CLASS OF 1974 | 2024 | FALL ISSUE
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Members of our class enjoyed a record-breaking reunion as well as an experience that exceeded many classmates’ expectations. Some folks spoke of the reunion “afterglow.” If you didn’t see the record-breaking stats, here they are: 117 reunion attendees (classmates), $21.3 million raised in total support, $774,846 raised for Wesleyan’s greatest needs, and 53 leadership gifts. Let’s all plan to attend our 55th, if not earlier!
Jonathan Raskin has been given an academic upgrade to clinical professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City.
Bob Gershen reports, “My wife, Debra, and I came to a conclusion after our 50th Reunion that after a dozen years we’ve had enough of Florida. So, we bought an old ranch house a half mile from our youngest daughter and her family in Detroit and are rebuilding and modernizing it. We responded to all the positive vibes from the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival that we attended. This was in part driven by the fact that our second daughter’s latest film was accepted and screened Middlebury.”
David Rynick updates us: “My second book, Wandering Close to Home: A Year of Zen Reflections, Consolations, and Reveries, was released on September 1. It’s a collection of short essays that seek to uncover the wonder of life through the ordinary, and sometimes challenging, realities of our lives. For more information go to https://davidrynick.com/wandering-close-to-home/ or find it at your local bookstore or online.
“Melissa Blacker ’76 and I continue to lead the Boundless Way Zen Temple here in Worcester, Massachusetts, now both in-person and online. I spend time in the garden, do a little life coaching, and we spend two days a week grandparenting two little ones in Waltham, Massachusetts.”
Christopher Moeller shares, “I am sorry I had to miss our class’s 50th Reunion. I had hoped to visit with some of the friends I knew during my short year-and-a-half enrollment at Wesleyan. However, life had other plans for me. Last January my wife was diagnosed with primary myelofibrosis, a type of blood cancer. We are still battling it and hoping to find a compatible stem cell donor.
“Best wishes to all of my classmates! If anyone comes through the Twin Cities, I would be delighted to reconnect. My contact information is in the reunion book.”
Arthur Fierman shares, “Sparked by conversations at our 50th Reunion, Ellen Driscoll generously offered to give a tour of her Grand Central Station mosaics installation, As Above, So Below to a number of our New York–area classmates. On June 24, we all met at the clock on the main concourse at Grand Central, and Ellen led us on an amazing tour of her work. After the tour, we had a great dinner at the iconic Oyster Bar Restaurant. In attendance for the tour and/or dinner were Ellen and husband, Steven, Pat Mulcahy, Jai Imbrey, Pam van der Meulen, Richard Orentzel ’73 and his wife, Bill Pearson, Inara de Leon, Charlie Steinhorn, Wayne Forrest, Steven Greenhouse ’73, and me and my wife, Shelly.
“In August, my wife, Shelly, and I attended the 10th annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, produced by Lloyd Komesar. The festival is also like a mini-Wesleyan reunion, with many members of our class and surrounding class years attending each year. In fact, each year Wesleyan sponsors a cocktail hour during the festival for Wes alums (although this year’s had to be canceled due to a scheduling conflict). We were excited to spend time with quite a number of our classmates at this fantastic event, including (to name several): Wayne Forrest and wife, Jean, Claudia Catania and husband, John Cady ’71, Sarah Cady Becker and husband, Bob Becker ’71, Ellen Driscoll and husband, Steven, Pam van der Meulen and husband, Steve, Wendy Starr and husband, Jeff Kessler, Lyn Lauffer, Caroline White–Lesieur, Rick Gilberg and wife, Seth Davis ’72 and wife, and, of course, the irrepressible Lloyd Komesar and wife, Maureen. Hope to see more classmates and Wes folks at next year’s festival!”
And speaking of Lloyd, he was honored for his 10th year leading the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival, which he founded. In honor of his service and “retirement” from this role, the Komesar Prize for Commitment to Culture and Community was named in Lloyd’s honor.
In the second photo, Lloyd is seen on stage with the Vermont Teddy Bear he was awarded in celebration of this event.
Additionally, President Michael Roth sent the following letter to Lloyd:
“Dear Lloyd,
“Congratulations to you on ten years of founding and leading the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival after your distinguished career in Hollywood. I know you will enjoy having at least a little more time to spend with your growing family. Thank you for your many years of volunteer service to Wesleyan, most recently with your 50th Reunion! Go, WES!—Sincerely, Michael”
Monique Witt updates us on her family’s accomplishments. “Ben was commissioned to write a classical piece for the Lake George Music Festival. It’s an aleatoric piece (classical with some opportunity for choice during performance), but not his customary compositional style. He tells me classical musicians read and hear music with a very different vernacular than jazz musicians. He found it challenging. For anyone interested in contemporary classical, this festival is worth following.
“We had a Chicago wedding reunion weekend, sadly, but we hear it was wonderful. We’re still hip deep in sound: Ben has back-to-back tour travel: the South, Europe/Scandinavia, Iceland, West Coast, Japan, and Azores. New York City summer music is often outside, which means gigs at Lincoln Center Out of Doors and Open Streets, when they’re home. Dev finished development of the deployable algorithm and is back to producing the upcoming albums. Steven is in the thick of recruitment season—probably good, as his entire fantasy baseball roster is on injured status. Board work for me has been heavier, so some of the creative projects have languished. But good tennis, and we’re muddling through.”
Chris Neagle is now a performing artist! “My English Country Dance program performed a medley of tunes from the 18th, 19th, and 21st centuries at the Merrill Auditorium at Portland City Hall, Maine’s elite performance venue. Did you know that each dance has its own music? We danced to the mighty Kotzschmar Organ, a historic treasure, and the great house band from 317 Main, a wonderful community music program in Yarmouth. I now understand the joy my performing artist classmates have known for decades. Such fun!”
Ada Jemison will definitely be there for Homecoming! She has fun photos from Reunion to share as well! And, yes, she still is basking in the afterglow!
Sandy Newman continues full-time pro bono advising of major donors and the Focus for Democracy donor network he co-founded. Evaluating programs through randomized controlled trials allows them to recommend programs that produce three or four times more votes for the money than typical programs. You can write Sandy for more info at sandynewman@gmail.com.
Claudia Catania provides family wedding photos. “Entire wedding party of our older son, Max Cady, and his bride, Shira Feifer, minus our daughter-in-law, Theresa Galli, off camera with her and Gavin’s youngest son! Max chopped down and trimmed saplings from our woods in the early morning—and instant huppah! John Cady ’71 in foreground on left, and me on the right. The whole mishpocha at our place for six days [in] July 2024.
“Max and Shira live in San Francisco; Gavin and Theresa in Denver, Colorado, and their business, 1000 Figs, is in New Orleans. Let us know if you live near Denver or San Francisco!! We’ve rented a carriage house on Gavin’s property!”
SHARON PURDIE | spurdie@wesleyan.edu