Mark your calendars Class of ’87! It’s our one and only 30th Reunion, and it’s coming May 25-28; be there!

Linda Ryden published her curriculum called Peace of Mind: Integrating Mindfulness, Social Emotional Learning, And Conflict Resolution. “I still teach it full-time at a public elementary school in D.C., and it’s being taught in schools all over the country. I also wrote and illustrated a children’s book called Rosie’s Brain. It’s a story that teaches kids about how their brains work when they get angry and how to use mindfulness to help calm down. My two kids are in college and my husband makes Bullfrog Bagels, the best bagels in D.C.”

Claudia Center has “been at the national ACLU’s Disability Rights Project for nearly three years, working on the intersection of disability and education, policing, incarceration, voting, families, and autonomy. I spent election night texting in terror with Anthea Charles. My job radically changed that night, as the policies being proposed by the new administration and Congress are life-threatening to people with disabilities. I am organizing a singing brigade for the Women’s March Oakland on January 21, 2017, and hope to see several Wesleyan alumni in attendance.”

Wendy Riseborough was in NYC in September for the News & Documentary Emmys. The documentary for which she was supervising producer, American Denial, about implicit bias and racism since the 1940s, received a nomination.

Catherine Dolan Fitch is “excited about our 30th Reunion! I wish I could be returning to campus as a Wes parent, but my children have let me down. My daughter, Anna May, is thriving as a sophomore at Williams, where she is a member of the track team, and my son, Connor, accepted a spot in the class of 2021 at Bowdoin, where he will be playing lacrosse. I am proud that I attended Williams’ homecoming wearing my Wesleyan sweatshirt, and witnessed the Cardinals’ win of the Little Three Championship from the visitor bleachers. My daughter was not as happy with the outcome (or my attire!).”

David Prahas Nafissian is “now a certified life coach! And I’ve returned to composition.  Go here for a free musical gift—my latest work: http://bit.do/In-3 and go here to see my new coaching website: http://bit.do/EAC. Have a beautiful 2017!”

Amy Baltzell writes that she “ran into Susan Anthony, who is a successful artist in Welfleet, where she creates amazing art out of tiny bits of paper. [leftbankgallery.com/collections/susan-anthony] In my professional life, I recently published a book, Mindfulness & Performance, with Cambridge University Press (my Dalmatian keeps me company as I write) and am president-elect of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology. Most importantly, my three kids are thriving in our sleepy winter beach town on Cape Cod. My most proud moment this year: Our 11-year-old, Zoey, made the boys travel basketball team and she is a starter. I catch glimpses of Bronwyn Malicoat ’89, who is a busy mother of four also living on Cape Cod, and I hear of Susan (Pratt) Arndt happily living in England. With love to you all!”

David Abramson “just reached 15 years at the State Department working on Central Asia and bracing myself for what comes next. Just hit 20 years since I met my wife, Kelly Hand. Our two daughters, Hazel and Daisy, are 15 and 12, respectively, and our Siberian cat, Basil, is 5. I got the latest album by Tierney Sutton ’86, Sting Variations, which has been nominated for a Grammy (fingers-crossed), and enjoyed reading The Lost Spy by fellow Russian language student Andy Meier ’85. It’s about an American Jewish spy for Stalin who grew up in nowheresville Willimantic, Conn., next to my hometown and down the road from Middletown. I am still in touch with, and see too rarely, Skip Lockhart, Jessica Miller, Janet Ginzberg, Becky Riccio, and John Gould ’86.”

“No momentous updates from me says,” Scott Pryce. “My sons are growing (now 8 and 10) and are the greatest source of joy, and I am blessed with a wonderful wife. We are in the D.C. area, and I travel a lot to Miami for work. I am leading a real estate start up, which is challenging and rewarding in different measures depending on the day!”

I do hope to see many of you in Middletown at the end of May. I, for one, don’t see how anyone could pass up a chance to hang out on Foss Hill after 30 years. Who knows who you’ll run into?

Amanda Jacobs Wolf | wolfabj@gmail.com

Something different in this issue. Responses to the prompt: How are you contributing to society in diverse and extraordinary ways?

Molly O’Brien: “I wear several hats professionally, and one is developing media for museum exhibits all over the country. This doesn’t fall into the ‘extraordinary contribution’ category, but in this time of fake news and suspicion about news-as-propaganda, museums represent a trusted source of information, often presented in engaging ways. Our studio currently has three Wes alumni and an intern!”

Joe Cassidy: “I’m a fellow at the Wilson Center and write on two subjects I care deeply about: the international refugee/humanitarian system and the State Department. My last piece explored loyalty, bureaucracy, and the Trump Administration, and was published in Foreign Policy: http://atfp.co/2hJPOwQ.”

Randy (Levinson) Clancy: “As a co-founder of the CARLE Institute, a trainer for Border Crossers, and an independent consultant, I work with schools and organizations to understand and address racism. As a white woman, I strive to build accountable partnerships with people of color while focusing on the specific roles white people must play in challenging systemic racism.”

Marc Rosner: “I am transitioning between two careers. I’ve been a public and private high school science teacher and technology specialist for 30 years, and hope I’ve taught my 2,500 or so students well. I also have an estate business; my niche is appraisals and sales assistance for families who have inherited coins, jewelry, and other material assets. It’s very satisfying to break up needless fights between siblings, or to ensure a senior citizen gets the most for his or her personal treasures.”

Tamar Rothenberg: “I am a professor and department chair teaching history and geography at Bronx Community College-CUNY, where many students are immigrants or children of immigrants. Most are on financial aid, and most are the first generation to go to college. My goal is to help them find their academic footing, see themselves in complex global contexts, and think critically.”

Matt Pachman: “I currently serve as chair of the Ethics and Compliance Association (ECA). ECA is a best practice community of organizations committed to creating and sustaining high quality ethics and compliance programs within corporations, non-profits, government agencies, and academic institutions. ECA brings together professionals and academics globally to share benchmarks, techniques, research, and new ideas.”

Elaine Taylor-Klaus: “I help parents stay sane while raising complex kids. Five years ago, I created an online resource for parents of kids with ADHD and related challenges, providing support, coaching, and training that is both affordable and accessible. We set out to change the way that parents manage the challenges of raising ‘complex’ children, teaching a progressive, holistic ‘coach-approach’ to parenting. We now do this work with parents all over the globe.”

Sarah Holbrooke: “After over 25 years as a television news producer in NYC, I moved to Telluride to run a nonprofit providing STEM education for kids in rural southwestern Colorado. The research I did at Wesleyan stimulated my switch to science. My love of learning, nurtured at Wes, helps instill the same spark in the 7,000 kids I try to inspire each year.”

Judy Seiff: “I’m newly elected to my community’s school board. Through Yonkers Partners in Education, a superstar organization, I mentor students 9th through 12th grade. I am privileged to work with a new group of seniors annually as I assist them with all aspects of their college applications. The school’s extraordinary diversity reminds me of my alma mater, Bronx Science, where I also volunteer as a ‘practice’ college interviewer.”

Ellen Santistevan: “Taking compassionate action in the world, one client at a time. Through a combination of bodywork, deep listening, and nonjudgmental presence, I allow people to have an experience of themselves as valuable and valued human beings. Especially powerful for marginalized people.”

Charlie Berthoud: “I am surrounded by people doing extraordinary things. I have been a Presbyterian pastor for 25 years, with the last four here in Madison, Wis. People from our church are hosting homeless families at church, providing food and fellowship. Others visit shut-ins, help with affordable housing, work for racial justice, and share money generously with our partners—from domestic violence groups to schools in Guatemala. Together we try to love our neighbors.”

Joyce Burnett: “I remain passionate about health and fitness. I formed a company that focuses on increasing the daily intake of green leafy vegetables. Loice Mae’s Kitchen makes vegetable/fruit smoothies that make your colon dance (smoothkrew.com).”

Lisa Dipko: “I have learned the importance of human connection and ‘living in the moment’ during 16 years of social work with veterans who need nursing home care for dementia and other life-altering/ending conditions. I believe my struggles as a French major have given me an edge in understanding my patients’ communication when their speech becomes unreliable.”

Eric Howard | ehoward86@wesleyan.edu

Class of 1985 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Ali Friend ’19, North Easton, MA

Charles Barber teaches nonfiction writing in the College of Letters at Wesleyan, of all places, and is working on a forthcoming book from HarperCollins, Citizen Outlaw: A Gangster’s Journey.

Amy Nash visited me, Caroline, to take part in the Women’s March on Washington. We looked for, but could not find, Hillary Hess and Kate Holen, and no doubt a few of our other classmates.

CAROLINE WILKINS | cwilkins85@yahoo.com

MARY BETH KILKELLY | mbkeds@yahoo.com

Joel A. Fein is closing in on three decades at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, practicing pediatric emergency medicine and leading a multi-level violence prevention initiative. The program promotes and researches community and hospital-based programs in the greater Philadelphia area. Next year, all three of Joel’s boys, Ethan, Seth and Jay, will be attending The University of Pennsylvania and finding their inner science geeks. Joel adds that the last remnant of his Wes legacy hopes were dashed in one early decision gone bad (or good, for Jay). His wife, Vicky, has been in the same pediatrics practice since the two of them finished residency together. They are spending a lot more time on the Chesapeake and loving it.

Michael R. Heydenburg recently published an article in The American Intelligence Journal’s special issue on denial and deception. Michael’s article, “The Ponzi Scheme as a Deception Operation: The Bernie Madoff Case Study,” uses the Madoff scandal as a case study to explore some characteristics of intelligence and military deception operations and suggest areas of future research and development for intelligence and military denial and deception professionals. Michael continues his work for the government on intelligence matters and is based in New York after a period in the D.C. area.

Rhonda Lees is now senior counsel in the Office of the General Counsel at the American Bankers Association. Rhonda reports her new colleagues are terrific and the work is interesting. She is excited to pivot to the trade association world after serving in the charity arena for so long. She is in touch with and sees several Wes people, including Michael R. Heydenburg, Lisa Nevans Locke ’85, John Pomeranz ’85, Daphne Kwok, and Maral Kibarian Skelsey. With the encouragement of Stephen McCarthy ’75, Rhonda is serving as chair of the D.C. chapter of Wesleyan Alumni in Philanthropy and Public Service. There are plans to revitalize the group in 2017, so please reach out to Rhonda if you would like to participate or to just learn more.

Simone Zelitch’s fifth novel, Judenstaat, was published last May by Tor/Macmillan and will be out in paperback in January 2018. It’s an alternative history where a Jewish State is established in Germany rather than Palestine as a direct answer to the Holocaust, and as such, sets the state in the middle of post-WWII Cold War politics. Critical reviews have been favorable.

Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu

Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu

Greetings Class of 1983 and Happy New Year! The good news is I have heard from many of you. The bad news is I only have 800 words. I did my best to edit your replies to include as much as possible.

In the arts world, Cheri Weiss, fourth-year cantorial student, released an album, Hineni: Music for the High Holy Days (hazzanit.com), which was distributed free to 1,000 shul-ins, chaplains, rabbis, social workers in hospitals, and retirement homes across the U.S. Tim Backer owns and operates an independent culture production house and released his collection, The Musing Gene; he attributes the source of his electric-guitar-rock-classical style to Wesleyan. Eve Annenberg wrote and directed two feature films, including Romeo and Juliet in Yiddish and produced eight indie films. Kate Rabinowitz runs the Anna Lytton Foundation for Arts and Wellness (annalyttonfoundation.org) in honor of her late daughter. Julia Kay’s upcoming book, Portrait Revolution, ships this spring. The book contains tips, techniques and inspiration for making portraits and is filled with 450 portraits by 200 members of Julia Kay’s Portrait Party, an international online community of artists.

In the academic world, Andrea Smith is professor of anthropology and department head of anthropology and sociology at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. Her research focus is on colonialism (French and US) and her new book is called, Rebuilding Shattered Worlds: Creating Community by Voicing the Past. Liz Hamilton works at Butler University as a department secretary and encourages classmates who hire to consider well-educated-but-been-out-of-the-workforce-for-awhile people! Kirsten Wasson works at a progressive high school as college counselor and internship coordinator in LA.

In the social action sphere, Jessica Cogen is the development and outreach director of Food for Others, a large food pantry/food bank in Fairfax, Va., providing free groceries each week to 1,800 families in need.

In the science and medical worlds, Charlie Brenner published the first clinical trial of nicotinamide riboside (NR), a vitamin metabolic booster he discovered 12 years ago and is now used over-the-counter by 200,000 people. Pat Roth is a practicing neurosurgeon in New Jersey and is chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Hackensack University Medical Center and soon-to-be chairman at Seton Hall University, too. He finished his second book, Keeping the “Me” in Medicine, which explores the power of the narrative in medicine to make doctors better doctors and patients better patients. Heather Rae is a certified integrative nutrition health coach and with husband and chiropractor, Aubrey, opened The Wellness Spot in Richmond, Maine.

In the business world, Raul Mercado is the director of New Jersey Institute of Technology Procurement Technical Assistant Center. He is responsible for the development, enhancement, and delivery of procurement and certification assistance programs, training technical support, and outreach to New Jersey-based small businesses seeking to sell to the public sector. Glenn Duhl joined Zangari, Cohn, Cuthbertson, Duhl & Grello, P.C., and is practicing management-side employment law and litigation. Glenn Lunden was part of the team at New York City Transit that opened the brand new and long-waited-for Second Avenue subway line which was first proposed in 1920. Rick Mandler celebrated his 25th year at the Walt Disney Company, mostly at ABC, working in a variety of capacities from legal to media and technology. He teaches TV management as an adjunct at NYU’s Stern Business School.

On the social front, Karen Adair Miller, Tammy Rosengarten Darcus, Gretchen Millspaugh Cooney, Sue Stallone Kelly, and Barb Bailey Beckwitt had a fun roommate getaway at the Cooney’s house in Nantucket. Glenn Lunden and his partner, Frank Meola, had a mini-Wesleyan winter reunion with Christina Meyer Wilsdon, Dan Schlein ’84, and John and Sarah Borden Holman. Megan Norris writes that after 15 years of Wes Board meetings, her tenure is coming to a close.

Lastly, I report my life is complicated and overwhelming at times as I juggle work, research, motherhood, and caring for my elderly mother with Alzheimer’s. The good news is my trio will graduate in May from college. The bad news is their graduations are all on the same weekend and on different coasts! Until next time…

Namaste,

Laurie Hills | lauriec@rci.rutgers.edu

David I. Block writes: “I have a running joke with a friend of mine. Everything she says or does reminds me of Wesleyan. Our families vacationed together in Florida. In the airport bookstore, staring at us, were rows and racks of Grunt, by Mary Roach, now in paperback. “Oh! She was in my class. We took a writing course together our freshman year.” My friend glared at me. “FIVE MINUTES!” My wife laughed. “It just took five minutes!”

David Miller had a wonderful time at the centennial celebration for Van Vleck Observatory. “It was a great complement to our class Reunion a month earlier. The VVO Reunion had great seminars, friends, and colleagues of all ages. While I stay in touch with Bill Herbst over the years, it was great to have a chance to say ‘hi’ to other faculty of our era (Art Upgren and Ed Weiss) and to hang out with a bunch of alumni that I knew “back in the day” (e.g., Bruce Phelps ’82, Taft Armandroff ’82, and Ron Klasky ’83) whom I do not get to see at our class reunions.”

[Ed. note: We regret to report that Arthur Upgren, Wesleyan’s John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus, passed away January 21, 2017. Please see the obituary section for further information.]

Leslie (Sundt) Stratton had a memorable 2016. “I took a year-long academic research leave. Spent fall 2015 back in New England—renting a condo at the base of Killington in Vermont. Got a lot of work done and a lot of hiking. The hiking was in prep for a three-week vacation tramping around the parks in New Zealand in January. That marked the beginning of a spring term in Australia, much of which stay was spent at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, but we also managed side trips to Uluru, Cairns, and, courtesy of a conference I attended, Perth and western Australia. A great experience!”

Miriam and Gary Sturgis ’77 announce the births of their grandtwins, Meyer Aaron and Gabrielle Hadar Wexler in August to their daughter, Rebecca, and her husband, Bryan Wexler. More good news from the Sturgis family is the upcoming marriage of their daughter, Ariela, to Dan Paulsen this July.

Gary Shapiro graduated with a master’s in education from Pace University and is teaching AP Calculus and Algebra II/Trigonometry at Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences. He loves his new career.  

In addition to working as director of marketing and communications at Albany Valve & Fitting Co., Inc., Delcy Ziac Fox is working as the publicist for the New York Folklore Society, where Ellen McHale is executive director and Greg Shatan serves on the board of directors. “It’s great to be working with Ellen and Greg in support of the arts!” Delcy said.

Jon Sperry writes in about his work as actor and dialect coach, the latter of which really took off. “As a dialect coach I taught and worked with actors like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Russell Crowe, Sophia Loren, and Arnold Schwarzenegger! (Yes, really, he works with a dialect coach!) I enjoyed a long collaboration with Harvey Keitel, until I moved to Paris in ’96 to live and produce with my new wife who Harvey had introduced me to, Ivana Massetti. Ivana recently created the amazing gender equality movement Women Occupy Hollywood (check it out on Twitter @WomenOccupyHwd) and just became the Los Angeles representative of the organization ERA Action! I have had the joy of coaching such illustrious actors as Catherine Zeta-Jones and Debbie Reynolds!”

Neil Foote’s biggest news “is that my daughter, Alexandra, graduated from the London School of Economics with an MSc. in environment and development. She’s ready to take on the world, pursuing her interests in sustainability, climate change, and environmental economics. As a principal lecturer at the University of North Texas Mayborn School of Journalism, I’ve been super lucky to get Wesleyan alumni David Brancaccio ’82 and Jon Morgan ’94 to speak to my classes, and would love to invite other Wesleyan media professionals as well. I’m also co-director of the 13-year-old Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Conference, one of the nation’s leading events for aspiring and established narrative nonfiction writers from all walks of life. This summer, we’ll have Sebastian Junger ’84 as one of our keynote speakers. Last October, the National Black Public Relations Society, of which I’m president, held its national conference in Chicago, and through my work with NBPRS, I participated in a discussion on diversity in the PR industry hosted by Chris Graves, chairman of Oglivy Public Relations.”

On a sad note, Mark Anderson passed away Dec. 19, after having had a heart attack about a week prior. Greg D’Auria writes, “My understanding is that he was not in any discomfort and that the boys were there for the last week.” Our condolences to his family.

David I. Block | david.I.block@gmail.com

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

Tom Loder writes: “Been lawyering in (of course, where else but) Philadelphia for 30 (okay “30-some”) years now, married late (of course), raising two now-teen boys, and happy to be in close touch over the years with Jimmy Schor and Bob Ferreira, and their wonderful and beautiful wives, Sharon Nahill and Amy Zinsser. How improbable is that?—Four from the Class of ’80 who married their Wes college sweethearts, who set the world on fire with their brains and daring (for my part, I’ve been nursing a very small campure with whatever kindling I can muster). And hospital titan (GC) Spence Studwell ’79, author Larry Levey (look up some of his great stories), Barry Williamson ’81 (who, inexplicably, Dos Equis somehow missed in its search for “Most Interesting Man in the World”), Kevin “Middletown” Markowski ’79 and  Ed Biester where, with his permission, I work at the same law Philly firm. Bob’s daughter Amy will graduate from Wes this year, and Ed’s daughter is a sophomore. My eldest was on campus for a college visit two weeks ago (had dinner with Bob and Amy on the trip), so it is apparent that the circle of Wes life remains unbroken. Crazy good, I guess you’d have to call it.

“Wow, right? Very grateful for these lifelong friendships. Many Wes classmates I miss and would like to hear from and reconnect with: Labeeb Abboud, Walter Siegel, Bucky Pereira (Buck: Bob Ferreira  still has some of your mistakenly returned Pereira test results from Herbie), Billy Burnett, Laura Nathanson, Lori Geissenhainer, Michelle LeBlanc, John Dionne, Jono Cobb ’79, Nick Donohue ’81, Joey Virgadula, Jeannette Talavera, Dan Lynch, John Padilla, and too many more to mention (the exit music is getting pretty loud already at this point). Next issue maybe. We’re still young and, as you aptly put it, still (in that indomitable Wes spirit) growing stronger, wiser, and more helpful to others.”

Mark Zitter writes: “It’s a time of transitions for my family. After 27 years of running my healthcare insights company, I’m promoting my president to CEO and transitioning myself into the chairman role. I’m busy starting up a philanthropic venture, The Zetema Project, a highly diverse panel of U.S. healthcare leaders that will convene regularly to debate key issues to better inform the dysfunctional national healthcare conversation. My wife Jessica, a physician specializing in end-of-life issues, will publish her first book in February. She’s featured in Extremis, a short documentary that won awards at several film festivals and was the first short doc picked up by Netflix. I’m chairing a series on end-of-life issues for the Commonwealth Club of California, so we talk about death all the time. We don’t get invited out much anymore.  My eldest, Sol, just started his freshman year at Brown, where he’ll focus on computer science and math. His sister, Tessa, is right behind him. By the time this is published my guess is that she will have applied early decision to Wesleyan! She wants to double major in theater and chemistry. I don’t think my alumni status had anything to do with this; it’s more about Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02. Our youngest, Sasha, is a high school freshman who is passionate about dogs. She has been invited to try out for the U.S. team that will compete next summer in Luxembourg in dog agility, a canine obstacle course. I’m in touch with our classmates Scott Hecker and Julie Burstein regularly, and would love to hear what Paul Singarella is up to.

Kenneth Haltman ’80 is the editor and translator of The Evolution of Taste in American Collecting by Rene Brimo, out now from Penn State University Press.

Kenneth Haltman, H. Russell Pitman professor of art history, has a new book release where he wrote the introduction and did the translation: The Evolution of Taste in American Collecting. According to the publisher, Penn State University Press, “In his introduction, Kenneth Haltman provides a biographical study of the author and his social and intellectual milieu in France and the United States. He also explores how Brimo’s work formed a turning point and initiated a new area of academic study: the history of art collecting. Making accessible a text that has until now only been available in French, Haltman’s elegant translation of The Evolution of Taste in American Collecting sheds new critical light on the essential work of this extraordinary but overlooked scholar.”

KIMBERLY OFRIA SELBY | kim_selby@yahoo.com

Class of 1979 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship Fund

Julian Carraway ’18, Sociology

Gary here, wishing everyone a healthy and happy new year from snowy Holliston, Mass.

It was great to see the DKE house packed once again with revelers for the annual Homecoming post-game party. It was well-attended by alumni from the class of 1964 to 2016 including George DuPaul, Joe Britton, John Papa, Bill Conley, Jack Buckley, Tim Fitzgerald, Dennis Archibald, Scott Karsten ’74, Dave Thomas ’77, Vanessa Burgess ’77, Ralph Rotman ’78, Bill Ahern ’78, Jeff Gray ’77, Steve Imbriglia ’77, Matt Hoey ’78, Shawn McKeown ’77, Gary Sturgis ’77, Peter McArdle ’77, Steve McArdle (legendary DKE chef), Dave Bagatelle ’86, Michael Ruderman ’11, Jeremy Edelberg ’14, Bob Bourne ’80 (my DKE “little brother”), Jack Meier ’69, and Frank Judson ’64, among a plethora of others I’m forgetting. Before the post-game festivities, we watched the Wesleyan Cardinals win the first leg of the Little Three title by beating Amherst before they traveled to Williams a few weeks later to officially capture the crown for the second time in four years. Congratulations to Mike Whalen ’83 and to the many DKE undergraduate brothers who played their hearts out in those games. Well done.

A great time was had by all in celebrating the 60th trip around the sun for John McDermott ’78 in New Jersey with Joe Britton, Tim Fitzgerald, Ralph Rotman ’78, Jeff Gray ’77, Dave Thomas ’77, and Paul Nelson ’78. Many of us will be joyfully embracing? Stoically facing? Unconditionally surrendering to? The milestone this year. I keep reminding myself it’s only a number. How the heck did we get here?

Ellis Neufeld writes: “I actually have news this time, after decades of doing more or less the same thing. Come March, I will move to Memphis to become physician-in-chief at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.” I have tremendous respect for people doing work that makes a significant difference in people’s lives, especially children’s lives. Kudos to you, Ellis.

Jodi Daynard writes that she is still writing: “Hi, there! I’m doing very well! Quit teaching last year. My third novel, A More Perfect Union, is coming out this May (Lake Union). It is the third of a trilogy that began with The Midwife’s Revolt.”

From John Tjia (originally Class of 1976, but took a three-year “gap year”): “I’m at the point in my life and career (executive director at Ernst & Young in New York) where I am starting to think about retiring. My daughter, Leonore, is on her own in San Francisco since graduating from the University of St. Andrews in 2011. My son, Alex, is in his sophomore year at Skidmore College, and my wife, Charlotte Okie, teaches the Alexander Technique in the drama department at the Juilliard School. I am writing the third edition of my book, Building Financial Models, for McGraw-Hill, and I take time out on the weekends to do some oil painting. Does anyone know where Anne Morningstar ’76 is?”

Jim Friedlich was named CEO of the Lenfest Institute for Journalism, a non-profit foundation dedicated to the future of sustainable local news. Hong Qu ’99, a digital media entrepreneur, serves on Jim’s board. Jim and Alberto Ibargüen ’66, CEO of the Knight Foundation, announced a major national partnership between their respective organizations to help transform newsrooms around the country by more effective use of digital, mobile, and social platforms.

Joy D’Amore writes: “I head up global talent acquisition at Everest Group, a strategy consulting and research firm focused on global services. I moved to Dallas for the role a year and a half ago. We have offices in Dallas, Toronto, London, and Gurgaon, India. I’d love to connect with others in Dallas: damorej@gmail.com.”

Anne Wilson update: “Moved to San Diego Calif., in 1991 for a job and, to my surprise, stayed. Learning to surf helped. I am proud to be SVP of real estate development at Community HousingWorks, a nonprofit that develops, renovates, and owns apartment homes affordable to low-income working families, seniors and people with disabilities (almost 3,000 apartment homes across the state of California). I regularly hire recent grads with liberal arts degrees because they know how to write, think, research, and analyze problems. I just wish more of them would take a few courses that require quantitative work like statistics and economics.”

Bill Levinson update: “Julie and I finally pulled the plug on the Northeast. We’ve left New Hope, Pa., and moved to Key West. I’m still playing piano full-time down here.”

Gary Breitbord | gbreitbo@aol.com

Ann Biester Deane | abdeane@aol.com

Class of 1978 Endowed Scholarship Fund

Vera Benkoil ’18, Psychology and American Studies

Greetings classmates! Hope 2017 is getting off to a good start for one and all. Susie writes for this issue. Seems many of us are enjoying celebrations of one sort or another these days. 60th birthdays (remember 60 is only a speed limit!), children’s graduations and marriages, not to mention arrivals of precious grandchildren.

Jennifer Atkinson says her biggest news was the birth of her first grandchild, Karlyn Ryan Steinberg, on New Year’s Eve. She added, “Next to her, everything else fades to near insignificance.” Jennifer, a professor at George Mason University, also published her fifth book of poems, The Thinking Eye, this past year.

Bloomberg Professor of Business Journalism Andrea Gabor sent greetings from Havana where she was leading her second group of Baruch College/CUNY journalism students on a study abroad trip exploring Cuba’s rich biodiversity and efforts at developing sustainable agriculture and fisheries. Their first trip was January 2015, just weeks after President Obama and Castro began their détente.

Bill Adler has been living in Tokyo, Japan, for the past two years and is enjoying life as an expat. He’s writing and occasionally publishing books. His novella, No Time to Say Goodbye, is coming out this spring.

Dave Wilson had some good success with his fourth and most recent album, from the Dave Wilson Quartet, There Was Never, which was released on the New York-based ZOHO Music Label in 2015. The album included original music by Dave, a saxophonist, and interpretations of some well-known tunes. The album received radio airplay in 40 different markets across the country, and in 2016 received a nomination for a Grammy by ZOHO for Best Instrumental Jazz Record. Dave lives with his wife, Lisa, in Lancaster, Pa., where in addition to his performance career, he teaches privately, and has a business buying and selling musical instruments. He can be reached at davewilsonmusic.org.

Elizabeth Weiss Ozorak is keeping herself busy and fit! One of her highlights for 2016 was winning the Bronze Freeskate at USA Adult Masters Games last July. She would “love to hear from any other late-blooming athletes and/or adult figure skaters out there!” [eozorak@allegheny.edu]

Jon Spector and his wife, Wendy, enjoy life in Woodstock, Vt., where they moved two years ago when they became empty nesters. Wendy is on ski patrol and is an EMT, while Jon is working in New York at The Conference Board. A small nearby airport allows Jon to make trips to and from the city fairly efficiently. At The Conference Board, he is joined by fellow Wesleyan alumni Moira James and Russell Morris ’87. Alan Dachs ’70 is a trustee and chairman emeritus.

Life in Duxbury is never dull with our toddler grandson (and his parents) living in town. Our oldest just moved to San Francisco and our youngest just graduated from college in December (a semester early!).  As we put our best and most positive feet forward in 2017, I’d like to sign off with these words by John Wesley: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”

Please stay in touch,

Susie Muirhead Bates | sbatesdux@hotmail.com 

Ken Kramer | kmkramer78@hotmail.com

Class of 1976 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Valerie Acosta ’20, Bronx, NY

In addition to personal news, one of the themes for this column is the volunteer work that class members are doing.

Susan Avitzour and her husband, Daniel, just had their fifth grandchild, Gabriel, and Susan has just finished writing a novel. It’s about an American woman who marries a Japanese diplomat, and finds herself posted to Burma/Myanmar when it was still ruled by a brutal military dictatorship. Susan volunteers as a therapist at Hadassah Hospital, which treats Jewish and Arab survivors of terror attacks, military clashes, and accidents who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Andrea Grubb Barthwell attended the Hamilton fundraiser in Chicago and saw many Wesleyan alumni and parents, and some members of the winning Cubs team.

Robert Briskin and his wife, Limor, had a good time at Reunion. Rob has a concierge medical practice and serves on Congressman Pete Sessions’ National Physicians Council for Healthcare Policy in D.C.

Ethan Bronner took a buyout from The New York Times two years ago and has been at Bloomberg ever since, writing, and editing political features. He heads up a team looking into President Trump’s family businesses here and abroad, and would welcome hearing from anyone who has any knowledge about it.

Jon Cleworth recalls his time at Wesleyan, as a rower and CSS member. Jon was a Chicago-area resident for several years. He now lives in Connecticut and is a great uncle with five nieces and a nephew. Retired, he stays in shape mostly by biking.

Oliver Griffith left the World Bank Group and works as a communications advisor for Africa50, an infrastructure fund focused on Africa. He is also freelancing in communications and foreign affairs.

Debra Haffner is the full-time settled minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston. She invites Wes folks to services at 10 a.m. on Sundays.

Daniel Henry’s son, Derrick, and his fiancé, Beata, were married in May. Dan also had his second granddaughter, Denni Jean Henry. Dan is the president of the Kiwanis Club of Newington, which runs a flea market that raises money for scholarships and to support local agencies and human services.

Daniel Herr and his wife, Kathleen, have four grandchildren. Katherine is continuing her work in disability, special education, and elder law, and Dan is in his second term as nanoscience department chair at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, a collaboration between the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A&T State University.

Peter Hansen and his wife, Gail, have completed their move to D.C. after several years of Peter commuting between D.C. and Kansas. Peter does marketing consulting.

Libby Horn volunteers at a soup kitchen and at a hospice house. In the hospice, a dying person is admitted for the last three months of their life and receives care, mostly from volunteers, at no charge.

Jim Johnson’s Europe bicycle tour company is doing well, and Jim has been extending his love of bicycling with several volunteer endeavors. Jim serves on the board of Bike Walk Tennessee and is working on trail and greenway projects around Chattanooga, extending the U.S. Bicycle Route System across Tennessee and into adjacent states. The goal is to create a 50,000-mile network of connected on-road bike routes.

Norm Kerner has had a career in the music industry as a record producer, engineer, mixer, composer, and session musician. He runs his own studio, Perfect Sound Studios, in Hollywood Hills, and does real estate deals specializing in properties that have recording studios on site. Norm also volunteers for Food Forward, an organization that harvests California produce that otherwise would go to waste, and collects leftover produce at farmers’ markets for homeless shelters. To join the effort, e-mail him at norm@nkern.com.

Ely Leichtling is retired and volunteers in the Milwaukee public schools, tutoring several fourth graders in math, and teaching a seventh grade class focusing on a significant books like To Kill A Mockingbird. He also chaperones field trips. His wife, Sally, is also retired.

Susan Mitchell worked in railroad policy analysis after graduation, was a stay-at-home mom, and then went back to school and graduated with a master’s in pastoral care in 2000.  She spent 10-plus years working as a board certified hospice chaplain and is now semi-retired and volunteering at a continuing care facility, teaching bible study, and preaching at the ecumenical Christian services. Her son, Arthur, is a curator at the UPenn library and her daughter, Catherine, works in finance in D.C.  She stays in touch with Sue Heller Clain ’94.

Desmond (Stern) Whitney and his wife live in Minneapolis. They have a daughter who just graduated from college and a son with special needs. Desmond enjoys recording books for the blind each week.

This spring, Nancy ’78 and I have a daughter graduating from a master’s program and two others graduating from college. We both do volunteer work in our respective fields. Best wishes to everyone for 2017!

Mitchell Marinello | mlmarinello@comcast.net