Class Notes

1957 Robert (Craig) Brown died in September 2016 following open heart surgery, Gail Detgen Brown writes. Married for 56 years, Gail and Craig had three children and four grandchildren. “As a student of Mason Wade at Rochester, he became interested in Canada and went to the University of Toronto to do his master’s, intending to stay only a year. Remaining to do a PhD, he then taught Canadian history and Canadian–American relations at the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto, where he became chair of the history department, a dean, president of the Canadian Historical Society, and a member of the Royal Society.”

1961 Ron Karpick sends a photo and writes, “Carl Hunt and his wife, Joyce Shoemaker, took my wife, Jane, and me for a long weekend cruise in August from Annapolis to St. Michaels, Maryland, aboard Carl’s 54-foot 1986 Hatteras Motor Yacht. Together we enjoyed the sights and food of the Maryland Eastern Shore area. Carl is a research professor of pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda. I retired from my pulmonary and critical care practice in 2001 and from the tuberculosis consultant position with the Fairfax County VA Health Department in 2015.”

1962 Brian Turner was appointed as a canon of the Episcopal Missionary Church. Brian is the chancellor of the diocese, vice chancellor of the national church, and chairman of the Board of Examining Chaplains. He is the curate of Christ (Anglican) Church in Warrenton, Virginia.

1964 Alice Parman cowrote the second edition of Exhibit Makeovers: A Do-It-Yourself Workbook for Small Museums (Rowman & Littlefield) with the exhibit team at the Museum of Natural & Cultural History at the University of Oregon. . . . Joan Bertinelli Tobey sends a photo and some news. “I was traveling with Globalbike (check it out at Globalbike.org) to Tusaidiane [Tanzania], where recipients of Globalbike’s bicycles were showing my group how they have been using the bikes to carry water, produce, and goods.” On the way, she met a Tanzanian man wearing a Rochester sweatshirt. “It was refreshing to see the blue and gold in such a remote place,” she writes.

1966 Claudia Schatz (see ’39 Eastman).

1967 Alan Carmasin (see ’68). . . . Lucien Lombardo addressed the United Nations’ Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva, Switzerland, in May, following publication in 2016 of an article he coauthored entitled “Law Reform, Child Maltreatment and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child” in the International Journal of Children’s Rights. . . . Sam Meisels, the founding executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute and a professor of child, youth, and family studies at the University of Nebraska is the inaugural Richard D. Holland Presidential Chair in Early Childhood Development. The presidential chair is the highest academic award and recognition the university bestows on faculty. Sam is considered one of the nation’s most accomplished and respected early childhood leaders. He is president emeritus of Erikson Institute and professor and research scientist emeritus of the University of Michigan’s School of Education and the Center for Human Growth and Development. Sam (right) is pictured with the University of Nebraska’s President Hank Bounds.

1968 Louise Forsyth, pictured with Alexa (Lexie) Kaplan Intrator, died in August, write Lexie, Erica (Ricki) Levitt, and Paul Bloomberg. Erica, Paul, and Lexie, who attended her memorial service in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, write that Louise was an intrepid world traveler who continued to travel and attend concerts and plays while hosting and celebrating with friends throughout her illness. She had retired after a long career teaching history and psychology at Poly Prep in Brooklyn, where she was head of the history department. Louise was the AP World History chair, wrote textbooks, gave lectures, and was the beneficiary of myriad fellowships. She had a loyal following of students who kept in touch with her postgraduation. Louise’s friends remember her as “a wonderful mother passionately devoted to her two daughters” and as someone who “courageously stood up for her beliefs and was unafraid to express them.” . . . Drew Mittelman celebrated his 70th birthday in September with many classmates, along with more than 60 others. Of his Rochester friends, “these are all people I have seen regularly through the years,” he writes. “This is the first time we have all been together and it was fantastic for everyone to be there and just celebrate our lives.” Pictured from left to right are Myra Zauderer Brodney, Charlie Norris, Dave Ragusa ’76W (Mas), Larry Brodney, Mike Finberg, Dana Mittelman ’05, Paul Vance ’69, Drew, Al Lobel ’69S (MBA), Ron Goldberg, Joanne James Finberg, Cathy Jones Minehan, Dave Lyons ’69, Alan Carmasin ’67, Betsey Lamb Lyons, and Donna Carlson ’81. Steve Lasser ’69 also attended, and Dave MacIntyre was invited but unable to attend.

1969 Steve Lasser (see ’68). . . . Dave Lyons (see ’68). . . . Paul Vance (see ’68).

1970 Cynthia Rauker Rigby was awarded the Kentucky Medical Association’s “Community Connector” designation at the association’s annual meeting in Louisville. The Community Connector program highlights physicians who have been leaders both in their local communities and in medicine and have completed a public health or public education service element. Cynthia is pictured with Kentucky Medical Association board chair, Dale Toney.

1971 Jerry Newman sends a photo captioned, “Rocky took a road trip this summer to see the Who in concert in Canandaigua with my daughter, Aurora Newman ’17, and me.” . . . Joan Levy Zlotnik sends a photo and a note: “We continue to get together 50 years after first meeting; several of us met during Freshman Week and Summer Orientation and have maintained our friendships, sharing life cycle events and fun times, including getting together on Cape Cod in August.” Pictured are (seated, left to right) Joan, Ethel Bernstein, Stanley Berman, (standing) Peggy Fiddler (Nick Fleisher’s wife), Charles Tabb, Randi Fox Tabb (Charlie’s wife), Andrew Bernstein, Nicholas Fleisher, and Marc Zlotnik.

1972 Tom Bonfiglio has published his fifth book, The Psychopathology of American Capitalism (Palgrave Macmillan), part of the publisher’s Critical Political Theory and Radical Practice series. Tom is the Gaines Professor of Literature and Linguistics at the University of Richmond.

1974 Ross Petty ’74S (MBA), a professor of marketing law and faculty scholar at Babson College, has published Petty’s Branding Law: A Guide to the Legal Issues in Brand Management (West Academic).

1975 James Kennedy writes: “Hi, Rochester friends. I wanted to share a link to a sci-fi short story I’ve written, in which a character is a University of Rochester astrophysicist (my initial dream as a freshman). Besides aliens and asteroids, the tale also touches on politics, the media, and faith.” The free e-book can be found at Medium.com/@jimkennedy250/seti-oz-b4beed199fd4. . . . Barbara London was married last June to Stephen Presser. Stephen is a Rochester dermatologist, and Barbara is, she writes, “a happy retiree as of 2015 after a 38-year career as a medical social worker in Cincinnati.” She “loves living in Rochester after 40 years away.”

1977 Peter Friedenberg, a real estate lawyer with the Boston firm Sherin and Lodgen, was selected by his peers for inclusion in the peer review publication The Best Lawyers in America 2018 (Woodward/White). Best Lawyers highlights the top five percent of practicing attorneys in the United States.

1978 Barry Bergen celebrated two milestones last June. He writes, “I retired from my position as professor of history at Gallaudet University. My 25 years of service there included seven years as chair of the Department of History and Government, now the Department of History, Philosophy, Religion, and Sociology, and three additional years as program coordinator for the history program.” In addition, “I celebrated 20 years with my partner, Jim Schank. We were legally married in a private ceremony in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, in April 2015.” . . . Michael Corp, a partner in the law firm Hancock Estabrook, has been selected for inclusion in Upstate New York Super Lawyers for 2017. Michael is the chair of the tax, trusts and estates, and elder law and special needs department. . . . Kevin Maier sends a photo and a note: “On August 27 I competed in the World Multisport Championships in Penticton, Canada, where I was invited to be on Team USA and finished eighth in the 60–64 age group in the aquabike, completing the two-mile swim and 75-mile bike in 4 hours 29 minutes. Penticton hosted the first annual week-long Olympics-type festival of multisport races put on by the International Triathlon Union, which included sprint duathlon (run/bike/run), standard duathlon, cross triathlon (off-road triathlon), aquathon (swim/run), long-course triathlon, and aquabike. A total of nearly 5,000 athletes from 39 countries competed in the six events.”

1979 Steven Goldberg, an environmental litigation attorney with Downey Brand, was named a Northern California Super Lawyer and was recognized by Sacramento Magazine as a 2017 Top Lawyer. . . . Valerie Leeds wrote George Sotter: Light and Shadow (James A. Michener Art Museum) to accompany the museum’s retrospective exhibition of the Pennsylvania artist’s paintings and stained glass. Light and Shadow is the first publication devoted to Sotter’s work. . . . Sharon Porcellio, a member of Bond, Schoeneck & King’s Buffalo law office, has been recognized in the 2017 Upstate New York Super Lawyer Top 25 Women list in the field of business litigation.

1981 Donna Carlson (see ’68).

1982 Jeff Powers sends a photo from his long-distance bicycle trip. He writes, “Greetings! I just completed a 4,200-mile, two-month, (mostly) solo bike trip from my home in Seattle to my parents’ home in Delaware. Stopped in Rochester, of course. Read about my adventures at Venividibici.wordpress.com.”

1983 Geoffrey Prior (see ’11).

1991 David Kemp, a captain in the Navy, sends a photo of himself with fellow NROTC alumnus Erik Wignes ’93 (right). “We ran into each other at Navy Recruiting Command in Millington, Tennessee. I am currently the commander of the US Military Entrance Processing Command, whose mission is to evaluate all applicants who desire to enlist in the Armed Forces. Erik, who is in the Navy Reserve, currently works for Deloitte on transformation issues for the Navy.” . . . Tiffany Taylor Smith was hired into the newly created position of executive director for inclusive excellence education and professional development at the University of Dayton in Ohio. Before that, she ran TR Taylor Consulting, a firm she founded in 2001. In addition to her consulting experience, she worked as an adjunct professor of psychology at Kean University and Seton Hall University in New Jersey for 11 years. She taught courses on life-span development and child and adolescent psychology. Tiffany held various roles in human resource development, diversity, and sales management with Procter & Gamble before founding the consulting firm.

1993 Laura Grow D’Angelo ’00E (MA) writes: “I have been appointed to serve on the Advanced Placement (AP) Music Theory Development Committee. According to the College Board, ‘these dedicated educators play a critical role in the preparation of the course description and exam for AP Music Theory. They represent a diversity of knowledge and points of view in their fields and, as a group, are the authority when it comes to making subject-matter decisions in the exam-construction process.’ The AP development committees represent a unique collaboration between high school and college educators.” Laura has taught for 23 years, the past 20 in the Webster Central School District, where she teaches Music Theory I and AP Music Theory. In addition, she’s a grader of AP Music Theory exams for the College Board and has been a presenter at the AP National Conference as well as at the reading sessions for the exam. . . . René Mogensen was awarded his PhD at the Conservatoire at Birmingham City University, England. A composer, performer, and educator, he received his MA from New York University and MM from the Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus. His composition “Views From Plato’s Cave,” a piece for trombone and computer written for trombonist Niels-Ole Bo Johansen and premiered by him in 2009, is included on Johansen’s 2017 CD, Identity Problems (CDKlassisk). . . . Erik Wignes (see ’91).

1996 Nayma Rab Kose ’97 (T5), a community program organizer, youth mentor, and volunteer with the Chicago-based international charity organization Zakat Foundation of America, was named a 2017 Movers & Shakers honoree by Cary Magazine in Cary, North Carolina.

1998 Keila Baez writes that she married Kevin Shehan in Detroit in October 2016. Pictured with Keila are Ellen Makovsky, Jen Hoffman, and Danielle Johnson. . . . Matthew Rosen (see ’99).

1999 Marc Samuelson sends a photograph from a mini reunion in Niskayuna, New York, in August. From left to right are Marc, Daniel Fiedler, Andrew Lesser ’00, Jacob Russell, Matthew Rosen ’98, and Brian Dowling. Marc writes, “We all met at Rochester 22 years ago and have been friends ever since. Daniel Fiedler started with us in 1995. He had to drop out his senior year but recently began taking classes toward his history degree. He now is two classes away from graduating from Rochester and should do so by the end of this year.”

2000 Andrew Lesser (see ’99).

2001 Jonathan Orent has been promoted to member attorney at the national plaintiffs’ law firm Motley Rice. He focuses his practice on representing people harmed by dangerous and defective medical devices and pharmaceutical drugs. Jonathan served as a law clerk with the Missouri State Public Defender Youth Advocacy Unit and as a legal intern for Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois before joining Motley Rice. He earned his JD from Washington University School of Law.

2005 Dana Mittelman (see ’68).

2006 Christopher Lee (see ’08).

2008 Erik LaLone (see ’09). . . . Greg Skipton sends a photo and update. He writes, “Alumni of the music interest floor met up in Montreal for a ‘Dirty Thirty’ birthday bash reunion from June 16 to 19. Many members of the group either have turned 30 or will be turning 30 this year. The group took advantage of AirBnB and all were able to stay and celebrate together in L’Hotel Particulier in Griffintown. Members came from California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. It was an amazing time filled with good food, wine, music, and laughter.” Pictured are: (back row, left to right) Katie Maloney ’10, Christopher Lee ’06, Adam Gross ’09, ’10 (MS), Rebekah Porter, Andrew Bochenko ’09, Greg, Kate Cieply Skipton ’09, Peter McLoone ’10, ’11 (MS); (front row, left to right) Elizabeth Swovick ’10, Sara Allen ’09, Lauren Corrigan ’09, Courtney Callanan ’09, Sharon Hopcraft Alongi ’09, and Tony Alongi ’09. . . . Avraham Sommer (see ’11).

2009 Sara Allen (see ’08). . . . Tony and Sharon Hopcraft Alongi (see ’08). . . . Mathew Bielecki (see ’11). . . . Andrew Bochenko (see ’08). . . . Courtney Callanan (see ’08). . . . Lauren Corrigan (see ’08). . . . Adam Gross ’10 (MS) (see ’08). . . . Katherine Herman ’09E, ’17M (PhD) (see ’83 Eastman). . . . Melanie Pelcher joined the New York State Master Teacher program during the 2016–17 school year. “Melanie teaches physics and launched a Project Lead the Way biomedical science program at Henninger High School in Syracuse, New York,” writes her husband, Erik LaLone ’08. . . . Kate Cieply Skipton (see ’08).

2010 Katie Maloney (see ’08). . . . Peter McLoone ’11 (MS) (see ’08). . . . Elizabeth Swovick (see ’08).

2011 Elisabeth Arthur Mekosh sends a photo and writes, “Several Rochester alumni, parents, and friends attended a pregame happy hour and the Orioles game in July as the first of hopefully many UR Baltimore Network events.” Pictured are (back row, left to right) Avi Sommer ’08, Heather Winegrad Pollak ’13, Adam Brinkman ’12, Jeffrey Shapanka ’12, ’13 (MS), Jason Mekosh, Bradley Smith ’20, Matt Bielecki ’09, Greg Zapas ’21, and Geoffrey Prior ’83; and (front row, left to right) Kyley McClain Sommer ’06E, Elisabeth, Maryanna Krewson ’16, Gaelynn Petry ’16, Jeffrey Smith Sr., and Sierra Prior ’20.

2012 Adam Brinkman (see ’11). . . . Jeffrey Shapanka ’13 (MS) (see ’11).

2013 Heather Winegrad Pollak (see ’11).

2016 Maryanna Krewson (see ’11). . . . Gaelynn Petry (see ’11).

2017 Aurora Newman (see ’71).