Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Medallion Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1937 Richard Lee (see ’89 Simon).

1951 David Ocorr (see ’64)

1956 Neal Marsh Jewell is being remembered as “always proud of his long alumni connection with UR, no more so than with the graduation of two of his grand-daughters from Rochester, Julie Stoltman ’06 and Jane Taylor ’11,” writes Neal’s daughter, Darcy Taylor (Julie and Jane’s mom). Neal died in November.

1957 Bill Anderson writes: “Although our numbers have been diminished over the years for several reasons, the Theta Chi men of the U of R Class of 1957 met once again—this time to celebrate their 65th graduation anniversary. Over the years they have met a number of times, beginning with their first postgraduation gathering at their 50th reunion in 2007 in Rochester. This summer a limited group gathered on the MS American Melody of the American Cruise Lines for a Mark Twain–themed cruise up the Mississippi River beginning in St. Louis and ending in Minneapolis from July 21 to 29.” (Bill notes that he hoped to have a sharper photo to share, “but we had a bystander take the photo and he did a lousy job.”) Attendees included (left to right) Bill, Kay Stiles Anderson ’58, ’59N, Mark Sharnoff, his wife, Marcia Halio, “Mark Twain” (aka “Samuel L. Clemens,” aka Richard Garey), Roy Whitney ’73S (MBA), Fay Wadsworth Whitney ’60, ’61N.”

1958 Bob Birnbaum has published The Exemplary Department Chair: Small Leadership and Advice from the Stone Age (independently published). A professor emeritus of higher education at the University of Maryland, Bob says the book “is a page-turner, but only if you are chairing a college or university department.”

1959 Kay Stiles Anderson (see ’57).

1960 Fay Wadsworth Whitney (see ’57).

1962 Mark Rochkind, a retiree of Bell Labs, Philips Electronics, and AT&T, sends a photograph of Roger Rochat, Susan Rochat, and himself (left to right). Roger and Mark “spent a day together in Atlanta after not seeing each other for 60 years,” writes Mark. Roger is a professor emeritus at Emory University and a retired director from the Division of Reproductive Health within the Centers for Disease Control.

1963 Norman Fienman writes: “Just before the COVID pandemic, I retired after 50 years as a pediatrician in suburban Philadelphia. At 80, I was still skiing. I am now a docent at the Brandywine River Museum and do one-on-one English tutoring. We have been able to resume traveling. I have been married to my wife, Marla, for almost 58 years. Together we have five grandchildren. Note, when I was at the U of R, total expenses, including tuition, room and board, were under $3,000.00. Now that doesn’t even pay for nursery school.”

1964 Dick Cavagnol and John Denison write, “The recognition of the long and successful association of David Ocorr ’51 with the University, including his starring in three sports as an undergraduate; coaching football, basketball, and baseball; working as director of sports information; and, serving as director of athletics, was ultimately fulfilled at a ceremony in the Stark Meeting Room of Fauver Stadium on January 13, when the men’s baseball locker room was named in his honor. This celebration prompted members of the “Geezers”—former U of R football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, and lacrosse athletes from the classes of

1963–67 who were coached by Dave—to come to the U of R from Vermont, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, North Carolina, and the Rochester area to honor Dave and participate in the ceremony. Terry Gurnett ’77, associate director of athletics, and Dave Wormuth ’65, former football quarterback and admissions and aid administrator, led the effort to formally recognize Dave’s career accomplishments. Moving testimonials were delivered by U of R Hall of Fame members John Burchett ’65 and Dave Wormuth ’65. Joining members of the current baseball team and other alumni were the Geezers pictured with Dave and June Ocorr.” Left to right: Charlie Rathbone, Dave Wormuth, Dick Cavagnol, Dave Noonan, Jerry Manioci, John Burchett ’65, Tom Jones, John Denison, and Stu Levison. Photo by Carol Wormuth. . . . Neil Cullen (see ’66).

1965 Gwen Greene (see ’19).

1966 Cecily Drucker shares a photo from a trip to Palermo, Italy, that she organized with Neil ’64 and Betsey Weingart Cullen, Richard Woodrow and his wife, Charlou, and several others. “Interesting and culturally very rich trip,” writes Cecily. . . . Edward Mendelson, the Lionel Trilling Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University and the literary executor of the estate of W. H. Auden, published both volumes of The Complete Works of W. H. Auden: Poems, Volume I: 1927–1939 and Poems, Volume II: 1940–1973 (Princeton University Press) in 2022, the 100th anniversary of the year in which Auden began to write poetry. The set is the first complete edition of Auden’s poems.

1968 Evan Longin has written The Roots of Evil—A Postmodern Exploration of the Unintended Consequences of Civilization (self-published), a work that the Salem (Massachusetts) News called “a very readable and highly informed exploration of what may be civilization’s most perplexing subject: the existence of evil.” Evan has practiced clinical psychology for more than 40 years and was a professor of graduate counseling for more than 25 years at Salem State University. He has also worked as a consultant to school systems in the Salem area; cofounded the Salem Center, a training center for postmodern practices in therapy; and was a principal at Artsbridge, an organization dedicated to bringing Islamic and Jewish children together in Palestine and Israel.

1969 Neil Baldwin, a professor emeritus of theater and dance and the founding director of the Creative Research Center at Montclair State University, has written Martha Graham: When Dance Became Modern (Knopf). The book includes a chapter on Graham’s connection with the Eastman School of Music, where she taught dance and “dramatic action” and performed from 1925 to 1926. After leaving Rochester, Graham established the Martha Graham School for Contemporary Dance in New York City. (See page 30.)

1971 Lettie Burgett, a physician in Los Angeles, is being remembered for her dedication to her family, patients, and community. Lettie died last August, writes her son, Ben Cowan. (See page 52). . . . John Cogar, a veterinarian in upstate New York, traveled to Ukraine last fall as a volunteer to help pets in the war-torn country. . . . Clayton Press is the editor of Georgy Frangulyan, Off-Modern (Milan: Skira Editore), the first English monograph (with Russian translation) focusing on a major artist from the late-Soviet and post-Soviet eras. It’s one of two books expected this year. The other is Joan Mitchell and Christine Ay Tjoe, “Vis-à-Vis” (New York: Mnunchin Gallery).

1972 Bill and Marian Kwiatkowski Chapman share the news that they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in September 2022. . . . Tom Cunningham, Ron Haines, Paul Macielak, and Bob Quirk send a photo from Meliora Weekend, described by Bob as showing “Tom, Ron, Paul, and me: all Class of 1972 and roommates for junior and senior years.” Tom writes, “Those three all played football together; Ron was named an All-American, and he and Paul are in the Rochester Hall of Fame.” Paul writes, “[The photos] had me laughing.” “Doesn’t seem like 50 years since we were roomies,” notes Ron. Bob adds, “BTW, we did visit the original Nick’s while in Rochester.”

50th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1973 Gary Clinton (see ’76). . . . Nathaniel Deutsch writes that last fall, he and Laura Balsam ’76 celebrated 50 years of friendship. He writes, “We met at the U of R in the fall semester of 1972 and have been close friends ever since!” . . . Barbara Regenspan ’94W (EdD) writes that, after a long career in social-justice-focused teacher education and existentialist educational philosophy, she has published her first book of poems, The Chessmaster’s Daughter (Cayuga Lake Books). She says that writing her second and last academic book, the auto-ethnography Haunting and the Educational Imagination (Brill), ignited her new passion for poetry and prompted her to retire from Colgate while she still loved teaching and her department of educational studies. She now enjoys “the best of all worlds: teaching Challenges of the Modern World for the writing department at Cornell during summer session, taking classes at the Downtown Writers’ Center of the Syracuse Y, and leading writing and poetry workshop gigs interspersed with writing letters to the editor in an effort to shore up dwindling democratic process and challenge the globe’s descent into fascism.” . . . William Savino, a senior partner in the Buffalo Office of Woods Oviatt Gilman, has been selected to receive the 2023 Edwin F. Jaeckle Award, the highest honor that the University at Buffalo School of Law and the UB Law Alumni Association present to alumni. The award is given annually to a person who exemplifies the highest ideals of the law school and its alumni association and who has made significant contributions to the school and the legal profession. . . . Elba Serrano writes that she is a Regents Professor at New Mexico State University, a Hispanic-serving institution, where her team does research on systems involved in hearing, balance, and brain function. A first-generation-to-college Latina at Rochester, Elba earned a PhD at Stanford University, then completed postdoctoral training at the medical schools of Stanford and UCLA. “I am committed to facilitating the career path of students who aspire to advanced degrees in STEM disciplines and, especially, achievement of a doctorate and entry to the professoriate. Over 130 diverse students have participated in mentored research in the Serrano laboratory, earned advanced degrees, and continued to careers as faculty, physicians, engineers, pharmacists, veterinarians, research scientists, public servants, ministers, and educators around the country.” Among her research and outreach roles, Elba is New Mexico State’s lead principal investigator for a National Science Foundation program to increase STEM student success at Hispanic-serving institutions. “I would enjoy hearing from others who attended Rochester in the early ’70s,” she writes.

1974 Since 1986 John Gonzales, Paul Lytle, Greg Soehner, and Bob Vavrina ’76 have been playing the Crosstown Legends of Golf tournament. Since then, “The Legends” have played a four-round tournament for 36 consecutive years. Says Greg: “A remarkable example of enduring friendships lasting some 50 years. The Legends are pictured along with the trophy.” . . . Francis Price ’75S (MBA) has been inducted into St. George’s College (Kingston, Jamaica) Hall of Fame for excellence and achievement in business, inspiring leadership, international recognition, and service to the college. The citation reads: “Francis is grateful for the many opportunities he has received in his adopted country and has created opportunities for students who have the propensity for science and mathematics, nurturing their talent, and in so doing, supporting low-income and first-generation university students.” Named to Rochester’s Board of Trustees in 1995, Francis became a life trustee in 2020.

1975 Frank Baillargeon has published Ambitions: The Life and Love of John and Susannah Morrissey (self-published). Frank writes that it is the first of a three-book series of novels based on the 19th-century political couple. . . . Catherine Coates writes: “I am now a published author with the book Longing for Intimacy—Glimmers of Hope (Flower of Life Press). It is a collection of nontraditional poems and prayers which attempt to shine light on life’s mystery. I write as an interspiritual minister who affirms all spiritual paths that have compassion and peace as their central tenets.”. . . Howard Stein has been named managing partner of the Long Island law firm Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman. He has practiced at the firm his entire career and serves on its executive committee. Howard taught courses in real estate law and serves on the board of governors at Touro Law Center, where he was chairman from 2005 until 2022. . . . Mark Waldman ’78 (MS) writes that he retired in June from a 45-year career in optical engineering. “I worked at the Eastman Kodak Company Commercial and Government Systems (and its subsequent owner ITT Space Systems Division) until 2008, and then continued on-contract with NASA. From 2005 to 2022, I was fortunate to work on the James Webb Space Telescope, first on the cryo-vacuum optical system test performed at the Johnson Space Center in 2017, and then on the Science Instrument Commissioning Team. I’m enjoying my retirement in a 55-plus resort community in the California Bay Area.”

1976 Laura Balsam (see ’73). . . . Don Millinger writes that he and Gary Clinton ’73 celebrated their 50th anniversary in October 2022, having met as undergraduates at the University. They married in 2011, when same-sex marriage was legalized in New York. Don and Gary say they proudly provide funding for the University’s LGBTQ+ programs and for support of LGBTQ+ students through the Don Millinger/Gary Clinton LGBTQ+ Fund, which they established in January 2018. . . . Bob Vavrina (see ’74).

1977 Ira Emanuel has been selected by Thomson-Reuters to the 2022 Metro New York SuperLawyers list for land use and zoning attorneys. Ira writes, “For over 40 years, I have concentrated on land use and land development issues in the lower Hudson Valley. Over the years, I have represented clients in obtaining approvals for regional malls, audio-video studios, schools, multifamily apartments, subdivisions, and other projects.” . . . Lewis Rothberg (see ’15). . . . Eric Stetler (see ’15).

45th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1978 Michael Cohen writes that in November, he was elected to the Township Committee of Millburn, New Jersey. The committee is the local governing board for the town and is responsible for adopting a budget, enacting ordinances and resolutions, and appointing personnel.

1980 Lisa Samoff Gochman, a retired deputy attorney general in the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice who currently serves of counsel to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office in Freehold, has published a memoir, At the Altar of the Appellate Gods (Red Lightning Books). The book traces the arc of a racially motivated crime by a white supremacist in rural New Jersey as the case made its way to the US Supreme Court, where Lisa defended the constitutionality of New Jersey’s hate crime statute. . . . David Levine, a freelance journalist based in Albany, New York, writes that his book The Hudson Valley: The First 250 Million Years (Globe Pequot) is being republished in paperback this spring. The book, a collection of David’s magazine articles and essays, “traces the history of the Hudson Valley from the dinosaurs and the Ice Age to the first peoples and European settlement, from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War to the world wars, from the robber barons and bootleggers to the building of the Thruway and the happy rise of craft beer pubs.”

1981 Jill Mestel Squyres Groubert, a psychotherapist in private practice, published her first book, 8-Week Couples Therapy Workbook (Rockridge Press) last May. She writes, “My book was published while I was on my honeymoon in Paris, so I carried the book in my backpack and took photos with it at all the sites we visited. It was so fun. The accompanying photo was taken in Sainte Chappelle in Paris.”

1982 Neil Halin writes, “After 32 years at Tufts Medical Center as, at various times, chief of interventional radiology, codirector of advanced cardiac imaging, interim chair of radiology, associate professor in radiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and lots of other stuff, I am moving on to other ventures. I will be doing consulting in my areas of interests and experience (including radiology informatics) as well as spending time with family and my homestead farm in central Massachusetts and wandering the East Coast racing BMWs and teaching high-performance driving. I may find some time for photography and other hobbies as well!” . . . Cheryl Lyght La Monica writes that she’s been appointed to the advisory board of Western New England University in Massachusetts.”. . . Jeff Lyness ’86M (MD), ’87M (Res) (see ’86 Medicine).

40th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1983 Jon Cagan ’85 (MS), the George Tallman and Florence Barrett Ladd Professor in Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, has been named head of the university’s mechanical engineering department. Since joining Carnegie Mellon’s faculty in 1990, Jon has served the engineering college in many roles: as interim dean, associate dean for graduate and faculty affairs, and associate dean for strategic initiatives, among others. His new appointment began in November. . . . Barbara Weber sends a photograph from the wedding of Ellen Danto and Jay Nocton’s son. Pictured (counterclockwise from right front) are Ellen, Jay, Michael Fox, the bride’s friend Drew Goter ’16 (MA), Steven Meyers ’94M (Flw), and Barbara.

1984 Leonard Lanzi (see ’12). . . . Andrea Lempel-Federmann writes, “I have moved from Newton, Massachusetts, to Nashville, Tennessee. I would love to connect with any alumni who are in Nashville or nearby.” . . . Bruce Schneier, a fellow and lecturer at Harvard’s Kennedy School, a board member of Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the chief of security architecture at Inrupt, has written A Hacker’s Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society’s Rules, and How to Bend Them Back (W. W. Norton).

1985 Larry Sternbane Lee writes that he retired in 2022 from federal service after 14 years with the US Patent & Trademark Office. “I am now enjoying my fun, ‘stress-free’ retirement job as a gate agent for Piedmont Airlines at Washington National Airport (DCA). We handle regional jets flying under the American Eagle banner to cities large and small—including Rochester. On my days off, I enjoy taking short trips to places I’ve never been, like Huntsville and Grand Rapids. Looking forward to retiring again, in a little less than 10 years, with lifetime flight benefits. I invite all to come say ‘hi’ should you fly through concourse E at DCA.”

1986 David Fitts writes that he was recently promoted to senior manager of marketing at Spectrum Enterprise of Charter Communications. He adds, “I also completed my sixth consecutive New York City Marathon in November.” . . . Brian Gabriel retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs two years ago and is “enjoying life.” He writes, “I recently came across my Nautilus instructor T-shirt and my WRUR T-shirt. I have great memories from being involved in both activities!”

1987 Amylyn Silbert Blake, an associate justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, writes, “I was appointed the District One director of the National Association of Women Judges. NAWJ is a dynamic gathering of women judges who are dedicated to preserving judicial independence for women, minorities, and other historically disfavored groups while increasing the number and advancement of women judges and providing cuttingedge judicial education.” . . . Lisa Shaari (see ’90). . . . Julie Anne Taddeo ’97 (PhD), a research professor of history at the University of Maryland, is a coeditor of Writing Australian History Onscreen: Television and Film Period Dramas “Down Under” (Rowman & Littlefield). The book is a thematic collection of essays that explore the intricacies in Australian history as represented in Australian filmic period drama, taken from an Australian perspective. . . . Gary Worobow ’89S (MBA) (see ’90).

35th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1988 Shane Coppola ’89S (MBA) (see ’90). . . . Terry Jacobs Walters has published her fourth cookbook, NOURISH: Plant-based Recipes to Feed Body, Mind, and Soul (Terrywalters.net), featuring vegan and gluten-free recipes.

1989 Betsy Greenberg Abramovich writes that she retired at the end of 2018, after working for 28 years as a clinician social worker in both medical and mental health settings in New York City and Arizona. Since retiring, she and her husband, Moti, spend summers volunteering with the Oregon State Parks. “We love the opportunity get out and meet different people from all over the world. When not volunteering we have been able to visit a few of the National Parks.” She sends a photo from Oregon’s Crater Lake. . . . Larry Abrams, a high school teacher and the founder and executive director of the nonprofit BookSmiles, writes that the organization was featured in an episode of CNN Heroes in September. Since 2017, BookSmiles has collected, sorted, and distributed nearly a million books to children in “book deserts” throughout New Jersey and the Philadelphia area. . . . Michelle Saperstein Coppola (see ’90). . . . Tracy Frommer Duberman (see ’90). . . . Jill Tuchman Harris (see ’90). . . Laura Sumner released Red Clay Blue Sky (independently released), a five-song EP of original songs last June. She describes it as “a modern throwback bathed in colors of SoCal folk music” and adds that the EP has been met with critical acclaim. . . . In January, national security attorney Mark Zaid was a guest on the Pan Am Podcast Episode 32: Terror on the Airline, New Lockerbie Arrest, and the Quest for Justice. Mark will be a recurring guest throughout 2023 in this second season of the podcast to discuss new information as it develops during the federal trial of the suspected bomb maker in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Two Rochester students—Eric Coker and Katharine Hollister, both from the Class of 1990—were killed in the bombing.

1990 Ivy Braun ’90N sends a photograph from a mini reunion celebrating Michelle Saperstein Coppola’s birthday and “38 years of U of R friendship, family, and fun.” From left: Shane Coppola ’88, ’89S (MBA), Jennifer Saperstein Kalapoutis ’94, Gary Worobow ’87, ’89S (MBA), Jill Tuchman Harris ’89, Michelle Saperstein Coppola ’89, Tracy Frommer Duberman ’89, and Lisa Shaari ’87.

1991 Sylvia Hysong, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, was awarded a five-year grant from the Veterans Health Administration to lead the Houston Evidence-based Rapid Measurement and EvaluationS (HERMES) center. She writes, “HERMES conducts timely evaluations of health-care-related initiatives that inform and drive VA health policy, with a focus on systems-level factors surrounding coordination, workflow, and clinical efficiency. The new center will initially support 10 faculty and staff with room for more in later years.” . . . Julie Peyton, co-owner and cofounder of Under the Sun, a natural hair product line, writes that she received the National Leadership Award from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at its 30th Anniversary South Florida Dinner in January. The award honors an outstanding individual in recognition of exceptional contribution to benefit the community in ways that advance the values and mission of the museum. The museum’s website says, “Julie, a national patron and regional ambassador for the museum, has made an indelible mark in educating and building national and global understanding of the atrocities of the Holocaust and other genocides.”

1992 David Jablonowski, an agent for the Chicago-based brokerage @properties Christie’s International Real Estate, sends a photo and a note that he and John Peller were married last August in a private ceremony at the residence of close friends in Provincetown, Massachusetts. John is the CEO and president of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. David and John live in Chicago and have been together for 23 years.

30th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1993 Michael Zimmerman announces publication of his memoir, Suburban Bigamy: Six Miles between Truth and Deceit (Conversation Publishing), a “painful story of two families built on one lie, forever linked through betrayal, infidelity, and bigamy” yet also “a story of resilience, recovery, and hope.”

1994 Grace Bacon Garcia has been elected president of the Massachusetts Bar Association for the 2022–23 year. She serves as the leader of the association’s officer team and represents the 10,000-member state bar at meetings of lawyers and other organizations across the state, before legislators at the State House, in Washington, DC, and to other bar associations across the country. Grace is a partner at Morrison Mahoney in Boston, where she has more than 20 years of trial experience. In 2022, the Massachusetts Defense Lawyers Association named her Lawyer of the Year. . . . Jennifer Saperstein Kalapoutis (see ’90). . . . Renee Radbill Keats (see ’95).

1995 Gary Disbrow, director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the US Department of Health and Human Services, and his incident management team were recognized as a group finalist for a 2022 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal in the COVID-19 Response category. With the first reports of COVID-19, Gary’s team worked to develop medical countermeasures, engage with pharmaceutical companies, and ensure reliable diagnostic tests were being developed and brought to market. Known as the Sammies, the awards program for career federal employees honors accomplishments that benefit the nation. . . . Adam Keats sends a photo of “Philadelphia on election night, celebrating Josh Shapiro’s historic win as governor of Pennsylvania.” From left are Adam with his wife, Renee Radbill Keats ’94, Seth Fox, and Josh. . . . Thomas Stone, a senior research analyst with the Institute for Corporate Productivity, has coauthored with his wife, Kassy LaBorie, the second edition of Interact and Engage! (ATD Press), a book they first published in 1995. Tom says that interest in the book increased beginning in 2020, “when the pandemic led so many meetings and training to shift to online instead of in person. Even now, the use of Zoom, Teams, etc., is remaining very high, so our new second edition is well timed to support . . . making online training, meetings, and webinars more engaging and effective.”

1996 Joseph Brown has joined Goldberg Segalla’s employment and labor group in Buffalo. He was previously with Hurwitz Fine in Buffalo.

25th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

1998

1999 Chirag Shah ’04M (MD), an assistant professor at Tufts University School of Medicine, a lecturer at Harvard Medical School, and vitreoretinal surgeon in Boston, has coauthored Financial Freedom Rx (Slack Incorporated) to help physicians navigate their personal finances. Chirag writes, “The book educates physicians on the fundamentals of financial literacy, investing, and wealth management. It might be the most important (nonmedical!) book physicians will read.”

2000 Khartoon Ohan Weiss writes, “My colleague Jiayi (Ray) Cao ’11S (MS) and I both run large global divisions at TikTok/ByteDance. We’re very proud to be alumni—and working together at that. In fact, our U of R connection was the first thing we bonded over, and we have been inseparable at work ever since. Most recently, Ray and I launched TikTok’s product showcase, TikTokWorld, and it’s garnered a ton of industry pickup and success.”

20th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

2003

2004 Gwen Olton, codirector of the University-affiliated M. K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, has written From Conflict to Community: Transforming Conflicts without Authorities (Microcosm Pub). A book launch party was held at the institute in December, with proceeds going toward its annual appeal campaign. . . . Sarah Iler Pfeffer, an adjunct professor of US history at Columbus State Community College in Ohio and Wake Technical Community College in North Carolina, has written a book with former Rochester professor Bruce Kimball, now a professor emeritus of educational studies at Ohio State University. In Wealth, Cost, and Price in American Higher Education (Johns Hopkins University Press), Sarah and Bruce explore how increasing higher education costs and resulting student debt trends began 150 years ago and why they have intensified in recent decades. . . . Kimberly Silver Stein, a partner at Ulmer & Berne’s trusts and estates practice group in Cleveland, has been elected a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. In addition to her practice, Kim has held leadership roles with several professional organizations, and she also serves on the local board of directors of the Anti-Defamation League and on the professional advisory council of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland.

2006 Patricia Tehan ’08 (MA) writes that she has been accepted to the US State Department Virtual English Language Educator program, in which she will engage online with English language learners and teachers in Russia. Patricia has worked as an English language teaching professional for many years and is among the first to be selected for the new program. Her project will involve leading discussions centered around contemporary American short stories with English teachers in Siberia.

2007 Jackie Borchardt writes that she was promoted to senior news director of the Cincinnati Enquirer and relocated with her family in June 2022 from Columbus, Ohio, to “the Queen City.” She previously covered Ohio politics as a reporter and editor for newspapers in Dayton, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. . . . Ashley Weagraff Dube (see ’08). . . . Jenn Peacock Grow (see ’08).

15th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

2008 Darby Wade Grant and Samuel Taylor Thorne were married in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in July with family and friends from Rochester, St. Louis, Washington, DC, and other parts of the country in attendance. Yellowjacket soccer teammate Tammy Brewster Cain served as a bridesmaid. The couple sends a photo of Darby, Tammy and other teammates who gathered to celebrate the wedding: from left to right, Molly Leitch Leitner, Jenn Peacock Grow ’07, Rochester women’s soccer coach Ashley Van Vechten, Darby, Ali Streeter Endres ’10S (MBA), Ashley Weagraff Dube ’07, and Tammy. The couple resides in Washington, DC.

2010 Daniel Ketter (see ’08 
Eastman).

2011 Sarah Ackroyd ’16M (MD) and Miles Nowak ’17S (MBA) were married in Chicago last July. They were joined by friends from undergraduate and medical school. From top to bottom, left to right, are Kayla Florian, Adrian Hadiono ’16M (MD), Pat Abt, Kevin Rhie ’16M (MD), Jason Kopec ’16M (MD), Dana Albert ’12W (MS), Jason Birnbaum ’12, ’16M (MD), Jill Kulla ’12, Meredith Boyd ’12, Sarah, Miles, Sunisa Mathews ’14, David Oles ’14, Daniel Charen ’16M (MD), Kim Bui ’16M (MD), Sthuthi David ’12, ’17M (MD), and Hanna Algattas ’16M (MD). . . . Cancer survivor Drew Adams was one of more than 120 fellow employees of Bristol Myers Squibb who were set to take part in the company’s annual Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer, a cross-country bicycle ride to raise money for cancer research. Last fall’s ride took place in September and October. . . . Sarah Gerin (see ’19).

2012 Zachary Barber ’21 (MA), a current doctoral degree student in philosophy and a graduate instructor in Rochester’s Writing, Speaking, and Argument Program, was honored at the AS&E Graduate Student Research Symposium hosted by the AS&E Office of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs last fall. . . . Jason Birnbaum ’16M (MD), (see ’11). . . . Meredith Boyd (see ’11). . . . Sthuthi David ’17M (MD) (see ’11). . . . Jill Kulla (see ’11). . . . Zakariya Niazi and his company Circle Optics received a silver award in the “most fundable company” competition organized by the business school at Pepperdine University. The company, which includes Leonard Lanzi ’84 and Ian Gauger as executives, makes a 360-degree camera and other imaging systems.

10th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

2013 Marisa Straub Maslek (see ’15).

2014 Farrell Cooke ’19N, currently an MBA student at the Simon Business School, writes that she and Tyler Viterise got engaged on campus last July. They are planning a fall 2024 wedding “surrounded by family and our fellow Yellowjackets!” . . . Sunisa Mathews (see ’11). . . . Luis Navarrete ’15 (MS) (see ’14). . . . David Oles (see ’11). . . . David Stelter (see ’15).

2015 Kristin Abramo and David Stelter ’14 were married last August in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire. They share a photograph of themselves with other Yellowjackets at the wedding. From left to right are Luis Navarrete ’14, ’15 (MS), Louisa Bauer ’14, Julia Morris-MacGuigan, Dan MacGuigan ’14, Eric Stelter ’77, Brandon Wilson ’14, David, Kyle Mecca ’14, Kristin, Brian Wuu ’14, Abbas Shikari ’14, Marisa Straub Maslek ’13, James Maslek, Andrew Brink ’14, Milo Gard (a current College student), and Lewis Rothberg ’77.

2016 Magdalena Rieders has been selected as a 2023 Wind Fellow by the Philadelphia-area community art resource InLiquid. Magdalena’s work was scheduled to be featured in an exhibition put on by the organization. . . . Aaron Schaffer has been named assistant editor for the 202 newsletter team of the Washington Post.

5th Reunion

Meliora Weekend
October 5 to 8, 2023

2018 Franziska Mangot has joined the law firm Faegre Drinker. She practices insurance law in the firm’s Florham Park, New Jersey, location.

2019 Elizabeth Bourne has been named an associate attorney at the Colligan Law firm in Buffalo. . . . Talia Cohavi ’22M (MPH), a program manager at the Flaum Eye Institute, and Brian Gearinger, a personal trainer at Esporta in Rochester, were married at Stablegate Barn and Vineyard in Castleton-on-Hudson, New York, in September. Pictured from left to right are Elizabeth Finer, Shaun Turner, Payal Morari, Aaron Raymond ’18, Sarah Gerin ’11, Brian, Talia, Gwen Greene ’65, a University trustee, Emily Kumpf, Cindy Juarez, Julia Fraser, Emily Scarpulla Raymond ’18, and Hannah Goldring.

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Arts, Sciences & Engineering

Meliora Weekend

October 5 to 8, 2023

1957 Alice Holloway Young (Mas), ’69W (EdD) was awarded the Monroe Community College Foundation’s Salute to Excellence Award for volunteerism at a ceremony last November. Her son, Rodney Young, accepted the award on her behalf. Alice was the first Black principal in the Rochester City School District and pioneered an urban-suburban program there that still exists today. She was named a founding trustee of MCC in 1961.

1968 A new collection of poetry by Betsy Neary Sholl (MA) has been recognized as the winner of the Four Lakes Prize in Poetry sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Department of English. The collection, As If a Song Could Save You (University of Wisconsin Press), is Betsy’s second to be selected for the prize. A former poet laureate of Maine, Betsy teaches at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

1970 Jim Acheson (PhD), a member of the faculty of the University of Maine for 45 years, is being remembered by family and friends. His wife, Ann, writes: “A highly regarded applied anthropologist, he was also a pioneer in maritime anthropology. Jim was an eminent, interdisciplinary scholar with an international reputation, best known for his work on the Maine lobster industry, especially its territorial and self-governance systems. Applying insights from his research, Jim was integral in establishing a comanagement system in the Maine lobster industry, which has become a national model.” Jim died in June.

1974 The latest mystery novel from Thomas Perry ’74 (PhD) is Murder Book (Mysterious Press), which features a retired police officer turned private detective who’s asked to investigate a brutal Midwestern crime organization.

1976 Len Jason (PhD), director of the Center for Community Research and a professor of psychology at DePaul University, has published a memoir, Experiencing Sacredness: A Psycho-Spiritual Journey (Wisdom). “Before starting graduate school at the U of R in 1971, I spent the summer hitching from London to India,” he says. “I have now written a memoir of this adventure.” Len also has an academic book scheduled for release in April: Understanding the Behavioral and Medical Impact of Long COVID (Routledge). “It is an edited volume with an international group of authors and the first academic volume that will be available on this important subject.” . . . Michael Shlesinger (PhD), chief scientist for nonlinear science at the Office of Naval Research, has written An Unbounded Experience in Random Walks with Applications (World Scientific). He says, “The book traces, over 50 years, the influence of a single paper of Dr. Elliott Montroll, the [University’s] Einstein Professor of Physics. [It] is autobiographical and recounts some Montroll stories and those of Harvey Scher, with whom we collaborated at Xerox in Webster. I did my physics PhD under the supervision of Montroll and Scher. Today I’m in my 40th year as a physicist at the Office of Naval Research.”

1978 Mark Waldman (MS) (see ’75 College).

1985 Jon Cagan (MS) (see ’83 College).

1989 David Mason (PhD), a professor emeritus of English at Colorado College and a former poet laureate of Colorado, has written Pacific Light (Red Hen Press). David writes that while he was born in Washington State, 40-odd degrees north latitude, he now lives on the Australian island of Tasmania, 40-odd degrees south latitude. He discusses poetry and his life experiences and recites poems from the book in a film that can be found on YouTube.

1991 Dasu Tamraparni (PhD) has published The Greatest Telugu Stories Ever Told (Aleph Book Company). She writes, “The anthology is particularly dear to me because it is a collaboration with my 96-year-old father. Although I am a research scientist by profession, I am also a novelist and translator and cofounder of the New Jersey–based nonprofit IndiaWrites Publishers, focused on providing exposure to contemporary writers who write in Indian languages by translating their works into English.”

1997 Julie Taddeo (PhD) (see ’87 College).

1999 Tadeusz Lewandowski (MA), a professor at the University of Opole in Poland and at the University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic, has published The Life of Sherman Coolidge, Arapaho Activist (University of Nebraska Press). The biography chronicles the turn-of-the-20th-century life of one of the most prominent Indigenous leaders in the United States.

2008 Patricia Tehan (MA) (see ’06 College).

2015 Luis Navarrete (MS) (see ’15 College).

2016 Drew Goter (MA) (see ’83 College).

2021 Zachary Barber (MA) (see ’12 College).

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Meliora Weekend

October 5 to 8, 2023

1966 Recording engineer Bob Ludwig ’01 (MM) won a 2023 Grammy Award in the category of Best Historical Album for his work as mastering engineer on the 20th anniversary “super deluxe edition” of the album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch) by the band Wilco. . . . Janice Larson Razaq, director of keyboard studies at William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, Illinois, has been named 2023 National Teacher of the Year by the Music Teachers National Association. She also was named Illinois State Music Teachers Association 2022 Teacher of the Year.

1976 David Liptak (DMA) (see ’08).

1977 Brad Nelson (DMA), an independent composer and publisher of Gladde Music Publications, is being remembered by his family and friends. His wife, Merryl, shares that Brad died last April. During his career, he taught at Butler University before leading music programs for congregations in Indiana and California. Merryl writes: “Brad left a legacy of many fine choral anthems, both sacred and secular. His music has been performed all over the United States, Europe, and many other parts of the world, in such venues as Westminster Abbey, Chicago Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center, and San Diego’s Copley Symphony Hall.”

1983 Renée Fleming (MM), ’11 (Honorary) won a 2023 Grammy Award in the Best Classical Solo Vocal Album category for Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene (Decca) with pianist Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

1988 Tom Nazziola writes that he won the grand prize for the Classic Pure Vienna Composition Competition (2022) for “Velvet Carnival” (solo piano). “This is the fourth piece to win an award from my recent album Distant Places (Goju Records).”

1990 Mark Steinbach (DMA), a senior lecturer in music, university organist, and curator of instruments at Brown University, performs the music of Philip Glass and J. S. Bach on the 1755 Silbermann organ in Dresden, Germany, on the recording Glass-Bach Dresden (Orange Mountain Music).

1993 Kelly Hall-Tompkins was a special guest at a Black History Month event put on by the George Walker Center and the Black Students Union at Eastman in February. The recital featured students from BSU as well as Kelly. Also, Kelly writes: “Composer Jeff Beal ’85 and I are working together on a new violin concerto that he is writing for me, and we have teamed up with conductor Leonard Slatkin for the premieres of the new work starting next season. I look forward to sharing more news about this exciting project,” writes Kelly. She adds, “It’s not every day that your friend gets an opera premiered at the Met, so I want to congratulate my friend and colleague Kevin Puts ’94, ’99 (DMA) on his magnificent new opera The Hours. I attended the premiere and continue to be moved and inspired by the entire experience.”

1994 Kevin Puts ’99 (DMA) won 2023 Grammy Award in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category for his triple concerto Contact, which was recorded by Philadelphia Orchestra under the direction of Xian Zhang on the album Letters for the Future (Deutsche Grammophon).

1996 Benjamin Rankin writes, “Happy to share that I have just bought my first hotel and that it is running better than expected. You will all be welcome for a University of Rochester special price in Sathonay Camp, a nice quiet place with easy access to Lyon, which is the gastronomic capital of France.”

1997 Flutist Jennie Oh Brown (DMA), executive and artistic director of the ensemble collective Picosa and a faculty member at Wheaton College, writes, “I have begun a new position as artist-in-residence and artistic director at Epiphany Center for the Arts, Chicago.”

1999 Kevin Puts (DMA) (see ’94).

2001 Bob Ludwig ’01 (MM) (see ’66).

2002 Janinah Burnett (MM) writes that last September, she performed her album Love the Color of Your Butterfly to a sold-out audience at the Victory Hall Opera in Charlottesville, Virginia, with an ensemble including Terreon Gully, Keith Brown, and Luques Curtis. In January, Avie Record released a recording of “Credo,” composed by Margaret Bonds with text by W. E. B. DuBois with Janinah as the featured soloist. Also in January, she joined colleagues Robert Mack, Phillip Bullock, and Christopher Laysath in the presentation of And Still We Rise: Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Elizabeth Boatright Coker Performing Arts Center in Hartsville, South Carolina. . . . Soprano Erin Morley was nominated for a Grammy Award in the best opera recording category for the Metropolitan Opera and Chorus production of composer Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice. Erin is also one of three recipients of the 18th annual Opera News Awards. The honorees are to be celebrated this spring, with proceeds from a gala benefiting the education programs of the Metropolitan Opera Guild, publisher of Opera News.

2003 The State University of New York at Fredonia has named David Stringham ’11 (PhD) as dean of the music school. He has been a part of James Madison University’s music school and its College of Visual and Performing Arts since 2010 and most recently served as the executive director of the Office of Creative Propulsion. In addition to being a full professor of music, David cofounded the university’s Center for Inclusive Music Engagement and served as its founding director.

2005 Aaron Travers (PhD) (see ’08).

2008 Flutist Emlyn Johnson ’15 (DMA) writes that the American Wild Ensemble has released its second album, Duos and Trios (New Focus Recordings), featuring three members of the group. Along with Emlyn, the recording includes clarinetist Ellen Breakfield-Glick and cellist Daniel Ketter ’10, ’10RC, ’17 (DMA), ’20 (PhD). Emlyn and Daniel codirect the ensemble, which originated with a commissioning project and national tour celebrating the National Park Service centennial in 2016. Three of the four works commissioned for Duos and Trios were written by composers tied to Eastman: “Two Nocturnes” by David Liptak ’76 (DMA), an Eastman professor of composition since 1986, “Avaloch Sketches” by David Mettens ’15 (MA), and “Stillwater Marsh” by Aaron Travers ’05 (PhD).

2009 Julia Bullock has made her solo recording debut with Walking in the Dark (Nonesuch Records), released in December. She is joined on the album by London’s Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by her husband, Christian Reif, who also accompanies her on piano. Julia’s recent notable positions include artist-in-residence of London’s Guildhall School (2020–22), of the San Francisco Symphony (2019–20), and at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (2018–19).

2010 Daniel Ketter (see ’08).

2011 David Stringham (PhD) (see ’03).

2012 Saxophonist and music educator Owen Broder has released his second album as a leader. Hodges: Front and Center, Vol. 1 (Outside in Music) pays tribute to saxophonist Johnny Hodges, who played a key role in the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Owen and his quintet explore nine compositions associated with Hodges. . . . Melanie Pozdol (MM) sends news. Last October she traveled to Leuven, Belgium, as a member of Team USA to compete in the Beer Mile World Classic, where she emerged as the Women’s World Champion with a time of 6:41. The event featured more than 20 women from 13 countries competing in the largest women’s championship field ever. In November Melanie started a new position at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management as associate director for prospect management and analytics.

2015 Emlyn Johnson (DMA) (see ’08). . . . David Mettens (see ’08).

2017 Daniel Ketter (DMA) (see ’08).

2020 Daniel Ketter (PhD) (see ’08).

2022 Pallas Catenella Riedler (MA) was awarded an American Dissertation Fellowship from the American Association of University Women. A PhD student, Pallas was one of three Rochester graduates recognized by the association. The others were Anaar Desai-Stephens, a postdoctoral student at Eastman, who received the American Postdoctoral Research Leave Fellowship, and Maria Castaño, a PhD student in biology, who received the International Doctoral Degree Fellowship.

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Meliora Weekend

October 5 to 8, 2023

1982 Philip Templeton (MD), the chief medical officer and cofounder of DocPanel Techologies, has released Cyberbolt (self-published), which he describes as “the result of years of work coming from a passion to ring loud an alert about medical cybersecurity—as well as to create an exciting thriller novel.”

1985 Mark Eisenberg (MD), a professor of medicine and director of the MD-PhD program at McGill University in Montreal, has been named a James McGill Professor of Medicine. The distinction recognizes outstanding and original researchers who are international leaders in their fields. . . . Victoria Korth (MD), ’03 (Res) has published her second poetry chapbook, Tacking Stitch (Finishing Line Press). She writes that in addition to writing poetry, flash fiction, and book reviews, she is a psychiatrist with Rochester Regional Health System. Victoria holds an MFA from of the Warren Wilson College Program for Writers and an MA in English and creative writing from SUNY Brockport.

1986 Paul Strumph (MD) sends a photograph taken with classmates Jeff Lyness (MD), ’87M (Res), Thomas Perls (MD), and James Schuster (MD), ’88 (Res), ’91 (Res), who have stayed close since graduating. Together, he writes, they “took a trip to The Hague in the Netherlands and reminisced on anatomy lessons at Rochester, this time with a Rembrandt twist featuring The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, painted in 1632.”

1994 Steven Meyers ’94M (Flw), (see ’83 College).

1999 Michael Tracy (Res) received the 2022 Laureate Award from the Wyoming Chapter of the American College of Physicians. Michael has practiced internal medicine and pediatrics in Powell, Wyoming, since 2002. He is a cofounder of 307Health, a multiphysician direct primary care practice in Wyoming.

2003 Victoria Korth (Res) (see ’85).

2004 Chirag Shah (MD) (see ’99 College).

2016 Sarah Ackroyd (MD) (see ’11 College). . . . Hanna Algattas (MD) (see ’11 College). . . . Kim Bui (MD) (see ’11 College). . . . Jason Birnbaum (MD) (see ’11 College). . . . Daniel Charen (MD) (see ’11 College). . . . Adrian Hadiono (MD) (see ’11 College). . . . Jason Kopec (MD) (see ’11 College). . . . Kevin Rhie (MD) (see ’11 College).

2017 Sthuthi David ’17M (MD) (see ’11 College).

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Meliora weekend

October 5 to 8, 2023

1959 Kay Stiles Anderson (see ’57 College).

1961 Fay Wadsworth Whitney (see ’57 College).

1990 Ivy Braun (see ’90 College).

1993 Dianne Morrison-Beedy (PhD), the Centennial Professor of Nursing and chief talent and global strategy officer at Ohio State University’s nursing school, writes that she was recently honored by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. She was conferred as a Fellow Ad Eundem for her contributions to nursing, health care, education, and research. Dianne also received the 2022 Global Intrapreneur of the Year Award in Education from the Global Intrapreneurs Institute in Australia for her creative approaches to expanding nursing education.

2019 Farrell Cooke (see ’14 College).

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Meliora Weekend

October 5 to 8, 2023

1973 Roy Whitney (MBA) (see ’57 College).

1975 Francis Price (MBA) (see ’74 College).

1985 Jon Cagan (MS) (see ’83 College).

1989 Shane Coppola (MBA) (see ’90 College). . . . Bob Klie (MBA), the late Richard Lee ’37RC, and Audrey Velepec produced a second edition of The Sunshine Camp Story (published by the Rochester Rotary Club). The 100th anniversary edition tells the story of the Rotary’s Sunshine Camp from 1922 to 2022. The 157-acre camp in Rush, New York, serves children with disabilities and their families. . . . Gary Worobow (MBA) (see ’90 College).

2009 Jorge Castro (MBA) published Manage Your Money Manager (Golden Cross Publications) last October. He writes that the book “guides the individual investor through a series of easy steps to set up an online tool that has long been used by market technical analysts both on and off Wall Street for decades to protect and grow investment portfolios.”

2011 Jiayi Cao (MS) (see ’00 College). . . . Ali Streeter Endres (MBA) (see ’08 College).

2017 Miles Nowak (MBA) (see ’11 College).

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Meliora weekend

October 5 to 8, 2023

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

1994 Barbara Regenspan (EdD) (see ’73 College).

2012 Dana Albert (MS) (see ’11 College). . . . Karen Taylor (EdD), reports that she retired in July 2022 after spending 38 years as an educator.

2013 Julie Manley White (PhD) was named chancellor and CEO of Pierce College District in Washington in November and assumed the duties of her new role in January. She previously served as president of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom.