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JULY/AUG. 2004 VOLUME 107 NUMBER 1 Class Notes

90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99

90 | At this writing, tax day approaches; and having put a big check in the mail I find it a propos that this faithful class correspondent is trying to make more out of less--more words out of less news! Last year's news has run out, so make sure to fill out the News Form from our annual class mailing and send it in. And if you e-mail Carole or me directly, you can count on seeing your news in print in the next column that goes to press.While we are very interested in anything on your mind or in your world, remember that, unfortunately, we can't write about engagements or pregnancies, so please drop us a line when the happy events (marriages or births) have occurred. (A special shout-out to Julian Ha, John Hines, William Denise III, Andrew Shih, Michele Plaue, and Alice Vessel--send news of anticipated events now realized!)

So, speaking of taxes, the Class of 1990 has been very busy securing additional "dependent" deductions. Check out all the new Cornell legacies earning their keep in this baby-heavy column, organized categorically for your reading pleasure:

Babies born and/or raised in the Big Apple: Jody Cohn Melzer had baby girl Sydney Lane, who arrived in December 2002 at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She reports that Jody Burstein and Monica Cohen had girls as well:Mira Eve and Jennifer Danielle, respectively. Also in NYC, Neera Rellan Stacy had baby boy Declan in January 2003, and Nancy Solomon Weiss gave birth to Zachary Edward in September 2001. Scott and Jennifer Bitz Gold celebrated the birth of daughter Gillian Elizabeth in May 2002. "Like her older brother Zachary, she was born at Cornell Hospital in New York City."

New York suburban babies: Stacey Agin Schwartz of Syosset, NY, and husband Brian welcomed Jonah Russell in November 2002. In Chappaqua in June 2003, Melissa Wasserman Goldman gave birth to Lexie Paige, little sister to Chloe.Melissa reports that she sees Lisa Daniele Hanlon '89 and Ilyssa Rothman Alter all the time while out and about.

Suburban Boston babies: Kathryn KuchlerWilcox's son Patrick Ryan was born in August 2000. The Wilcox family lives in Boylston, MA. Perhaps they can hop a few towns over to Newton, MA, to visit Dave Coyne, wife Diana, and daughter Sophie, or caravan to Mendon, MA, for a playgroup with Francine Puckly-Mathieson, MILR '92, and family. Francine gave birth to son Brendon in October 2000 and also has daughter Megan, 6, in addition to working part-time in organizational change/management consulting.

New Jersey babies: Stephanie Swan of Mickleton, NJ, recently welcomed new son Samuel Barbagiovanni. Rachel Korn Goldberg of Princeton Junction,NJ, brought Joshua Frank home in December 2002. Rene McCurry Johnson and husband Rusty also live outside Princeton in Skillman, NJ, with daughter Samantha. Rene is a partner in the labor and employment area of the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

A number of Cornellians welcomed "second" children to their families. They certainly celebrated in Celebration, FL, when Aileen Kelleman-Band had her second boy, Bradley Alfred. "We are ecstatic about having another son. He is a total joy to take care of, far easier than our first, now that we're old hands at baby care." Lisa Peskin Merrill's son Alex, 4, now has new brother Jack to play with. Jack was born in July 2002 and the happy family lives in Holden,ME. Mark Singer of Carmel, IN, took the time to announce the birth of Megan Lydia: "We now have our second daughter!" Ted Kowalski and wife Jessie also had a "second": In March 2003, baby girl Illie joined big brother Ben and "all are adjusting well" at home in Louisville, CO.

Some babies defy categorization: In Harpers Ferry,WV, Adrian Spidle, MS '94, had son William Charles, born in July 2001. Leslie Waltzer Pollak and husband Steve welcomed baby boy Jesse Ryan on July 3, 2002. Karen Black-Joyce moved from Manhattan to Newport Beach, CA, and had a second child, Luke, on Aug. 6, '01, joining big brother Grant. Oceans away, Sean Williams and wife Sarah live in Tokyo with son Brian, whose birthday is Aug. 1, '02. Sean is an executive director at Morgan Stanley. Elsewhere in the world--Jerusalem, Israel, to be exact--Rachel Greenblatt and husband James Appelbaum, JD '90, welcomed daughter Michal Eden, who joins older brother Gabriel Louis. Rachel has run into Seth Adebon '91, her housemate at the 660 Stewart Ave. co-op at Cornell. Seth is studying to be a cantor at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

Finally, here are some kids born to friends of mine! Eric Wenger and wife Laurie (Levinson) welcomed Madeleine Paige to the family in Bethesda,MD, on May 7, '02. Sister Kayla and brother Samuel are helping to take good care of her. Laurie is practicing ophthalmology with her father, and Eric is still bringing Internetrelated fraud cases for the Federal Trade Commission. Tracy Dillmann Kulikowski and husband Karl greeted Mason Scott on Feb. 19, '04. The big boy weighed in at more than 10 pounds, bless Tracy's heart. The Kulikowskis live in Redding, CT, and despite the new arrival plan to host a big group of Cornellians in the North Carolina Outer Banks in September! Scott '89 and Monica Durand Steele have adorable new daughter Sydney--as beautiful as her parents. Sydney was a perfect angel at the 5th anniversary celebration thrown by Karen Mitchell and Rob Chodock '89 in NYC. Also at the party were Jen Radner Elgin, Marla Spindel, Maria Scaltro, MBA '02, Kelly Lawson, Barbara Gordon Cohen '91, and me (Alisa Gilhooley)!

Other news more productive than reproductive: Marcos Gutt, ME '91, of Miami, FL, is president and general manager of HOSA International, a cut-flower distributor with customers throughout the US and Canada. Tom Mikulka received his MBA from Cornell in 1999 and after graduation took a position in consulting. Alice Vessel graduated from Tufts Dental School in 1999 with a DMD degree. Michael Schrier was named to membership in the firm Bell, Boyd & Lloyd in January 2004.Michael concentrates in employment, trade secret, and non-competition agreement litigation. He has served as lead counsel in arguing precedent-setting federal appellate cases and affirmative and defensive litigation matters.

Christopher Gilbert was elected partner in the law firm Bracewell & Patterson. Based in the Houston office and assigned to the School and Public Law section of the firm, Christopher focuses on First Amendment rights in regard to public schools and colleges. This includes free speech rights of students and employees, school prayer, the use of religious literature and music on campuses, and the celebration of religious holidays in schools. Michael Davis joined the Wall Street law firm Carter Ledyard & Milburn as partner in May 2003, helping to expand the firm's strong environmental capabilities to its Washington, DC, office.Michael also handles general commercial litigation, including libel and defamation, RICO, breach of contract, conspiracy, and construction law. Loren McRoss joined the Chicago law firm Vedder, Price, Kaufman & Kammholz. Loren is an intellectual property attorney licensed to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office.

Here's hoping you maximize your tax refunds, time with family, celebrations with friends, and professional advancement opportunities! -- Alisa "Gil" Gilhooley, AlisaGil@aol.com; Carole Moran Krus, clm42@cornell.edu.

91 | We here at the Class of '91 hope that everyone is enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer . . . though it seems our classmates have been everything but lazy as they continue to achieve and celebrate their personal milestones.We would like to share some of their good news with you, and hope that you, in turn, are inspired to write us with news of your own good fortune.

Fellow class correspondent Nina Rosen Peek shares that she and husband Michael '88 opted for a change of scenery and pace last holiday season when they moved from their Upper East Side apartment to a farm in northern Westchester County. Remember that old sitcom "Green Acres"? Their farm is complete with horses, chickens, roosters, guinea hens, peacocks, and every bird species known to man. Nina claims that though it may come as a shock that this native New Yorker (New York City, that is) has traded waking to the cacophony of garbage trucks and honking taxis to the dawn symphony of rural life, she absolutely loves her new digs. "It's pure heaven," she exclaims. It may come as no surprise that she also chose to eschew the commute to Manhattan. Instead, she switched jobs and is currently working as a senior associate at Saccardi & Schiff, a planning and development consulting firm in White Plains.

Eric Bluman is working at Brown U. as a clinical instructor of orthopaedic surgery. Last spring, he was elected to fellowship in both the New York Academy of Medicine and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society. In order to get a leg up on the latter accolade, Eric plans to leave Brown at the end of the academic year so that he may do additional training in foot and ankle surgery in Baltimore. His fiancée, Dr. Trimble Sutter Auger, will be working as a hospitalist in the area. Eric mentions that he visited recently with Phil Oettinger and Kevin Lyons '92, who both work hard and play harder in San Francisco. Eric also frequently visits Andrew Neuwirth '90, JD '96, who is a successful attorney in Boston, but lives in Providence, RI, with his wife.

Debi Epstein lives and teaches in Briarcliff Manor, NY, in Westchester County.Wedding bells will be ringing for her soon, but magazine policy dictates that the details must wait till after the wedding. Debi, please write and tell us all about it! Congratulations are also in order for Katherine Eskovitz, who recently became a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner in the firm's Armonk, NY, office. Andrew Stifel lives in Arlington,VA, and is working as a consultant with SAIC doing defense and national security-related work for the Secretary of Defense staff and the intelligence agencies. Outside of work, he continues to compete at the national level in fencing, which affords him many opportunities to travel. In addition, he has remained quite active in the Cornell community, serving on the Athletic Advisory Committee and the board of the Cornell Club of Washington.

Fellow class officer and self-professed non-runner Bob Baca has accomplished and surpassed a few milestones of his own, having recently run an 8K race with his wife in Virginia Beach. Actually, his wife bribed him to run the St. Patrick's Day race by luring him with a pot-o'-gold of sorts--green beer at the end of the race. It wasn't quite a Dunbar's experience, but they finished the race without injury, and though there was beer for those who crossed the finish line, Bob decided coffee sounded more enticing at 9 a.m. There are no more races in Bob's future, but he's sure that the warmer months will find him camping in the mountains of Virginia. Bob adds that the last time he ventured into the woods, he found himself within 40 feet of a black bear. Both bear and Bob were startled; Bob froze and the bear ran away. Don't hang up those racing sneakers yet, Bob--they may come in handy for a quick getaway on your next camping trip!

Spring brings babies as well, and the Class of '91 has seen its fair share. Ariane Schreiber Horn, JD '96, and husband Jeff welcomed their second child, Alexander, in April. Alex joins his sister Elena, who is now 14 months old. Ariane and family live in Chatham, NJ, and she will return to work as in-house counsel at Celanese International Corp. this summer. Anna Doyno Tague and husband Skip '90 live in Orinda, CA, and celebrated the birth of Nicole last January. Nicole will be joining the family alongside her siblings Caroline, Timothy, and Bridget. Finally, Jana Kierstead announces that she expanded her family last October with the birth of her second daughter, Alana, who is exactly two years and one day younger than big sister Olivia.

Last, but not least, our very own class co-president Paul Hayre reports that he and wife Jeannette Perez-Rossello, who serves on Class of '91 Council, live in Boston, MA. Paul started his foray into the catering world and Jeannette is a staff pediatric radiologist at Children's Hospital. Recently, they crossed paths with a few '91 classmates: "Kevin Fritzhand, his wife Kamsela, and their son Seth live in Houston, TX, where Kevin is an anesthesiologist. John Carpenter '90 is a software engineer in Fort Myers, FL, where he, Margaret (Alexander) '92, and their two daughters enjoy the sun. In Boston, Kevin Lemanowicz (whom you may remember as one of our former class correspondents), is chief meteorologist at Fox25. He recently hosted a group of local alumni to a behind-the-scenes look at Fox's new studios and discussed the art and science of live broadcast meteorology. At that event, we bumped into Colleen Brennan, working at General Electric, and Gordon Saksena, ME '93, working at Teradyne, both living in Boston."

With three children in tow as they head to our 15th Reunion in 2006, Jeannette plans to spearhead the children's activities of reunion to make sure that future Cornellians and their parents have a ball. Paul plans to take his marching orders from reunion chairs JeffWeintraub and Dorine Colabella Scher . . . yes, the same Jeff and Dorine who have co-orchestrated all of our past grand reunions. Jeff adds, "Planning is well under way for our upcoming 15th Reunion! It's not too early to start thinking about reserving the dates now: June 8-11, '06.We are expecting another record-setting turnout.We're planning many activities, including those for adults and families, and some just for the kids (if you bring them along). Gourmet meals, university lectures and events, class gatherings, a capella groups, free time to explore campus and Ithaca, and lots more. The campus has undergone quite a bit of change since our last reunion, and by 2006, the ‘new'West Campus should be nearly completed. We hope to see you then. If you are interested in volunteering to assist in the reunion planning, please go to our class website (http://classof91.alumni.cornell.edu) and click on the reunion link for more information." -- Corinne Kuchling, kuccori@hotmail.com; Dave Smith, docds30@yahoo.com; Nina Rosen Peek, nsr5@cornell.edu.

92 | Meet me in New Orleans, LA, for July 4th weekend. I'll be there enjoying the ESSENCE Music Festival and promoting a collaborative book and magazine (MahoganyBaby.com) venture of mine. I haven't heard from many of you recently, but I know the annual News and Dues mailing that went out in the spring will bring in a fresh round of updates. Do write us (and pay your class dues), if you haven't already.We all want to know what you're up to.

Don Milley recently started his own company, Acquisition Associates, which helps people buy and sell companies worth $1-$20 million.More importantly, he and wife Kristin (Kirby) '94 welcomed Catherine Marie into the world on Sept. 5, '03, just as they moved into their new house in Wyncote, PA. They'd love to hear from (or see!) any old friends out there. Seth Isenberg shares that he and Amber are proud to announce the arrival of Beryl Fife Isenberg on April 14. Beryl joins brother Fisher, who is 2-1/2 years old. Amber and Beryl are doing great, and everything at home is going really well. Here's the full-meal deal for those of you interested in the photos: http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=leggufd.cid7chb5&x=0&y=8tjite.

Randall McMillan reports that he is preparing his daughter Jada for kindergarten next year and trying to keep track of his newly walking son Jason. Late in April, Randall addressed students at Yale Law School on the "Ins and Outs of Entertainment Law." Here's the scoop on Penni Urquhart, in her own words: "I have been working as a consultant at the Pfizer headquarters for the past six years, so I am still in New York, enjoying my son Ryan (almost 4), and my husband of nine years, Duncan. In March we moved to Pelham, NY, for the great schools and community, and we continue to attend and participate in worship at Trinity Baptist Church in Manhattan. I was recently involved in a mini-Cornell reunion when I attended a national conference for NSMH (National Society of Minorities in Hospitality). I was invited to receive the prestigious Lifetime Commitment Award along with my fellow co-founders Michael Burkeen '91, Evan Frazier, and Alfred Watts '91. It was great to be reunited and to be able to reminisce about our fun days at Cornell!"

Gable & Gotwals announced the addition of Ramon L.Watkins as a shareholder in its Tulsa office. Ramon's practice emphasizes real estate and sports law. In 1997 he received his juris doctor from Howard U. School of Law, where he was a member of the Howard Law Journal and president of the Howard Law Christian Fellowship and earned the American Jurisprudence Award in several subjects.

Bob Crespi was married this past September 21 to Simone Rubinsky at the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, NY. Cornellians in attendance were John and Elizabeth Viertl Beckwith, Paul Fruin, ME '93, Valeria Ainsztein, Peter and Kristen Dowling Hyatt, and Sarah Musher Brenner '97. "We honeymooned in Hawaii and are living in New York City, where I'm working as a management consultant at Capgemini."

That wraps up this edition of Class of '92 Notes. One more tidbit: In April, I hosted high school students on a trip to Cornell for Diversity Hosting Weekend. It was great to meet future Cornellians and to be back and experience the sweet smell of . . . fertilizer? Yes, Cornell's grounds are still picture-perfect, and its architecture is ever-expanding--just like the Class of '92 Notes section! Write in and claim your place in the legacy! Until next time: Be a light, and be well.  --Wilma Ann Anderson, info@wilpowerenterprises.com; Debbie Feinstein, debbie_feinstein@yahoo.com; Renee Hunter Toth, rah24@cornell.edu.

93 | Happy summer, everyone! I hope you are enjoying the warm weather and have plenty of exciting barbeques, beach trips, and exotic vacations planned. Perhaps daylight savings will also provide you with a few extra minutes to drop a quick note to your class correspondents.We'd love to include your news in the upcoming columns. Our contact information is below, or send in your update with your annual class dues.We look forward to hearing from you!

Several of our classmates have found themselves living out West since leaving Ithaca 11 (!) years ago. Jason Gerlach writes that he and wife Alison (Davis) have been happily married for over five years and are residing in San Francisco with their 2-year-old daughter Sydney. Jason is an attorney at Howard Rice, and Alison is an entrepreneur who has recently launched her own gourmet treat business, www.alliesedibles.com. Jason recommends we all "check it out!" Living just north of the Gerlachs is Bob Maher and his family. Bob married Amy Briggs '92 in 1997.He writes, "We have two children,Andrew (born in 2002) and Julia (born in 2000).We're living in Seattle and I have been working at Microsoft since finishing my MBA at Yale in 1997."

Richard Angell is also living west of the Mississippi. Richard was recently named a shareholder of the law firm Parsons Behle & Latimer in Salt Lake City, UT.He is a member of the firm's environmental, energy, and natural resources department, where he advises and represents clients on environmental compliance and litigation issues. Richard graduated from George Washington U. Law School in 1996 and was admitted to the Utah State Bar later that year. Caroline Madden wrote to tell us that she eloped to San Francisco on Valentine's Day weekend with her partner of eight years,Maria Thorpe. A reception was held later in the couple's hometown of Pasadena, CA. Cornell well-wishers present included Caroline's father, William Madden '50, and Jesse Mullen-Carey '92, BArch '95, and wife Jessica O'Toole '94. Caroline is a psychotherapist, and Maria is a writer in the entertainment industry.

It seems like wedding bells are ringing back on the East Coast as well. Scott Jackson married Mandi Isaacs, a PhD candidate at Yale U., on Mar. 6, '04 in Hartford, CT. Cornellians in attendance were Adam Cohn '92, Kevin Mills, Mike and Alice Herrick Daood, Patty Welze, and Hillary KurtzmanWalters. Scott also recently took over as director of community development in his hometown of Hamden, CT. The New York Times reported that Justin Sacks married Bethany Goldstein on Apr. 3, '04 in New York City. Justin and his new wife received medical degrees from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where they met. Both are chief residents at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, she in general surgery and he in plastic surgery. In July, they are to begin fellowships in their specialties at the U. of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Jason Damsker married Sharon Wasserman on May 4, '03. The celebration was attended by fellow Cornellians David '92 and Christine Watters Stuhlmiller, Steven Cohen '92, and Thomas LaFalce '94. Jason finished his hematology/oncology fellowship from Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia in June 2003 and is now in private practice in the Philadelphia area.

In March, my husband and I traveled to Brazil for a week-long adventure that culminated with the wedding of David Schiff to Jennifer Sinclair. The wedding took place overlooking the ocean at a beautiful "pousada" (inn) in Buzios, a chic beach town two hours north of Rio de Janeiro. After a relaxing honeymoon in Anguilla, David returned to New York where he is a director in the Structured Products Group at Wachovia Corp. At Wachovia, David is responsible for developing structured principal finance opportunities.

As always, several of our classmates have become parents recently. Joel Elkins and wife Heather welcomed a second son into their family on January 15 this year. Timothy Joel joins big brother William. On the professional side, Joel was recently promoted to director of portfolio management for Tractebel North America. The family lives in Houston, TX. Steve and Gabrielle Danek Winnert became proud parents in early 2004 as well. Their son,Matthew Kenneth, was born on February 28. Steve says, "Everything is going very well. Less sleep, but it is all worth it.We are having a great time." The Winnert family resides in Ridgewood, NJ.

On that upbeat note, I remind you to please send any and all news you'd like to share to your faithful class correspondents. Thanks! -- Erica Fishlin Fox, ericazzz@aol.com; and Yael Berkowitz, berkowitz.y@mellon.com.

94 | Still recovering from a rollicking throwback-to-those-days-of-youth time at reunion? So is this column--it's in the awkward stage where it's being written a few months in advance of the big date, but will not actually run until the middle of summer, after we have all been reminded how Gorges Ithaca is come June when the students are gone. Hope everyone was able to make it and had a great time with old friends and new. Keep a lookout on this space for reunion stories in our next issue!

In the meantime, there is still news to catch up on. David Rosen has plenty of juicy gossip to report. He writes that he and his partner Russell Lehrer are "completing renovations on a brownstone townhome in Jersey City--hope to be done by the summer in time for reunion so we can be house-proud with friends!" David and Russell celebrated their two-year anniversary in January. David was recently promoted to clinical director of an intensive outpatient drug/alcohol counseling practice for teens in New Jersey. He also coordinates and develops HIV training for New Jersey clinicians and social workers. He writes: "I stay in contact with classmates Val McGuire, Jeff Lubin, Dan Kheel, Amy Masnick, PhD '94, Jeanne Tibbets, and Eric and Catherine Manlove Smith, ME '94.

Rachelle Bernacki is a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the U. of Chicago, where she is doing research on end-of-life care. Last year, she spent some time volunteering at a clinic in the Goyoko/Everest region of Nepal. She reports that Anika Trancik is working on her PhD at the U. of Washington. Neysa Reiss Etienne is in graduate school for clinical psychology. Marisol Matos Nicoll just finished grad school and has an MBA in finance from Rutgers to show for the past two years of effort.Marisol also stays active helping guide young future Cornellians to the Big Red as an Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) volunteer.

Adam Binder and wife Sunny are the proud parents of Daniel Jerome, born July 29, '03. Adam's work is keeping him quite busy. He is on a team opening two Hard Rock casino resorts in Florida run by the Seminole Indian tribe. Kimberly Langworthy Blair and husband Marc welcomed their first child, son Samuel Harris Blair, on November 28. Kim writes, "He is a wonderful baby and we are so happy to have him with us." She adds, "A group of us get together frequently for dinner, etc., in the city--that would be New York City: Liz Kaufmann Hale, Christa Shurman, Lauren Wasserman Turteltaub, Erica Olan, Lisa Ellenbogen, Karen Chelius Bates, Priya Wagle, and Courtenay Morris. Liz and husband James have an 18-month-old son named Dylan, and Erica and husband Darpan have a 9-month-old son named Avi. All male offspring in the group so far."

Kim Charlton Bedetti and husband Pablo '97, MBA '02, welcomed son David in September 2003. Lauren Blaeser Miller and husband Michael also welcomed a September baby: daughter Logan Leigh was born Sept. 17, '03. Lauren is working part-time as a veterinary surgeon in Boston and last year passed her board qualifying exam for the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. Now I have an important choice to make. Do I use Lauren's entry to springboard into a discussion of Craig McConnel's continuing veterinary studies or Michael Supczak's September 2003 wedding? How about both? Craig is Down Under, working on a Master of Veterinary Clinical Studies at the U. of Sydney, Australia.Michael Supczak married Patricia in September 2003, right around the time Kim and Lauren were having their children. Dave Dykeman and Fred Larsen, ME '95, were members of the wedding party. Mike Pezzillo and Justin Carter also attended.

Andrew Eisen also got married in 2003. He and bride Cheri Erlich tied the knot on December 27, and there were several generations of Cornellians in attendance. He writes, "Cornell was well represented in the wedding party by Andy Goldberg '95, Adam Comora, Jon Peris, Henry Smokler, and Justin Bernbach '93. Other alumni in attendance were Tristam Steinberg, Justin Kerenyi, Neil Goldberg '93, Terence Connor '93, and Dara Spiess Goodstadt '93. But that's not all. Andrew's parents, Larry '66, ME '67, and Marsha Beirach Eisen '67, are both Cornellians as well, and they had their own Big Red contingent at the wedding, including Alice Katz Berglas '66, Chuck Levy '66, and Steven '67 and Karen Kaufman Polansky '67. Andrew adds, "Cheri and I recently moved from New York City to Weston, FL. I am currently doing international sales and trading for Dawson James Securities in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and Cheri is an HR manager for Ryder Systems in Miami, FL."

Into politics and reside in California? Terry Chi reports that her fiancé John Chiang is running for California State Treasurer in 2006. She says, "Fellow Cornellians in California who are interested in getting involved with a statewide political campaign can contact me at terrychi@yahoo.com." Don't forget to send us your news. Here's looking forward to the next ten years! --Dineen PashoukosWasylik, dmp5@cornell.edu; Jennifer Rabin Marchant, jennifer.marchant@kraft.com; and Dika Lam, del5@cornell.edu.

95 | Greetings once again from the Hill! You should all be broiling in the dog days of summer as you read this. Oddly, as I write this in mid-April, I am chilly from the cool Ithaca spring air and drizzle. I suspect we'd both like to change places right now. Changing places . . . that is exactly what many of you have been up to lately.We are a class of rolling stones. News about graduate school, job switches, relocations, marriages, and children still comes pouring in, but a shift has been occurring. Updates about graduate school are being replaced with news of babies, and reports of personal changes are on the rise. As evidence of this shift, this Class Notes installment will begin with the baby news--and there is lots of it!

Let's begin by tracing the paths of Roger and Lisa Gerber Hipwell. Roger and Lisa married in 1996 and moved to Minneapolis in 1997 after Roger completed his master of engineering at UC Berkeley. The couple has beautiful children Amanda, 4, and Peter, 1-1/2.When not at home with the family, Roger works in research and development at Seagate. Lisa was a meeting planner for Regis Corp., but in 2003 opted to stay home full-time with the children. Another Class of 1995 full-time mom is Amy Leitner Straus. She and husband Jason greeted Ethan Henry on Apr. 30, '03. Amy decided to leave her job in human resources at Bloomberg LP in New York City to stay home with Ethan. She notes that it has been a big adjustment, but she's truly enjoying her new profession.

We have many more classmates joining the world of the sleep-deprived. Michael Fronk married Allison Bard and the pair has two lovely daughters, Abigail, 2, and Haley, 4.Michael recently left his job as a food broker to start his own real estate sales business. Stacy Giberson Simcik and husband Jason brought their second daughter, Jianna Raquelle, into the world on Feb. 12, '04. Jianna's big sister Charleez, almost 2-1/2, is "very excited and can't get enough of her new baby sister." The Simcik family lives near Baltimore and celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary in May. On Dec. 20, '03, Rob Friedman and wife Ruthie welcomed their first child, Samuel Ray. Rob says, "We are living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where we have been since we were married.We are enjoying the warming weather and strolls with Sammy along Riverside Park. E-mail me at friedman29@hotmail.com--I've got loads of photos to share!"

Katherine Timoszyk Lobello writes, "I finally finished my neurology residency in June 2003, moved to New Jersey, and took a job with a medical education company. On Jan. 22, '04, my husband Michael and I had our first baby! A little boy named Alexander Michael. Now I feel like I'm an intern all over again!" Thelma Romano-Kranyak gave birth to her first child, Joseph Alexander, on Nov. 19, '03. Before Joseph's arrival, in the summer of 2002, Thelma and her husband moved to Maryland from Texas and she says, "It is great to have a true fall and winter again." Thelma telecommuted as a labor attorney for her old Texas employer, Allied Pilots Assn., for a year.

This would not be a complete Class Notes column without wedding news. James Kim sent an e-mail telling the story of Sooho Choi,ME '96, and Angela Badilla. "Sooho and Angela finally tied the knot on Feb. 14, '04, which is exactly one year to the day that Sooho proposed to Angela. Over 400 people attended this special occasion on a perfect day in Los Angeles. As a groomsman, I had the privilege of witnessing up close and sharing many touching moments. The festive reception included traditional Korean performances and ceremonies. Sooho in his traditional Korean garb is a must-see! The happy couple lives in Sunnyvale, CA, with one dog."

Chauncy Maddox Fiddes writes, "I'm a newlywed and a new homeowner. On Nov. 1, '03, I was married in Houston.We bought our first house in a suburb of Houston called Sugarland (yes, there's a sugar factory there). My husband and I met in a coffee shop in San Francisco. For the full story, check out www.chauncy maddox.com."

Shaking up the fashion world, Sarah Lefton sent an update about her new professional endeavor. "I launched a new business in 2003 called Jewish Fashion Conspiracy, making funny and chic T-shirts for the Jew in all of us. I got crazy, wonderful press in December as a hot holiday item from San Francisco magazine to Time! As I like to say, I am ‘putting the racy back into conspiracy!'"Great slogan, Sarah! Having returned to his hometown of Albany, NY, Patrick Reuss works for Genesys Consulting as Manager of Business Relations and has been active with the Cornell Club of the Greater Capital District as co-VP. Patrick adds, "I am keeping busy with my new job and pursuing my MBA at U. of Albany. It's great to be back in Albany after spending time in North Carolina and Boston. Albany offers a great quality of life and business climate that is experiencing tremendous growth! Looks like I will be staying put for a while!"

And that's all the room we have. Have a great summer, everyone, and keep sending in your news! -- Abra Benson, amb8@cornell.edu; and Alison Torrillo French, amt7@cornell.edu. Class website, www.classof95.alumni.cornell.edu.

96 | We've had our two days in April above 80 degrees--and most importantly, without rain--so that can only mean one thing: London summer has already come and gone! Hope you're enjoying yours, and that you responded to the spring News and Dues mailing by sending us a postcard/e-mail/text message/smoke signal.We look forward to their arrival. Please send in your updates if you haven't already.

From Christine K. Richards (Buffalo, NY): "Having finished pre-med courses, I am in Zambia helping at an orphanage in Mongu. Orphans are a tremendous problem in Africa because of the AIDS epidemic. In July I will go to Peru to climb ice peaks in the Andes to prepare myself for medical school in Buffalo, which starts August 9!" Congratulations to Marc and Jodi Boffard Pearlman on the birth of identical twin daughters Ilyssa Jane and Wendy Elizabeth.Marc is a PhD candidate and is starting up his own engineering consulting business. Jodi is a technology manager at General Electric. They live outside Albany.

And, of course,Wedding Watch: Kathryn Comerford married Gordon Todd, a Princeton grad, on Mar. 13, '04 in Great Falls,VA. Kathryn is an associate specializing in Constitutional law at Wiley Rein & Fielding, as well as an adjunct assistant professor of Constitutional law at the Cornell-in-Washington program. Gordon works for the Justice Department, where he is the counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Wedding Two: Stacey Bloomer married Matthew Brawner (Wake Forest) in Atlanta on Feb. 21, '04. Stacey evaluates foster care and other federal programs as a program analyst for the Atlanta regional office of the inspector general of the Health and Human Services Department.Matthew manages corporate finance for the sales and online services division of Delta Airlines.

That's all, folks. Send news! -- Courtney Rubin, cbr1@cornell.edu; Sheryl Magzamen, SLM1@cornell.edu; and Allie Cahill, AlexandraCahill@aol.com. Class website, http://classof96.alumni.cornell.edu.

97 | As I sit here working on the column in April, we have had a tease of summer in Chicago with multiple 80-degree days. As promised in my last column, there is plenty of wedding news to share. So without further ado . . .

Staci Harris (stacidharris@yahoo.com) sent news of her wedding in June 2003 to Howie Frauwirth '96. Staci and Howie moved to Englewood, NJ, and Staci gave up the crazy daily commute to NYC to work at the Great A&P Tea Company, where she reports to another Cornellian, Annette Barrera '96. Another June 2003 wedding was that of Dustin Peterson to Katie Scully. Dustin (DPeterson@athensdevco.com) tied the knot in beautiful Napa Valley, CA.Many classmates were present, including best man Sundance Feniger; groomsmen Will Rukin, Dean Katsaros, and John Bernard; and guests Todd Jacobson, Adam Schomer, Rob Elliott, Marc Weideman, and Cliff Liu. Dustin has also kept busy working on developing the Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach and another hotel in Beverly Hills.

Fellow fourth floor Sperry-ite Leslie Prence (leslieprence@hotmail.com) married Andrew Wall, a Florida State alum, in September 2003. The wedding took place at Heinz Memorial Chapel in Pittsburgh, PA. Margaret McKegney was a bridesmaid, and classmates Rina Kitazawa, Amy Stoeberl, and Suzie Chin Alway were guests. Leslie and Andrew are now living in Atlanta. Spooky Halloween 2003 was the date for the wedding of Anne Marie Gorham (agorham@cisunix.unh.edu) and Israel Jeremy Seiferth. Anne Marie writes that prior to her wedding she received her MS in soil science from the U. of New Hampshire and is currently working for UNH as an analytical scientist. Continuing on the Halloween theme, Jennifer Moldoch (jam20@cornell.edu) sent in an update of her October 2003 wedding to David Smiljanich, whom she met at a Halloween party in 2002. They honeymooned in Spain and are now back at work, David as a fuel cell researcher at General Motors and Jennifer as a senior financial analyst in Pittsford, NY.

Close to celebrating their two-year anniversary are Michael Fiske and Caroline Gray, who tied the knot in September 2002. The couple honeymooned in Spain and Iceland.Michael started his own residential remodeling business serving the greater Boston area in early 2002 and I'm sure he has kept busy. An exciting time was had by the guests at Jake and Ann Marimow Sargent's April 2003 wedding in Washington, DC. Ann (annandjake@hotmail.com) writes that during their entire wedding and reception the area was barricaded and guarded by police in riot gear and helicopters thanks to a war protest on the streets outside. Three classmates, Ted Lyu, Jodi Eisner, and Bethany Godsoe, were part of the wedding party, while many Cornellians, including classmates Scott and Vasantha Badari Kostojohn, Jamison Smith, Harry Kahn, Sandi Toll, Liz Everett, Mike Greenle, Pete Friedman, Traci Tsuchiguchi, Jenn and Gunnar Gode, and Tara and Tom Conway, were witness to the ceremony as well as all the madness outside!

Another Cornellian-filled wedding was the marriage of Alanna Gelbwasser Updegraff (agelbwas@ucla.edu) in November 2003. Alanna, who is currently working at a center for abused or traumatized kids as a clinical psychology post-doc, mentioned a number of Cornellians present for her special day, including her sister Lara Gelbwasser '00 and classmates Jami Gorman Schultz, Rebecca Soffer, Josh Grossman, Mike Schoenhaut, Donna ViggianoWilson, Jill Morganstern, MD '01, Robyn Altman Block, Amanda Berke, and Olga Vargas. Congrats to all our classmates that tied the knot. I would love to include more news, but I have run out of room. Pay your class dues so that we can have a longer column! So long from the Windy City! -- Sarah Deardorff Carter, sjd5@cornell.edu; Erica Broennle Nelson, ejb4@cornell.edu.

98 | Can you believe that it has been over a year since our 5th Reunion? Four years now until our next one. Fret not, however. Second to reunions, weddings are apparently the most popular places to spot classmates this past year. It's great to see so many of our classmates hanging out and catching up with each other throughout the year. Jennifer Davis, BArch '99, and Will Caine '99 got married in Austin, TX, on Oct. 12, '03. Edward Bernhauer, Tom Choe '94, Zoe Small, BArch '99, Eric Booth '99, BArch '01, Joel Dabrowski, Amanda Whalen-Garner, Evonne Morales-Luginbill and Adam Luginbill, BArch '99, and Ryan Folger all came down to celebrate the wedding.

Steve and Linnea Larson Linton, both civil engineers at Cornell, have some news to share. In June 2003 Linnea got her master's degree in structural engineering, and then the couple moved from Boston to Greensboro, NC. Linnea now works for Sutton-Kennerly & Associates in the Investigation & Diagnostic Group as a structural engineer, and Steve switched from construction management in Boston to teaching seventh grade math and science at a rural North Carolina middle school. So far, they both really like their jobs, and are very glad to be back in the South. The Lintons also just bought their first house earlier this year and were excited to have land for a garden in the spring! Shoshana Killian Levy got married on May 26, '02. She used to live in Philadelphia, PA, but moved to Arlington, VA. She completed medical school and is currently in a pediatric residency program at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children.

Kenann McKenzie-Thompson is married to Corey Thompson, and their first child, Ian Adrian, was born on Oct. 12, '03. Congratulations! Kenann served as chair for the Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) in Alexandria for the last year, after serving as a member for three years. She is now a full-time student at Teachers College, Columbia U., pursuing a PhD in politics and educations. She has hung out with Aisha Roberts. Christopher Gruszczynski is finishing his second year of MBA studies at MIT Sloan. He spent this past summer with UBS Investment Bank in Hong Kong. Grace Kang '97 came to visit and they traveled throughout Southeast Asia.

Tuhina Ghosh Banik is working as an environmental engineer for AKRF Inc. in New York City. She works in the Air Quality Group, which does modeling to assess impacts to local air quality from various proposed developments. This is all part of the city, state, and federal environmental review process (EIS/EAS). Chad Taylor has been living in San Francisco since we graduated and has been doing a lot of traveling.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Harned reports that Hilary Himes, MILR '02, married Matt Hutchinson on Aug. 16, '03. They are now living in Philadelphia. At the wedding were: Joanna Kipnes, who married David Dickman on Dec. 29, '02 and is in the fourth year of medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia; Melissa Langsdorf, who graduated from Northwestern Law School in May 2003, passed the Illinois Bar exam and is working at a Chicago law firm; Amanda Bartelme, BS Ag '00, who is starting a new job at a healthcare consulting firm in Washington, DC; Kerrie Frisinger, who graduated from journalism school at Columbia in May 2003 and is a newspaper journalist in Newport News,VA; Marisa Hedlund, who is in school in Boston pursuing a post-Bac and has started her own business; Sarah Goldman, who is in her second year at Cornell Medical School in New York City; and Courtney Stacks, who graduated from Vanderbilt with an MBA and has relocated to Atlanta, GA, for work. Betsy was also present at the wedding and recently moved back to her hometown of Buffalo, NY. She is practicing law with a small litigation firm after graduating from the U. of Michigan Law School. Thanks, Betsy, for all the information and updates.Maybe you should consider being a class correspondent!

Rachel Schmidt would like to say hello to all our classmates. She is currently living in Aspen and really enjoys the snow season--especially last year's when she used her freshly waxed Volkls. For the off-season she headed over to visit her sister Ingrid Schmidt '96, who is now living in London with her husband Brian Davis '93.When she was there they saw a lot of shows and went sightseeing. On Oct. 17, '03 she attended the wedding of her roommate Jen Dolecki, with fellow bridesmaids Kate Kennen and Carrie Pollak '99. She was also delighted to catch up with Melanie Carr, Kari Deleeleuw, Karen Frey, Kristi Hulett Farrell, Liz Witmer '99, and Amanda Carreiro '86, BS HE '94.

Dana Vinograd is going to Widener Law School in Wilmington, DE. The Wines class must have paid off because before law school, Dana was in wine sales for five years. She also was able to attend Alex Yao's wedding. Patricia Boye-Williams graduated from law school and passed the Illinois Bar exam. She went to Costa Rica with husband Chad Williams to celebrate. She is now working at a large law firm in its environmental law department in Chicago. She visited Margie Hendricks Krell and husband Dave '00 in Colorado, where they went wine-tasting. Patricia said it was not the same as the Finger Lakes, but the mountain scenery behind the vineyards was priceless.

Verda Ak obtained her master's in International Economics and Management at SDA Bocconi,Milan, Italy. She then moved to the advertising industry. After working in Milan and Turin for two years, she is now in Istanbul for a while. Verda has seen Haywon Byun, Cavit Oral, Janelle Miau, and Gun Alppay '96, MArch '98.We appreciate everyone sending in information about what is going on with their lives. Keep the news coming! Please send to -- Gregg Herman at gdh5@cornell.edu or Erica Chan at hc31@cornell.edu.

99 | I just watched my first Boston marathon yesterday. How I managed to live in Boston for three years and miss out on the unbelievable spectacle that it is remains a mystery. The unpredictable weather presented an unusual challenge for the runners when temperatures topped 85 degrees--highly unusual for mid-April, as any New Englander knows. Oddly enough, being a cheering spectator at the marathon reminded me of why it is that I enjoy writing the class column so much--watching, even from a distance, as classmates travel down the marathon of life. It's been a pleasure and an inspiration sharing your updates these past five years. Hopefully there have been and will be many more finish-line triumphs than heartbreak hills. Now, on to the news. (A full report on reunion will appear in the September/October issue.)

After working for the purchasing department of Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Josh Spitalnik is now a second year law student in Brooklyn with interests in entertainment law, litigation, and elder law. Attorney Sean Magenis graduated from BU Law School last May and practices with Kelly and Associates in Belfast, ME. Now that she's wrapped up her master's in economic history at the London School of Economics, Rachel Dodes has returned to this side of the Atlantic. She works in NYC covering high-yield bonds for LPC, a subsidiary of Reuters. Rachel writes that she's spent lots of quality time with Gerald Lundgren, Gabby Ruda, Becky Fagin, and Sarah Chartock. Dana Witwicki attends Oregon State U. She's working toward her master's in environmental science. The Stern School of Business at NYU is home to Matthew Lindenberg as he finishes his MBA. Erin O'Hare graduated from Tufts Medical School in May and is doing her pediatrics residency at The Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx. Paulette Rudolph, ME '00, passed her professional engineering exam! She works with Walter P.Moore & Associates in Corpus Christi. She sent news that Dirk Kestner and Susan Clyburn were married in Austin last March.

The wedding momentum appears to be picking up strength; there are lots of unions to report! Jeff Shapiro married Marissa Ballinger on Aug. 10, '03 in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. The wedding party was led by best man Andrew Schinder, JD '03, while Dan LaPlaca '96 served as a groomsman. Cornellians in attendance included Lou Wolinetz '96, Carrie Golash '97, Mike Van Brunt '97, MS '01, Lee Striar, Brian Markowitz, Pete Street, and Kevin Chipalowsky, ME '00. Jeff is a CPA "who has survived the Andersen debacle to help save taxpayer money in the government." The newlyweds live in Falls Church, VA, and hope to buy a house somewhere in the northern Virginia area in the very near future.

Sireesha Soma and Ashwin Jathavedam got married in Wappingers Falls, NY. Sireesha is a third-year medical student at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Before med school, Sireesha participated in the Teach for America program, where she taught first graders in Lynwood, CA. Another newlywed is Tara Flegel Tibbs, who married in September 2003 and now lives in Indianapolis, IN. Tara was promoted in late 2003 from staff engineer to process engineer at Eli Lilly & Co., where she is hard at work trying to improve the insulin production of humalin. If she needs some help with sales down the road, she may want to consider calling Ted Powenski, a new salesman at GlaxoSmithKline in Philadelphia.

David and Amy Lesser Lyons are settling into their home in Stamford, CT, and adjusting to the daily commute into New York City. Both are happy to report recent promotions at their jobs: Amy is now an associate at Gensler Architecture, Design, and Planning Worldwide, while David is a senior broadcasting analyst in equity research at Prudential Equity Group. Leon Out married Elisa Miller in Alpine, NY. Leon is not only a senior developer at Comvision, a Web development firm in NYC, but also the chief technical officer of Peer Focus, a related Internet company specializing in surveys. Last but certainly not least on the wedding list are Cornell sweethearts Beth Watson and Anand Swaminathan. Beth and Anand were married last August and now live in Hoboken, NJ.

Talk about monkey business! Samantha Sherman spent four years playing around with zoo animals in Atlanta, raising monkeys, tigers, birds, and snakes.Working at a restaurant on the side helped pay the bills and eventually Samantha got to travel to Indonesia to assist in an orangutan research project, which was an "excellent and life-changing experience." Another animal-appreciator, Sarah Brown graduated from the U. of Illinois Veterinary school in May. It is amazing the way that Cornellians have managed to sprinkle themselves all over the country. Andrew Hayward has settled in Cedar Rapids, IA, and Jason Gardy let us know he lives down south in Springfield,VA. Over in Colorado Springs, Shallyn Fitchett MacDonald has lined her ducks in a row: over the past few years, she got married, honeymooned in Australia, bought a house, and continues her love of physical therapy. Another Coloradoan, Ingrid Y. Lee lives in Lakewood and works in Golden, where her goldenlining is her job at a management consulting firm, Navigate International, specializing in international research, strategy, and development services. Ingrid had spent her first two years out of school at a localization company in NYC, and then went cross-country to Phoenix, AZ, where she received her MBA in International Marketing and Management from Thunderbird, the American Graduate School of International Management.

Jess Smith, our fabulously bubbly co-class columnist decided to send in news the old fashioned way--those good old Big Red postage-paid postcards. Since things are rarely said better than Ms. Smith herself, I'll just stick with her words: "I work for a progressive PR firm in Washington, DC, doing political communications. My main client is an online political organization called MoveOn.org, which has a membership of close to 2 million members committed to defeating George W. Bush in 2004! I work with lots of affiliated celebrities: Jack Black,Moby, Janeane Garofalo, REM, Pearl Jam, etc., who are equally interested in unseating the prez."

Our parting quote comes from Michael Puterbaugh, who writes from Jersey City, NJ.We don't have details on where he's working or what kind of work he's in; he only writes: "Life in middle management is everything I ever dreamed it would be!"What's better than writing about dreams coming true (no matter how big or small)? Write to us and let us know how yours are coming along. --Jennifer Sheldon, jsheldon@law.uconn.edu; Melanie Arzt, snoopymel@yahoo.com; Jessica Smith, jessiniowa@hotmail.com.

 

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