Class Notes
College/Arts, Sciences & Engineering
1946
Marian Ragan Halperin continues her longtime association with the Martha’s Vineyard Museum with the release of The Smiths of Pohoganut (Martha’s Vineyard Museum). Marian edits and introduces the diaries of two young women on Martha’s Vineyard during the War of 1812. Marian began serving as secretary to the museum’s board of directors in 1973, and was director of the museum from 1985 to 1991. She’s an active volunteer on the island, serving on multiple historical commissions, and continues to sail her catboat.
1948
Gerald Rising ’51 (Mas), SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus at the University of Buffalo, has coauthored Letters to a Young Math Teacher (CreateSpace). Gerald’s teaching career spanned 65 years.
1955
Edward Letteron writes that he served as editor of Developing High Performance Tennis Players (Neuer Sportverlag) by Edgar Giffenig, formerly a national coach in the United States, Germany, and Mexico, and director of Giffenig Tennis in Salisbury, Conn. Edward is a retired college preparatory school teacher and tennis coach.
1961
Jean Conta Holland ’62N is retiring after a 52-year nursing career. For the past 32 years, she’s practiced at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, working most recently as an advanced practice nurse in radiation oncology. In 1989, she received her master’s degree, with honors, from Gwynedd Mercy College. She and her husband, Roger, have been married for 51 years. They have two daughters—one of whom is an oncology nurse practitioner—and five grandchildren.
1963
David Atwood has published My Search for the Beloved Community (Peace Center Books). A peace activist in Houston, David is founder of the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, coordinator of Pax Christi Houston, and past president of the Houston Peace and Justice Center.
1967
Pamela Cook has been elected president of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. She’s a professor of mathematics, chemical engineering, and associate dean of engineering at the University of Delaware, and her research is focused on fluid and transonic flows.
1968
Dale Dapkins has published an e-book, Prize Winners, a collection of short stories in his self-styled social science fiction genre (Absolutely Amazing eBooks). . . . Benjamin Finder writes that he’s retired after practicing surgery in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., for 35 years. He completed medical school at Georgetown University, interned at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, and returned to Georgetown for his surgical residency. He spent the latter part of his career treating breast cancer and breast diseases. He lives in Potomac, Md. . . . Bruce and Lynn Morey Kauderer (see ’69). . . . Alan ’74 (PhD) and Judy Jacobson Wertheimer ’69, ’73W (MA) send a photo of themselves with Rocky. They write: “We took Rocky to Southeast Asia in November to see some of the 2,000 temples on the plain of Bagan in Myanmar (Burma).”
1969
Larry Barth sends a photo and an update. He writes: “Pictured before the Henry Moore sculpture Reclining Connected Forms at the Aria in Las Vegas are Bruce Kauderer ’68, Jeff Goldberg, Aniko Reich Richheimer ’70, Lynn Morey Kauderer ’68, Larry Barth, Pam Altman, and David Richheimer. No more can be said because ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.’ ” . . . Judy Jacobson Wertheimer ’73W (MA) (see ’68).
1970
Nancy Heller Cohen ’70N writes that she took a Caribbean cruise last December to St. Maarten and St. Thomas. “These are my favorite islands, I never tire of returning. We enjoyed balmy weather, sea breezes, and sunshine.” She adds that earlier that same month, she received the Lifetime Service Award from Florida Romance Writers during the group’s holiday luncheon. This year she’ll serve as president of the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America and as vice president of communications for Florida Romance Writers. . . . Jeanne Crane has published Celtic Spirit: A Wee Journey to the Heart of It All (CreateSpace), a work of travel fiction. She writes: “I’ve been having great fun talking about my book, traveling through Celtic lands, and arranging for an eight-day tour of Ireland in May inspired by the book’s narrative.” . . . Aniko Reich Richheimer (see ’69).
1971
Stan Berman writes that he’s been promoted from dean to vice president for academic affairs at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in Newton, Mass.
1972
Tom Bonfiglio has written Why Is English Literature? Language and Letters for the Twenty-First Century (Macmillan), an exploration of how English language literature came to dominate literary studies. Tom is a professor of literature and linguistics at the University of Richmond.
1974
David Ward has been named senior historian at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. David has been at the gallery since 1981.
1975
Larry Kovalsky writes that he was awarded the Lamplighter Award at the Pittsford (N.Y.) Chabad Fifth Anniversary Gala at Irondequoit Country Club. Larry is vice president of Kovalsky-Carr Electric Supply in Rochester.
1977
George Jenkins writes that he, Ronald Buford, and Vincent Whitelock met for an informal minireunion last July in Newton, Mass., when Vincent was visiting Boston on business. Pictured from left to right are Vincent, Ron, and George. . . . Elizabeth Adair Whitaker ’82W (MS), a retired senior foreign service officer, is teaching at George Washington University and Georgetown University.
1978
Jane Dubin ’79 (MS) writes that she’s a producer for an upcoming stage adaptation of the 1951 Oscar-winning movie musical An American in Paris. The production will debut in Paris in December 2014 and make its way to Broadway in spring 2015. Jane is president of the New York City theatrical production and management company Double Play Connections.
1979
Copywriter Bob Bly writes that he’s published a collection of science fiction short stories, The Emancipation of Abraham Lincoln XL-3000 and Other Stories (CreateSpace). . . . Independent curator Valerie Ann Leeds writes that she’s worked with the Greenwich (Conn.) Historical Society to organize one of three exhibitions in the New York metropolitan area in 2013 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armory Show, the first major exhibition of modern art in the United States. She’s prepared a book to accompany the exhibit, which explores the impact of the Armory Show on Greenwich’s Cos Cob art colony. The book is The New Spirit and the Cos Cob Art Colony: Before and After the Armory Show (Greenwich Historical Society). Valerie also organized Spanish Sojourns: Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain, an exhibit for the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Ga., which travels to Jackson, Miss., and San Diego in 2014. She’s put together a book to accompany that exhibit as well, published by Telfair Books.
1980
Scott Reisinger ’87 (MA) has been named head of school at the Trevor Day School in New York City.
1981
Jonathan Dayton has been named vice president and property manager at Brookwood Management Partners, a real estate investment company in Beverly, Mass. . . . Jill Rubin Hummel has been named president and general manager of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Connecticut. Her work has been focused on developing models for provider payment and delivery of services. A lawyer by training, Jill represented physicians, hospitals, and insurers for 17 years before turning to health insurance administration. . . . Mike Stern sends a photo of himself with Rocky, whom he took on a mountaineering trip to Antarctica last November. He adds that he has lived in Jackson Hole, Wyo., since 1998, after he finished his oral and maxillofacial surgery training in San Francisco. . . . David Temes has been elected a member of the Syracuse law firm Bousquet Holstein. As an associate at the firm, he has focused his work on bankruptcy and financial restructuring. . . . Bob Waine (see ’83).
1982
Julia Steinfirst Howard sends a photo. From left to right are Karen Baumberger Gomba, Annabelle Barnett Lang, Sheryl Raskind Barkan, Leslie Nicholson, Laura Shactman Goldman, and Julia. Julie writes: “We gathered for a fun weekend 35 years after freshman year together in Gilbert Hall.”
1983
Dick Keil writes: “After more than 25 years in Washington, D.C., I’ve relocated to Dallas, where I’ve taken a position as senior media relations advisor for ExxonMobil at the company’s corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas. Prior to joining ExxonMobil, I spent seven years providing communications counsel to corporate clients, foreign governments, and trade associations at Purple Strategies in Alexandria, Va., and before that, at Public Strategies in Washington. I spent 20 years in journalism and served as White House and political correspondent for Bloomberg News.” . . . Steve Silverman writes that last November he was elected commissioner for the second ward of Mt. Lebanon, Pa. “My volunteer coordinator was Bob Waine ’81. In the photo, taken on election night, I’m on the left and Bob is on the right.”
1984
Robert Friedberg has been named president of Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Previously, Robert was president and executive vice president of operations at Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Ill.
1985
Margaret Blank Birth has published an e-book, Bride at First Sight (Boroughs Publishing), a romance novella published under her Maggie Adams pen name. In addition, her short story “Blame It on the Chef,” written under her Rhett Shepard pen name, is included in the mystery anthology The Killer Wore Cranberry (Untreed Reads), also an e-book.
1988
Ron Adams has written the third book in his Car Lover’s series, Via Corsa Car Lover’s Guide to Northern California (Via Corsa). The book explores wineries, automotive museums, and racetracks, and includes an interview with world champion race car driver Mario Andretti. . . . Bill Gressler writes: “Greetings from Arizona. I’m now the project manager of the telescope and site group for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Project in Tuscon. Since 2005, I’ve been working on the project, which will utilize a large, 8.4-meter primary mirror with a 3.2-gigapixel camera to conduct a 10-year optical survey.” Bill adds that construction on the telescope is scheduled to begin later this year, with its first operations on a summit in Chile by 2022.
1989
Matthew Muehlbauer is the coauthor of the textbook Ways of War: American Military History from the Colonial Era to the Twenty-First Century (Routledge). Matthew taught military history for two years at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and is a visiting professor of history at Manhattan College. . . . Jud Sherwood, jazz drummer and founder of the Jazz Project label, performs with guitarists Brian Cunningham and John Stowell on The Sharp Nine Sessions (Jazz Project).
1991
John Panikar has been named president of Praxair Asia. Praxair is a global producer and distributor of industrial gases and surface coatings. John first joined the company following his graduation from Rochester.
1992
Jonathan (Jono) Kornfeld writes: “This is the first time in over 20 years that I’ve written, although I’ve always enjoyed reading about what my fellow classmates are up to. I live in San Francisco and am a music educator on the faculty of the San Francisco State University and San Francisco Community Music Center, focusing on music theory and jazz studies. Although I’m in the music field, I consider my English major and religious studies minor invaluable to my success. I attribute much of my success as a teacher to the professors I had at U of R. I even self-published a music theory text I use with many of my students. Most recently and importantly, my wife, Miranda, and I are proud to announce the birth of our first child, Jacob, who arrived last September. Also, last summer my jazz-funk band, Hop Sauce, self-released a CD of original music: Le Tasty.” The band has a website, offering free live streaming, at www.hopsauceband.com. Jono adds that he’d love to hear from classmates at jonok@sfsu.edu.
1993
Randall Gage has been named senior vice president of residential lending at Easthampton Savings Bank. . . . Emily Kutner has been named director of public relations at the United Jewish Appeal–Federation of New York.
1994
Gregg Eisenberg has been named associate managing partner at the Cleveland law firm Benesch. Gregg practices in the firm’s corporate and securities group. . . . Jennifer Falk ’95 (T5) writes that she and her husband, Anthony Corrao, welcomed a son, Asher Natan, and daughter, Eliana Bayla, in October. Asher weighed 7 lbs., 1 oz., and Eliana weighed 6 lbs., 15 oz. Jennifer is executive director of the Union Square Partnership in Manhattan and lives with her family in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. . . . Sunshine Numrich Lahmers has been named clinical assistant professor of cardiology in the department of small animal clinical sciences at Virginia Tech’s school of veterinary medicine. Sunshine was previously on the faculty of Washington State University.
1995
Jennifer Falk (T5) (see ’94). . . . Rich Koehler sends an update. After six years in Seattle focused on minimally invasive and lung cancer surgery, he moved to California’s eastern Sierra mountains to perform general surgery in a rural community. “Here in Mammoth Lakes,” he writes, “I’m enjoying living in a small community at 8,000 feet, skiing, climbing, and mountain biking.” He’s also been participating in international surgical missions with Mammoth Medical Missions. Rich writes that he and a team of doctors, nurses, and technicians were on their way to a routine mission in Chiapas, Mexico, last November, when they were rerouted to the Philippines in the wake of typhoon Haiyan. “Our group was the first international group in one of the hardest hit areas of the typhoon,” he writes. “Although the town hall, our best option for setting up a makeshift hospital, had no roof and had been ravaged by the nearly 10-foot storm surge, there were refugees living in the halls and with the help of local health authorities and helpful refugees, we were able to alleviate flooding and use all of the resources available to us, including office furniture, to construct a fully functioning medical clinic. There, we successfully performed emergency C-sections, amputations, managed a multiple stab wound victim, and treated hundreds of grossly infected wounds. Our makeshift ‘operating rooms’ were austere, using only headlights under a tarp at night during the rain to perform surgeries on desks with only rudimentary equipment to assist in treating complex wounds, and no anesthesia.” The group’s work at the makeshift hospital was the subject of an on-site report on NBC’s Nightly News. Rich adds that a video clip of the broadcast is accessible on the Mammoth Medical Mission’s website, www. mammothmedicalmissions.org.
1996
Joseph Brown has been named to Buffalo Business First’s “40 Under 40” list. He’s a partner at the law firm Hodgson Russ. . . . Kerry Fetters Raymond has joined the Minneapolis law firm Best & Flanigan. She works in the construction and litigation group. Previously, she was an attorney at the Baltimore firm of Franklin & Prokopik.
1997
Mark Drapeau writes that he’s joined the Washington, D.C., firm Atlantic Media Strategies as director of external affairs. “This follows a doctorate and postdoc in animal behavior at the University of California, Irvine, and New York University, respectively, and four years in technology, media, communications, and strategy at the Department of Defense and Microsoft.”
1998
Rebecca Thomas has won a fellowship in choreography from the New York Foundation for the Arts. Rebecca, who performs under the name Rebeca Tomás, is a flamenco dancer and instructor in New York City. . . . Philip Unwin has been named partner at the Buffalo law firm Goldberg Segalla.
1999
Jason and Emily Aronstam Duga ’00, ’06S (MBA) welcomed a daughter, Julia Lincoln, in February 2013. “She joins big sister, Sienna,” Emily writes. “Jason is a financial advisor in Rochester and I’m a financial analyst.” A photo shows Julia at nine months, with Sienna, 3. . . . Alicia Samuels and her husband, Eric, welcomed a son, Eli Chaim Rosenstock, last June. Alicia is a director of communication at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Eric is an immigration attorney in New York City.
2000
Emily Aronstam Duga ’06S (MBA) (see ’99). . . . Jonathan Goldstein has been elected partner at the New York City law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
2004
Thomas Darrah ’09 (PhD) has been named assistant professor in Ohio State University’s school of earth sciences. He’s a geochemist researching subsurface fluid migration related to energy extraction. Previously, he was a postdoc at Duke University.
2005
Chadwick Schnee writes that he argued a case before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last November. The case concerned Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law, the state’s version of the federal Freedom of Information Act. Chadwick is an assistant chief counsel at the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records.
2006
Adam Bink writes that he’s been named campaign director at Ultraviolet, a nonprofit women’s rights organization. . . . Matt Simon writes that he and Brittany Akins were married last July. Pictured are: (third row, left to right) Mike Kwon ’05, Nick Lennon, Joe Kostka ’05, Phil Smith, Tom Shay; (second row, left to right) Jon Field ’05, Ryan Gilroy, Mike Tomidy ’04, Chirag Surti ’07, Nell Aronoff, Jari Greenbaum ’07S (MBA), Kate O’Shei Lennon ’05, Andrea Galati ’05, ’11W (MS), Jeff Arndt ’07; (first row, left to right) Isaac Standish ’04, Stephanie Lovett Standish ’07S (MBA), Brittany, and Matt.
2010
Varun Sehgal ’11S (MS) (see ’13 Eastman). . . . Emily Wroczynski writes that she’s a fellow at the University of Delaware Winterthur Museum’s graduate program in art conservation. She’s also involved in a project at Villanova University to restore “Triumph of David,” a 12-foot-by-19-foot oil-on-canvas painting attributed to Italian baroque artist Pietro da Cortona.
2012
Ryan Brown (see ’13 Eastman).
2013
Karla Sordia Lozano (see ’13 Eastman). . . . Alaina Wayland was accepted last fall into the Peace Corps as a volunteer in Uganda. Alaina is living with a host family and will work for two years with primary school students and teachers.
