Tag: 1975

Class of 1975 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship
Carolina Montano ’21, Homestead, FL

Drum roll, please! Tom Wheeler retired for the third time—the last, he swears—in February 2018. He and Sondra ’79 may move nearer to children and five grandchildren once Sondra retires from teaching at Wesley Seminary, but for now, they drive to Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Tom’s busy working on projects with Quakers locally, nationally, and globally; reading, storytelling, taking art classes and visiting friends, including Steve Miller, Martha Meade ’76, and Dave Feldman ’73.

Rachel Adler Hayes only managed to stay retired for six months. Now she’s traveling the country doing sales training for a Massachusetts firm and trying to limit work to five-to-six days a month. She’s also engaged as VP of her synagogue, in the thick of a rabbi search. In June 2020, Rachel expects to become president of the 900-family congregation. Her summary? “Apparently I like being overbooked!”

Jill Rips takes advantage of retirement to visit Wesfriends. Finishing her public health career in reproductive health and HIV, Jill now works with refugees, and needle exchange. In November, she attended Carole Evans Sands’ daughter’s wedding and Nigerian engagement ceremony in New Hampshire. Carole, retired from a career in academic and community-based early childhood education, will visit Jill in San Antonio this spring while traveling the southern U.S. in a camper.

Check out Tracy Winn’s recent short stories, nominated for Best of the Net and a 2019 Pushcart Prize and posted at The Harvard Review and at Waxwing magazine.

From the “KO” section of Downey House mailboxes: Deb Kosich has been spending lots of time in Massachusetts, where her mother and her sister live. Brad Kosiba and Dorothy are enjoying Carolina life. With two sons nearby, the granddogs visit regularly. Brad is leading an expansion project for their Unitarian church, also keeping busy with gardening, beekeeping, and volunteer work. His mom passed away this winter after an extended period of declining health.

Charlie Stolper’s Facebook holiday letter included bittersweet cycle-of-life news. In 2018 Charlie’s son, Chad, got married shortly before his dad, Max, 93, died. Charlie and Christy caught up with their globetrotting daughter, Tory, in Austria (Max’s birthplace) for a cultural/family history adventure. They also enjoyed an Alaskan cruise last summer.

Dallas news: Ann Dallas used her education in design and liberal arts for a career in newspapers, but computers changed what papers could offer readers, then how news was consumed, and finally its ownership structure. Layoffs finally hit Ann a few years ago, so she’s figuring out what’s next. Ann and Dave (married 33 years) celebrated their son’s wedding “to a wonderful woman” last summer.

Joost Brouwer’s holiday letter announces that his three sons have lovely partners, and grandparenthood looms on the horizon in 2019. Eldest son, Martijn, based in Australia, got married in April. Joost and Emilie celebrated with the newlyweds in Canberra and the Netherlands. Younger sons, Sietse and Jelle, live in the Netherlands. All enjoy teaching and choral singing, interests they share with Emilie and Joost. Joost’s other passions are advocating for refugees and birdwatching.

Bruce Tobey practices municipal infrastructure law in Gloucester, Mass., but has spent “too much time traveling” on a two-year sabbatical embedded in a client’s wastewater technologies company. As former mayor, he is president of the nonprofit that is planning Gloucester’s 400th anniversary. Bruce’s and Pat’s four daughters hold four BAs, two MAs, and one doctorate-in-progress; two are married and have produced four grandchildren. Bruce’s main WesU connection is with his DKE brothers, whose hard work on the Kent Literary Society he admires.

No retirement for Jeff McChristian, who is continuing law practice in Avon, Conn., but conceding he’ll slow the pace a bit to allow more and longer travel with his wife, Pat. Recent years included cycling vacations in Croatia, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. The 2019 itinerary has the Cotswolds in spring (seeing Royal Shakespeare Company’s Taming of the Shrew in Stratford-on-Avon) and Spain’s Rioja wine region next fall. They also plan trips to visit son, Tyler, 31, in Steamboat Springs, and daughter, Erin, 28, in Greenville, S.C.

I caught up with Tom Kovar ’76 in December near his home in Florence, Mass., but missed hearing his band, The Retroverts, perform. We also spent an evening with Risa Korn, who in 2018 welcomed a new grandson in Boston, celebrated her daughter’s promotion at American Express in New York, and visited her youngest son doing his medical residency in Denver.

Bob and I have home improvement projects slated for 2019, looking forward to our daughter finishing her master’s in June, and paying our last tuition bills when our son graduates Northeastern next December.

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com
860 Marin Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955

Sincere apologies to Richard Hume! The university editing process accidentally swapped wives and children, trading Lesley (planning travel to Scotland with Richard for her retirement/anniversary celebration) with Laura (Paul Bennett’s wife and Scottish dancing partner). Oops!

Richard, professor at the University of Michigan, teaches, runs his lab, and directs the undergraduate neuroscience program. While his retirement isn’t looming, Lesley retired in June. They celebrated their 43rd anniversary with Brooklyn-dwelling daughter Rebecca ’01, followed by the Scotland trip in July. Meanwhile, Paul Bennett enjoys retirement and volunteer work. Laura and Paul are the Scottish Country Dancers who recently traveled to the “home country.” Their two sons in Brooklyn and Detroit were mistakenly added to Richard’s family in the last class notes. Paul would be delighted if at least one son would move back to the Bay Area. Richard would be delighted if we could keep his news straight.

Apologies for referring to Dan Gold as “Don” in the last notes, but Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, and Sam Waterston, stars of Netflix’s Grace and Frankie know his name. “What a blast to work with such great pros and shoot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood so I can sleep in my own bed every night,” he says.

I caught up with Martha Meade ’76 in L.A. She is thriving and related the tale of discovering her unknown talent for and love of visual arts. She and Steve Miller celebrated their son’s Wes graduation this spring, followed by a cross-country drive home.

Karin Johnson, looking forward to retirement and hopefully traveling from her home in Japan for Reunion says, “All of you remain in my memory, forever young (!) and dear to my heart.”

Amy Bloom reports, “Another novel brought into the world, another amazing grandbaby (Zora Pearl!), and a happily retired husband.” They are working hard in small ways for political change.

Jay Geller is associate professor of modern Jewish culture at Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School. Fordham University Press published his monograph, intriguingly called, Bestiarium Judaicum: Unnatural Histories of the Jews.

“L’chaim!” Jodie and Jeff Morgan have expanded their Covenant winery in Berkeley to Israel’s Galilee region, where their daughter Zoe works with them. Covenant wines are sold and appreciated worldwide.

J.D. Moore enjoyed a New Hampshire kayaking reunion Paul Margolin arranged. Paul, J.D., Joe O’Rourke, Steve McCarthy, Vinnie Broderick, and Dave Rosenthal had great discussions on the water and swapped tales around Paul’s firepit at night, followed by breakfast at a classic diner (featuring the Belichick omelets?).

Lisa Anderson has, after 30-plus years, sold to her junior partner the law firm she founded with a beloved colleague who died of cancer. Lisa is transitioning to her next “as yet untitled” chapter. Still working some for the law firm, she’s also designing and facilitating workshops on navigating difficult conversations, looking at issues of race and immigration status, and coaching Unitarian Universalist churches searching for new ministers. Lisa raved about a Wesleyan Institute of Life Long Learning writing course she took. She visits kids on each coast—especially their new grandson, Rowan, near North Cascade National Park in Washington.

Bob and I had a summer Memphis-to-Massachusetts odyssey delivering our son’s minimally muffled car. Stops included the beautiful home of Linda and Ed Van Voorhees in Nashville, who reported, “After an ancestral visit to Bob’s ‘cousin’ (Jack Daniel) and dining on Loveless Café fried chicken and fixin’s, the Californians drove eastward ‘loud and proud.’” Ed and Linda work part-time and keep busy with tennis and grandchildren (#6 was born during our visit). We stopped in Dolly Parton’s hometown but missed her and rolled through the Smokies to visit Alan Spiewak ’74 and Patricia Gutzwiller, who hosted our stay, extended for brake repairs. Caught up with Brian Steinbach and Mary Reyner in D.C. between their volunteer gigs. Outside New York, we spent a low-key couple of days with Jean Barish ’74 and her sons, Dean ’17 and Drew Sterrett, working on a startup. Last stop was Boston, where I saw Rachel Adler Hayes. Post-retirement, she’s busy “organizing everything in sight and tossing a lot of it, planning travel and catching up on TV shows.” Her big project was renovating her parents’ old home in the Catskills. Next spring Rachel and John plan to hit five of the seven states she hasn’t seen.

The best part of our trip was catching up with Wes friends—I recommend it! Stay in touch and send news my way.

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com
860 Marin Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955

Dave Rosenthal is senior director of news and public affairs for WNED/WBFO, the public television and radio stations based in Buffalo, working on projects around racial equity, mental health, and refugees. He gets together with Steve McCarthy, Paul Margolin, J.D. Moore, and Joe O’Rourke for a weekend every year.

Rachel Hayes stepped down as vice president of public engagement at Oxfam America and is now working part-time. She will consult for a business development firm in Boston. She is enjoying early retirement with travel in the future. Her son, Spencer, is doing well at Marist.

Brian Steinbach writes with sad news, “On Feb. 3 I found my 29-year-old son, Stephen, dead of an accidental overdose of heroin that was laced with fentanyl. And while too much attention is directed to illegal immigration and allegedly unfair trade, the real threat is the flow of fentanyl and other harmful drugs from Mexico and China. It is some consolation that Mary and I are not alone in this experience—it seems everyone knows someone else that this scourge has affected, or it has directly affected them.”

After 28 years, Jeffrey Cellars retired as a diplomat and moved to Vermont with his wife, Bethanne. He wrote, “While I consider options for occupying my time including consulting for the State Department, I am perfecting my role as grandpa to our granddaughter.”

Paul Gionfriddo wrote, “My 32-year-old daughter, Larissa, died from metastatic breast cancer. For two years, she was a cancer thriver, serving as a spokesperson for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The Megyn Kelly Today show, which featured her as a guest in a segment in October, did a beautiful tribute to her after she died.” Paul is president and CEO of Mental Health America. His wife, Pam, retired and they will be moving their “permanent” home back to Middletown this fall.

Nancy Goguen Lippincott works at The Meadowbrook School in Weston as the development coordinator. She would love to hear from other Boston-area alumni.

Paul Bennett is enjoying retirement and is involved with many nonprofits. He’s helping to found a new Cristo Rey High School in Oakland, Calif., and working one day a week at the St. Vincent de Paul homeless center.

Richard Hume, professor at the University of Michigan, and his wife, Laura, who recently retired, are Scottish country dancers and traveled to Scotland to dance. They celebrated their 43rd anniversary in New York with daughter Rebecca ’01. They have sons who live in Brooklyn and Detroit, and a son and two grandchildren who live in Chicago.

John McNeill retired after 36 years as a United Methodist pastor. He and wife Martha will move to Fairport, N.Y., on the Erie Canal near Rochester. He stays in touch with Natalie Hanson ’76, who retired from pastoral ministry last year.

David Bickford produced New York writer Gina Femia’s For the Love Of (Or, the Roller Derby Play) at Theatre of NOTE in Hollywood. Susan Gans, Steve Miller, Martha Meade ’76, Juliet Green ’76, and Alexis DeLaRosa ’96 attended the premiere.

Bill Devereaux wrote, “Sam Miller passed away in May after a valiant struggle with cancer. He had actually survived a fight with this awful disease about 10 years ago but had a recurrence. He was a great and interesting guy who could relate to just about anyone and everyone. He had a successful career in the theater world and was known by his friends as a great husband and father. The world was a better place with him in it.”

Bill attended the wedding of Dr. George Powers ’74. Jim Daley, Pat McQuillan, Alan Poon ’76, Dave Campbell, Peter McArdle ’76, and Pete Guenther ’77 were all living large in Bill Belichick’s box at Gillette as they watched Wesleyan Lax win our alma mater’s first national title.

Karen ’77 and Donald Cruickshanks welcomed grandson George Fredric Jones Cruickshanks on April 4.

Don Gold is an A camera operator on the Netflix show Grace and Frankie. He and wife Nancy get together with Chris Vane and Dave Babcock and their families.

Karin Johnson has been teaching at Aoyama Gakuin Junior High School in Toyko since 1983. Sadly, her husband, Yushi Nomura, a teacher and artist, passed away from colon cancer. Her daughter, Yuka Kristi, 23, is working on a master’s at International Christian University in Tokyo.

Cathy Gorlin was sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court bar. One of the highlights was getting to ask Ruth Bader Ginsburg a question in a small group.

Cathy recently got together with her dear friend, Christine McCoy McNeil.

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com
860 Marin Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955

Class of 1975 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Carolina A. Montano ’21, Homestead, FL

Apologies to Steve McCarthy! Somehow the cybersphere routed into oblivion the emails he had sent me last fall. A bit belatedly, here is Steve’s news: “Aside from my usual investment and foundation work, I have been active with three ongoing creative endeavors: This is my 14th year as a mentor and judge for the NYU/Stern $300K business plan competition. During every month of the school year a team of 25 to 30 coaches, in conjunction with faculty, conduct workshops on developing and executing formalized pitches across three ‘silos’—traditional, technology, and social impact. It’s very interesting and rewarding. During my past 17-plus years as president of a small ’virtual’ nonprofit theater company (shakingthetree.org), my colleagues and I have written 14 one-act plays about family dynamics in business, wealth management, and philanthropy. We work with artistic directors and actors from LookingGlass Theater in Chicago and Alley Theater in Houston to deliver the pieces live. Over the past six years I have been a partner and executive producer on several iconic (90-minute) corporate and individual biopics/documentaries—Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf, Crazy About Tiffany’s, Harry Benson: Shoot First (all available on download). We at Quixotic Endeavors (QE) have several other projects in various stages of completion for The Carlyle Hotel and Norman Rockwell.”

I received a call from my almost-neighbor, Dennis Chin, who lives in Sonoma County. It was great to catch up with him and hear about his semi-retirement. He’s continuing to work and teach in orthopedic surgery part-time, while keeping up with the nine kids (almost all on their own now). We’re hoping to get together this spring.

Janet Bradlow and her husband, Joseph Schmitt, have moved. Joseph is retired, and Janet is semi-retired (emeritus agent with Prudential) and able to work anywhere with a phone, computer, and fax. So why not work from the beautiful beaches near Honeymoon Island State Park? Thus, they bought and renovated a condo in the Tampa/Clearwater/St. Petersburg area of Florida’s Gulf Coast. They discovered the downside of their view during Hurricane Irma, when water came through their balcony doors! The move put them close to Janet’s parents, now over 90. The whole family recently went on a cruise to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. Janet couldn’t wait for the renovation project and move to be over but says, “I will miss NYC. I never lived anywhere else except when I was at Wesleyan.”

Janet let me know that Nancy Carol (Smith) Blemly passed away in November 2015, after a difficult battle with cancer that prevented her from attending our 35th and 40th Reunions. Nancy and Janet were friends from freshman year on. Nancy’s third husband, Mike Blemly, and her son, Ben Hamilton, from her second marriage, survive her. Janet fondly recalled attending Nancy’s first wedding, and Nancy attended Janet’s in 1999.

Arthur Gaither said, “Retired life is becoming more enjoyable. I spend time leading worship services at a small church and as backup babysitter for my granddaughter, Anaya, 4, who is my best buddy. I also handle the domestic stuff so Alfreda ’74 can continue to work for the State of Connecticut. We celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary on Nov. 25. Kinda scary. Shoutout to Andy Barnes in Arizona!“

I also heard from Jeff Cellars, who retired from the Foreign Service after spending 28 years as a diplomat in Hungary, Bahrain, Washington, Munich, Cyprus, Berlin, Belgrade, Bern, and NYC. Jeff said he and Bethanne, his wife of 38 years, were moving to Vermont. Not quite sure how he will keep busy in this new stage of life, but he has a children’s book in draft and is cooking up some other ideas

An evening with Wes alumni in San Francisco called “The Power of an Idea” brought out a few familiar faces. I didn’t see any classmates, but ran into Harold Sogard ’74, who is now retired and caught me up on the self-proclaimed “Born to Lose” suitemates who lived near us in Lawn Avenue dorms freshman year. Also got a chance to talk to Wendy Wheaton ’78 and Jon Nimer ’80.

I want to end with a shout-out to Brad Kosiba and Ed Van Voorhees (who just became a grandfather again!) for being the in loco parentis stops for our son and daughter as they made a January road trip from Massachusetts to Memphis, where Ethan was starting a six-month “co-op” work experience as part of his Northeastern University Mechanical Engineering program. I’m told the hospitality in Chapel Hill and Nashville was superb, and it was fun to share our kids with my longstanding, but rarely seen, friends.

As soon as you put this magazine down, please email and send me your news for the next issue. My deadline is a few weeks after the class notes arrive at your door.

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com
860 Marin Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955

Ellen Remmer’s son got married in Maine, and her husband retired. She has trouble contemplating retirement, but foresees winter travels to escape New England. Ellen recently saw Nena Bloomquist.

J.D. Moore had one amazing WesWeek. Thursday: reminisced and caught up with Tim Donahue ’74 during a mediation break. By next June, Tim will have celebrated his three children’s weddings within one calendar year! Saturday: met Dave Rosenthal and his wife Suzie (visiting from Buffalo) and sister Diane Thomas ’78, for coffee. Saturday: dinner with local friends Roberto Rosario ’77 and family.

Debbie Kosich was home in Houston during Hurricane Harvey. Fortunately her part of town (and her condo) didn’t flood. She thanks Wes friends who contacted her during and after the storm, and hopes that Florida classmates are okay.

Cathy Gorlin’s son, Ross, is engaged. Cathy reconnected with Tory (Rhoden) Cohen, a Smith exchange student who shared their Lawn Ave. house and is now a Boston dentist with two children.

Jeff Morgan divides his time between Berkeley and Tel Aviv. He and wife Jodie run Covenant Winery (founded in 2003) and started Covenant Israel Winemaking last year. Their daughters also work in wine—Skye in New York, and Zoe in Tel Aviv. Jeff and Jodie published their 10th cookbook last year—The Covenant Kitchen, Food and Wine for the New Jewish Table.

Diane Cornell ran out of excuses for not sending news after retiring from the FCC Chairman’s office at the end of 2016. On her “way out the door,” the Federal Communications Bar Association honored her with the Excellence in Government Service award.

In 1996, after four years in New Zealand, Nancy Luberoff settled in Chapel Hill. “My husband, Bruce Boehm, and I are lucky that our two kids live here. Our married daughter, Elana, lives in Cambridge.” Nancy has swum daily since Wesleyan, and also hikes and kayaks. “I haven’t written books or movie scripts, won huge awards or big races, but I live a good, healthy, happy life, giving and getting much love from family and friends.”

This September, after a week teaching in the Trial Advocacy Workshop at Harvard Law, June Jeffries visited Exeter, N.H., where she dined with Robert “Bobby” Thompson ’76, and his wife, Nadine. June highly recommends exploring the Black Heritage Trail in Portsmouth, N.H., which Bobby assisted in developing.

Dennis Chin contributed for the first time: “After graduating early, I went to D.C. to work on the Council on Wage and Price Stability with Harold Levy. I subsequently became an orthopedic surgeon at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. Nine children and 31 years later, I retired from Kaiser and began part-time work at a V.A. hospital. I have since been commissioned a lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserves. My job, the kids, and two granddaughters keep me busy.”

Ed Van Voorhees says too many people are moving to Nashville. He and his wife, Linda, work part-time, and he staffs the nonprofit Bootstraps Foundation (bootstraps.org), scholarship program. Ed and Linda have granddaughters in Denver and L.A., plus three more due this year in L.A., D.C., and Nashville.

Double delightful news: Ellen Kabcenell Wayne and Charley Wayne ’73 are first-time grandparents of identical twins, Vivian and Hazel, born September 26, 2017.  The parents are Joseph ’08 and Hannah Wayne. Ellen says, “Charley is completely starry-eyed, and, after raising three sons, we deserve the girls!”

Paul Bennett enjoys more time, less stress, and a varied set of volunteer activities since retiring. His and Laura’s two sons, ages 28 and 26, are single in Brooklyn and Detroit, a distance that he hopes won’t be permanent.

Steve Hoffman is chairman of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, responsible for implementing the state’s legalization of recreational marijuana use. “We will foster a new industry that will create jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities. By late 2018, we will be responsible for regulating medical marijuana, currently under the Department of Public Health.” Steve’s looking for folks to join his team and would welcome Wes alumni.

Roger Weisberg and Karen Freedman are thrilled to have their entire clan back in NYC. Son Daniel, a doctor, is returning in time to take care of his parents if they need it. Daughter Liza, a lawyer, will work for the ACLU. Eldest daughter, Allie ’05 has two kids and leads Recess, her decade-old nonprofit arts organization. Roger is producing his 33rd PBS documentary, about early childhood adversity and resilience. Karen runs Lawyers for Children, which she founded almost four decades ago.

All is well in San Francisco. Our daughter, Julia, 23, graduated from Stanford and is continuing for her master’s there. Our son, Ethan, 21, is a third-year mechanical engineering student at Northeastern. No retirement for me yet!

For a collection of class updates that didn’t make it in this issue or the last one, click here.

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com
860 Marin Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955

I love leftovers, and what follows are some “leftover” notes from late 2016 and early 2017 that did not make in to our in-print columns. I apologize to those of you who took the time to write. Please continue to do so early and often—it will give you a better shot at being in the first serving of notes, rather than the dessert course or later. Note that some of the ages and references to time may be off after all this time, and a few children may have changed jobs or cities, but the big concepts should still be right.

Ed Van Voorhees is gratified to work part-time with The Bootstraps Foundation that gives scholarships to young people who have “pulled themselves up by the…” Despite familial substance or physical abuse, mentally ill parents, or life-threatening disease or injury, each excels in school and expresses optimism. Ed also runs a little franchise. He and his wife, Linda, are reducing work commitments, playing tennis, and traveling a bit (to visit grandchildren, among other destinations). The kids are married and scattered: Ellen in charge of women’s ministries at a Neighborhood Christian Fellowship in LA, Matt in finance in Denver, Jessica is an internist in Nashville, and Ben is running a start-up in D.C.

Ben, the son of Pam Swing and Marty Plotkin ’76, would either graduate last spring or will this spring (they knew, I don’t). Pam is a resident scholar at the Brandeis Women’s Studies Research Center. This is a wonderful center—very supportive and stimulating—with about 85 scholars engaged in a broad spectrum of research, art and activism. Pam wrote, “My current project is research on my militant suffragist grandmother, Betty Gram Swing, who worked closely with suffrage leader Alice Paul (one of five women considered for placement on the back of the 10-dollar bill.) My grandmother was jailed for picketing the White House and went on an eight-day hunger strike—all in all, she was jailed five times. She also burned President Wilson’s words and various other escapades. With the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment coming in 2020, I am writing a book, probably aimed at young adults, which will bring the suffrage movement to life through following my grandmother’s story.”

Pat McQuillan connected with Pam and Marty at Reunion last year. He got a kick out of discovering that her son and daughter both went to Sudbury Valley School, a very student-centered institution in Framingham, Mass., that Pat always presents to a curriculum theories class he teaches at Boston College. Pam came as a parent, to Pat’s class to recount how well her two children had done at the school and that her son, in fact, received a PhD in physics from U of Washington, even though he never took a math class at SVS. Pat may organize an entire day focused on student-centered learning and would invite Pam back to speak.

David Drake claims to have the best job in the world. After Wesleyan, he earned graduate degrees from UCLA and Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 1990, he started White Oak School in Westfield, Mass. White Oak is a state-approved nonprofit school serving great kids with dyslexia and related language-based learning disabilities. “It’s incredibly rewarding work,” Dave says, “and we’ve helped many hundreds of kids to read, spell, write, and generally come to believe in their potential to succeed and thrive.”

Larry Greenberg, reported from Martha’s Vineyard that he and his therapist wife, Debbie, were once again gearing up for the busy summer season in their physical therapy clinic there. Their oldest son, Dan who works as a VP at BlackRock in Manhattan, was getting married in Allentown, N.J., in September, while his daughter, Sarah, a corporate event manager in Waltham, Mass., got married in September 2014. His youngest son, Stephen, works as an associate producer for NBC Sports in hockey and football and was scheduled to cover volleyball at the Brazil Olympic Games with his girlfriend, who is also an associate producer for NBC Sports. They hope for a third September wedding in the coming years and anticipate cutting back their work schedule as retirement years approach.

Nancy (Robinson) Neff wrote, “My son, Sam, 24, works for SunPower in Richmond, Calif., as a mechanical engineer, mentors a high school robotics team, and loves blues dancing. My son, Jeremy, 22, graduated from George Washington University where he loves the ultimate frisbee team. He has directed some great student theater and will be interning with a theater company. My husband Robert is an electrical engineer with Keysight Technologies and loves bicycling. I am a regional volunteer coordinator with California Clean Money Campaign.” They were working to clean up money in politics, trying to pass the California DISCLOSE Act, which would require the strictest disclosure on political ads in the country.

David Lipton let us know he was excited that his third child, Gabriel ’16, was from Wesleyan with a government degree, joining Dave’s oldest, Anna ’08. Meanwhile, Dave had signed on for another five-year term as number two at the International Monetary Fund. When he started in 2011, he followed John Lipsky ’68, so Wesleyan has been having a long run at the IMF!

Russ Munson talked about a not-so-recent-anymore great day he spent in NYC at Karen Freedman and Roger Weisberg‘s place, catching up after way too many years with Tom Fox (who was traveling throughout the Northeast visiting engineering schools with his high school junior son). Tom is a German professor at U of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Russ’s son and daughter joined the NYC party with their respective spouses.  Russ is married to Deb Quinn-Munson ’82, who is hard at work with pastel, watercolor, and oil painting. Russ spends his workdays in Wallingford, Conn., as chief medical officer for HealthyCT, one of the few remaining co-op health plans created by the ACA.

Tom Fox also saw Bob McNamara on that same New York trip. Bob added a few items to the previously reported details about Tom. Not only is Tom on the U of A faculty, but he is former chairman of the modern language department, and his daughter is attending school there. Last fall, Bob and his wife, Irene, had a nice brunch with Dave Quinn, who continues to run a marketing and communications business in New London. Bob said, “Dave’s relationships in the Connecticut marketplace built up over many years make him the go-to guy for all kinds of companies in the area. He seems to be adapting well to the digital age.” As for his own news, Bob writes, “Although I missed Reunion last year with an ailing father, I managed to get to a Wesleyan football game for a post-Reunion reunion with former roommate Bruce Weinraub. Irene and I are doing well and expecting our first grandchild in July. I am now managing partner at Mooreland Partners, a boutique investment bank advising technology companies on mergers and acquisitions.” Bob and I ran into each other at Wesleyan’s parent/child weekend in 2012. My eldest chose Stanford, and Bob’s third son wound up going to Williams, so Bob has split loyalties in the Little Three, and I just extended the grad school relationship I started with Stanford.

Dave Rosenthal spent a grueling, exciting year helping to lead The Baltimore Sun’s coverage of the death of Freddie Gray and the Baltimore riots, and then took a buyout from the company. “It was tough to leave my job as investigations editor, especially after being involved in coverage that was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and had exposed police brutality in the city. But I felt the time was right.” He moved to a new job in a new place, leading a group of journalists at public radio stations in Buffalo, Cleveland, Rochester, and other cities in reporting on the Great Lakes. The regional initiative is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, so when you’re listening to NPR and hear a report on the lakes, think of Dave. He’ll be working from WBFO in Buffalo, so he and Suzy relocated and hoped to meet some fellow Wes alumni up north.

Randy Steer reinvented himself a couple of years ago as a cybersecurity expert after spending most of his career in policy and budgets for energy and climate-change R&D. (A Monty Python “And now for something completely different” career shift.) He wrote that he was on an assignment to the Under Secretary of Energy to coordinate cyber initiatives across DOE science and energy offices—with a side-benefit of exposure to R&D policy again. Not sure whether he is still there, with all the changes in D.C.

Brad Kosiba keeps himself busy with “a messy blend of beekeeping, veggie gardening, church maintenance, Boy Scout leader training, and some vaccine and biotech manufacturing consulting that is somehow keeping me off the streets. Dorothy recently started part-time at the local office of The Livestock Conservancy (heirloom farm animals) and their sons continue to labor in math, engineering, and theater tech. We have a cool ‘grand-dog’ sharing arrangement with our middle son who travels most weeks, lets us have a dog and leave it, too!”

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com
860 Marin Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955

Class of 1975 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Allison Galante ’20, Flushing, NY

Mike Minard, who traveled with blues giant Jonny Shines, turned 64 last year, and sent videos. One is a cover of the Beatles’ classic, featuring Mike, his wife, and granddaughter: youtube.com/watch?v=gyEyT6V3kBo. Catch the original musical, Amazing Grace, which Mike wrote with prisoners in New York’s maximum-security prison for women as a Rehabilitation Through the Arts volunteer facilitating music and theater: youtube.com/watch?v=jlxX0Fc2Y5w.

Dave Bickford is acting and vocal coaching in LA. He and wife Phenprapha went to Thailand for his stepson’s college graduation, to discover that only students and faculty attend, while families just take photos afterward! Phenprapha became a U.S citizen in March (Dave’s government major helped with test prep). A huge fan of all-female banked track roller derby, Dave was invited to coach the LA Derby Dolls’ All-Star team in a game.

Amy Bloom is now Wesleyan’s Shapiro-Silverberg Professor of Creative Writing. Her daughter reports from Brooklyn on Leslie Brett ’76, and Amy has lunch sometimes with Jose Goico ’74. Busy with a novel, working on a children’s book, happily married, and living in Stony Creek, a tiny village on Long Island Sound, Amy has three “beautiful and brilliant” grandchildren.

Get out those Wesleyan onesies! Three more classmates are grandparents: June Jeffries (Clara Marie Jeffries, February 2016), Cathy Gorlin (Solomon Bennett Epshteyn, March 2016), and Risa Korn (Arya Rose, September 2016). June saw Andy Barnes last summer presenting at a symposium in D.C. Cathy’s new grandson lures her frequently to NYC from Minnesota. She saw Christine McCoy McNeil and Kenneth Levinson on her last visit, and David Racher ’74 and his wife, Susan, in Miami.

Travel and transitions: Ellen Remmer and her husband took a sabbatical travelling in Southeast Asia for three months, including being in Myanmar during the power handover. She saw Shonni Silverberg ’76 and John Shapiro ’74 recently in Boston. Ellen’s eldest child is engaged. Michael Hamburger, on leave from Indiana University, served as a Jefferson Science Fellow with the U.S. State Department. Pat and Jeff McChristian traveled extensively with visits to Italy, Iceland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Lake Powell, Steamboat Springs, and to Greenville, S.C., to visit their now-married daughter. This summer was hiking/rafting in the Canadian Rockies with kids and their main squeezes. Back home, Jeff enjoys having Pat as CFO/COO of his law practice and running into Judge J.D. Moore in court or around West Hartford.

David Lipton’s third child, Gabriel ’16, graduated from Wesleyan as a government major. His oldest, Anna ’08, is an alumna. He signed on for another five-year term as number two at the International Monetary Fund, following fellow alum John Lipsky ’68.

Vinnie Broderick is well in New Hampshire and at Camp Pasquaney, where he is director. “Last fall, the lightweight crew from 1975 invited me to join their 40th anniversary boat rowing in the Head of the Charles. It was really good to catch up with them. I also visited with former roommate Dave Rosenthal during a quick visit to Baltimore.”

David Drake has the best job in the world: “I earned graduate degrees from UCLA and Harvard Graduate School of Education, and in 1990 started White Oak School in Westfield, Mass., a state-approved nonprofit school serving kids with dyslexia and related language-based learning disabilities. It’s incredibly rewarding work, and we’ve helped many hundreds of kids to read, spell, write, and believe in their potential to succeed and thrive.”

Many thanks to Cliff Chanin for this beautiful reminiscence of Seth Gelblum, who died last August. “Seth and I met freshman year and maintained a very close friendship that deepened over 45 years. We played poker at Eclectic, broadcast Cardinal b-ball games together, roomed at Clark Hall, and then, after graduation, were roommates in Manhattan, as we both started our post-Wes lives. Seth grew up in Philadelphia and Chapel Hill, but considered himself a New Yorker. He became the city’s preeminent theater lawyer and had a guiding hand in almost every significant production, on Broadway and off, for decades. He was beloved and respected by his colleagues. Directors George Wolfe and Des McAnuff spoke at his memorial about Seth’s commitment to their work and how a professional relationship had, for each of them, turned to a deep friendship. Afterwards, the lights of the Broadhurst, Gershwin, and New Amsterdam theaters were dimmed in Seth’s honor. In 2016, Seth became the only lawyer ever to earn the Tony Honor for Excellence in Theater. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from New Dramatists, a leading developer of new playwrights, whose board he chaired. Seth was a founding board member of Lawyers for Children, started by Karen Freedman, which is a national model for representation of children in family court. Seth and his wife, Orren Alperstein, founded the Canavan Foundation, which developed genetic screening and counseling programs for the rare neurological disorder that killed their daughter, Morgan, in 1997. Orren, their children Madeleine and Aidan, and brothers Peter ’73 and Rob ’72 survive Seth. I can’t end without highlighting Seth’s remarkable spirit, particularly as his cancer gained the upper hand after years of determined resistance and many, lengthy treatments. His generosity and humanity simply expanded. It was a profound thing to behold, and underscores what a loss his family and friends have suffered.” Along with Cliff and Karen, Steve Greenhouse spoke at Seth’s memorial.

This fall I talked to and almost managed to see Debbie Kosich near Boston where she and I were visiting our mothers. Sadly, my mom died in December at the age of 95.

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com
860 Marin Drive. Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955

Be careful what you wish for . . .” the saying goes. You responded to my e-mail with 4,270 words for my 1,000-word column! So bear with me as I abridge some and delay other items for next issue.

I’m sorry to start with news that in March a sudden heart attack took our classmate, Alan Kraus. Alan was an outstanding business trial lawyer, most recently partner at Latham & Watkins in New Jersey. Charlie Stolper recalls, “I knew for years that Al and his family had a history of heart problems. Mary Anne, the high school sweetheart he married, and two sons, survive him. Al was a groomsman at my wedding and a close friend over the years. He was captain of the Wesleyan golf team and we enjoyed playing golf (despite him giving me 20 strokes per round). He is the first of my generation of close friends to die. I will miss him.” (Charlie recently moved to Austin, Texas, much to his surprise. Their son will be a professor of Computer Science at Southwestern University, so they said they left Boston to follow him.)

More life transitions: After 38 years, Tom Wheeler left software systems engineering to pursue writing and art. This spring he is driving cross-country. Tom’s wife, Sondra ’79, teaching at Wesley Theological Seminary, will take a 2016 sabbatical to finish writing three books. Tom plans to travel, including time living in Europe. Their oldest daughter and her husband are completing medical fellowships at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and raising a 3-year-old son. Their second daughter, her husband, and a year-old son are moving to western Massachusetts. Tom’s son edits commercial and political polls in DC.

Paul Bennett wrote during his first week of retirement from Chevron after 36 years that, “life is the same and good.” Married 30 years, he has two 20-something sons. Elsewhere in the oil patch, Bob Pristas, of Hillsborough, N.J., worked 27 years with ExxonMobil as a chemist specializing in industrial hygiene, Q.A., and business travel (41 countries). Bob, who golfs, gardens and travels now, has sons Tim, 33, and Jon, 31, and grandchildren, ages 3 and 5. Thanks to social media, Bob’s reconnected with ’75ers Rich Grayson (Hartford area podiatrist) and Mike Lehman (professor at University of Mississippi Medical Center), and Frank Bresnick. He’s also in touch with Pete Stack ’77 (Dallas physician) and Bruce Kaplan ’77 (music director at a theater in Chattanooga).

Arthur Gaither married Alfreda George ’74, and they have three adult children and three grandchildren. Arthur retired last year after 40 years working with retirement plans. “I spend days housekeeping, preparing meals, and babysitting, and I teach classes at church. For my next part-time career, I want to pastor a small Protestant church near Middletown.”

In 2007, Inara de Leon retired early from the NBC/WNBC news division after nearly 30 years. A great work “perk” was Inara’s meeting Todd Norbitz, her husband of 29 years, in the documentary unit at NBC right after she started. Inara now produces and writes TV stories for Consumer Reports’ video service that supplies content to local stations throughout the country. She also does corporate media training, speech writing, and related coaching. Inara and Todd have two grown children, both working in newsrooms: daughter Chiara at NY1 (marrying in June), and son Ben at WNBC. Inara writes, “I feel very close to Wesleyan still. My mother, Camilla, taught in the music department for many years until her death in the late ’90s.” She sees Marjie Melnick ’72 frequently, Stephen Policoff ’70, Joel Bernstein ’70 and Janet Biehl ’74 (who recently published a biography of social ecologist and anarchist philosopher Murray Bookchin). She is also in touch with Peter Stern ’72, Nat White ’72, Morgan Muir ’73, Michael Wolfe ’68, Scott Karsten ’74, and Peter Woodin ’71. She observes, “All those great guys seem to be taking the aging process in stride, or downright ignoring it. They are mostly still in the thick of their careers, though there is some talk of slowing down.” She also sees several early WesWomen—Claudia Catania ’74 (known for her Playing on Air radio series), June Anderson ’74, Naaz Hosseini ’74, Vicky Bijur, Pat Mulcahy ’74, Ellen Driscoll ’74, and Claire Gruppo, and Nina Jaffe ’76.

Jan Schwaner happily retired in 2013 after 30 years in pediatrics, stays busy visiting family (son, wife, and perfect 2-year-old granddaughter in Philadelphia; son and husband in NYC; father in DC), playing cello, attending chamber music camp, and giving tours at the Museum of Fine Arts to disabled visitors. Tim owns Westwood Duplicate Bridge Club and directs tournaments for the American Contract Bridge League. Jan sees Luann Semeraro Hanley every few months and Rachel Adler Hayes in nearby Massachusetts.

Wondering what happened to Jim Forster, whom we last saw in 1973? He transferred to Rutgers College of Engineering after sophomore year, but is back in touch. After working in NYC, and then years of Silicon Valley startups, he is semi-retired, but active with some projects in India and Kenya. Married twice, Jim has a 27-year-old son and enjoys traveling and sailing. He’d enjoy meeting anyone from the old days—find him on the net. Jim stays in touch with Knox Cummin. Knox writes he’s a new EMT for the volunteer fire department in Huntington, Vt. He recently started playing Scottish small pipes; his daughter Elizabeth is a sophomore at Sarah Lawrence.

Other quick newsbites: Pam Swing’s and Marty Plotkin ’76’s son, Ben, will not graduate in May 2016, but a year later than previously reported. June Jeffries has a new granddaughter, Cathy Gorlin has a new grandson, and Jeff McChristian has a new son-in-law. Dave Rosenthal is moving from Baltimore to Buffalo. I’m saving the much appreciated news on Vinnie Broderick, Pat McQuillan, Ellen Remmer, Mike Minard, David Bickford, Amy Bloom, David Drake, Michael Hamburger, Larry Greenberg, Nancy Robinson Neff, David Lipton, Russ Munson, and Bob McNamara for next time.

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com

860 Marin Drive. Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955

Class of 1975 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Saarim Zaman ’16, Government

Dear Classmates: You are not making this job easy! In response to my plea for news in the last column and via e-mail, I received a grand total of six replies. I know that the class of 1975 can do better than that, so send me a word as soon as you get this magazine, flip to this column, and realize how slim my pickings are this month. All it takes is a moment at the computer or on your phone. You call all do this. Now, on to what I know . . .

The holiday letters came from a few of my usual suspects. Brian Steinbach can always be counted on to mix politics, sports, and family news from his home in D.C. He continues his work in employment law with a successful finale to a six-year odyssey of arguing a case all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court and prevailing. Otherwise, he occupies himself with home improvement, car repair, and growing and preserving garden produce. Brian’s wife, Mary Reyner, is a talented potter and gardener.

Joost Brouwer’s holiday letter was full of family news, with his three sons finishing studies, finding new jobs, relocating within the Netherlands or as far off as Australia, and generally doing what 20-somethings do. Joost did some traveling himself, taking a three-week trip to China with a family group that included his 83-year-old uncle, who had many friends and colleagues there. The passage of 2015 also brought the passing of Joost’s mother and his mother-in-law. Joost continues to devote himself to advocating for refugee families seeking to remain in the Netherlands and has helped many people in need.

Martha Faller Brown actually sent a real, paper holiday card (they are sadly becoming rare) with a resolution to get together this year, since we are both in the Bay Area. I can report in a subsequent column when we actually pull this reunion off!

Cathy Gorlin is almost a grandmother—her daughter in NYC expects a baby boy in March. Cathy’s son bought a house in Denver, so she’ll be doing some traveling. I saw some beautiful photos she took in Florida recently—good place to be in February when you live in Minnesota!

Jeff Cellars has had an eventful year. He’s wrapping up a three-year tour as a diplomat in Switzerland, where he was Chargé d’Affaires and then deputy chief of mission, dealing with such challenges as the Montreux Jazz Festival and the World Economic Forum. The plan is to return to Washington, D.C., after 16 years overseas and enjoy grandparenthood and the upcoming marriage of his and Bethanne’s second daughter.

Cheryl Vichness reports that her daughter, Gwendolyn, will graduate in May from the University of Delaware with a degree in elementary education and theater. Sounds like a good combination!

Some older news I gleaned: Rachel Adler Hayes is a premature empty nester, with their son having gone to boarding school in New Hampshire. Rachel and her husband split their time between a house in New York and their place outside Boston.

Dave Rosenthal got together with John Moore, Joe O’Rourke and Paul Margolin for “a weekend mini-reunion this fall, sharing memories of favorite professors, intramural basketball and pizza at Giovanni’s. It began on Cape Cod and ended in Hartford with a concert by Stevie Wonder, who provided key parts of the playlist for our years at Wesleyan.”

David Leisner writes: “Last week saw the release of my new CD on the Azica label with cellist Zuill Bailey, called Arpeggione. Featuring the Arpeggione Sonata by Franz Schubert, the premiere recording of my Twilight Streams, and other arrangements of Falla, Villa-Lobos, Gluck, Saint-Saëns and Paganini, this album is already no. 51 on the charts in its first week. Judging from the extraordinary response so far, it may climb further up the charts. Zuill and I are very proud of this release and hope that you will take the opportunity to buy the CD or download.”

As for me, both kids are thriving in college. Julia (21) is spending the first three months of 2016 at “Stanford In Washington” doing a full-time internship with a bipartisan think tank and taking classes at night. Ethan is deep into his first year of engineering studies at Northeastern, adjusting to city living and New England winter. With the nest empty and lots of miles saved up, I had the remarkable chance to return to India (where I was an AFS student in 1970) for the fourth time. The occasion was the wedding of my Indian “niece,” child of one of my three AFS sisters. Seven parties in six days, followed by a week of recuperating at a resort on the Arabian Sea near the southern tip of India… followed by massive jet lag. It was an amazing experience and a tremendous privilege to be part of the family inside the experience of an Indian wedding.

I look forward to hearing from more of you this spring and having more info to share the next time around.

Cynthia M. Ulman | cmu.home@cmugroup.com

860 Marin Drive. Mill Valley, CA 94941-3955