Greetings from Chicago! Summer has collapsed into fall.
Over the summer, I had a wonderful time connecting in Boston with Emily Faith Rothman. Just recently, President Roth was in Chicago for a This is Not a Campaign, This Is Wesleyan event. I met many Chicago-based Wes alumni and caught up with Karen Courtheoux ’05.
I did not receive many reports, which may be because we all just had our 30th Reunion. I had a great time and caught up with many classmates!
Our classmates who did reach out:
Robin Shane writes that she has been promoted to associate professor with tenure at Rider University where she teaches costume design and related courses and is developing new curriculum for a theater-making major. Robin visited Lourdes Arista in NYC and also went to Lisbon, Portugal, to visit two housemates from senior year, Peter Chandler and Cristina Crisostomo. Cristina moved to Lisbon, Portugal. Peter was traveling on vacation. Robin has a daughter in her junior year at Brandeis University and a younger daughter who is applying to colleges now.
Chuck Berger writes that he is working as CEO of the Kimberley Development Commission, based in Kununurra, Western Australia. Chuck is happy to have visitors in the outback, so get in touch with him if you are in the area!
Tanya Bowers writes that she met Jiyoung Lim Gilbreth for lunch in northern Virginia, and Ji convinced her to attend our 30th Reunion. “Emily Rosen held a dinner for us at her home in Larchmont. Max (’92) and Tnyetta (’93) Mitchell and Melissa Woods attended. Bumped into Andrea Harris Smith ’93 in the elevator of the Marriott Marquis that week.
Reunion was a blast. Read my piece about it on my substack (tanyabowers.substack.com). I experienced major Wesleyan withdrawal afterward.”
In June, Tanya met up with Rula Geha in San Diego. “In LA we got together with Richard Yu ’92, his wife, Taymee, and their son, Quinn, who were in town from Toronto also visiting family.”
I hope you are doing well. Please keep sharing your news with Sarah and me. We have some exciting updates, but we’d love to hear from more people in the future.
Julie Anderson writes: “I am right in Cheshire, close by to Wesleyan! I have been serving as head of school at Cheshire Academy, an independent boarding and day school, for the past seven years. I’m proud to have sent many of my students to Wesleyan. My husband, Tom, teaches math at the school, where we live on campus. My daughter graduated last year from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and my son is a sophomore at Hampshire College.”
Ben Graves writes, “I’m staying busy in Nashville coparenting a precocious 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, and promoting a new LP, Settle Down, out October 11 on all major platforms. The record features a great band: Matt Rollings on all keys, Viktor Krauss on bass, and Jano Rix (Wood Brothers) on drums. I’m still a full-time associate professor of music at a local community college and gig regularly at local venues. Life is good!” www.bengraves.com
Andy Nordvall was recently a panelist at 2024 San Diego Comic Con, where he talked about publishing a short story in the new Nightmare Theater 3-D anthology with artist Don Nguyen and the illustrated fantasy novel, Abyssal, with artist Paige Barr.
He also has two daughters in college. One starting her first year in robotics/engineering at UC Santa Cruz and the other studying business and costume design at UC Berkeley. He misses them something awful.
Tim Olevsky emails, “I just got back from a tour of Barcelona with the Worcester Chorus. We sang as part of the International Choir Festival, including singing in Sagrada Familia, Palau de Musica Catalunya (another 20th-century architectural masterpiece), and the medieval-era church of Santa Maria del Pi.”
Alison Wissot shares the following update: “I am entering my 22nd year as rabbi cantor of Temple Judea in Tarzana, California, and have been active on the boards of RabbisUnited and the Cantors Assembly. I spent my early years after Wes on stages in New York and London, and still perform in concerts all over the country, along with one of my favorite things, singing the national anthem at major league ball parks all over the place. I have recently run into several Wes friends: Dan Wulf ’92 and I found ourselves at the HaZamir International Jewish Teen Choral Festival, where he conducted, and my daughter and one of my sons sang on the stage of Carnegie Hall. Teddy Klaus ’77 also took the stage, accompanying some of the music on piano. With one child entering his sophomore year of college and a daughter applying to schools this year—and another son following two years later—my husband and I find ourselves reflecting upon our college years, and how full of personal exploration those years were.”
It’s class notes times again. I have just returned from a five-month sabbatical in New York City at the Russell Sage Foundation. I was jointed there by our classmate, Abby (Smith) Saguy, who was on leave from the UCLA sociology department. It was great spending time with her, and the (social) highlight was when Simon Fulford joined us for a fantastic dinner with Abby’s husband, Dotan. I also got to see a lot of old Wesleyan friends including Jill Slater, Doni Gewirtzman ’93, and Jane Thompson (including a fun weekend when Laura Hill joined us for NYC adventures). I also managed to catch up with a bunch of former Argus editors, including my co-editor in chief Mike Santoli, as well as Jason Rekate ’93, Andrew Siff ’90, and Alex Navarro-McKay ’90. My time in NYC ended with a big reunion with a large contingent of the 1988–1989 Clark Hall RA staff—David Patterson ’90, Linda Turnbull ’90, Nina Grekin ’90, and Claude Szyfer ’90. It was fantastic to be able to spend so much time with everyone!
In other news, Kate Edwards started a new job at Axalta in a research group working on matching paint colors after an auto body shop repair—and hopes no Wes alum needs this service! Her oldest kid starts at York University in Toronto in the fall.
Jody Sperling is still dancing and choreographing in NYC where she directs her company, Time Lapse Dance, and is eco artist in residence at New York Society for Ethical Culture. On the personal side, she’s currently planning her daughter’s Bat Mitzvah!
Kathryn Berla reports that her she and her son, Johnathan (14), had the pleasure of spending their annual San Diego vacation week with the Diana Strauss Casey ’91 and Hal Skinner families in July. Dan Grant ’91 and his sons joined for a few days from Marin County, as did Liz Martin ’91 from the D.C. area. They all had tremendous fun seeing the range of children (ages 13–22) body surfing and exploring the Ocean Beach community together.
In another huge reunion, Tim Proskauer and Mari Valerio Ferrari hosted a bunch of ’92ers in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Blues and Brews regulars in attendance included Chris Arndt, Chris and Sara Mulhauser, Ben Ratliff, Jay Hardwig, Nita Smith, Ben Harris, Eric Halperin, Susannah Fox, and Brian and Francesca Wolff (along with two Wolff cubs, Ellington and Rosie).
Chris “Chez” Chesak continues to live with his wife and daughters in Cincinnati where he runs the Outdoor Writers Association of America. He’s excited to also be president-elect of the Society of American Travel Writers and to take over as their president during their convention in Istanbul this fall.
Joan Matelli finished up her last law class at Northeastern and is now one more experiential co-op away from becoming a lawyer.
In the spirit of “take this job and shove it,” my former Clark hallmate Anne (Jennings) Paris quit her job, participated in the FathomPDX interactive art experience in Portland, and then went to Burning Man. Let us all know what comes next Anne!
Another former Clark hallmate, Sam Robinson, writes that his daughter is a rising junior at Vassar College. They are a star on the women’s rugby team, sing a cappella, and will likely go to med school. Sam is retired from architecture, being diagnosed with spino-cerebellar-ataxia in 2019. He stays busy with his awesome property in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, political volunteering, and sailing (when he can!).
Finally, Asya Geisberg bears sad news about one of our classmates. She writes: “I’m saddened to write about the very quick illness and departure from this world of Deb Whitney. Deb lived an incredible life on both coasts, with a career in film, TV, assisting Barbra Streisand in LA, and finally two decades as a paramedic in New Hampshire, where she was pursuing an MA in public health. Deb was beloved and respected by many in the medical community and leaves behind her longtime fiancé, Art, as well as extended family. Heather Nash and I are grateful we were able to visit Deb in April.”
Heather Nash adds the following tribute: “Thirty-six years ago, I walked into my dorm room on my first day of Wesleyan University, carrying a life-size poster of Humphrey Bogart only to discover that my new roommate, Deb Whitney, had brought the exact same one. This was my intro to the amazing person who would become one of my dearest friends and such an important part of my life. Deb loved Wesleyan, classic films, documentary-making, music, learning Russian, dogs, and sitting down for a good cup of tea with a friend. She moved out to LA after college to break into the film industry, worked in production and for Barbra Streisand for a bit, but ultimately pursued a career as a paramedic back East, where she took such loving care of her patients and co-workers. Deb loved her family and friends deeply and was one of the most open-minded, supportive, and nurturing people I knew. I am so grateful Asya Geisberg and I had the chance to visit her near Boston a few weeks after her cancer diagnosis this past spring. I feel blessed to have had her in my life and still cannot wrap my mind around the fact that she is no longer here. My heart goes out to her partner, Art Patriquin, her mom, Susan, sister, Emily, her nephew and niece, Art’s daughters, and the rest of her family. Deb, you were so very loved. Chris and I have told Ella all about you and we are going to watch Casablanca this weekend in your memory. Here’s looking at you kid. . . .”
Congratulations to Jerome Copulsky on the publication of his book, American Heretics: Religious Adversaries of Liberal Order. Kirkus Reviews calls it “A chilling consideration of persistent mutations of American thought still threatening our pluralist democracy.” See the full review here.
This semester starts Laura “Lu” Schiavo’s 15th year teaching in the Museum Studies program at George Washington University, and she recently added administration to her portfolio as deputy director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at GW. Laura’s book, U.S. Museum Histories and the Politics of Interpretation: Never Neutral, came out earlier in 2024.
Laura experienced college drop-off as a parent for the first time (at Kenyon), and reminisced that she entered Clark as a frosh an impossible 37 years ago! In another full-circle moment, Heidi (Moore) Tucker was in D.C., from Bath, Maine, to help her daughter start her adult life, much like Laura, Heidi, and many others did back in 1991. One of those many others was Jake Lesser, who Laura saw in August. Jake is general counsel for the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and has one daughter finishing college and one daughter starting.
Up the road in Baltimore, Elena Wethers Thompson also experienced her first college drop-off, with a senior in high school still at home. Elena is approaching 17 years at The Johns Hopkins University, now as senior associate director of Identity and Shared Interest Communities.
Rajal Cohen was promoted to full professor at University of Idaho, where she teaches psychology courses and conducts research on the interconnections between movement, posture, and thinking, with a focus on how mental factors contribute to musculoskeletal pain and to mobility and balance in older individuals. Rajal’s 2024 personal highlight, though, was “accompanying my daughter (with guitar) on her vocal solo in a Valentine’s Day concert.”
In June Tara I. Allen was announced as federal public defender for the Districts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Prior to her appointment, Tara was the Bruce I. Kogan Distinguished Service Professor of Law, Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island. Read the full press release here.
Ann Goebel-Fabbri and Bill Fabbri attended a mini-reunion of their senior year InTown 21, hosted by Zak Raley and his wife, Amy Law, in Telluride, Colorado. Others who gathered included Marni Beck Pedorella and her husband, John, and Achilles “Kiley” Papavasiliou. They distinctly missed the rest of the extended InTown crowd of Deborah Skolnik Rosenberg and Aimee Salyapongse ’93. The reunion coincided with Telluride’s famed jazz festival, and the group enjoyed daily hikes and lots of downtime catching up with each other’s lives.
Michelle Lockhart writes from Texas that “our son, Billy, just graduated from college and reports to Quantico in early September for Marines Officer Candidate School. Our daughter, Eleanor, spent the summer working at home and returns East for her junior year in college. It was a treat to have them home together briefly earlier in the summer.
Michelle Lockhart’s “circus,” featuring (L-R) Billy, Bill, Eleanor, and Michelle
In September Chris “Kiff” Gallagher launched the Global Heat Reduction Initiative (www.heatreduction.com), a groundbreaking climate finance and accounting platform focused on measuring and reducing near-term atmospheric heat over the next decade, and avoiding irreversible environmental tipping points.
Morgan, Brown & Joy attorney James M. Pender has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for 2025, recognizing his work in employment law and litigation (labor and employment).
Scott Moore is spending the back half of 2024 in Boulder and Breckinridge, Colorado, but not without travel, including August in Boston to celebrate Joe and Cara Dalton’s 25th anniversary and visit with LA-based entrepreneur Zafar Khan in Falmouth. In November Scott gets to finally visit the ProjectZawadi.org team in Tanzania, an organization where he serves on the board.
As for me, I spend my time working as a professional genealogist and historical researcher. I also co-lead a campaign to advocate for historical records preservation and access via https://www.recordsnotrevenue.com/.
I appreciate you all writing, because it was duly noted that the last issue was blank. A classmate laughed and sent me a message saying, “THIS IS THE MOST GEN X THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!” Can you break the Gen-X mold and write me something for the next issue?
Hi all. I hope everyone had a great summer! Here’s what we have:
Edward Ungvarsky and Olivia Smith’91 will become “empty nesters this September after their younger daughter leaves to begin Northwestern University and their older child continues to enjoy the life in art and fashion while living on the Lower East Side and attending Fordham College at Lincoln Center, as their ostensible reason to be in New York City. With many empty rooms in the house, classmates and their children are always invited to stay, whether they come to D.C. as travelers or protestors.”
Carol Cleverdon Booth writes, “I am sad to let you know that my beautiful mom, Mary Lynne Cleverdon, passed away on July 10. She was my rock and inspiration in every way, and I was very blessed to have been her daughter. On the good news side of things, my son, Josh, is getting married on August 1 to his boyfriend of eight years. We are very excited!”
Graham Guest writes, “I have some news, I reckon. I graduated from the University of Dundee (Scotland) on June 20, 2024, with my second PhD. This one was in philosophy; my first PhD was in English lit from University of Glasgow (Scotland) in 2012. I am now living in Durango, Colorado, with my family and teaching philosophy at Fort Lewis College (Durango).” Graham (relatively) recently published a philosophical novel called Henry’s Chapel with Sagging Meniscus Press (Montclair, New Jersey, 2022).
Lauren Willis lives in Berkeley with her spouse, Jonathan, and their kids, Mira (13) and Danica (11). Laura still teaches law at Loyola Marymount University in LA and is also doing a stint at DOJ-Antitrust in D.C. January to July 2025, “we will be at University of Melbourne for my research on consumer financial regulation. Kids are rehearsing, ‘Are you from the down under, mate?’ in their best Aussie accents. Jonathan will be practicing law—Zoom being not much different from Melbourne than from Berkeley, other than the 18-hour time difference. We are hoping the kids can do soccer and possibly theater in Melbourne, so if anyone has any leads on those (or on a place to live in Melbourne) please let me know. And if any Wesfolk living in Melbourne see this, please reach out—we’d love to grab a flat white with you.”
Stephanie Donohue Pilla writes that in “July, Catharine Crane visited NYC, from Birmingham, Alabama, and we saw several other Class of 1990 friends. We enjoyed a fun dinner on the Upper West Side with Andy Eig, Iriss Shimony, Miriam Temin, and Linda Turnbull. The next day, Catharine, Miriam, and I saw Sharene Azimi for an afternoon of boating on the Long Island Sound. We all made a pact to attend our 35th Reunion next year and hope to see as many members of the Class of ’90 as possible!”
That’s all for now. Happy fall/winter to all of you. Please write with any news that you have.
As the magazine went to press, we were saddened to learn of the passing of our classmate Ernie Luikart. We send our condolences to Ernie’s family and friends and will print in the next issue any memories you would like to share.
Joy Anderson is thrilled to share that she won the Joan Bavaria Award for groundbreaking contributions to social investing, particularly in gender lens investing. The award was especially meaningful as she received it alongside two remarkable collaborators, reflecting their collective effort in the field. Joy, president and founder of Criterion Institute and a member of Heading for Change’s Global Advisory Circle, has observed significant progress in gender lens investing. Despite the ongoing challenges in addressing systemic biases, Joy takes pride in the strides made so far.
Debra Steppel is thrilled to announce the launch of her new venture, Essays Plus More. This company focuses on coaching job seekers and high school students applying to college. She has been involved in career coaching and resume editing as a side gig since 1987, thanks to her initial training as a CPC career assistant with Barbara-Jan Wilson. She welcomes inquiries from classmates and their families with career or college application needs.
Joel Jacobs is still residing in Berkeley and working with the California attorney general’s office, mainly representing the California Coastal Commission. He’s considering retirement in a few years. His children are pursuing exciting paths: one is at a start-up in Baltimore developing prosthetic robot arms, and the other is working on a PhD in environmental justice in Los Angeles. Joel has also been coaching a high school debate team, which recently won both state and national championships.
Colleen McKiernan shares some exciting (and scary news): “August 1 was my last day at work, and I am presently at a five-week cookery course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School near Cork, Ireland. The school is on a large organic farm, and I am living in a group house for the first time since Wes . . . I have no interest in working in the food industry. This is purely for me, and the first time that I have taken more than two weeks off since the summer after graduating. I will be going to Lisbon for a few weeks and will see some friends from Wesleyan and have about 10 days of unstructured time until I get home. I hope by the time that this publishes, I will be gainfully employed again.”
Phineas Baxandall and his partner of 20 years, Sarah Hill, celebrated their marriage during a family vacation. Their children, ages 22 and 24, were the best man and bridesmaid. The kids were surprised when informed that their fancy dinner reservation would be postponed for a justice of the peace to arrive. Over the past year, Phineas served as interim president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center and has now returned to his role as policy director at this progressive economic think tank.
Jill (Wolser) Fruchter provides a long overdue update: “This summer marked the second anniversary of creating my own business, Field Notes Consulting, a research services agency. My work is focused on using design thinking to center people in product development, experience design, and customer experience strategy. Previously, I did similar work at Blue Apron, Etsy, and The New York Times. Personally, I now live in upstate New York in a tiny river town on the banks of the upper Delaware River after selling my home in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where I raised my two daughters, Zoe and Ella. It’s an ongoing journey to balance the competing pulls of city and country. Recent travels include the North Cascades Scenic Park (Washington), and future travel includes Iceland to (try to) see the northern lights.
Amy Redfield is in Lisbon, Portugal, where she is currently blogging and writing. She is eagerly anticipating a visit from Colleen McKiernan. She’d love to connect with any other ’89ers who find themselves in Lisbon or are considering making the move here. The city has so much to offer, and she’s excited to share its charm with friends.
After retiring in April, Alissa Berman had a wonderful time at the 35th Reunion, reconnecting with Carrie Holden and Kelly Morgan. It was bittersweet learning about Suzanne Delbanco, a rugby team member. She is preparing for a September wedding and continues to enjoy all the unique experiences Rhode Island has to offer.
In other sad news, Doug MacKenzie passed away peacefully on July 19, 2024. Doug was a valued friend to many Wesleyan students and supported his professor, T. Ranganathan, during his illness.
Happy fall, classmates. Steve writes for this column.
Two quick personal notes. First, a round of applause and gratitude to our classmate, Hillary Ross, who served the Class of 1988 for so many years as co-secretary. Hillary, on behalf of all ’88ers, THANK YOU for keeping us in connection with each other. Second, it’s my honor to pick up the torch and work with Peter Bond going forward. Thanks to all who have written so far and please stay in touch and keep it coming.
With that said, on to the notes!
Christina Pugh, a professor in the Program for Writers at the University of Illinois in Chicago, was awarded Distinguished Scholar of the Year in Humanities, Arts, Architecture, and Design and has two new books published in 2024. A book of essays called Ghosts and the Overplus: Reading Poetry in the Twenty-First Century (University of Michigan Press, 2024), and a book of poems titled The Right Hand (Tupelo Press, 2024).
Lucas Platt’s daughter, Amelia, follows in dad’s proud footsteps as a rising senior at Wesleyan, Class of 2025. Congratulations to both!
Stephen Morison Jr. and his partner, Emily Allen, have checked the international adventure box for this season’s column. This summer they moved to Marrakesh, Morocco, where Stephen is the headmaster for the American Schools of Marrakesh, and Emily is the director of counseling for ASM and two sister schools, The American Schools of Tangier and Ban Guerir.
Julie Schwarzwald, after 34 years in New Jersey, has moved to Minnesota. She will be the Fiterman B’nai Mitzvah program and ritual director (rabbi-educator) at Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis. So far, she reports, the transition is amazingly smooth—the big adjustment is no longer being able to just drive anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard. Julie asked me to say that all visitors are welcome.
Nathan Ainspan continues his more than 10 years as senior research psychologist with DOD’s Military-Civilian Transition Office (MCTO). Nathan’s 20 years of research on the subject guides curriculum designers and policymakers to help service members and their families transition to civilian life and find meaningful post-service employment. His most recent of four books on the subject is Military Veteran Employment: A Guide for the Data Driven Leaders (Oxford University Press, 2021). Nathan says his son, Isaac, a rising 10th grader, inherited his grandfather’s musical abilities and they’re looking ahead to college visits, including Berklee College of Music in Boston and, yes, Wesleyan! Nathan’s pursued his own love of musical theater (your humble author can verify this, we were both hosts of the Broadway show on WESU) as a contributor to Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, and a research contributor to the Helen Hayes Awards.
Finally, we had previously shared the sad news of the passing of our classmate Tim McCallum. Roger Scholl and Tim’s mother, Lenita Witherspoon, penned an obituary that reminds us all of the joy and meaning of Tim’s life. I encourage you to read it and celebrate a life richly lived. Thank you, Roger and Lenita.
I got a significant wave of responses without much nudging. Must be that relaxed feeling that the end of August brings. Of course, you are reading this now in the throes of a different season. I hope all is going well.
Wesleyan has introduced a new and easier way for me to get in touch with you, but it is not without its glitches. Gabrielle Sellei sent in a “no news to report” note, but said she was happily living the life of a “relatively stable, long-married, middle-aged, empty nester.” When I wrote back, I mistakenly copied the whole class, which created a blip of hilarity for about a day. Many of you wrote back empathetically to me:
“Same here—middle-aged and living a fairly normal existence!”
“Hey, that’s an accomplishment in itself!”
So, if you haven’t sent in any news, but you’re doing okay, give yourself credit!
Now on to the news that was meant to be shared!
Doug Koplow, John Dorsey, Tricia Dorsey, and Holly Ambler in Maine, July 2024.
Tricia Dorsey reports on her annual get-together in Maine with Holly (Campbell) Ambler this July. Their kids joined them for the first time in many years as did Doug Koplow and his wife, Michele. These are special memories for all. Tricia also reports that her husband, John Dorsey, is on sabbatical from teaching and will spend much of the coming year doing art residencies. His first was a group ceramics workshop on Nantucket in July. The next will be independent time at a studio facility in Barcelona in September and October. Some guest studio assistant gigs and guest teaching gigs will round out 2024 while he waits to hear about applications for winter and spring 2025. In May, Tricia and John celebrated the graduation of their second child to attend Hamilton. No more tuition! So much for middle age, right?
The Dorseys
Daniel Rauch writes in with news of his son Brian’s wedding in July. The celebration turned into a mini Wesfest. Traveling to Turkey for the wedding were classmates David Glotzer, Eric Leifer,and Eileen Deignan along with her sons, Andrew ’27 and Evan ’24. Dan’s daughter, Haley Rauch ’15, and her classmate, Hanako Rodriguez ’15, were there, too,plus Brian’s friend Zach Berkowitz ’18. Daniel is now vice chair of pediatrics at Hackensack (New Jersey) Meridian Children’s Health, and he sees a lot of Wes faces at the hospital. He sees Steve Pereira, a surgeon, and Taya Glotzer, ’83, a cardiologist, in the halls at Hackensack. One of the new pediatric interns there is Anastasios Karras ’18. And as part of his work with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Daniel sees Joe Wright ’79 and Cheryl De Pinto ’83, both vice presidents at the AAP. Dan’s family has been in the Hoboken, New Jersey, area for about year. His daughter is a math teacher at Scarsdale High School, and his son lives in Brooklyn. Check out Brian’s band, Late Night Thoughts (lntmusic.com). They just signed with a label to produce an EP.
Dan Rauch, Dave Glotzer, and Eric Leifer in Turkey, July 2024, for Dan’s son’s wedding.
Beth Barnett Pathak
Beth Barnett Pathak wrote in to catch us up. She says, “It’s hard to believe we left Florida nine years ago already—time seems to fly ever more swiftly these days. My two younger kids (twins Aidan and Arya) are starting eighth grade, and my two older ‘kids’ (Kiran and Nina) are millennials navigating their late 20s and all that pesky adulting. Almost two years ago, I started a new position as a program director at NIH, which I am still enjoying enormously, and through which I’ve gotten to know Carlie Williams ’86. I stay in touch regularly with Sarah Projansky and Ellie Margolis but would love to hear news from other Foss 5/5.5 friends and my fellow river rats.
Lucy and Sofia, the granddaughters of John Phillips, building core memories for their Wesleyan application essays for 2041 and 2042.
John Phillips and Kate returned to New York several years ago to raise three children, two of whom have had their own children, and he says they are lucky enough to have them all live nearby.
Gennifer Weisenfeld recently published The Complete Commercial Artist: Making Modern Design in Japan, 1928–1930,a book which provides analysis, context, and background about this critical design publication of 20th-century Japan.
Rich Gibbons, president of SpeakInc, recently caught up with Adam “Smiley” Poswolsky ’05, when Rich booked Smiley to keynote the Greater Public’s Public Media Development and Marketing Conference in San Diego. Rich has been a speaking agent for over three decades and is the past president of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus (IASB). Adam is the author of Friendship in the Age of Loneliness and a top keynote speaker on workplace culture, belonging, and the future of work. Despite graduating from Wesleyan just a few years apart, Rich and Smiley loved chatting about all things public speaking, NPR, and Foss Hill.
Rich Gibbons and Adam Poswolsky ’05
John Penney lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter. After many years in media technology, John did an MBA at Berkeley, and he is currently a growth advisor to cleantech companies in SoCal. John offers this memory of President Colin G. Campbell who died earlier this summer. “Looking back, when I arrived at Wes in 1983, I had a bit of a shock. The then-president of the University, Colin Campbell, had been assigned as my advisor, and I had no idea how it would play out. Despite my initial apprehension, President Campbell was very supportive of his advisees and did a lot to make us feel welcome and integrated into Wesleyan’s academic life. Just another reason why Wesleyan left such an indelible impression on me over all these years.”
That’s an amazing memory. It reminds me that my faculty advisor was Greg Pyke who was an admissions counselor. Wesleyan definitely had ways to build community at the school!
SLiz Rabineau and Rebecca Graziano at the Tate Modern in London, June 2024
As for me, I’ll go anywhere to see the Mets play, and I was lucky to travel in June for the London Series, a big deal for Major League Baseball. You may recall that Liz Rabineau had initially told me she wanted “no part of those shenanigans,” but it turned out she joined me at the game. I think she secretly liked it! Beyond taking in America’s pastime in London, Liz also opened her home and neighborhood to my husband and me, and we took in several museums as well.
By the way, a ballpark is a great place to run into old friends. Steve Shackman and I often meet at CitiField.
James Fischer, Rebecca Graziano, and Steve Shackman at CitiField, June 2024
Monica Jahan Bose at her Swimming installation, Marie Reed Plaza, Washington, D.C., 2024
Monica Bose and Michael Scott Bennett ’87
Monica Jahan Bose had a very busy spring 2024: “In March, I had an exhibition in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as part of a U.S. Art in Embassies visit. The exhibition was a three-channel video installation with collaborative saris about climate change and its impact on farmers in Bangladesh and around the world. In June, I created a temporary public art project called Swimming in front of a D.C. public school and pool, looking at inequities in access to water and swimming. Also in June, Michael Scott Bennett ’87 and I celebrated our 30-year wedding anniversary and visited our daughter, Tuli, in Portland, Oregon, where she just started a Doctor of Nursing Practice/Midwifery program at OHSU. Our younger daughter, Koli, is a junior at Bryn Mawr College this fall. Sending love to our friends in Classes of ’86 and ’87!”
Steve Elbaum wrote to remind us of Bill Gerber’s victory last November to be first selectman in Fairfield, Connecticut. Steve said, “he had a lot of financial and moral support from Wes alums from the mid and late ’80s and won by 37 votes (out of about 18,000 cast) in a state-mandated recount. He and his wife, Jessica’90, have long been elected officials in Fairfield.”
Ernest Friedman-Hill: “I was recently promoted to distinguished member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where I’ve worked for 32 years (remotely from the East Coast for over 25 years!). Although I enjoyed my time as a chemistry major at Wes and went on to get a PhD in chemistry (MIT ’92), I’ve been working as a computer scientist almost the whole time I’ve been at Sandia. I’ve written a few books and worked in a range of areas from rule-based systems to graphical programming environments and automated workflow. Stacia ’85 and I will celebrate our 35th anniversary in the spring.
George Justice: “I am entering my third year as provost at The University of Tulsa and excited to participate on a junket—er, a Fulbright Fellowship to France this October. I’m also on my own this year, with wife, Devoney Looser, on a full-year fellowship at the Huntington Library; son, Carl, a senior at Pitzer College; and son, Lowell, a freshman at Wes. We loved coming to campus together in April for WesFest, which sealed the deal for Lowell.”
Lisa Porter and Melinda Newman
Lisa Porter: “Hi all: I have moved from San Francisco to NYC, where I am currently the voice and dialect coach for the national tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. With the closing of the MFA program at the American Conservatory Theater, where I was the head of acting and dialects, it was time to start a new chapter. I am having a wonderful time seeing Wes friends. Just last week, Shawn Cuddy, James Hallett, Mary Beth Kilkelly ’85, and I went to see Frank Wood ’83 in his show, The Meeting: The Interpreter. In May, Melinda Newman and I went to NOLA for Jazz Fest and saw The Rolling Stones.”
Marc Rosner: “It happened! I retired from teaching science after 37 years. Diane and I are now working full time at Hudson Valley Numismatics doing estate consultation and sales. Much of our work is helping seniors and their families downsize and find a home for possessions and treasure.”
Ellen Santistevan: “Like most of us in the Class of ’86, I am turning 60 this year and doing a few things to celebrate myself. The biggest thing was that I got to take a dream trip (focused on volcanoes) to Iceland in August with a group of alumni from New Mexico Tech, where I got my master’s degree. Getting to spend 10 days in a land that constantly and consistently reminds you that you are small, and the world is so big, was exactly the restorative dip into nature that I needed, among a group of friends and acquaintances that share a deep bond of the Tech experience. For a future trip, I am lobbying for the volcanic islands of Greece (where I did my undergraduate fieldwork with Joop Varekamp) and/or Italy.”
Ellen on top of Stórhöfði, “the windiest place in the world, fortunately not very windy when I visited. Down the slope is a vast puffin rookery, which was great fun to see.”
Lastly, Bennett Schneider says: “It was an extremely busy Pride Month in June. One of the highlights was being asked by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to bless the raising of the Pride Flag over all county buildings. I was asked to create the blessing, which invoked LGBTQ deities from spiritual paths all over the world. Have been seeing Lisa Rosen, Melinda Newman, Cobina Gillitt ’87, Nathan Gebert ’85, Al Septien ’85, and a bevy of others. Went to Palm Springs with Melinda Newman for my 60th and she made it a truly special birthday celebration. Performed my 19th wedding and my third memorial service as a spiritual
I heard from so many classmates in this last call for class notes, so I got that goin’ for me, which is nice!
Marc Stein has been elected the vice president of the Organization of American Historians, on track to serve as president-elect in 2025–26 and president in 2026–27. He recently was interviewed by John Yang ’80 on PBS News Weekend. He writes about his time at Wesleyan in his 2022 book, Queer Public History: Essays on Scholarly Activism (University of California Press), and is currently working on a book about the U.S. Bicentennial, which he hopes to publish before the U.S. Semiquincentennial (which he says he keeps mispronouncing because of the Wesleyan sesquicentennial).
Hillary Jacobs Hendel writes that she continues to be in touch with Wes friends Lucy Lehrer, Tracey and Robert Pruzan, Andy Behrman ’84, John Nathan, and Marc Sholes ’84, and more: “I continue to practice psychotherapy. My book on how to tend to our emotions for improved mental health, It’s Not Always Depression, continues to sell well in the U.S. and abroad. I have new book coming out in 2025 on emotions and parenting. I offer classes and curricula on emotions and house many free resources for those interested in emotional health on my website at hilaryjacobshendel.com. I spend half my time in Connecticut and the other half in NYC. Thought to include a pic of me, Amanda Wolf ’87, my sister, and our children (minus one who lives in Minnesota).”
Hilary Hendel (far right), Amanda Wolf ’87 (second from left) and family
Although Gary Crump did go to law school, that’s not what brought him to the Supreme Court. Instead, Gary, who teaches social studies in Buffalo, “attended an amazing program at the U.S. Supreme Court with other educators from around the nation. The Supreme Court Summer Institute (SCSI) is a program sponsored by Street Law, Inc. and the Supreme Court Historical Society for teachers to examine and analyze how the court processes cases.”
K.T. Korngold is a doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. K.T. expects to defend her dissertation on the presence of agency in infants in the spring of 2025.
You know you lived at 230 Washington Street your freshman year if you get an email that opens, “I was just thinking about ‘Boot House’ the other day.” This one was from Ken Goldschneider:
“September 15, 2024, marks the 25th anniversary of my founding the Pediatric Pain programs at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (currently the #1 ranked Children’s Hospital in the country). Over the past 25 years, we have grown to be one of the biggest and most comprehensive pain and palliative care programs in the world for children and young adults. We have provided care to many thousands of pediatric patients, trained numerous practitioners, and published two books and hundreds of scientific articles. We are very excited about and proud of all of it. I have always said that what I have been most proud of in my professional life are the teams that I have assembled, which have been extraordinary and extremely high functioning as well as comprising the most wonderful human beings. I have always considered them an extended family. It has been one of the great privileges in life, because to have teams that work that well together and can remain friends and friendly colleagues for over two decades is not common. The sad part in some ways is that I will be stepping down from my role as director of the Pain Management Center. On the other hand, I have a large number of hobbies to pursue and never seem to have enough time to pursue them to the level I want to do. That’s a privileged thing to say, so I am not complaining. But with the kids grown and launched into their respective lives and careers, the hobbies will become a crucial part of my survival, because if I don’t get out of the house regularly my wife (Jennifer Metters Goldschneider ’84) will probably run me over with a Zamboni.”
Rich Stoller also picked up the retirement theme, writing that he is entering his “final year of gainful employment, as interim associate dean of Penn State’s honors college, after which I will retire to gardening and Facebook rants (not about gardening). I last visited Wesleyan three years ago, and when my daughter (then looking at colleges) pronounced the campus unlovely, I said that it was a protest against injustice in the world. She believed it and to some extent I did too, but it was probably just the construction.”
Finally, I had the good fortune to spend a long weekend in Nags Head, North Carolina, with Hillary Hess and Jolynn Jones (speaking of Boot House!). We had a wonderful time walking on the beach, drinking champagne, and just generally catching up on life, love, and the world. It was probably more sedate in some ways than our weekends at Wesleyan were, but we probably laughed just as much.
Start thinking about our Reunion in the spring—it’s always so much fun!
