Tag: 1990

Hello all! Here’s what we have:

Al Viegas writes with the unexpected news that he will be starting in September as an astronomy professor and observatory director at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, New York. After 35 years in finance, Al has always wanted to teach and is really excited about becoming a part-time professor. “I am still four to five years away from retiring, so this will be mostly a night gig, but it sets me up for another decade or two after retirement working with kids and teaching science, which is great! Ironically, while I did not major in astronomy at Wesleyan, I actually chose Wesleyan because of Van Vleck Observatory! So, life has had a nice boomerang effect here and I am psyched!”

Lara Goldmark wrote in while relaxing in the South of France with her mother’s side of the family, in the same little town where she got married 27 years ago. “At the wedding, back in the day, were several folks who are all doing great—some attended the recent Wesleyan reunion this May and then went on to an off-campus swim team gathering: Maria Floyd Cohen ’91, Susie Wigdale ’89, Jil Zilligen, Courtney Fahy ’89, and Mark Mullen ’89. My co-founder and I recently stayed at Mark’s apartment in Barcelona when we went to pitch her business school buddies to invest in ZForm, our app to eliminate bureaucracy. We hire Wes grads btw. 🙂 End of this month am looking forward to seeing Drew Weissman ’88; he married one of my best friends from high school and they are also doing great.”

Victor Khodadad continues to be heavily involved with his opera company, New Camerata Opera, which is based in New York City. “The 501(c)3 nonprofit organization produced an immersive and thought-provoking production of Peter Brook’s La tragedie de Carmen at The Nagelberg Theatre in Manhattan in the fall of 2024. NCO is also committed to education in the arts and has recently presented all three of its children’s operas—Party at the Opera, Peter Rabbit, and Rumpelstiltskin—at NYC schools. Victor recently joined the board of directors and is gearing up for the next main stage production. More information is available at www.newcamerataopera.org.”

Becky Lloyd DesRoches had a great time catching up with so many classmates at our reunion and plans to make many mini-reunions between now and our 40th. Becky writes of two highlights from the year. In May Becky got promoted to associate professor of psychology at Regis College—“long time coming. The best spring highlight was playing in the South African Grannies International Football Tournament at Nkowankowa Stadium. Yes, I’m that kind of soccer mom—my kids don’t play anymore but I do.”

Tim Freundlich did the pandemic two-step and moved from San Francisco to Newburyport, Massachusetts, in 2020, with Gus (now 16), Milo (now 19, and who just finished his first year at Holy Cross), spouse, Julie Dowd, and small dog, Russell, and a bigger dog, Lexi. Tim has recently co-founded another “impact investing” endeavor, CataCap.org (and still is working at the firm he founded, ImpactAssets).

Finally, Nadine Angress writes that she had a great time attending our 35th Reunion and connecting with many people she hadn’t seen in years. Nadine also went to the Rhode Island home of Jen Zoltners Sherer ’91, “where we had a mini- reunion/memorial with swim team friends to celebrate Ernie Luikart who died in the fall of ’24. From the Class of 1990 there was Jil Zilligen, Wendy Herrick, Ed Brown, Greg Lesser, [and] Dave Griffith. [Other Wes attendees] were Renée Carl ’91,Maria Floyd Cohen ’91, Bill Fabbri ’91, Ann Goebel-Fabbri ’91, Courtney Fahy ’89,and Missy Brown ’89. It was wonderful to remember our cherished friend while also enjoying reconnecting.”

That’s all for now. Wishing everyone happiness in the upcoming holidays. I will be back in touch early next year.

Hi all. Here’s what we have:

Carol Lynne Booth writes with the exciting news that “son, Joshua Booth, got married on August 1 to his longtime boyfriend, Camden Brito. (Josh’s dad is David Booth ’91). They live happily in Seattle with their two cats. David and I are planning a six-week sabbatical in the spring, traveling mostly in Africa and the Middle East. We can’t wait!”

Ruben “Bengy” Ballesteros continues to be a staff attorney with Maryland Legal Aid in Towson, concentrating in representing youth in foster care and public benefits disputes.

Bill Shander shares exciting news: his first book, Stakeholder Whispering: Uncover What People Need Before Doing What They Ask, will be released at the end of April. In the book’s description, it says “author Bill Shander demonstrates how to get from your stakeholders’ ‘order’―what they’re asking for―to what they really need.” Look here for a preview: https://bhv.io/stakeholder-whispering

Al Viegas writes that “this is the year of graduations.” In December 2024, Al’s younger daughter, Ariana, graduated from Colorado College. Then in May 2025, “we have bi-coastal graduations on the same weekend with my oldest daughter, Alessandra ’20, graduating from USC with a MFA in dramatic writing on a Friday, and then two days later, my son will be graduating from Boston University. Meanwhile, my wife, Dora, and I continue to live in NYC, although we moved to the Upper East Side three years ago after living down in Battery Park/Tribeca since I came to NYC in the early 1990s! It’s a different vibe up here. I am reminded of when we first had kids, and it was like a major “aha moment” that you suddenly started to pay attention to other parents with strollers. . .  likewise, now it seems we are starting to notice the old people. . . .”

Speaking of graduations and aging, I hope everyone has our upcoming 35th(!) Reunion on the calendar. Looking forward to a wonderful weekend May 22–25! In the meantime, wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2025! 

Hi all. I hope everyone had a great summer! Here’s what we have: 

Edward Ungvarsky and Olivia Smith ’91 will become “empty nesters this September after their younger daughter leaves to begin Northwestern University and their older child continues to enjoy the life in art and fashion while living on the Lower East Side and attending Fordham College at Lincoln Center, as their ostensible reason to be in New York City. With many empty rooms in the house, classmates and their children are always invited to stay, whether they come to D.C. as travelers or protestors.” 

Carol Cleverdon Booth writes, “I am sad to let you know that my beautiful mom, Mary Lynne Cleverdon, passed away on July 10. She was my rock and inspiration in every way, and I was very blessed to have been her daughter. On the good news side of things, my son, Josh, is getting married on August 1 to his boyfriend of eight years. We are very excited!”

Graham Guest writes, “I have some news, I reckon. I graduated from the University of Dundee (Scotland) on June 20, 2024, with my second PhD. This one was in philosophy; my first PhD was in English lit from University of Glasgow (Scotland) in 2012. I am now living in Durango, Colorado, with my family and teaching philosophy at Fort Lewis College (Durango).” Graham (relatively) recently published a philosophical novel called Henry’s Chapel with Sagging Meniscus Press (Montclair, New Jersey, 2022).

Lauren Willis lives in Berkeley with her spouse, Jonathan, and their kids, Mira (13) and Danica (11). Laura still teaches law at Loyola Marymount University in LA and is also doing a stint at DOJ-Antitrust in D.C. January to July 2025, “we will be at University of Melbourne for my research on consumer financial regulation. Kids are rehearsing, ‘Are you from the down under, mate?’ in their best Aussie accents. Jonathan will be practicing law—Zoom being not much different from Melbourne than from Berkeley, other than the 18-hour time difference. We are hoping the kids can do soccer and possibly theater in Melbourne, so if anyone has any leads on those (or on a place to live in Melbourne) please let me know. And if any Wesfolk living in Melbourne see this, please reach out—we’d love to grab a flat white with you.”

Stephanie Donohue Pilla writes that in “July, Catharine Crane visited NYC, from Birmingham, Alabama, and we saw several other Class of 1990 friends. We enjoyed a fun dinner on the Upper West Side with Andy Eig, Iriss Shimony, Miriam Temin, and Linda Turnbull. The next day, Catharine, Miriam, and I saw Sharene Azimi for an afternoon of boating on the Long Island Sound. We all made a pact to attend our 35th Reunion next year and hope to see as many members of the Class of ’90 as possible!”

That’s all for now. Happy fall/winter to all of you. Please write with any news that you have.

As the magazine went to press, we were saddened to learn of the passing of our classmate Ernie Luikart. We send our condolences to Ernie’s family and friends and will print in the next issue any memories you would like to share. 

Hi all! Here’s what we have:

Victor Khodadad will be singing the role of Don Jose in Peter Brooks’ adaptation La tragedie de Carmen with New Camerata Opera in New York City this fall. Please visit www.newcamerataopera.org for more information. He recently saw Barry Levine for dinner and enjoyed reminiscing about the days of yore!

Jonathan Torop recently moved from UBS (after 11 years) to Morgan Stanley. “It’s a good change and I’m required to be in New York City twice a week, which is great because working from home was getting a bit boring. I’m also getting involved with AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, in order to maintain the bipartisan, pro-Israel consensus in Congress. In addition, I joined a group called the Israel Economic Forum that connects global businesspeople with Israel counterparts. We were in Spain in February where we spent time with members of Spain’s small Jewish community. We have a solidarity mission to Israel in June that I’m looking forward to.”

Peter Brastow and his wife, Carolyn (Gencarella), “are still swimming along—and getting along swimmingly. Thing 1 (Julian) does the ski-bum thing in Bend, Oregon, which will be followed by a stint on the local fire crew for the USFS this summer. Thing 2 (Kaden) will finish up at UCLA in June, and vamos a ver which road he chooses. Carolyn still has her toes in science education, doing a bit of work still for San Francisco Unified School District as well as teaching a class in the education department at San Francisco State University. I, myself, continue to try and save the world in my own little corner (the San Francisco Environment Department), while it otherwise goes to hell in a handbasket.” Peter added: “We’re getting a ton of rain again this winter—maybe won’t quite match last year—and the snow is coming down again in the Sierra, where I’m headed next weekend to ski with my sis.”

Peter and Carolyn regularly see Arieh Rosenbaum, his wife, Barbara, and their two children, who “live about a half mile away.” Their older child is graduating from high school. “Arieh continues to work at the intersection of medicine and information technology as the chief medical informatics officer for Brown and Toland.” Like Peter and Carolyn, he has dreams of retiring soon! In the meantime, he exercises even more than Peter does, and on April 14, completed a triathlon in Folsom, California, where he won his age group! Arieh and Peter, as usual, look forward to next year’s 35th (!) at Wes.

That’s all for now. I hope all of you have been enjoying the summer. Please write with any news or updates that you have.

Sharene Azimi has been “enjoying working at the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) as communications director since 2020. The job puts me in a movement of people working to provide credible news and information to every community—something we believe is important for, you know, the future of American democracy. In between work and raising my two boys as a divorced mom in the New Jersey exurbs, I’ve gone back to the things I love, like tango dancing, choir singing, and travel. I get together regularly with Miriam Temin, and I was delighted that Stephanie Donohue Pilla and Brian Gottesman came to the backyard dance party I threw for my second 50th birthday this summer.”

This spring, Victor Khodadad will be singing the role of Emperor Altoum with St. Petersburg Opera in Florida. He also continues his work with New Camerata Opera, a small, professional opera company based in New York City. Please learn more by visiting www.newcamerataopera.org. 

Andy Russell has been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and recently signed the alumni petition demanding that Wesleyan divest from companies profiting off Israeli occupation.

Hi all. There were some nice updates and Wes memories this time around.

Owen Renfroe fondly remembers: “Best film class: Film Noir, J. Basinger. Taught me nuts-and-bolts lessons about visual storytelling that I use every day at work! Best other class: Arts in America, Creeger/Reed. A glorious walk through American art. A real invitation to explore many great works of art that make up [and] express the American spirit. Who knew Phillip Sousa wrote all those marches!?!.”

Carol Cleverdon Booth recalls that some “of the best music I heard at Wes was in the Foss tunnels—friends jamming in a makeshift band, listening to Straight Ahead in that large underground space. Best classes: Intellectual History of the Enlightenment with Professor Henry Abelove and all my Russian classes. Favorite quote from Professor Irina Aleshkovsky as we first-year students were trying to master writing the Cyrillic alphabet in cursive: “Do not hurry as you write. Remember, time is money only in United States.” Professor Bob Whitman and I stayed in touch, and I am grateful he met my son before he passed.”

Susan Ellman writes that she and Stu ’88 “are well and almost ‘empty nesters.’ Our son, Ben, who was born around our 10th Reunion, works at a real estate private equity firm in New York. Our daughter, Lily, just completed a gap year in Israel and starts college this fall. Stu still works at the VC firm he founded after business school and I am doing a lot of fiction and essay writing in the quiet of this empty nest. It’s not completely quiet, though: Our newest baby is a tricolor corgi named Bamba. He’s very cute, smart, and if Stu could carry him around in a Baby Bjorn, I think he might . . . . A favorite Wesleyan memory? My Low Rise ‘10-Man’ threw an ‘anti-Valentine’s Day’ party, sophomore year. Everyone was instructed to wear black and we served a frightening concoction called Liquid Lust. Stu and I met at that party and started going out shortly after. Favorite course: Woolf, Cather, and Colette taught by Phyllis Rose.”

Victor Khodadad will be performing with New Camerata Opera this fall. More information is available at www.newcamerataopera.org. Victor’s “favorite class while I was at Wesleyan was Acting with Bill Francisco. He was unbelievably talented as a director and acting teacher, and each class was always something that I eagerly looked forward to and learned from immensely.”

That’s all for now. Please write me with any news you would like to share!

Ted Bardacke just completed his fifth year as CEO of Clean Power Alliance, the nation’s largest provider of 100% renewable energy, with over 1 million customers in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Ted recently “spent an evening in LA with my thrice-Wes roommate Robert Featherstone ’89, who is shooting a documentary on the history of Ultimate. And still always find time to visit a few times a year with fellow SoCal Wes grads David Igler ’88 and Cynthia Willard ’88, with whom we are currently commiserating about the (hellish, for the parents) college application process for our four boys around the same age.”

Speaking of the college application process, I loved being back on campus last September with my youngest child, high school junior Camryn. Camryn and I toured campus and attended the information session, but the highlight of our visit was meeting up with Sarah Ellenzweig’s oldest son Charlie ’25, who is currently loving his sophomore year at Wes.

Finally, we were saddened to learn of the passing of our classmate Laurie Harrison. As written by Marc McKayle ’88, Laurie was “brilliant, charismatic, funny and authentic.” We extend sincere condolences to Laurie’s friends and family.

Wishing all of you health and happiness this summer.

Hi all. It was pretty quiet this time around. Here’s what we have:

In September, Lawrence Jackson’s sixth book, Hold It Real Still: Clint Eastwood, Race, and the Cinema of the American West, was published, and he welcomed Andy McGadney ’92, president of Knox College, to the advisory board of the Billie Holiday Center for Liberation Arts at Johns Hopkins. “In September we hosted our fourth annual free jazz concert in Lafayette Square in Baltimore’s historic jazz district, and featured Ian Friday ’87 on the turntables. With Andy’s help, I am looking forward to opening a stand-alone, community-owned, Holiday Center in West Baltimore by 2025, specializing in historical preservation, Black history, and the arts. Bob O’Meally, who was my first professor at Wes, is giving my spring 2023 Donald Bentley Address at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where I am also curating an exhibit of rare Billie Holiday materials. Best of all, my roommate, classmate, and line brother, Alan Smith, co-hosted a reception with me in Baltimore to raise money for a book scholarship in my dad’s (and oldest son’s) name for African Americans at Loyola-Blakefield High School. I encourage my classmates, many of whom met my father, to give generously to the Nathaniel Jackson Jr. Memorial Book Scholarship by emailing Loyola’s director of giving Lisa Kenney,  lkenney@loyolablakefield.org. I hope everyone already has a copy of Shelter: A Black Tale of Homeland Baltimore, which also came out this year.”

Sue Rodrigue McFarland writes that the best part of her autumn “was a leadership conference in San Diego that allowed me to pop up to the Bay Area to spend a couple of days with Julia Erwin-Weiner, Carolyn Gencarella, and Maria Poveromo. It was great to see them and spend some time in the City by the Bay. The weather was gorgeous and Carolyn was a fantastic tour guide!”

Joshua Israel enjoyed family weekend at Wesleyan this fall where his oldest son is a first-year student. He is a physician in Washington, D.C. This past summer he enjoyed a visit with Douglas Remillard ’91 at his home in Mauritius.

We were saddened to learn that our classmate Andrew Borsanyi passed away on May 30, 2022. We extend sincere condolences to his friends and family. Please feel free to share any memories of Andrew for upcoming class notes.

Wishing you all good health and happiness. Hope to hear from you in 2023.