Local news first: Judy and I celebrated our 70th birthdays and 44th anniversary and were recently musing how convenient it is to still be in love. When she noted that this may be more a matter of habit than conviction, I wasn’t taken aback. I can’t be choosy, as anything I get is more than I deserve. However, all this makes us newbies. We hosted Barbara and Dave Webb for a couple of delightful hours on our deck and Dave recounted verbatim the line he used to sweep Barb off her feet at an eighth-grade sock-hop. (He used to share it with his students at Choate in the hopes it might work for them, too.) Dave has kept in touch with a great circle of friends from Wes and reported seeing Paul Jarvis in Chicago while visiting his son, a realtor. They hadn’t gotten together in a while, but Tim Polk’s passing made them—as it should you—realize there are some things you should not put off to next year.

One of the benefits of my job is that I sometimes get into wonderful e-mail exchanges. Bob Svensk ’fessed up to watching a PBS special on Janis Joplin and recalled when she came to Wes. It was Brian McCoy’s first big deal as college social chairman. In a joint deal with Yale—Friday in New Haven and Saturday in Middletown—for $2,500 each at the behest of her agent, this unknown California singer was booked to introduce her to the East Coast. (Brian established the date as March 9, 1968.) After the performance, several of the brothers invited her back to DKE where she swilled Jack Daniels and ate pasta glop without utensils ’til dawn.

I think it’s quite something to look back and consider that, at this point, most of us are grandfathers and she, long gone, has been given her own stamp by the U.S. Postal Service. While I never spent a night in the company of such a character, I—like you—have memories of all sorts from back in the day and it’s for that reason I plan to spend May 24 to 27, 2018 at my 50th Reunion. Sandy See [seescape@verizon.net], Stuart Ober [ober@stuartober.com] and George Reynolds [greynolds@sandefunding.com] continue looking for guys to help out with things.

I caught up with Eric Conger in a call that proved to be an insight into a life in the theater. After Wes, he attended Hartford Seminary until the lottery graced him with a good number. Then he, along with Bob Helsel, revitalized a summer stock theater in Ohio. (Bob pulled a bad number and joined the Navy while Eric continued there for four years, gaining some notice as a director.) Earning his Equity Card after five more years in regional theater, he came to New York and landed a contract on the soap, Another World. Additionally, he spent almost 20 years as an actor at respected venues like Hartford Stage and Princeton’s McCarter Theatre. He countered this gig-to-gig lifestyle by saving like crazy and getting into some real estate ventures. But, by the early ’90s, he wanted to stop traveling and switched into doing voice-overs, commercials, and industrials.

Since 2008, he’s focused on being a playwright and, in 2010, experienced what he described as a “dream experience.” His play, a comedy-drama entitled The Eclectic Experience, was produced at Philadelphia’s 1,200 seat Walnut Street Theatre for a sold-out six-week run. One night Andy Stone hosted an Eclectic reunion that drew 60, at which the guys loosely depicted in the play mingled with the actors playing them in the production. Eric has had two dramas produced at smaller venues and is working on a new project with the support of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. He lives in Weehawken, N.J., with his wife, Gayle Humphrey. Their daughter, Sophia, is making films at Ithaca College and their son, Davis, is entering George Washington. Like many of us this year, Davis is keenly interested in politics.

I spoke with Dave Gruol in August. After a brief flirtation with New York banking (and these were times when bombs were going off and management trainees protested the war during lunch), he hitchhiked through Europe for three months. During that period, he arrived at an American military base at 2 a.m. to see Steve Horvat and was let in and directed to Steve’s barracks. (Reminds me of the time, as a kid, a pilot asked me into the cockpit to help fly the plane.) Always interested in photography, he returned to the States and took a job with a tech wizard doing various commercial projects. In 1980, he went off on his own doing mostly product photography for smaller outfits. (One choice assignment was for a chain of Caribbean hotels.) All the while, he did personal work in black and white; series on boxers, jazz musicians, and a lot of New Jersey urban landscapes many of which are not far from his home in Morristown. Married later in life, his wife, Joan, is involved with the Thomas Nast museum. In good health and very happily self-employed, he is not contemplating retirement. Every summer, he gets together with a wonderful bunch of classmates— Steve Horvat, Dick Emerson, Craig Dodd, Peter Hardin, Jacques LeGette, Ted Ahern, Ray Solomon, and Ron Schroeder—for golf and tall-tales.

Last summer, I inspected Dave Losee’s new digs in Camden, Maine. Apart from the fact his front lawn does not overlook Penobscot Bay, it was perfect. Los—a pitcher who, by his own admission, was no Whitey Ford—most appreciatively remembers Dave Gruol as his center-fielder who would snag anything not put into permanent orbit. Finally, Rich Kremer ’69, one of my all-time favorites, is up in Vermont. A superb golfer back in the day, he is back at it with a particular eye to special courses.

LLOYD BUZZELL | LBuzz463@aol.com
70 Turtle Bay, Branford, CT 06405 | 203/208-5360

Jeff Powell, retired M.D., writes, “I had fun with Rob Pratt as we both have sailboats on Casco Bay near Portland, Maine. Where have the past 47 years gone?”

Jeff Powell ’69 and Robb Pratt ’69

Paul Melrose’s “grandchildren grow bigger. Since we live closer, we are no longer special, just the normal routine. I’m career coaching, especially clergy. Madison, Wis., is a great place to live.”

Ken Kawasaki and wife, Visakha, were “never gardeners, but with 365 days of warm weather, it’s easy. Plant a turnip, get a turnip. What we would give for a good Brussels sprout. Not much frost here. We’ve built three monkey cages: veggies inside, monkeys outside. Fed up with American politics? Come help us set up a cooperative. Sri Lanka is good, and Kandy is great. We have solar hot water and plan to go off the grid.”

John Mihalec “listened to an interview with Tony-winning Broadway director Thomas Kail ’99 on the Wesleyan website. Steve Pfeiffer introduced Kail to Wes, where Kail met Lin Maneul Miranda ’02 and collaborated on expanding Miranda’s Wes-created nugget of songs into a musical, In the Heights. Their latest collaboration is Hamilton...Who knew that sans Pfeiffer, no Hamilton?”

Jim Adkins “now works just a half day a week as an ENT in Tampa, Va. Thirty-eight years of medicine. That’s enough. Two grown kids, each with two children. All are well. Looking forward to traveling more.”

Joe Borcynski writes, “Still alive. Grateful.”

Charles Elbot and his wife “had a delightful visit with Alan Wallace ’70 and Barb Watson ’71, both spry and youthful. Miguel Gomez-Ibãnez ’71 heads the North Bennet Street School in Boston. I work part-time as a leadership coach in the Denver schools. Sons live nearby, so I’m lucky. I remain appreciative of my Wesleyan time.”

Mark Hodgson’s “wife passed away on July 7, sooner than we expected. Being alone for the first time in 38 years is a challenge, but I’m staying busy. One positive thought is how much I have learned about Judi, even after she is gone, and the ways I loved her without even knowing it, and how much my life was changed by her for the better.”

Bill Sketchley was “forced by disability to retire from city planning in 1998. More life and less money is not a bad trade. I contacted Karin Swanson, Mike Hulett’s former wife, by chance in 2015. Interesting perspective on the past.”

Doug Bell is “plugging away. Grasslands Fund is capped with 43 partner/investors. We have 1,500 leased/owned acres growing hemp, raising free-range pigs, and the finishing feed. I manage agricultural projects in Uruguay that include the above, as well as cattle and crops.”

Tom Earle “stays productive. I spent the summer renovating an investment house and worked nonstop. Now I’m back to teaching, a lot easier than tiling and installing cabinets. Maj and I have three grandchildren and enjoy them immensely.”

Tony Mohr and “Bev enjoy their rescued Lhasa Apsos—Ben and Jerry. We witnessed a friend’s wedding in Écully, France, at the Mairie. Lots of fun.”

Dave Siegel has “20 years as chief of medicine at VA Northern California Health Care System and professor and vice chair of internal medicine at UC Davis. I wrote extensively about hypertension and dyslipidemia. I have four grandchildren. Maybe retirement next June when youngest son graduates from medical school, but the thought fills me with anxiety.”

Steve Pfeiffer “sits on a ranch in Livingston, Mont., awaiting Rick Ketterer, John Stinchfield, Jerry Parker, Marc Pickard ’70, and brother Vic ’71 for the annual Wes mini-reunion. Everyone is in good health and spirits. Fishing, hiking, stories, a bit of drinking, and a few cigars. We applaud that Don Russell is now in the Wesleyan Hall of Fame. He coached three Little Three championship teams in our era and was instrumental in the building of the Freeman Athletic Center.”

Rick Pedolsky “enjoys working at a start-up after all these years. Who’s crazy? Spinning off from our interactive museum work, we provide a multimedia system for presenting scientific, medical, and scholarly research: iPosterSessions.com.”

Rick Vila “ran the New York City Marathon to celebrate becoming 70. Sold air charter based on Block Island. Still landscape for residents. Spend winters in Crested Butte pursuing love for aggressive downhill skiing. Sees Walt Filkins ’70 and Pete Canoni.”

Siegfried Beer was “a Larry Gemeinhardt student from ’68 to ’69, which was significant for my career as a history professor in Graz, Austria. I now direct the Botstiber Institute of Austrian-American Studies in Media, Pa. Four children, all American citizens, have gifted me five grandchildren. Sadly, last February, my American wife, whom I wed in the Wesleyan chapel, unexpectedly passed away.”

John Bach “works to stop the proliferation of cluster bombs. Since the U.S. will no longer traffic them, it’s nice to get a victory.”

Barry Turnrose’s “son Erik and wife Dawn had our first grandchild, Jenna Joy Turnrose, the light of our lives. Class of ’38?”

Mike Fairchild did “photography in Hawaii to celebrate my 70th birthday and 50th state. Son, Scott ’00, manages the senate campaign for Catherine Masto, the Nevada attorney general who wants Harry Reid’s seat. Daughter Marnie is a major donor officer for Amnesty International. I saw Bill Redkey ’68, who lives in Heber City, Utah.”

Steve Broker and “Linda visited St. Andrews, New Brunswick, then Grand Manan Island—birding, fishing, lobstering. We visited with Greg McHone there, who succeeded me at Wesleyan’s GLSP program. About to have my right hip replaced and look forward to restored mobility.”

John Crigler and “Steve Darnell met in Middletown for lunch and a campus stroll. Ran into summer security when we visited Clark and Foss. I saw Joe Reed and his wife, Kit.”

Alex Knopp is “president of Norwalk Public Library Directors. Bette’s finishing her novel. Daughter Jess teaches Head Start. Son Andrew writes for an Internet comedy site.”

Darius Brubeck “moved to Rye, East Sussex. I will spend Christmas in Venice with my grandchildren, Nathaniel Elmer ’14 and Lydia ’17. Years Ago available online.”

Bob Watson had “a great family vacation in Iceland where I presented a paper on dreams at a psychoanalytic conference.”

Always love,

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net
11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 

September ’16 responses:

Douglas Cuomo writes, “My family and I (wife, the author Sharon Guskin, two boys Ben and Eli) just returned from a three-week stay in Kathmandu, where Arjuna’s Dilemma, an opera I’d written, was produced and performed. The production by One World Theatre, was mounted by a tremendous cast of artists from eight countries, mostly from Nepal, and was extremely well-received, by both audiences and the press. It was the first time a Western opera has been publicly performed in Nepal, and the experience was beyond description. The difficulties of mounting such a complicated show in a country like Nepal were not inconsiderable, but so were the rewards. You can see pictures and read more at douglasjcuomo.com. We also saw many important historical Buddhist sites, which was extremely meaningful to us, since both Sharon and I are Buddhists, and many important figures in our lineage spent time in Nepal. We visited the Segyu monastery in Kathmandu numerous times, with all four of us teaching English to the young monks living and studying there. I have upcoming performances of new pieces this fall in the UK by the Orchestra of the Swan, and in Florida and D.C., by the chorus, Seraphic Fire.”

Wendy Buskop writes, “My daughter, Jacqueline ’19, is now a sophomore at Wes studying earth and environmental science. She wants an internship with a company that builds robots for marine use, like underwater automated vehicles or remotely operated vehicles. Does anyone know someone that can help her? Contact Jacqueline at jbuskop@wesleyan.edu.”

Tamar Bauer writes, “Kim—Intrigued by your son’s start-up. My daughter is graduating with a mechanical engineering degree this spring. She is also into food and farming, and looking for a way to combine all three. Can we connect them?” (We are in the process of connecting them.)

Melissa Stern writes, “After a three-month run at Redux Contemporary Art Center in Charleston, my exhibition, The Talking Cure, opened at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, where it will reside for eight months. There is a wide variety of programming around the exhibition planned and I expect to travel to Minneapolis several times. In October my solo exhibition, Loose Lips, opened at the University of Alabama and I traveled there for the opening. Lastly, I will be teaching a one-week intensive class about storytelling, drawing, and collage at the famed Penland School of Art. In March, my solo show in New York City will open at Station Independent Gallery.”

May ’16 responses:

Ellen Catala writes, “Your e-mail about David Clair was so beautiful and so moving. I didn’t know David, but I am sure he was just as wonderful a person as you describe. My blessing, I will share on this Mother’s Day, was to spend the past 16 years caring for my mother as she lived with slowly advancing Parkinson’s. She died Apr. 5, and I miss her already, but at least I had the honor, privilege, and joy of taking care of her up to the very end. I found that in the last year, when it was becoming clear she would die from not being able to swallow very well, I started feeling towards her as you feel towards a precious infant. Her somewhat mild dementia allowed me to reach out in a different way than one might usually, and I kissed her often, stroked her hands and head, sung to her, and told her often how much I loved her. Were it not for her condition, I probably would never have expressed these feelings, and although I would have done anything to take away her illness, I still feel blessed by its unexpected consequence.

“Thank you for listening and for all the wonderful, loving work you do for our class. My most sincere sympathy to David’s friends and family. How tragic that he died so young, leaving behind a full life and many people who still needed him. By the way, Kim, you might recall that I shared a poem my son’s friend had written about the blood moon. Well, I am soon to become his foster mother. He was removed from his home a year ago and he is doing well—overcoming a sort of mutism that came on as his home life became traumatic. He continues to write beautifully and I am hopeful that he will benefit from his time with us, and vice versa. Happy Mother’s Day! God bless! Many thanks!”

Halsey Frank writes, “Scary how fast the time goes, even in the slow lane in Maine. We have been here almost 17 years. Our daughter, Laura, who was born in D.C., and was three when we moved, is now a freshman at Cornell after having taken a year off to see a bit of the world. Our son, Alex, who missed being a native-born Mainer by months, is a junior at Portland High and thinking about college himself. In addition to other sports, he plays a lot of soccer, which took us to Indianapolis with his travel team for the nationals last summer. My wife Eva’s latest get-rich-quick scheme is shopping bags with helpful logos such as “All mushrooms are edible, some only once.” I hope this one pays off.

“I am a prosecutor at the U.S. attorney’s office, have been somewhat active in local politics, write a column for The Forecaster weekly, and will once again this summer be trying to figure out how to race the Etchells sailboat I bought with friends (it’s got a lot of controls).”

Brian Hasbrouck writes, “I’m enjoying early retirement in Boston, sing in a couple of choruses, and have a variety of projects.”

John Snook writes, “I’m listed in the class of 1980, but I only attended Wesleyan formally from 1976–1977. I have been volunteering for 24 years at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. I would like to get in touch with some of my friends from the Class of 1980 including Jim Burnett, Bill Moss, Stuart Schonberger, Brook Morris, Addy Dix, and Thom Kleiner. My contact info: johnhsnook@gmail.com and 212/749-2707 or 212/666-3914.”

KIMBERLY OFRIA SELBY | kim_selby@yahoo.com

Joanne writes for this issue. Greetings from the heartland! Summer’s heat has dissipated, mercifully leaving behind cool air, clear skies and sun-dappled trees whose leaves are just barely brushed with a hint of the fall splendor to come. By the time you read this, however, winter will be settled upon us—perhaps under a blanket of snow, depending on your location.

As David Block wrote in the last set of notes, our 35th Reunion was not only a success but, quite simply, a blast! Reunion provided a wonderful opportunity to meet up with old friends, reconnect with acquaintances, and actually meet classmates that we hadn’t perhaps ever met! Hearing so many people’s stories just brings to mind what an astoundingly amazing and talented group our class is! Class of ’81 set the record for attendance with 94 attendees.

Committee Co-Chair Delcy Ziac Fox reported that 229 gifts raised $382,345 and she thanks everyone “for being so generous with your time, talent, and treasure.” On a more personal note, she shared three milestones in the Ziac-Fox family: “Our son graduated from Boston University; our daughter is beginning her college career at the University of Vermont; and my husband and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary! For our triple celebration, the family traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii, partaking in the release of turtles into the wild, hiking in Volcanoes National Park, and bodysurfing at Green Sands Beach…both exhilarating and relaxing!”

Joan Boughton wrote to say that she enjoyed Reunion with her husband, Henry, and also commemorated the graduation of daughter Andie Kleeman ’16. “The whole family (including our newly-engaged older daughter, Natalie, her fiancé, and my wonderful mother-in-law) was able to attend the celebration. In addition, I caught up with Tonie Kline, my best friend from Wes who also had a daughter, Julia Clemens ’16, graduating. Wesleyan remains a big, lovely part of our lives!”

My freshman-year roommate, Martha Arntzen Bockian, fell ill at the last minute and could not make Reunion. She did write, however, to let me know that in addition to her ongoing work in clinical psychology, she started a school. “It’s a Jewish school using a democratic model, and to my knowledge, is the only democratic school that has gone religious. I also spent eight weeks in Israel over the summer attending a seminar on how to turn a nonprofit into a sustainable business.” The best part, however, was “getting to spend time with my daughter Chaya, who emigrated to Israel last year and is doing National Service.”

Steve Misarski, who has been pastor of the English Congregation of the Chinese Gospel Church of Massachusetts for four years, is also still active in the military (24-plus years) as a lieutenant colonel, serving as the wing chaplain of the Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Mass. In addition, he has been working on his doctorate (“I’m a late bloomer!” he quips) which he hopes to have finished by spring of 2017. “My wife, Jan, and I celebrated 33 years of marriage. Together, we conduct marriage conferences for military personnel and New England churches. We have sent our third child off to college this fall, and we have one left at home. God has been good to us!”

Sofia Marchant, an editor and content consultant, wrote in from San Francisco. “My daughter, Isabella Banks ’15, was awarded a Watson Fellowship to study restorative justice practices. This required a year abroad, and she visited 10 countries. What an amazing experience for her, even though we missed her.”

Keeping her company at home is son Ezra, an eighth grader, and her husband, Joseph Banks, who recently edited a documentary film called It Ain’t Pretty, which opened the San Francisco Documentary Film Festival.

Congratulations to Laurie Jacobs, who is “very excited” to be starting as chairman of medicine at Hackensack-Meridian Health and the new medical school at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.

Chris Graves, chairman of Oglivy Public Relations, added yet another accolade to his already impressive résumé: recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation’s prestigious Bellagio Residency. The residency on Italy’s Lake Como permitted Chris to continue his work to turn findings from cognitive neuroscience and behavioral economics into practical applications in the communications field. In addition, Chris worked collectively with other award-winners to explore how a better understanding of human behavior can enhance resilience-building efforts and create more inclusive economies that work for everyone, particularly the poor and vulnerable.

John Ravenal is now fully ensconced as director of deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in the Boston area. He was involved in an exciting curatorial project that “brings together the work of Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch.” The exhibit opened in Oslo in June, then traveled to Richmond, Va., in November. (The catalog is available from Yale University Press.)

Andra Rose, a climate activist, is deeply involved with a group called Mothers Out Front (not just for mothers). Although coming off a divorce after 29 years of marriage, Andra is very happy and excited about the successful culmination of a 22-year long challenging project: raising children! Daughter Ruth (known as “Fred”) just began her first year at the University of Chicago. Son Solomon Goldstein-Rose, who graduated from Brown University in May 2016, was elected State Representative from Andra’s home district in Amherst, Mass., where he intends to solve the climate crisis.

In conclusion, it is with great sadness that I announce the death of our classmate Paula Blank, a longtime professor of English at the College of William and Mary, who died unexpectedly at her home in Williamsburg, Va., this past August. Paula was a world-renowned scholar of Early Modern English, recipient of several highly selective fellowships, and also the recipient of her university’s Award for Faculty Excellence for her exemplary achievements in teaching, research and service. We extend our deepest sympathy to Paula’s family and friends.

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

Joanne Godin Audretsch | Berlinjo@aol.com

No big, overarching themes, but a pupu platter of tasty tidbits from the Class of 1982 in these notes!

I’ll start with my buddy Roger Hale, with whom I had a delightful, daylong visit in mid-September, strolling the streets of D.C. and exploring the Phillips Collection, an emporium of Impressionist art. Never a dull time with Rog. I am happy to report that he and his family are living happily in San Jose, Calif.

Harold Bordwin writes that he and his wife, Julie Broude Bordwin, ran into Bob Russo at the Newport Folk Festival. “It was our sixth year at NFF, and (we) expect to keep the summer tradition going forward,” he said. “We’re just back from a 10-day family vacation to Croatia and Montenegro with our boys, Jesse ’10 and Simon (Bowdoin, 2013).”

Speaking of Bob Russo, he has sent us an update as well, sharing that his younger son just completed his freshman year at Oberlin College, “which feels to me like Wesleyan moved to Ohio,” he writes. “Once again this summer, a group of us (Mike Levine, Anthony Pahigian, Mike Greenstein ’83, Steve Davies ’83, and Joe Barrett) got together on Chappaquiddick Island at Joe’s cottage and had fun fishing, kayaking, bike riding, and catching up.”

Julie Kraushaar Zurcher writes that she “is thrilled to be returning to the Wesleyan campus on a regular basis again!” Her son, Bryce ’18, was accepted into the film studies program and is loving his time at Wesleyan, “both in and out of the classroom,” Julie writes. “His work with the film board and Cardinal Pictures has made him friends for life and enriched both his knowledge of and passion for film. So proud of the many great opportunities Wesleyan affords its students (and alumni!), and happier than ever to be a Cardinal. I was fortunate enough this August to attend our local Bay Area Summer Sendoff, where I met many amazing members of the Class of 2020 and their families. Also reconnected with my dear friend, Anne Anderson ’82, whose daughter, Brooke ’19, is at Wesleyan.”

Mark Leuchten’s update (his first since graduation!) reads thusly: “A career in landscape design, feng shui, fatherhood, and a complete old house renovation have given way to a return to oil painting,” he says. “My wife, Patty, runs her own business in Princeton, N.J., where she walks to work. We have lived in town for 25 years. I built an art studio in the backyard and will be spending more time there now that our youngest daughter, Jolene, will be leaving home to join her sister, Emma ’19, at Wesleyan. (Yes, both daughters at Wesleyan—we’re so proud!) But first she’s off to Myanmar for the first half of a gap year. Our son, Michael, is on the West Coast finishing a film major at UCSC.”

Kudos are in order for Sasha Alpert. We have just learned that she was a co-producer on a just-released film, They Call Us Monsters. A documentary about the juvenile justice system, the movie has been making the rounds, including at the 2016 LA Film Festival.

Patty Smith writes, “I am thrilled to announce that my debut novel, The Year of Needy Girls, is being published by Kaylie Jones Books, (Kaylie Jones ’81), an imprint of Akashic Books (Johnny Temple ’88). It will be out on Jan. 3. She adds: “Hope to see some of you at book events this spring and summer. Ginny Pye will be interviewing me at one event in Porter Square Books in May. Check my website: patricia-smith.com to see if I’ll be reading anywhere nearby—I’d love to see Wes friends!“

One other note: The years continue to slip by, dear friends, and our 35th Reunion is just around the corner! Can you believe it? A little reminder to mark your calendars now, if you have not already.

That also means, after five years in this gig, that my time as your class secretary is quickly drawing to a close. If you’re interested in taking up the mantle, Cynthia Rockwell (crockwell@wesleyan.edu) and the wonderful folks at the alumni office would be delighted to hear from you! Until then, keep those e-mails coming to me for a few months longer!

Stephanie Griffith | stephaniedgriffith@gmail.com

Here are a few updates from the Class of 1983:

Andrea Corney ’83 and Chris Carneghi wedding

Kirsten Wasson has been living in LA for three years, and works at a progressive high school as college counselor and internship coordinator. Her son, Noah, also moved to LA, and is acting and modeling. Kirsten is hiking, swimming, and writing. She traveled to Guatemala this fall.

Holly Gruskay writes, “I’ve been busy this summer juggling my kids’ sports activities as well as working to pay for it all. Son Seth Halpern finished out his high school swim teams with wonderful times, and just left us to study at RPI’s School of Science. Daughter Sofie Halpern is in recruiting mode for girls’ ice hockey…mostly to engineering schools, as well as NESCAC (yes, Wesleyan, you’re on the list!). We’ll be spending virtually every weekend this fall in Boston’s NEGHL league.”

Eve Silverman writes, “I know it’s been many years since I’ve submitted notes. I’ve been hit with a spell of nostalgia having just dropped off my firstborn at college. I’m approaching my 20th wedding anniversary and my 30th graduate school reunion, yikes. Old, yes, but happy living a split existence between southwest Connecticut and Mad River Valley, Vermont. Hope everyone is well!”

Cheri Weiss, former class secretary, supplies us with an update. She has been featured in the San Diego Union Tribune about her work as a cantor-in-training, bringing High Holy Days prayers and songs to shut-ins. Find a link to the article on the online class notes section at classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu.

Mini-Wes Reunion. From L to R:  Frank Moll ’84, Melanie Peters ’83, Dottie Jankowski, Taya Glotzer ’83, Michael Sommer ’83, Diana Moll, Peter Jankowski “83

Andrea Corney writes, “I finally have an update! Late bloomer that I am, on Aug. 20 I got married for the first time. My sweetheart is Chris Carneghi. His hair is so short because it all fell out during chemo. We were married at my parents’ retirement community in Saratoga, Calif. The great thing about getting married this late in life is that you can wear comfortable clothes and enjoy the day because you realize that as long as every guest feels welcomed and included, the day is perfect, even if none of the details are. We are savoring every day and hoping the chemo and radiation did the job.” For a photo of the wedding, see the online class notes.

Taya Glotzer attended a Wes reunion this summer in upstate New York at the Jankowski’s summer home. She was joined by Frank Moll ’84, Melanie Peters, Dottie Jankowski, Michael Sommer, Diana Moll, and Peter Jankowski.

Lastly, Sue Spaulding has photos from the Fort Bragg, Calif., Labor Day parade.

Laurie Hills | lauriec@rci.rutgers.edu

Class of 1983: The Stuff of Which Legends are Made.

Peter Stine ’84 and son Milo

Greetings, Fellow classmates. Michael Steven reporting this month. First up are my Gingerbread House alumni Peter Stine and Michael (“Misi”) Polgar. Peter, who chairs the department of physics and engineering at Bloomsburg University, reports the birth of his son, Milo, last April. Peter also referees roller derby. Misi lives with his family near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and teaches sociology at Penn State; he’d like to hear from classmates on any topic, especially the Holocaust and human rights education.

Gail Farris joins the rest of us recent empty-nesters after dropping her son, Dean, off at Harvard. Her daughter, Kim ’14, is engaged and will marry her high-school sweetheart next June. Her other daughter, Jen ’16, just graduated from Wes this year.

Alison Picher is a registered reverend of psychic healing and reading, and officiated her first wedding this summer at (appropriately enough) the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. She is also a pet psychic, helping humans communicate with their pets. Her website is alisonstanton.co (that’s co, not com). Her husband, Chris Allan ’83, started a consulting business as a social change evangelist, doing international evaluations and trainings on climate change adaptation and development. He’s spent many months in countries near the Sahara Desert this year. His website is chrisallan.info.

The 77 Home Avenue crew in Cancun: David Booker ’84, Lesley Berglund ’84, Larry Hafetz ’84, Kevin McGowan ’84, Mitzi Fennel ’84, and Jennifer Hutchinson McGowan ’85, plus family.

Alison also tells a story of Lisa Rein and Bonnie Auslander searching for Bonnie’s cat in the Colorado mountains, and attending a Sting/Peter Gabriel concert in Seattle with Deborah Wang. Alison’s daughter, Nina, spent the year in Boston and ran into Andrea Roman in a coffee shop. Nina works at NIH in malaria research, and Alison’s son, Ben, has moved out and works at a health food store.

Steve Herzog only had time to write that his daughter is a senior at Kenyon.

Jonathan Sadowsky has a book coming out from Routledge Press, Electroconvulsive Therapy in America: The Anatomy of a Medical Controversy. He completed nine years as the chair of the history department at Case Western Reserve University and remains on the faculty.

Joseph Pieropan was named Prosecutor of the Year in recognition of his 29 years as an assistant district attorney in the Berkshire District Attorney’s office. He lives in Pittsfield, Mass., with his wife, Amy, seven dogs, and two cats.

Li Wen is a design principal at Gensler LA, directing a variety of projects. She lives the urban life in Central Hollywood, and is a board member of LA Contemporary Exhibits. She enjoys exploring the various natural and urban landscapes of LA and California.

Mitzi Fennel sent us a wonderful picture. She and her 77 Home Ave. classmates get together every couple of years, and this year she was in Cancun with David Booker, Lesley Berglund, Larry Hafetz, Kevin McGowan, and Jennifer Hutchinson McGowan ’85.

Susan Crown ’84 with her children

Finally, some very sad news. Our classmate, Nancy Myron Crown, passed away suddenly in June, leaving behind her children, Molly and Sam. Her sister Susan contacted us to make sure Nancy was remembered in this issue. Nancy went from Wesleyan to Northwestern University, and went on to develop affordable housing in cities around the country, eventually joining the Charlotte Housing Authority. Recently, her frustration with the divisive political climate in the country drove her to found (with her sisters) a grassroots effort to encourage civil political discourse called Bridge the Political Divide.

Buffy Martin Brouckman attended Nancy’s memorial service, along with Foss 9 freshman hallmates Ina Jacobs, Heidi Ravis, and Linda Clumeck. Buffy remembers walking the High Line in NYC with Nancy and a few other friends just last year. She hopes that her own daughters will form the sort of friendships she had with Nancy and their other freshman year friends.

A longer obituary can be found here. Nancy’s sister encourages us all to sign the petition at the website above; and in lieu of flowers, to make a donation to Loaves and Fishes.

Roger Pincus | rpincus84@wesleyan.edu

Michael Steven Schultz | mschultz84@wesleyan.edu

Mary Beth writes for this issue. Vicente Caride joined Johnson & Johnson’s global strategic design office in New York City, where he is heading up digital design. Melissa Marks ’87 created an exciting site-specific art installation and exhibition in Vélez Blanco, Spain, this past August. Melissa’s Double Self Split was created as a spontaneous, three-week performance, with her painting covering 100 square meters of the courtyard of the Castillo de los Fajardo. The site-specific work is a reciprocal cultural gesture between Spain and New York, Melissa’s home, referencing the relocation of the original castle patio within The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sixteen large composite drawings were concurrently exhibited inside the 16th century Iglesia del Convento de San Luis. Melissa was honored by locals with the nickname “La Brocha” (The Brush), and the events were covered by the national Spanish press. Melissa and Vicente’s son, Archie, is enjoying his sophomore year in high school, is on the student council and is co-founder of the hip-hop club.

There have been lots of changes for Terry McClenahan and his family: “We moved from Manhattan to Buffalo as of August. My wife, Kara Kelly, M.D., is the new chief of pediatrics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. I’m leaving a fantastic job at FSI Architecture and many years of chief refereeing and head coaching in the West Side Soccer League. Our 13-year-old son, Rory, graduated from The School at Columbia University on a Monday and we moved out the next Sunday. Before the final move, we lived for the summer near Asbury Park in Ocean Grove, N.J. Last September our gutsy 16-year-old, Katie, left to attend Buffalo Seminary (non-religious girls’ school founded 1851). As a boarder she joined the sailing team and aced all her courses! My great son, Matt, now 26, is completing courses in structural timber framing at Sterling College in Vermont. And soon I’ll send photos of our new dog!”

Crystal Turner-Moffatt was married this September at a waterfront sunset ceremony in Peekskill, N.Y., to Jayson Moffatt of Stratford, Conn. Crystal and Jayson honeymooned in St. Thomas, where they also had a romantic beach ceremony. Crystal has been the owner of CDT EHS Consulting, LLC., a safety consulting firm, since 2007. Crystal also works for MP Engineers and serves as a safety consultant for the Office of General Services (OGS) for the State of New York. The couple will reside in Milford, Conn.

Wendy Buffett writes, “There’s something embarrassing about realizing that ’news’ right now constitutes being in the middle of a kitchen remodel! I had a wonderful time going back to Wesleyan in May to celebrate the retirement of Abraham Adzenyah MA ’79 and to dance again with Denise Paasche on campus. Joel Kreisberg ’82 and I have been married for the past eight years and are still sending teens out into the world. His oldest is working in Chicago and his youngest is at Oberlin. My daughter is at UCLA and we have a junior in high school who is just starting the process of finding his next gig. I’m practicing integrative primary care in Albany, Calif., and am quite grateful to have two black Labs to walk around the neighborhood.”

Amy Huber writes, “After 25 years living abroad, I have just completed my first year back in the USA. My third career has turned into my true vocation. I am employed as a high school math teacher in my local community of Rockport, Mass., teaching calculus, pre-calculus, and algebra. My oldest son is pursuing a career as a performance artist in London. My second son is in Japan to do a PhD at Kyoto University after graduating from Brown. My third son is a junior at UCSD studying global health and politics. My fourth son is a high school senior and in no hurry to leave home! I am looking forward to attending the Head of the Charles in October to see Marta Benson ’84 and Amy Baltzell ’87.”

Craig Pospisil: “As I write this, my daughter has just celebrated her second birthday. Elmo from Sesame Street played a big role, appearing on a balloon, every plate, napkin, cup, and the cake, too. In non-Elmo news: My play, Months on End, had a successful run in Hong Kong this past spring that was extended and taken to Foshan and Guangzhou, China. My one-act play, There’s No One Here, was published in Best American Short Plays 2014-2015. My short film, January, was accepted into the Adirondack Film Festival and the Nottingham International Film Festival, so it’s been a busy time!”

Nick Hill lives in Needham, Mass. with his wife, Audrey, and his son, Kevin, who graduated from Mass College of Liberal Arts with a degree in environmental science and semiotics. Nick has been working in the energy management field for 30 years, “and suddenly I’m in a sexy industry! Wow, I’m now in Cleantech!” For the past 14 years, he has consulted with businesses, universities, and municipalities to manage costs via energy efficiency, renewable energy projects, and energy procurement. Nick volunteers as a mentor with the Northeast Cleantech Open, an “accelerator [program] for early-stage clean technology startup companies” in New York and New England. This past summer he ran their program for startup teams. Nick is a board member of his local “green” committee alongside Jim Glickman ’84. Jim’s an attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor in Boston. I remembered him from my days in the Olin Reserve Room, checking out two-hour readings to beleaguered government and econ majors.

John Vigman writes, “Working most of the time out of Tokyo and Hong Kong, anyone out in Hong Kong out there? If so, lets grab a beer: john.vigman@gmail.com.”

Lisa Nevans Locke received a Montgomery College Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Scholarly or Professional Accomplishments. The award reflects her work over the past 12 years as an adjunct professor of English, and her more than 25 years in journalism. In his remarks, Dr. Sanjay Rai, senior vice president for academic affairs who presented the award, noted her many journalism awards (including an Arkansas Associated Press Managing Editors’ Award and a Society for Professional Journalists’ Dateline Award); previous work as a Congressional and White House correspondent; work for D.C.-area newspapers and magazines; and stories published in newspapers in places as far-flung as New York, Hawaii, and Hong Kong. Dr. Rai said, “This award recognizes your outstanding scholarly or professional accomplishment and sustained contributions to your department, your campus, the College, and the community.” He quoted a student who described her as “a teacher who speaks her mind to set an example to [students to] share their ideas with others.” Lisa has focused on teaching students from underrepresented communities and demographics who are frequently the first person or generation in their families to go to college.

CAROLINE WILKINS | cwilkins85@yahoo.com

MARY BETH KILKELLY | mbkeds@yahoo.com

Thanks again to all of the classmates who came to our Reunion earlier this year. It was great to see so many people having a good time—from meeting with old friends to learning about interesting ideas by Wes alumni they hadn’t met before. It’s 4.5 years to our next big Reunion, but all are welcome to come to campus next spring to participate in Reunion and Commencement Weekend. I think some of us even have a child graduating from Wes next spring.

From our classmates, here are some updates. Ayelet Waldman has a new book coming out: A Really Good Day: How a Microdose Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage and My Life. Elaine Taylor-Klaus and her co-author, Diane Dempster, also have a book coming out: Parenting ADHD Now! Easy Intervention Strategies to Empower Kids with ADHD. Elaine’s middle daughter is a frosh at Wes, as is the daughter of William Greene, who is still in San Francisco and CEO of Iconic Therapeutics. And there are probably some others in our class who are now ’86, P’20.

Liza Baron and her husband, Bart, were given their first foster baby in June. He’s a 9-month-old boy, and they are hoping to adopt him if none of his family members qualify to get him. They will know for sure early next year. “It is tiring to care for an infant again, but we are so enjoying it, and he has brought us a lot of love and joy.”

Debbie Roff is concluding a stint as the coordinator of community service for the Kinkaid School in Houston, where she directed a program in which 600 students complete more than 4,000 hours of service through 90-100 projects per year. They have done the usual building houses with Habitat for Humanity, tutoring underserved elementary school kids, playing cognitive games with residents at retirement centers, and feeding the hungry. Her students also initiated original projects including a music enrichment program for children living in a shelter, after-school field trips for inner-city children to tour Houston’s bayou and forested wetlands, and a bocce ball tournament for 150 Special Olympics athletes who will compete on 20 bocce courts constructed on the school’s football field.

Kathryn Lotspeich Villano is still super involved with Lotus House Shelter for Women and Children in Miami. She’s facilitating the addition of a free clinic for guests and uninsured neighbors and hopes to integrate functional medicine group visits for chronic disease management. Also, active in this sector is Marsha Cohen, who is executive director of the Homeless Advocacy Project in Philadelphia.

Lucy Malatesta is still involved with the homeless outreach organizations: Family Promise of Morris County and Bridges Outreach in Summit, N.J. This spring, Lucy and her son put together a wonderfully creative event. He’s on a robotics team, so they linked up with a friendly rival team, made 150 brown bag lunches, and convened for a competition. After feeding and hanging out with various homeless friends, they put on a little robotics demonstration. “It was a terrible, windy, freezing day, but our homeless friends stayed and watched as if they were these kids’ uncles, aunts, or grandparents, not wanting to disappoint these young people who had made an effort to connect with them. It was so sweet and lovely and important. People cannot move forward if they don’t believe in their own humanity.”

On our Reunion weekend, Emily Cowan heard that she had been hired by Between Us Associates, a group psychotherapy practice in Manchester, N.H. “I’m very happy there, after years of scraping by and fretting in a solo private practice. For fun I went rock-climbing and visited friends in Massachusetts and Connecticut.” She also noted that two good friends each lost their mothers. “I discovered that it’s a sacred time, when the everyday is sometimes indistinguishable from the profound.”

Ellen Santistevan says that she collaborated with a trans-massage therapist to create an ethics class for LMTs called The Trans Body On the Table. “There doesn’t seem to be any other class like it in the whole country, so we are pretty stoked about that. Who knows where it might lead? But it’s very important work nonetheless.” Ellen also went through the program from the Celebrant Institute and Foundation to become a life-cycle celebrant. This feels like important work to do as well, at a time when ritual and recognition of many important life passages go unremarked except for weddings and funerals and graduations!

Eric Howard | ehoward86@wesleyan.edu

Hi everyone! Please mark your calendars for our 30th Reunion, May 25 to 28. Don’t think about it, just do it!

The day I sent out my query for notes, I immediately received a few (understandably) excited responses: Brad Lubin moved his daughter into Clark today. “Looking forward to her getting her Wes on.” Then from Trisha Lindemann: “I’m at Wesleyan right now dropping off my son, Jordan ’19, who is entering as a junior transfer student. So I guess that is news!” And from Steve Warner and Martha Haakmat: “We just dropped our middle daughter, Georgia ’20, off to join the Wes class of 2020. Being on campus brought back such great memories. We were tempted to stow away in Georgia’s room and live our Wes years all over again. It felt so good to know that although Wesleyan has changed and grown with new buildings and air-conditioned dorms and amazing new facilities, the heart and soul of the school feels exactly the same. We are so excited for Georgia and her 780 classmates!”

And in other news: Just over a year ago, Gabrielle Sellei celebrated 20 years of practice by finally launching her own law firm. “It’s going very well and I am thrilled. My practice is about half business/transactional work and half entertainment law, particularly television, film and literary/writers. I get to work with some of the smartest, cleverest, and coolest people around, and I do my little part to make their thing happen; I feel extremely lucky. Dave Sinkway and I have a 15-year-old daughter, Lily, and a 13-year-old son, Adam, who get their athleticism from their dad and their snarky humor from their mom. Life is good here in Philadelphia!”

Robert Norden writes,“This year marks the 30th year of my owning and operating America’s oldest tavern, The 76 House, just outside of Manhattan in Tappan, N.Y. It was recently the centerpiece of the AMC miniseries, Turn, but is best known for our farm-to-table cuisine and craft brews and ciders all served with a large slice of history!”

Sumana Chandrasekhar Rangachar and her hubby, Raghu Rangachar, just celebrated their 25th anniversary out in Boulder, Colo., and were fortunate to spend two fabulous days with Johanna Van Hise Heart and Simon Heart, who are living there. Other Wes friends she has seen include Pauline Frommer ’88, Eileen Deignan, Ruth Bodian ’88, Lucille Renwick Archibold, and Michele Ahern. She is looking forward to our 30th (eek!) Reunion next year with as many of you as possible!

Amy Baltzell has big news this year: “In addition to having a child in elementary school (Zoey), middle school (Luke), and high school (Shayna), I wrote a new book, Mindfulness & Performance, with Cambridge University Press (2016). I also was just elected president-elect for the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.”

Sue Roginski: “I’ve been teaching, choreographing, and gearing up for Trolley Dances Riverside. In July, I was humbled with an award called Arts Honoree of the Month by the City of Riverside and the Riverside Arts Council. This recognition took notice of various projects that I facilitate within the nonprofit called P.L.A.C.E. Performance. Down time was definitely needed so I headed East to see family and made a quick stop in NYC to have dinner with Molly Rabinowitz and George Kirjanov. Hoping to catch up with more Wes friends in May!”

Ian Rosen writes from London. “Family is doing well. Five years in and my firm, Temporis Capital, is thriving. We are focused on investment management in sustainability and renewable energy.”

David Goldberg writes, “Simon Connor, Susan (Toothaker) Skovron, John Skovron, and I caught up and got back on the bus for a night with Dead and Co., at the Gorge in Washington. Thirty years after graduation, we’re still able to let our hair down and share some laughs and experiences raising our kids. (The Skovrons’ daughter, Rosie ’20, is headed to Wes this fall.) I’m just starting work on a City of Seattle environmental justice and equitable development initiative for Seattle’s industrial center in the Duwamish Valley. I’d love to hear from classmates working on these issues elsewhere.”

Kim Sargent-Wishart has big news. “I finished my PhD this year in performance studies at Victoria University in Melbourne. Titled Making Nothing Out of Something: Emptiness, Embodiment, and Creative Activity, it was an adventure in somatic research into human anatomy and embryology, creative practices of dance/filmmaking, contemplative photography, and Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. It brought me right back to my Wesleyan days of studying John Cage and doing pedestrian dance, except now we have the Internet. Last year, my family moved down to Warrnambool, where we get to enjoy the beach on the rare days when the wind dies down. I’ve been involved in a local arts organization here, helping run a volunteer art gallery and shop and a new artist-in-residence program. I’ve also been consulting on an embodied leadership program, leading some photography and Body-Mind Centering workshops, teaching Pilates, and starting up a professional development program in Melbourne based in somatics and contemplative arts. My son, Jarrah, is a teenager now and rocking the violin, guitar, and trombone in several bands while questioning the value of a standard education. Luckily we like the same music. My son, Rico, is 9 and loves telling jokes. My partner, Llewellyn, is a full-time academic and also trying to finish his doctorate by next year. We’re hoping there’s a sanity light at the end of this tunnel!”

Josh Bellin’s next novel, the young adult science fiction adventure/romance, Freefall, has been accepted for publication, with an anticipated fall 2017 release date.

And finally, it breaks my heart to report that we lost a classmate recently, Anna Luhrmann Dewdney. I wish I had known her.

As for me, I think this stage in life is challenging, but interesting. And I’m hoping to find myself any day now. See you in May.

With love,

Amanda Jacobs Wolf | wolfabj@gmail.com

Peter writes for this issue. Justine Gubar reports: “I’ve moved to Miami to work at Fusion, Univision’s English-language cable network and digital platform, as the supervising producer of investigations.”

Pat McDarrah connected with some classmates in San Francisco, notably Jono Marcus, Andy Weissman, Robert Wilder, and Michael Shaffer. Pat writes, “Rob’s new novel, Nickel, is now available in stores and online. Jono just became a father for the second time. Andy came out to Bay Area to see a Phish show with Wilder, and they also had a mini-Wesleyan reunion at Toronado. Shaffer just started at Dropbox after a long stint at EA (Electronic Arts). He has a new son named Dylan. I’m good. All settled into NorCal life and will celebrate six years here this December with my wife, Emma Gardner ’89. We are up in Petaluma, Sonoma County. Look us up if you’re visiting wine country! I still keep in touch with other classmates. Perry Klebahn is a professor at Stanford and makes occasional appearances out. Dylan MacDonald comes out for beers. I saw my freshman roommate Chris Strobel ’89. His family moved to Dallas.”

Steve Pike writes, “I have retired from the Foreign Service in July 2016 and am now assistant professor of public relations at Syracuse University’s S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. My wife, Jenny, my kids, Aubrey and Zach, and I are getting used to a whole new life in Central New York, and looking forward to staying in one place for a while instead of moving every two to three years!”

Harry Berger sends an update: “I have taken a position as the tier one Canada research chair in ethnomusicology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where I will serve as director of the Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media, and Place, and professor of music and folklore. It’s a great gig at an excellent university in a wonderful town, St. John’s. My family and I are very happy to have made the move.”

Rob Wrubel shares, “David Mendels and Leila Yassa put together a weekend for their birthdays and invited a bunch of Wes friends and their families to celebrate at Squam Lake in New Hampshire. We spent the last weekend of June with Rob Krulak, Judy Haas, Laura Flynn, Karin Stack, Ryan Alexander, Carrie Corrigan, and other friends. There were close to 50 people paddle boarding, swimming in the lake, and catching up.”

John “Sparky” Ferrara writes, “In July, a Chi Psi reunion party was held at my Massachusetts home. The celebration was a weekend-long party that included the 1980s campus favorite Tommy O’Carroll, Irish folk singer. Attendees (60-plus) represented 13 Wesleyan classes spanning over 35 years, traveling from 10 states. Wes ’88 alumni included Jim Van Hoven, Stephen Worth, Andy Campbell, and Roger Scholl, among others.”

Tim McCallum reports some major changes in his life: “In 2014, I sold my business. In 2015, I moved to Hawaii. In 2016, my first kid arrives. In 2017, I can’t even imagine…”

Linda Brinen-Stout writes, “We are living in Mill Valley, Calif., and I’m still at UCSF, as an associate professor of pharmacology. In July and August, my husband, 11-year-old son, and I took an amazing trip to Alaska to celebrate the combination of my 50th birthday and seven years of survival post-brain cancer. We took a small plane into McCarthy, Alaska and explored from there. Unbelievable sights and experiences on land, glacier, in the air, and on the water throughout the trip.”

Jennifer Taylor writes, “I’m three weeks into my new position as director of design and construction at OHSU in Portland, Ore. This is an exciting career shift for me from practicing architecture to working on the owner side overseeing the department that runs all the construction projects for the hospital and university. It also means a return to Portland from the Bay Area. My whole family is enjoying being back in our house and neighborhood! I also had the pleasure of seeing Dina Goldman and meeting her son when they passed through Portland.”

Peter V.S. Bond | 007@pvsb.org 

Hillary Ross | hrossdance@yahoo.com

← 1988 | 1990 →

Jonathan writes for this issue: We start with some props for our class secretaries. Your erstwhile ’89 scribe, David Milch, moved on after nine years working with Columbia University performing arts students, and started a new position at New York Institute of Technology as the director of the MA program in Leadership in the Arts and Entertainment Industries.

Meanwhile, the Bonnie to my Clyde of these class notes, Michele Barnwell, completed principal production of her documentary Party Girls: Exploring Politics in America, which follows a small group of millennial women of color (all first-time voters) who travel together around the country engaging in the political process. It’s a learning journey Michele describes as a summer-long slumber party…with a brain. Part of the doc airs online election week as a 6-part series via ITVS/PBS, and soon-ish as an indie feature doc.

Thomas Policelli’s eldest daughter, Katherine ’20, started at Wes, where she lives in what is now called “Butts C.” Tom is impressed by the amazing classes Wesleyan still offers, but also is struck by the available sushi and free-range tofu. He is rather disoriented to be the theoretically responsible adult against whom this generation is supposed to rebel, even if today’s rebellion is via app. For those of you beginning the college application process, he offers a plug (which your class secretary echoes) for Wesleyan’s annual alumni Sons and Daughters weekend in November. It’s a really good overview of the college application process with separate sessions for students and parents. Tom expects to participate again with his other children, ages 16, 14, and 10.

Marshall Brozost changed law firms, moving from Schulte Roth & Zabel to head the New York real estate practice group at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

Alissa Berman is living in East Greenwich, R.I., with her boys, a high school senior and an eighth grader. She and her husband are divorcing amicably after 24 years of marriage. She is a stylist for the Cabi clothing company, where she does home shows and enjoys helping women feel great about themselves.

Indy Neidell, in Sweden, writes on the success of his YouTube channel, The Great War. It is nearing 400,000 subscribers, with more than 40 million views. He hears from teachers across the world who use the show in their classes and he consulted on the computer game, Battlefield, providing all manner of descriptive text, from the Hejaz Railway, to Lawrence of Arabia, to zeppelin warfare. He is also still touring with a few different bands and doing voiceovers for games and commercials.

John DiPaolo and his wife relocated in D.C., moving to Cleveland Park, where their daughter is starting kindergarten. His bike-commute to work is now twice as long, but because he rides along Rock Creek Park and the Potomac River, the natural beauty more than compensates. John has been at the U.S. Department of Education since 2011 and is now the deputy general counsel. As a political appointee, however, he’ll likely leave in January when President Obama’s term ends.

Elaine Perlman keeps busy as the director of the Peace Corps Fellows Program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she prepares returning Peace Corps volunteers to teach in high-need public schools. This year, she painted school murals in the South Bronx and Harlem, taught middle school classes at the Harlem Educational Activities Fund, mentored a high school student through iMentor, and was an advisor for the Parents League. She attended a book presentation by Mike Rubens ’90, who just published The Bad Decisions Playlist, which was so compelling that Elaine read it in one day!

David Jonas lives happily in Westport, Conn., with his wife of 24 years. Their eldest daughter started her freshman year at NYU, and they have one more at home. Over the past year, he has been raising capital for a fund that invests in independent film productions.

Mike Olinger has been living in Brussels, Belgium, for the past two years with his wife and two teenage sons. Any classmates who make it over that way should look him up for moules frites and cold beer.

Howard Diamond is enjoying the Colorado lifestyle and serving as general counsel of Frontier Airlines. He celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary and attended his son’s college graduation and commissioning as a naval flight officer. He is also very proud of both daughters, one attending college and one in high school.

Adina Hoffman published Till We Have Built Jerusalem: Architects of a New City, a biolographical triptych about three architects who helped shape the city in which she’s lived for the last 25 years. She now divides her time between Jerusalem and New Haven, and she is working on a short biography of Ben Hecht.

David Williams’ oldest son, Harry, is off to Boston University, where he will be studying mechanical engineering. Although Dafna (16), Seth (13), and Eli (11) are still at home, the family dynamic is shifting. His wife, Nyna Urovitch, is back at work after 15 years, teaching middle school math in a public school. David is still a healthcare consultant, but he also spends considerable time as president of Congregation Kehillath Israel in Brookline, where he is leading a strategic transformation of the synagogue into a multi-organizational Jewish campus.

After 21 years, Lisa Nash gave up her chiropractor’s license and is starting a new chapter of life offering multi-disciplinary trauma transformation training as a Feldenkrais teacher, and as an ordained priestess in the ancient West African religion of Ifa. She continues to expand her residential healing and teaching center in Vermont, the Rainbow Serpent Mystery School, where four full-time residents share a kitchen, a bathroom, a ceremony and classroom space, and 21 acres, including veggie and herb gardens, fruit and nut trees, and chickens! The center offers retreats, workshops, and sanctuary for individuals, couples, and families in spiritual emergence/y.

David Eichler writes, “This will come as little surprise for those who remember the old days on Foss, but my digital marketing agency just spun off a sister firm called Decibel Green, specializing in, wait for it, cannabis and sustainability. Diane and I love living in Denver and would love to hear from Wes visitors.”

Finally, Broadway in Chicago’s annual free summer concert featured a performance from Hedwig and the Angry Inch by the show’s composer and lyricist, Stephen Trask.

Jonathan Fried | jonathan.l.fried@gmail.com 

MICHELE BARNWELL | fishtank_michele@yahoo.com

It’s the quiet, post-Reunion class notes, but there are a couple of people to mention, and their activities are worthy of the spotlight.

Tanya Greene lamented to me about missing Reunion, as she had taken a new position and a work conflict kept her from attending. Tanya now serves as director of training and resource counsel for the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel. She works for the defense on federal capital cases across the country and also trains capital trial lawyers. “I continue to hope to put myself out of business when we regain our senses as a nation and repeal the death penalty once and for all, as we did in New York a few years ago.”

Tanya’s twin daughters are 17, entering senior year of high school, and facing the college admissions process.

Jan Hasselman, a staff attorney with Earthjustice, is representing the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the efforts to stop the progress of the Dakota Access Pipeline. At the magazine’s press time, the case had been denied by a federal judge, but the U.S. Army and the departments of Justice and the Interior said, construction “bordering or under Lake Oahe will not go forward at this time.”

From the court room to the art studio, the Class of ’91 is celebrating the announcement that Vincent Fecteau was named a 2016 MacArthur Fellow, winning the Genius Grant for his “deceptively intricate, abstract pieces” of sculpture. A video about his work and process may be viewed at macfound.org.

Renée K. Carl | rcarl@wesleyan.edu

Greetings and welcome to the latest edition of the class notes. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at our 25th Reunion this spring. In the meantime, here is a taste of what your fellow classmates have been up to.

Ruthbea Yesner is still living in Brookline and is enjoying her job as the founder and practice lead for her company’s worldwide smart cities strategies practice. She’s doing research and consulting for cities on how to use emerging technologies to solve urban problems from traffic to clean water to crime, some of which will be published in a chapter in the book, Managing for Social Impact: Innovations in Responsible Enterprise, published by Springer.

 Maria Rosa Truglio remains on the faculty at Penn State. Her co-edited volume, Modernism and the Avant-Garde Body in Spain and Italy (Routledge), has been published, and her monograph on Italian children’s literature is forthcoming (also with Routledge). Both her sons, Anthony, 25, and Thomas, 24, graduated from Penn State and are out making their way in the world. Also, in the world of academia, Abby Smith Saguy is a professor of sociology at UCLA and lives with her husband, Dotan, and their daughter, Claire, who just started high school and their son, Jonah, who is in seventh grade. She recently gave a faculty lecture at UCLA family camp in June, where two other Wesleyan alumni, Ben Lee ’95 and Sheila Spencer ’83, were also vacationing.

 Kevin Prufer is a professor in the creative writing program at the University of Houston. His newest book, Churches, made The New York Times list of the 10 best poetry books of the year. His next book, How He Loved Them, will be out “sooner or later.”

 Carolyn Parkhurst Rosser’s fourth novel, Harmony, was published in August by Pamela Dorman ’79 Books, an imprint of Viking Penguin. She is still living in D.C., with her husband, Evan Rosser, and their two children, Henry and Ellie. Also in D.C., Robert Allbritton keeps busy (especially this election year) with Politico. He reports that Politico is doing well and is considering opening in Sacramento to cover California politics. His wife, Elena, is back practicing dermatology while simultaneously being super mom to Alex (9), Katie (5), and Tory (3).

Anne Jennings Paris just returned to the Portland, Ore., area after two years in London with her husband, Marc. She is returning to teaching art and writing at a public charter school part-time, and their son, Duncan, is starting middle school in the fall.

 Aaron Vieira and his wife, Renya Larson, had their second child, Gavin Rayne Vieira, in July. It was a busy summer for Aaron, as he also finished a master’s in organizational psychology at Columbia University, and started a new job at Columbia University Medical Center.

Jody Sperling continues to choreograph, perform, and direct her company, Time Lapse Dance. She served as choreographer, creative consultant, and dance coach for the French feature film, La Danseuse, which was screened at Cannes and premiered in Paris in September. She’s also excited to be guest teaching at Wesleyan in the fall. She lives in New York City with Doug Fox and their daughter, Evie, 5.

That’s all for now. Looking forward to hearing more from you all. Send Paul and me your news, notes, and updates—we’d love to hear from you!

Adam Berinsky | berinsky@mit.edu 

Paul Coviello | coviellop01@alum.darden.edu

Sue writes for this issue. Hi, everyone! We hope you are doing well. We have some exciting updates—new books, documentaries, albums, and mini-Wes reunions. It’s always fun hearing from you, so please stay in touch.

Jacob Bricca is working on a book about documentary editing to be published next year by Focal Press. He edited the 2016 Sundance award-winning documentary, The Bad Kids, which premieres in theaters around the country on Oct. 21.

Lisa Brown writes, “May was the release of a new picture book I wrote and illustrated, The Airport Book. It’s about, well, the airport. Next May will see Goldfish Ghost, a picture book by my husband (Daniel Handler ’92, better known in children’s literature circles as “Lemony Snicket”) and illustrated by yours truly. It’s about a dead goldfish. Besides drawing up a storm, I’ve been teaching undergraduates in the illustration department of California College of the Arts.”

Dan Crane has a new album coming out with his band, Ray & Remora, of which Consequence of Sound said, “It could be where pop’s headed next.” It’s his 10th album. Also, he’s hosting a monthly-ish, Jewish-ish podcast called, The Kibitz, which features interviews with guests like David Wain (Role Models, Wet Hot American Summer), Jonathan Weisman (New York Times), author Jonathan Lethem (Motherless Brooklyn), Jeff Goldblum, and Joel Stein (Time Magazine). kibitzpod.com.

Paul and Jessica D’Arcy are still in Austin, Texas. Jess keeps busy running an education-focused nonprofit and Paul leads marketing for Indeed, the large online job site. Their brood of three (Maya is 14, Ellis is 12, and Liam is 8) are still mostly sweet. Paul is trying to spend as much time as possible outdoors (running, kayaking, swimming, paddle boarding), but Jess insists it’s just a phase.

Sylvia Sironi Rowe writes, “Ian and I took a family road trip to visit Camille Aird McGadney and Andy McGadney ’92 in Maine this summer along with our kids (ages 4 and 6). It was a great visit catching up with old friends over lobsters and blueberry pie! I’m still working (now part-time) with the Clinton Health Access Initiative on HIV and malaria-focused projects, and Ian runs Public Prep, a network of single-sex charter schools in NYC. We live in Pelham Manor, N.Y., and are loving the suburban life!”

SuZanna Henshon | suzannahenshon@yahoo.com 

Sarah Estow | sarah_estow@hotmail.com

Hello from Chicago! I (Samera) am very excited to be our co-class secretary and am looking forward to keeping in touch with everyone.

Kate Gordon writes that after some years in Wisconsin and some more years in D.C., she is now based out in the Bay Area with her husband, Gino, and kids, Julia (fourth grade) and Jacob (kindergarten). She spent several years at a San Francisco-based think tank, doing climate and clean energy work, and is now working remotely for the Paulson Institute, where she runs the climate and sustainable urbanization team. She writes, “In general, I’m on planes too much and with my kids too seldom, but I’m doing interesting work and trying to make some kind of a difference in the world.”

Tomer Rothschild writes that he has been living in Beijing for the past nine years with his wife, Stacy Palestrant (Wellesley ’94), and they have three children, Shiraz (10), Meital (7), and Erez (4)—the latter two are proud to be Made in China. He and his wife work together as co-heads of Elite Scholars of China, helping China’s top Chinese high school students go to America’s top universities. Their work has been profiled by The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, and others. Tomer’s work brings him to Wesleyan twice a year (at least). Tomer also writes, “This summer, I loved seeing classmates/housemates Josh Protas and John Lewis in Boston, which was, as always, lots of fun. I am active in Wes events in Beijing, and would love to see any classmates coming through Beijing!”

Chuck Berger is giving up his job as CEO of Outdoors Victoria in Melbourne to move with his partner, Christy, and their boys (Leo, 4 and Tom, 7) to the outback. By October they’ll be living in Kununurra, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. He writes, “Fun fact: The Kimberley is the size of California, with the population of Middletown, Conn. Also, there are crocodiles. Come visit! charles_d_berger@hotmail.com.”

Tanya Bowers writes, “To this urban studies major’s surprise, I love living in Eastern Washington’s Tri-Cities area, where the population is just over 250,000. Surprise, surprise, I’m on our city’s planning commission.” Tanya met up with Jiyoung Lim-Gilbreth and her daughter when she visited D.C. in August and back in May, she went to the bar mitzvah of Emily Rosen Levine’s son in Larchmont.

Ken Barnett continues in his role as Christophe on Amazon’s award-winning series Mozart in the Jungle. He performed opposite Rachel Weisz in David Hare’s Plenty at the Public Theatre. In the spring, he will be appearing at Playwrights’ Horizons in a new play, The Light Years, created by the Debate Society.

Marc Waxman just moved “back home” to Massachusetts with his wife and two boys after eight years in Denver. After 22 years in public education, Marc is now working as executive director of the Society for Organizational Learning North America. He also has become a Certified ChiRunning Instructor.

Olivia Morgan and her family moved to San Francisco from D.C. Her kids, Everett and Vivian, are in the sixth and second grades, and very focused on making their parents follow through on the promise of a new puppy once they’ve “settled in” to their new hometown. Olivia runs communications and strategic programs, including a gender initiative, at Common Sense Media. Earlier this month, a national youth poetry program she’s been working on with the First Lady, celebrated its fifth class of National Student Poets.

Adam Handler moved back to Atlanta from London. Adam was, and is, with InterContinental Hotels Group and spent two years at the group’s global headquarters. Sid Espinosa and David Niles each dropped in on Adam, wife Jen Weiss Handler (Swarthmore ’98), and 4-year-old daughter, Josie (now trying to hold onto her British accent).

Raeanne Roper Martine writes, “My husband, Gilbert, and I spent two weeks in Japan in August. We visited his late mother’s family on the island of Okinawa, which is an extraordinary place, and spent another week on the main islands of Japan, visiting Tokyo, Hiroshima, and Kyoto. It was beautiful and fascinating, and we wished we could have stayed longer! If anyone needs tips, let me know (first tip: avoid Japan in August, when it’s blisteringly hot and most of the nation is traveling for the summer holidays). All is well in Austin. I have been employed as a legal editor by the State of Texas for four years this year and am preparing for the mayhem that the state’s biennial legislative session brings every odd-numbered January. Wish me luck!”

Maggie Nelson was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2016. She is the author of nine books. Melissa Levy is teaching ESL at an elementary school in the South Bronx. Aaron Yeater was promoted to the role of managing principal at Analysis Group.

I caught up with Aaron in Chicago at a dinner he and his firm hosted in Chicago. I also met up with the Chicago Wesleyan Club for a summer picnic with Johanna Russ ’03, Rebecca Cohen ’03, Hayley Ess, and others. Last year, I met Sarah Burke for lunch in San Francisco. Adam Glickman came for a visit to Chicago last March and attended my girls’ 7th birthday party! Adam, John Pollock, Jude Tulli, Eric Grasinger, and I stay in touch and are planning a Commons Club reunion in December. I continue to practice law at Nixon Peabody and have two amazing daughters—twin girls, Sarah and Norah, who just started second grade.

Please write me your news and of course if you are in Chicago, call me!

Samera Syeda Ludwig | ssludwig@nixonpeabody.com

Caissa Powell | cdp2000@hotmail.com 

Hi from your new class co-secretaries: Bo Bell and Katy McNeill! We’re delighted to take the baton from former secretary, Dwayne Busby. Thanks again, Dwayne, for your many years of service! This is a fun way for us to help everyone in our class to keep in touch with each other from all our various locations, with Bo from his home in New York and Katy from her (new) home in the U.K. Here’s the news this round and we look forward to keeping in touch with you into the future!

Bo writes, “I’m living in the town of Cold Spring in the lower Hudson Valley of New York and working in New York City, leading the digital team for an advertising agency. My wife and I are raising two fun kids, a hound dog, and a small flock of chickens. I semi-regularly meet up with Mike Kleinsteuber over burgers and beers at the Old Town Bar near Union Square, and caught up with Kiersten Miller on her annual summer visit back to NYC from her home in Rome, and with Ben Harbert ’97 and Alison Brody ’97 on a work jaunt to D.C. Finally, huge shout out to Michelle Duff, Liz Fernandez, Rachel Hunt, and the rest of the 1994 ECAC Champion Wes Womens’ Soccer team, 2016 inductees to the Wesleyan Sports Hall of Fame!”

Rob Armstrong writes, “I’ve been living in London for close to three years now, where I write editorials for the Financial Times. When you write anonymously, no one knows you’re American. My twins are 7 and have no accents. I am, despite their efforts, in touch with my former housemates, Russell Agle and Jen Quest-Stern, who have turned out better than anyone expected. If any of you are in town, let’s have a pint.”

David Biello writes, “I’m publishing my first book in November. It’s called The Unnatural World. It’s about the idea that humans have started to make changes on a planetary scale, like the glaciers of an Ice Age or an asteroid crashing into Earth, and what we might do with this new knowledge of our world-changing impacts.” A link to purchase can be found here. “I’m still married and have a daughter and son who are growing like weeds. I got a new job as the science curator for TED Talks, hoping to help spread some good ideas.”

Matt Duffy writes, “I am still out in Oakland. I just started a new job as the superintendent of schools for the West Contra Costa Unified School District, a public school district of 30,000 students in the East Bay, centered around Richmond, Calif. Crazy and amazing! My boys are now 5 and 8, and life is very full.”

Alexis Greeves writes, “I’m living in Minneapolis, working as a mental health therapist for deaf and hard of hearing children. I have a small private practice (hopenandhealingmn.com). David and I have two daughters and are trying to figure out what it means to be raising Midwestern children.”

Ana Maria Kleymeyer writes, “A couple of years ago, I moved back to the D.C. area, where I finished producing a music documentary and continued my work on international climate change negotiations. I’m enjoying the schizophrenic life of a musician/lawyer who refuses to give up the groove.”

Anne Bellows Lee writes, “I am in Santa Monica with my husband, Greg Lee, my two little girls (3 and 5), and three big cats. Working at UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Programs as a research projects director in substance abuse treatment, also working on getting my LCSW license.”

Michelle Sachs Limaj writes, “All is well in Massachusetts. I took a great job in-house for one of my clients, Agenus, an immuno-oncology company. My kids see a lot more of me, which is extra good because Idriz (whom you’ll recall I brought home with me after the 1999 war in Kosovo, without a college degree or even good English) is now COO for a system of four hospitals in Baltimore. So he commutes home for the weekends, and the rest of us chill M–F on Mommy Time.”

Brandon Patton writes, “My wife had a baby this year, Sylvia Pearl Patton Schroeder. Emily Essley also had a baby earlier this year, Lily Rose Essley.”

Lisa Hastings Rosenman writes, “Burt Rosenman and I celebrated our 17th anniversary this year. We live in western Massachusetts with our two daughters, Hannah, 11, and Leah, 14. Burt is a biology professor at Western New England University, and I’m a school librarian in Hartford.”

Christianne Meneses Jacobs writes, “My only news is that I traveled to the East Coast this summer. I visited with Lauren Sitzer Avery and her family in Boston. Hung out with Ryan Knox in New Haven and we watched Hillary Clinton’s speech at the Democratic National Convention while drinking wine. I also stayed with Jeff Levinson and his wife in New York. It was also awesome to see Mark Quinones and his wife, Rachel, when they were visiting Arizona.”

Ethan de Seife writes, “My wife, Laura, and I welcomed a son, Levon Ray, in August 2015. He is cute and round-headed, and he loves to watch birds. When he was about 9 months old, we packed up everything—dog, cats, nursery, a million books and records—and moved from Burlington, Vt., to Santa Rosa, Calif., where Laura got a great job in a local hospital. It’s beautiful here and we hope not to move again for a long time.”

Eric Meyerson writes, “I was in Chicago over the summer with the family, where we got to visit the incredible Temperance Brewing Co. started by Josh Gilbert. Josh and I also got to spend a wacky weekend in New Orleans last fall with Adam Borut, Jason Walta, and Greg Walter ’96. I just started a new job in July. I’m running marketing for media and video at Facebook.”

After a decade teaching at the Department of Performance Studies at New York University, Tavia Nyong’o is now a full professor in American studies and theater studies at Yale. He is dividing his time between Connecticut and NYC.

Bo Bell | bobell.forreal@gmail.com 

Katy McNeill | mcneill40@gmail.com

Dacque writes for this issue: Candace Nelson writes that her confectionery chain, Sprinkles Cupcakes, has found a spot in the new Disney Springs. Sprinkles began with its first location in 2005 and has since grown to a total of 14 locations across the U.S. In 2012, Sprinkles debuted its one-of-a-kind “Cupcake ATM” that dispenses several varieties of freshly baked frosted cupcakes with 24-hour convenience.

The 1994 Wesleyan women’s soccer team was inducted into the Hall of Fame. As the most successful in program history, that Cardinal team finished 12-4-1 that season, while claiming the ECAC New England Division III Championship. Flo Stueck led the team with 15 goals and five assists for a total of 35 points. Other class of ’96 members include: Amy Costa, Esme Finlay, and Kate Treveloni.

Jayme Peta writes about the completion of a PhD in clinical psychology as of August and the start of post-doctoral fellow with Marin County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. She is co-author of a new book: The Gender Quest Workbook: A Guide for Teens and Young Adults Exploring Gender Identity, published by New Harbinger this past spring.

Mary Pagones is proud to announce that she has published a third novel, Quick Bright Things Come to Confusion, now available on Amazon.

Joel Levin decided to buy himself out of EdTech startup life and return to the classroom. He just started a new job at an independent school in Manhattan teaching technology classes to kids with learning disabilities.

Elena Pavloff had a mini-Wesleyan and Alpha Delta Phi reunion at Lynn Cartwright-Punnett ’07’s in Philadelphia. She got to hang out with Amanda Bennett and other alumni—a fun time was had by all.

Lastly, Sam, Topher, and Koyalee were thrilled to see so many of you this spring at Reunion, when 160 alumni came to Middletown and partied hard. This number is huge—blowing the previous attendance record by nearly 40 alumni. And, for those of you who couldn’t make it, there was a virtual reunion of literally hundreds of photos posted on our Facebook page (Wesleyan University – Class of 1996 for those of you who haven’t joined).

The spirit of the Class of 1996 is undeniable. Set your calendars for an even bigger Reunion in 2021! We will all travel there in our self-driving cars.

Dara Federman | darasf@yahoo.com 

Dacque Tirado | dacquetirado@yahoo.com

It’s hard to believe that almost 20 years have passed since that rainy day in May of 1997 when we bid our farewells and moved on and out to the wide, wacky, post-Wes world. And it’s not too early to start making plans to join us for Reunion & Commencement Weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, May 25 to 28. We’d love to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who shared their latest news or just e-mailed to say hi.

Michelle Conceison writes in from Nashville where she’s moved her music marketing and management company, Market Monkeys. They manage Canadian songwriter Rose Cousins and pop/folk duo Fortunate Ones. Michelle is the president of the board of directors of Folk Alliance International and teaches at Northeastern. “I am part of a dream team launching a new online arts administration graduate program. This fall I will be teaching Strategic Planning in Arts & Cultural Organizations.” She’d love to connect with any Wes alums in the area.

Melissa Feldberg Whipps writes to us from Syracuse, where she is the director of foundation relations at Syracuse University. “We have been enjoying a beautiful Central New York summer and I am pursuing my master’s in public administration at the Maxwell School at Syracuse.” She’s also a mom to two daughters, Evelyn (5) and Amelia (7). Her husband, Chris, is an associate professor of biology at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse.

Sasha Harris-Cronin is living in San Francisco with her partner, Nathan Taylor, and their 4-year-old, Shannon Harris-Taylor. Sasha has spent the last 14 years making interactive museum exhibits and leading edge installations for museums and corporations around the country. She just finished one of her favorite projects to date, which allowed her to work with the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind. As she explains, “Together, we created a tactile control interface that allows folks with any range of sight to control audio and video equipment in complex conference rooms.” Sasha also teaches interaction design in the MFA program at California College of the Arts.

Matt Mulvey and his wife, Katie Sacksteder, became parents to Liam James Mulvey. Matt and Katie are also leading their immuno-oncology company, BeneVir Biopharm, Inc., into the first-in-human testing of their lead cancer killing virus T-Stealth.

Aileen Nagle McDonough runs a communications business in the Providence area, 3am Writers. This year, she spoke at WordCamp RI, a WordPress conference for developers, designers, and business owners all over New England. She also stopped by Wesleyan, when she was in Middletown to trace her ancestry in the Connecticut-based Schaghticoke Native American tribe. She and her husband, Kirk, traveled to Toronto for the final tour of the Tragically Hip.

From LA, Madeleine Perez writes, “After many years as a journalist at ABC News in New York, I switched careers and coasts and became a real estate agent. I’ve been in LA now for more than four years with my husband and almost 5-year-old son. If any Wesleyan people are looking for some real estate help in SoCal they can reach me at madeleine@kw.com.”

As for your class secretaries, we are happy to report that we got to hang out in NYC when Jess came to visit from Phoenix. Also, Jess is thrilled to have a book recommendation to share: “I read The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and couldn’t put it down!” Sasha is obsessed with the Moth podcast, which consists of “people telling short true stories—Some are dark, some are funny, many are both.”

We can’t wait to see all of you in May! We wish you a peaceful start to 2017 and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Jessica Shea Lehmann | jessica.lehmann@gmail.com

Sasha Lewis Reisen | alewisreisen@gmail.com

Jason writes for this issue: Most of us are celebrating our 40th birthdays this year. Who would have believed time would go by so fast? At Ian Tamayo’s 40th birthday party in New York City, I got to see my great friend, Maier Negugogor, who is living in Connecticut and has started a private practice in immigration law. I also got to see Chotsani Sackey who is living in New York City and working for a technology company.

Here’s what’s going on with some other fellow classmates:

Amy Barnes writes, “I’ve been happily living in the great Pacific Northwest (Redmond, Wash.) for the last couple of years with my fiancé, Noel Anderson, and our beautiful baby girl, Sarah (born last year). I’m enjoying my new role at AKT Wealth Advisors while nourishing my liberal arts spirit with writing workshops and volunteer work. Our Seattle Wes community lost a great friend and leader with the passing of Nick Waltner ’86.”

Dorothy Warner writes, “I live in Belmont, Mass., with my son, Alexander, who regularly and excitedly declares that he loves kindergarten (and Minecraft). We love biking to his school. I work with kids and adults as a clinical psychologist in Newton. I often see Becca Gerner and Hans Schroder ’99. In addition to world peace and an end to poverty, my hopes for the future include another Clinton presidency with Sanders in the Cabinet and getting to see Hamilton.”

Sarah Miller Lipton is living in LA with her husband, Glenn, and their two boys, Emmett (3 years old) and Ezra (22 months). Sarah works part-time as a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor, aka “physiatrist,” in Santa Monica, focusing primarily in electrodiagnostic medicine.

Nancy Shane writes, “I just completed my PhD in aerospace sciences at the University of North Dakota. My research focused on the background, experience, and qualifications of pilots entering the regional airline industry. I also made a big move to the Midwest, where I am now the director of pilot sourcing and industry outreach at Endeavor Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines. So far Minneapolis has been fantastic, although winter hasn’t hit yet. I know I have a fantastic new parka in my future.”

Patrick Butler writes, “I got married in April (featured in The New York Times), and Michael Van Nimwegen got ordained to officiate the wedding. He broke his arm at my bachelor party in Alaska in February, and still managed to look good in a tux just six weeks later.”

Brodie Welch celebrated the 13th anniversary of her Chinese medicine and acupuncture clinic in Corvallis, Ore. Her new podcast, A Healthy Curiosity, which explores what it takes to be well in a busy world, will help your commute fly by. (You can find it on iTunes.) She’s also enjoying helping her full-time step-kids navigate eighth and 12th grade. Marrying a widower four years ago, she managed to skip over the sticky toddler years.

Justin Pidot spends most of his time in Denver, where he received tenure at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. This fall, he is on a leave of absence from academia and has joined the Obama administration, where he serves as the deputy solicitor for land resources at the Department of the Interior. It’s quite a change in pace, and he’s having a great time in D.C.

Abe Forman-Greenwald traveled to Liberia to film a short documentary focused on First Lady Michelle Obama’s visit to promote her Let Girls Learn initiative. Letgirlslearn.gov is dedicated to improving education opportunities for the 62 million girls around the world who are not in school.

Margaret Salazar has exciting news: “I am honored that Oregon Governor Kate Brown has asked me to serve as director of Oregon Housing and Community Services, our state housing agency. I look forward to leading the agency to expand housing opportunities for Oregonians in need.”

In March, Rebecca Alson-Milkman and Craig Thomas ’97 welcomed their second baby, nine years after her brother, Elliot. Celia Genevieve Thomas is named in memory of Rebecca’s mother, Sheila, and for the patron saint of Paris.

Marcus Chung | marcusbchung@gmail.com 

Jason Becton | jcxbecton@yahoo.com