Class Notes
College/Arts, Sciences & Engineering
1948
Jack Fassett sends an update. He’s chronicled his life, which included a clerkship to Supreme Court Justice Stanley Reed (1938–57) during the time of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, and the life of his wife of 61 years, Betty, in two books: The Shaping Years (Xlibris, 2000) and Betty: Chronicle of a Moving Life (Chapel Hill Press, 2008). He writes: “Betty is a chronicle of the exceptional 20th-century life of a small-town girl. As a young Army nurse during World War II, Betty participated in some of the defining events of the century. Upon returning from the war and while attending college, she met and married another veteran. Thereafter, she employed her nursing skills in a variety of positions supporting him through law school and while they became settled and raised their family. As a consequence of Jack’s evolving career path, Betty found herself sharing her husband’s involvement in three of the most challenging issues of the second half of the century (as well as of today): racial discrimination, as Jack clerked at the Supreme Court during the term when the school desegregation decision was rendered; gender discrimination, which came to the fore when Jack became a utility executive; and the several issues, including those related to nuclear power, which arose during the energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s while Jack served as a leader of the electric utility industry in New England. During the early years of their retirement that followed, Betty was able to revisit some of the areas of her wartime service and also to travel to many other parts of the world. Betty’s dire medical problems curtailed all such activities during the last decade, but she and Jack recently celebrated the 61st anniversary of their never-dull marriage.”
1952
Norman Neureiter has been awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art. The award, bestowed by the Austrian government, recognized Norman for his work with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, founded in 1972 to bring scientists across the Cold War divide together to address global problems. The institute, which today includes member nations from five continents, is located near Vienna. Norman is the acting director of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Center for Science, Technology, and Security Policy.
1960
Howard Silbersher sends an update. He practiced family dentistry in New York City and Bucks County, Pa., for more than 45 years, before selling his Bucks County practice in 2009. He remains active, teaching one day a week to dental residents at Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, N.J. In addition, he recently took two residents with him to Knoxville, Tenn., on a volunteer project with the nonprofit Remote Area Medical. They joined 40 other dentists who delivered free care to 800 patients. “It was, for all, a spiritually uplifting experience. The students who went with me learned a lot.” Howard adds that he’d love to hear from classmates at MChester3@verizon.net.
1961
John and Mary Hannan Greppin send an update. John writes: “We recently took a sleeper train from Toronto, leaving at 9:30 a.m., to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where we arrived at 5:30 p.m. the next evening, and visited our classmate, Bill Miller, and his wife, Gareth. Bill lives in a house on a cove of the Atlantic Ocean, and the gustatorial high point was a dinner of many huge lobsters available from a lobsterman just down the street at $5.50 a pound. Bill runs a craft store, John is retired as a linguist from Cleveland State University, and Mary is still a highly charged bird watcher.”
1963
Dick Steele (see ’64).
1964
Richard Cavagnol has written Nimroz Provincial Handbook: A Guide to the People and the Province (IDS International). It’s a guide for civilian and military personnel in Afghanistan, as well as other interested people, covering topics such as tribes, language, culture, history, government, and the economy. Richard spent nine months in Delaram District, Nimroz Province, as a USAID field program officer. . . . Tom Collins writes: “Members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity have held a ski week at Snowmass, Colo., for the past 20 years.” At the 2013 gathering were (from left to right) John DeTraglia, John Ozols ’65, ’68 (MS), Jerald Zandman, and Tom. Tom adds that previous years have included Gerald Wysocki, Scott Yeaw, Dick Sonner, Jim O’Hara ’67, ’77S (MBA), and Dick Steele ’63. . . . David Myland Kaufman, professor of neurology and psychiatry at Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has published Clinical Neurology for Psychiatrists (7th Edition) (Elsevier/Saunders).
1965
Jim Mullen has published a memoir, The Abyss: A Test and Triumph of Everlasting Love (Xlibris). He writes: “This book is my chronicle of the multiple traumas (brain aneurysms) that befell my wife, Judy, over an eight-month period, and of her ensuing valiant struggle to regain short and long-term memory, cognitive and physical abilities, and sense of smell and taste. Judy’s struggle and ultimate victory proved the hope, love, and ultimate triumph of her journey and that of her family and friends across the country.” . . . John Ozols ’68 (MS) (see ’64).
1966
Marc Holzer, founding dean of the Rutgers-Newark School of Public Affairs and Administration, has received an award for his research. In March, the American Society for Public Administration presented him with the 2013 Dwight Waldo Career Research Award, which recognizes distinguished research in public administration over an extended period of time.
1967
Jim O’Hara ’77S (MBA) (see ’64).
1968
Ted Rabkin writes that he retired last September after 40 years working at IBM and at Lockheed Martin, where he was most recently a staff software test engineer. He’s now taking lifelong learning courses on the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II, and performing trail maintenance and patrol on the Catoctin Trail in Maryland as part of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. He adds that his wife, Susan, is a staff systems engineer at Lockheed Martin; his daughter is a social worker for Montgomery County, Md.; and his son is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at SUNY Albany.
1969
Joan Steinman has won the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers’ Eisenberg Prize for her article “Appellate Courts as First Responders: The Constitutionality and Propriety of Appellate Courts’ Resolving Issues in the First Instance.” The article appeared in the April 2012 Notre Dame Law Review. Joan, who holds the title of Distinguished Professor of Law at the Illinois Institute of Technology’s law school, also won the award in 2005. She’s the first scholar to win two Eisenberg prizes.
1970
Barry Gan ’84 (PhD), professor of philosophy at St. Bonaventure University, has coedited Nonviolence in Theory and Practice (3rd Edition) (Waveland Press) with Robert Holmes, professor emeritus of philosophy at Rochester.
1971
Anthony Boccaccio, a photographer in Spokane, Wash., has published a book of 238 images he shot over four decades, documenting the construction of Brazil’s Transamazonic Highway, and the gold rush that ensued. Where Madness Follows: The Search for Gold in the Amazon Jungle (self-published) is available at www.blurb.com. . . . Thomas Gerbasi ’76M (MD) was named a Castle Connolly Medical “Top Doc” for western New York in 2013. He writes: “I’ve practiced pediatrics in Lewiston, N.Y., since 1979. My dad, Mike Gerbasi ’31, ’33M (MS), ’35M (MD), was also a U of R grad and a pediatrician.” Mike died in 1987.
1973
Jay Goldstein ’74S (MBA) writes that Bob Fenchel, who had been his roommate at Rochester, died last December in Steamboat Springs, Colo. “Bob was a vital member of the Gilbert Basement Zoo which had its own ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy for shenanigans in his freshman year and the founder of the intramural teams known as Stash’s Place, which had success in many sports during his years at the U of R,” Jay writes. “A computer science major in the early days of the field using punch cards and Fortran language at Taylor Hall, Bob went on to UCLA, where he received his PhD. He then founded SoftCraft with his business partner, Bill Overman, which developed Fancy Font, a revolutionary application that allowed then prevalent dot-matrix printers to produce high quality output. Bob met his wife, Mary Vernon, while in graduate school in 1976, and they were married in 1980. They moved to Madison, Wis., where they both became professors at UW–Madison. Bob was active in the Madison community in sports and as a mentor and continued to work on several software applications.” Bob leaves behind his wife, Mary, his sons, Michael and Jeff, and many other relatives.
1974
Jonathan Samel, an attorney in the eastern Pennsylvania law firm of Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin, has been named an “Awesome Attorney” by the magazine Suburban Life. Jonathan leads the firm’s practice areas of business law, estates and trusts, and elder law. . . . Barry and Nancy Friedman Yarkoni ’76 “celebrated the arrivals of grandchildren numbers 9 and 10 in January and February,” Barry writes. Barry adds that he’s the CEO of Vinomis Laboratories, a maker of all-natural dietary supplements in Los Angeles.
1976
Nancy Friedman Yarkoni (see ’74).
1978
Lisa Norton, an attorney in Seattle, has published How to Be a Global Nonprofit: Legal and Practical Guidance for International Activities (John Wiley & Sons).
1980
Susan Necheles has won the Thurgood Marshall Award for outstanding criminal practitioner from the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Susan is a partner at Hafetz & Necheles, a New York City firm specializing in defense of individuals and corporations in both federal and state court. . . . Gary Schoenbrun has joined the New York office of the law firm Herrick, Feinstein as a partner and cochair of the firm’s tax and personal planning group.
1981
Andrew Goldner has been promoted to senior manager, exports, at Eriez, a magnetic equipment manufacturer based in Erie, Pa. Andrew will be in charge of the company’s Central American, South American, and Middle Eastern sales representative offices. . . . Barry Goldin writes: “I recently married Cheryl Crimando Regan, a native of Batavia, N.Y., and have moved to Atlanta to take on a new employment opportunity as chief operating officer of Unified AV Systems. I am very excited about Life 2.0 with my new wife, new home, and new job!”
1983
John Farrell has been appointed as a federal administrative law judge with the Social Security Administration. He lives in Savannah, Ga.
1984
Scott Evans has written a comic novel, Foxavier and Plinka (self-published). “A 40-year-old virgin with OCD being driven crazy by diets and junk food commercials meets a woman with bipolar disorder,” Scott writes. “Together they ride a roller coaster of love and use public art to fight a corporation distributing psychosis-causing cookies.” . . . Bob Glowacky ’85M (MS) writes: “On hand to help celebrate my 50th birthday at my summer home on Cape Cod were a number of Rochester friends (and Rocky!).” Pictured are (back row, left to right): Romy Toussaint Annand ’85, John Annand ’85, Jamie Wood, Harriet Chenkin, Scott Tarbox, Suzanne Piotrowski Lee ’85, Roberta Rosenstein Delano, Esther Racoosin Alani; (front row, left to right) Melinda Soffer Calianos ’85, Marc Friedman ’85 (MS), and Bob. . . Stacie Pittell, an attorney, has been named the first general counsel for the newly formed District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Government Accountability. Stacie was previously the assistant inspector general for investigations at the District’s Office of the Inspector General. . . . Mike (Finkelstein) Stein writes that he’s a human resource manager with the U.S. Navy in Washington, D.C., and teaches Hebrew school in Maryland. He adds: “My oldest daughter is now a freshman in college. Time really flies.”
1986
Randy Abate has coedited Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples: The Search for Legal Remedies (Edward Elgar Publishing). Randy is an associate professor of law and director of the Center for International Law and Justice at Florida A&M College of Law.
1989
Annika Kaye Vitolo is a singer, songwriter, and pianist, and has released her second CD, Affinity (self-published), consisting of 15 original adult contemporary songs.
1990
Christine Chruscicki joined Rochester’s University Health Service last November as a staff psychiatrist and is a clinical senior instructor in psychiatry at the Medical Center. She writes: “I would love to hear from old friends and classmates at cchruscicki@uhs.rochester.edu.” . . . Adam Konowe has published an article, “Media Training as a PR Catalyst: It’s about Bucks, Not Just Buzz,” in the latest volume of Media Training Guidebook, a publication of PR News. . . . Timothy Lynch has been named vice president and general counsel of the University of Michigan. Previously, Timothy was the deputy general counsel for litigation and enforcement at the U.S. Department of Energy.
1991
David Kemp writes that he met up with his Rochester roommate, Tim Jones ’00S (MBA), last February in Stuttgart, Germany. David is stationed there as an active duty Navy captain in the U.S. Africa Command. Tim, who was traveling to Stuttgart on business, lives in Ft. Collins, Colo., where he works for GE Measurement and Control. David adds: “We took time for a photo in front of the real Ratskeller in Stuttgart!” . . . Shawn King has been named president of the mobile products division of Wastequip, a manufacturer of waste and recycling equipment in Charlotte, N.C. Previously, Shawn was Wastequip’s vice president of sales.
1992
Terry Hickey has been named CEO and president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake. In 1998, Terry founded Community Law in Action to introduce Baltimore high school students to legal and policy-related careers. He served as executive director of the organization until beginning his new position in January. . . . Phil Nel writes that he’s completed Barnaby, Volume One (Fantagraphics Books), the first in a five-volume series collecting and reprinting Crockett Johnson’s classic comic strip, which ran from 1942 to 1952.
1993
Tracie Jordan Kustra writes that she and her husband, Ante, welcomed their second son in October. Mark Jordan Kustra weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz., and was 20 inches long. “Big brother Joseph, 5, is having a blast!” she adds. They live in Stratford, Conn.
1994
Dennis Tucker writes that he’s edited Almanac of United States Coins (Whitman Publishing).
1996
Joseph Brown has been elected to the New York State Bar House of Delegates, the governing body of the state’s bar association. He’s a partner at the Buffalo firm Hodgson Russ, specializing in employment and general business litigation. . . . Esther Garvey Eagan was named to the Buffalo Business First 2012 class of “40 Under 40.” She’s the licensing manager at the University at Buffalo’s Office of Science, Technology Transfer, and Economic Outreach. . . . Bradley Gardner was a winner in the King Cup Soccer Tournament, a tournament for adult men’s recreational soccer held each January in Las Vegas. Joining him at the tournament were his wife, Ida, and their two children, Ella, 5, and Dylan, 1.
1999
Genesee Adkins writes that she and her husband, John, welcomed a daughter, Ayler Eleanor Adkins Seman, in September. She adds: “John launched RPM Preservation in 2012 and I’m the director of government relations for King County, home to greater Seattle.” . . . Lauren Mangiola Rush and her husband, Christopher, visited Table Mountain in Capetown, South Africa, in December. Lauren writes that she’s in her eighth year as a senior manufacturing engineer at Dupont and Christopher is a vice president of strategy at ADP. They live in New Jersey.
2002
John McMurdy ’03 (MS) and his wife, Sarah, welcomed their first child, Samuel John McMurdy, in November.
2003
Scott Morganstein and Carissa Cama ’04 were married last September at the Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, N.Y. Pictured are (left to right): Katie LaClair ’05, Kate Sattelberg ’04N, ’10S (MS), Roma Desai ’05, Cara Ben ’05, Carissa, Kelly Trendell ’04, Marc Beckman ’89, Niladri Ghoshal, Rachel LaManna ’04, Merissa Dzau ’04, Jacqueline Boyce ’05, Lilya Rozenberg ’05, Scott, Abby Warner ’04, Christopher Bain, Mike Gestwick, Blaise DiBernardo, Evan Glaberson, Owen Zacharias, David Cheikin ’97, Raina Morganstein ’99, Justin Birzon ’03, Orestes Benitez ’01, Lara Berwanger Chassin ’02, and Erica Orange. Also present, but not pictured, were Karen Eberly Beckman ’89, Jonathan Black ’03, ’10M (MD), ’10M (MPH), Eli Cabanas ’04, Jonathan Chassin ’01, Leon Chernyavsky ’01, Matthew Dusel ’04, Jesse George ’02, Yasmin Hilal ’04, Daniel Horowitz ’05, Parker Jaques ’03, Jeff Lennox ’04, Pete Makula ’05, ’10S (MBA), Greg Munves ’04, Jonathan Norwood ’04, Jamie Parke ’04, Alex Rosenblatt ’04, Jenna Tyre Bain ’03, Jared Weiner ’00, ’04S (MBA), and Ellyn Weinstein Black ’00.
2004
Carissa Cama (see ’03).
2005
Robert ’06, ’07 (MS) and Portia Bridges Levasseur welcomed a baby girl, Eleanor Constance, last December.
2006
Robert Levasseur ’07 (MS) (see ’05).
2007
Shawn Kenner and Rachel TenBrock ’08 were married last year at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park. Pictured (page 57) from left to right are Christy Sheehy ’10 (MS ), Pranay Vaddi (best man), Phillip Schuepbach, Matt Roe ’08 (MS), Catey Juravich Roe ’04, ’08 (MS), Shawn, Rachel, Ted Limpert ’08 (T5) (officiant), Dan Gocek ’08 (groomsman), Dean Kleissas, Jamilynn Poletto ’09, and Lyle Roberts ’54M (PhD).
2008
Kelly Crews and Jim Randall were married in June 2012 in Key West, Fla. Kelly writes that she and Jim met freshman year in Hoeing 3 and now live in Painesville, Ohio. . . . Joseph Panza and Priscilla Kosloski were married in May 2012 at St. Paul of the Cross in Park Ridge, Ill. They live in New Jersey, where Joseph is a medical student and Priscilla is a teacher. Priscilla writes: “The reception was held at Brookfield Zoo, near Chicago, and the cocktail hour was held in Tropic World with views of monkeys, hippos, otters, waterfalls, and exotic birds. The day after the wedding, guests enjoyed an architectural boat tour along the Chicago River and a deep-dish pizza party with views of downtown Chicago.” Pictured (page 57) are (back row, left to right) Shawn Conlon, Michelle Heroux, Dana Tievsky Koren ’07, Matthew Koren ’07, Dustina Holt, Dimitrios Kokkinis, Christopher Packhem ’10, Elizabeth Barnes ’10; (middle row, left to right) William Weisburg ’77, Joseph, Priscilla, Pamela Alte ’09, Robert Gagen ’69; (front row, left to right) Jeffrey Arndt ’07, David Packhem, Aaron Wescott ’09 (MS), and Mark Douglass ’84. . . . Rachel TenBrock (see ’07). . . . Gennady Voronov and Elana Kraft ’09 were married last November in New Haven, Conn. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Sarah Campeas, Mirah Kriger ’09, Gennady, Elana, and Julia Voronov ’09 (MS); (back row, left to right) Molly Meth, Adam Hirshan, Jeremy Friedman ’11W (MS), Austin Shadduck, Ariel Gros-Werter, Jay Miller ’09 (MS), Rafi Glazer, Simon Stampe, Niall Begley, Amanda Gerard Begley, Dan Truax, Molly Glenn, Amelia Prasad, and Katrina Sliwa ’09.
2009
Novall Khan, a researcher in Harvard’s Schacter Memory Lab, has developed ThoughtCloud, an iPhone app to help reduce stress. . . . Elana Kraft (see ’08).
2012
Josh Stillman has published The Chinese Finger Trap (Aventine Press). The novel tells the story of Jake, a high school sophomore with learning disabilities whose hard-won success leads the principal to suspect him of cheating.
