Richard Edward France, 91, passed away May 6, 2023, at White Oak Manor, Waxhaw, North Carolina. Dick was born in Downsville, New York. Dick was president of Delta Sigma (Delta Upsilon). He was an MBA graduate of Syracuse University before being commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1955. He began a long career in the paper industry, where he became vice president of human resources for Container Corporation of America and, subsequently, for Caraustar Industries. Dick missed our many reunions as union negotiations occurred the same weekend annually. Dick is survived by Jeanne, a daughter, two sons, and five grandchildren.
Dr. George “Bakes” Bacon, 91, died December 27, 2023, at his home in Michigan. George, a graduate of Duke Medical School in 1957, enlisted in the U.S. Army serving in Germany. His residency was in pediatric endocrinology, after which he joined the University of Michigan Hospital. In 1986 he accepted a position to rebuild the department at Texas Tech University. He returned to Michigan in 1995 and later became emeritus professor at the University of Michigan, retiring in 2005. He is survived by his wife, Grace, three children, and three grandchildren.
Class condolences to the families of Dick and Bakes, both my fraternity brothers.
Following up on my notes from the last issue, here is more information on the passing of D. Ronald Daniel on December 16, 2023. After graduation in 1952 with honors and distinction in mathematics, Ron earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. He was awarded Wesleyan’s highest alumni award, the Baldwin Medal, in 1981, and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 1988. He spent his career at McKinsey & Co., retiring as managing partner emeritus. Ron served on Wesleyan’s board from 1969 to 1987, was elected chair, and subsequently elected trustee chief emeritus. Ron’s children, David ’77 and Stephen ’82, and granddaughter, India ’22, attended Wesleyan, of which he was extremely proud. The Daniel Family Commons, the space in the Usdan Center where Wesleyan Board meetings are held, is named after his family. He is survived by his wife, Lise Scott, his two children, stepdaughter, Amanda Hampton’91, and several grandchildren.
Zdenek David reported that he got an article published, “Masaryk’s View of Amos John Comenius,” in Comenius: The Journal of Euro-American Civilization, Vol. 10, 2023, No. 2, p. 135-150. Very impressive! Keep it up!
Sam Fitch writes that he is still doing okay and independent living with his lady in the Phoenix, Arizona, area and trying to enjoy life as best he can. He sends his best to all the rest of the Wes alumni and especially our Class of 1952.
Together with my wife, Barbara, daughter, Ellen ’82, and son-in-law, Samuel Bender’82, MD, we attended a wonderful performance of Camp! on campus on Saturday, April 13, 2024, an original musical co-written with Sarah Linsly ’24 and directed by my granddaughter, Eliza Bender ’24.
Good correspondence with Francis Baudry who had come, at age 16, from Lyon, France, by way of New York City, to breeze through all the science programs to become a doctor and noted psychiatrist. He now lives on Cape Cod with his family. He sees a few patients, is active, and happy. Good news.
A great letter from Chuck Exley who also had a very successful post-Wesleyan career:
“Hello Biff:
“I am writing from sunny Sarasota, Florida, where I have lived with my wife, Carol, for well over 15 years. By chance, I just hosted a family reunion here over Easter weekend and was joined by my son, Yates Exley’83, my nephew, Brian Walker ’00, and granddaughter, Sara Guernsey ’15, in addition to my two daughters and three great-granddaughters. I haven’t had the opportunity to catch up with any classmates of late but always look forward to the write-ups in the Wesleyan Magazine.
“My name is Mohammed Ullah and I have been at Northwestern University for graduate school. I am on track of getting my master’s degree in chemistry by March 2024, and for the past year and a half, I have been working on electrochemical and photochemical C–H functionalization. Aside from being a chemist, I have been attending protests for the millions of displaced Palestinians and calling representatives with the hopes of a permanent ceasefire. What is taking place in Gaza and the West Bank is a genocide where thousands of children and women have been murdered. I am hoping there is more advocacy for the Palestinian people.”
Nabiha Syed writes: “I have been out working in the ‘real world’ for over a year now. With all of the atrocities happening in the world right now, and especially the current ongoing genocide in Gaza, I have been missing the community of like-minded students I had surrounded myself with at Wesleyan. I appreciate the spirit of activism that I experienced during my time at our school, and I am proud to see fellow alumni carrying that spirit with them at a time like this. As I am disheartened by the silence of those I see in the community around me, I am empowered by the unity and humanity I see being displayed around the world in support of the Palestinian people through protests and voices. While it is easy to feel overwhelmed, seeing awareness and activism from students and alumni sparks hope that the voices of our generation can create a better path to change in the future.”
MayaGomberg writes: “Hello! This year I moved to Philly for law school at UPenn. In my free time I’ve been working toward a ceasefire in Gaza and encouraging other alumni to sign the divestment petition calling for Wesleyan to divest from companies profiting off of Israeli apartheid. ~Solidarity, Maya”
“As a graduate student, I often reflect on my choice to pursue a dual master’s degree in public health and social work. Recently, I’ve reaffirmed my commitment by applying my skills to advocate against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. In moments of doubt, Wesleyan’s community and our shared activism provide strength. Fellow Wesleyan grads inspire me with their ongoing advocacy, including an alumni petition for divestment supporting the demands of the current student coalition known as WesDivest. Witnessing the ongoing dedication of the Wesleyan community, both past and present, underscores the lasting connections forged during our time at the University. Knowing that I can always look to my fellow Wesleyan classmates for inspiration, reassures me that our shared commitment to positive change persists beyond our academic years.”~ Tashfia Jilu
Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well and staying warm this winter.
Here are some updates from the Class of 2021:
Langston Morrison writes: “After a trying time in the middle of the pandemic, I graduated from Wes and secured a position in Chicago, Illinois, working as a diversity and inclusion coordinator at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. While working there, I applied to about a dozen law schools and decided to attend Fordham University School of Law. After my first year at Fordham, I was afforded the opportunity to work at the New York State Supreme Court as a judicial intern (where I work again this fall as a judicial extern) writing a bench memo on a defamation claim, and at Riley Safer Holmes & Cancila as a summer associate writing research memos on trade secrets, inevitable disclosures, federal preemption, and 1983 motions in limine. Over the summer, I also was selected to be a Crowley Scholar (a highly competitive international human rights program), a member of moot court, and a member of the International Law Journal, where I hope to expand my cultural awareness, practice my languages, and contribute scholarship to the greater international legal community.”
Bryan Chong has been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, and recently signed the alumni petition demanding that Wesleyan divest from companies profiting off Israeli occupation and apartheid.
Thank you everyone for submitting a note. Please feel free to send me updates throughout the year and look out for new submission requests.
Mariel Klimasmith (née Baitenmann-Middlebrook) is in her second year of teaching and is a bilingual history teacher. Isaac Klimasmith will be graduating with a PhD in environmental science from the University of Illinois and in January will begin a job as a professor of statistics at the same university. Isaac and Mariel continue to acquire more rodents and will be staying in Champaign-Urbana permanently.
From Nick Ticali: “This semester I initiated my role as vice president of the NYIT PA Program SGA (Student Government Association). Hopefully I will be elected president next year, but we’ll see where life takes us. Most importantly, I’m excited to complete my second didactic year and initiate my clerkships at the end of this school year. I hope all my fellow 2020 grads are doing great out there!”
Lars Babbott’s lil update: “Things that have been bringing me joy lately is that I am starting a music curriculum at Excel Academy charter schools in East Boston, and I am coaching paraplegic rowing, high school rowing, and starting a team for the Deaf at Community Rowing Inc.”
Iman Sigman has been encouraging other alumni to sign the divestment petition calling on Wesleyan to divest from companies profiting off the Israeli occupation of Palestine and apartheid. Jules White ’22 has also been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, and recently signed the alumni petition.
From Grace Morenko: “This year, I started working as a designer at a bio-architecture nonprofit organization called Terreform One. We are experimenting with new building materials, such as mycelium, algae, and 3D print clay, as well as researching how to actively ‘design against extinction.’ Recently we finished a large pavilion that guides the grafting of willows together to research how we can incorporate living trees into our structures and demonstrate the possibility of cohabitation with other species. It’s so exciting to be a part of such a new field trying to address the issues of modern urban development and biodiversity loss. Stay tuned.” 🙂
Thanks to everyone who submitted updates! As always, it’s so great to hear from you. Recently, my energy is going toward supporting my mom, Susie Greenberg, in her campaign for the Georgia House of Representatives District 53 in the 2024 election cycle. Susie’s campaign is based on reproductive freedom, community safety, and economic prosperity in our Atlanta-area community and across Georgia. I am so grateful for all of the support my mom has received from the Wesleyan community so far. If you’re interested
Hi everyone! Here are some updates from our peers:
Jordan Legaspi, a fourth-year PhD student researching the development of cognitive bias with Dr. Tara Mandalaywala in the Cognition Across Development Lab, recently received a Fulbright Student Research Award. Jordan will be conducting research with Dr. Peipei Setoh at Nanyang Technological University, exploring the development of social biases in Singapore. Jordan will be the sole Fulbright representative from the United States on an open research Fulbright award for the 2023–2024 cycle.
Rebecca Goldfarb Terry was finishing up her second-degree nursing program at the University of Pennsylvania this past December and hopes to work as a neonatal ICU nurse. She still lives in Philly with her husband, Ben Hornung ’18, and their dog and cat.
Gabriella Castorena became fully licensed as a licensed professional counselor back in March 2023. She currently works at The Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Gabby recently transferred from working at the NeuroPsychiatric Center (NPC) to take on a leadership position at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. During this transition, she became certified as a grief counselor by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals. Gabby hopes to soon begin a PA program with the end goal of becoming a PA working in palliative care.
Aviv Rau, Clare Zad, Hana ElSafoury, Anna Fox, and Jordan White have been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, and they recently signed the alumni petition demanding that Wesleyan divest from companies profiting off Israeli occupation and apartheid. They’d appreciate it if you considered signing the petition.
As always, thanks to everyone who contributed their updates to the class notes. Looking forward to catching up with you all at our reunion in the spring!
Jack Maraghy wrote, “I recently finished a master’s degree in screenwriting at the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in London. Short films I wrote at the NFTS are now screening at festivals worldwide. One of my short animations won a Student Academy Award in October and is featured as an Oscar contender in the Hollywood Reporter. The film, Mum’s Spaghetti, is a stop-motion rap operetta (rap-eretta) about a girl and her beatboxing dog who aspire to become the best rap duo in North England. Currently, I’m working on a new live-action short funded and developed by BBC Film.” Congratulations, Jack!
And congratulations to Julia Black and John MacIntosh ’16! They married on June 17, 2023, in Darien, Connecticut. Julia said, “We met between Usdan and Foss Hill in the fall of 2014.
John and Julia
“We were surrounded by love and friends from Wesleyan: six bridesmaids were also Class of 2018 (Dana Mitchell, Elizabeth Spitz, Christina Vyzas, Tierney Behles, Brooke Hodgson, and Kayla Bigelow), and four groomsmen were also Class of 2016 (Lyle Mitchell ’16, Niall Devaney ’16, Joey Amendola ’16, and Jackson Arnold ’16).”
The Black-MacIntosh wedding party with Wes friends
And more wedding news: Carter Armendarez wrote, “Dom Pirraglia had a legendary Long Island wedding. Matt Winchester, Alina Pham, Isaiah Bellamy, Alex Horton, Joe Bongo,Maeve Vitale, Ed Pierce, James Matias ’19, Coach Black (Wesleyan wrestling coach), and I all went.”
Ciarra “Cici” Frattasio started a business this year. Short Girl Jean (www.shortgirljean.com) provides luxury denim for shorties 5’3” and under, with two different inseam lengths, 24 inches and 26 inches. She says, they are “sustainable and comfortable.”
Katherine Paterson said she will be very busy in early 2024, and depending on when you read this, she “will either be touring the East Coast with her debut album, Wake (February 27–March 12), or recovering aggressively at home with her partner and dog (March 13 onward). Check out her website or follow her on Instagram (@kpatmusic) to find a show near you!” www.katherinepatersonmusic.com.
A J Wilson wrote that he and his “partner, Taylor McClain ’17, both took and passed the Georgia bar exam in October 2023. We now live in Atlanta, where I work as a corporate associate at King & Spalding LLP, and Taylor will be a senior strategist focused on corporate purpose and social impact at BCG Brighthouse!”
Caroline Diemer is “currently the programming coordinator at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. I run a free speaker series that happens on the first Thursday evening of the month called Think & Drink and is available online and in-person. If anyone would like to watch or listen, visit wisconsinmaritime.org.”
GiorgiaPeckman lives in San Francisco and works as a designer at a small studio. In their free time they advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to Israeli occupation. They signed the petition demanding that Wesleyan divest from Israel and encourages other alumni to do the same.
Hailey Broughton-Jones, Matilda Hague, Caroline Liu, DjunaSchamus, and Rebecca “Bex” Sussman have also been advocating for a ceasefire and signed the petition for Wesleyan divestment from companies profiting off Israeli occupation and apartheid.
