Tag: 1960

In August–September, Nici and John Dobson traveled to Ireland, London, and lastly Malaga, Spain, where John attended a formal meeting of the Duke Hand Society.

Michael Jay Levine died on October 30, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. Mickey ran a private medical practice in Holyoke, Massachusetts, for more than 40 years and was adored by his patients for his manner, sympathy, and kindness. He and his wife Marilyn were tireless travelers who made it to every continent. He is survived by his wife, daughters—Naomi, Erica, and Devorah—and six grandchildren. My condolences to his family and friends.

Jim Meyerhoff and co-authors wrote a review article on the brain-unique equivalent to the lymphatic system that was published in Military Medicine. Also, their microdissection of mouse brain into fundamentally and anatomically different regions was filmed by the Journal of Visualized Experiments.

In August, my companion Tish Geehan and I took a ferry to Orcas Island where we climbed the tower on top of Mt. Constitution (elevation 2,407 feet) and had a magnificent view of the other San Juan Islands and the Cascade Mountains to the east.

Nici and John Dobson took trips to Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Kauai, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona, Arizona, and then spent a month in Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands.

Peggy and Dave Hale spent a memorable 12 days in Iceland in May. More recently, they enjoyed a matinee at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Congratulations to Jay Levy! For World AIDS Day on December 1, 2021, the University of California–San Francisco honored him for the work conducted over many years by his research group on HIV/AIDS. At the event, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, spoke highly of their achievements. A video of the ceremony is available on YouTube.

Dave Major and son Graham both presented papers at the virtual International Conference on Sustainable Development in September.

Bill Masterson reported that Linda, his wife of 61 years, passed away on February 27, 2022. She visited Wesleyan several times during 1959–60 before they tied the knot on August 6, 1960. She will be remembered for her devotion to family and love of music. My condolences to Bill and his family.

Loren H. Pate Jr. passed away on July 1, 2021. His most cherished memories of Wesleyan were of his fraternity brothers at Delta Tau Delta. He also found satisfaction in helping to resurrect the Wesleyan Film Society. Most of his career was devoted to hotel management. My condolences to his relatives and friends.

Alan S. Roberts passed away on April 18, 2022. As a tennis player at Wesleyan, he had an unsurpassed singles’ meet record of 37–1 over four years. He was inducted into the Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame in November 2022.

In addition, Al won the U.S. Tennis Association’s National Junior Boys’ Championship in 1957. He is survived by two sons (also tennis players), Daniel and Michael, and three grandchildren: Esme, Ryan, and Kensington. My condolences to his family and friends.

Nici and John Dobson were fortunate to travel to Chapel Hill, where all 13 members of their immediate family had Christmas together. It was a wonderful gathering!

Jeff Folley wrote: “Last September, I took an incredible 22-day, 10-stop car trip to the Northeast (I live in South Carolina). This included stays with lots of family and my best, childhood friend, and was highlighted by extended time with classmates and Psi U fraternity brothers and their wives: Jim Steen (Ann), Jim Corrodi (Gladys), and Bill ‘Hawk’ Walker (Janet). Hawk and I had a fun round of golf, and while on the Cape, I was fortunate to squeeze in an afternoon with Carl Van Etten ’58 (also Psi U), a golf teammate and regular practice partner. All the guys and gals are active, well, avoided the virus, and look great. So many stories and memories.

“Probably the greatest accomplishment on the trip was reuniting the two Jims for the first time since maybe graduation (or too far back to recall differently). Jim Steen took a train from DC to Philly, and the three of us spent the day at the Corrodis’s in Wayne, Pennsylvania, catching up and remembering the Wesleyan past we shared. Just a great three weeks overall, and reminiscing with college buddies of 60 years ago was the best.”

Congratulations to Janet and Bill Walker who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with a trip to Alaska. Also, Bill’s fourth novel, If WAR Should Come, has been published.

Since my last note, I learned of the passing of Dick Guernsey (7/31/21) and  Bob McBrair (1/8/21). Their obituaries can be found in our online 1960 Class Notes via The Wesleyan Connection. My condolences to their families and classmates.

Pat and Dave Major enjoyed a December 2021 visit to their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in Berlin, Germany, complete with the famous Christmas markets.

Rob Mortimer wrote the following: “Mimi and I have traveled annually to France for years, but 2020 and COVID broke that streak. But we were back this summer and autumn to catch up with our friends there. Vaccinated, equipped with our ‘passe sanitaire,’ and frequently masked, we were able to get around Paris and the provinces. Our visit included trips to Normandy for an academic conference held at a chateau, to the Midi (Nimes, Aix-en-Provence and Hyères on the Côte d’Azur), and to Bordeaux to renew acquaintances with old friends. It was interesting to see how another country has coped with the pandemic. Rest assured that the Louvre is open and the Arc de Triomphe, which was wrapped by the artist Christo during our stay, has been unwrapped. The old Paris stock exchange has been converted into a museum of contemporary art where another crazy artist created a large installation of ‘statuary’ made of wax, complete with burning candles. It is still melting down, but Paris will survive that too. Best to all.”

Paul Tractenberg is cocounsel for the Lakewood school district’s 5,200 public school students who claim that their state constitutional rights are being denied. He is also involved pro bono in several litigated disputes about school segregation in New Jersey. In addition, he serves as a legal consultant to a lawyer representing a major urban school district in a legal challenge to the state’s drastic cut in education aid.

Paul and Neimah made an October-November trip to Israel to visit family and close friends, their first in more than three years; otherwise, they continue to be in virtual lockdown because of continuing concerns that their age and underlying conditions make them especially vulnerable to COVID.

In September, I had cataract surgery. During the two-week period between procedures, it was revealing to compare the details and colors provided by my right eye with the dullness from my left eye. Now, of course, both provide excellent vision.

Mark Lischner has completed 50 years of medical practice in pulmonary medicine. In addition, the group that he founded, Pulmonary Medicine Associates, has expanded to include critical care, infectious disease, palliative care, and wound care. It currently has 50 physicians and 12 nurse practitioners. Mark appreciates the mental stimulation provided by his medical practice, which was especially important during the pandemic when many activities were prohibited. He reported that he has a low-grade lymphoma that is responding to chemotherapy.

     Dave Major and co-author Sirkku Juhola have published a new book, Climate Change Adaptation in Coastal Cities: A Guidebook for Citizens, Public Officials, and Planners. Dave says that he and Professor Juhola are foregoing royalties from Helsinki Press so that the book is available for free download worldwide under a Creative Commons license.

Congratulations to Bill Murphy who was honored for his 60 years of teaching at Hanover High School. Bill credits his late wife, Kay, for everything he has been able to do. A current student commended him for leading by example and encouraging critical thinking. An article about this event appeared in the Valley News.

An interview of Dan Nebert entitled “Role of Environmental Genetics in Preventive Medicine” was published in Yale University Journal of Biology and Medicine. He has made significant contributions to clinical pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics.

     Ira Sharkansky wrote: “We’ve moved to a retirement village, after 46 years in Jerusalem. The city has changed. Much more ultra-Orthodox than in the past, and lots of building near where we lived. Now we’re getting used to neighbors even older and weaker than us. Still blogging about Israeli politics.” You can read more about his thoughts at www.jpost.com/blogger/ira-sharkansky.

Congratulations to Paul Tractenberg on winning his first poker tournament. He entered the competition as a way of supporting the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. You can read more about this event in the New Jersey Jewish News.

     Bill Walker wrote an op-ed article entitled “The Coming Demand Surge Brings Back Memories of 1970s Inflation” that appeared in the Wall Street Journal in March 2021.

One of my favorite places to visit is Mount Rainier National Park. An interview done by the philanthropic Washington National Parks Fund describes a few of my family trips to the park and my involvement with hiking in Washington State. I have had occurrences of an abnormal heartbeat called supraventricular tachycardia since 2009. During the pandemic, the frequency and duration of these episodes increased, so on May 4 I had successful catheter ablation to destroy the heart cells that were causing the abnormal electrical signal. I am thankful to be living at a time when medical technology can provide a way of eliminating this disorder.