Class Notes

1941 George Mullen (see ’66.)

1946 Norman Francis ’52 (PhD), “a loyal alumnus of the University of Rochester, has died at age 98,” writes his daughter Cynthia Francis Gensheimer ’74. “Dad was born in Rochester and graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School—the first in his family to graduate from high school. Since Dad lived so long and remained cogent, I had ample opportunity to interview him and accumulate colorful stories about his growing up Jewish in Rochester, his service in the Navy, and his student years in high school and at the University of Rochester. He worked his way through college,” writes Cynthia, “beginning as a night student, and went on to have a distinguished career as a nuclear physicist. He was one of several members of his extended family to graduate from the University of Rochester, as did some of his high school friends.”

1948 Ed Colodny (see ’50).

1949 Margery (Marge) Leet Wemyss (see ’50).

1950 John Wermuth sends an update: “Living alone after losing Marilyn on the Ides of March in 2019 but managing well. Five kids and ten grands are frosting on the lifelong cake! At 93, still secretary for my Harvard MBA class and program chairman for Golden K Kiwanis. Keeping in touch with classmate Ed Colodny ’48 and with Margery (Marge) Leet Wemyss ’49 in Burbank. The days at U of R meant so much in dozens of ways, and the memories come back happily . . . even the ‘working your way through college mode.’ Keep on smiling, friends; it costs nothing but can mean a lot to both parties!”

1957 Robert (Bob) Edgerton ’63 (PhD) died in November 2020, writes his wife, Elizabeth Lowe Edgerton ’59. They met at the University and were wed in New York City the year Elizabeth graduated. Bob earned his BS in physics and his PhD in optics and taught physics at university and high school levels in Minnesota, New York, and Maine before settling in Michigan. After teaching for many years, he worked in industry, where he developed solar energy technology in Michigan and optical coatings in California. Elizabeth and Bob moved to Seattle after he retired in 1994 to be closer to family and friends.

1959 Elizabeth Lowe Edgerton (see ’57).

1960 Michael Blumenfield, a psychiatrist in private practice in California and the Sidney E. Frank Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at New York Medical College, has written a new book, ShrinkTalk: Reflections and Writings of a Psychiatrist (ShrinkTalk Publishing). Michael writes, “It is based on my experience over many years in the field of psychiatry. It covers a wide variety of subjects, such as ethical dilemmas that psychiatrists can face, dealing with anxiety, panic, depression, suicidal thoughts, sexuality, autism, post-traumatic stress, and psychological issues in regard to the coronavirus epidemic as well as various medical conditions, my interactions with two US presidents, and many other subjects.” . . . Thomas Grubb gave a Zoom-based master class in French song, presented in July by the Art Song Preservation Society of New York. The textbook he published in 1979, Singing in French: A Manual of French Diction & French Vocal Repertoire (Schirmer Books/Macmillan), established Thomas as a leading authority on both subjects. . . . Jeanie Maddox Sy ’61N writes, “My granddaughter Campbell Jean Sy is a member of the Class of 2025. I am so proud. Look for her on the lacrosse team.”

1962 Stephen Malley writes, “After graduating in 1962, I attended UCLA Law School. I continue to practice law in Los Angeles, having specialized for decades in international tax and related planning. My wife, Laurie, (a fourth-generation Californian) and I celebrated our 50th anniversary this year with our three daughters and five grandchildren. After quitting flying a plane many years ago, I remain an avid sailor, with many miles offshore, but now I sail the California Coast—and thankful to do so. My days at the U of R, perhaps too many spent at Todd Hall, remain a fond and so important memory. I hope to see a grandchild there.” . . . Roger Rochat received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Family Planning at its annual meeting in October in recognition of a career dedicated to advancing the science of abortion and contraception and to supporting others to do the same. The society shares a reflection from Roger on his work: “Since 1970, I have sought to prevent maternal deaths from abortion in the US and internationally. Over those decades, I have recruited and mentored hundreds of public health professionals who share my passion for reproductive health, women’s rights, and access to safe and legal abortion. During the past 18 years, I have supported and endowed GEMMA, the Global Elimination of Maternal Mortality from Abortion fund. The studies GEMMA recipients have produced are innovative, low cost, informative, and relevant to public policy. Together, we can eliminate maternal mortality from abortion.” . . . Patricia Wagner Wheeler ’65W (EdM) has published two new books with Luminare Press: Amazon, The Golden Eagle: Her Story of Overcoming a Tough Start (2020) and Musical Laughs: Notes to Brighten Up Your Day (2021). Amazon, written for ages eight and up and told from the eagle’s point of view, is the true story of an eagle nestling injured in a 700-foot fall from a cliff nest and rescued by a veterinarian hiking in the same remote southeastern Oregon area. Musical Laughs was made possible by the coronavirus pandemic: during months of stay-at-home restrictions, Patricia assembled into a book a large collection of music jokes she had written or been given over a period of 30 years.

1964 Richard Davis, a retired electrical engineer and fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), has written Bear (Page Publishing), “a postapocalyptic geopolitical sci-fi thriller centered on the hostile mining of Earth’s natural resources by an alien force.” The book leans into the science—hope of stopping the plunder rests on an overlooked discovery of a new source of antimatter—and is meant to appeal to readers of sci-fi and military fiction alike. . . . Marvin Sachs ’85W (EdD) sends an update: “In June of 2020 I completed 30 years on the Brighton (New York) Central School District Board of Education,” he writes. “It was the best of times and sometimes the worst of times but always a challenge.” He adds that he enjoyed meeting a lot of interesting people along the way.

1966 In July, a bridge in Hanson, Massachusetts, was dedicated to the late Mary (Gret) Mullen Lozeau in recognition of her life of gratitude, connection, service, and kindness to others as an educator and for her involvement in civic and nonprofit activities. The many family members and friends at the ceremony and reception included her husband of 48 years, Gerry Lozeau; their four children, Gregory ’03, Timothy, Teresa Lozeau Santalucia ’95, and Gabrielle Lozeau Crane; and Gret and Gerry’s nine grandchildren. More than 30 Mullen relatives are Rochester alumni, including Mary’s father, George Mullen ’41, who died in 1994. Gret’s husband sends a photograph of, from left, Gregory, Timothy, himself, Teresa, and Gabrielle at the bridge. . . . Janet Fisher Silverstein writes that she and her husband, Burt, “just got back from doing a safari in Kenya followed by hiking to the gorillas in the jungles of Rwanda. I retired from my job as professor of pediatric endocrinology on June 30, and Burt retired from his cardiology practice. While at the University of Florida, I founded a ‘Pediatric After Hours’ clinic staffed by private and university pediatricians from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. so families didn’t need to go to the emergency rooms to be seen for nonemergent illnesses at night. I also started a transgender clinic staffed by pediatric endocrinologists, a psychologist, and a patient advocate (who is transgender). We also work closely with Equality Florida to deal with school issues that affect our patients.”

1968 Gary Mount writes, “Pursuing undergraduate education part time in the University School of Liberal & Applied Studies (night school) in the early ’60s allowed me the flexibility to work and study part time to prepare for a career in social work. Although U of R didn’t have a Department of Sociology, University School allowed me to put together courses in psychology and political science for a major in social science. Electives outside my major included four courses in Spanish conversation in the Department of Linguistics so that I could work with Spanish-speaking clients after graduation. Although I was a night school student, I could enroll for day classes, too. I had courses with outstanding faculty members, including Richard Fenno, Arthur Goldberg, Hayden White, Edward Wiig, Ralph Barocas, David Ellkind, and Kenneth Johnson. After graduate school at Albany, I returned to U of R to work for five years in the Department of Psychiatry as a psychotherapist. Later, at another mental health clinic, I volunteered through the Alumni Association job network to help undergraduates learn about careers in mental health fields. I also had the opportunity to serve on the adjunct faculty in the nursing school to mentor graduate student nurses in psychiatric nursing. After 33 years in social work, many thanks to U of R for offering so many opportunities.”

1970 J. Sanford (Sandy) Schwartz died in June, writes Ann Weiss ’71. In offering her own recollections and those of some of Sandy’s colleagues, Ann writes: “At Rochester, [Sandy] was president of our Student Senate—and in 1970 (his senior and my junior year), because of Kent State students killed by the National Guard and the bombing of Cambodia, Sandy convinced our Arts & Sciences faculty that year (probably the only time in U of R history!) to make finals ‘optional’ and, instead, he organized teach-Ins on the Eastman Quad. After earning an MD from the University of Pennsylvania, he became well known for his research on health services, health economics, and health policy; for the way he cared about and mentored students (and pretty much, everyone); and for his compassionate, ‘get involved’ approach to people he met—especially those with a problem (medical or otherwise). He was always ready to offer practical advice, terrific medical referrals, and concrete actions, very often accompanied by his (very funny but gentle) jokes. Although he was a ‘superstar’ and a valued member of a number of national medical and health policy committees, Sandy was modest to a fault—he was always more interested in what YOU were doing than telling you about his latest accomplishments (or those of his impressive family). Dr. Donald Berwick (whom I do not know) wrote, ‘I find it impossible to think of Sandy without smiling. In decades of work in clinical care, academic medicine, and public policy, I have encountered no other colleague with a combination of grace, humor, and warmth equal to his . . . He was a true scholar, immensely perceptive, with an enormous curiosity and a bias toward fresh thinking.’ One more anecdote, from Dr. Hal Sox (whom I also do not know): ‘Fine mind, big heart . . . It’s a lesson usually learned late in life, but he was always a quick study.’ ” Sandy was married to Susan Beer Schwartz ’73 at the time of his death. Ann adds, “feel free to write to me privately at annweiss18@hotmail.com and I will share your notes with Sue and the rest of his family. It would be my honor!”

1971 Philip Lewin writes that he has released the final novel in his Oz-inspired series. All published by Nikidik Press and illustrated by Theresa Brandon, The Spellcasters of Oz (2021), The Master Crafters of Oz (2009), and The Witch Queen of Oz (2005) explore the origin of magic in the Land of Oz. . . . Ann Weiss (see ’70).

1973Len Joy ’74S (MBA) has a fourth novel in the works. Dry Heat (BQB Publishing) is scheduled to be released next March. . . . Susan Beer Schwartz (see ’70).

1974Cynthia Francis Gensheimer (see ’46).

1976 Ron Taylor ’77S (MBA) sends a photograph of “brothers-in-law enjoying a Maine beach vacation with the next generation of UR alums.” Pictured are (seated) Ron, left, and Dave Crowley ’78, ’79S (MBA), and standing, Kyra Battaglia ’19, Jeff Taylor ’18, Alex Crowley ’19, and Sandy Loomis ’18.”

1977 Sheldon Glassman (see ’12). . . . Daniel Kimmel writes, “My latest novel, Banned in Boston (Black Horse Press), coauthored with Deborah Hand-Cutler, has just come out. It’s a comedy set in the 1980s where a Boston antipornography group tries to stave off bankruptcy by secretly financing their own dirty movie and then publicly leading the protests against it.” . . . Cindy Rizzo has written a young adult speculative fiction novel, The Papercutter (Bella Books). She writes that the story “takes place after the United States has split into two countries and depicts that world through the eyes of three Jewish teenage narrators: two in the ‘God Fearing States’ and one in the ‘United Progressive Regions.’ The book examines the themes of antisemitism, racism, resistance, and young adult identity.” . . . Joanne Wigod writes, “I might be insane, but I started my echo career during the pandemic. I left the wine business after 40-plus years and opened an Assisted Living Locators franchise in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. I help seniors and their families source assisted living, independent living, memory care, and in-home health care at no cost to them. I became a certified senior advisor and dementia-care certified. While my focus is Maryland, I work with a network of people throughout the United States and can help anyone almost anywhere. While not as glamourous as my previous career, I find it extremely rewarding.”

1978 Dave Crowley ’79S (MBA) (see ’76). . . . Mark Weintraub writes that he “has happily retired after 36 years of practicing law, including 25 years spent defending your constitutional rights as part of the Office of the Federal Public Defender for Oregon.”

1979 Steven Goldberg, an attorney with Downey Brand, a law firm with offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Stockton, and Reno, has been named a 2021 Top Lawyer by Sacramento Magazine in the energy and natural resources and environmental specialties.

1981 Jill Mestel Squyres, a clinical psychologist in private practice, sends news of her August wedding to Jonathon Groubert in Arvada, Colorado. She writes, “Jon is a graduate of SUNY Albany and Pace University Law School. It’s wonderful to be with another ex-pat New Yorker who’s also fallen in love with Colorado. My dear U of R friend/roommate Suzie Weaver ’82 flew out for our wedding. In addition to the simple joy of celebrating such a special occasion, the happiness associated with bringing together friends and family for this happy event after so many months of pandemic and quarantine was especially sweet. The wedding and reception were held out of doors and everyone was vaccinated, so we were able to enjoy ourselves without worrying about spreading COVID-19. An excellent time was had by all.”

1982 Suzie Weaver (see ’81).

1983 Brendan Delay writes, “I visited [my] childhood friend Executive Professor Paul Shanahan at the Simon School Commencement.” Brendan’s son Sean came along and posed for a photo in front of the Eastman Quadrangle flagpole.

1984 Scott Evans sends news that he has had his short story “Glue Guns in Paradise” accepted for publication in the science fiction magazine Shoreline of Infinity. . . . Nancy Peckham Niemi ’01W (PhD), provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore since 2019, writes, “I am delighted to share news of my recent publication.” The Wiley Handbook of Gender Equity in Higher Education (Wiley-Blackwell), coedited with Marcus Weaver-Hightower, was published last December.

1987 Jeffrey Stone ’91M (MD) writes that he received the Florida Radiological Society Gold Medal award for outstanding achievement and dedication to the science and art of diagnostic and therapeutic radiology in July. The award was presented at the society’s annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. Jeffrey is pictured at the event with his wife, Carolyn Palko Stone. . . . Lloyd Palum, an adjunct professor at the Goergen Institute for Data Science, has been named president of Rochester-based Vnomics Corp. He has been with the company since 2013, most recently as vice president of engineering and chief technology officer. The company offers technology that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve fuel efficiency in heavy-duty vehicles. Lloyd holds five patents in software and wireless communications and has published numerous technical articles. He is a frequent speaker at trucking industry conferences on fuel efficiency and data analytics.

1990 John Sotomayor, president and CEO of Sotomayor Media Creations, writes: “My start-up magazine, Embrace, the first-ever LGBTQ magazine member of the Florida Magazine Association, received the highest honors at the 2021 Charlie Awards held in Sarasota, including Magazine of the Year.” Embrace received a total of 22 awards at the July gala, including eight first-place, six second-place, and seven third-place. The Charlie (first-place) Awards included Best New Magazine, Best Overall Magazine, and Best Overall Writing; Silver Awards included Best Overall Design and Best Digital Innovator. John adds, “Embrace made FMA history as a first-time LGBTQ magazine member and winner as well as the most awarded start-up magazine in the history of the organization established in 1957. This is the second time Embrace made history this year, being the first-ever LGBTQ publication to be granted membership with the Associated Church Press, established in 1916, and having won two national awards, both for Magazine News Story.” John, second from right, is on stage after receiving the Magazine of the Year award; an Embrace magazine cover is projected on-screen in the background.

1991 After 30 years in the US Navy, David Kemp retired in June at the rank of captain. He writes: “We celebrated with a small ceremony for family and friends in Arlington, Virginia. I was thrilled that my UR roommate and fellow NROTC alumni, Don Schuessler, was able to join us.” David also sends a pair of then-and-now photographs: one from commissioning day at the Memorial Art Gallery in May 1991 (from left, Tim Jones ’00S (MBA), Don, Pat Cochran, Scott Fuller, Dave Barber, and David) and from David’s retirement ceremony in May of this year (Don, left, and David in uniform). . . . Tamara Kretow Winton sends a photo from her most recent “five-family yearly vacation” mini-reunion. “For the past 15 years,” she writes, “the following 1991 UR grads have been vacationing together, with their families, in Corolla, North Carolina: (left to right) Rob Blumer, Jeff Newman, Richard Alexander, Ed Trabulsi, Rob Winton, and me. Rob B. lives outside Syracuse, Jeff in Virginia, Richard in Long Island, Ed in the Jersey side of Philly, and Rob and I in Westchester, New York.”

1994 Grace Bacon Garcia, a partner at Morrison Mahoney in Boston, has been named president-elect of the Massachusetts Bar Association for its 2021–22 membership year, which began September 1. She was the bar association’s vice president in 2020–21 and is a member of its executive management board and budget and finance committee. Grace also is a member of the bar’s COVID response task force and cochairs its attorney well-being committee. . . . Dennis Tucker writes that he was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel, the highest title of honor bestowed by the governor of Kentucky, by Gov. Andy Beshear in March. The distinction recognizes an individual’s noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service to community, state, and nation. Dennis was commended for his career in book publishing and his promotion of Kentucky’s role in American numismatics. His weekly column for Whitman Publishing’s Coin Update online, “From the Colonel’s Desk,” explores the state’s rich connections to coins, tokens, medals, paper money, private currency, and related artifacts. As publisher at Whitman since 2004, Dennis specializes in books on numismatics, banking and financial history, the American presidency, US political and military history, and other nonfiction topics. He has advised three US Treasury secretaries on coinage and medals as the numismatic specialist in the department’s Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

1995 Teresa Lozeau Santalucia (see ’66).

1998 Kristina Curro writes, “I am delighted to report that I earned my PhD from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, was awarded tenure, and was elected chair of the communication sciences and disorders department at Worcester State University in Massachusetts. If there are UR students or alumni interesting in learning more about audiology or speech-language pathology, I encourage you to reach out.”

1999 Genesee Adkins sends an update: “In June I joined WSP USA, a globally recognized leading professional services firm, as a vice president and senior director of planning in the Puget Sound region,” she writes. “I’ll be working to grow and evolve our planning practice across the Pacific Northwest for transportation, environmental, urban space, and other exciting projects.” Prior to joining WSP USA, Genesee was director of infrastructure initiatives and external affairs at HDR and before that was chief of staff for Seattle’s transportation department.

2001 Aasim Padela ’08M (Res) is a coeditor of the book Islam and Biomedicine and editor of the book Medicine and Shariah: A Dialogue in Islamic Bioethics (University of Notre Dame Press). In Medicine and Shariah, experts from various fields, including clinicians, Islamic studies experts, and Muslim theologians, apply various analytic, empirical, and normative lenses to examine the interaction between biomedical knowledge (represented by physicians) and Islamic law (represented by jurists) in Islamic bioethical deliberation. Aasim is a professor of emergency medicine, bioethics, and humanities at the Medical College of Wisconsin and director of the Initiative on Islam and Medicine.

2002 Brie Blumenreich Entel writes that she has been promoted to vice president of marketing for Sodexo in North America. In the role, she explains, she will “lead all marketing activities for a $1B portfolio in the rapidly transforming energy sector.” Prior to the promotion, she was a senior director of service (product) development and marketing with the company.

2003 Gregory Lozeau (see ’66).

2004 Daniel Kamins, director of employee engagement and volunteerism at Metlife, has joined CHC: Creating Healthier Communities, a new corporate leadership council formed to bring communities, nonprofits, and businesses together around a shared commitment to better health and well-being.

2006 Tess Troha-Thompson writes that she has been named chief of staff at New Blue Interactive, a political digital fundraising and communications firm in Washington, DC, specializing in Democratic campaigns, progressive organizations, and nonprofits. She manages the senior leadership team, oversees professional staff development, and guides client teams in digital fundraising and engagement strategy for candidates and nonprofits.

2009 Diana Hitzig (see ’15 Simon). . . . Alexandra Schott and Gregory Smith wed in August 2020 in New Canaan, Connecticut. “We met during the first workshop for Math 171 our freshman year,” Alexandra writes, “and both ended up majoring in math. We currently live in Annapolis, Maryland, as I am a Navy dentist stationed at the United States Naval Academy.” Wedding guests included Sarah Lynch ’07, Andrew Spink ’10, Michelle Handis ’10W (MS), and Lowell (Scott) Smith ’72. . . . Peter Yeh ’13S (MBA) has been promoted to director at ToneyKorf Partners, a New York City–based national consulting firm with a focus on the health care industry. Peter has been with the firm since 2019.

2010 Sarah Hyser-Straub, an attorney with the McNees Wallace & Nurick law firm in the litigation and white-collar defense practice groups, has been named a Central Penn Business Journal 2021 Forty Under 40 recipient. Honorees are selected based on professional accomplishments, community service, and commitment to inspiring change. Sarah litigates white collar crime cases and complex commercial disputes, defends public and private entities in civil rights cases, represents witnesses before the grand jury, conducts internal investigations, and provides guidance on internal corporate compliance. She also serves her community as a member of the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg’s Junior Board Executive Committee and the Harrisburg Rotary Club. . . . Ben Wrobel, director of communications at Village Capital, is a coauthor of Letting Go: How Philanthropists and Impact Investors Can Do More Good by Giving Up Control (Independently published). Ben profiles grantmakers and investors who have chosen to shift decision-making power away from traditional experts to people with lived experience of the problem the funders wish to solve.

2012 Page Levy Glassman writes that she and James Glassman welcomed a baby girl, Elle Meadow Glassman, in August. Elle’s grandfather, Sheldon Glassman, is Class of 1977.” . . . Andrew Polec (see ’16E).

2013 Helen Zhibing Huang ’13E (see ’16E). . . . Marisa Straub and James (Jamie) Maslek ’15 were married last year. Marisa writes, “We got married in a small, intimate ceremony on June 6, 2020, but had the big party on our wedding anniversary this year with lots of our UROC family.” Courtesy of Cassi V Photography, they send a picture from the anniversary party of themselves with friends from the Sigma Nu fraternity and the Ballet Performance Group.

2015 Erik Laurin writes, “A close group of friends from the Class of 2015 were able to reunite safely (all vaccinated) for the 4th of July weekend at my home near Albany, New York. From left to right are Fukumi Orikasa, me, Liz Klinger, Nik Malmstrom, Kara King, and Harika Kunchala. We hope to be with all of our friends soon!” . . . James (Jamie) Maslek (see ’13).

2016 Nick Feuer is the chief technology officer of Project OWL, a small business focused on simple wireless technology. Project OWL won first place in the fifth annual xTechSearch competition. The xTech program hosts Army-sponsored competitions among small and nontraditional businesses that can propose innovative solutions to technological challenges faced by soldiers on the front lines. Project OWL proposed a way to get critical, cheap, and simple communication technology into the hands of more soldiers. Finals were held in Washington, DC, at the end of August, with the winner announced in September. A cash prize was awarded to Project OWL to continue the development of its business and technology, affording the company potential follow-on work with the Army.

2017 Julia Curtis and Rocco Porcellio celebrated their first anniversary last June in downtown Rochester. Julia writes, “We consider ourselves lucky to count many members of the University community among our friends and family.” In attendance were (from left) Tommy Oddo ’22, Meg Curtis ’22, Elizabeth Willman ’21M (Res), Martha Porcellio, David Fink, Nancy Porcellio ’81N, Courtney Kuhn, Sharon Porcellio ’79, Joseph Kubarek ’79, Brian Leonard, Julia, Rocco, Allie Trachtenberg, Jordan Rabinowitz ’18, ’19 (MS), Samantha Lienert, Suzanne Cook ’79N, Aurek Ransom, and Kathleen Cook ’82, and Ted Curtis ’93 (MA). . . . Natalya Tausanovitch has joined the New England Foundation for the Arts in Boston as its Creative Economy program administrator. NEFA is a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts as well as New England’s state arts agencies and private foundations. Natalya previously served as a programs and database manager at the community-based nonprofit English At Large, where she supported ESOL programs for adult English language learners.

2017 Tyler Weiss writes, “Madilynne (Madi) Lee ’18 (who was starting goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team at Rochester) and I reconnected to coach the men’s varsity teams at Julia R. Masterman High School in Philadelphia. I am attaching a photo of one of our first training sessions together as we start the season seeking new goals for a team who have never won anything.” Tyler adds that the school is number one for academics in Pennsylvania and 16th in the country.

2018 Madilynne (Madi) Lee (see ’17). . . . Sandy Loomis (see ’76). . . . Jeff Taylor (see ’76).

2019 Kyra Battaglia (see ’76). . . . Alex Crowley (see ’76). . . . Meghan Jordan ’20W (MS) wrote over the summer, “I have accepted a new position in institutional research at Brandeis University and will be moving to the Boston area!”

1952 Norman Francis (PhD) (see ’46 College).

1957 Alice Holloway Young (Mas), ’69W (EdD) was honored by the Rochester City School District in July when the Board of Education voted to change the name of School No. 3, Nathaniel Rochester Middle School, to the Dr. Alice Holloway Young School of Excellence. The school is at the corner of Adams and Frederick Douglass Streets in the historic Third Ward; its student body is overwhelmingly Black and Latino. The move comes after the district was petitioned to change the name because city founder Colonel Nathaniel Rochester owned enslaved people and engaged in the slave trade. Alice, one of five people nominated for the recognition, became the district’s first Black principal when she was appointed in 1962 and pioneered the district’s Urban-Suburban Interdistrict Transfer Program, which exists to this day. An honorary trustee of Monroe Community College, she was a founding member of that board.

1963 Robert (Bob) Edgerton (PhD) (see ’57 College).

1970 Robert Skoglund (MA) writes that he has “finally made the big time by being listed on Roadside America.” You can see Robert and his roadside attraction at Roadsideamerica.com/story/70879. Robert, who lives in St. George, Maine, continues, “We live in a unique part of the planet. Every day of the year we set a new record because it is always one or two degrees colder on that day than it has ever been before.”

1973 Jon Allen (PhD), a retired professor of psychiatry in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, has written Trusting in Psychotherapy (American Psychological Association). Jon writes, “The book integrates ethical thinking in philosophy with psychological science, advocating a focus on what makes psychotherapists trustworthy.”

1976 Ed Folsom (PhD), the Roy J. Carver Professor of English at the University of Iowa, has coauthored, with poet, essayist, and journalist Christopher Merrill, “The Million Dead, Too, Summ’d Up”: Walt Whitman’s Civil War Writings (University of Iowa Press). Ed is also editor of the Walt Whitman Quarterly Review, codirector of the online Whitman Archive, and editor of the Iowa Whitman Series at the University of Iowa Press.

1996 Jim Cain (PhD), the author of 16 community- and team-building texts, has published Connection without Contact: Techniques for Creating Social Connection while Maintaining Physical Distance (Healthy Learning). The book provides guidance to minimize risk at in-person gatherings, even during a pandemic.

2010 Jonathan Robins (PhD), an associate professor of history at Michigan Technological University, has written Oil Palm: A Global History (UNC Press). By telling the story of the oil palm across multiple centuries and continents, Jonathan demonstrates how the fruits of an African palm tree became a key commodity in the story of global capitalism beginning in the eras of slavery and imperialism, persisting through decolonization, and stretching to the present day.

1959 Bassist Ron Carter ’10 (Honorary) performed with his quartet, featuring Renee Rosnes, Jimmy Greene, and Payton Crossley, at the 2021 Sony Presents Blue Note Jazz Festival in New York City in August.

1968 Steve Gadd ’17 (Honorary) has written his first drum book, Gaddiments (Hudson Music), in which he presents a series of rudimental passages inspired by his time in drum corps and love of the rudiments. He designed the layout and detail of each page specifically to make it clear and easy to read. A full set of accompanying video lessons with Steve demonstrating each exercise is available online for streaming and downloading.

1970 Geary Larrick (MM) sends an update: he and his wife, Lydia, have moved to suburban Chicago from central Wisconsin. Geary writes that he “attended Eastman 1967–70, 1980, and moved from Rochester to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, in 1969.” He adds that he and Lydia moved to be close to their daughter, son-in-law, and two grandsons and that he and Lydia celebrated 40 years of marriage in August.

1978 Steven Smith (DMA), a pianist and professor emeritus at Penn State University, writes that he “continues to perform after seven years of retirement and 15 months of pandemic isolation. In April I played recitals for the Texas Surgical Society in Austin and for the Village at Penn State. In June, I presented a new video for the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association’s online conference Rubato: Bending Time. In March 2020, I gave one of the last prepandemic performances in central Pennsylvania, with the Nittany Valley Symphony playing Beethoven’s First Concerto.”

1980 Chicago-based mentalist performer and speaker Sidney Friedman has received the Dunninger Memorial Award from the Psychic Entertainers Association, a 43-year-old international organization for the magical arts. The award, named for the 1950’s TV and radio mentalist Joseph Dunninger, is considered the highest honor in mentalism; previous recipients include Uri Geller, Derren Brown, the Amazing Kreskin, Ross Johnson, and Marc Salem. Sidney writes, “This prize is akin to an Oscar or Grammy . . . or maybe it’s more like the J. D. Power & Associates award for automobile salesman of the year; but seriously, it is something special, and I feel blessed and fortunate. It is a part of my journey to spread miracles. Knowing its history, I hope to live up to the honor.” . . . Richard Kravchak joined the School of Arts and Letters at the College of Southern Nevada in July as dean. The college is the nation’s seventh largest community college, with more than 50,000 students, 18,000 of whom are enrolled in programs that Richard will directly supervise. He previously served in various capacities at the University of Southern Mississippi, most recently as the dean’s coordinator for performing arts. He continues to perform internationally as an oboist, having performed in Europe, Asia, and throughout the Americas.

1983 Kristen Shiner McGuire (MM), an associate professor in professional practice at the Nazareth College School of Music in Rochester, sends an update: “I am in my 37th year as coordinator of percussion studies at Nazareth; in addition, as of 2020, I have taken on the role of program director for music business. In 2021 I was awarded the collegewide honor of a Distinction in Teaching Award.” She performs as marimbist with the Rita Collective and in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Marimba Band.

1989 Rick DiMuzio (MM), a long-time professor at the Berklee College of Music, has released his second CD as a leader, Time Travelers (CD Baby), which features him on tenor and soprano saxophone and includes nine of his original compositions. He teaches ear training, improvisation, saxophone, and ensembles at Berklee, and he has represented the college on recruiting trips throughout the United States, South America, Asia, and Europe.

1991 Saxophonist and composer Mike Titlebaum ’92 (MM), an associate professor of music performance and the director of jazz studies at Ithaca College School of Music, writes that he has published a new book, Jazz Improvisation Using Simple Melodic Embellishment (Routledge/Taylor and Francis), with companion accompaniment recordings.

1996 Helen Pridmore (DMA) has taken early retirement from her position as associate professor of music at the University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. She continues to be active as a new-music performer and has resumed in-person performances following the postponement of some in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Helen is also developing three new mixed-media performance projects for premiere in 2022.

1997 Patrick (Pat) Donaher writes that he released his fourth CD, Occasionally (CD Baby), featuring drummer Allison Miller, pianist Carmen Staaf, and bassist Tony Scherr. “The album was coproduced by Jason Polise ’98, ’99 (MM),” writes Pat, “and features a set of my compositions that were gifts for weddings, births, and deaths. It is available at Patdonaher.bandcamp.com.”

1998 Jason Polise ’99 (MM) (see ’97).

2001 Flutist Margaret (Meg) Sippey (MM) joined the Omaha Symphony in July as the senior vice president and general manager, a new role in the organization. She will work closely with the president and CEO and the music director to implement long-range artistic vision and policies. Meg also will provide leadership and strategic direction to the artistic, education, community engagement, production, digital strategy, and orchestra operations teams. Before joining the Omaha Symphony, she was the director of artistic planning and general manager at the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. . . . Kang (Joshua) Tan, associate conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, was featured in a short film, Engaging Youth with a Personal Touch, part of the Audience Engagement series from the Culture Academy Singapore. Joshua discusses the importance of making cultural art forms accessible and personalized with Lee Ee Wurn, the program director for the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.

2005 Aubrie Willaert (MM) has joined the Eastman School as the executive director of advancement. She will provide leadership and direction for all aspects of Eastman’s fundraising and alumni engagement efforts and will support the school’s Centennial Campaign. Aubrie returns to Rochester from DePaul University, where she served as director of development for the music school, leading its fundraising efforts, stewardship strategy, and engagement opportunities. Before joining DePaul, Aubrie spent more than a decade serving prominent performing arts organizations, including Ford’s Theatre Society, Washington National Opera, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

2007 Analisa Leaming (see ’16).

2008 Pianist Young Hyun Cho (DMA), an associate professor of piano at Michigan State University, has released her debut recording, Beethoven’s Last Three Piano Sonatas (Sony Classical).

2010 Jennifer Ronyak (PhD), an assistant professor of musicology in the Institute for Music Aesthetics at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in Austria, joins the music faculty at the University of Oxford as the Marie Skodowska-Curie Individual European Fellow for the 2021–22 academic year. She will research classical composers who have mined philosophical works for musical material. The author of numerous journal articles, book chapters, and the book Intimacy, Performance, and the Lied in the Early Nineteenth Century (Indiana University Press), Jennifer is coediting a book in progress, The Lied at the Crossroads of Performance and Musicology.

2011 Natalie Ballenger (see ’16). . . . Composer, songwriter, and producer Michaela Eremiáová (PhD), an adjunct faculty member at the Colburn School in Los Angeles since 2016 and a 2013 ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize recipient, was interviewed in May by the Alliance for Women Film Composers. The interview is available online at theawfc.com/spotlight/michaela-eremiasova/.

2012 Yi-Yang Chen ’20 (DMA) writes that he has joined the University of Kansas School of Music as an assistant professor of piano. Yi-Yang started his teaching career at East Tennessee State University after winning the Washington International Competition in 2017. He is also the artistic director for the Appalachian Music Festival, where he is launching the yearlong online master series for all instruments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The vision for the online program, writes Yi-Yang, is “to provide a plethora of opportunities to achieve goals and the highest level of music amidst COVID-19 and other issues. The online master classes allow students to receive teaching from music professors and international artists in addition to their lessons with their current teachers.

2013 Helen Zhibing Huang ’13RC (see ’16).

2015 Trombonist and educator Brendan Lanighan has accepted the position of director of bands at Williamsville East High School in suburban Buffalo. Brendan won the International Trombone Festival J. J. Johnson Solo Competition in 2017, performed as a member of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and received an MM in jazz studies from the Juilliard School.

2016 Zachary Peterson (MM), the director of graduate advising and services at Eastman, sends a photo from the 2021 Lotte Lenya Competition in which Andrew Polec ’12RC won first prize and Helen Zhibing Huang ’13, ’13RC was a finalist. Zachary adds, “I am pleased to report that there was a group of ESM/UR alumni present, both performing and attending the events. In addition to the individuals in the photo, Analisa Leaming ’07 performed in the Lotte Lenya Songbook Recital and previously served as a judge for the semifinal round.” Pictured are, back row, from left, Kim Kowalke, Eastman School professor emeritus of musicology and a professor emeritus of music in the Arthur Satz Department of Music in the College, Zachary (one of this year’s competition accompanists), Andrew, Angela Cucci Rice ’03, Kary Haddad ’04, ’06 (MA), and Paul Hopper ’09; and in front, left, Natalie Ballenger ’11, who also performed in the Lotte Lenya Songbook Recital, and Helen.

2018 Based on a live-performance video submission, Nikolette (Nikki) LaBonte ’21 (MM) was the only American horn player admitted as a participant to the in-person 70th ARD International Music Competition in Munich in September. Nikki, who was the acting principal horn of the Ft. Worth Symphony in Texas from 2019 until this fall, returned to Rochester to resume her position as associate/assistant/utility horn of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and has begun DMA studies at Eastman. . . . Adam Sadberry, the acting principal flutist with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, was a winner of the Ambassador Prize in the 2021 Concert Artists Guild competition. Adam was honored for his “radiant, lyrical playing and his commitment to expanding the Black diaspora in the classical music world through promoting equity, representation, music education, and commissioning music that tells stories of the Black diaspora.” Ambassador Prize winners receive North American management with CAG, a New York debut performance, and participation in CAG’s leadership development program.

2020 Yi-Yang Chen\ (DMA) (see ’12).

2021 Julianna Darby (MM) won the audition for second clarinet in the Evansville (Indiana) Philharmonic Orchestra. . . . Nikolette (Nikki) LaBonte (MM) (see ’18).

1967 Jerome Gans (MD), a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association and of the American Psychiatric Association, has written Addressing Challenging Moments in Psychotherapy: Clinical Wisdom for Working with Individuals, Groups and Couples (Routledge), released in September. Now retired, he was for many years a part-time associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and maintained a private practice for 48 years. Jerome writes that his new book will “be of interest to psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and those who teach and supervise psychotherapy.”

1974 John Vanek (MD) writes, “I’ve retired from medicine and am pursuing a second career as a mystery author. The fourth book in my Father Jake Austin Mystery Series, Bedeviled (Coffeetown Press), was recently released worldwide in paperback and e-book. The first three books in the series, DEROS, Miracles, and Absolution, are also available in large-print hardbound editions from Thorndike Press. Father Jake Austin is a 21st-century Father Brown with hints of PBS’s Grantchester. I hope you’ll pick up a copy and support me on my crazy new journey.”

1978 Raphael Tshibangu (MD), ’82 (Res), a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist in Rochester; a fellow of the American College of Ob-Gyn; and the founding and managing partner of Southeast Obstetrics and Gynecology, where he has remained since 1991, has published his first book, Can’t Let Go: A Journey from the Heart of Africa to America (RTST Group), a memoir. In it, he chronicles his journey—against the backdrop of monumental political, economic, and social changes—across continents and oceans, a journey that would take him from his humble yet proud beginnings to realizing his adolescent dream of becoming a medical doctor.

1979 Ralph Shipley (MD) retired in 2020 as a professor emeritus of radiology after 36 years on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

1981 Bradford Berk (MD/PhD), director of the University of Rochester Neurorestoration Institute, Distinguished University Professor, and former CEO of the Medical Center, has written Getting Your Brain and Body Back: Everything You Need to Know after Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, or Traumatic Brain Injury (The Experiment). In it, he reflects on the spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic and details his experience—as a doctor and as a patient—to create a manual for those suffering the physical and mental health consequences of acute neurological injury.

1982 Raphael Tshibangu (Res) (see ’79).

1991 Jeffrey Stone (MD) (see ’87 College).

1992 James Szalados (Res), director of neurocritical care for Rochester Regional Health, director of surgical critical care at Rochester General Hospital, and an attorney and counselor at law in private legal practice, has published The Medical-Legal Aspects of Acute Care Medicine: A Resource for Clinicians, Administrators, and Risk Managers (Springer). The book offers an overview of complex ethical, regulatory, and legal issues relevant to clinical health care professionals in acute care medicine.

2008 Aasim Padela (Res) (see ’01 College).

1961 Jeanie Maddox Sy (see ’60 College).

1974 Len Joy (MBA) (see ’73 College).

1977 Ron Taylor (MBA) (see ’76 College).

1979 John Caligiuri (MBA) has released Face One’s Demons (Guardian Tree), the concluding book in his Cocytus science fiction series. “The four-book series,” he writes, “explores what it means to be human in a galactic society that deems our very existence a crime.” . . . Dave Crowley (MBA) (see ’76 College).

1991Paulo Goes (PhD) has been named dean of the A. B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. He was previously dean and the Halle Chair in Leadership of the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, where he was the Salter Distinguished Professor of Management and Technology and led the management information systems department before taking over as dean. He also cofounded and codirected INSITE: Center for Business Intelligence and Analytics at the college.

2000 Tim Jones (MBA) (see ’91 College).

2009 Molly Hildebrandt Martin (MS) writes, “In May of this year, I joined Blueprint Income as head of product.” Acquired by MassMutual in February, Blueprint Income provides an online marketplace where consumers can purchase retirement income products directly and through partner companies.

2013 Peter Yeh (MBA) (see ’09 College).

2015 Benjamin Ochrym (MBA) writes that he was recently named managing director of Wilmington Trust Global Capital Markets, focusing on asset-backed-securities structured finance. He adds that he lives on Manhattan’s Upper West Side with his fiancée, Diana Hitzig ’09.

2019 Dominique McKinnon (MBA) has joined Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners in Rochester as senior analyst and director of business operations. The St. Louis–based organization, which serves as a consultant for community development, recently added the Rochester office to serve the Northeast.

1963 William (Buzz) Boomer (EdM) (see ’75 College).

1965 Patricia Wagner Wheeler (PhD) (see ’62 College).

1969 Alice Holloway Young (EdD) (see ’57 Graduate).

1985 Marvin Sachs (EdD) (see ’64 College).

2001 Nancy Peckham Niemi (PhD) (see ’84 College).

2016 Vicki Sapp (PhD) has been named chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for the State University of New York at Fredonia. Before the appointment, she was director of student engagement, diversity, and inclusion and an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Education at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She has more than 20 years of experience in higher education, with 15 directly focused on inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and social justice. Early in her career, she served at SUNY Fredonia as a residence hall director. She has taught at Rochester, Canisius College, the University at Buffalo, and SUNY Cortland. Other career appointments include director of community and organizational development at the University of Rhode Island, assistant director of Residential Life and Housing Services at the University of Rochester, associate director of the Intercultural and Diversity Center at the University at Buffalo, and coordinator for multicultural affairs at SUNY Cortland. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta and has served as a member on several boards, including the Geisinger Diversity and Inclusion Council, Black Scranton Project Center for Arts and Culture, Northeastern Pennsylvania Diversity Education Consortium, and the NEPA Rainbow Alliance.

2020 Meghan Jordan (MS) (see ’19 College).