CORNELL ALUMNI MAGAZINE ARTICLES FOR 2002
CORNELL ALUMNI MAGAZINE ARTICLES
FOR 2002
Last fall was a very sad time for 3 classmates and their families.
The tragedies of September 11 took the life of Kristin Osterholm
Gould White when her hi-jacked plane crashed in a field in southwestern
PA. Kris was a freelance medical writer who had lived in New York
City for the past 35 years and was on her way to visit friends
in California. A most informative and touching biography about
Kris can be viewed at the web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
She leaves behind her only child, a daughter, Allison Vadhan.
Susan Shelby Schurmeier lost her son, Mark, a graduate of Wake Forest, in the terrorist attack on September 11. He was attending a conference on the 106th floor of the World Trade Center tower one. Susan writes: "He was a loving, thoughtful son, brother, husband, father, and uncle".
And Bob and Marj Nelson Smart suffered a terrible loss when their eldest daughter was killed in an automobile accident in October. Linda lived in the Ithaca area and was the mother of two young children. Our deepest sympathies are extended to the loved ones of Kris, Mark, and Linda.
Though 2001 was a time for great sadness for many, it was a year of happiness for Nan Krauthamer Goldberg as she welcomed her tenth grandchild. Nan taught a course at the Hotel School last summer. Shirley Axtmayer Rodriguez sold her family business, the Hotel Excelsior in San Juan, Puerto Rico after 35 years. Last October Shirley and Ivan had a mini-reunion of Hotelies in Italy, which included Ara Daglian and Arch des Cognets, who are planning to be at our 45th.
Jerry Neuman Held was in Rome in December on her honeymoon. Another retiree out there traveling was Patricia Hunter Beck. Alaska, the Panama Canal and Australia and New Zealand were on last year's agenda. Sari Feldman Zukerman was also traveling in that part of the world.
Don '56 and Celia Kandel Goldman have relocated to Marina del Rey, CA to be near their children and grandchildren and are loving the weather and the proximity to the ocean. They enjoy cruising and also took a trip through the Panama Canal recently.
Barbara Freedman Fisher's traveling. Riding along with Barbara and her retired husband are their two bearded collies, one a show dog.
While so many of us are retired or retiring Christine Zeller Lippman is doing the opposite. She returned to work 5 years ago and is assistant to the Chancellor and admissions department at the Dwight School in Manhattan. Her daughter graduated from Dartmouth a few years go and is starting on pursuit of her Ph.D in psychology.
Marcia Wishengrad Metzger's daughter was married last November at the University of Rochester Chapel. Marcia plans on attending reunion as does Susan Howe Hutchins.
And the early results of the postcard responses indicate that
quite a few of you plan to make it to Ithaca for our glorious
45th.
I regret to pass along the news that Jack White died on the fateful date of September 11 of last year. He leaves Jan, his wife of 45 years, 2 children and 6 grandchildren. Jack retired as an Air Force colonel in 1988.
Actuarially, we are at the retirement age, and a number of classmates have read the tables and assumed a life of leisure. Matt Coburn, an early retiree from Dupont, continues his consulting in the technology management field. He has authored a book and teaches at the graduate level at the business school of Widener University in PA.
Ross Johnson did a flip-flop with former President Clinton, moving from NYC to Arkansas (Hot Springs) after selling his business to his son. He has traveled extensively in his motor home and took a cruise to a number of exotic places, including Hong Kong, Puerto Vallarta and India.
John and Gigi Brooke have traveled more than around the block, having driven some 7,000 miles across the U.S. to visit such luminaries as Barney and Dee Hodges, Doug and Anne Yearley, John and Judy Post and Sam Bookbinder. Skip Nitchie has retired to a floating home (I assume that's a boat) on the Columbia River in Portland OR. He speaks highly of retirement, as does Roy Hassel, who has been retired from the Methodist ministry for 2 years. He and Judy have also traveled regularly, including Sweden and the outer banks of NC.
Jim Broadhead retired at the first of this year from the chairmanship of FPL. He will stay in Florida. He speaks with Paul Tregurtha and Steve Weiss regularly, the latter probably using a pay phone since his house in Greenwich burned to the ground last September. He reports that he, Suzanne and the kids are fine.
Archie Stewart, retired for some time from the Navy, has left his second career with Marine Safety International, and is living the good life in Punta Gorda FL. Unless it's a typo, Jay Barnum claims he retired from Dupont in 1963, and he also has left a second career, with an engineering firm, and has settled in Goffstown NH.
Phil Otis spends most of his time since retirement in 1999 at his home in the Poconos, with time out for travels to Spain and the British Virgin Islands, where daughter Mary lives.
Not all classmates are in the rocking chair. Jim Keene gets
to Ithaca often as President of Sigma Pi Alumni, Peter Blauvelt
is Town Justice in Sterling,NY (near Rochester), director of the
Oswego Maritime Foundation and Trustee of Cayuga Community College,
having lived a prior life as a trial attorney and Don Sargent
takes the prize as still happily at work involved with NASA's
International Space Station program and NEWLY married, to Reva
Fox.
Travel is the key word this month, as witnessed by Bill and Rosemarie Burke's spending the winter of '00-'01 in New Zealand (summer there) and vacationing later in Thailand. All 6 children are married and happily producing the next generation.
Dave Biddle's family had a reunion in Aruba over the New Year holiday. His oldest grandson will enter college this fall. Myron and Brooke Green have one grandchild, courtesy of son Jason, whose brother, Jordan, is "seriously approaching" marriage (sounds like a soap opera escalating to a mini-series). Myron's recent travels cover the entire map of Asia, from Singapore to Thailand and the Philippines to Vietnam. He remains active in support of Israel's medical emergency, health care and blood supply network.
Roger Soloway is still on the Univ. of Texas medical faculty, as well as continuing with his private practice. He and Marilyn also have one son married and the other approaching. Recent travels include France.
Roger Jones has moved into a new home in the Spruce Creek fly-in community outside Daytona Beach. It is on the site of a former Navy Air installation, and most houses have a 2 plane garage, with the streets used as taxi ways to the active strip. He still keeps his trawler nearby in case cabin fever strikes.
Bob Spicher has recently visited several states (including Hawaii) and reports visiting with Brint Deighton in Fort Collins.
Bob and Sandy (Shepard'55) Armstrong were on campus for last fall term. He was on sabbatical from Africa Univ. in Zimbabwe.
Bill and Jan (Charles) Lutz spent last June in China, including Hong Kong, and last fall took a river trip from Budapest to Amsterdam.
Bill Schmidt traveled extensively in the U.S. and Germany in conjunction with his painting, with opera and other interests also getting some attention.
Your humble journalist, after extensive planning, hopes to spend 2 1/2 days on a wonderfully fulfilling bus tour of Chillicothe OH, but did also fulfill a lifelong desire to tour the Normandy Beaches.
Fellow lacrosse player Bob George reports from Vancouver on visiting with Stew Emmerman at a recent Cornell function in that city. He and Sherry retain dual citizenship, commuting between Vancouver and Bellingham, WA.
Stuart and Jane Fischman received the Temple Beth El (Buffalo) volunteer service award last August. Their activities resulting in this award would use the rest of the space in this magazine. Stuart is professor emeritus of oral diagnostic sciences at the Univ. of Buffalo, and assisted in dental identification activities following the attack on the World Trade Center. Lu Cascio asks if anyone remembers him. He spent only the fall '53 semester on campus, but looks back on it as a "great experience," and those memories have served to confirm that he will be at our 45th reunion.
I look forward to seeing him and all other members of what
Steve Weiss refers to as the "CLASS" of 1957 June 6-9
at our 45th reunion.
Reunion has come and gone but the class column moves along with some items left from the 2001 mailbag. Katharine Bancker Johnson has remarried and is now living in Decatur, GA.
Russ '56 and Pat Adams Wagner are volunteers in Carriere, MS, Russ with Habitat for Humanity and Pat with the local Hospice and Meals on Wheels. This summer the Wagners will spend time at their cottage in Ontario, Canada.
Shirley Wagoner Johnson often travels from her Lakeland, FL home to North Carolina to visit her first grandchild. Barbara Kaufman Smith doesn't have any grandchildren yet but for the past 23 years has been narrating books for the blind and physically handicapped. She also serves on the board of a community low-income housing commission and continues part-time work at the Ace Hardware store which Barb and her husband own near Stamping Ground, KY.
Judith Golub Halpern is in private practice as a clinical social worker in Alexandria, VA. While one of her five grandchildren is awaiting a cochlea implant, the entire family has been learning cued speech and ASL for the past year.
Rochelle Krugman Kainer lectured in Holland last summer on her book, The Collapse of the Self. Presently she is working on two new books in the area of psychoanalysis.
Barbara Loose Bottner, who makes her home in Rosrath, Germany also has a new book - a cookbook - in German of course. In addition to writing articles about food and nutrition Barbara runs a small catering service. She welcomed a new grandson last year as did Jean Venel Bernard.
Charity Howland McCormick and her husband are both retired and involved with family, community, and church. Their youngest daughter, Maureen '98, ILR, is with Prudential in Newark, NJ.
Ed and Joyce Dudley McDowell covered a lot of territory last
year starting with a trip around the South Island of New Zealand.
Hawaii, California and New York were also on the itinerary and
upon completion of a cruise around Baltic ports, the McDowells
ended their European adventure with a stop in Malta. And for all
who stopped in Ithaca for Reunion, the highlights, who attended,
and other classmates' news will be in the next issue.
Darryl Turgeon, originally a member of the class of '51 (2 mid-stream years in the army) died last fall. He was a legend in the advertising business, having honed his skills as editor of the Widow, and continued his genius in New Orleans. He was named a distinguished alumnus in 1994, and was widely known within the industry for his creative talents.
Sam Leadley, having retired in 1983 from the Rural Sociology faculty at Penn State, retired again from the position of calf and heifer herdsman and is now occupied as a management specialist/consultant in the same field.
Paul Miller, freshman hallmate supreme, is in his 4th year in the Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia after 22 years in the executive search business in Chicago. He is the only employee of his newly-founded firm, and took the initiative by naming himself president/ceo.
Fred Groiss has followed Paul's lead, moving to Charlottesville after retiring from a Milwaukee law firm.
Alan Pekelner also bolted a law practice last year and followed Paul in another way, starting a one-man show. It specializes in civil litigation and real estate, and involves a west-side Manhattan commute of six blocks.
John Herzog, left his own business within a business at Merrill Lynch after 42 years, turning a hobby into a business by joining his wife and daughter in the numismatic auction business. He is a member of the Cornell Library Council, spending quite a bit of time on campus, and in frequently in Washington involved with the Smithsonian National Board. He is also active with the 14 year old Museum of American Financial History.
Chuck LaForge reports that a family reunion took place last summer in New Hampshire, as I believe has been the custom in the past.
Howard Greenstein, frequent guest soloist for the "Alumni Song," has been appointed to the Glee Club Alumni Board.
Jerry Poll's youngest daughter is a veterinarian in a university internship in small animal surgery, hoping to get involved exclusively in the study and care of aquatic animals.
Staying in the animal world, Ted Engel still hopes to qualify a horse for that race in Louisville the first Saturday of May.
Don Williams reports from the state of Washington that he is loving his 6 year retirement, boating in the Puget Sound area and venturing every now and then to Alaska.
Sandy Kaiser, a grandfather of one year, cruised with Jim Taylor and wives last year, and has been whale watching in Canada; in addition to traveling extensively in Canada.
A Class Act, Scene 45, was one fantastic performance! Produced
by Dori Goudsmit Albert and Paul Gladstone, ably assisted by Betty
Starr King, and starring a cast of a few hundred, the show got
off to a soggy start on Thursday, June 6. Our stage was at the
townhouses on north campus and classmates were welcomed by Connie
Santagato Hosterman: Linda Wellman Stansfield from New Jersey,
Lois Ernst Stekler from Washington, and Barbara Kaufman Smith
from Kentucky. Adrienne McNair and Priscilla "johnnie"
Kiefer Parrish had the shortest trip - from Ithaca. Charles '55
and Harriet Merchant Shipman flew to Ithaca from Columbia, MO
in their Piper Cub. Also returning from Missouri were Roxanna
Urquhart Phillips and Bev Robertson Murrell. Martie Ballard Lacy
and Marcia Wishengrad Metzger set up a memorabilia exhibit with
contributions by Judy Madigan Burgess, Olga Duntuch Krell and
others.
The curtain opened on Thursday night at the Johnson Art Museum
where Marilyn Way Merryweather, Jan Nelson Cole, and Shirley Wagoner
Johnson were among those viewing an exhibition of paintings by
Beth Ames Swartz. A buffet dinner followed after which a large
contingent, including Vanne Shelley Cowie and Joan Reinberg Macmillan,
headed to the Savage Club show. Later, the main lounge at our
headquarters became the place to hang out and socialize. Bob and
Sandy Shepard Armstrong were describing life in Zimbabwe where
Bob teaches at a small agricultural college. Marj Nelson Smart
is preparing to go to Europe as part of a touring glee club group.
After reunion Adele Petrillo Smart was planning to visit her daughter
and grandchildren and Bobbie Redden Leamer was headed to Saranac
Lake for the summer. Barbara Flynn Shively has retired from Exxon
Mobil but is now working for Pfizer and Judy Richter Levy has
another granddaughter.
Brilliant sunshine greeted us on Friday. Betty Ann Rice Keane and Joanne Field had an early tee time at the university golf course. Others enjoyed buffet breakfast in the class tent. A class forum followed where members talked about projects they've embarked upon in retirement. It was easy to spot our classmates around campus - lots of people in the vests from our 35th and a few, like Anita Wisbrun Morrison, in their blazers from college days. More classmates arrived on Friday - Gloria Welt Sage from Syracuse and Gabrielle Kirsch McGhee, a retired teacher living in Holland Patent, came to her very first reunion. That night the class reception was at Uris (Main Libe to our generation) where we had a chance to see the work going on at the Kinkeldy room, soon to be the Class of 1957 Reading Room thanks to funds raised by the class. Our "formal" dinner was held at the Straight's Memorial Room. A few people stayed around to dance but most headed back to after hours at our lounge. Joan Kennedy Repetto played the piano, Georgia Freeman Messemer directed the singers, and John Follansbee and Howard Greenstein were on key for the Road to Mandalay.
The weatherman delivered another spectacular day on Saturday
and college breakfasts got the morning started. The Human Ecology
breakfast was well attended by '57, mainly because there were
so many Home Eccies at Reunion, among them - Mabel Klisch Deal,
Bert Grunert DeVries, Phyllis Whithed Spielmann, Gale Turnbull
Boardman, Barbara Baltzel Burton, Kathleen "Dede" Brennan
Daly, Flo Bloch Farkas, Nancy Krauthamer Goldberg, Eileen Hoffman
King, Sally Tuthill Knapp, Jan Charles Lutz, Mary Hobbie Berkelman,
Barbara Haglund Schlerf, and Carol Elis Kurzman. The class picture
was taken after lunch at the Big Red Barn. In the group was Eleanor
Meaker Kraft who threw herself an I-wish-I could-retire party
earlier in the year in San Francisco since she figures she'll
be an attorney forever. Also there, Virginia Elder Flanagan, a
practicing psychotherapist in the New York area. Beebe Lake was
the perfect setting for a "Buffet Extravaganza" Saturday
evening, and cameras were at the ready, Sue DeRosay Henninger's
among them. Afterwards, the show closed in the lounge with ice
cream sundaes and singing. Susie Howe Hutchins helped us recall
the lyrics to the score from Oklahoma. A Sunday memorial service
was held to remember our departed classmates and then it was the
final curtain-call to say good-bye, stay well, and see you in
........'07if not sooner.
The flapping tarp on the flatbed trailer in front of Susie and Bob Hutchins as they drove up to our 45th reunion covered a Model T Ford belonging to Gail and Tony Cashen, who appeared in the vintage auto at every class event over the week end. It was the only flap noticed as Dori (Goudsmit) Albert and Paul Gladstone co-chaired a flawless and most enjoyable gathering. Early arrivals were treated to a slide lecture by Beth Ames Swartz on Thursday evening at the Johnson Museum. The subject was her exhibition, Reminders of Invisible Light, which was elegantly displayed on the lower level of the museum. Her presentation was followed by dinner in the tent adjoining the building.
The Friday night dinner in the Memorial Room of the Straight
featured a presentation by Tony Cashen to Bob Staley in recognition
of his leadership role in the $100Million athletic fund drive.
In his remarks, Bob mentioned that while rowing, he had a lot
of time to think and compose poetry, and brought the house down
with some superbly clever verse. Bob Watts was master of ceremonies,
and the good news is that he has agreed to serve as class president
for the next five years. The dinner was preceded by cocktails
in
the lower area of Uris Library, and a tour of the room the class
is underwriting on the top floor facing down libe slope showed
the progress to date. A silent auction of Bill Schmidt's magnificent
oil painting, Hail, All Hail Cornell, depicting Uris Library and
surrounding buildings, was held, and giclee (digitally scanned
electronic, dummy) reproductions are available at $250 (I'm certain
a larger donation would not be refused) to fund our participation
in the restoration of the "Class 0f '57 room." To learn
the procedure to acquire a print, contact Lauren Mossotti, our
Cornell Fund rep on campus (Imm@cornell.edu). I have one of the
prints (see below) and it hangs in the place of honor in my den.
Roger Jones and Phil McIndoo took a novel route to reunion, the former bringing his boat up the inland waterway from Florida, picking up Phil in the NYC area and proceeding up the Hudson, etc., until being stopped by high water around Syracuse, from which point they concluded the trip by more conventional transportation, a rented car. Ara Daglian, former chief assistant to the assistant chief in a (probably non-existent) New Jersey volunteer fire department, was on hand, as were Rod Beckwith, Bill Brown, Roy Glah and Bob Black, who still looks quick as a cat, and could probably compete favorably on the current Big Red lacrosse team.
Sue and Joe Henninger were delights to be with, as usual, and Sergio Betancourt took time off from his Pittsburgh surgical duties to add to the event. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Marty Schwartz at the Friday night dinner. Peter Blauvelt put in a cameo appearance, driving down from Rochester on Saturday. Steve Gottlieb was in attendance, and reports that his 4 children are doing well - Christine and Peter in the law profession, Suzy in teaching and Lindsay as assistant women's basketball coach at the University of New Hampshire. I shared a corner of Schoellkopf with Sam Bookbinder as a helicopter took pictures of the largest group of reunion participants in history in one place - I'm sure this will be featured in University publications soon and often.
What do Phil Monroe, Roy Hassel, Barry Cohen and Chuck Slater
have in common? Right - they were attending their first reunion.
Pete Wolf and John Wolberg, by comparison, probably haven't missed
one. Jack McCormick had to miss this one, however, undergoing
post-operative treatment in PonteVedre. He's back in action, spending
time at his house in Bay Head NJ and looking forward to this fall's
Ryder Cup in England. On a personal note, Judy and I were presented
with a print of Bill Scmidt's Hail, All Hail Cornell by
Bob Watts. I will treasure it as a reminder of the many classmates
with whom I am able to keep up (note I didn't end a phrase with
a preposition) and the enduring memories of my years at Cornell
and visits back to Ithaca. The painting is not deserved, but is
much appreciated. Mark down June 2007 on the calendar NOW. Dori
and Paul have agreed to a repeat performance. The class of '52
had over 500 back for their 50th - The CLASS of '57 should be
able to handle that with ease!
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
2002 - WOMEN
Still basking in the glow of his first reunion, Phil Monroe reports that in preparation for the 50th, he has retired from the Navy after 30 years of service, having attained the rank of Captain. He has served on the Coronado, CA City Council for the last 2 years, and continues to enjoy golf, tennis and rollerblading, at which someone our age can buy the farm if not careful. Phil's attendance at reunion reminded Bob Watts of the 1981-83 era when he, Phil and Keith Stewart all served simultaneously out of San Diego as Captains; Bob in charge of the Naval Air Station, Keith Commanding Officer of a cruiser (name not recalled) and Phil Commanding Officer of the immense Naval Aircraft Rework Facility.
Roger Jones did not let the high water (which closed a lock on the Erie Canal) which stopped him and Phil McIndoo on their way to reunion deter a post-reunion cruise in Canadian waters with 3 other Nordic tugs. Roger and partner Peggy Haretos live in the Spruce Creek fly-in community near Daytona Beach and encourage any classmates who get near that area to occupy one of their many guest rooms (allidoro@aol.com). Roger learned to fly in Ithaca and keeps a plane next to his car in the garage - that's no fooling - he taxis up the street to the runway.
Joe Buttino was playing scrabble with a friend when he laid the word "cahow" on him. After a pause to check the dictionary (there is such a word), Joe told his defeated opponent the history of that rare seabird endemic to Bermuda and the subject of a labor of love for David Wingate, who moved to the island in 1962 as the first conservation warden. He has nurtured the cahow population over the last 40 years to the point that they are thriving. Along the way, David became a Member of the British Empire, and in retirement continues to live in Bermuda. For the full fascinating account of David's life work, e-mail Joe at [jtb@cornell.edu], and I'm sure he will be delighted to send it to you.
Lee (never felt better) Poole has retired after 40 years in the ministry, and he and Ginny (Glade '54) now live in Bellows Falls VT, both still musically inclined - she with the oboe and he with his singing. He has been accepted for the Ph.D. program by the Union Institute in Cincinnati.
Tom Milhorat was recently appointed Professor and Chairman of Neurosurgery at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, while continuing to be active in other medical organizations.
Bob Black is giving something back to the sport we both love
by serving on the board of US Lacrosse, the national governing
body of the sport. He claims he's still working hard at his accounting/tax/financial
business, but a mid-week golf game is probably not out of the
question.