Class Notes

In preparation for each fall’s 50th reunion, members of the milestone class are asked to submit updates and recall campus memories for an annual Memory Book that’s shared with members of the class.

Here’s a small selection of some memories from the Class of 1969. To find out more, you’ll have to attend reunion this fall, which takes place during Meliora Weekend, October 3–6.

For more information, visit Rochester.edu/melioraweekend.

Ruth Balser

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

“. . . I spent much of my four years marching for civil rights and peace in Vietnam. I remember the student strike. I remember sitting in against Dow Chemical. I remember standing with a microphone in front of the library, speaking out against the war. And I remember being brought to a student trial for my political activities. In between all that, I remember loving most of my classes, admiring most of my professors, and making wonderful friends.”

Phyllis Jo Baunach

Alexandria, Virginia

“. . . I cannot forget the endless hours studying, researching, and learning amid the musty books in the stacks. We did everything by hand! But the joys of ideas coming to life and understanding thorny concepts are priceless. Additionally, I cannot forget the joyful hours of Co-Kast rehearsals for student-written and -directed plays, and the thrill of audiences responsive to our efforts. Nor will I ever forget taking voice lessons at the Eastman School of Music and the hours of practicing scales and arias. This discipline gave me confidence to try new musical approaches and to think on my feet, valuable tools in my career.”

Paul Boehm

Concord, Massachusetts

“. . . many sweet and lasting memories—five feet of deep snow, getting stranded on the Thruway and overnighting in Canajoharie police station, the great Northeast blackout of ’65, music at Hylie Morris’s Alley, Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity with amazing friendships, and, of course, I met my wife of 48 years, Ellen Balzer Boehm ’72, when she was a freshman and I was a senior. Had great roommates along the way—Bob Lunn, Ron Lepes, John Lloyd, Sonny Wood. . . . As a five-year chemical engineering major, I had one elective to spare, and Ellen said, ‘How about oceanography?’ So, I enrolled in oceanography with Dr. Taro Takahashi (the famous climate scientist), which awakened my environmental juices, made me feel like Jacques Cousteau, and changed my professional direction.”

William Eckert

San Diego

“. . . . singing with the YellowJackets, performing as a chorus member in Mozart’s Magic Flute with the Philharmonic Orchestra at the Eastman School of Music, and meeting and working as conference coordinator for some of the most notable physicists in the world, including Edward Teller and Richard Feynman, for the 1968 Rochester International Conference on High Energy Physics. I remember James Dormer ’68, an upperclassman in my NROTC unit, for his engaging personality as well as his notable fame as New York state diving champion. He was a Bronze Star recipient as a Navy pilot in the Vietnam War and was pursuing a successful career as a flight engineer with Pacific Southwest Airlines, when in September 1978 his Boeing 747 collided with a small aircraft while landing at San Diego International Airport, killing all parties aboard both planes. Soon thereafter, even though the technology had existed for quite some time, the FAA finally demanded that all commercial aircraft install collision warning radars to prevent such disasters. I find it ironic and frustrating that Jim survived horrific risks in the skies over Vietnam, only to fall prey to the negligence and politics of air safety in the relatively friendly skies over the US.”

Marion Kristal Goldberg

Chevy Chase, Maryland

“. . . two months after graduation, I married my UR boyfriend, Dan (then Danny) Goldberg ’68. So 2019 is a double 50-year celebration for us . . . some of my best memories: meeting Dan in the Welles-Brown Room on a study break; living in Towers suites with Enid Moses Kozlov (sadly Enid died in 2009), Mady Fuchs Holzer, Ranny Cooper, Joan Ross Sorkin, and Lynne Spichiger; hours at the vending machines in the Hill basement and in our Towers suites, immersed in discussions with Enid and my other suite mates; trips to Uncle John’s pancake house and Jay’s Diner; the original Wegmans; many discussions about the Vietnam War and the draft. When I read articles denigrating a liberal arts education, I think of my classes in Spanish, French, history, political science, art history, and literature that have enriched my life and shaped my perspective for more than 50 years. And I am forever grateful for all of it.”

Steven Goldberg

Hastings-on-Hudson, New York

“. . . experiencing the first women’s dorm, being editor-in-chief of Interpres, traying down the Hill, the 1968 picketing as a result of the Dow Chemical recruitment, having some truly amazing professors, and working with the University Planning Committee as one of three students who advised I. M. Pei’s architectural firm on the construction of Wilson Commons as the new student union.”

Elaine Schueler Horton

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

“. . . as a freshman, I was honored to be selected by the YellowJackets for their new women’s trio, the Tritones, in the fall of 1965. Also represented the U of R in the 1966 Miss Rochester Pageant; made the Top Ten. Not so fond memories of 8 a.m. bio labs in mid-winter. So grateful for the tunnels! Also remembering the great blackout in the fall of 1965. What an adventure!”

Lawrence (Larry) Lipman

Wellington, Florida

“. . . Ronnee Press Lipman ’70 and I were married after a four-year courtship at the U of R. We often tell the story of our first meeting at a U of R dinner in September of 1966, where I was the server for Ronnee’s table during her first week on campus. I was wearing new penny loafers without socks, as was then the style, and had developed heel blisters. So, I removed the shoes and served the meal barefoot while joking about it the entire time. Ronnee was so impressed with this witty barefoot waiter that she decided that evening that she would marry me and phoned her mother to tell her so. This June we celebrated our 49th wedding anniversary, so things have generally worked out with us.”

Farel Vella McClure ’70W (Mas)

Bellevue, Washington

“. . . I truly loved my four undergraduate years at the U of R. In fact, I loved it so much I stayed an extra year to get a master’s degree! I was very fortunate to have been totally immersed in student life on campus. My memories include campaigning and winning a seat on the student government my freshman year. This was a fantastic experience, but unfortunately did not help my GPA. Great times were had with my sisters in Theta Eta and I was fortunate to have great roommates all four years. Other memories include the University sponsored “beer blasts,” the Susan B. Anthony banquet, sliding down the hill in the snow on a cafeteria tray, and sleeping in the comfy chairs in the library. There were also those wonderful parties, pizza at the Bungalow, concerts at Eastman, hearing Chuck Mangione ’63E play the flugelhorn in his early days and having Harry Belafonte perform on campus. I was also privileged to be selected as a student representative on the design team for the new Wilson Commons. I. M. Pei, the famous architect who designed the Louvre Pyramid in Paris and many other famous buildings, was the architect for Wilson Commons. We even visited his offices in New York to see the ‘master’ at work.”

Joan Ross Sorkin

Scarsdale, New York

“. . . first week of freshman year we met with our advisory group of 10 with the late great Professor Kaufmann, who introduced us to intellectual history. Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and Schopenhauer would become part of our vocabulary and psyche. And then there were those late-night happenings with N. O. Brown, sledding on trays behind Rush Rhees, and that unforgettable lecture by Andy Warhol at Strong Auditorium, where the audience booed, claiming the speaker wasn’t Warhol at all. Never really knew if he was an impostor or not!”