Class Notes

1938 Granddaughters Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner and Amy Eells share the news that Jane Wolcott Steinhausen ’39N celebrated her 100th birthday in January. Jane was born on Oliver Street in Rochester, attended the Columbia School for Girls and Rosemary Hall, and participated in multiple sports, including field hockey, basketball, and track. After earning two bachelor of science degrees from Rochester, Jane worked as a visiting nurse in both Rochester and Nashville, Tennessee. In 1940, she married Theodore Steinhausen ’41M (MD), and the two remained married until Theodore’s death in 1999. Kristin and Amy write that Jane “has always been very active in her community and remains so to this day. [Jane] was a vice president of Rochester Planned Parenthood, and was also elected president, and she was part of the Rochester chapter of the Junior League. As a girl, she was an Eaglet Scout and later, the leader for two Girl Scout troops. She’s a member of the Third Presbyterian Church, Genesee Valley Club, Planned Parenthood, Theta Eta Sorority, Chatterbox Club of Rochester, and the George Eastman House.” Among the advice Jane offers, Kristin and Amy write, is “Never go to bed cross or annoyed with one another, but speak your truth to each other always,” and “Always try to leave every place you go a little better than you found it, from public restrooms to public policy.”

1951 Jay Last has published a memoir, African Art and Silicon Chips: A Life in Science and Art (Sierra Vista Books). Jay was one of a group of eight physicists whose work on silicon-based transistors led to the creation of Silicon Valley. At the same time as he was helping launch a technological revolution, he began collecting art, including African art, which was just starting to attract the interest of Western art historians and collectors.

1956 Dick Sherwood writes that a book he coauthored on a top-secret film-processing operation at Eastman Kodak has been published by the National Reconnaissance Office. Dick writes: “I worked in classified government operations at Kodak for most of my working life. We were involved in the processing of airborne and satellite reconnaissance films in a top secret operation known within the reconnaissance community as Bridgehead.” In 2011, after the National Reconnaissance Office dropped security restrictions related to the operation, Dick and five of his colleagues interviewed more than 40 people who had worked on Bridgehead to create a 100-page booklet on the history of the operation that was distributed to living Bridgehead alumni. “Subsequently, the Center for the Study of National Reconnaissance expressed interest in making the Bridgehead story available through the U.S. Government Printing Office. To make that happen, the six principal contributors worked for 18 months with an assigned Air Force editor to reorganize and reformat the text.” Bridgehead: Eastman Kodak Company’s Covert Photoreconnaissance Film Processing Program is available online at Nro.gov/history/csnr/ programs/docs/prog-hist-06.pdf and in print through the GPO.

1957 Bob Mumford writes: “I spent most of November photographing in Madagascar, a location of weird, unusual endemics, including huge chameleons, lemurs, and bright colored birds. There were many challenging aspects to this trip, including 95-degree temperatures in certain places, steep trails covered with roots and rocks, and, well, leeches.” Having been bitten by a leech, Bob reports: “The good news: the bites do not hurt. The bad news: the leeches inject an anticoagulent, so the wounds bleed for hours!”

1958 Judy Frank Pearson sends an update. She and her husband, Art Pearson ’60M (MD), live in Naples, Florida, and spend summers in Cape Vincent, New York, located on the coast of Lake Ontario and the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. In 2013, she wrote a children’s book, Chester the Christmas Church Mouse (Peppertree Press); now she’s working on another children’s story, “The Toy Factory Flood.” She adds: “Art and I are living the good life at our great retirement community. This is our seventh year. We still attend all the graduation and holiday celebrations with families spread from Macon, Georgia, to Troy, New York. Look for our son, Larry, on an international Delta flight as copilot. Art’s retired physicians group is in its 20th year. He started it with two others in Naples and it is a great group. Besides the six grandchildren, we are proud to have our first great-grandson, Henry Bigelow, in Kingston, Ontario. We are so thrilled with the growth of UR and its many contributions to the arts, as well as science and medicine.”

1966 Alan Dattner has written a book, Radiant Skin from the Inside Out: The Holistic Dermatologist’s Guide to Healing Your Skin Naturally (Picture Health Press). Alan has conducted research on cellular immunology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine as well as the dermatology branch of the National Cancer Institute. He’s practiced holistic dermatology for 35 years, currently in Manhattan and New Rochelle, New York.

1968 Bill Rapaport has been recognized by the American Philosophical Association with the Barwise Prize for his contributions to the field of philosophy and computing. An associate professor emeritus of computer science at the University at Buffalo, Bill has been a leading figure in research at the intersection of philosophy, computer science, linguistics, and cognition.

1969 John Shipman is an artist who creates multimedia installations that have been shown in Canada, Europe, and the United States. He’s published a book, The Endless Proverb Model of the Universe, “a 281-page-long sentence that combines 10,000 proverbs exploring meaning and purpose, order and disorder, despair and wonder.” The book is a follow-up to an installation of John’s in 2013 during the Nuit Blanche in Toronto, an all-night festival of contemporary art held annually in the city since 2006. John shares information about the book and his other projects online at Johnshipman.ca.

1970 John Hilfiger, a statistician, has published Graphing Data with R: An Introduction (O’Reilly Media).

1972 Kristen Kawakami Dean writes: “In November, 12 of my U of R friends and classmates joined me in Waikiki (Honolulu), Hawaii, to help me celebrate my 65th birthday. Dinner was held at Hale Koa Hotel. This was the first time I had seen all these folks gathered together in one place since we graduated from the U of R. We came from South Dakota, New York, Maryland, California, and Hawaii. I was deeply honored to have these good friends of so many years come to help celebrate. Also in attendance in spirit was my dearly departed husband, Jeffrey Dean ’71. Pictured are: (front row, left to right) Jane Preston Henn, Judy Francavilla De Jong, Kristen, Rosemary Dunn Moeller ’73, Steve Smith ’71, ’73S (MBA); (second row) Barbara Caliri, Carol Arieno, Mary Hasek Grenier (with Rocky), Mike Grenier ’71, ’75S (MBA); (third row) Bob Henn ’71, Garry Clock ’70, Richard Ching ’71, Rick Harrison.

1974 Barry Yarkoni writes that he’s the chief operating officer of the Wolfgang Puck Cooking School online, which was launched last fall (see Alumni Gazette, page 51).

1975 Randy Essex has been recognized with the Golden Beaver engineering award from the Beavers, a West Coast–based professional organization for the heavy construction industry. Randy, who is the executive vice president of Hatch Mott MacDonald, has spent 34 years in planning, design, construction engineering, and dispute resolution for more than 160 tunnels around the world. He’s also the U.S. representative to the International Tunneling Association. . . . Marilynn Patterson Grant ’82W (Mas) was a finalist for the 2016 Athena Award. The award, which recognizes workplace achievement and community engagement, is given to one woman each year by the Women’s Council of the Rochester Business Alliance. Marilynn is a former deputy superintendent of teaching and learning for the Rochester City School District and owner of M. P. Grant, an educational consulting and executive coaching firm.

1976 Barbara Suckle Boardman (see ’06). . . . Joe Carson and his wife, Karen, were featured last summer in their local Knoxville, Tennessee, paper, the Farragut Press, for their efforts to introduce their subdivision to the sport of pickleball. Joe and Karen have been sharing the basketball court they had built in their backyard with fellow subdivision residents for 15 years. Last spring, Joe lined off a 40-by-22-foot section to become “a public-use pickleball court.” Joe writes: “I hope my classmates, as they transition into ‘empty nesters’ and retirement, consider a new sport or competing in their state’s Senior Games in a sport they played in high school or at Rochester.” When they are not playing pickleball, Joe is a safety oversight engineer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Karen is a pediatric nurse and member of the Knox County Board of Education.

1979 Bob Bly writes that he’s recently published several books: Marketing Dictionary for the 21st Century (Motivational Press); Winning in Commercial Real Estate (Talia Jevan); The Big Book of Words You Should Know to Sound Smart (Adams Media); and The Marketing Plan Handbook, Second Edition (Entrepreneur Press). . . . Sally Holben VanZandt sends a photo from the wedding of her oldest son, Mitchell, last September. Also pictured are her son, Kyle, new daughter-in-law, Becca, and her husband, Peter. She writes: “I continue to enjoy my work as senior director of executive compensation at spice-maker McCormick, and love living between Baltimore and Annapolis, where Peter and I have been for 21 years.”

1981 Maddie Fuhr Hjulstrom writes: “I’m happy to report that after a 15-year career as a national business development manager for Barnes & Noble, I have just become the first-ever executive director of the Nantucket Book Foundation.” Established five years ago, the foundation holds an annual book festival on Nantucket each June. The foundation organizes and sponsors author readings and presentations, panel discussions, book signings, workshops, writing competitions, school programs, and other gatherings and conversations about books, literacy, and the written word.

1983 Business consultant Mark Mozeson ’85S (MBA) has published a novel, The Peril of Thyself: The Spectacular Demise of Two Firms (Mascot Books). The books consists of “two stories, intertwined and also parallel in the way the personal attributes of an organization’s leader seals an organization’s fate.”

1985 Miami entertainment lawyer Leslie Zigel writes that he’s merged his firm, Ziglaw, with the nearby firm of Greenspoon Marder, where he’s now the chairman of the entertainment law practice group.

1986 Jenifer Bunis, a leader in optics business development, has joined the board of directors of industrial laser developer Rofin-Sinar Technologies. Jenifer has been vice president of business development for Laser Mechanisms, and held multiple positions during a 20-year career at Synrad. . . . Christine Joor Mitchell writes that she’s running the Boston Marathon in April in honor of Doreen Gostin Massie and in memory of Nancy Melvin Taylor as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team-in-Training program. Christine adds that friends can learn more about her race for Doreen and Nancy at the Team-in-Training website, Teamintraining.org.

1990 Scott Bornkessel writes: “I’m now senior marketing manager for LexisNexis. I’ve been doing digital marketing for the last 12 years for such companies as IBM, Cisco, and ABB. I live near Raleigh, North Carolina, with my wife and daughter, and am looking forward to visiting Rochester a lot more, since my new role takes me there!”

1991 Jean-Claude Amitie writes that he’s released a CD, A Heightened Sense of Things (MagnaFire Records), consisting of 11 original rock instrumental tracks. Jean-Claude lives in Austin, Texas, and is a guitarist and keyboardist. . . . Luke Bellocchi writes: “Several Class of 1991 and 1992 alums got together in the Washington, D.C., area for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner with spouses and kids.” Among those pictured are Joelle Davis Michaels ’92, Mandy Potts Wallis, Jason Bassingthwaite ’92, Paul Benning ’92, Valery Perry ’92, and Luke. . . . Lia Fiato Hallett ’98W (MS) writes: “After working in Residential Life at Rochester while earning my (second) master’s degree, I returned home to Buffalo and have been working at the University at Buffalo for the past 20 years. My primary role for many years was that of an academic advisor, and I still enjoy advising students, but more recently, as an assistant director in the Office of Success & Retention, I have coordinated UB’s Finish in 4 program and other initiatives related to improving student retention, graduation, and success. On a recent visit back to U of R with my family, I had the opportunity to see all the new development and progress happening on campus as well as the revitalization of the neighboring communities and the entire city of Rochester. Perhaps we’ll be back when my oldest child begins looking at colleges in about five years.” Lia sends a photo from her visit, which shows her family overlooking Fauver Stadium during last November’s Yellowjackets football game against Hobart. . . . Seth Jacobson ’98M (Res) has joined the Medical Center faculty as an associate professor of medicine in the cardiology division. He’s also medical director of cardiac rehabilitation. He is married to Linda Palmeri Jacobson ’96S (MBA), and they have three children, Marc, 18, Mia, 17, and Lily, 13. Seth and Linda write that they’d love to see classmates at the 25th reunion during Meliora Weekend 2016.

1992 Jason Bassingthwaite, Paul Benning, Joelle Davis Michaels, and Valery Perry (see ’91).

1993 Jessica Shiller has published a book, The New Reality for Suburban Schools: How Suburban Schools Are Struggling with Low-Income Students and Students of Color in Their Schools (Peter Lang). Jessica is a professor in the instructional leadership and professional development department at Towson University.

1994 Lenore Myka has won a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship. She was one of 37 writers selected for the creative writing fellowship from among nearly 1,800 applicants. Her collection of short stories, King of the Gypsies (BkMk Press), was published in 2015. . . . Numismatist Dennis Tucker has published American Gold and Silver: U.S. Mint Collector and Investor Coins and Medals, Bicentennial to Date (Whitman Publishing). Dennis writes: “There are several Rochester connections in American Gold and Silver. [Former Secretary of the Treasury and Simon Business School benefactor] William Simon appears in the chapter about the treasury sale of federal gold in the 1970s and early 1980s. I had the opportunity to use some photographs from Allegra Boverman ’96, and in several places, I quoted America’s Beautiful National Parks: A Handbook for Collecting the New National Park Quarters (Whitman Publishing) by Aaron McKeon.

1995 John Johnson has published Everydata: The Misinformation Hidden in the Little Data You Consume Every Day (Bibliomotion). John is president and CEO of the consulting firm Edgeworth Economics.

1996 Allegra Boverman (see ’94).

2002 Charles and Beth Urbonas Emerson ’06M (MD) welcomed a baby girl in September. Claire joins her brothers William, 6, and Jacob, 3. . . . Seth Lowry has joined the law firm of Fisher, Patterson, Sayler & Smith as an associate in the Topeka, Kansas, office. Previously, Seth was assistant city attorney for Topeka. His practice is focused on civil litigation defense.

2004 Emily Brandon, a senior editor at U.S. News & World Report, has published Pensionless: The 10-Step Solution for a Stress-Free Retirement (Adams Media).

2006 Jeremy and Kathryn Harvey Boardman welcomed their second child, Winston Archer, in December. Winston is also the grandson of Barbara Suckle Boardman ’76. Jeremy is vice president of Lender Finance at Midcap Financial, and Kathryn is deputy attorney general for the State of New Jersey. . . . Rebecca Kowaloff writes: “I’ve been quite busy! In April I ran the Boston Marathon. In summer 2015, I finished many years of medical training and spent the summer traveling around Africa. Here I am [see photo] at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro sporting my Rochester pride. In September I started a job as a primary care physician and medical director of the palliative medicine program at Southern Maine Healthcare in Biddeford, Maine. I love it, but it’s kept me busy!”

2007 Lara Abramowitz and John Wilson ’08 (MS) send a photo of their son, Eli, who was born last July. . . . Pooja Rawal has joined the law firm of Segal McCambridge Singer and Mahoney as an associate in the New York City office. Her practice is focused on workers’ compensation law. . . . Lulu Tsai and Ryan Korsak got married in Philadelphia last September. Pictured from left to right are Jeffrey Hsu, Colin Bortner, Eryk Druszkiewicz ’09 (MS), Ayman Bekdash, Oliver Chase ’08, Joseph Bell, Michael Laski ’08 (MS), Shannon Davids, Steven Bloch ’08 (MS), Samuel Pitcheralle, Brian Meeker, and Narayan Wong ’13.

2011 Elizabeth Del Mastro and Joseph Benincasa were married in January. They write: “We have been together since our sophomore year and look forward to a lifetime of happiness together!”

2012 Ellie Grabski ’14S (MBA) and Sean Burke got married last September in Keuka Park, New York, Pictured at the wedding reception at the Esperanza Mansion are, from left to right, Kelly Saner, Hana Abrams ’14E (MA), David Goldfarb ’13 (MS), Eli Goldfarb, Olga Karlinskaya ’11, Valerie Holmboe Atwood ’11, Brandon Sosa ’11, Tina Sosa ’11, Jamie Bow, Keith Lippert ’11, Jake Ark, Jake McAndrew, Will McMunigal, Charlie Edwards, Michael Krestos, Tim Lynch, Emily Hessney, Jason Saner ’12S (MBA), Edmund Eaves ’79, Marilyn Yackel Eaves ’79, Ellie, Sean, Mike Smith, Evan Logan ’13, Abigail Eaves ’17, Alison Canavan, David Kaphan, Hannah Schwager, Kristian Brooks, Leah Barish, Brittany Crowley ’10, Lilly Dickerson, Lynne Burke ’94S (MBA) (the groom’s mother), Mary Burke ’84, Leigha MacNeil, Christine Kent, Obiamaka Eke ’14S (MBA).