MAY/JUNE 2007 - WOMEN

Only a month away before we find ourselves far above Cayuga's waters. Marilynn Rives Miller expects to be at Reunion - her last visit to campus was with her late husband, Lee, at the vet school's 45th in '05. Recently she has been taking classes at the community college near her Woodsboro, MD home and raising horses. Phyllis Whithed Spielmann plans to "walk down memory lane June 10, 2007" exactly 50 years after she and Warren '55 were married in Annabel Taylor Chapel. Nina Schick Appel celebrates a 50th wedding anniversary in September. After 21 years as Dean at Loyola Nina returned full time to teaching in the law school. Alfred '56, a retired English professor at Northwestern, is working on a new book. Tom and Shirley Besemer Itin drove 4300 miles through Europe, the UK and Ireland last year to celebrate her 70th. She also writes: "May and June 20007 will test our stamina: a Colorado University graduation; a University of Michigan graduation for granddaughter Whitney (two Cornell parents); high school graduation for grandson in Ogden, Utah. Will the 50th reunion fit into this season of overscheduled ceremonies?" Must be as Shirley checked the yes column on her news form. Janice Littell and Phyllis Shames Korn have also checked yes. As has Gloria Welt Sage who is looking forward to seeing Doris Blum Nagel Baker this June. Gloria and Martin'55 celebrated last year's wedding of their son Daniel to Marla Kameny(MBA'00) with a trip to Botswana.

For the celebrations of Claire Sanford Perrault's 70th, her husband Bob's 80th, and her sister Maryann Johnson's 60th in 2005, the three of them took trips to San Juan,PR, and the Cinque Terrae in Italy.

Adrienne McNair has been studying Taoist Tai Chi in Ithaca for thirteen years and now teaches classes there. It will be a short commute for her to join classmates for the event packed weekend. A trip to reunion from her home in San Diego, CA is an opportunity for Sue Davidson Braun to see her kids and grandkids in Brooklyn. She is determined to tread the hill once more despite problems with her back which are alleviated somewhat with a brace worn full time. Fortunately the reunion committee is aware that some of us may be "mobility-challenged" and will do their best to accommodate one and all. The class officers met in Philadelphia in January to wrap up reunion plans. Martie Ballard Lacy has kept the class scrapbooks up to date and if you have anything to contribute, bring it to reunion, along with your vest from our 25th. See you in June.

MAY/JUNE 2007 - MEN

Now that our 70th birthday celebrations are safely behind us, it's time for another major event in our lives - the gathering in Ithaca on June 7-10 for the 50th anniversary of our tassel flipping.

Andy Meyer hopes to be there, for only the 2nd visit to the campus since graduation. He is the youngster in the class, having graduated at age 20. David Bulman will also be there, taking time out from his retirement from being executive director of the New York State Public Transportation Safety Board. His daughter is VP of Human Resources of the Albany division of Time Warner Cable, and his son is business program manager of GE Global Research. Ditto David Wingate, who will travel from Bermuda, where he is involved in consulting work with the Bermuda National Trust and the Bermuda Audubon Society, having retired from the government Civil Service in that paradise. His 3 daughters have produced 9 grandchildren.

Paul Noble will be on hand with Paulette. Paul is technically retired, but among his current projects is working with the Palm Beach Theater Guild to save the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. He is also a newly elected director of the Palm Beach County Commission for Film and Television, and Paulette continues to write the "Pet Set"column for the Palm Beach DAILY NEWS. David Addis, who stretched his 70th birthday celebration into a Florida vacation and a Caribbean cruise is active tutoring in the Marblehead school system, and will be there for the 50th. Another "yes" is David Hirsch, who celebrated his 70th at the restaurant at MOMA, and who has welcomed his daughter and son-in-law back to NYC, where they are both on the faculty of the Columbia University School of Public Health.

Ira and Elizabeth Ross spent 2 weeks in and around Hawaii for their co-70th. Ira is retired, but develops computer programs for stroke victims and is in the process of qualifying as an arbitrator for NASD. He reports that he's looking forward to June 7, and is a little surprised that so many of us are still on this side of the grass. Also, look for Allison Collard, who has turned the reins of his patent law firm over to his son and daughter. He retreats to Jupiter FL for the cold 6 months, and you might want to ask him in June about his somewhat controversial opinion that the Ivies are overloaded with endowments and should consider passing some of the loot on to smaller colleges.

Leighton Klevana is one of the few classmates that will have to take time off from his work to be there. He is president and CEO of Advance Global Investments, splitting his time between Tampa and Prague, where he digs out and packages investments in the less developed countries of Eastern Europe.
David and Sue Hanselman, who have recently completed a summer home 12 miles from the campus on Cayuga Lake, will paradoxically have to miss reunion because of a conflict with a graduation ceremony involving their oldest granddaughter. Your humble correspondent will try to recreate the event for them. "Papa Sam" Waxman took an 11 family member contingent to Bermuda for the 70th, and continues his outstanding work as scientific director of the cancer research foundation founded in his name. He'll be there, along with Sandy Kaiser, who is a volunteer mentor at the elementary school level.

Ed Vant passes along a wonderful tribute from Lenore Greenstein on the passing of her "Cornell-mate" of 49 years, Rabbi Howard Greenstein. From his starring in Brigadoon in his freshmen year to the presidency of the Glee Club and membership in the Savage Club to his many academic and religious accomplishments, his life and career were outstanding in every regard. Anyone lucky enough to have heard him sing the Alumni Song is probably shedding a tear in that memory.

JULY/AUGUST 2007 - WOMEN

Mabel Klisch Deal and her husband Jerry (nc) celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii in February. Also celebrating both a 50th wedding anniversary and a 70th birthday on the island of Kauai in Hawaii last December were Barbara Pincus Klein, her husband, 2 daughters and their families. The Klein's granddaughter, Rona Banai, starts her sophomore year in Chemical Engineering this fall. Barbara Freedman Fisher was widowed in 2005 but in 2006 she became Barbara Kasloff when she married Edward Kasloff and moved to Ft. Myers, FL

Hester Young Kenneth was unable to attend reunion in June due to the fact that the University of California School of Nursing where Hester had been a faculty member was celebrating its centennial. Hester left campus in 1955 to attend Cornell New York Hospital of Nursing. Hester received her doctorate at UCSF and then taught nursing as well as doing research at Stanford Hosptial. Hester has been married to Bob Kenneth since 1966 and they have three children and two grandchildren. Hester is a docent at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. Mary Alice Rusk Dirks, also a Cornell-NY Nursing graduate, continues in that field as an evening nursing supervisor at a nursing home. Mary Alice's three sons and one daughter have given her five grandchildren so far. Sandra Miller McAteer is an RN for the Main Line Health System

Last winter the Cornell Glee Club made a swing through the southeast and one of their stops was Naples, FL where Ron MBA'57 and Helen Kuver Kramer had a chance to hear them. After the concert the Kramers bought the club's CD. Not too long after that Helen was driving in Ft. Myers with the window down, singing along with the Glee Club. She didn't pay attention and drove through an yellow light. The policeman pulled her over and she said to him "I'm sorry, but I was playing the CD, singing and did not notice a yellow light." He asked her what was the music? She answered, that she was listening to Cornell songs. He said,"Oh, my son goes to Cornell…enjoy your day" and drove off with giving her a ticket!

Rochelle Krugman Kainer who is an analytic psychologist and writer recently completed a novel. Joyce Mishel Ettinger is still teaching part time.

The English Department at Cornell established a visiting professorship with a gift from Stephen Weiss to the department in honor of renowned literary scholar and professor emeritus of English , M.H. Abrams. The professorship's first appointee is Sandra Mortolla Gilbert. Sandra, a literary critic from the University of California - Davis and author of seven volumes of poetry and a number of feminist works, studied with Abrams as an undergraduate.

JULY/AUGUST 2007 - MEN
As a reminder, reunion news will appear in the next issue of the Alumni News. Your humble correspondent will try to capture the essence of the experience, so if you saw him lingering at the beer tents, it was only in the interest of comprehensive reporting.

Barney Hodges (baritone supreme) is president of Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall VT and questions whether he has actually gone over the 70 year threshold, as have all the rest of us. Peter Gardner is also in the horticulture business, recently partly retired from total involvement with Gardner Greenhouses in Henrietta NY. Daughter Sue and son-in-law Ted Miller (‘94 MBA graduate of Johnson School of Business) continue to operate the enterprise. Sue continues as a practicing physician in her spare time, in addition to raising a son and daughter. Daughter Cathie lives in Atlanta, married to Steve Brennan, also a Johnson School graduate (‘96). They are parents of a 9 month old son.

Phil Monroe, erstwhile roundballer, recently heard professor Jim Bell give his presentation of "Postcards From Mars," and relates that it was terrific. Phil continues as a city council member in Coronado CA . Another classmate involved in government (federal) is Warren McLaine, currently assistant secretary of the Air Force. His plate is overflowing with numerous projects and priorities concerning advanced situations bordering on "star wars" technology. Linda is mentoring in a controversial program that provides therapy and counseling to Marines who have gone AWOL with burnout following multiple tours of duty in war zones. Daughter Meaghan completed a year as clerk for Associate Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court Souter last December and, after an extensive round-the-world trip (aren't they all) is working in a law firm in Washington. Son Michael is a navy submariner, enjoying shore duty in Italy after 2 war zone deployments. His wife, Jeanne, graduated from Harvard in the same class as Meaghan, who proffered the introductions.

Steve Gottlieb retired at the start of the year as acting New York State Supreme Court Justice, but continues on a full schedule as a judicial hearing officer in Queens County NY, overseeing the daily Commercial Landlord and Tenant calendar. Steve is the proud grandfather of a one year old boy, compliments of daughter Christine.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 - WOMEN

Beautiful blue skies, a warm breeze, and friendly faces greeted the Thursday arrivals at our 50th reunion last June. Dori Goudsmit Albert and Paul Gladstone, reunion co-chairs, had worked tirelessly for the past year to ensure that this "class act" was a success. Betty Starr King and her committee, including Connie Santagato Hosterman, were well organized to distribute our registration materials as the student clerks checked us in. The majority of the over 500 attendees stayed at Court Hall, a fairly new dorm just beyond Balch Hall. Marj Nelson Smart was handling ticket requests from Lee Seely-Brown Parker and Mary Hobbie Berkelman among others for the Savage Club performance. As I headed off to Goldwyn Smith I ran into Joe '56 and Sue DeRosay Henninger, splendidly attired in Cornell colors of red and white on their way to the Frank H.T. Rhodes' lecture on the life and legacy of Ezra Cornell. Others at the lecture included Bobbie Redden Leamer, Shirley Besemer Itin, Adele Petrillo Smart, Joan Jeremiah Reusswig, and Jan Charles Lutz. A reception followed at the Krock Library where there is a marvelous exhibition celebrating Ezra's 200th birthday.

It was a short walk to the Sage Hall Atrium and the opening act - a wine tasting reception arranged by Charlie Parker and his committee. Marcia Wishengrad Metzger saw to it that we all had our special wine glasses, engraved with the class logo and ours to keep as a souvenir. Sampling the wines of the Finger Lake region were a number of Judys - Judy Madigan Burgess, Judy Tischler Rogers, part of a huge California contingent, Judy Lund Biggs, Judy Bird, making her first reunion ever thanks to the urging of Judy Richter Levy, and yours truly. Another first timer was Norma McClellan Shehan who had come with Sue Hitz Magnuson and Ela Oudheusden Shacklett. Anita Wisbrun Morrison was dressed in her '57 vest and weighted down with all her name tag buttons collected through many a reunion. Mimi Hester Ridgley was pleased with the great weather having experienced the cold reunion weekend last year for class of '56. Barbara Baltzel Burton, Sally Blake Lavery, Linda Wellman Stansfield, and Barbara Ress Rotenberg chatted with old time friends from campus days.

Thursday night's buffet dinner was held in the main tent next to the dorm. Anabel Stresino Leigh had flown in from Dallas and was celebrating her retirement which had occurred just the Friday before reunion. Phillis Ferguson Watterworth was planning a visit to Maine after reunion before heading back to Mill Valley, CA.

Sunny skies appeared again for Friday's breakfast and a chance for classmates to casually mingle. Carol Gibson Worthington who lives outside of Sacramento, was attending her first reunion and she had convinced Lydia Ebel Anderson to be her roommate. Jane Lueck Talmage was also at her first reunion and had a chance to visit with Roxanna Urquhart Phillips, a Risley corridor mate freshman year. Sue Westin Pew had come to campus a few days early so that she and Dick '55 could attend the CAU seminar on the Pulpit and the Public in America. Tom '56 and Marilyn Way Merryweather headed off to the featured event for Friday morning, a class sponsored forum with panel members Frank Rhodes and Professor Don Greenberg discussing the university of the future. The mixed doubles tennis tournament was also held Friday morning and won by Joan Reinberg Macmillan and Phil Monroe. They beat a couple from the class of '67. So much for youth over experience! As more classmates arrived on Friday, including Edna Carroll Skoog and Barbara Haglund Schlerf, others made their way to the All Alumni lunch held in Barton Hall. Among those at the '57 tables were Beth Ames Swartz, Flo Bloch Farkas, Sue Sekellick Slauer, Wendy Spencer Knauer, and Olga Duntuch Krell.
Space allotment running out - reunion wrap-up to be continued in November issue. Stay tuned.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 - MEN

For 2 days and nights before our class reunion started, 19 Delta Upsilon brothers gathered at the Taughanneck Inn for retelling of old stories (all true) and catching up on what we had been up to for the last 50 years. As with great friendships, we fell into conversation as though we had talked yesterday, although in some cases there had been a 50 year interval.

Of the attendees at the reunion, none traveled a more intriguing route than Milt Kogan, former basketball captain and current doctor/actor. You may remember Milt's exposure on "Barney Miller," "Kojak," "The Rockford Files," and "Quincy," in addition to the movie "Lucky Lady" with Burt Reynolds, and15 other films; and more than 200 commercials. Milt left Cornell after his junior year to go directly to med school. After he received his M.D., he wound up in Hollywood, but has practiced medicine of various sorts in Los Angeles and around the world, with the Peace Corps in South Africa being one of his stops. When his daughter, Millay, graduated from the Hotel School last year, she reminded her father that she was the only Ivy League graduate in the family. This, and urging from Susan, prompted Milt, with Susan and dog and cat, to relocate to Ithaca for this year's spring term to complete his degree in the Ag School. In the ultimate time warp, he attended his 50th reunion 2 weeks after graduation.

I want to second Judy Reusswig's comment praising Dori Goldsmit Albert, Paul Gladstone and Betty Starr King, among many others, for their tireless and outstanding work in preparing for the reunion for many months so that the week end could go so smoothly. In the seemingly seamless 3-plus days, I caught up with so many classmates that my senior memory may be responsible for a few gaps. It was wonderful to see Art Boland and Cy Benson visiting at the Friday class dinner. They looked as though they could tighten up the chin straps and resume their football careers.

The celebration of the 1957 crew highlighted the dinner, and they too looked completely seaworthy. Their rendition of "Stroke - Stroke - Stroke" was so good that they might not have to depend on their days jobs in the future. Bob Staley, retired from but advising Emerson Electric, lives in Scottsdale AZ, but has a farm in Indiana where he raises llama and buffalo. Clayt Chapmen now lives in Bluffton (Hilton Head) SC. Carl Schwarz still resides in Washington, having given up some of his law practice to concentrate on NYC restaurant hours (inside story).

Dick Peterson, involved for many years with Ski Country Colorado, now resides in Durango and has a second home south of Tucson. Bill and Carolyn Gold came from Brooklyn, where Bill still runs Excalibur Bronze Sculpture Foundry, working in various forms of art work and historic lighting. Recent projects include Grand Central Station and the main reading room of the NYC Public Library. If you want to have a glass or two of wine and play golf, Don Wudtke can take care of both wishes, owning a golf course in the NAPA valley.

I had the pleasure of sitting next to Jackie and Brad Howes at the Barton Hall lunch on Friday. Brad is still very active in Greensboro NC tennis circles. Joe (‘56) and Sue Henninger seemed to be in several places at once. I got to spend some time with Joe and Stew Mauer. It took the efforts of both Stew and me to succeed Joe as basketball co-managers. Stew spent many years in the hotel business and now lives in Lexington SC. Another Lexington (VA) resident is Paul Miller, having moved there several years ago form Chicago and the executive recruitment business.

I regret to report the death of Andrew Campbell, known to most as Drew. I will elaborate on his life in the next issue, and will endeavor to report on more reunion activities, which space does not permit this time.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 - WOMEN

Now where did I leave off?  Oh, yes… Friday afternoon of Reunion was an opportunity to hear Professors Ted Lowi and Joel Sibley discuss the 2008 presidential election.  Others opted for the Olin lecture by Jim Bell, leader of the Mars rover Pancam team at Cornell.  The main event for the weekend was the class dinner held at Bartels Hall, a venue without air conditioning on one of those rare humid days in Ithaca.  The tables were graced with lovely flowers thanks to Vanne Shelley Cowie and her committee.  At the reception beforehand there was time to meet and greet.  Virginia "Ginny Elder Flanagan, Ann Phillips Dreschel, Millie McCormick Malzahn, Barbara Rovner Flaxman, Gloria Welt Sage, Ginny Meaker Kleinhans, and her sister Eleanor Meaker Kraft, and the seventh Judy - Judy Liersch .  Chris Zeller Lippman had news that she is a first time grandmother. 

The '57 crew was honored with Claire Sanford Perrault who had flown in from Paris representing her dad, the outstanding crew coach known as Stork.  New officers were elected with Dori Goudsmit Albert taking the reins from our two term class president, Bob Watts.  Bob has done a superlative job these past ten years, keeping us all informed and manning the class website.  I signed up for another five years as correspondent - on one condition - send news!  Enjoying the dinner and program were some other first time reuners - Marilynn Rives Miller and Elizabeth "Liz" Cohen Theil.  A downpour arrived just as dinner ended but buses were available to keep dry those who chose to attend the Glee Club concert at Bailey Hall.  The finale to Friday evening was a gathering in the lounge at Court for a songfest with David McCurdy on guitar as Carolyn Durham McCurdy and Georgia Freeman Messemer watched from the back rows.

Saturday morning was a time for the colleges to hold their reunion breakfasts and a group of Home Eccies hiked up to Martha Van led by Joanne Field Bleakley, who has run races in every state except Hawaii.  Carol Gehrke Townsend, Bert Grunert DeVries, and Patti Farrell Marinelli kept up the pace. Marilyn Jaffe Jones and Sue Breslow Dillon were there.  Mabel Klisch Deal had come down from Geneva for the morning and Nancy Krauthamer Goldberg commuted from her home on Cayuga Lake.  Later in the morning Joanne Eastburn Cyprus and Dede Brennan Daly were seen headed to President Skorton's talk on the state of the university.  Dede is retired and living near Annapolis but has a part time job as a "gofer" with the state legislature.  Among her duties - keeping lobbyists out of the way when legislation is being voted on.   One of the avid birders in the class, Jeanne Waters Townsend took advantage of the beautiful Saturday to morning to visit the Ornithology Lab at Sapsucker Woods.

A little after noon 500 plus of us assembled in the Duffield Hall courtyard for the class photo in which many classmates, Jerry Neuman Held being one of them, were wearing their '57 hats, a reunion souvenir.  Sue Davidson Braun was managing the steps rather well given her recent back surgery. Lining up for lunch in Duffield's Nanotechnology Center were Alberta Clayton Meade, Susie Howe Hutchins, Connie Kelly Fletcher, Elaine Goldberg Abelson, and Barbara Timen Holstein.  Lots of shutterbugs were active including Gail Lautzenheiser Cashen and Shari Flynn. The afternoon gave some a chance to peruse the memorabilia set out for us by Martie Ballard Lacy.  Martie has compiled scrapbooks for our class and sends appreciation to Phyllis Whithed Spielmann and others who contributed to our historical exhibit.

Late Saturday afternoon buses took us from our class headquarters to one of the more lovely settings at Cornell - Plantations - for a cookout enjoyed by Sue Shindler Hillier, Jan Nelson Cole, Nancy Kressler Lawley, and Mina Rieur Weiner who had loaned some of her collection of art works to the Johnson Museum. 

A special Sunday morning brunch featured omelets to order and some last good-bys before heading to the airport or off on the highway to home.  Or in the case of Gina Turnbull Christie, back to her camp on Fourth Lake and Betty Rice Keane, back to Saranac Lake for the summer.  A memorial service was held after breakfast to remember our deceased classmates.  Many of us were saddened to learn that Helen Kuver Kramer had passed away a few weeks before Reunion.  Our sympathies are extended to her husband Ron MBA'57.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 - MEN

Some additional reunion catch-ups are in order, particularly the purported fact that Tony Cashen does not own a pair of long pants. He sported kilts at every opportunity at the June gathering, joined by Stu MacKay at the cookout on Saturday night. I was lucky enough to spend some time that night with Shirley and Tom Itin, both their usual energetic selves. Roy Glah and I chatted at length at the Friday class dinner, an event noted for its heat (no air conditioning) which might have felt good back when we endured those Ithaca winters. Bob Watts did his usual outstanding job as chair of the evening's program, giving up the class president's gavel after 2 outstanding (10 years) terms as our leader. He remains as webmaster, sharing your humble correspondent's view that e-mailing news to Judy and me on an increasing scale will only make more enjoyable the lark that we enjoy.

Bob Black looked as though he could still quick-stick a few into the Princeton net. In fact, he is still quite active in being involved in the tremendous growth of lacrosse nationally. He and I talked of how proud and lucky we were to have been on hand (along with 52,000 others) at the NCAA Final Four in Baltimore in May to see the Big Red play a gutsy game, coming back from 8 goals down to lose to Duke with 3 seconds left. It was great fun to see former roommates Steve Weiss and Bob Bayer reliving their formative years. Steve's tireless work on behalf of Cornell and in particular his pioneering vision as chairman of the board of trustees will remain forever as a lasting cornerstone of our class's involvement with the university over the past 50 years, and luckily for the institution, he's still at it.

Ed Staats couldn't be with us at the 50th, taking care of a heart problem that has happily been fixed in the meantime. He has been training to get back into triathlon condition, swimming daily and easing into the biking and running segments.

I mentioned in the last issue that Andrew Campbell passed away in April, and space now allows me to expand somewhat. Drew, as he was known in 2 undergraduate tours (on either side of an army stint), had just celebrated his 75th birthday and had recently been told that the cancer pavilion of the Trinitas Health Foundation in Elizabeth/Hillside NJ, of which he was vice chairman, had been named in his honor in gratitude of his leadership and generosity in that endeavor. A celebratory mass was held shortly after his death at which a number of Cornellians, including several Chi Psi fraternity brothers, joined in remembering Andy. Fittingly, the cover of the service leaflet included this verse:

Grant me a sense of humor, Lord,
The saving grace to see a joke,
To win some happiness from life,
And pass it on to other folk.