Kobek published a new book Everyday Cruelty: How to Deal with Its Effects without Denial, Bitterness, or Despair. “It is a guide to understand what everyday cruelty is, how it affects us in body, mind, emotion, spirit, and behavior. The book explains what it is about everyday cruelty that makes it so hard for us to ’shake’ and then offers hundreds of tested, practical strategies for dealing with this challenging daily experience.”

David Steinhardt, also recently rewrote and published his honors thesis, once a novel, into a 46,000 word novella. It is a “psychological and political pilgrimage thriller of ideas, now called The Book of Paul or Yet Another Columbus Avenue Jaffa Gate Type Situation.”

Ken Schneyer’s latest story, “The Plausibility of Dragons,” will appear in Lightspeed Magazine in November. He teaches legal studies and literature at Johnson & Wales University in Providence. Spouse Janice Okoomian teaches gender and women’s studies at Rhode Island College and this term has a new course called The Whole Enchilada: Food, Gender, Identity, Power. Daughter Phoebe studies dance and Latin at Marlboro College in Vermont and son Arek’s passion is theater and creative writing in high school.

Nicholas Herold sent an update of his activities the past few decades. “In keeping with my lifelong disinterest in doing anything long enough to become an expert, or anyway, highly paid, I started working as an EMT in the Boston area…I’m riding in the back of an ambulance, having just dropped off an elderly man at a rehab center. He has had a full life himself, having been career Army and Air Force, and as a Navy careerist, provided coffee service to aliens in Roswell, New Mexico. He was kind enough to make me a sergeant. As for me, I was a bartender at a country club and a high end restaurant, worked to get Massachusetts’ universal health care law passed, did health care services research, was the business manager for a health care for the homeless organization, and fished 20 tons of herring out of the Bering Sea. For several years I’ve provided pro bono management consulting services to nonprofit organizations, most recently the Arlington International Film Festival.” Nicholas is close touch with David Eggers ’82.

Cheri Litton Weiss married Dan Weiss in 2012. Dan is a hospice and palliative care nurse studying for his doctorate in nursing (DNP). Cheri finished her second year at the Academy for Jewish Religion (AJRCA), where she is studying for the cantorate, her lifelong dream. She continues to run her real estate company, Top Coast Properties in La Jolla. Between selling homes, attending weekly classes in Los Angeles, and watching daughter Emma play water polo for UCSD all over California, she does a lot of driving and has discovered the beauty and entertainment value of audio books.

Matt Ember and Laurie Sklarin ’84 celebrated daughter Sydney’s wedding. Younger daughter Jamie Ember ’16 was maid of honor and accompanied by Arthur Halliday ’16. Classmates Glenn Duhl, Mark A. Armstrong, Melissa Duggan Pace ’84 and husband Chris Pace ’82, Jeff Resler ’84 and Ed Decter ’79 attended.

Brad and Lele Galer celebrated their 27th anniversary and are now empty nesters. Their sons are spread across the U.S. Alex is an editor for the comic book company BOOM! Peter is a senior at Vassar, and Simon is a sophomore at Connecticut College. Lele is an established artist (painting and steel sculpture) in the Brandywine area of Pennsylvania, and Brad is chief medical officer for Zogenix Inc. Brad and Lele founded in 2005 and run the Galer Estate Vineyard and Winery in Kennett Square, Pa., which has become a nationally acclaimed winery, winning more than 90 blind wine competitions in Napa, Sonoma, and the Finger Lakes. They invite Wes friends to stop by and share a glass on them!

Eileen Kelly-Aguirre finished her first year in new position as executive director of School Year Abroad, a high school study abroad program/school in its 50th year. Glenn Lunden is “now an official beggar on behalf of Wesleyan, courtesy of the ’This Is Why’ fundraising website at wesleyan.edu: thisiswhy.wesleyan.edu/home/story_detail/249.”

Rita Fernandez Lurito is an empty nester and travels a lot. Her youngest son is a junior at Wes and spent the summer in Japan. Rita and family developed and launched a free wine app to help select wine tailored to your taste and budget. “Corkscrew” can be downloaded from the Apple Store or directly at smarturl.it/Corkscrew.

Lynn Ogden dropped off daughter Emilie Ogden-Fung ’19 at Clark Hall after a two-week trip to France and London. Lynn joined Boyden Global Executive Search as partner in the San Francisco office for consumer and nonprofit clients and recently had drinks with Dan Vigneron. 

Mitchell Plave’s son, Aaron Plave ’15, graduated from Wesleyan this past May, majoring in computer science. Aaron works as a Web designer and computer programmer for the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena. Daughter Leah studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM) with Yehuda Hanani, a well known cellist. Mitchell continues to enjoy the banking regulatory and legislative practice at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in Washington, D.C.

Karen Adair enjoys retirement but says she is busier than ever. She sits on the Wes Athletic Advisory Council and the Northwood School board in Lake Placid, N.Y. All five of her family members are off doing their own thing. Karen writes, “The book The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up has truly influenced my daily existence. Gotta tell you…all is cleaned out and tidied up. The poor kids will never recognize a thing!”

Thanks for the info on favorite books and volunteer activities. Until next time, namasté,

Laurie Hills | lauriec@rci.rutgers.edu

It’s Michael Steven this month, and we have a short list of updates to kick off 2016.

Big news from CFA director Pamela Tatge. Pam, who has led the CFA for 16 years, was just named executive and artistic director of Jacob’s Pillow, the long running dance festival in the Berkshires.

Blake Nelson’s young adult novel, Recovery Road, was made into a TV drama for ABC Family, and premiered at the end of January. You can easily find ways to stream episodes of this series.

Stephanie Grant continues to teach fiction writing at American University, where this spring she hosted Wes grad, the novelist Alexander Chee ’89, whose novel The Queen of the Night was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in February. Most recently, Stephanie published an essay about her mother’s postpartum depression on the New Yorker site: newyorker.com/books/page-turner/postpartum.

Paul Landau’s daughter, Zoe Lillian Landau, is celebrating her bat mitzvah. Her sister, Penelope, is still a couple of years away. Paul’s partner, Emily, published a book about interracial houses of prostitution in the turn-of-the-century, newly Segregationist New Orleans, called Spectacular Wickedness, two years ago. He is hard at work on his third book, this one about Nelson Mandela and other participants in the near-revolutionary situation in South Africa in the very early 1960s.

Margaret Bowman left her job as deputy environment program director at the Walton Family Foundation and is now a consultant on western water and impact investing. She’s still helping to ensure that there is enough water across the American West for rivers, communities, and agriculture, but now she is focused on ensuring that private investments can help drive the needed changes

Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu

Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu

Class of 1985 Scholarship

Ali Friend ’19, North Easton, Mass.

Lucy Lehrer and I had fun texting while watching Grease Live on TV. (Is TV a thing anymore or was that streaming?) I know you’ll agree that Lucy and Marc Sholes ’84, in the ’92 Theater were the best Patty Simcox and Eugene Felsnic ever. Lucy Lehrer is a licensed clinical social worker/therapist in Manhattan.

Hilary Jacobs ’85, P’18, is a psychotherapist and author and I have enjoyed her New York Times Opinionator pieces over the past few months. I caught up with her over dinner recently, and she let me know her exciting news that she will be publishing a book with Spiegel & Grau in 2017. If you are curious to learn more until her book comes out, visit her blog at hilaryjacobshendel.com.

Joel Goldberg is senior counsel for Netflix in their LA office. His daughter, the talented actress and singer Julia Goldberg, alerted his loyal Wesleyan friends that Joel was featured on the cover of Boston College Law School Magazine. Congratulations, Joel! “It’s not like I’m jealous,” said John “JK” Kilborn, a Boston-based EPA lawyer, also a BCLS alum and very much a Goldberg devotee. (I agree with JK that the next, best scoop will be about government lawyers working in obscurity.) John and Lisa Riceman Kilborn ’86 live in Winchester, Mass., and have two daughters. Lisa is working on health and tech marketing projects through the Complex Stories collective (complexstories.com) with Jim McManus ’85. Lisa spent a number of years as a marketing executive in the technology sector, and is now enjoying her expansion into varied industries and is delighted to work with Jim. Jim is a prolific fine artist (jim-mcmanus.com) as well as accomplished visual communications designer.

Can’t wait for the revival of Becky Mode ’86’s 1999 comedy Fully Committed, opening this month on Broadway, starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson playing 40 different roles. I know that Becky and Chris Erikson ’87 (guitarist and NYC journalist) have also been super busy raising their two kids in Brooklyn: every once in a while I bump into Becky on the F train and catch up on family and neighborhood stuff. She never mentioned the Broadway show; I got a mailer!

I attended Sons and Daughters weekend in November 2015 with my youngest, and recommend it for anyone with family members starting the college application process, and not just for those thinking of applying to Wesleyan. I really enjoyed seeing so many familiar faces including Molly Renfroe-Katz ’87, Jon Roemer, Jennifer Flackett ’86, Amena Ali, Barbara Becker, Pauline Frommer ’88, Patty DeBenedictis Popov, Timothy Clark, Richard Yancey, Caroline Wilkins, and Eileen Coppola and everyone’s kids, of course.

Richard C. Yancey (AIA, LEED AP) is the founding executive director of the Building Energy Exchange, Inc., (be-exchange.org), an independent, nonprofit organization that connects the New York real estate and design communities to energy and lighting efficiency solutions through education, exhibitions, technology demonstrations, and research, at their resource center in downtown Manhattan’s Surrogate Courthouse. He and his wife, Inger Staggs Yancey, have three sons and live in Brooklyn. Inger is a New York and Washington State-registered LEED accredited architect and the founder of Brooklyn Greenroof; she designs and builds systems for supporting live plants on rooftops, and has numerous projects on display at brooklyngreenroof.com. Rich and Inger are proponents of passive house design and I always love learning from them about the latest in quiet, cost- and energy-efficient buildings.

Jon Roemer (jonroemer.com) continues to amaze and delight with gorgeous photography and now, a specialty in architectural video. We missed Grace Farrell Roemer at the Sons and Daughters weekend, but Grace attended a few years ago with daughter number one, so this was Jon’s turn. Grace stays busy as associate director of survey research at Mathematica Policy Research in Princeton, where she specializes in federal data.

Everybody’s busy! What’s next? Until next time, be well!

CAROLINE WILKINS | mbkeds@yahoo.com
MARY BETH KILKELLY | cwilkins85@yahoo.com