Class Notes

Medallion Reunion Alumni who graduated in class years before the Class of 1970—next fall’s 50th reunion class—are invited to take part in Medallion Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

1952 Dan Riley writes that he retired from the board of the USS LSM Association (Veterans of the WWII Amphibious Forces) in September and as editor and publisher of the association’s magazine, Alligator Alley. The publication began as a two-pager in 1989 and grew into a 32-page glossy magazine with 3,600 subscribers. “Still writing essays and memoirs and getting some stuff published,” he writes, “and looking forward to my 95th birthday in March.”

1953 William Marshall (see ’56 Medicine and Dentistry).

1958 Fabius Fox sends an update: “I retired from radiology after practicing for 55 years. I am keeping busy playing guitar and singing folk and bluegrass music and learning to play piano. My wife, Ziporah, retired from teaching after a long, distinguished career in special education. She is a devotee and avid practitioner of Iyengar yoga. We have taken several courses at the Juilliard School of Music and are enjoying retirement together. Our son Ari is a psychotherapist, and he and his wife, Sharon, are the parents of our two grandsons. Our son Danny is a jazz pianist, composer, and teacher.”

1959 Daniel Botkin received recognition this year in honor of his contributions to ecology and environmental science. He received the 2019 Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award for Environmental Science and Writing from Marquis Who’s Who and was named the Top Environmental Scientist of the Year for 2019 by the International Association of Top Professionals. The association has made a 2020 calendar about his award and career contributions, including a number of photographs he took during his travels as part of his research and work as an advisor. Daniel writes, “My BA from the U. of R. in physics gave me an excellent basis from which I was able to write computer models and do mathematical analysis of the population records and other data for various species and ecosystems.” He went on to earn a PhD in 1968 in biology (ecology) from Rutgers University and was appointed to the faculty of Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where he stayed for six years. He then became a faculty member at the Woods Hole Ecosystem Center and in 1970 moved to the University of California, Santa Barbara as a professor of biology and director of the environmental studies department, where he remained for many years. “I became well known for my research in ecology and environmental issues. I have published 17 books and hundreds of articles, both scientific and for the general public. I invented one of the first well-validated computer models in ecology, a model of forest dynamics done in cooperation with scientists at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York, called JABOWA and used widely in many versions around the world. I have also done field research in many nature preserves, national parks, other parks, and wilderness areas, both in the US and in other nations, including research to help conserve a number of endangered species such as the bowhead whale and African elephants. At the request of various US federal agencies and state agencies, I conducted a number of scientific research projects that affected the status and court decisions of specific environmental dilemmas.”

1961 Sandra (Sandy) Siegel Breitbart sends a photo from a minireunion with Class of ’61 friends. Her daughter, Lorraine (Lorri) Kahn Diggory ’88, writes, “They met for dinner at a restaurant on City Island (Bronx, New York) as they have been doing several times a year for the past 58 years.” Pictured from left to right are Estelle Lent (an “honorary” Yellowjacket), Sue Edelman Ringle, Sandy, and Lucy Goldberg Becker.

1964 William Kaplin has published the sixth edition of The Law of Higher Education (John Wiley & Sons). William writes: “The book has grown from one volume of 500 pages in 1978, with one author, to two volumes with 2,200 pages in 2019, with four authors. The treatise is a comprehensive treatment of the entire range of legal considerations pertinent to the operation of colleges and universities.”

1966 Bob Gluckman writes, “After a 36-year career in finance and information technology, I decided that it was time to move in a new direction and decided to try teaching. This year will be my 14th as a professor in the School of Business and Management at the State University of New York’s campus in Brockport.”

1967 Daniel Morrisey sends an update, “Since November 2018, I have been a quality assurance analyst in the risk management and regulatory compliance department at Arlington Community Federal Credit Union in Arlington, Virginia.” . . . Gerry Rigby (see ’70).

1968 Chuck Smith writes, “I’ve had a good year in having my one-act plays performed. I’ve had 10 theaters do my plays. Fusion, a professional theater in New Mexico, picked Fluent as one of seven plays out of 700.”

1969 Susan Grainger Baker writes: “My husband, Claude Baker ’75E (DMA), and I recently traveled to Ocean Isle, North Carolina, to attend the 50th wedding anniversary party of Sandra and Don Freund ’73E (DMA). I am a retired business editor, and Claude and Don are currently on the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. Other Rochester and Eastman alumni attending the party included John Beall ’73E (PhD); David Liptak ’76E (DMA); Stephen Beall ’97E, and Stefan Freund ’02E (DMA).”

50th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 1970 are invited to take part in 50th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

1970 As the Class of 1970 approaches its 50th reunion, we asked Sakhile Ntshangase ’21, a student employee in University Communications, to catch up with class members Linda Puro Dudman, Dana Hooper ’71S (MBA), and Ron and Cynthia Rauker Rigby. Here’s his report:

From the time she interviewed in 1965, Linda knew that she wanted to study at Rochester. “It was the right distance from home, and for me personally, coming here felt right,” she says. After initially majoring in elementary education, she switched majors and earned a psychology degree. Linda returned to Elmira, New York where she grew up, and taught at a school in Corning. In the summer of 1971, she married and moved to Rochester. She worked for a temporary agency and was later assigned to the University of Rochester, where she has worked for the past 46 years. She currently works as associate director for health promotion at the University Health Service.

Linda recalls arriving at Rochester at a time when all first-year students had to wear yellow beanies on campus the first week of school. She lived in an all-women’s residence hall, what is now Susan B. Anthony Halls, for her first two years. She lived in Tiernan her junior year and Wilder Tower as a senior. She says that although the 1960s were marked by unrest and protests sparked by the Vietnam War, and the deaths of four unarmed students at Kent State in Ohio, in May of her senior year, “overall, college was a very positive experience.” Linda recalls her graduation ceremony, which was held at the War Memorial in downtown Rochester, now part of the Blue Cross Arena. “During graduation, I remember walking in the War Memorial and seeing my parents. It was a beautiful experience.”

Her advice to any college student is to enjoy every experience and take advantage of available opportunities. “It’s not a straight path. There are challenges and curves along the way,” she says. “Whatever you do, make the most of whatever job you’re in.”

Dana

grew up in a sparsely populated rural area, where his nearest neighbor was half a mile away. He arrived at Rochester to find a completely different environment, with students from all over the world. He met a lot of people and became more socially involved. Dana’s campus involvement included participating in sports, being a member of Phi Epsilon Phi, working in the faculty dining room and in the gym, working with other students over the summer painting houses, and becoming a residential advisor in Gilbert.

He also liked that he could participate in sports at Rochester. Dana was a member of the basketball team and track team, where he ran indoors and outdoors. “Looking back, a lot of my best qualities were either developed, fostered, or reinforced through sports—from teamwork, treating others with respect, learning the value of putting in effort, and seeing results come from the effort. Sports at the high school, college, and postcollege level have really been integral to me and my development and general happiness.” After a long career working for Xerox, including a tenure in Silicon Valley, Dana is now the executive director of a nonprofit organization that provides housing for adults with disabilities in Santa Clara County, California.

“That turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made,” he says. “I had a passion for it because one of my sons was developmentally disabled, and I had the skills from all my years working in business, tech start-ups, and organizations. Now for the past 10 years, I feel like I am giving back and making a difference.”

He keeps his hand in sports by coaching middle schoolers, an avocation that started as his children got involved in football, baseball, and basketball.

His advice to students is to “follow your passion and do not be afraid to reinvent yourself. It’s important to learn from your mistakes and not to let them define you.”

In 1967, then sophomore Ron Rigby met then first-year student Cynthia Rauker just two weeks into the semester at a “snow party” in Burton Hall. “The fraternities would invite freshman girls so they could ‘snow’ the girls and impress them with their fraternity.

“He called about a week later, and I couldn’t remember his name, but he was a nice guy and we went out,” says Cynthia, who ended up finishing in three years and “adopting” 1970 as her class year. “The next thing, we got engaged and married.”

An electrical engineering major, Ron knew about Rochester from his brother, Gerry Rigby ’67. A member of the Chi Phi fraternity, Ron also was a member of Chi Rho, the student organization that took responsibility for enforcing University traditions, like requiring first-year students to wear beanies.

After graduation, the two moved to Massachusetts, where Ron began a long career with General Electric, and Cynthia began working as teacher and a social worker and had a stint with the US Treasury Department.

After moving to Kentucky, Cynthia earned an MD degree from the University of Louisville and opened an OB/GYN practice there in 1990.

They have a son and two grandchildren and are still involved with the University. “We have supported the University for years and have recently endowed a scholarship for a Kentucky student for the second year in a row,” Cynthia says.

The two have attended several reunions, including the milestone 25th and 35th, and plan to be on campus for the 50th in 2020. “Any excuse to come back to Rochester in October, I’ll take it,” Cynthia says.

1971 Mark Decker writes: “Gathered all together for the first time in 48 years is the 440-yard relay team for a surprise birthday party for the team’s anchor, Atlas Evans. [One] photo shows us back in 1970, along with Coach Everett Phillips, shortly after winning at the NCAA eastern regional championship meet. Pictured right to left in running order are Don Strebel ’72, John Cogar, Coach Phillips, me, and Atlas. The team set a school record at that meet with a 41.4-second time and later went on to garner All-American honors at the NCAA national meet. What remains notable is that this record still stands after 49 years.” A second photo shows the four members of the team today. . . . Jerry Newman (see ’17). . . . Clayton Press recently published his 101st essay as a contributing visual arts journalist for Forbes.com. Since the first of the year, he has contributed catalog essays for Todo lo Otra, Germán Venegas (Museo de Tamayo); WORD PLAY: Language as Medium (Bonnier Gallery), Disidencia: Minerva Cuevas (Mishkin Gallery, Baruch Gallery, CUNY), and ECHOS: Kathleen Jacobs (TurnPark Art Space). Through his firm—linn press, which specializes in contemporary art—Clay was the consulting scholar for Michael Shnayerson’s BOOM: Mad Money, Mega Dealers, and the Rise of Contemporary Art (PublicAffairs).

1972 Elliott Greene ’77M (MD) writes: “I recently completed summiting all 46 High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains in New York in the winter and am now a ‘Winter 46er.’ In the photo I am nearing the summit of one of these, Hough Peak, last March. Numerous other High Peaks can be seen in the background. I’m looking forward to more cross-country skiing and climbing this winter.” . . . John Haig sends a pair of then-and-now photos and a story: he and Frank Sciremammano ’71, ’77 (PhD) met as first-year roommates in Gilbert Hall in the fall of 1967. “Although the first photo may not suggest it, we both ended up majoring in mechanical and aerospace sciences,” writes John (at left in both photos), who stayed an extra year for a double major in psychology before heading to UNC–Chapel Hill for a PhD in developmental psychology. Frank completed his engineering MS and PhD at Rochester. They lost touch around 1972—for more than 40 years. In 2014, Frank was living in Rochester, and John in Annapolis, Maryland, when they discovered that they each had a relative (Frank’s daughter; John’s daughter-in-law) scheduled to give birth on the same day in January—and both in Arlington, Virginia. “Go figure,” writes John, who adds, “Those two four-year-olds are thriving.” So they met and “picked up where they left off, in midsentence.” Another coincidence—they both have the same carbon bicycle: Specialized Roubaix. They have since taken several rides together in various states and Canada—some with other Rochester graduates, such as Rick ’74, ’79 (PhD) and Stephanie Morgan Lux ’73. Frank and John “tentatively tiptoed into their 70s, only a few days apart, in July. Don’t be fooled by the second photo,” John continues. “Any apparent increases in maturation/sophistication are well short of an order of magnitude and have not reached statistical significance.” . . . John Osterhout ’74S (MBA) writes: “Traveling from faraway New York, Virginia, Maryland, and Florida as well as the San Francisco Bay Area, six members of the Class of 1972 met for a four-day reunion in Yosemite National Park this past June.” Pictured left to right are Jim Greene, Brian Humphrey, John, Barbara Franchi Osterhout ’77W (MS), Elliott Greene ’77M (MD), Nancy Greene, Diane Norton, and Bill Norton. “Jim, Brian, Elliott, Bill, and I were suitemates (along with Mike Neander, who sadly passed away in 2018) during our junior and senior years. We all were great friends throughout our undergraduate years.” . . . Don Strebel (see ’71).

1973 Nina Ginsberg was sworn in as the 2019–20 president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers at the association’s annual meeting in August. Nina is a founding partner at DiMuro Ginsberg in Alexandria, Virginia, and has practiced criminal law for more than 35 years. She has taught law as an adjunct faculty member at George Washington University and George Mason University. Nina has been named one of the Top Lawyers by Washingtonian magazine since 2013.

1974 Rick Lux ’79 (PhD) (see ’72).

45th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 1975 are invited to take part in 45th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

1975 Steven Fox is chairman and founder of Akelos, a biopharmaceutical company that’s currently in a research collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine to develop and commercialize a nonopioid antihyperalgesic drug to treat chronic and neuropathic pain. Steven is a doctor of dental surgery and has served on the faculties of Harvard University and New York University. . . . Joel Katz writes, “Greetings from Maui. I won a Na Hoku Hanohano award for Hawaiian EP of the year. This is like a Grammy Award for the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts—a great honor in Hawaiian music. I am on the faculty of the University of Hawaii Maui College music program.” . . . In 2019, Mark Moretti received the New York State Bar Association’s Trial Section Distinguished Service Award and the Monroe County Bar Association’s highest award, the Adolf Rodenbach Award. And the recognition program Best Lawyers in America named him a Lawyer of the Year for 2020 in real estate litigation in Rochester. . . Mathew Tekulsky is the author of several books, including, most recently, his first published novel, The Martin Luther King Mitzvah (Fitzroy Books), and Backyard Bird Photography (Skyhorse). His bird photographs have been published in field guides as well as exhibited in museums and galleries.

1976 Joe Carson writes, “My 3-on-3 basketball (65+) team, the Ball Hawgs, won bronze at the National Senior Games in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in June. I hope that a number of UR alumni participate in the National Senior Games in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 2021. If I’m not playing, I’ll be cheering for my wife, Karen, in shot put!” . . . Deborah Schaffer sends a photo (see page 50), which shows “David Weagle, regional director of the University’s Office of Regional Advancement, with alumnae Rachel Schaffer (left) and Deborah Schaffer during their meeting at Montana State University Billings, where the Schaffers have been on the faculty of the English, philosophy and modern languages department since 1983 (Rachel now chairs the department). The Schaffers took this opportunity to introduce UR’s mascot, Rocky, to MSUB’s mascot, Buzz—also, coincidentally (or is it fate?)—a yellowjacket with the same school colors.”

1977 Andrew Conway sends a reminder that the 40th anniversary of the “Miracle on Ice”—when the United States’ underdog men’s hockey team stunned the world by defeating the Soviet Union’s superstar-laden team in the semifinals of the Winter Olympics—is in 2020. Andrew is the editor and coproducer of Gold, a Celebration of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team (21st Editions), the president of ProSports Management, and an attorney in private practice in Rochester.

1978 Michael Corp has been selected for inclusion in “Upstate New York Super Lawyers” for 2019. He is a partner in the Tax, Trusts & Estates and Elder Law & Special Needs departments at Hancock Estabrook LLP, a firm that has offices in Syracuse and Ithaca.

1979 Bob Bly published his 100th book, The Big Book of Words That Sell: 1200 Words and Phrases That Every Salesperson and Marketer Should Know and Use (Skyhorse Publishing) in September. . . . Steven Goldberg was named a Top Lawyer by Sacramento Magazine. Steven specializes in environmental law at Downey Brand, a law firm with offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Stockton, and Reno. . . . Sara Krusenstjerna is the new development director of the Hermitage Artist Retreat, a nonprofit organization in Sarasota County, Florida, whose beachfront campus is on the National Register of Historic Places. She will oversee Hermitage’s development operation. Before joining the Hermitage, Sara served as director of philanthropic planning for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and before that, she worked for 10 years in academic fundraising. From 1999 to 2006, Sara was the executive director of Young Audiences of Rochester. She holds a JD from Columbia University School of Law and also pursued postgraduate research in sociology at the University of Edinburgh as a Rotary scholar.

40th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 1990 are invited to take part in 40th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

1982 John Kruse ’90M (MD) published Recognizing Adult ADHD: What Donald Trump Can Teach Us about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Authority Press) in July. For the last decade, John has supplemented his clinical knowledge by being a member—and eventually coleader—of a group of psychiatrists in the San Francisco area focused on treating adult ADHD. . . . Zac Rolnik (see ’84).

1983 Susan Johnston Sparagen (see ’56 Medicine and Dentistry).

1984 Andy Berdon, Steve Piaker, and Mike Hearne ’85 organized an informal reunion on a June night at the Berdons’ house in Hartsdale, New York. Other attendees included Susan Kriveloff Cott, Jeff Sperber, Sharon Beck Kochen, Michael Grey, Peter Soufleris ’86, ’89S (MBA), Marcy Kornfield Klein, Mike Mahanger, Melanie Herold Awe, Dave Kratka, Jean Pacelli Hearne, Martine Halperin Klein, Gary Carney and Bonnie Kramer Carney ’85, Jim Wistman ’85, Debbie Colgan ’87, Cyndy Brown, Jim Greene and Karen Kuritzkes Greene ’85, Douglas Criscitello ’86 (MS), Robin Wakoff Lerner ’85, Jill Spector ’87, Zac Rolnik ’82, and James Costantin ’86.

35th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 1985 are invited to take part in 35th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

1985 Michael Hearne (see ’84). . . . Bonnie Kramer Carney (see ’84). . . . Karen Kuritzkes Greene (see ’84). . . . Robin Wakoff Lerner (see ’84). . . . Larry Sternbane Lee sends an update: “I got married to Samilet (Sam) Lee in October 2017. The ceremony was held in the historic lobby of Washington National Airport (DCA). Since 2008 I have been with the United States Patent & Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia—currently as a primary examiner working on patent applications related to display technologies. Sam was born in South Korea, grew up in Weehawken, New Jersey, got his BS in mechanical engineering from NJIT, and works as a reliability engineer for NASA. Before coming to the USPTO, I worked in the airline industry for many years. I’m a longtime volunteer with Travelers Aid at DCA, so holding the wedding at the airport seemed a natural choice, especially as that is where Sam and I first met face-to-face. We reside in Northeast DC with our two cats.” . . . James Wistman

(see ’84).

1986 James Costantin (see ’84). . . . Joel Salomon published The 9 Money Rules Millionaires Use: Only The Unconventional Ones (SaLaurMor) in August. As a prosperity coach, Joel is a frequent speaker and podcast guest. He has led workshops and has spoken at Rotary and Lions’ Clubs in the New York metropolitan area as well as at Mike Dooley’s Infinite Possibilities Training Conference in New Orleans. He has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Newsday, and U.S. News & World Report and has been interviewed by Forbes and Bloomberg Radio. . . . Peter Soufleris ’89S (MBA) (see ’84).

1987 Deborah Colgan (see ’84). . . . Craig DeLancey, a professor of philosophy at the State University of New York at Oswego, earned the college’s President’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. The award recognizes outstanding and exemplary efforts in promoting excellence at the college, service philosophy, and leadership and involvement on and off campus. President Deborah Stanley presented the award at the college’s annual academic affairs retreat in August. . . . Jill Spector (see ’84).

1988 Lorraine (Lorri) Kahn Diggory (see ’61).

1989 Linda Smith, president of CERES Technology Advisors in Newton, Massachusetts, joined the advisory board of Luminate in September. Located in Rochester, Luminate is an international start-up accelerator focused on next-generation optics, photonics, and imaging. Linda founded CERES in 2005 for photonics companies underserved by generalist investment banks. She is a fellow of SPIE, the International Society of Optics and Photonics, and a member of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Winning Women. . . . John Werner writes that he has seen his first book, Hands-On Embedded Development with Qt (Packt), released, in July 2019, after writing for computer and automotive club magazines. The 414-page book introduces software developers to the ubiquitous computer applications and devices that make up the Internet of Things. John works full time at Caliber Imaging and Diagnostics in Rochester, developing software for confocal microscopes. He notes that when he graduated with a BS in electrical engineering in 1989, he swore he would never write software for a living. Thirty years later, he has been doing it for more than 25 years.

30th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 1990 are invited to take part in 20th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

1990 Dan Hess writes, “I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve taken the position of chief product officer at the NPD group, one of the world’s top providers of sales and marketing information, analytics, and advisory services.” . . . Emil Kang joined the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as program director for arts and cultural heritage. He will lead the foundation’s grant-making program. Emil was previously at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a professor in the music department and executive and artistic director of Carolina Performing Arts, a program he established. President Barack Obama appointed him to the National Council on the Arts in 2012. . . . Jason Korosec writes, “I recently joined Roku in California to build out its payments platform. I caught up with Dana (Lu) Silverstein ’92, who is developing Roku’s music distribution capabilities.” . . . Barbara Lawrence sends an update: “I do Civil War re-enacting/living history, both Union and Confederate. I’ve been taking Irish Gaelic classes at the Buffalo Irish Center. Also, I have a pet hedgehog named Dixie Lee.” . . . Kathleen Durbeck Suher (see ’92 Eastman). . . . Melissa Nagel Wetzler sends a photo from a minireunion. Patricia Gorton, Melissa, Anna Azrael Hetzel, and Laura Hollenbeck Bond are “having fun at the Mountain Jam Festival at the original Woodstock site.”

1991 Lisa Gotkin visited the University in March with her daughter, Eliana Stern; her son, Casey Stern; and her husband, Loren Stern (pictured in that order). “We toured the campus, met Professor [Nigel] Maister, attended a concert at Eastman, and enjoyed visiting the city,” Lisa writes. “I can’t believe how the campus has grown over the years. It is still so beautiful! Last time I wrote in to Rochester Review, it was to announce Eliana’s birth (sorry I never wrote in about my son Casey’s birth 14 years ago). I can’t believe how time flies!” . . . Rodney Morrison ’92W (MS) began his role as vice president for enrollment management at the University of Delaware in September. Before the appointment, he was the associate provost for enrollment and retention management at Stony Brook University. At Delaware, Rodney is responsible for identifying, recruiting, and retaining students, and—with direct oversight of the offices of Admissions, the Registrar, and Student Financial Services—he will work with the campus community to integrate enrollment management initiatives across the university. In 2016, he received the Bernard P. Ireland Recognition Award from the Middle States Region of the College Board, one of the highest individual awards for members of the Middle States Regional Assembly. Rodney has served as president of the College Board Middle States Regional Council and has been active in professional organizations, including the National Association of College Admissions Counseling and the Association of Black Admissions and Financial Aid Officers in the Ivy League and Sister Schools. As an undergraduate, he played on Rochester’s 1990 men’s basketball national championship team.

1992 Dana (Lu) Silverstein (see ’90).

1993 Capt. Luke Balsamo ’98M (MD) sends a photo. Pictured are (right to left) Capt. Reginald Ewing ’97M (MD), Capt. Scott Asack, Luke, and Samuel Constantino. The classmates and Sigma Chi fraternity brothers gathered in Portsmouth, Virginia, to celebrate Luke’s retirement from the Navy after 21 years. Luke writes that he is retiring from the Navy but not from clinical practice. He will continue his orthopaedic surgery practice in Virginia Beach with Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists. He adds that Reggie and Scott remain on active duty and that Sam is vice president of casino sales and business development with the company SSI POS and also runs a consulting firm, Yellofin.

1994 Grace Bacon Garcia has been elected treasurer of the Massachusetts Bar Association for 2019–20. She will serve as a member of the leadership team and is also a member of the Executive Management Board and Budget and Finance Committee. This year she chaired the association’s Civics Task Force, which raised funds to support iCivics, a digital learning platform that’s helping to implement a new state law mandating improved civics education in public high schools by 2020. Grace is a partner at Morrison Mahoney LLP in Boston. A former legal writing and research instructor at Boston University School of Law, she lives in Braintree, Massachusetts.

25th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 1995 are invited to take part in 25th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

1995 As the Class of 1995 approaches its 25th reunion, we asked Sakhile Ntshangase ’21, a student employee in University Communications, to catch up with Matthew Kaufman. Here’s his report:

Now a partner with the intellectual property law firm Leason Ellis, Matthew was a political science major at Rochester but was originally drawn to the University’s natural science programs. “The ability to get a good grounding in technical courses, which is what I got from the University, is really what helped me succeed in my career in intellectual property litigation. The University prepared me for law school by teaching me how to learn and how to step into new and unfamiliar subjects, which is a valuable skill in my career.”

After graduation from Rochester, where he was also a member of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, Matthew started his professional career at Natural Intelligence, a software development company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, before going to law school. With his JD, he worked for firms in New York City and in northern California before joining Leason Ellis. “I am very happy where I ended up professionally. I always wanted to do something in a highly technical field. Every day has a new, exciting challenge,” he says. “I get to travel all over the world, and I’ve litigated some of the biggest cases in US patent litigation history, and you never know what comes next.”

Matthew is married to Suzanne Schwartz Kaufman ’96, and they have three children. “I still keep in touch with a lot of people from the University of Rochester. Between my wife and me alone, we have a pretty big crew of Rochester people that we keep in touch with.”

1996 Suzanne Schwartz Kaufman (see ’95).

1997 Rob Sudakow was accepted into the Climate Leadership Corps and will participate in training hosted by Al Gore and the Climate Reality Project. Rob writes: “The training program arms participants with the knowledge and skills needed to lead the fight for global climate. I am excited to be learning from many of the authors of the Paris Climate Accord and other global scholars to gain skills, knowledge, and the tools needed to shape public opinion, influence policy, and inspire others to act.”

1999 Genesee Adkins sends a photo and update: “This last year has been busy. This summer I joined the Washington leadership team at HDR, an international, employee-owned architecture and engineering company, working in client development and external relations. And last summer we welcomed our second daughter, Alice Ruth, who’s keeping us all on our toes.” . . . Jerramy Fine writes, “I am pleased to announce my first children’s book—a true story based on my own puppy.” Not for Percy (Independently published) is Jerramy’s fifth book. She lives in London.

20th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 2000 are invited to take part in 20th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

2003 Odetta Fraser is the author of Ode to America (Austin Macauley), a book of social commentary in poetry form.

15th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 2005 are invited to take part in 15th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

2005 Marshall Crumiller and Autumn Lanoye ’09 were married in June in Buffalo. They send a photo (see page 53) from the reception featuring Rochester guests. . . . Ezela Salazar Tagliente is celebrating her one-year anniversary with Peter Tagliente. She writes, “We were wed in September 2018 at the Interfaith Chapel (see photo, page 53). Lauren Farberman Allen ’10S (MBA) was also present.” . . . J. Chadwick Schnee is the first assistant county solicitor for Berks County, Pennsylvania, and a 2019 graduate of the Center for Excellence in County Leadership, a professional development program for county officials offered by the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. He’s pictured (see page 53) between the executive director of the center, Doug Hill, and Chester County commissioner and center president, Kathi Cozzone.

2006 Adam Bink has joined the San Francisco office of Spitfire Strategies, a communications consulting firm, as vice president.

2009 Autumn Lanoye (see ’05).

10th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 2010 are invited to take part in 10th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

2010 Shane and Allison McComb DePutron announce the birth of their daughter, Anna Christine, in May. Anna joins big brother James.

2012 Clark Bowman has joined Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, as a tenure-track faculty member. He has a PhD in mathematics and statistics from Brown University and taught for a year as a postdoctoral fellow in the mathematics department at the University of Michigan. . . . Emily Hart sends an announcement of and photograph from her wedding to David Bournas-Ney, whom she identifies as an honorary Rochester alumnus—“since he comes to lots of New York City alumni events.” The wedding took place in the Hudson Valley in July. Emily writes, “Our picture includes, roughly, from left to right the following alumni: Jonathan Goldberg, Andrea Wells Stewart, Aaron Levy ’11, Marissa Abbott ’14, ’15M (MPH), Shilpa Topudurti ’14, Rebecca Levin, Bradley Halpern, Olivia Cohn, Sorcha Dundas, Shira Marks ’14, Niki Bourque Colton, Lauren Forbes Marek ’13M (MS), Maksym Marek, Hallie Cohn Cohnstrenger ’09, Scott Strenger Cohnstrenger, Ben Bouarnick, Katherine Keifer, and Jessica Lee. . . . Emily Hessney Lynch ’15W (MS) has launched her own social media consulting and freelance writing business, Serve Me the Sky Digital. She also does speaking engagements. She’s based in Rochester but notes that she has worked with clients from around the world. . . . Robert Snyder ’19W (EdD) writes, “I would like to pass along a lot of exciting news that has occurred for me recently. In May, my wife, Laura, and I welcomed our first child, Ellison Joy. And on July 1, I started a new position as the principal of Mary McLeod Bethune School No. 45 in the Rochester City School District.”

2013 Elizabeth Riedman and Claudio Espejo ’14E send news and a photo from their wedding. They were married by Douglas Brooks, a professor of religion and classics, whose class (REL Advice and Dissent) they were taking when they met as students, Elizabeth on the River Campus and Claudio at Eastman. Joining them were Evan Zarowitz, Kevin Ewer ’11, Annalise Baird, Michael Pittman, Hannah Sherry, May Zhee Lim ’14, Jeffery Citron ’14, Elizabeth, Michael Grogan ’13/14K, Claudio, Ariadne Antipa ’15E, Camila Ospina Fadul ’13E (MM), Pedro Zenteno ’15E, Colin McCall ’14E, Michael Sherman ’15E (MM), Daniel Brottman ’14E, Margaret Schoeniger ’18M (MD), Yelena Kernogitski, Michael Shteyn ’14, and Emma Caldwell.

5th Reunion

Alumni who graduated in the Class of 2015 are invited to take part in 5th Reunion events during Meliora Weekend in October 2020. Visit Rochester.edu/reunion.

2017 Aurora Newman is pursuing a PhD in psychology at Pacific University in Portland, Oregon. Her father, Jerry Newman ’71, recreated a photo from Aurora’s orientation at Rochester in 2013.