Roger W. Pincus ’84 passed away on Feb. 14, 2019. He was 56. Roger majored in government while at Wesleyan. He then earned a JD from the University of Pennsylvania and a MFA from George Mason University. He served for several years as a class secretary for the Class of 1984. He leaves behind his wife Jamie and three children, Heather ’19, Jillian ’22, and Melanie.
Hello, classmates! This month we feature a Class of ’84 book club.
Lee McIntyre has a new book coming out in May entitled The Scientific Attitude (MIT Press, 2019), which concerns how to think about what is distinctive about science, with an eye toward defending it against science deniers. The blurb on Amazon reads: “Attacks on science have become commonplace. Claims that climate change isn’t settled science, that evolution is ’only a theory,’ and that scientists are conspiring to keep the truth about vaccines from the public are staples of some politicians’ rhetorical repertoire. Lee McIntyre argues that what distinguishes science from its rivals is what he calls ’the scientific attitude’ caring about evidence and being willing to change theories on the basis of new evidence.”
Francesca Jenkins (who writes under the name Arya) announces her short story collection, Blue Songs in An Open Key, was published by Fomite Press in November. Reviewing it for Booklist, Mark Levine noted, “These are powerful stories with appeal to more than just jazz aficionados.” Besides her literary goals, she had a rich experience as a disaster volunteer with the Red Cross, deployed to help those impacted by hurricanes in North Carolina.
Michael “Misi” Polgar teaches at Penn State Hazelton and has written Holocaust and Human Rights Education, published by Emerald. The book addresses “crucial questions” of how to explore the narrative of the Holocaust by “exploring the way in which we teach and learn about [it].”
Julie Reiss has edited and published an anthology on art and the environmental crisis titled Art, Theory and Practice in the Anthropocene (Vernon Press, 2018).
Apart from the book announcements, we heard from Paul Baker who got his bachelor’s in art history at Wes and went on to a master’s in 1987 at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. Paul is a professional sculptor in San Francisco, working in the medium of “found objects” in his own studio.
Paul is working on an elaborate project based on The Grand Tour as it was taken by the upper class in the mid-1890s, heavily inspired by his History of Photography course. He imagines a fictional character, an amateur photographer, whose steamer trunk full of camera gear is stolen on the way to Constantinople; then goes around to the bazaars in the city and buys old lenses and other gear—and builds his own cameras. Paul is constructing the most elaborate and beautiful and creative “cameras” using a wide variety of found objects. You can see some of his work at c-clampstudios.com. He was strongly influenced by Prof. John Risley’s Visual Connections and wood working studio and the ambience of the “monolithic” CFA.
Paul would love to hear from alumni whose relatives made the Grand Tour, especially to exotic locales like Egypt, Greece, Turkey, and the Holy Lands. You can visit his website or write to me and I’ll put you in touch.
We got word that Doris Barry passed away on June 11, 2018. Ricardo Granderson sent a loving tribute: “She had a 30-year career on Wall Street where she managed and inspired staff while battling lupus. A woman of faith who loved her family and friends, Doris was a member of Delta Theta Sigma and on the board of trustees at Concord Baptist Church, where she inspired many of the church’s best and brightest to attend Wesleyan. Doris loved Wesleyan, and her legacy will be evident in the scores of students who attended Wes because she was the university’s number-one cheerleader, especially for first generation students of color.”
Finally, a public service announcement from the Reunion committee, who want to remind everyone to head to campus May 24-26 for our 35 Reunion, featuring a ’84 dance party with “Kung Fu,” a Foss Hill Roll, and the requisite cocktails and dining. I will be there this year and will look for “live news feeds” from you all.
Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu
Doris P. Barry ’84 passed away on June 11, 2018. She had a 30-year career on Wall Street where she managed and inspired staff while battling Lupus. A woman of faith who loved her family and friends, Doris was a member of Delta Theta Sigma, Incorporated, and was on the Board of Trustees at Concord Baptist Church where she inspired many of the church’s best and brightest to attend Wesleyan. Doris loved Wesleyan and her legacy will be evident in the scores of students who attended Wesleyan because she was the University’s number-one cheerleader especially for first generation students of color. See her obituary here.
We thank Ricardo Granderson ’84 for this heartfelt tribute.
Greetings to you all at the start of our 25th Reunion year. Hope to see some of you on Foss Hill from Friday, May 24, to Sunday, May 26, 2019.
My thanks to Roger Pincus for being co-class secretary these last few years. Roger has stepped down to concentrate on his now-empty nest, as daughter Jillian ’22 has started at Wesleyan, joining sister Heather ’19. Daughter Melanie is a sophomore at Brown and is referred to in Roger’s mail as “the family traitor.”
Laura Meyer is a professor of art history at California State University, Fresno, and husband David Lorey ’83 is a freelance consultant, working mostly with nonprofit organizations. Laura and David are celebrating 36 years together. She says, “Some of you may have wondered what the hell we were thinking having a baby (our daughter Lee Alex) during my senior year and generally behaving in an irrational, young-love-fueled way.” She is grateful to Wesleyan and to the fates. Lee Alex retired from the San Francisco Ballet after 15 years and is working toward a new career as a personal trainer and healer; son Robin is a senior at UCLA this year studying archeology. Laura thinks warmly of her many Wes friends who shared time with her, and even put up with her “stealing their sandwiches.”
James Glickman joined several classmates in their 19th annual baseball weekend, combining their love of baseball with their interest in historical sites (and food and beer). Along with Mark Randles, Michael Bailit, Bill Barry, and Hans Schweiger, they went to Atlanta to see the Braves and the MLK Center. Jay and Gail Jenkins Farris hosted them for a barbecue dinner, and Teresa Chin joined the festivities. Jim also joined Ellen Glazerman, who had just moved to Needham, Mass., for the 4th of July fireworks.
I was sent a picture of a group of classmates enjoying dinner at a Korean restaurant in New York. Randy Frisch, Monica Elias, Dan Motulsky, Sarah Jamison, Dana Sachs, Jeddy Lieber, Eileen Kelly, and Anthony Richter raised a toast to their being “not older, but better.”
David Rosenbaum is getting married in May (so may not make Reunion). He has been in the Boston area for 35 years, working as a senior solution architect at Acquia.
David also contributes a bit of sad news. Don Gillis has passed away. Don served in the Marines and taught at Brockton High School in Massachusetts. His full obituary is here: keohane.com/services/donald-s-gillis.
That’s pretty much all the news that’s fit to print, and a little that isn’t.
Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu
Virginia H. Wilcox ’84 passed away on Dec. 28, 2017. A full obituary can be found here.
Jeff Hush, together with Dar Williams ’89, Banning Eyre ’79, Professor Chris Chenier, and George Perez ’20, has launched the Middletown Green Community Center in Middletown, Conn., with the intention of taking over the building at 51 Green Street, a building that Wesleyan previously operated. MGCC is in negotiations with the City of Middletown over this building. Dar held a benefit concert for MGCC on Mother’s Day at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
MGCC is a collaboration between Wesleyan alumni and Middletown community leaders. Its mission is to improve the lives of underserved people and families in Middletown and the surrounding towns by developing high-tech skills, instilling healthier lifestyles through training in food and movement, and instruction in the musical, visual, and performing arts. To find out more, visit middletowngreencc.org.
Effective April 5, Jeff Neuman was named senior vice president, corporate secretary, and general counsel of Tronox Limited, a global mining and inorganic chemicals company. Jeff previously served as vice president, corporate secretary, and deputy general counsel of Honeywell International Inc.
In May, Arthur Haubenstock started as executive director of the California Efficiency and Demand Management Council. The Council is the trade association for energy efficiency and energy demand-side management in California, which has one of the most advanced markets for the demand side of the energy equation but, according to Arthur, still has far to go as one of the last major sectors of the economy to be disrupted.
Vicky Fish and her husband, Hugh Huizenga (Williams ’84), are excited that their twins, Andrew ’18 and Noah (Hamilton’18) graduated from college. Their youngest, Peter, is in Chile for a semester abroad. They live in Vermont, and Vicky completed her MSW and is a therapist at a community mental health clinic, working with the seriously mentally ill, which she finds very challenging and worthwhile.
Lee McIntyre has a new book out called Post-Truth (MIT Press, 2018), which is about the problem of “fake news” and “alternative facts” in today’s political arena. CNN named it a Book of the Week in April and it is an Amazon best seller.
Paul Gross is living in Seattle but has moved from software and not-for-profit board management to full-time work in clinical research for cerebral palsy (one of his son’s two neurological conditions). Paul is running a 21-center clinical research network with sites and multiple medical disciplines across the country. With this work came an adjunct appointment as an associate professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine. As a self-described “old dad,” Paul is trying his best to keep up with his first kid, who enters high school next year.
Jeddy Lieber spent a great year with his family in New York, where his daughters did a sophomore high school year at Saint Ann’s. He saw his son graduate from Penn. The family will be moving back to Paris in the fall.
Since 1999, Randy Frisch has run LoveCat Music, a music publishing company specializing in placing songs in films and TV shows. He’s had success with the music of Wesleyan alumni, including Caroline Horn, Gary Mezzi ’83, Bill Anschell ’83, Chris Erikson ’87, Dimitri Ehrlich ’87, and Brian McKenna ’04.
We are sad to report that our classmate, the Rev. Virginia H. Wilcox, died on Dec. 28 at Saint Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn. After receiving her undergraduate degree in religion, Ginny received her MDiv degree from Yale Divinity School. She was ordained in the New York Conference and served the following United Methodist churches in Connecticut: First UMC in Stamford, Summerfield UMC in Bridgeport, Middletown, Winsted, and Derby. She retired in 2016. According to her friends, she was a gifted preacher, an eloquent writer, and a talented artist. She was proud to receive the Reneen Steinberg Humanitarian Award for excellence in human services.
Heidi Ravis reports that efforts remain underway to collect donations to have a tree dedicated to our dear friend, Nancy Crown who died, on the Wesleyan campus. The plan is to have a ceremony at our 35th Reunion in 2019. Funding for this is being handled by way of donations to Wesleyan. Heidi advises that if you would like to contribute, you can do so through Wesleyan’s website, or by mail or phone. Just be sure to indicate that your donation is in memory of Nancy Crown, Class of 1984. A contact in the alumni office will track the donations. If you know of anyone else who might want to contribute, please share this information with them. Feel free to contact Heidi with any questions at hbravis@gmail.com.
Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu
Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu
Michael Steven reporting this month. Jonathan Sadowsky, the Catele Professor of Medical History at Case Western Reserve, received a contract from Polity Books for his new book Depression: A History.
Michael “Misi” Polgar writes from a snowy valley in northeastern Pennslyvania, where he teaches sociology at Penn State while helping to raise three daughters. He writes about topics related to the Holocaust and human rights education.
Susie Kang Sharpe is enjoying life as a physician-artist in southwest Missouri. While practicing internal medicine she managed to be in 24 exhibits last year. Learn more at susiesharpe.net. She is grateful that both medicine and art continue to be fulfilling careers. She has become quite a world traveler and an avid tennis player.
Gail Farris has reached a milestone—her daughter, Kim’ 14, married her high school sweetheart in June. No grandchildren in the works yet! Kim is teaching biology at a local high school. Her other daughter, Jen ’16, works in Atlanta, but is hoping to change jobs to one that aligns more with her interest in urban planning and public health. Anyone have ideas? Her son, Dean, strayed from his Wesleyan lineage and is a sophomore at Harvard, where he is making a splash on the swim team. She loves keeping up with the pulse of Wesleyan by hosting the Wesleyan Spirits (men’s a cappella group) each spring as they make their way south for spring break.
Kari (Friedman) Collier has started writing and giving sermons at her place of worship, an Episcopalian church in the diocese of Ohio. She says that once the juices get flowing (writing juices, that is), it has been fairly easy, and very rewarding. Kari says “hello” to everyone who lived in Foss 4 with her, freshman year.
Our near-classmate Steve Bacher ’83 is running for Congress in the 8th District of Pennsylvania, in the Democratic Primary in May. Learn more about his campaign at stevebacher.com. He is being assisted by Mary Melchior ’83.
Anthony Mohl, who is running a permaculture adventure in the middle of the jungle on an island in Thailand, writes: “Soooo tired of the same positive only news…I’ve gone from investment banker and director of portfolio management at a Wall Street firm at 32, divorced with two kids at 35. At 36 was running the bank in Europe for six years. Never believed in marriage again and was in a relationship with a marathon runner and triathlete for nine years in Paris. For three years ran the bank and studied psychology with my girlfriend at René Descartes, Paris 5 (previously known as La Sorbonne). Gave up banking and graduated with high honors as a state group psychologist before being trained as a psychoanalyst for families and couples. This did not prevent my girlfriend and me from breaking up.”
That’s pretty much all the news.
Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu
Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu
NEWSMAKERS | 1980sNEWSMAKERHILLARY WELLS ’84
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Roger is reporting this month…and here is our news:
Ruth Epstein and Chip Smith started a financial and strategic advisory firm called BGP Advisors to help companies in the emerging legal cannabis market navigate the space. Ruth finds these to be very exciting times, especially in California, and she and Chip are running as fast as they can to keep up with market opportunities. They are, of course, happy to talk to anyone interested or involved in this area.
On the personal side, Ruth’s son, Max, graduated from University of California, Berkeley in December with a double major in music and philosophy and is working as an SAT/ACT tutor. Son Alex is a junior at University of California, Santa Cruz, studying philosophy. Ruth would love to catch up with any classmates who find themselves on the left coast.
Chuck Schneider is very happy with a career change he made in May. He left his private practice of 22 years and returned to academic medicine as an oncologist at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where he did his medical oncology fellowship training years ago. Chuck is a clinical professor of medicine with responsibilities that include teaching the fellows, directing clinical trials, and seeing patients.
Speaking of career changes, Rick Okuno has put an end to a 30-year career in financial services and is working as a freelance consultant in Tokyo. He encourages everyone to visit the weird and wonderful world of Japan.
Shakir Farsakh and his family moved to Dubai, where Shakir is the principal commercial officer for the U.S. Consulate in Dubai. The posting will last four years. They make their home in a villa by the beach, and Shakir’s daughter is starting at the Swiss Scientific International School, an IB program with alternating weeks of instruction in French and English.
Julie Reiss is the director of modern and contemporary art and the market, a graduate program at Christie’s Education, New York. The program trains students looking for careers in the art world.
Molly B. Willey Tierney has lived in Santa Cruz since 1987, acquired a husband, produced three kids, and owns a house, a car, and a dog. She works up the coast at a small elementary school. She loves living in a coastal town, near a big city, surrounded by redwoods. Being a mom continues to be the most fantastic thing she’s ever experienced, and dancing is what brings her the most joy.
Michael Zelig has moved to Gulf Breeze, Fla., and is practicing gastroenterology at the Medical Center Clinic in Pensacola.
Francesca Jenkins’ third poetry chapbook collection, Autumn Rumors, has been accepted for publication by CW Books and is slated for publication next fall. Francesca writes and publishes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Her latest blog, which is doing really well, was started in the wake of the 2016 election and features weekly interviews with poets, writers, and other artists; it was launched in an effort to keep inspiration and networks alive in the arts community: writersnreadersii.blogspot.com.
In other publishing news, Charles Huschle’s first book of short stories has been published and is available now on Amazon. Mother Firetrucker Riffs on Love is a collection of short, short stories that take snapshots of relationships, love, death, sex, and family. More info at charleshuschle.com/writing.
Finally, Heidi Ravis has inquired about having a tree on the Wesleyan campus dedicated to our late classmate and dear friend of many of us, Nancy Crown. The plan is to have a ceremony at our 35th Reunion in 2019. Funding for this is being handled by way of donations to Wesleyan. Heidi advises that if you would like to contribute, you can do so through the website, or by mail or phone. Just be sure to indicate that your donation is in memory of Nancy. A contact in the alumni office will track the donations. If you know of anyone else who might want to contribute, please share this information with them. Feel free to contact Heidi with any questions at hbravis@gmail.com.
Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu
Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu
Hillary Wells ’84, executive producer and director of youth media at WGBH, was honored with the 2017 Margret and Hans Rey/Curious George Producer Award. Each year WGBH gives this award—made possible through a bequest to WGBH from author Margret Rey through the Curious George Foundation—to an outstanding producer who works in an area that reflects Rey’s broad interests. Wells has more than 30 years of experience developing and producing multi-platform, multi-partner events, programs, and series. While at Wesleyan, Wells majored in English.
Michael Steven reporting this month.
Michael Bailit has been consulting to the State of Rhode Island for several years and in so doing interacts regularly with the CEO of Coastal Medical, the state’s largest private physician practice. (Michael recently realized that Al Kurose was a member of our 1984 graduating class!)
On the opposite coast, Murrey Nelson catches up those of us who are not in more constant touch. She has been in the nonprofit world since 2006, as a development director for several music organizations (Berkeley Symphony, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorus). She is doing part-time work for the world-renowned male a cappella group, Chanticleer. She serves on various boards and committees, including Sojourn, the multi-faith chaplaincy that serves Zuckerberg (yes, that Zuckerberg) SF General Hospital. (Murrey lives in SF, but reports from a cross-country trip that took her from Toronto to Vancouver).
Blake Nelson (no relation to Murrey) continues to write notable young adult books. His novel, Girl, has been in print for 23 years. (Blake says, “It’s a ‘cult classic,’ which is slightly different than a classic classic.”) He tips his hat to Jenny Altshuler ’83 for being a trusted reader.
Michael Polgar has been selected to attend a summer seminar at the Olga Lengyel Institute (TOLI.us) to help improve and apply his skills in Holocaust and human rights education. He continues to teach sociology at Penn State in Hazleton, Pa.
Andrew Tauber launched a 365-project on Instagram on New Year’s Day, and is posting a photograph each day this year (as andrewtauberimages). His travels include a January trip to Iceland with Lisa, his wife, where his 85-year-old father walked with crampons across a glacier. In April, he and his father went to Paris to view a painting that the Nazis stole from their family in 1940, and which was recovered from a private collection only this year.
Our co-secretary, Roger Pincus, proudly reports that daughter Melanie will be a first-year student at Brown in the fall!
Finally, Jim McGonagle would wager a fair amount that the largest non-wedding, non-funeral, non-Wesleyan-sponsored gathering of Wesleyan folks in some time took place in July at the home of John Ferrara ’88. About 45 Chi Psi fraternity brothers from Wesleyan traveled from 10-plus states to John’s house in North Easton, Mass., partially to show their support for Jim as he fights a battle with advanced prostate cancer. In attendance from the Class of 1984 were Bob Barringer, Gerard Keating, Dave Silver, Mike Kuhn, Steve Peck, Jeff Mehlman, Kevin Miller, and Joel Armijo. Others who joined Jim and his classmates were Brian Fahey ’82, Eric Knauss ’82 and Mike Bannon ’82; Bob Hebert ’83 and Todd Mogren ’83; Ken Janik ’85; Carl Ceva ’86, Charlie Galland ’86, Doug Muller ’86, Jack Kuhn ’86, Ken Johnson ’86, Tony Rella ’86, and Pete Crivelli ’86; Jon Hare ’87, Michael Cooper ’87, Stew Murchie ’87, Terry Dee ’87, Tim Sullivan ’87, and Wayne Stearns ’87; and Andy Campbell ’88, John Ferrara ’88, Jim Van Hoven ’88, Roger Scholl ’88, and Steve Worth ’88; and Todd Marvin ’89.
Also in attendance was John Ferrara’s son, AJ Ferrara ’18, as well as Jonathan Dennett ’15, Nick Cooney ’15, and Zach Gandee ’15, Greg Lurito ’17; Matt Jeye ’18, Nick Coppola ’18, and Mike Velasco ’18; Nick Valicenti ’19 and Danny Rose ’19. Jim adds that one Wesleyan DKE brother was there, his brother, Kevin McGonagle ’92, and one ’84 Williams grad, Jim McGonagle’s twin brother, Jack McGonagle. A special guest appearance was made by Tommy O’Carroll, Irish singer extraordinaire, who entertained the group with his Irish ballads and songs. Tommy O first played at Chi Psi in 1982 or so and played many times at Wesleyan. Jim sends a special shout out to John’s wife, Kate Ferrara, who hosted, with a smile, a 14-hour fraternity party in her backyard—God bless her!
Jim would like to share an emotional e-mail that John’s son, AJ, sent to the group a day after the reunion that means a great deal to Jim and truly captured the entire day: “To see the Chi Psi fraternity brotherhood rally around Jim with such resounding strength really exemplified ‘the cultivation of true friendship.’ The thoughts and prayers of hundreds of brothers, old and new, are with you, Jim, in your recovery. The silver chord has never been stronger. The love you guys continue to show to each other after nearly 30 years of life at the Lodge stands as inspiration to the next generation of brothers and gives us a target to shoot for.” Chi Psi Strong!
Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu
Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu
