Hello, Classmates,

As I write to you, we have just crossed over into 2026, though you won’t read these notes for some months.

I start with some sad news about two classmates. We have learned of the December passing of Adrian (Menapace) Quattlebaum, of ovarian cancer, from her sister Gianna ’86.  Her obituary is found here.

We have also learned of the passing of Andy Hodges last September. He was mentioned on the In Memoriam list in the last issue, but we wanted to be sure you were aware. His obituary is here.

Karen (Rothblatt) Zilberstein writes that she was honored at the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s Angels in Adoption Celebration in Washington, D.C., in recognition of her research and clinical work with children and families involved in the child welfare system. The award was presented by Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), who nominated her for the honor. Her book on clinical work with child welfare–involved families will be published by Guilford Press in fall 2026. On a personal front, two of her three children are now married, with a granddaughter on the way.

Joel A. Fein chimes in with his “30-plus-year update.” He is a pediatric emergency medicine doc at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and a professor of pediatrics at Penn. His research and advocacy have been in the area of violence prevention, and he founded and co-directs the Center for Violence Prevention at CHOP. His wife, Vicki, is a fellow pediatrician, and they have three sons. (His eldest just turned 30—my own son is hitting that milestone this year.) Typical Wes detail, Joel has a hospital-based, eight-piece Beatles cover band called Osler Circle that raises money for CHOP (his Wes band was Bad Habits);  www.oslercircle.com. Joel celebrates his “wild and fulfilling ride!” 

Publishing news! Eileen Kelly says that Kirkus Reviews named her novel, Small Wonder, a Best Book of 2025 and one of the Top 100 Indie Books of the Year. And while she did not write in to plug her book, I want to give a shout-out to fellow Alpha Delt Pagan (Pamela) Kennedy, whose nonfiction book, The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story, was one of NPR’s “Books We Love” of 2025.

I’ll also mention my own work, a new CD of songs co-written with Michael G. Ronstadt (under my pen name of Z. Mulls), entitled Less Hospitable Terrain. You can find it on Michael’s Bandcamp site.

I hope this note finds you well, wherever you are.

Our class hasn’t had a secretary for a while, so—miraculously or foolishly—I, Marion Wilson, volunteered. I was partly motivated by a desire to reconnect with friends I haven’t heard from or seen represented in the magazine (I wasn’t even receiving the class notes email myself!). So, here we are. By way of introduction: I’m living in Brooklyn, working as an artist, teaching at Sarah Lawrence College, and running a seasonal project space on a refurbished houseboat on Martha’s Vineyard (come visit!). Many Wesleyan friends have visited me there including Kay McCabe, Andrea Smith, Lyle Aston Harris ’88, Mary Freeman, Dan Haar ’81, Abby Carter, and Alice Appley ’82.

Aviva Goldstein writes: “I am retired but engaged in public health projects and volunteering with immigrants; continuing to swim in open water (Rockaways)/pools (three to four miles a week); traveling, mostly by bike. Living in New York, where I get around almost entirely by bike. My new ‘retirement activities’ are creative writing, learning Spanish, and ping pong—all humbling. Most of my life, I would read a short story and say, ‘I could do that.’ Not so easy. Need my 10,000 hours. May need 20,000 for ping pong. My husband is my buddy on traveling, biking, Spanish, ping pong, and life. My two boys are mensches, giving me hope for the future.”

Marc Mowrey writes: “I worked as volunteer professor for two months in the philology department at the National University of Lviv in Ukraine. Air raid sirens, bomb shelters, and memorials to fallen heroes are a regular part of life in Ukraine. Everyone has been touched by loss. From my window overlooking a church, I often heard a military band playing a dirge for a killed son or daughter of Lviv. Despite the losses, my hundreds of students remained upbeat, hardworking, and in good spirits—future leaders of the free world!”

Sue Peabody has put her COL degree to work teaching European history at Washington State University Vancouver, near Portland, Oregon, for the past 30 years. Currently on her (final?) sabbatical, funded by a Humboldt Research Award, she is living in Bremen and Berlin for six months. Watch for her forthcoming graphic memoir, Many Names: The Life Journey of a Sudanese Poet (LSU Press series, Noire/e: Race and Belonging in the Afro-French World, 2026), with author Moneim Rahama and illustrator Lena M.

Andrea Smith shared that as an anthropologist she has been teaching at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, since 1999. She researches memory, forgetting, and colonialism. Her latest book, Memory Wars, looks at how an assault on the Haudenosaunee during the Revolutionary War is remembered today. She has a fabulous 18-year-old son and lives in rural New Jersey. And she celebrates her first time writing into our Class Notes.

Megan Norris writes she has stepped down from being the first female CEO of her law firm (Miller Canfield, the oldest firm in Detroit), although they seem to find plenty for her to do so still goes to work every day. For the first time since 1986, when she takes a vacation, she will really be on vacation. Megan writes, “We intentionally go places where we have plausible deniability regarding phone access. Both my husband and our daughter, Taylor Matthew ’17, are in education and have summers off. I am told that next up is the full Camino de Santiago.”

Karyn Ellis writes with both good and bad news. Her 17-year-old daughter broke four bones in her back while training in freeride skiing, then her mother passed away at age 90 in the fall. However, as scoutmaster of a male/female (aka brother/sister) Scout troop in California, “we got our first four girls to the Eagle rank in 2025.” The nonprofit she founded two years ago to help Evyn’s ski team has done well. Competitive tennis, gardening, skiing, yoga, settling her mother’s estate, and multiple pets take up what little time remains.

Jaime Grant is finally empty nesting having sent her late-life baby off to Waseda University in Tokyo this fall. She released Polyamory for Dummies at the beginning of 2025, and debuted Kink for Dummies in November ’25. Her latest health report on LGBTQ+ women, What’s Killing Us?, was released in October through the National Center for LGBTQ Rights in San Francisco. She’s looking forward to an artists’ residency in Hyannis on Cape Cod this winter.

Lynn Ogden says: “Ralph and I enjoyed a blessed year with the arrival of our first granddaughter, Luana Adé. And her aunt [our daughter], Emi Ogden-Fung ’19, and Ian Brok eloped to Colorado in June. They moved east in November, and Emi is with a start-up in NYC. We were able to celebrate Emi’s nuptials in September and the holidays together in Ohio.” 

Claire Gleitman writes: “I’m currently serving as dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences at Ithaca College, where I’m also professor in the department of English—and I continue to regularly teach my favorite course, which I call Dangerous Women in Drama. My husband, now retired, and I live contentedly in Ithaca, New York.” 

Suzanne Smith shares: “I live with my son in northeast Los Angeles and work at an elementary school in a nearby community. Grateful for Medicare—one of the very few perks of aging—and a Wesleyan education in European imperialism and Latin American history. Thanks, Wesleyan, for your continuing commitment to the humanities and social sciences in the face of raging anti-intellectualism.”

Lisa Kennedy says: “I am celebrating my 25th year as a residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker in Hollywood, Florida. And hard to believe that I am about to begin my 40th year living in southeast Florida! Yet, my heart still belongs to my New England–Boston roots and, as such, I enjoyed a beautiful fall trip to Vermont, as well as trips to New York (to visit my daughter, who lives in Astoria), a trip to North Carolina, and a cruise to Iceland. My next big trip, and topping my bucket list, is a fall cruise to Japan. Hopefully some of the four years of studying Japanese at Wes will resurface to my frontal cortex and guide me somewhat.”

Steve Hubbell writes: “I live in Brooklyn. I direct a fellowship program at Open Society in New York, supporting the work of public intellectuals in seven global cities. I have three kids: one son who is finishing up at Oberlin, a daughter studying acupuncture, and a younger son who will be a freshman at Brown in September.”

Nicholas Herold: “We operate in and out of a gorgeous Second Empire Victorian in Portland,” that has a hot tub and a pool. “[We] have had the pleasure (and rarely otherwise) of meeting and hosting lovely and interesting people. We’ve met people from all over the world, including from both sides of the equator, and dream of starting a humorous podcast for our amusement and possibly for the amusement and edification of others. We are happy to offer all Wesleyan alumni a 10% discount on stays.”

Eileen Kelly-Aguirre has finally extricated herself from paid employ and is happily spending the school year with her husband in Pacific Grove, California. Come the new year, she will be the daytime “granny nanny” for her first grandchild, supporting her daughter’s return to her DEI leadership work at Stevenson. They will return to northwest Connecticut come summer, with an eye to relocating back to Spain in the near future with the extended family.

Shelley Stephenson writes, “I’ve recently settled in Helsinki, Finland, with my husband of 30 years and my high school–age son. My daughter is graduating this year from Bryn Mawr. After a PhD in Chinese and a career in international higher education, I now work as a consultant and am active in progressive politics both in the U.S. and Finland. I’m happy to meet up with any Wes alums in the area!”

Tim Brockett says that 2026 “greeted me at my new winter lake camp in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It is a quiet and peaceful place where I read good books and go for walks in the surrounding desert. I have family in Henderson, and they frequently visit. The kids love the camp, and we are all building memories. I sell books during the summer in Montana and volunteer my skills to the local HOA. My health is good, and I hope I have another 15 to 25 years left to be a part of the lives of the people I love.”

Melissa Hendricks writes, “I have retired from my job as director of the Johns Hopkins MA in Science Writing Program. On my retirement bucket list [is] returning to my bio major roots: I’m looking forward to volunteering for conservation and field biology projects.”

Greetings, classmates.

Jonathan Weber’s first book, City on the Edge: Technology, Politics, and the Fight for the Soul of San Francisco (Simon & Schuster) comes out June 9. The book chronicles the city starting in the ’90s—in its post-hippie phase, still reeling from a recent earthquake, the AIDS epidemic, and the assassinations of its two foremost politicians—to the rise of the internet and becoming the global capital of technology. As a longtime San Franciscan who read the manuscript, I’m excited about the launch of his exhaustively reported and lively book. After turning in the manuscript, Jonathan and his wife Karen spent time traveling in Europe and Southeast Asia; ask him about his encounter with a baby elephant.

After 13 years as host of public radio’s Marketplace Morning Report, David Brancaccio will become Marketplace’s “Secretary of the Future,” a senior correspondent focused on policy and personal financial decisions with long-term consequences. The beat is inspired by Kurt Vonnegut, who spoke out on the dangers of short-term thinking in a TV interview with David. “No country has ever had a Secretary of the Future,” Vonnegut said. “There are no plans for our children and grandchildren.” Prior to his transition, David produced a series about rebuilding after the California wildfires, centered on neighbors along one street in Altadena where David and his wife Mary also lost their home. Sorry for your loss, David, but eager to hear what you’re doing in the future.

David Hessekiel sold the two brands that made up his social impact conference and digital information business, Engage for Good and the Peer-to-Peer Professional Forum, to a pair of social entrepreneurs. Now he’s having fun returning to his roots in journalism (he wrote not just for The Argus, but The New Haven Register, where he met his wife, Andi, when they were cub reporters), writing for The Rye Record, where Andi is the deputy editor.

Over the past several decades, jazz musician Bill Anschell has been writing short pieces poking fun at the gigs that non-marquee jazz artists, including himself, play to make a living. At first, he just sent them to friends, then some got attention on online jazz sites and The Wall Street Journal, which wrote that one story “is being passed among economist-bloggers as a comic case study in market dysfunction.” Bill has updated, expanded, and collected all the pieces in Benched, which is self-published and available through most online booksellers.

Gabriel Cohen has a nonfiction book coming out in March titled The Frankenstein Fix: Why Big Tech Goes Astray and What We Can Do About It. He also has a crime novel, Where You’ll Find Me, coming out in August, inspired by the true story of a guy who stole a bucket of gold from the momentarily open and unguarded armored truck in Manhattan.

Michael Lucey has spent his time since January at All Souls College, Oxford—the last sabbatical of his UC Berkeley career. He’ll retire on January 1, 2027, which he views as an extended sabbatical for writing, playing music, and doing yoga. While in Oxford, he’s been working on a couple of projects, including a new translation of André Gide’s novel The Counterfeiters.

Courtney Briggs Melton has practiced law at Derrick & Briggs, LLP, for 32 years and currently serves as president of the Oklahoma Bar Foundation. She is based in Oklahoma City with her husband, Tim Melton, and their three girls, and has enjoyed reconnecting with Wesleyan friends while traveling, including Susan and Nick Webb ’84, Susannah Gray, George Russell ’83, Janice Okoomian ’83, Belinda Davis ’81, and Peter Appelbaum ’81.

Seeking adventure, Bob Russo, John Brautigam, Michael Greenstein, Anthony Pahigian, Tom Davis, Mike Levine (and brave spouse Liz Allison), along with Steve Davies ’83, ventured to northern Minnesota for a five-day canoe trip. They experienced a downpour, some questionable and questioned navigation, political commiseration, and three varieties of biting insects. That was balanced by Bob and Steve’s successful fishing and cooking, beautiful campsites, challenging portages, and the awesome silence of the Northwoods.

I’m sad to report that Philip Helfer, the son of longtime Wes professor James H. Stone and a Middletown friend to many in our class, died recently in Santa Barbara after a brief illness.

On a personal note, thanks to those of you who read my (Laura’s) Guardian article about assisted living and answered with such thoughtful notes about your own experiences with aging relatives, your plans for aging well, and some smart ideas about what we can do as a society to improve the situation.

Liz Feigelson wrote that she continues to be inspired by so many of her Wesleyan friends: “Denise Joseph to draw, Mary Purpura ’84 to plant, Pearl Raz ’81 to learn, Renée Green ’81 to experience art, and Heather Baker-Sullivan to hold onto old friends.” May we all continue to be inspiring and hold on to those old friends!

Finally, a few book suggestions from our classmates:

Catharine Arnold: This Is Happiness by Niall Williams

Liz Feigelson: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride; The Book of Hours by Rainer Maria Rilke (translated by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows); and My Friends by Fredrick Backman

Emilie “Bunny” Attwell: Careless People by Sarah Wynn Williams; and She Kills by Skip Hollandsworth. Emilie also sent in this photo:

And one final photo: Some of our classmates gathered last summer at Bruce Crain’s lake house in Morris, Connecticut, to celebrate Class of ’82 Medicare Day.

Warmly,

Laura and Michael

Greetings from Bloomington, home of the 2026 NCAA undefeated national football champions: the Indiana Hoosiers! So proud of my adopted hometown team—go IU!
 
I was in Zurich this December visiting my middle son, and I had the great pleasure to indulge in a delicious, random, last-minute meal with my old C-2 roommate Deb Chapin—in a charming restaurant, over a bottle of wine, in downtown Basel on Christmas Eve—when we both discovered that we were in Switzerland at the same time. Here’s to spontaneity (and an excellent train system)!

Leora Freedman wrote in from California, where she has been working mostly in legal positions in higher education. She retired in August 2024, then served as a mediator and consultant last year, before deciding that she wasn’t quite ready for retirement. She recently accepted a position directing the Civil Rights Office at her alma mater, UCLA, and enjoys a five-minute commute to her office!

“About two years ago,” Leora writes, “Todd Martin graciously organized a really fun Zoom reunion for several Foss 10 and 10-person friends (Anne Standley, Mary Austin Dowd, Barbara Parrot Katz, Carole Muller, Lily Whiteman, and Stephanie Hutter ’82). We discussed how much we would like to reconvene with old friends at the next reunion (including John Ross, Greg Andris, Alan Mairson, and Sean Moran).” 

Speaking of Reunion . . . it is our REUNION YEAR and is sure to be a good time! Put the dates in your calendar: May 22–24, 2026. Registration opened in March, so be on the lookout for reminders and Zoom gatherings. And perhaps do as I did: Reach out to a group of old friends and start planning to meetup!

Chris Graves, now retired as global CEO from Oglivy, where he helped launch their behavioral science practice, founded his own consultancy called The Resonance Code, which deploys his award-winning behavioral science approach to better decoding humans and predicting (or understanding at least) behaviors. “I do pro bono work, such as serving on the board of www.Community.Solutions, a non-profit working to mitigate homelessness. I am also an advisor to the Muhammad Ali Center, and on the advisory board of an AI start-up that builds modular green power to get data centers off the grid.”  Chris adds that his daughter, Julia Graves ’17, married Keenan Burgess ’16 on a beautiful day in August atop the roof garden of the Aspen Art Museum. Julia lives in Brooklyn and works as a software developer for an AI company specializing in legal and financial services.

Paul DiSanto enjoyed dinner recently in Mystic, Connecticut, with Rick Ciullo, who was in the area from his home on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, for meetings at the Hartford Insurance Company, for which he still works. They were joined by Jim Baker and his wife, Diane, who live between Fisher’s Island, New York, and the Connecticut shore. Tim O’Brien and his wife, Linda, drove down from Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Pete Pezzelli came from Narragansett, Rhode Island. There was much talk of children, grandchildren, world affairs, and aches and pains, along with plans to see each other again at Reunion. Jim and Tim are retired but staying busy; Jim, in particular, with his four grandchildren. Pete is still running his family’s long-term health-care business. Paul shared: “Lynne and I have a two-year-old grandson, and we are glad he and our son and daughter-in-law are moving to Hanover, New Hampshire, soon from Denver. Our older son also lives in New Hampshire, so we are eyeing a potential move to the Granite State at some point, though I still greatly enjoy my work in the Wes Advancement office.”  

Barry “Pono” Fried is still operating theaward-winning, bespoke Open Eye Tours in paradise, interpreting and sharing Hawai’i’s vibrant culture, precious nature and wildlife, rich history, expressive language, myths and legends, music and art, tasty local food, humbling sacred sites, breathtaking beauty spots, less-visited authentic country villages, quieter places buses can’t access, and more, since 1983. With his master’s in education, and decades of teaching and guiding experiences, Pono offers authentic Hawaiian cultural immersion. If retirement beckons you to Hawai’i, reach out to him at www.openeyetours.com for what is certain to be an unforgettable adventure!

Charlie Spiegel attempts sanity from his law offices in the Bay Area in much of the same ways he did as a Wes student. He has been active as a leader of several political activist groups, raising money for swing-state grassroots voter organizations thru Action-SF.com, and organizing LGBTQ volunteers in TheBillys.org. “And I still use skills learned at The Hermes,”Charlie says, “to write and promote political letters to the editor of local newspapers. Shout-out to the national impact and leadership of Wes President Michael Roth. Further Wes-based sanity comes from regular morning city park walks with Nancy Traub Chirinos, visits to the suburban NYC home of Nick Radcliffe and Pam Bolton ’85, P’18, and international online communication with Anne Stevenson Yang.

Delcy Ziac Fox celebrated Gary Shapiro’s milestone birthday in August ’25 with former InTown 21 housemate Jim Sullivan ’82, P’19 in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Delcy is pleased to announce that her son, Liam, is engaged, with a September ’26 wedding near Portland, Oregon, is planned.

Carl Latkin is still researching at Johns Hopkins University and is pleased to have recently published an article in Wesleyan’s journal of great multidisciplinary work, Climate Change, on the link between the health and well-being impacts of experiencing extreme weather events and climate change activism. “Regarding my existence,” says Carl, “I still haven’t been caught for impersonating an academic, and I still enjoy developing, implementing, and evaluating public health harm-reduction interventions. Being labeled as ‘an enemy of the people’ is also interesting. However, working with colleagues in Ukraine gives me a perspective on our current situation.”

I conclude with sad news regarding the tragic death of our dear classmate Dr. Anne Videtti Robinson P’13, wife of Dennis Robinson ’79, P ’13 and mother of Emily (Jason),  Michael Robinson ’13 (Lia ’13), and Catherine. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends, colleagues and patients. Her life was rich in love, gratitude, and service to others.

Positive news and happy antidotes from the Class of 1980.

Joel Tillinghast: “I climbed Mt. Fuji last summer.” Here are some photos taken during Joel’s descent:

Wendy Davis Beard: “I visited my daughter in Florence at the end of 2025.”

Dan Connors: “I did enjoy going to the last No Kings protest with my fellow Missourians, and I keep waiting for the tide to turn. Highlights [from 2025] were vacations in the Ozarks, a trip to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and my first venture to Universal Orlando in over a decade. Now tax season is calling me, and it’s time to put my CPA license to good use. . .”

Mark Zitter: “With two daughters living in NYC—Tessa ’21 in Brooklyn and Sasha at med school in Westchester—my wife, Jessica, and I will get an apartment on the Upper West Side and split our time between there and the Bay Area. But we’ll mostly be on the road this spring while we’re on a 25-city theatrical tour for Jessica’s new documentary, The Chaplain and the Doctor. Meanwhile I’m spearheading a national initiative with multiple funders to accelerate AI adoption among nonprofits and launching a blog and video channel on leadership in the business and social sectors. More on both at markzitter.com.” 

Marty Saggese: “In March I will step down, after 24 years, as executive director of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN). I don’t use the word ‘retire,’ so I’m looking for suggestions on a new word to describe what you do after ‘graduation’ from working? I have been spending a lot of time in Venice, Italy, where I bought an apartment, and I hope to be there and travel even more this year. I’d love to see any classmates there, so I will agree to host an ongoing Wesleyan soirée in my garden (with wine or Aperol) as any of you pass through Venice.”

Melissa Stern: After traveling to museums throughout the States for 13 years, my interactive mixed media project is coming home to NYC. The Talking Cure (highlighted in the Wesleyan University Magazine in 2013 and shown at Real Art Ways in Hartford) will open on March 5, 2026, at A Hug From The Art World, 112 Tenth Avenue, NYC. The show will run through mid-April 2026. I’ll be doing some public events during the run of the show. Stay tuned! https://www.ahugfromtheartworld.com/

Debbie Lipshutz: “I am actively volunteering with ctc4progress.org in Pennsylvania. This highly focused and effective work is encouraging infrequent voters to vote in the midterm elections, to help recover our democracy.”

John Singer: “As classmates with whom I’ve stayed in closer touch know, about 12 years ago, after multiple back surgeries, I have idiopathic bilateral denervation below my knees. This is a fancy way of saying the muscles in my calves, ankles, and feet don’t really work. About four years ago, my son’s now mother-in-law (who is a physical therapist) offered to take me to the person who she thinks (and I now agree) is the best orthotist in Maryland. It was a life-changing experience as I was fitted with ankle-foot orthotics (AFOs)—think of them as lower leg braces—that permit me to lead a pretty normal life again. Among other things, I can walk without the risk of tripping and stand without wobbling. I could walk my son down the aisle without assistance when he got married two years ago (the Honorable Brad Moss officiated).

“In the four years that I’ve been using AFOs, each of them, separately, have snapped and broken (they are made of carbon fiber). I discovered that most insurers will only pay for a new orthotic every five years, including replacement ones when an orthotic breaks, as I found out is not uncommon. Using my AFOs as an example, an AFO can cost around $1,100 each (I wear two) so many if not most people—even those with insurance—are out of luck for potentially years if their orthotic breaks and they cannot pay for a new one out of pocket. Another barrier, even for those with insurance, are significant co-pays even when there is coverage.

“The life-changing nature of AFOs that I’ve experienced and the seemingly insurmountable barriers that some people face in obtaining these medically necessary devices has made working toward making orthotics more readily available a passionate cause for me. I’ve taken two concrete steps toward this goal so far. I am working toward the passage of a law in Maryland that will require insurers to pay for replacement orthotics whenever they break, absent abusive use. I will be testifying before the Maryland Senate, invited in support of the bill next week. Though it is cold in Maryland, so the legislators can see my AFOs, I will be wearing what could charitably be called ‘Bermuda wear,’ shorts along with a sport coat, dress shirt, and tie. On a more personal note, Karen and I are working toward sharing our good fortune by creating an endowment at the Johns Hopkins Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department (where I’ve been treated) to provide financial assistance to people who cannot otherwise afford to obtain orthotics. After working with the Hopkins bureaucracy since last July, the endowment (AFOs for All) should be up and running in the next month or so. Our goal is to raise at least $250,000 and Karen and I will match the first $125,000 in donations. If you’d like to learn more, you can email me at regnisj@gmail.com.

“There is an overabundance of issues that our world faces. I hope through my efforts I can help to address one. The availability of orthotics certainly is not one of the more visible problems, but I can assure you that it is critically important to those individuals who would benefit from them. My hope is that there will come a day when no one ever  is told by their physician, physical therapist, or orthotist that there is a medical device out there that that can make you safer and improve the quality of your life but, unfortunately, your insurance will not pay for it or you cannot  afford to pay for it out of pocket so you will have do without it.

“On another subject, I swam freshman and sophomore years. Though I no longer compete, I started back up with masters swimming probably about 25 years ago and swim about three to four times per week. I mention this because the water is my happy place and aqua therapy really helped me with rehab after my back surgeries. At age 59, just before I retired, I got recertified as a lifeguard so that I could help out with aqua therapy one day a week at a spinal cord injury center in Baltimore until COVID. While I like to think I provided some help to therapists and the patients, I can say with certainty that whatever I gave I more than got back in inspiration from the patients, many of whom were paraplegics. Sometimes I did CrossFit with the patients, and Karen would ask if I was the only one not in a wheelchair. While this was often the case, on a good day I could do two pull-ups. Some of the patients could do multiple pull-ups while strapped to their wheelchairs. The experience really showed how with hard work and adaptive athletic equipment you can overcome most anything. On a very minor level, because of safety issues mounting and dismounting, I switched from a traditional bike to a self-powered recumbent tricycle. When I ride here outside of Charleston, where we have our winter beach home, when asked about the trike, I tell people I have the fastest beach chair on the island. I sometimes ride with Lew Gitlin ’79. Lew had a stroke about five years ago and he and his wife now live on Kiawah Island. Lew needs an upright motorized trike, but the important thing is that he’s still getting out and riding.” 

Will Rowe: “A group of us mostly ’80 graduates touch base on Zoom calls a couple times a year—me,  Jonathan Selzer, Jonathan Nimer, Ken Freeman, Joel Tillinghast, Andy Boname, Richard Levine, Dan Connors,David Engstrom, Leszek Pawlowicz ’79, Dave Loucky ’82, and Teresa Kosciuk-Rowe ’81 (my wife). Really wonderful to be together!

“I’m grateful for many volunteer opportunities to lift communities, especially in these chaotic and uncertain times. Thankful for a racial unity group that I’ve been co-leading for some seven years, with [the] mission to build and sustain a beloved community through education, service, policy, and prayer that fosters repair, healing, and unity. Were young, old, black, white, brown, single, married, city, suburban, and country raised, and raised in other lands. We are members of different faith communities and come together weekly for connection and engage in many projects and initiatives.

“Enjoy spending time as a volunteer on several boards that support the quality of life of military families (e.g., Blue Star Families, the Foreign Born Miliary Spouse Network), needs of local communities in Washington, D.C. (e.g., Strategies to Elevate People DC), and serve as a volunteer with the Northern Virginia Regional Commission in areas of community resilience, workforce transition, and military-community infrastructure and quality of life partnerships. The common denominator is collaboration, relationships, and community action. Still live in Annandale, Virginia, and expecting second grandchild in March!”

Carolyn Sullivan: “As I write this, I am camped out in a hotel, eagerly awaiting the news that my power has been restored after five days without—thank you, Winter Storm Fern! Nashville has been hit bad. So far I’ve been struck by the following: (1) Nashville Electric Service needs big-time help with their disaster messaging; (2) When something like this happens, being in the present and solving problems as they arise is the only way to survive with one’s sanity intact; and (3) a sense of humor is a critical survival tool!

“I had already determined I wanted to let things play out this year and not do quite so much planning and goal setting, and these events have cemented that approach. The beginning of the year had its own challenges I won’t even enumerate here! Suffice it to say 2026 has come in with a ‘Let’s see what you’re made of!’ It’s somewhat liberating to strip things down to the bare bones and live one day at a time, to be honest. Now that I have a long hotel stay in my future and my laptop and functioning WIFI, I hope to catch up on my neglected Substack, “An Accidental Admin.” It’s been a fun creative outlet (no current plans to monetize). Tentatively plan a trip to the UK with my sister later this year, depending on how stable/unstable our country/the world seems to be. In these trying times, it’s the little things. Hope everyone is keeping keeping on!”

Art Feltman: Dale Wallington ’82 and I, who met at Wesleyan in 1979 and have been together since, just retired from our practices and will spend our winters at an outdoor recreational community in Sarasota, Florida. We will enjoy the other seasons at our longtime Berkshires cabin on Center Pond.

Dale is a psychiatrist and Art transitioned two decades ago from practicing law to vocational and literacy work with immigrants. “We recently marched in an anti-ICE demonstration in downtown Sarasota and will continue to be active in both places to include and support immigrants and refugees in our community.”

Mike O’Brien: “My youngest son, Walter (who is named after my late friend Walter Chmielewski) is a freshman at Savannah College of Art & Design, studying animation. My daughter Dana, who lives in Australia now (and whose mother is Ann Carlson), visited the U.S. in October. I got to see her, and my grandchildren Max and Alice—it was my first time meeting Alice! We met up in Brooklyn and took the kids to the Prospect Park Zoo and to many of the same playgrounds in Prospect Park to which I took my own kids, Dana and Jack, when they were little, decades ago.

“I played music at a Bob Dylan–themed open-mic fundraiser organized and emceed by Dave Stern, in November, in Northampton, Massachusetts.” 

Michael Zackin: “It is still hard for me to believe that our class is so close to the beginning page of the class notes. Mary (Nastuk) and I have continued to be very busy. Mary just retired from her job as a medical editor at The New England Journal of Medicine after almost 20 years and now hopes to spend more time volunteering, knitting, and kayaking. I am still working as a pediatrician, but after over 30 years I have cut back to two days a week. Not ready to pull the plug just yet. I always get excited when I have a patient attending Wesleyan.  

“We are enjoying a bit more time at our house in the Berkshires and spend time hiking, kayaking, running, and biking, but just also enjoying nature. In September, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with a group from Zero Prostate Cancer. Definitely an awe-inspiring trip.

“Our daughter, Katie Roose ’10, and husband, Robbie Roose ’04, and our two grandchildren (Willian and Alden) came east from Oregon to attend our son’s wedding. Also in attendance was my father, Jerry Zackin ’53. Oregon is too far from Massachusetts, and we wish we could see them more.”

Andrew and Jacquie McKenna: “We are excited to celebrate the graduation of our younger daughter, Juliana, this spring from Eckerd College in Florida. She majored in environmental studies with a concentration in marine biology and hopes to work with sharks after she graduates. Our older daughter, Xan, just began a full-time job with the High Mountain Institute in Leadville, Colorado—an outdoor semester school for high school and gap students (https://hminet.org—check it out for high schoolers you know) and continues creating and selling her paintings (https://xanmckenna.com).

“Andrew continues his work running the services at the Boulder Airport (including powered flight and glider schools) and is flying his Bonanza and searching for Amelia Earhart. Jacquie is on staff for the Boulder International Film Festival as the co-lead for the Call2Action series; is on the board for the African Conservation Centre-U.S. (https://accafrica-us.org), which includes hosting a Tanzanian safari in 2027 to raise funds for the organization; is a wildfire mitigation ambassador for her neighborhood, working to reduce the risk of wildfire in her community; is in a course on constructive conversations to encourage better listening and less divisiveness; and plans to return to the workforce to work internationally to protect wild animals.”

Hi all. Here is the news that our classmates shared.

Anand Cousins ’80 (who was originally in the Class of 1979, but graduated in 1980 with a degree in physics) submitted this update for inclusion in our 1979 notes: “After a career in teaching, doing R&D, and product development in mechanical engineering, I retired a few years ago and am working on spreading information about how to fight climate change effectively at the household level. Many of us are reading the news and feeling that we are helpless to affect the course of events (see the recent COP30 conference and the backlash against renewable energy in the U.S.). However, after looking into the issue in a quantitative way, I believe that individuals and households actually have a large amount of leverage in reducing North American greenhouse gas emissions. I invite those interested in reducing their carbon footprints to read this recent article, where I discuss our family’s experience with reducing emissions: https://medium.com/the-environment/how-we-reduced-our-co2-emissions-and-met-the-paris-climate-goals-da41a1224515.”

Such happy news from Jono Cobb,whois getting married on Martha’s Vineyard to Julia (Hollander) Campbell ’80. Julialost her husband just a few months before Jono’s wife, Suzzanne, passed away. On behalf of the class, I wish you both much happiness.

Sean Barlow and Banning Eyre report that despite federal defunding of public media, their program Afropop Worldwide is airing on 110 stations in the U.S. and on afropop.org. Initiatives include active discussions withWesleyan regarding partnering on the 40-plus-year Afropop Archive. They invite folks to join them for the Afropop Music and Culture Tour of Senegal in January 2027. Past Afropop Tour participants include ’79 classmates Rich Sussman, Debbie Mincer, Ralph Maltese, Matt Jarvinen, and Sheila Peck ’81 (honorary ’79er). More info: sean@afropop.org.

John Tjia sent this update: “I finally retired in September 2024, at age 71; 2025 has been the first full year I did not have a paying job in nearly 50 years, and it’s great. (My week is now one Sunday and six Saturdays.) My 40-year career in financial modeling in banking, which I loved, is happily closed. I am doing oil painting and sold my first painting to a local restaurant— it’s on display there; another is now on exhibit. I got a little better at table tennis. Attempts to learn piano got sidelined by a new discovery: I hate homework (practice); I’ll pick it up again later. Since late 2024, I am chair of the board of directors of a spiritual nonprofit called Subud New York, and one main task is shepherding the membership through the sale of our building in Manhattan, closing maybe in nine to 12 months’ time. I keep in touch with Wesleyan buddies Vinod Busjeet ’73 and Arthur Paterson ’75 through weekly Zoom calls. All is well!”

Willie Jones tells us that “after a wonderful trip to Italy and visiting Venice, Vicenza, and Torino last fall, I returned to Charlotte last November. I was able to sell my house quickly, and I now live in Lancaster, South Carolina. Retired life is good. I’m reconnecting with old friends and making new ones. I’ve discovered the joy of being a grandfather and spending quality time with family. [This year] will be a year of domestic travel for me, and hopefully, I’ll have the chance to see parts of the U.S. that I never have. Perhaps I will run into some ’79ers along the way!”

Finally, as for me, your class secretary, whereas this issue seems to be awash with news on retirement, I’ll share similar updates about my own. My husband and I have been retired from our careers in finance for almost seven years and enjoying it. Board service is part of the mix as is international travel to far-flung areas of the globe that are on our bucket list. Have met a lot of wonderful folks on our trips, fellow travelers and locals alike, and enjoy that part almost as much as learning about the countries we visit. Our two adult children, Matthew (Princeton ’13) and Wes alum Megan Dolan ’17, are gainfully employed in professions they find meaningful, are happy in their personal lives as well, and are just really good young people. Parents can’t ask for better than that. My husband and I enjoy donating our time to help our communities in New York and California and to volunteer initiatives in the UCSD community, where we also attend classes. All is well! And I am thoroughly enjoying my work as your class secretary.

That’s it for this issue. Thanks everyone!

Reports Bill Adler: “It’s hard to believe that I’m in my 11th year living in Japan. I’m

enjoying this place a lot, and I’d be delighted to show you around if you visit.”

John Herzfeld writes: “I was honored by the presence of our class co-secretary Ken Kramer and his wife, Robin, at our performance of Beethoven’s Ninth with the New Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra, for which my home base—the West Village Chorale—provided the vocal forces. Kathy Mintz and Noreen O’Donnell (sister of Brian O’Donnell ’79) turned out, as they have for nearly every West Village Chorale concert for the past couple of decades, and completing the party was my wife, Tatjana! Hope to make it up to New Haven to see Ken play his trumpet in the Yale Medical Symphony Orchestra.” I can report that the privilege was all mine: A stunning performance it was by John and his New York City choral group, and I can recommend to any and all within striking distance of the city to come hear ’em!

Dave Landman lives with his wife, Marian, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and continues his lifelong, extreme mountain-climbing and exploring activities, having now climbed all Seven Summits continental peaks. He is on track to complete the rare Explorer’s Grand Slam, which additionally incorporates treks to the South and North Poles—the latter of which is the only remaining leg for Dave and is planned for next year. Of note, Dave takes this on in support of the Juniper Fund, which provides financial support and skill-building opportunities for Sherpa families suffering loss from the casualties of that occupation.

Sam Liss writes: “Happy to relay that a group of outstanding WesTech folks joined together at the U.S. Open Tennis event in New York back in September—including Steve Greenberg, Don Rosenstein ’80, Ken Kramer, John Beresniewicz, John Herzfeld, Andy Simon ’80, respective spouses, including Gail Liss, and Liss daughters, Alix ’16, Emmy, and Jessica.” (Thanks for setting it all up, Sam.)

“Would add a shout-out—albeit not yet time to nominate University MVP or lifetime service awards in front of our approaching 50th (and clearly we have a few to whom we can raise a glass)—to express great and timely appreciation to Michael Roth for how he has led and represented our alma mater and its essence in the public domain throughout the unbelievably tumultuous 2025.”

Rich Order is busy following up on the publication of his 2025 book, Reimagining a More Perfect Union: A Better Constitution for Modern America, in which Rich brings his legal background to a treatise on recommending the rewriting of portions of our Constitution. During this past year he has been engaged in discussing the book at venues including television, radio, churches, Jewish community centers, political organizations, and book clubs.

Kevin Rose proudly announces the upcoming wedding of his son, Danny ’19, to Julia Kim ’20, this year in NYC. He looks forward as well to a subsequent wedding this year in Italy for another Wes couple, Nolan Webb ’20 and Stasie Litinsky ’20.

Julie Scolnik is now in the 29th season of her music series, Mistral Music. Her memoir, Paris Blue, continues its active presence in bookstores and book clubs, with a possible film version in the offing. Julie invites anyone traveling during the summer months through Provence—where she spends four months with her husband and cats—to pay a visit.

Dave Wilson continues his active jazz saxophone career with the Dave Wilson Quartet, having recently released his eighth recording, When Even Goes West. Says Dave, “I am grateful for my experience at Wesleyan in the mid-1970s, especially studying with the late Bill Barron; it helped shape my career in music to where I am today.”

Lastly, on a sad note, we mourn the June 6, 2025, passing of Kofi Osae-Kwapong. A link to Kofi’s obituary can be found online in the archived section of the ’78 class notes, at classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu.

Best regards to all,

Ken

oliday cheer this year included: Mark Slitt, who will be visiting his seventh continent in 2026—Antarctica. In 2025, Mark traveled through Morocco on a Jewish heritage tour. Joan Goldfeder recounted a fine trip to Montreal late in the fall, pretending it was Paris, with Joe Tringali,Arlene Lappen,Peter Bickford, and Nancy Milburn, the dearest of friends. Jim LaLiberty sent holiday greetings, along with a “Great Moments at DEKE” photo (credit to Jeff Laszlo ’78) of Bob Scanlon, Bruce Fessenden, Mike Coffey, and Jim against a photo of the Rolling Stones. A classic!

Yoriko Kishimoto wrote about California life split between Palo Alto and Boonville. In Boonville, Yoriko grows olives along with cultivating a pinot noir vineyard. She is active in both locations, with open space and agricultural issues. She has two daughters, one in Seattle and the other in Oakland, as well as a 100-year-old father going strong in Tokyo. Scott Director reports on the birth of their second grandchild (first grandson) in July. His son, Sam, and daughter-in-law live in Richmond where Sam is a professor of philosophy. Scott and wife Carol visited Richmond in the fall and more recently went to Mexico City to see their daughter, Isabel, and son-in-law. Hope Neiman has taken residence in Ventura, California, three blocks from the beach, and has a home in Mammoth Lakes, enjoying the snow and surf lifestyles of California.

I am fortunate to get to see Sue Guiney more now than at every fifth-year reunion, as I have joined her fine nonprofit board, Writing Through. Sue is a proud new grandparent to grandson Finneas. Sue’s most recent novel was published: Where We Find Ourselves. It is the last in her series about life in modern-day Cambodia. I can attest—it is a tremendous read. Sue has connected with Betsy Hecker, Mary Jo Wade, and Arlene Lappen and more recently visited with J. Mark Beamis and Jane Eisner. Speaking of Jane, she got to visit Rachel Balf when she was visiting the States, and she dines with Don Lowery frequently. Jane’s book on Carole King has been well received by classmates as well as the press.

Andy Darpino sent along his fine holiday wishes to all! Carol Cooper shared the news that Routledge UK will be publishing her next book as part of their Jungian and archetypal psychology line: adapted from her doctoral dissertation using Jung’s foundational Anima/Animus theory examining work of female participants in the Surrealism and Jungian Psychology.

Steve McNutt writes that he is finally recovering from the effects of Hurricane Helene. In mid-December, he got together with Steve Gold and Andy Adesman and their wives. They watched the sunset and had dinner at Longboat Key. A nice mini-reunion, I’d say. Steve is still working (professor at USF) but is planning to retire in 2026.

It has always been difficult for me to write about fellow classmates’ deaths. This is especially true of someone who I knew for the greater part of my childhood. Arlyn Greenspan-Siegelaub passed away from the effects of Alzheimer’s disease earlier in 2025 and is survived by her husband, Steven ’78, her son, Jonathan ’06, her daughter, Tracy, and her grandchildren, Jacob and Estella. Our hearts go out to the entire Siegelaub clan.

I close by where I began, wishing everyone well in 2026. As the lucky recipient of your notes of personal updates, it is my pleasure to pass these notes to our class. I will shamelessly make a plug—which I shall do at each set of notes this year—for people to clear their calendars on May 21–23 in 2027 for our 50th Reunion. Even if one has not attended a reunion, it will be worth making the effort here. At this point in our lives, connecting with people and aging as a community is a powerful legacy.

Thanks to everyone for responding to my blatantly guilt-inducing plea for notes. You really came through! And it was so gratifying to hear from people we haven’t heard from in a very long time (if ever).

And, yes!  It’s the year of our 50th Reunion! If you’ve missed the steady trickle of email about the reunion, let me know. There’s a lot going on, and I’ll be happy to catch you up (and make sure you’re in our database for future news).

Al Cohall sent a note!: “Hi everyone! I just retired after a long career at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, where I developed several programs for vulnerable populations (young people at risk for, or living with, STIs and HIV), as well as formerly incarcerated individuals with significant medical, mental health, and substance use issues. I also ran a CDC–funded Prevention Research Center and an STD/HIV Prevention Training Center. I had the opportunity to teach at both the School of Public Health and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. It was a blast! Now I get to relax, exercise, write, and spend time with my wonderful wife, five kids, and three grandkids.”

From Rob Williams: “I plan to be at the reunion. For the past five years I have been an infectious disease physician on the island of Maui in Hawaii. This is a great place to work as the lifestyle is much slower than southern New Jersey, where I had been working for the previous 33 years. Most of the family is on the mainland, and we are expecting grandbaby number eight in January. I keep in touch with Pete McArdle, Dennis Harrington, and Harry Loeshelle. Next week I am expecting a visit from Bob Thompson who will vacationing on Maui. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in May.

“Attached is a picture of myself, Pete McArdle, and Dennis Harrington. This is after the Trinity game in 1975. It’s the last football game the three of us ever played.”

From Fred Fuchs: “I spent 12 years in LA with Jay Abramowitz, Bruce Singer, and Lars Fredrickson. I am still in California, but [in] the Bay Area, and have a film club the last five years with the guys each month, with also Sid Rothberg, Hank Alter ’77, and Dave Apicella.  We meet each month online.”

From Mel Blake: “I’m happily retired for three years and enjoying life with wife, Rebecca, in Portsmouth New Hampshire. Taking advantage of good health to travel, play tennis, and take long walks in our beautiful historic town. I’m looking forward to seeing classmates at the reunion!”

Faith (Breslow) Szydlo updates us that she’s living in the greater Boston area and has recently retired from a career as a software engineer. She’s happily spending time with her granddaughter.

Elyse Grasso writes: “In 2025, I published the first two novels in a fantasy series. I am working on the third volume.”

Deepest sympathy to Ken Carpenter for his very recent loss: “[My] wife of 48 years, Susan (Johnson) Carpenter ’77 passed away peacefully, at home surrounded by family, the morning of January 4, 2026.”

Meredith Bergmann had a very productive year. She created a monument for a park in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, that will be unveiled in June; it’s currently at the foundry. Her sculpture, Mother & Child with a Glock, won best in show from the New England Sculpture Society’s Mattatuck Museum show.

In poetry, Meredith’s chapbook A Special Education was reissued, and several of her poems were published in various publications in 2025.

Her biggest news was finishing filming Pointing Fingers, the first commercial, full-length feature film written by, about, and starring people with minimally-speaking autism, currently in postproduction. The film was written by Meredith’s son, Dan Bergmann (a playwright and activist who lives with minimally-speaking autism), and directed by her husband, Michael (a writer and film director). Meredith was DP and production designer.

Joe Mabel writes: “As an administrator and contributor to Wikimedia Commons (like a job except for the getting paid part), one of many things I’ve been up to is cross correlating old photos of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest (clear up into Alaska, at times) in four different Seattle institutional collections. I’ve found a surprisingly high error rate in the titles and descriptions. At this point, I’ve had easily over 1,000 corrections and additions accepted by one or another collection. Here’s a link to an illustrated lecture about that I gave in 2023: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jmabel/Final_draft_of_talk_for_WikiConference_North_America_2023.

“Also, in terms of connecting to other Wes alums, last spring I was in Los Angeles and had lunch with Martha Meade (who was burned out of her longtime home in Pacific Palisades and is currently living in Thousand Oaks); this summer I saw Kerri Rubman and her husband, David, when they visited Seattle (where I have been based for almost half a century); and on an October 2025 visit to NYC, I got together with David van Biema ’80 and Jim Melloan ’77 at Caffe Reggio, a Greenwich Village coffeehouse where I was a weekend regular during my high school years. 

“Looking forward to seeing people at the reunion or possibly in NYC the week after. Or in Seattle in the summer, if anyone is headed this way.”

Deborah Lyons writes: “Having retired from Miami University (after 36 years of teaching, not 21 as it said in the last notes), I am moving back to New England at the end of May, either to Northampton or elsewhere in Massachusetts. I welcome any advice about choosing a new home. My email is still lyonsd@miamioh.edu.”

Bruce Demple seems to have had the best possible year! He tells us: “2025 began with my wife, Sue, completing chemotherapy, and no additional treatments were needed. We celebrated with our first-ever trip to Hawaii in February. We had a few wonderful days on the Big Island, one of which involved the morning spent on a lovely beach and sunset up at 9,000 feet on Mauna Kea. Lots more on Hawai’i too. We spent several more days on Maui with longtime friends from my Berkeley grad student days—they’ve been asking us to visit there for years. Returning by way of Berkeley, we learned that our younger daughter there was pregnant. That was the second such news, as our older daughter in Brooklyn was expecting, too, in the spring. Granddaughter Daphne arrived at the beginning of May and granddaughter June in mid-September. Girls rule! It’s been such a joy to watch them develop and work on exploring the world, while being informed about the proper way to care for babies. . .  We had the first all-family gathering in Berkeley for Thanksgiving; Sue and I came back to Berkeley for the Christmas–New Year holidays, which was great fun. Amongst the family excitement, we did some traveling in the summer, including a visit to Sue’s family and our friends in England, with a several-day foray to Berlin, seeing my 85-year-old dear friend Klaus, whom I met immediately in the months before WesU when I went to work in a factory in Göttingen, West Germany. I know his family well, through kids and grandkids, too, so it was very rewarding after a six-year break. In early October we attended a scientific meeting in Trondheim, Norway, which was Sue’s first visit to the country (and maybe my eighth). Rainy but beautiful. Oh, yes, one thing I let my colleagues know at the meeting: At the end of 2025, I would be retiring (past tense now appropriate). That’s definitely a bittersweet decision: Being a research scientist and university professor really was my calling, found somewhat by accident late in my college career. I will miss that and I will miss the students too. But family beckons!”

Leslie Gabel-Brett writes: “I am looking forward to teaching my course again this spring at Wesleyan, Social Activism and Theories of Change. I am working with my co-teacher, Beverly Tillery, to revise the syllabus to reflect the very challenging times we are in. I am also looking forward to attending our 50th class reunion!”

Laurette Tuckerman sends greetings!: “Hi, classmates! The short story is that I married and moved to Paris in 1993, where I’ve worked as a scientific researcher (in fluid dynamics, numerical simulations, and bifurcation theory) ever since. I have three children, all around 30 years old, and I can’t make it to the 50th Reunion because I am organizing a contra dance weekend. Come by to visit!”

Susan (Peterson) Avitzour writes: “The past half-year [2025] has been relatively quiet for me, after the craziness of the June war with Iran. I’m extremely thankful for the Gaza ceasefire and the return of the hostages and still managing to hold onto my hope for a far, far better future for all of us in this tormented corner of the world.

“On the personal level, I’m doing very well, other than normal age-related orthopedic complaints—  though it turns out that even at the age of 70, one can find solutions and get back into reasonable shape! I’m spending most of my time nowadays working on my writing (to which I’ve returned after a yearslong dry spell), learning my part and singing in a choir, birdwatching, and of course spending time with those of my descendants who are living in Israel.

“Half of my children and just over half my grandchildren are now living in the Bay Area (Berkeley, etc.), so we’re planning a trip to the States in May. I had hoped to be able to attend the reunion, but unfortunately, I can’t be on the East Coast at the relevant time. I hope that those of you who can make it to the reunion will have a blast!”

And from Doug Hurd: “I finally did retire. After Wes, then professional school, DDS, married a wonderful gal, spent some time as a researcher and teacher, interrupted by a really bad auto accident, then private practice in upstate New York for 38 years. My wife and I have made the most of this beautiful part of the state that we live in, been involved in our community in areas we felt worthwhile, and now have more time for travel.

“I did visit and keep contact with Wes, but mostly with members of the art department where I worked for awhile as a student (not my major). Finally, it was my children that kept me coming back.

I have two children, both graduated from Wesleyan with honors. My son has a PhD in geology, and while at Wes, was a New England wrestling champion (I wrestled for four years also). My daughter graduated with high honors in dance, now has a master’s in nursing.

“I am hoping to make it to the reunion.”

From Barb Birney: “It’s been fun to spend time with my dad, Bob Birney ’50, filling in details for a biography that I’m writing. He is 100 years old and resides in Williamsburg, Virginia. I asked him a question that I suspect no one has asked since he graduated. I asked him who recommended in 1946 that he go to Wesleyan. After some casting around, he tentatively called up the name of a boyhood friend. I called the alumni office to find out if a Willard Lockwood (’46) had ever graduated from Wesleyan. For sure, Willard went to Wesleyan on the Thorndike Prize and graduated in 1946. Dad is in a nursing home with some paralysis, but the mind is as sharp as ever.

“I’ll be visiting with friends on the East Coast around Reunion time, so please let me know if you want to get together. Email is: barbarabirney@msn.com.”

We heard from Larry Gilius!  He tells us: “I’m writing this on my third day of retirement. And I can say that retirement is a good invention. I enjoyed the past 19 years as head of the Writing Center and other operations for Mount Hood Community College, east of Portland, Oregon. I particularly enjoyed the brave, resourceful, and big-hearted students there, who taught me so much. But it is interesting and very promising to ask about each day now, ‘What do I need to have happen today to feel fulfilled?’ rather than ‘What should I do for my employer today?’ I think I can get used to this. Nancy, my wife of 34 years, and I are enjoying having our daughter visiting from Scotland. She completed a master’s program last year at the University of Edinburgh in ‘high performance computing’—supercomputing. (OK, I’ll brag. There were 800 applicants for the 40 spots. She was the only student accepted from the U.S.) She works now for Great Britain’s main center of supercomputing in Edinburgh. That means an excuse for us to travel there, which we’ve done twice in just over a year, including a September journey to the magical Isle of Mull on the west coast. I’d visited there in the summer after my first year at Wes and have wanted to return all my life. We’re also enjoying a new home after 20 years in Portland. We’ve joined the Adam’s Creek Cohousing Community just east of Portland in Hood River, at the east end of the amazing Columbia River Gorge and at the base of Mount Hood. Cohousing means our own condo but also shared facilities like a ‘common house’ for some meals and activities, and shared responsibilities for governance and life together in a multigenerational community of like-minded souls. It’s been a fabulous new way of life, another thing I can easily get used to. Sending my best wishes to all.”

Cheryl Alpert notes: “I remain a REALTOR® in the greater Boston area but have pivoted my focus to rightsizing—‘rightsizing a home does not define increasing or decreasing the size of your home. You are adjusting your home size to better fit your needs,’ meaning that I act as a consultant to help you better understand what you are seeking and why as well as prepare to move. I am still potting and have found an amazing ceramics instructor, community, and studio that I love. I see Rook Van Nest and Jeff Dunn ’75, both live in my town, and J. Mark Beamis ’77 on occasion.”

David Harmin and I are doing well. David just completed his first year of full retirement and is clearly very, very happy about not having to get up early to go to work. Being in complete command of your time—for the first time since, oh, 1958—is a fantastic experience. We try as often as possible to see Tom Kovar,Mike Greenberg,Nina (Rusinow) Rosenstein, and Marjorie (Allen) Dauster. Doesn’t happen as often as we’d like! David returned to campus in early October to sing Neely Bruce’s “The Bill of Rights”; Janet Brooks was part of the chorus. And we both went back to campus in late November for Neely’s performance of “The Songs of Richard Winslow.” We both have very fond memories of Dick; hearing his work performed was deeply affecting.

I’m sorry to share the very sad news that Lynette Vialet passed on in 2024. She had been an ob-gyn in Colorado for many years. A colleague wrote of her: “I wrote this speech on the day my mentor and the woman who delivered my daughters died. We all remember that special mentor in our lives. Lynette Vialet was the epitome of strength and resilience. She was a flight surgeon in the air force, one of the most respected physicians in our hospital, and a Jazzercise instructor. She knew just what to do in every situation. She took incredible ownership of patients, and it was my honor to work with her. She was one of us. One of the best of us. She was magical.”

As of this writing, I’ve heard from these folks that they’re planning/hoping to attend the reunion:

Andi Grubb Barthwell

Meredith Bergmann

Mel Blake

Jon Daniels

Talya Fishman

Fred Fuchs

Leslie Gabel-Brett

Oliver Griffith

Debra Haffner

David Harmin

Byron Haskins

Dan Herr

Doug Hurd

Joanne Lukitsh

Wendy Lustbader

Deborah Malamud

Martha Meade

Cathy Popkin

Bob Thompson

Rob Williams

Many of the people who have attended our Zoom sessions have indicated that they’re leaning toward attending, but I haven’t included their names because they haven’t definitively said “I’m coming!” I don’t want to put words in anyone’s mouth. . .

Thanks for sharing high points of your experiences at our 50th, post-reunion connections made, and other recent news. Please continue to contribute to these notes and to enjoy or add to Reunion photos in our Google album.

Brett Sherman’s most special moment was arriving on Friday with Bart Kummer by train from NYC. “We made it to the dorm expecting to drop our bags, and there were our classmates already partying: Emely Karandy, Alyson Greenlaw Cleary, Bill Devereaux, Jim Daley, Dave Terry, and Mark Nickerson. Seeing them all together was a wonderful start. Also joining for the weekend were my freshman year roommate Kathy (Scholle) Hale, who I get to see regularly in Rhode Island, along with Bill Bass ’74, who had such a good time at the Class of ’74 Reunion, he came back. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to catch up with David Lipton, Susan Gans, Cutty Wilbur, Pat McQuillan, Perry Cacace, Steve Levin, Gary Steinel, Jack Hoover, and many others. An unexpected pleasure was spending time with classmates I had not known well before. At the time of the reunion, as I was about to retire with some trepidation, it was comforting to learn that most of our class had already retired and were flourishing.”

Speaking of New York, Dave Rosenblum lunched in NYC a few days after Reunion with Bob McNamara, whose family commitments prevented him from attending. Bob, who is retired and an avid sailor, lives in Westchester. In December, Dave had dinner in NYC at Bart Kummer’s apartment on the Upper West Side—less than 10 blocks from Dave and Sue’s pied-à-terre.  

David Leisner’s newest album, DEDICATIONS, is a collection of 10 works that are premier recordings. David commissioned all but one from illustrious composers who are among his friends. Five of the pieces were commissioned and written during the pandemic. One was written originally for Segovia in 1957, but in 1979, David was the first to ever perform it. This is a digital-only release that you can find at the top of the Performer Recordings page on David’s website: http://davidleisner.com/recordings/. David calls DEDICATIONS “one of the most important albums I’ve ever made, so I truly hope that you might find time to listen to it!” 

Jeff Morgan observed, “our 50th Reunion was way more fun than I thought it would be. I went with my old friend, Vicky (Rigsby) Keiser, and we hung out and had a great time with old and new friends. I hosted a tasting of wines from my Berkeley, California, urban winery, Covenant, for some 100 thirsty alums. (It was basically a giant therapy session for me with good drinks.) I continue to rediscover my musical self, playing gigs in New York, San Francisco, and Miami, which feels good after a 20-year hiatus. I’m blessed to have my youngest daughter, Zoe, working as Covenant’s GM. And both my daughters (along with three grandchildren under the age of two) now live nearby. 

Bruce Weinraub, aka “Dr. B,” is also enjoying his musical side. He sent a video of him playing blues in his retirement location, Clarksville, Mississippi: Big A and the All-Stars at the Son House tribute Festival with Dr. B sitting in on keyboard. Bruce was mentioned in Oxford Magazine’s article about the film, Sinners, set in Clarksville:

“That the Sinners festival (in Clarksville) coincided with a previously planned tribute weekend to musician Son House . . . caused some concern for Bruce “Dr. B” Weinraub, a physician, piano player, and owner of the Blue Room, an event space on Third Street. Weinraub, who organized the Son House tribute weekend, had invited Joe Beard and John Mooney to headline the event, which also featured a screening of and panel discussion about the 2016 documentary Two Trains Runnin’. Weinraub said he hoped people who came out to experience the Sinners events would also take time to get to know Son House and his contribution to the Delta blues. ‘It’s all related,’ he said.”

In November, Martha (Faller) Brown welcomed her first grandchild, Luna Valkyrie Means.  “From this grandmother’s perspective, she is already strong and quite vocal, so I know she’ll make her mark on the world. All other news kind of pales in the face of new life!” Martha has been a beta reader for Tim Brown’s(’72) current project, writing his Union Township Trilogy.  His first volume, The Brangus Rebellion, “a climate fiction thriller,” came out in 2023 under his pen name R.R. Corvi (rrcorvi.com). It won a first-place book award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association.

Speaking of grandchildren, Kathy Scholle Hale and her family recently welcomed a fifth grandchild named June Margo Hale. Paul Gionfriddo and Pam also became grandparents for the fifth time this winter when their daughter, Lizzie, gave birth to her first child, Ryan, who has many Wesleyan connections on both sides of the family. His paternal grandfather is Brian Katten ’79, Wesleyan’s longtime sports information director. In the fall, Paul and Mark Nickerson caught up at a Wesleyan-hosted NCAA Division III second-round soccer game. “We dodged a few raindrops as we cheered Wesleyan on, but unfortunately late first-half and early-second goals cost Wesleyan a close match.”

During Middletown’s cold-weather winter, Paul spends several mornings a week warming up with an indoor jog at the Wesleyan field house, which is open to older local residents in the morning. “We share the space with Wesleyan’s spring sports teams on several mornings. It’s mind-boggling how many students are engaged in sports these days (and how many are up and active so early in the morning—certainly not what I remember!).” 

Richard Hume retired on December 31, 2025. He and Lesley and headed to New Zealand and Australia for a month—a welcome change of climate from snowbound Michigan. In Chicago, their son, Michael, and his wife, Ashley, delivered a fourth Hume grandchild, Deckard, last July.  His older siblings are two, 11, and 13 years old. Richard and Lesley’s daughter, Rebecca, remains in Brooklyn working for Protect Democracy. 

It was great to hear from Eric Appellof for perhaps the first time. (It’s never too late!) After earning his degree in chemistry, Eric worked for a year as a lab tech at Pfizer in Groton and learned that chemistry was “not my true calling. The next logical step was obviously law school, with a side of business school thrown in for variety.” After earning his JD/MBA from Syracuse University in 1980, he moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, spending half his career in a law firm and the second half working in-house at People’s Bank until retiring in June 2016. “Along the way I married twice (with a divorce in proper sequence) and had four children, one of whom is Wesleyan Class of 2006. Since retiring I have moved from Fairfield to Branford, just a couple of blocks from Long Island Sound.” Although Eric missed the Reunion, he got together with freshman roommates Rich Hume and Jeff McChristian along with everyone’s spouses in May. He’s seen Jeff again more recently, along with JD Moore, a high school classmate who is affiliated with the same law firm where Eric got his start in 1980.

Watch for Amy Bloom’s new book, Blunt Instrument,out June 2 from Mysterious Press.  It’s set at a small, excellent liberal arts university in Connecticut. A difficult person is bludgeoned to death with a bronze bust of Nathaniel Hawthorne. A disgraced former English professor investigates. . .

Susan Gans sums up the reunion’s success thus, “Our 50th Reunion was a blast, and word is that our class set the record for 50th Reunion attendance, fundraising, and number of submissions and essays for the Class Book (which, sadly, was the last Class Book to be printed, as we were told that it will go all digital starting with the Class of 1976). Staying up late in the lounge talking with classmates felt as though we’d been transported in a time machine back to 1971.” Susan is enjoying retirement, spending a lot of time traveling (Italy last summer and Croatia in the fall), fostering and seeking good homes for dogs, and planning events for the 400-member tandem cycling group she founded five years ago.

Cathy Gorlin spends the winter in Naples, Florida, but her heart is back in Minnesota this year with the wonderful Minnesotans who are gathering to protest. She writes, “So many I know are afraid to leave their homes. My brother’s kid was maced, beat up, illegally detained, and then let go. On the brighter side, our son and daughter-in-law are expecting a baby girl in March.” 

Doug DeNatale and Gail “were so delighted to connect with many beloved classmates at Reunion. Since then, we’ve been fortunate to finally find our forever retirement home in the town of Randolph, New Hampshire, in the White Mountains. It’s a unique town founded in the early 1800s, mostly by academics and clergymen who formed the earliest hiking community.” They are enjoying much snow and a lovely view of Mounts Madison and Adams. Doug won’t fully retire as director of the Arts and Cultural Management

Graduate Program at Boston University until the end of next year, and Gail’s not yet ready to leave her position as senior associate director for Strategic Development at the Center for Teaching and Learning at Northeastern University. Their two daughters are flourishing: Martha established a day-care center in Kingston, New Hampshire; while Becca, a pastry chef, is taking a parental break in Barre, Massachusetts, to care for the three grandchildren Logan (four), Remi (three), and Colten (one). Doug adds, “I recently had the great pleasure of joining Brad Kosiba and Dorothy for dinner at their beautiful home in Chapel Hill. We’re hoping that they and our other classmates will come visit us in Randolph!”

Sticking close to home, Rachel (Adler) Hayes and husband, John, visited their son in Miami for Thanksgiving and spent three weeks in January at their farm in Schoharie, New York. They continue to cook at scale with their synagogue—Friday night Shabbat dinners for 200 and supervising Christmas dinner prep for 600-plus people in need in neighboring communities. “My peeling and chopping skills are deepening,” she says.

Jeff McChristian reported from West Hartford, happy to say that his summer health adventure—a spinal infection and eight-day hospitalization, has pretty much resolved. “I am off heavy-duty pain meds and slowly getting back in shape with continued PT. I’ve done some gentle cross-country skiing twice in the past week, a benefit of the first real winter we’ve had in several years. Grateful to Commander Dennis Chin, MD, [who] was immensely helpful and generous with his time during my recovery. I’ve stayed in touch with several classmates since our 50th, including Dennis, JD Moore, Eric Appellof, Carole Evans Sands, Emely Karandy, and Rick Segal. Bruce Tyson also reported that he expects to have his house rebuilt this year after it burned to the ground in the Palisades Fire last year.” For 2026, Jeff and Pat resolved to make up for six months without travel. They returned to Guatemala in January for Pat’s sixth community mosaic project in the largely Mayan town of San Lucas Toliman. Next will be southern Spain in March, and then Greece in May, stopping in Istanbul on the way home, and finally, Nepal and Bhutan in October. In between, they’ll drive to South Carolina to visit their daughter and son-in-law, as well as Vermont and upstate New York to see friends and family. 

My summer and fall were a medical challenge as well. Two months after Reunion, Bob and I celebrated with 80 friends and family the wedding of our son, Ethan, to his beloved, Amanda. A few weeks later, a scan revealed a mass deep in Bob’s brain that seemed to be causing severe vision problems he’d been experiencing for almost a year. We were immediately sucked into the alternate universe of a medical crisis and spent a month at UCSF Medical Center seeking a diagnosis. When it came, we were blessed to learn that the lymphoma they diagnosed is very rare, and the top specialist in it is based at UCSF and leads a clinical trial that Bob could join.  After three additional months of intensive chemo, Bob is in remission, receiving continuing outpatient treatment, and feeling pretty good. We are both enormously grateful.

Meanwhile, Brian Steinbach is relieved to be done with four weeks of five-day-a-week radiation treatment for a very low-grade prostate cancer, which he reports has a 95%–plus success rate at 10 years.

Ellen (Kabcenell) Wayne had a big family get-together this winter. Their son, Michael ’05, his wife, Lucy, and children, Akiva and baby Lillian, came from Rotterdam and stayed with Ellen and Charlie ’73. Their other sons, Daniel, with his wife, June, and Joey Wayne, with his wife, Hannah, and three young daughters also attended. They were joined by Ellen’s brother, Brian Kabcenell ’78, his wife, Joanne, and sister, Amy (the one non-Wesleyan Kabcenell).

Having traveled farthest to attend Reunion, Karin Johnson rated it “AMAZING. I never imagined that I would be able to re-connect with so many people and even forge new connections. It has been wonderful to see that some of the very important things in life can be sustained this long. I was strongly reminded of why I wanted to go to Wesleyan in the first place. These are harrowing times, but what a gift it is to know that there is bread for the journey.” Karin, Janet Brodie, Risa Korn, and Jane Hutchins continue regular Zoom visits to stay connected. Karin has also recently heard from Karen Kawaguchi and Lydia Evans. She adds, “Here at home, my family is well, and my grandchild is a chatty two-year-old, so life is delightful. Japan is becoming a trendy destination, it seems; feel free to reach out if you are in the neighborhood!”

Finally, no one worked harder and was more determined to be at our 50th Reunion than Charlie Stolper. As Karin Johnson remarked, “His presence was so strongly felt,” and he was buoyed by the love and support he received from us in Middletown last May. Charlie, surrounded by his family, succumbed to Parkinson’s disease and myotonic dystrophy (diagnoses he received shortly before our 40th  Reunion) on September 24, 2025. He was generous in death, choosing to donate his brain, spine, and vital organs to the Stanford University Biobank to advance the study of myotonic dystrophy by researchers around the world. He donated the rest of his body to the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State University.  

Brian Steinbach was kind enough to write the following memories of Charlie:

“Charlie was the first classmate I met when we both ended up in the same suite at Lawn Avenue (as it was then called). Notably, all five of us from that suite attended the 50th Reunion—Charlie, me, Jeff Cox, Phil Swoboda, and Dave Rosenblum. Charlie and I ended up being suite, or roommates, for four years—another year at Lawn Avenue and then two years at Delta Tau. We had many adventures in those years, including a cross-country trip after freshman year that featured a stop at Dave’s in Portland; a 10-week European trip the next summer (memorably, we almost missed our flight because we went to a JFK Airport outside viewing area to have a last joint before the trip and returned to the gate to discover almost everyone had boarded a bus to the plane; fortunately gate personnel knew we were missing and drove us out to the plane). We drove to concerts as far afield as Waterbury (the Dead, along with Cindy Ulman and Martha (Faller) Brown, as well as Santana), NYC (Hot Tuna), and Providence (George Harrison and Ravi Shankar); and other road trips. We did lots of listening to loud music, and he brought me into DJing at WESU. We celebrated Charlie’s 21st birthday in the long tunnel under Foss Hill (with help from Cindy and Brad Kosiba). I spent one Thanksgiving with him and his mother and sister (and David Leisner) at a ski resort in Vermont. Somehow, during those years he managed to excel at CSS. After graduation, we stayed in touch, visiting in Charlottesville (when I was at UVA law), NYC (where he first worked), Boston (when he was at HBS, again excelling, and I was in Providence), NYC again (where he achieved his dream of being an investment banker by working for Kidder, and met his future wife, Christy), Princeton (where they lived for a while), Concord, Massachusetts, Chicago, and D.C. One D.C. visit involved his younger brother, who had just turned 21, drinking us both under the table. There was a ski trip to New Mexico where we stayed with Christy’s aunt and uncle at Los Alamos and inadvertently dissed them by traveling to ski at Taos each day. Fortunately, they didn’t hold it against him when he married Christy. I attended his wedding and he my first wedding, and I was his son Chad’s godfather. We exchanged visits to Evanston and Concord for our respective 40th birthday parties. He talked me into preparing the music CDs for our 35th Reunion. We did not see each as much after that, other than at Wes reunions, but we stayed in touch, and I was very glad to have a chance to talk to him at Reunion and to join the well-deserved standing ovation he received on arrival for our class picture. Charlie leaves behind the wonderful Christy, his daughter, Tory, and son-in-law, Jackson, his son, Chad, and daughter-in-law, Lydia, and his grandson, Tucker.”

As Dave Rosenblum said, “Even as he was physically debilitated by illness, Charlie remained engaged, including in fundraising for Wesleyan. He offered us all a lesson in courage and grace through his determination to attend our 50th.” Charlie departed with Wesleyan in his ears, as Tory invited close friends to send voice messages of love and support that she played for him in his last hours. He was deeply loyal to Wesleyan, so if you feel inspired, make a gift in his memory to Wesleyan’s Financial Aid and Access Fund. His family will host a memorial celebration to honor Charlie in Manhattan on May 23, 2026. Contact me if you would like more information.