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Congratulations to Barbara Strauss! In May she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Orange and Sullivan Counties for her stellar career in family law in the Hudson Valley.
Hubert Horan reports: “Late on this news, but when I had to pass through Philadelphia last September for a flight back home to Phoenix, I reached out to InTown 22 roommate David Loder ’77 to see if he was available to get together for dinner. He was not only available but reached out to our other three roommates—Bernie Possidente, Andy Silverman, and Ted Smith, who all agreed to drive to Philly for the occasion (from Saratoga Springs, suburban Boston, and northern Virginia respectively). David graciously put all four of us up for the evening at his lovely home in Chestnut Hill, very close to where Ted and I had once lived. Had not seen any of them in person since graduation, but all were doing well, and it was like we were picking up conversation from last month. Also, a couple weeks ago (in May) my wife and I got to spend time with Bernie and his wife when we were passing through Albany.”
Deb Neuman writes: “Barbara Strauss and I spent a wonderful first week in August at her beloved Lovell, Maine, resort, Quisisana. A week of amazing food, relaxation by the lake, reading, walks, Broadway-level summer stock performances (also opera and chamber music) and, best of all, wonderful friendships.”
From Susan (Petersen) Avitzour, who previously shared with us the joy of her marriage to Fred Landman in August 2023: “Fred and I did have our chuppah as planned, despite the Iranian missile attack the night before (which I like to call our ‘pre-wedding fireworks’). It was a joyous event, with people in the mood to celebrate not only Fred’s and my good fortune but also the ineffectiveness of the Iranian attack.”
Meredith Bergmann’s latest works were unveiled on August 17 in Ithaca, New York. The life-size bronze statutes portray Frances Perkins, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, and Lucy Brown, an Ithaca activist and beloved Cornell staff member (who is still alive at age 91!). The unveiling ceremony, Meredith’s work, and tributes to Ms. Perkins and Ms. Brown can be found at https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2024/08/.
Tom Kovar responded to my plea for notes with this: “Okay, okay! Starting to enjoy my very recent retirement after a 46-year career as a clinical social worker. Some ongoing medical struggles, but things seem to be improving in that arena. Hoping for more time now for all sorts of creative and social activities! Keeping my brain active with participation in my local trivia night on most Thursdays.”
Cindy Arnson “spent the summer gearing up to teach a new fall class at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, on conflict resolution and peace processes in Latin America.” While officially ‘retired,’ she also traveled over the summer to Costa Rica, Colombia, and Panama for various speaking gigs, conferences, and board meetings. She and her husband, Gerry, were able to gather all their adult offspring in July for a belated 70th birthday celebration on the island of Kauai (Hawaii). On the way back to the East Coast, she and Gerry also spent a few wonderful days in Seattle visiting with Wendy Lustbader and husband, Barry.
David Cohen recently enjoyed a mini-reunion: “This photo was taken just last night [August 2024] at a terrific Italian restaurant on Long Island. Matt Paul, Mike Greenberg, and I gathered, with our spouses, for our annual weekend get-together, this year at Matt’s house on the south shore of Long Island. We were sad that Stewart Shuman had to bail out at the last minute. As usual, we ate and drank well while talking lots of minor topics like science, kids, politics, careers, world events, Wesleyan, Wordle, Spelling Bee, and the meaning of existence. All mixed up with glorious, late-summer sunshine, a long walk on the beach, a beached shark encounter (successfully saved), and an invigorating swim.”
Craig Tighe writes: “I will be spending the next academic year studying climate change and technology at Stanford University as a Distinguished Careers Institute (DCI) fellow.”
B.J. Buckley has good news to share! “I have two new poetry books! Flyover Country—which is available from Pine Row Press (or signed copies directly from me at wild4verses@yahoo.com)—came out in June, with a gorgeous ink transfer print/watercolor cover by South Dakota artist Mark Zimmerman. Night Music, with scratchboard cover art by Wyoming artist Dawn Senior-Trask, is forthcoming in late November from Finishing Line Press.” Their website also has the blurbs and sample poems. There’s also more info and sample poems on B.J.’s website: wild4verses.wixsite.com/b-j-buckley.
B.J. also writes, “I’m also happy to say that for the first time since the pandemic, I have a couple of arts-in-schools gigs in February and March 2025 in the far northeastern corner of South Dakota. Looking forward to seeing if my driving-through-blizzards skills remain intact.”
Nic Collins has joined the ranks of retired folks! “In May I retired after 25 years of teaching at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, joining our classmates who chose the milestone age of 70 as the time to move on. This was made easier by the administration’s decision to eliminate my department (the oldest program in Sound in an American art school), and it feels more like quitting a day job than ending a career. I’m currently immersed in final production stages of my fourth book, music life continues (based mostly out of Berlin), and West Falmouth, Massachusetts, provides my saltwater reward. Anyone interested in buying a beautiful pre-war co-op apartment on the lake in Chicago?”
Jim Johnson has a marvelous travel blog that’s well worth reading (jimstravels.substack.com). He writes: “I just completed four months in the Balkans and the Caucasus. Most of the trip was return visits to some of my favorite locations: Istanbul, Bulgaria, and small villages on three Croatian islands. I also made my first visit to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. My primary focus has been writing about my experiences and observations in my blog and for an anecdotal-style book about my half-century of travel. I’d been a part-time freelance travel writer for several decades and, now that I’m retired, have gotten back into it. Writing and travel have been lifelong passions, and it’s great to have both so central to my life. Of course, I also set aside plenty of time to relax and regenerate.
“I had the great pleasure of attending an East College(ish) mini-reunion this summer with Beth Penney Gilbert, Janet Brooks, Elana Rudavsky, David Harmin, and Marc Stier. (Thanks to Beth’s husband, Tom Gilbert, for being a wonderful host, and to Marc’s wife, Diane Gottlieb ’80, and his daughter for putting up with all the reminiscing!) We were so fortunate that Marc and his family were in Massachusetts for summer vacation! It continues to amaze me that the second I hear someone’s voice, the years fall away, and I see them as they were when I first met them in 1972. What a wonderful group of people.”
Adrienne Scott and Sandy Guydon sent this sad note: “Please say prayers for our dear classmate Lynette Vialet who, as of this printing, is in hospice care in Denver, Colorado, after a courageous battle with lung cancer. Feel free to reach out to us: adriennescott297@gmail.com or slguydon@gmail.com.”
I am very sad to report that Joanne Perpetua passed away in February 2024. You can find her obituary at https://www.peckservices.com/obituary/Joanne-Perpetua.
KAREN HARMIN | karen.harmin@gmail.com