Tag: 1981

Greetings from Brooklyn! I write this on the first day of March. I’m still working remotely for the most part (I love my commute, but . . .).
By now I hope that many of you have enjoyed our rolling virtual reunion. Some of you have earned prizes and awards, which you will see below.  I also hope you all will have received the “vaccine prize” by the time this magazine finds its way into your mailbox.

  Speaking of vaccines, Chris Graves writes, “My behavioral science work has been full-on, focused on vaccine hesitancy and pandemic behavior. I have been working with WHO, UNICEF, and supporting fellow Wesleyan alum John Borthwick ’87 who is CEO of Betaworks, and a founder of COVID Tech Task Force, which supports the rollout of the Apple-Google Exposure Notification app. And I have been working with our own nonprofit called NOCOVID (https://nocovid.us), which engaged stars like Chris Rock and Wanda Sykes for healthy behavior messaging. NOCOVID also put Matthew McConaughey and Tiffany Haddish each one-on-one with Dr. Fauci to ask tough questions their fans wanted to hear answers to.” His CNN appearances can be found on Vimeo.

     Charlie Spiegel writes, “I’m a teaching assistant in a University of San Francisco class called Queering Religion, taught by the former rabbi of my congregation who is now a chaplain at this Jesuit institution of higher education. Repeat that sentence a couple of times for effect. It’s an online hour-long weekly discussion group, with them prompting me with questions they feel are relevant to their class sessions, which I do not attend. It’s a very smart way to make remote learning more engaging, with six of us TAs (all Jewish) running separate groups.  My three undergraduates range from 21 to 29 with several different sexuality identities. Since they are asking about for example what it was like for me to come out, which was at the beginning of my sophomore year at Wesleyan, some of you are playing roles in my remembrances (known or unbeknownst to you!) At its best, our discussions look at the overlap of experiences, like growing up Jewish in a non-Jewish country being one experience that gave me the strength and personal confidence to come out as gay and an activist in a predominately heterosexual world. All seems a very Wesleyan-type experience.”

      Leslie Sundt Stratton and her husband are empty nesters. “Our older daughter is now a licensed vet working an internship in hopes of becoming a veterinary surgeon. Our younger daughter is a forensic chemist in Vermont who spends one day a week testing COVID samples and just signed a contract to buy a condo. How time flies!” 

     Leslie is still an economics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, also serving as department chair. “Like so many academics, I have moved classes online and am working hard to keep my students engaged. Our chief hobby/vice is travel—of course that is still on hold. We are glad we went on safari in Tanzania in 2019.” Leslie is in touch regularly with classmates Diane Goldstein Stein, Karen Zallen and Heidi Falk. “Zooming can be fun.”

      Mark Saba’s latest book, A Luke of All Ages / Fire and Ice (two novellas), was recently published by Adelaide Books (New York/Lisbon). “Also, I will be retiring in June after 33 years as a medical illustrator and graphic designer at Yale University. My wife and I are building a house in Maine and plan to settle there.”

    Kenneth Michael Bent (noting that he was “originally 1980, but finished mid-year with the group then known as 80.5”) was recently elected to Eastern Massachusetts’s Episcopal Diocese Executive Committee as a lay representative. He is a two-time past master of the Freemasons of Massachusetts, in addition to spending the past 17 years as a software engineer.

    Now to prizes and awards:

   The National Press Foundation has named global economics correspondent David Lynch and three Washington Post colleagues as this year’s winners of the Hinrich Award for Distinguished Reporting on Trade. “The award carries a $10,000 prize, divided among the four of us.”

   Brian Tarbox got his 10th patent. Also, Amazon Web Services declared Brian a Community Hero. “There are less than 200 of these worldwide.”

     Amy Feil Phillips is transitioning from creative director and graphic designer to fine artist, and was recently selected as one of 15 finalists for the 51st Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts’ Emerging Artist Program in Tampa. The annual festival draws artists from across the country to vie for the $15,000 Raymond James Best of Show Award and an additional $65,000 in awards. Phillips has a collection of awards, such as Best of Show in the International Society of Acrylic Painters 11th Annual Exhibition in 2017 as well as local, regional and national American Advertising Federation ADDY Awards. Phillips was recognized nationally in the Print Regional Design Annual and has developed branding for Tampa Electric, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa Bay Water, Eckerd Connects, and Heartbeat International, among others.  With an MBA in Marketing, Phillips has also taught Advertising and Graphic Design at the University of South Florida.

     Congrats to all!

     Finally, on behalf of our class, we send our deepest condolences to Wendy Kosakoff, whose husband, David Kohane ’80, passed away in February. Read her beautiful tribute in the Class of 1980 notes.

This is Joanne with greetings from the Heartland during the time of COVID. Thankfully the 2020 election is over,  and vaccines are getting ready to roll out. It’s turned out to be quite a year, hasn’t it? These past months have served as a clarion call for the world. Individuals, families, communities and entire countries have experienced such a range of emotions in the battle against this virus. We continue to experience and read about extraordinary moments of human bravery, kindness, self-sacrifice, and empathy. We have been forced to slow down, ponder, reflect, and regroup. Until this is truly behind us, we can only continue to try to stay safe and help others weather this storm.

Delcy Ziac Fox writes that she and Miriam Stern Sturgis (retired) have been taking advantage of Zoom to do Israeli dancing together every week—fun! Delcy also reported dining with Jim Sullivan ’82 and his son Owen Sullivan ’19 for some very pleasant socially-distant meals on Cape Cod. Jim works at Morton Hospital in Taunton, Massachusetts; Delcy has been working remotely from the Cape.

Mike Trager is still a partner at Arnold & Porter in D.C., where he lives with his wife, Mariella. Mike reports that his parents (Phil ’56) are well and living in Connecticut. His “boys” are grown up and gainfully employed. Son Nick ’11 works in London but was told to remain in the United States when COVID hit. Son Alex works in NYC. Both of them returned to D.C. to telecommute. “We had a blessed three months with all of us working from our home and  having dinner together every night without fail. A true silver lining to all this madness!” Mike and Mariella joined the Biden for President team very early on and worked hard for the campaign.

“After seven months of work from home,” says Dave Lynch  (global economics correspondent at The Washington Post), “my wife Kathy and I take every chance we can get for a change of scenery.” This fall, they visited their youngest son Declan, a University of Virginia sophomore, and hiked in the nearby Shenandoah Valley. Their oldest son is living in Seattle, and their middle son is finishing up at the College of William & Mary. If you don’t already, follow Dave at The Washington Post or on Facebook to catch his insightful and thought-provoking articles.

In case you missed Brad Whitford in a riveting performance in season three of The Handmaid’s Tale, you can watch him and his West Wing colleagues for a reunion special airing on HBO Max, which benefitted When We All Vote. “We understand that some people don’t fully appreciate the benefit of unsolicited advice from actors. We do know that,” Brad said recently in a CNN interview, adding, “The risk of appearing obnoxious is too small a reason to stay quiet if we can get even one new voter to vote.” Right on, Brad!

I recently caught up via a Zoom cocktail call with Patty Smith ’82 and her “new” wife Cindy Warren from their home outside Richmond, Virginia. Although they have been together many years, they only officially tied the knot this past April. Heartfelt congratulations to them both! Patty and I raised our glasses and reminisced about our common Wes friends, our many experiences at Wesleyan, and our multitude of adventures (and misadventures!) in Paris. Patty continues to write, teach, partake in conferences and give readings—and ride her new Peloton bike, a 60th birthday present from Cindy.

A quick birthday text exchange this September with Deb Chapin revealed that she is now an official and enthusiastic resident of the Granite State (aka New Hampshire). That puts her a few hours closer to her daughter Thalia, a student at Montreal’s McGill University, as well as to other family members nearby. Telecommuting from the beauty of the NH mountains sure beats commuting in Boston traffic—and the skiing is right in your backyard!

As 2020 comes to a close, let us look forward to “the new normal” in a post-COVID world. In the meantime, continue to be wise and stay safe. 

And . . . don’t forget: 2021 is our 40th Reunion Year! Although the in-person event has been postponed (keep an eye out for updates from Wesleyan), the reunion committee is meeting virtually, brainstorming and planning some fun and exciting virtual events to kick off our reunion year. So be on the lookout for emails containing useful information and logistics on how to join in. If you have any ideas, feel free to share and I’ll forward to the committee. There is still hope for an in-person gathering at some point in the future. But in the meantime, it will be Zoom-land!

Happy holidays to you and yours, and best wishes for a peaceful, prosperous, and healthy New Year 2021!

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

Greetings from Brooklyn! Like many of you, I have been working remotely from home as a financial professional. A friend joked, “Has my curve flattened?” Why, yes, it has. This was the quietest April 15 ever. While I love my commute, I don’t like having to console widows with young kids and have to help them figure out how to sell the business they suddenly inherited from their husbands but lack the license to operate. I’m sure you all have stories of loss from the pandemic. I truly hope, without much optimism, that by the time you read this, the world will be back to some kind of “normal.” One can hope.

Speaking of hope, before the quarantine, I was at a meeting of the Emergency Committee For Rojava, recalling the first time I met Murray Bookchin, whose ideas inform the egalitarian, ecological, ecumenical, feminist, liberatory laboratory of participatory democracy that is Kurdish Rojava, the allies we notoriously betrayed, and that Turkey’s trying to ethnically cleanse.

I met him, Murray (“only the FBI calls me Mr. Bookchin”), the night before our ECOSFair: Conference on Social Ecology, May 1981, where he and Winona LaDuke would be two of our keynote speakers.

“Wait. What school did you say you went to?” I was asked, at that meeting, by a woman roughly my age.

“Wesleyan.”

“I thought so,” she said. “I thought I recognized you.”

“What year were you?” I asked.

“1981.”

“I co-write your class notes.”

And so, I became reacquainted with Erika Goldman-Giraudets. We do what we can, little as it may be, to help. As I write this in May, Turkey is shelling Rojava daily while disrupting their water supply.

In other news, Peter Gryska is enjoying “quarantinis” in Houston, keeping Texans in good spirits as the director of grocery at Spec’s Spirits, Wines and Finer Foods. “Caviar, peanuts, pâté, tonic, soda water, and margarita mix make the day go by quickly. Meanwhile, back on the ranch, really, we are clearing additional acreage for soybean planting and will rotate into winter wheat in the fall. Cattle prices have tanked with the pandemic, so we will be growing out the herd this year. Our native cattle herd has reached a milestone. It has been 100 years since new heifers have been introduced to the gene pool. Family is all well, and we wish all Wesleyan folks good health.”

Joan Herrington is excited to have had the opportunity to direct a show for the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park this past winter. Created collaboratively with the award-winning Universes theatre ensemble, Americus exposes the harsh realities of what it means to be in America today. Joan had two new books published recently, How Playwrights Teach Playwriting 2 and When the Promise Was Broken, a collection of plays she edited based on the songs of Bruce Springsteen. She serves as chair of the department of theatre at Western Michigan University.

David P. Miller writes that “like most people, I have spent the vast majority of the past couple of months in my apartment. In 2018, I became a program director at NSF through an IPA from my university. My apartment in Alexandria is only a couple blocks from NSF, but I wonder if I will make it back to the NSF building before heading back to Norman in a year (or if I’ll be able to get back to my house in Norman—I had been making monthly trips, but those stopped in March). I work online, have happy hour, and otherwise socialize online. Things could be much worse. I’m employed, Cathryne is here, and between Amazon, Hello Fresh, and a little help from our friends, we have food and toilet paper. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy,”

Pete Congleton is now the director of planned giving for Hartford Hospital and is proud to announce the birth of his first grandson, Crew Fox Congleton, who was born on May 3, 2020, in Augusta, Maine.

Elisha Lawrence moved back to Manhattan Beach, Calif., where she raised her kids, after the last five years in San Francisco. “Loving every minute of being back here. I’m in my seventh year as AVP of Global Anti-Piracy for a large studio. Other news: I got married last May to a lovely guy who is a physician. My daughter is finishing her last year at Wesleyan, and my son has two years to go at Stanford. One thing about being an alumna who has a child at Wes is reliving moments of those wonderful years. I showed my daughter my favorite spot in Olin’s Reference Room, where I spent most of my four years studying. She loves studying there too! I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Wesleyan!”

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

Ed.’s note: In the last issue, we misspelled Kerry Burnstein’s last name.

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest where I (Joanne) am visiting my oldest son and dodging the drizzle that is Seattle’s winter trademark. I’ve learned that you can temper the damp with some of Washington State’s red wine—cheers!

On behalf of the Class of ’81, I would like to extend warm thanks to retiring Wesleyan magazine editor Cynthia Rockwell MALS ’19. Cynthia has steered and edited the class notes for more years than I can count in addition to contributing interesting and thought-provoking pieces of journalism to the magazine. She will be sorely missed for her dedication, patience, literary exactitude, and sense of humor. All the best in your retirement, Cynthia! Thank you for all your guidance over the years.

Classmates, in anticipation of our (gulp!) 40th class Reunion, you are cordially invited by Belinda Buck Kielland,Livia Wong McCarthy, and Nancy Parker Wilson to a first-ever Class of ’81 Pre-Reunion on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. An old-fashioned New England clambake will take place at Greenvale Vineyards (Nancy’s family winery) on the banks of the picturesque Sakonnet River in bucolic Portsmouth, R.I. (neighboring town to Newport). Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway): with these co-hosts, you know it will be an amazing party—don’t miss it! If you haven’t already, you should be receiving an invitation in your email soon.  Please contact Liv at Livia2@me.com with any questions.

Dr. Kerry Bernstein wrote in after a long hiatus. She and her husband Wayne Balkan moved to Miami in 1991 to take faculty positions at the University of Miami (now Miller) School of Medicine, a sort of “coming home” for Kerry, who grew up in South Florida. She also convinced Wayne McGill ’78 (from Montreal) to relocate with the assurance that the “hurricanes never hit and the temperature doesn’t go above 90 degrees”. Well, shortly after moving, Hurricane Andrew, one of the worst hurricanes in history, hit the area . . . so much for Kerry’s credibility—in the meteorological domain at least!

Kerry became chair of her department (molecular and cellular pharmacology) in late 2018 and has been associate director of education and training for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2015.  “It’s particularly exciting and gratifying to be part of the leadership team that worked to make Sylvester the 71st cancer center in the nation to be designated by the National Cancer Institute.” Kerry and Wayne have two children, Kyla and Liam. Kyla graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and works in management consulting in NYC; Liam will graduate from American University in May 2020. Kerry adds, “We love getting together with Wesleyan alumni, including locally with Greg Andrisand Ed Gross ’87 and their wonderful wives. Our kids were in school with Greg’s and Ed’s, beginning in pre-K. Brian Hennesey ’04, Wesleyan alumni coordinator, South Florida) deserves a special shout-out for the great happy hours he organizes.

Ariel Rubissow Okamoto is trying to turn over a new leaf at 60—the family had to sell the California vineyard generations had owned for 40 years, and she’s still grieving. Ariel writes: “’It’s the land, Katie Scarlett, the land . ..’ Time to really write that memoir, novel, creative opus—so stand by! Suddenly, missing the Wesleyan orchestra (1/4 of my entire degree as last second violin). Funny the things that pop up with—dare I say it?– ‘age.’” You can now reach her at aro@bayariel.com.

In addition to his many other professional accolades, Dr. Sam Selesnick has recently assumed the position of editor-in-chief of The Laryngoscope, an official journal of the Triological Society, the oldest in the field and the primary voice for otolaryngologic clinical and translation research. For the past 28 years, Sam has been on the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College, where he is currently professor and vice-chair of the department of otolaryngology, with appointments also in the departments of neurosurgery and neurology. He is also in the department of neurosurgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Congrats, Sam!

As we get older, it seems like we are getting busier and more adventurous—and that’s a good thing. My Wes housemate and fellow intrepid traveler Kathy Prager Conrad sent pix from her most recent adventure: cross-country skiing in Yellowstone National Park. “If you like (it) in the summer, you should see it in winter—love the steam and ice!” She did not encounter wolves that day but “got stuck in a bison traffic jam—beats the (D.C.) Beltway any day!” Check out her gorgeous photos on her Facebook page.

I recently returned from a “trip of a lifetime” partial-family safari to Tanzania.  Unfortunately, Son #1 had to stay behind due to a thing called “work.” Son #2 was smitten with Tanzania after living/learning/researching in Olduvai Gorge a few years back and decided to organize this trip before he finishes grad school in the spring. My husband, two sons, and I landed in Arusha and hit several national parks and the Ngorngoro Conservation Area, ending at the Ngorongoro Crater. Experiencing the scope of the wildebeest migration (they travel with zebras and gazelles) is awe-inspiring. Looking a lioness in the eye from eight feet away is spiritual. Observing a mother cheetah and her feeding cubs (spoiler: it was a baby zebra) is experiencing the great circle of life up-close. And the elephants cavorting in the river is like watching a group of young boys at a water hole. Don’t wait . . . do it! Africa changes your life!

David I. Block shared this story: “At a meeting of the Emergency Committee on Rojava in NYC, I mentioned how we brought Murray Bookchin, whose ideas inform their politics, to our conference on social ecology our senior year.

“Wait. What school did you say you went to?” I was asked, by a woman about my age.

“Wesleyan.”

“I thought so,” she replied. “I thought I recognized you.”

“What year were you?” I asked.

“1981.”

“I co-write your class notes,” I reminded Erica Goldman, who gave me permission to note that we met doing what we can to save—not betray—Rojava, the Kurds, and the SDF that defeated ISiS, from the invading Turks.

I had a serendipitous and utterly delightful e-chat with Mark Molina this fall. Mark, still in Connecticut, left the field of law in 2014 and invested early in OrangeTheory. He is now the (obviously fit!) owner of four locations. He told me he had attended Homecoming 2019 with his youngest son Ted ’20.  When I asked if Ted played as well (Mark is a former Wes football player), Mark replied, “No! He’s too smart for that—but he’s kind enough to indulge me and sits with me at home games. He’s a great kid!” Indeed, he would have to be with a dad like Mark. 

And that concludes this issue’s reporting. Hoping that some of you will be able to make the Pre-Reunion in Rhode Island in August.

Keep the news coming!

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

Greetings from the Pacific Northwest where I (Joanne) am visiting my oldest son and dodging the drizzle that is Seattle’s winter trademark. I’ve learned that you can temper the damp with some of Washington State’s red wine—cheers!

On behalf of the Class of ’81, I would like to extend warm thanks to retiring Wesleyan magazine editor Cynthia Rockwell MALS ’19. Cynthia has steered and edited the class notes for more years than I can count in addition to contributing interesting and thought-provoking pieces of journalism to the magazine. She will be sorely missed for her dedication, patience, literary exactitude, and sense of humor. All the best in your retirement, Cynthia! Thank you for all your guidance over the years.

Classmates, in anticipation of our (gulp!) 40th class Reunion, you are cordially invited by Belinda Buck Kielland,Livia Wong McCarthy, and Nancy Parker Wilson to a first-ever Class of ’81 Pre-Reunion on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. An old-fashioned New England clambake will take place at Greenvale Vineyards (Nancy’s family winery) on the banks of the picturesque Sakonnet River in bucolic Portsmouth, R.I. (neighboring town to Newport). Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway): with these co-hosts, you know it will be an amazing party—don’t miss it! If you haven’t already, you should be receiving an invitation in your email soon.  Please contact Liv at Livia2@me.com with any questions.

Dr. Kerry Bernstein wrote in after a long hiatus. She and her husband Wayne Balkan moved to Miami in 1991 to take faculty positions at the University of Miami (now Miller) School of Medicine, a sort of “coming home” for Kerry, who grew up in South Florida. She also convinced Wayne McGill ’78 (from Montreal) to relocate with the assurance that the “hurricanes never hit and the temperature doesn’t go above 90 degrees”. Well, shortly after moving, Hurricane Andrew, one of the worst hurricanes in history, hit the area . . . so much for Kerry’s credibility—in the meteorological domain at least!

Kerry became chair of her department (molecular and cellular pharmacology) in late 2018 and has been associate director of education and training for the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2015.  “It’s particularly exciting and gratifying to be part of the leadership team that worked to make Sylvester the 71st cancer center in the nation to be designated by the National Cancer Institute.” Kerry and Wayne have two children, Kyla and Liam. Kyla graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 2016 and works in management consulting in NYC; Liam will graduate from American University in May 2020. Kerry adds, “We love getting together with Wesleyan alumni, including locally with Greg Andrisand Ed Gross ’87 and their wonderful wives. Our kids were in school with Greg’s and Ed’s, beginning in pre-K. Brian Hennesey ’04, Wesleyan alumni coordinator, South Florida) deserves a special shout-out for the great happy hours he organizes.

Ariel Rubissow Okamoto is trying to turn over a new leaf at 60—the family had to sell the California vineyard generations had owned for 40 years, and she’s still grieving. Ariel writes: “’It’s the land, Katie Scarlett, the land . ..’ Time to really write that memoir, novel, creative opus—so stand by! Suddenly, missing the Wesleyan orchestra (1/4 of my entire degree as last second violin). Funny the things that pop up with—dare I say it?– ‘age.’” You can now reach her at aro@bayariel.com.

In addition to his many other professional accolades, Dr. Sam Selesnick has recently assumed the position of editor-in-chief of The Laryngoscope, an official journal of the Triological Society, the oldest in the field and the primary voice for otolaryngologic clinical and translation research. For the past 28 years, Sam has been on the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College, where he is currently professor and vice-chair of the department of otolaryngology, with appointments also in the departments of neurosurgery and neurology. He is also in the department of neurosurgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Congrats, Sam!

As we get older, it seems like we are getting busier and more adventurous—and that’s a good thing. My Wes housemate and fellow intrepid traveler Kathy Prager Conrad sent pix from her most recent adventure: cross-country skiing in Yellowstone National Park. “If you like (it) in the summer, you should see it in winter—love the steam and ice!” She did not encounter wolves that day but “got stuck in a bison traffic jam—beats the (D.C.) Beltway any day!” Check out her gorgeous photos on her Facebook page.

I recently returned from a “trip of a lifetime” partial-family safari to Tanzania.  Unfortunately, Son #1 had to stay behind due to a thing called “work.” Son #2 was smitten with Tanzania after living/learning/researching in Olduvai Gorge a few years back and decided to organize this trip before he finishes grad school in the spring. My husband, two sons, and I landed in Arusha and hit several national parks and the Ngorngoro Conservation Area, ending at the Ngorongoro Crater. Experiencing the scope of the wildebeest migration (they travel with zebras and gazelles) is awe-inspiring. Looking a lioness in the eye from eight feet away is spiritual. Observing a mother cheetah and her feeding cubs (spoiler: it was a baby zebra) is experiencing the great circle of life up-close. And the elephants cavorting in the river is like watching a group of young boys at a water hole. Don’t wait . . . do it! Africa changes your life!

David I. Block shared this story: “At a meeting of the Emergency Committee on Rojava in NYC, I mentioned how we brought Murray Bookchin, whose ideas inform their politics, to our conference on social ecology our senior year.

“Wait. What school did you say you went to?” I was asked, by a woman about my age.

“Wesleyan.”

“I thought so,” she replied. “I thought I recognized you.”

“What year were you?” I asked.

“1981.”

“I co-write your class notes,” I reminded Erica Goldman, who gave me permission to note that we met doing what we can to save—not betray—Rojava, the Kurds, and the SDF that defeated ISiS, from the invading Turks.

I had a serendipitous and utterly delightful e-chat with Mark Molina this fall. Mark, still in Connecticut, left the field of law in 2014 and invested early in OrangeTheory. He is now the (obviously fit!) owner of four locations. He told me he had attended Homecoming 2019 with his youngest son Ted ’20.  When I asked if Ted played as well (Mark is a former Wes football player), Mark replied, “No! He’s too smart for that—but he’s kind enough to indulge me and sits with me at home games. He’s a great kid!” Indeed, he would have to be with a dad like Mark. 

And that concludes this issue’s reporting. Hoping that some of you will be able to make the Pre-Reunion in Rhode Island in August.

Keep the news coming!

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

Greetings from Brooklyn! As I write this, summer is fading to fall, kids are back to school. My youngest just turned 15. I haven’t had a 15-year-old in 15 years! That makes my middle one 30. They both came to our 25th and were featured in a bunch of pictures back then, when they were 2 and 17, because they were so gosh-darn cute. Still are, albeit differently. Where does time go? I remember my psych stats professor—I don’t remember his name, but I remember him—saying back then: “Every year, the freshmen get younger and younger.” At this point in my life, I can definitely relate.

Debbie Mueller acknowledges that it’s been quite some time since she’s checked in and that she enjoys hearing what’s up with all of you. “I’ve been living in Durham, N.H., for about 14 years, and am still practicing OB/GYN full-time. My passion these days is for oil painting. Having lived my entire life believing I had no artistic ability, three years ago, an accidental experience with painting turned my world upside down. Since then, I have immersed myself in the world of painting, and am now an award-winning artist, creating graphic and bold landscape paintings inspired by the New Hampshire and Maine coast. I’m hoping to leave the world of medicine as soon as I can swing it to be a full-time artist.”

David P. Miller is “doing a rotation at NSF as a program officer for robotics in the robust intelligence group and managing the National Robotics Initiative. Except for the weather, Alexandria, Va., bears little resemblance to Norman, Okla. Cathryne and will probably be here until August 2021. “

David adds that his son, Jacob Milstein ’09, “is doing music, improv, and Segway tours in Nashville. His album, As Free as Wanting Anything, is musically accessible to me, and probably you (not just his parents, to whom everything he does is outstanding). jacobmilstein.bandcamp.com.”

David Smith reports that he “recently moved to a new position with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Southwest Region as assistant water director. Working in EPA these days is ‘interesting,’ and we are doing everything we can to stay true to our mission to protect human health and the environment. I am doing a great deal of work on U.S.-Mexico border water issues so I’m seeing a lot more of the border, with and without fences, than I ever expected. In my spare time I’m making progress with my wife, Stacey, in our quest to visit all of the national parks (about two-thirds of the way there), experience as many weird land art installations as we can, and catch as much live music as the wallet allows.”

Delcy Fox loved getting together again with InTown 21 housemate Dr. Jim Sullivan ’82!

Alyson Myers is researching ocean-based climate solutions with funding by DOE ARPA-E. Her team uses macroalgae (sargassum) for CO2 removal and repurposing.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey flooded 18 inches of water in Peter Gryska’s house. “After 22 months of temporary living with my wife, two dogs, and all remaining belongings in 1,000 square feet, I have moved into newly constructed home, 42 inches off the ground.”

John Hester is retired and enjoys his time traveling. He resides in Goose Creek, S.C.

After serving 26 years as a psychologist in the federal prison system, Kate “Kathy” Freiman-Fox retired three years ago “to a big career change when I created my own matchmaking and date-coaching company, Authentic Connections. I’m loving my second career as well as my husband, son, and dog. Still doing alumni interviews for Wesleyan here in North Carolina and (at the time of this writing) missing the New England summers.” She adds, “Best wishes to the Class of 1981!”

That’s all for now, fellow and approaching sexagenarians. When you receive this, it will be a bit more than a year before our 40th Reunion. Yikes!

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

This is Joanne sending greetings from Europe, where the pace of life is slower, and people really take time to enjoy the moment. Each year, this time, I have the privilege of accompanying my husband on his summer class to Augsburg and Bergamo. Every direction I look, I see people sitting: drinking a beer or sipping a glass of wine or maybe a summer cocktail; others are drinking coffee, eating cake or indulging in ice-cream—for no other reason than it’s a beautiful day! Some are with friends or family; others are alone, just savoring the moment. I think the Danish call it “hygge.” The trendy word these days in the U.S. seems to be “mindfulness” though I’ve yet to see it appear in this particular context. No matter what you call it, everyone looks a lot more relaxed and happierthan the average person you see on a U.S.street. So. . . I’m going to order an Aperol and enjoy the sunshine and atmosphere as I report on our classmates’most recent news. Cin-cin!

This being 2019, the majority of our class will be celebrating a “big” birthday this year so happy birthday to you! I have already made the transition and frankly, I don’t think 60 has ever looked this good or productive or healthy. I have determined it shall be a year of celebration, of reachingout to old friends, and taking the time to appreciate those whom I love and cherish. Over the years, it has my and David‘s duty to report not just the good news regarding our classmates’ accomplishments, but also sharing the sad news of their deaths, reminding us as we enter a new decade that life is shorter than we ever imagined, more precious with each passing day, and to be taken advantage of at every opportunity.

In late January, Kaylie Jones, author, teacher and editor, was in D.C.hosting a book event. Several area Wes bibliophiles were in attendance: Kathy Prager Conrad, Mary Downs ’82, Patty Smith’82, Jeff Tsu’82, and me. Jeff had to leave immediately so sadly I have no news from him. Mary has been living in D.C.for decades, doing some very interesting work (details of which I did not write down. . .so I cannot impart any further info. Sorry, Mary!) Patty and I enjoyed a sleepover and tried to catch up; we last saw each other in Paris, spring of 1983. We were up until the wee hours—and barely scraped the surface of ourmemories! Patty teaches high school outside Richmond, Va.,(English now, not French) and continues to write; her second novel is due out soon. The next night, Kaylie and her brother hosted a small dinner and just like the old days at Downey House on a Thursday night when Chris McEvoy (please write in with news, Mac!) would put on one of his special cassette mixes, Kaylie, Kathy, and I were kicking up our heels and dancing the night away! She has relocated to San Diego after decades in NYC, where she is thoroughly enjoying life on the other coast. Kathy, who visited me in Bloomington with her husband in April, is off on a new adventure: circumnavigating Mont Blanc this summer, which is an approximately 12-day hiking trip. When not off globe-trotting, she continues to enjoy her work in the field of technology and consulting in DC. Kathy reports that both daughters are doing well: Caroline’14 is still working and enjoying success in the film industry in NYC while Liza ’11 recently relocated to Atlanta to work for Stacey Adams’ permanent staff.

In May, I had the great pleasure to spend a wonderful weekend of fun, good food, great cocktails and much reminiscence with John “Wally” Walden at the beautiful New Jersey home of Rick Ciullo and his wife Tammy. It’s pretty hard to believe that the three of us, friends since the first night freshman year, had not been all together since graduation! Nicest thing? It was as if no time had passed at all—the warm familiarity and good humor picked up where we’d left off; the only thing different was that both Rick and John have had exceptional careers and beautiful families in the meantime. (Rick has two daughters in college, and John has two sons, just a bit older and already out in the world.) John, who lives in London, Ontario,continues to work in the tech industry and Rick is still on top of his field in the world of insurance.

Livia Wong McCarthy writes that she will be spending some time with Belinda Buck in Newport, R.I.,in August before meeting up with Kathy Prager Conrad, Deb Chapin, and me for a now-we-are-all-60 weekend celebration there. We are looking forward to catching up and reenacting our Sunday coop dinner nights—but minus the Hearty Gallo Burgundy. For sure.

One day this spring, I was home eating lunch, listening to the BBC when suddenly I heard classmate Chrissy Winkelbauer Kelly being interviewed about her work in and personal experience with smell loss. She has been heavily involved in the creation of AbScent.org, a patient advocacy group and charitable organization that, says Chrissy, “will change the way people with smell loss adapt to their condition and help themselves achieve a greater quality of life.” At the time of this writing, an app, an international research project and more are in the mix. “I wouldn’t have done it without the help of Miriam Block, childhood friend and (web) coding genius,” she adds. Congrats to Chrissy for helping bring focus to and shedding light upon this underreported health issue.

Paul Robertson “attended the International Conference on Software Engineering this May in Montreal, which meant Icould drive to Albany from myhome in Amherst, Mass.,and take Amtrak—so much nicer than flying! At the conference I was presenting two papers about how my team at Sony does its work, developing software tools for the studios doing games for the PS4. The research and academic writing felt very odd after all these years!”

Brenda Zlamany continues to enjoy professional success in the arts world. 100/100: The Itinerant Portraitistwas chosen as an official selection at this year’s Berkshire International Film Festival. Brenda is also getting back on the road with the last two parts of her latest chapter, Climate in America. Part One took place earlier in Key West, Fla. Part Two took place in June in Sonoma, Calif.,where she was in residence at the Chalk Hill Artist Residency, working on portraits of vintners, seasonal workers, firefighters, and others who call Sonoma County home. Part Three will begin in August in Utqiagvik, Alaska,during the 2019 Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission Whaling Captains’Convention before she moves on to Denali National Park, where she has been awarded another artist’s residency. Check out Brenda’s website for further information.

Delcy Ziac Fox attended a function of the Wesleyan 1831 Society in NYC where everyone toasted Barbara-Jan Wilson and wished her a happy retirement. At the event, Delcy caught up with David I. Block, Liza Page Nelson, David Resnick, Paul DiSanto, Joe Fins ’82, and Lloyd Parodneck ’83 and reports that a great time was had by all.

 

Congratulations to Allison Williams, who headed back to Wesleyan in July as the new vice president for equity and inclusion/Title IX officer. Allison has had a storied career which includes similar jobs at Denison University and Oberlin College. In addition to administration, she also worked as a chemistry faculty member for 24 years. Outside of work, Allison is a mom to two teenagers, a semi-professional oboist, and a die-hard fan of Cleveland and Ohio State sports teams. In an interview with the Argus, Allison said, “I’m really excited about coming back. I love Wesleyan!” One of the many things she is looking forward to is building on existing programs such as the Mellon program and WesMaSS and to “take those programs and the work that’s been done on (faculty) searches and support them and make them stronger.”

Keep the news coming!

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

David I. Block writes: Hi, all. Greetings from Brooklyn! While you are likely reading this in the spring, these time-capsule class notes were due on the Monday of Martin Luther King’s birthday weekend, by which time the government had been shut down for a month. With any luck, as you read this, the government has been up and running for a little while, at least.

As you read this, tax season is over. As I write this, it is about to begin, with IRS workers who are not getting paid. My office just moved 20 blocks south down Broadway, after 22 years on West 57th Street. I finally bit the bullet and will become a Certified Financial Planner by November (I am already licensed to supervise stockbrokers), and I’m doing business, financial, and general coaching on the side. That gives me three full-time jobs. I joke that “people come in to have their taxes prepared, and leave feeling better about their moms.” My 14-year-old is in ninth grade and has come to enough Reunions that they are already scheming to figure out how to get into Wesleyan via early admission.

Alvin Peters writes, “Hurricane Michael (Oct. 10, 2018) has substantially destroyed my neighborhood in Panama City, Fla. Ironic, that climate change helped heat up the Gulf and magnify this storm into a major destructive force in a county that voted 75 percent for Trump.”

Paul Godfrey writes that his son, Charlie, is in grad school at UW. Paul is the president of the Minnesota State Bar Association and coaches a community team of high schoolers.

Michele Choka joined the board of Boingo Wireless, Inc. as an independent board member.

Barnaby Dinges has a memoir that is being published this spring called Ragged Run. “It covers my brother, Casey ’79, and my challenging childhood in Chicago in the 1960s and 1970s dealing with the deaths of our parents and subsequent struggles. It includes sections from my mother’s journal, which I found in a warehouse during the WesU years. It’ll be available on Amazon. Special thanks to Phyllis Rose ’82, Larry Zuckerman, and Mary Murphy for their help with the manuscript.”

Barry “Pono” Fried’s Open Eye Tours, which offers custom private tours on the beautiful island of Maui, has won the 2018 Trip Advisor Hall of Fame Certificate of Excellence. He has been “enhancing Hawaiian journeys with fascinating cultural interpretation and a 100 percent personalized itinerary, since 1983.” Congrats, Pono!

On a more somber note, in the last note I wrote, I hoped for “less-bidity,” yet we lost two more classmates since the last issue. We lost Michael Kucinskas on Oct. 16. He majored in theology, played on the football team, and was a Chi Psi brother. He worked as an information technology consultant for Mass Mutual, and then Cigna, before becoming a partner of Factorum, Inc., a computer consultant company. He loved golf and was an advanced scuba diver. He is survived by his wife, Carol Petruff, M.D., two brothers, and a large extended family. We will miss his presence and his wit.

And then Steven Hiscox passed away on Nov. 20. Michael Trager and Tom Miceli attended a wonderful memorial tribute, which celebrated Steve’s life “the way he would have wanted it—filled with heartfelt tributes, and plenty of food and beer.”

Tom recalls that “Steve was the prototypical Wesleyan student—academically smart in the usual ways, but with wide-ranging and unexpected interests. Steve was a music major who composed and played classical music for course credit, but then listened to rap music for pleasure, well before it was hip to do so. He made college look effortless—he was at once scholarly and down to earth, serious and affable. I well remember the time when he pulled an all-nighter to read Gone with the Wind in one sitting! His passions included pick-up basketball (he was a beast) and cars. He devoured Hot Rod magazine the minute it hit the newsstand and spent countless hours under the hood of his car acquiring the skills and knowledge that eventually led to his life’s work as the owner of an automotive training school. I regret that I did not stay in close touch with Steve after Wes, but I will always cherish our friendship during that formative time in our lives.” He is survived by his wife, Tammy, and a large family that includes his brother, Dave Hiscox ’79.

Here we are, at 60 or close to it. That once seemed old. Sometimes it still does. Yet too many of us did not make it this far. In two years, we have another Reunion. I hope we all make it there in good health . . .

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com