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MAY/JUNE 2004 VOLUME 106 NUMBER 6 Class Notes

80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89

80 | Wedding bells help us ring in this column. Brian Myers provides us with this Cornellianpacked news item: "The weekend of Nov. 15, '03 may have appeared to be a Phi Delta Theta reunion.However, the place was not Ithaca, but Providence, RI, and the real main event was the wedding of Dave Schrage to Diane Thompson.My wife Carol and I traveled from North Carolina and joined in the celebration with Sue and John LoBosco from Maine, Lester Knight,MBA '81, and Hank Slingerland from Chicago, Richie Turi, BArch '83, in from NYC, Terri and Brad Hanpeter from Detroit, Willemien and Jim Patterson from Cincinnati, Kim and Bob Parry, MD '85, from Cleveland, Tata and Jose Rossi from Puerto Rico, Bruce and Kathryn Christ Haupt from Atlanta, and Sabina and Charles 'Lumpy' Perry all the way from Germany.

"A wonderful rehearsal dinner was held at the Clarke Cooke House, a historic inn and restaurant on Bannister's Wharf, during which untold numbers of toasts, stories, and lies were shared. We took mansion tours on Saturday, including the fabulous Breakers, and then it was on to the wedding in the neighboring town of Portsmouth. The Glen Manor House overlooking the Sakonnet River was a beautiful backdrop to the ceremony, at which Dave's lovely daughter Catherine served as an attendant. The reception was wonderful, as the champagne, wine, and cocktails flowed, as did our collective spirits. Amazingly, among a group of 45-year-olds, the ages of our kids ranged from 3 up to 19- year-old Cornell and MIT freshmen! Besides a great mini-reunion, we have all pledged to do our best to make it back for our 25th Reunion." Your faithful correspondent reads this as a challenge from the Phi Delt men to everyone else-- be there or be square! And thank you, Brian! Brian, by the way, lives in North Carolina and works for Roche Pharmaceuticals.

Valentine's Day--how romantic--in Rock-ville, MD, was the setting for the wedding of Albert Wu, MD '84, and Diana Sugg (BA, Villanova; MA, Ohio State). Albert is an associate professor at Johns Hopkins U., with appointments in both the School of Medicine and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Diana is a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist for The Baltimore Sun. You know, I think this is the most current news I have ever reported!

Celebrating his first birthday as this issue arrives in your mailbox is Henry Leister, son of Laura Chessin, tenured member of the Virginia Commonwealth U. faculty in Richmond,VA, in the communication design department of The School of the Arts. Laura's husband Don Leister is a violinmaker. Husband Fred and I, Jill Abrams Klein, recently had dinner with Debbie Moses '79 and husband Bob Mazer. Debbie manages to juggle everything she does with such elegance and ease, including their children Matthew, 13, and Rebecca, 10, along with her career at Boston Properties in DC.

A recent phone call from Karen Vecchio Simons provided some news: Philip and Vicki ButlerMiles live in Millburg, MA, with children Tory and Ben, who coincidentally share a birthday! Karen and Dr. Nancy Brass had hoped to rendezvous in Dorset, VT, where their parents each have a vacation home--maybe next Christmas. Stacy West Clark lives in Devon, PA, with husband Peter and daughters Sara, 11, and Molly, 6. Russ Bernard works in real estate investments and lives in Westport, CT, with wife Terry and their three children. Russ keeps in touch with Bill Niedrach, a urologist in Medford, NJ, and busy family man, also with three children. A Cornell wedding for Kathy Boor and her Food Science dept. colleague Martin Wiedmann, PhD '97, took place this past June.When she is not busy traveling for PegaSystems,Nancy Twombly lives in Needham, MA. Karen, thanks for the "newsy" call.

The winter chill and freeze did not stop Martha Bonthuis Sutyak and me, along with our daughters Lexi, 4, and Susie, 11, from feeding the seagulls on the beaches of Cape Cod in January! Martha lives in Beverly, MA, where she is always working on a fun design project. Whether it is her home or the decorative hand towels she sells to gift stores,Martha has something creative going on. And speaking of the cold winter, especially for the East Coast crowd, by now the ink in your quills or ice on your keyboards has thawed, so what's stopping you? Please drop a quick line to Cynthia or me. Let us know who you most want to see at our 25th Reunion next June! --Jill Abrams Klein, jfa22@ cornell.edu; and Cynthia Addonizio-Bianco, caa28@cornell.edu.e

81 | 2004 certainly has brought many changes for me. I moved not just cities, but countries.Moving from Toronto, Ontario, to Delray Beach, FL, has brought many new adventures. I left a wonderful city filled with fabulous people-- exemplified by the magnificent send-off hosted by Scot Martin, MBA '83. Scot showed his true graciousness by having 65 of my Canuck friends over for some cheer and hugs. Richard Box '78, Steve Napier '78, and Robert Winslow, MBA '00, were there; Brock Tredway couldn't make it but sent his regards. A fantastic time was had by all, and memories of my 2-1/2 years in Toronto will never be forgotten. The next chapter of my life has opened up in southeast Florida, where the beautiful Atlantic Ocean is just a stone's throw away. My folks are in Boca Raton (17 minutes by car vs. three hours by plane) and there's lots of wonderful outdoor life. Should any of you be in the neighborhood, let me know. I would love to hear from you.

In Toronto, I heard Fred Tomczyk '77 speak to the Cornell Club. Fred is VP, corporate operations for TD Bank Financial Group. He talked about his career path and how he got to where he was today. Andrew Harrison '84 introduced Fred with his usual vim and vigor and the crowd asked many questions. Shortly after I arrived in Florida, I had lunch with Jeff Sass '80, CEO of Barpoint. I had the pleasure to attend a welcome event for President Jeffrey Lehman '77 at the Boca Raton Art Museum, where I met Zorik Spektor. Zorik is a pediatric otolaryngologist in West Palm Beach and Boca Raton. I re-met Sherri Klein '84, who knew me from my days in New York; she's been living in Boca for two years and has her own PR business. Roz Bernstein Squires '47 was at the event, too--a friend of my mother's! It truly is a small world. Jeff was an inspiration and was received warmly by all.

Alan Cohen, BS Ag '86, retired after many years of public service to Ithaca as its mayor. Alan has had many accomplishments and served the city well. He has had to wrestle with many of the same kinds of economic and social problems that have faced most of the towns throughout upstate New York. Even in his final days in office, Alan was no lame duck. He managed to forge a strong relationship with President Lehman shortly after the announcement of Jeff 's presidency. Alan drove to Ann Arbor, MI, just to have lunch with Jeff and wife Kathy Okun (gives a new twist to the term "road trip," doesn't it?). Alan's effectiveness is evidenced in the university's multi-million-dollar pledge of support to the City of Ithaca and Cornell's plans to build a downtown office park. As Alan turns the page to the next chapter of his life, he leaves the mayorship with a strong legacy and big shoes to fill.

Ithaca and Cornell also have been the beneficiaries of the significant efforts of Lanny Joyce. Lanny both conceived of and then implemented Lake Source Cooling at Cornell, an environmentally friendly and extremely cost-efficient initiative that involves cycling cold water from Cayuga Lake through underground pipes up to the Cornell campus, where it circulates throughout campus buildings. This provides a method of cooling the heat generated by machinery and equipment, as well as being the alternative to air conditioning. The water cycles back into Cayuga Lake. Cornell and Lanny have received much recognition for this innovative approach.

I had lunch with Dave Philp '84, who owns a consulting firm and does real estate development projects. Thanks to Paul Jensen who introduced me to a fellow Delray Beacher! Class president Jim Hauslein,MBA '84, spent his free time this past fall leading the charge on Peter Ueberroth's lively campaign for governor of California. Obviously, the "Terminator"was a force to be reckoned with. Robin Rosenberg-Segall and husband Bruce attended the bar mitzvah of Joshua Natbony, son of Bill and Cheryl Adler Natbony, on November 1. "We sat at a table of Cornellians at the party--Sherri Samilow Rozansky (husband Marc), Rhonda Eisner Batt (husband Jay), and Linda Schechter Giove (husband Steve, JD '85)--and all had a great time." Robin also attended the CACO Mid-Winter Meeting on January 24 at the Grand Hyatt in NYC. She enjoyed the luncheon and hearing President Lehman speak. Also in attendance were Fred Cohen, Heidi Fleischman, MS '83, and Celia Rodee.

Please do let us know what is going on--we want to hear from you! -- Betsy Silverfine, bsilverfine@adelphia.net; Kathy Philbin LaShoto, kathleen_lashoto@equityoffice.com; or Jennifer Read Campbell, ronjencam@aol.com.

82 | We are happy to announce that Mark Fernau has joined me as a class correspondent, succeeding Donna DeSilva, who is our new vice president.We thank Donna for her contributions to the column for the past seven years and welcome Mark (mef29@cornell.edu)! To fill you in on Mark, he writes, "After 15 years of doing air pollution research, I've spent the last five honing my editing skills as a technical editor of professional journals at the American Meteorological Society on Beacon Street in downtown Boston.Wife Melissa (Duncan) '83 and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary last summer in the Adirondacks in the company of fellow Lambda Chis Bill Stasiuk '80, Joe Kane '79, Steve Keegan '80, and Brian Rooney '80. I live in Clinton, MA, and spend my spare time teaching Cornell songs to children Gwen, 11, Leanne, 14, and Fletcher, 16, who at 6-foot-4 towers over diminutive Dad."

We officially welcomed Mark at the annual Assn. of Class Officers (CACO) Mid-Winter Meeting, which was held in New York City on January 24. Along with workshops and a lunch that featured a speech by our new president, Jeffrey Lehman '77, we held a class meeting that was attended by many of the bold-faced names you read about in our column. Although you hear about some of our officers ("frequent contributors") all of the time, there are a few who keep under our radar but deserve recognition for their work for the class, as well as accomplishments in other areas:

Catherine Cull Chatfield participated in the 5K American Heart Assn. Heart Walk at Rocky Neck Park in Connecticut in October. She writes, "Husband Phil and weimaraner Mosby tagged along, although Mosby was a tad surprised to be taking a walk with 5,000 of his closest friends." Michi Yamaguchi, BArch '83, recently made his New York theatrical debut as a producer of the Off-Off-Off-Broadway musical Sharing a Dance, Sixty Years with Bruhs and Gean. He writes, "It is a lively one-hour musical that traces the remarkable relationship of Bruhs Mero and Gean Harwood, two gay icons of the twentieth century who met in New York in 1929 and remained together until Bruhs's death in 1995. Their story covers the breadth of gay history from the closeted early days through the McCarthy era and beyond Stonewall."With the success of the initial run,Michi is planning to take the show on the road this summer. You can contact Michi at michiyamaguchi@hotmail.com.

Miriam Honore Akabas was also in attendance and reports that, in addition to teaching upper and middle school, she spends a lot of time watching her children in their after-school activities. Daughter Ariel, in first grade, enjoys gymnastics, bicycling, swimming, baseball, and spending time with Mom. Son Eli, in fourth grade, adores karate, soccer, bicycling, baseball, and swimming; he also loves a wide variety of games. She adds, "My husband and I relish them."Miriam's on-campus connections to Cornell include a nephew who is a member of the Class of 2007.

Class secretary Nancy Duboise made a valiant effort to get to NYC from Columbus, OH, but a comedy (now looking back) ensued. Son Eli, almost 10, went along for the ride. Bad weather delayed flights, bad hydraulics caused an even further delay and a change in plane, a bad engine caused another change in plane, and de-icing meant a further delay that led ultimately to a crew member passing her legal limit for the amount of flight time so that the flight was finally cancelled. Three planes later, Nancy and Eli hunkered down at a "dumpy motel" at the Columbus airport, and they were happy to get home the next morning.More details about the lost cell phone due to the automatic flusher in the airport bathroom only add to the "Teacher, the dog ate my homework" kind of story as to why Nancy was a no-show, but she's now recovered and well-equipped again.

Tracy Stone wrote from Los Angeles that 2003 was a year of real estate transactions and renovations. She sold her 1906 craftsman house in a historic district of L.A. and bought two warehouses by the L.A. River ("and there really is an L.A. River!") that she has been busy converting into an office for her architecture firm and a residence for her family. In addition, she is renovating a condo on the beach, which should be available for vacation rental. Interested alums are welcome to call, she writes.

To find Tracy and fellow alums, sign up for the online Alumni Directory at https://direc tory.alumni.cornell.edu/index.asp?-- Nina Kondo, nmk22@cornell.edu; and Mark Fernau, mef29@cornell.edu.

83 | If the adage "no news is good news" still holds true, then the Class of 1983 must be doing very well indeed. I'm feeling as lonely as a Maytag repairperson as I write this column, with only four (count 'em, four!) news items arriving during the winter months. Thanks to those who sent their news, and please let us hear from the rest of you when the annual News and Dues mailing arrives this spring!

The American Inst. of Architects (AIA) selected Paul Woolford, senior VP of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum and director of design for HOK Atlanta, to receive the National Emerging Architects Award. This award is conferred, irrespective of age, to those in an early stage in their architectural careers. It honors those who have shown exceptional leadership in design and made significant contributions to the profession. Paul was presented with his award at the AIA National Convention in San Diego, CA.

Susan Wasserman Guerin writes that she started a new job at Cendant Corp. last fall and now serves as CFO for vehicle services, which includes Avis, Budget, PHH Fleet Management, and Wright Express. Susan has also taken on the formidable job of co-chairing our 25th Reunion along with Andy Sosa. Before attending our 20th Reunion (her first), she admitted thinking "How much work can it be?" when longtime chum Ellen Bobka asked her to serve as a reunion chair. Of course, after Reunion Weekend, the amount of work involved became clear but did not dissuade her from making the commitment. Susan congratulated the previous class officers and reunion chairs for all their hard work: "Our class officers did an amazing job of organizing the event, getting donations for the Cornell Fund and ensuring that not only we but our entire families had a wonderful weekend. And while true Ithaca weather was there to welcome us, the events were so well organized that it just didn't seem to matter." She adds, "It was wonderful to see how many of my friends from U-Hall 4 attended the event, especially Joanne Poggi Quirk and Mike,ME '84, and Norine Ng Sedayao traveling all the way from California!"

Those of you with babies and young children may be surprised to hear that some of our classmates have reached a milestone in parenting: class president Lisa Esposito Kok writes that Dietrich and Christine Pichler Schulze now have a son Karl in his first year at Cornell. Any other Cornell or prospective Cornell parents out there? We'd love to hear from you!

After many years of practicing medicine and serving as a consultant in her field, Judi Binderman has chosen to pursue some very different interests. She is now serving as director of education for an Arizona bead company, working to create "Beadbox University." The goal of her project is to create some standardization in the world of beading, with respect to certifying teachers of various kinds of beading techniques. In her spare time, Judi serves as our class webmaster.

Speaking of our class website (http://www.classof83.alumni.cornell.edu), did you know that you can submit class news directly to your correspondents via this site? The website also includes links to a wealth of information, including Reunion photos, highlights from President Lehman's inauguration, and class officer contact information. You can pay your dues online, update your address for alumni records, and even check Ithaca weather if you're feeling nostalgic (15 degrees and rainy--surprise!--as I write this column in February). Another intriguing link is to CyberTower, which bills itself as the "newest way to enjoy Cornell . . . from the Web!" CyberTower allows alumni to continue their Cornell educational experience from afar by participating in study rooms (with new rooms added to the site every month) and interactive forums with faculty members, and reading thought-provoking views and reviews from the Cornell faculty "bully pulpit."

Several of our class officers participated in the Assn. of Class Officers (CACO) Mid-Winter Meeting in January, and they've asked me to relay a few requests to you. First, please let us know if you have served as a class officer for any period of time since graduation. Include which office you held and for what dates.We will forward this information to Cornell so that the alumni records can be updated.

Your class officers are working to create a DVD record of our 20th Reunion, as well as a record of some memories of our days on the Hill. Please send us photos of you and your buddies back in '79-83, as well as at Reunion. If you have digital photo files, please send them to my co-correspondent David Pattison at d.pat tison2@verizon.net. If you have prints, please mail them to Andy Sosa at 4911 Magdalene Ct., Annandale, VA 22003-4363. Be sure to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope so they can be returned. However, if they are priceless to you, make copies before you send them.We plan to have copies of the DVD available in the fall, so send your memories as soon as you can.

As Dave wrote in his last column, not only births, marriages, and promotions are newsworthy. We want to hear about your everyday lives--what you do for a living, what you do for fun, places you've been, places you want to go, old friends you've seen, and those you'd love to hear from.

As a clinical social worker, my job is to ask questions. In the spirit of generating news, I have a few discussion questions for you:What is the one thing you remember most fondly from your time at Cornell? What is the one thing you regret most about your Cornell years and would change if you could? Who is the old Cornell friend you would most like to hear from? What has made you the most proud since leaving Cornell? What do you hope to report in this column before our 25th Reunion? Tell us about your mid-life crisis: most unusual career change, accomplishment, hobby, relationship, etc.

Most of all, keep the news coming! -- Dinah Lawrence Godwin, dinahgodwin@msn.com, and David Pattison, d.pattison2@verizon.net.

84 | One sad note to begin this column: our classmate Tobb Dell- 'Oro, MS '85, MBA '86, was a victim of the December 2003 earthquake in Iran. Our condolences go out to his family and fiancée Adele Freedman '86. A short article on Tobb's death appeared in the "From the Hill" section of the Jan/Feb '04 issue of this magazine.

Reunion is right around the corner! If you can join us, register at http://reunion.alumni. cornell.edu/. This site will give you highlights of university reunion events, lists of classmates who have registered (updated by the minute), a rideshare board, and online registration for class reunion, athletic events, and the youth program. Specific class events can be found on our class website, listed at the end of the column. Have you written a book? If you have a book for the Class of '84 Book Table, please let Janet Insardi know at insardij@hotmail.com. Janet and Kitty Cantwell are always welcoming reunion volunteers --they could use assistance in small amounts of time--to host class functions, greet classmates at headquarters, help decorate, etc.

Reunion calls and e-mails: Hansen Hashim Clarke writes that as an undergraduate he was elected to serve as senior class president in 1984. Most students knew him as "Bubba." Hansen subsequently graduated from Georgetown U. Law Center, and is currently an elected Michigan State Senator.Hansen led a trade mission to Ghana in November '03.He plans on helping at reunion. From California, we've heard from Charles Oppenheim and Doug Durkin, and from Ottawa, we've heard from Peter Pakeman. Reunion Headquarters: Sue Morris Wilkey is helping with music, and Karla Sievers Mc- Manus is heading up "kid central."Amy Brown Fraser is planning her reunion trip from Connecticut and is helping with reunion planning. Philip Harris is general counsel for VIP's Industries Inc., a privately held hotel company with 15 mid-market limited service hotels in four western states. Phil is planning to come to reunion from Oregon.

The award for most informative e-mail for this news cycle goes to . . . Luke and Becky Dimmick Scrivanich. Luke was named general manager of PPG's Fine Chemicals business, one of their strategic business units. The business provides products and services to the pharmaceutical industry (APIs, intermediates, and starting materials) and specialty phosgene derivatives to diverse end markets, including agricultural chemicals, artificial sweeteners, plastics, and photographic chemicals. Becky recently received her real estate license, thereby providing an occasional escape from the chaos of raising the five Scrivanich children (three boys and two girls, ages 2 to 12). About two years ago, the family moved into a big old house in Sewickley, PA, near the Pittsburgh airport, with a great commute into the city.

The Cornell network is alive and well. I called Jon Kimball and asked him for an informational interview for a relative and he was a great help! Jon is general manager of the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, NC, and he also supervised the construction and opening of the property. Jon and his wife have two daughters under the age of 7 and are pretty happy that Starwood Hotels brought them back East. Jon's twin, Louis, is still in San Francisco, involved in the Pluto's restaurant chain. Pluto's is known for American and California cuisine, including excellent vegetarian fare, in a modern setting. David Sangree is living with his wife and two children in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood. David is with US Realty Consultants and heads up the Cleveland office and the firm's hospitality consulting practice.David says, "We are going to try our first cruise this spring in the Caribbean."

Phil George is "really getting psyched to see everyone after so many years. I have not made it back since our 5th Reunion. Living in California was far enough to make it difficult. I am planning to drive from our new home base in Massachusetts with my wife Kristin and our children Kyle and Grace." Paul Barresi practices law and lives in Hanover, MA. Steve Shippee and Wayne Darragh made their way down from Boston to Atlantic City to spend a very busy 24 hours. First they saw a series of boxing championships (various weight classes were fought, mostly to determine current champions). Steve says, "I've never seen a live boxing match, nor did I really care to, but it was quite a scene and more fun than I expected." They successfully visited the casinos till the wee hours and left the next day only to be greeted by a snowstorm.

Carol Leister is looking forward to reunion. After ten years in public broadcasting at Channel 13 and WNYC radio in New York, she has found her way to "Sesame Street," starting an individual giving program for Sesame Workshop. Exciting vacations Carol has enjoyed included hiking to Machu Picchu, Peru, and driving 2,000 miles in Alaska visiting Denali, Anchorage, and the Kenai Peninsula. Carol is heading up the registration effort for reunion. Ben Lynfield is living in Israel and still writing, and was recently married.Was it really that long ago that I typed Ben's freshman papers? I guess he's learned his way around a keyboard by now!

Judy Fried Siegel is a solo urologist in private practice in New York specializing in female and pediatric urology. "Going on (is it possible?) 14 years of great married life to Jon, a lawyer (Colgate '79--the little red).We have brought our three boys, Sam, Gabe, and Eli, to Colgate for several events and plan to bring them to Cornell for the first time this summer for reunion. I enjoy mentoring Cornell undergrads in January each year as they shadow me in my work. Rachel Eggert Chevalier writes, "After living in France for nine years, we decided to return to North America in 2001.We fell in love with Stowe,VT, and built a house on ten acres. Our daughter Alexandra finished high school here and is continuing her studies in France. Our son Max is 11 and enjoys skating, piano, and soccer." Rachel's husband Marc does consulting work in North America and France. Two years ago the Chevaliers bought a favorite local hangout called the Depot Street Malt Shop, a '50s-theme restaurant that was mentioned in a recent New York Times article on Stowe. A frequent Malt Shop guest is Darcy Curran Walsh '83, who works at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe.

Despite the miles, '84 friends Kathy Thorne Barlow, Pat Connell Wheeler, Brigitte Siefringer Gouchoe, and Sue Fiero Colbert manage to keep up with each other's busy lives. Kathy lives in the Washington, DC, area with husband Bruce '82 and children Nicole and Stephen. They get together with Pat and husband Don and sons Ryan and D.J., who live in beautiful Warrenton, VA, having left corporate life behind in Stamford, CT. Kathy is VP and general counsel to The Bernstein Companies, one ofWashington, DC's oldest real estate development, investment, and management companies. Sue is a manager of compliance for CVS corporate headquarters in Providence, RI. She and her husband have daughters Samantha and Alyssa. Brigitte Gouchoe is the morning news anchor for the Fox News Channel, appearing nationwide on cable TV. Brigitte and husband Dave moved to Westport, CT, two years ago, and recently had their third child, Rudy, joining sisters Jennifer and Stephanie. The group and their spouses and children are very excited to be reuniting in Ithaca in June.

Lee Bender says, "I am bleeding Cornell red these days: I attended the inauguration of President Jeff Lehman '77 this past fall (as a member of the University Council), hosted Cornell student interns at my law firm, interviewed applicants for admission, and am the longstanding Scholarship Chairman of the Philadelphia Cornell Club. In my ‘spare time' I've been trying to write a movie involving the early years of the university, and have been rounding up my fraternity brothers at Phi Sig Ep and Lightweight Crew for reunion." Thanks, Lee! -- Lindsay Liotta Forness, fornesszone@aol.com; and Karla Sievers McManus, klorax@comcast.com. Class website: http://classof84.alumni.cornell.edu/.

85 | So few missives from classmates have reached my inbox that I will soon have to resort to Google-ing folks at random. Have you ever Google-d yourself and seen what comes up? Oh, yes--everything from that note in the church bulletin congratulating you on winning the hot dog eating contest at the spring picnic to, well, things that can't be mentioned in a family magazine such as this one. Don't let this happen to you! Write us, write us, write us! Okay, enough desperate groveling. On to the news.

New mothers are, thank goodness, still showing me the love. Carolyn Walter Calupca wrote to tell me that she and husband John welcomed son Joshua Charles on September 26. Michele Payne Koch, MBA '92, and husband Bill, MBA '93, celebrated the arrival of daughter Natalie Marie on October 15. Says Michele, "She's quite a handful and loads of fun. Very cute, but we're more than a little biased."

I admit to being a little biased, too, in favor of my fellow barristers, who are thankfully continuing to send in news. Doug Masters sent word that he had joined the Chicago office of Loeb & Loeb as a partner, and that he continues to focus his practice on litigation of trademark, copyright, and "unfair competition" matters. (Does this mean you can do something about the Billy Goat Curse on the Cubs?) Robin Baker is keeping law and order as Deputy Chief of Appeals in the Criminal Division of the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. (No word on whether Sam Waterston or any of his "L&O" castmates has ever sought her advice on how to "keep it real," but I do think our Robin would make a terrific guest star. Dick Wolff, if you're reading this--give Robin a shot!)

For Michele Coleman Huresky, watching lawyers on TV just did not cut it. She wanted back in the action, so she "rejoined the ranks of working attorneys" and signed on with Goldstein, Lem & Isaacson, where she is practicing bankruptcy law and commercial litigation on a part-time basis.Her children Matthew and Allison are now happily enrolled in pre-school, which, as Michele writes, "enables me to reclaim a portion of my career."

Lisa Bluestein has opened her own firm, "Law Offices of Lisa M. Bluestein LLC," where she focuses on commercial litigation and construction law. She also tipped me off (no pun intended; well, maybe just a little) to the fact that Rich Strassberg, partner and chair of the White Collar Litigation department in the New York office of Goodwin Procter, is involved in the Martha Stewart case, where he is representing Peter Bacanovic, Ms. Stewart's former Merrill Lynch advisor. He certainly should have some great war stories to share at next year's reunion. (More on reunion in a moment . . .)

Jonathan Miller is sharing law stories of a different kind.He is the author of the novel Rattlesnake Lawyer (Cool Titles 2000), the paperback edition of which should be available in bookstores and on Amazon.com by the time this column hits your mailbox, along with his second novel, Crater County, and a non-fiction book, Amarillo in August: An Author's Life on the Road. Jon also practices criminal and entertainment law, and lectures at Texas Tech and the U. of Southern California. Classmates who want to catch up with Jon (and/or arrange to get their copies of his books autographed!) can contact him at Rattlesnakelaw@aol.com.

Another '85er Lawyer Jon, Mr. Jon Lewis, sent word from Hong Kong, where he writes that he and his family are "still living and enjoying ourselves, in spite of SARS and the changes it has brought to our daily lives.We have been here since before the handover in 1997. It looks like we will be living with the fear of SARS for a long time. Even so, you take the best precautions you can and then you get on with your life."

Speaking of getting on with our lives, we will next year be celebrating our 20th Reunion. Mark your calendars now (June 9-12, '05), because our ageless and tireless Reunion Co-Chairs Jennifer Sidell Cornelssen (who wed Robert Ellis '82, brother of Bill Ellis and Jean Ellis '80, in a ceremony that featured Bob's daughter Karla and Jen's daughter Libby) and Margaret Nagel Gnegy will once again be organizing a weekend of activities designed to delight and dazzle us.We welcome the involvement and attendance of all classmates. Please e-mail Jen at jms81@cornell.edu if you are willing to contact classmates and promote reunion attendance (we'll give you the e-mail lists and mailing labels), be a greeter at registration or a class event, organize a reunion event, plan class souvenirs and welcome gifts, or help out in any other way.

Please also lend a helping hand (or paragraph) to me and my co-columnist Ed Catto by sending us your bon mots, birth announcements, and/or best classmate tidbits, so that we can appear witty, or at least well-informed, in this space. -- Risa Mish, rmm22@cornell.edu; Ed Catto, edcatto@hotmail.com

86 | In the words of the New York Times: "All the news that's fit to print." Well, we don't have much! Not because we've been receiving news of an objectionable sort, but because we've run out of news from those handy little forms that you sent in with your dues last year. Remember, it doesn't have to be dues time to be news time. Please feel free to drop us a line anytime if you have anything to share with your classmates!

In line with scaring up some more news for the next column or two, I thought I'd ask a few thought- or news-provoking questions in this column. You can send your answers to any--or all--of the correspondents listed at the end of the column.

1) Many of us are turning 40 this year.What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment to date? What are your goals for the next 40? 2) What are you doing now: career, family, creative, or other projects? What would you rather be doing? 3) Current "Day Job."Current "After Day Job/After Hours." Current "Dream Job." 4) Recent excursions, ventures, outings, encounters, awards, observations, musings, publications, promotions, family events?

Speaking of recent encounters, an old high school acquaintance from my hometown of New Rochelle, NY, and Class of '86 classmate Dylan Schaffer, surprised me with an e-mail. We had a great chat, catching up on the changes in our lives over the past 18 years or so. Dylan is a criminal defense lawyer in the San Francisco Bay Area, doing high-profile appellate work-- the sort of cases that get in the media, and get Dylan in the media, quite often. Dylan is also a published author. This summer his new book, Misdemeanor Man, the first in a series about a slacker public defender who is obsessed with Barry Manilow, will hit bookstores. Early press and reviews of the book are very positive, and the book sounds like it will be a great read. I went to the book's website, www.misdemeanor man.com, to read a few excerpts, and Dylan certainly can write. One of the reviewers aptly called Dylan "the thinking man's John Grisham." Prior to Misdemeanor Man, Dylan wrote another book, Dog Stories (Chronicle Books, 1997), which you might also want to check out. When he's not writing or working in his law practice, Dylan resides in the Bay Area with his wife, Dr. Jennifer Dykes, and "a couple of medium-size mutts."

I also got a note from Mark Brandt. As a member of the University Council, Mark and wife Grace attended three days of inauguration and education programs."My trip started with a carpool from Cleveland with neighbor Jack Rupert '49, JD '51. It happens Jack was my dad Richard '55's RA when he was a freshman in Cascadilla Hall. The University Council is a real honor to be chosen to, and after being active in Chicago, San Francisco, and Cleveland, many of the faces were familiar. The inauguration was the highlight of the weekend for me. It really hit me when President Jeffrey Lehman '77 mentioned that Cornell is an educational resource to the world. The weekend was capped off by Grace driving up to spend a significant birthday with the rest of Cornell at the inauguration, with the small enticement of a suite at the Buttermilk Falls B&B. For those of you looking for a quaint place in Ithaca,Margie is the host, and this place is a real find."

Mark also recently founded a venture capital fund, the Maple Fund, which focuses on early stage technology investments with a particular eye on nanotechnology. For more information, you can check out the fund's website at maple fund.com. Mark says, "I think I get the record this fall (2003) for five trips to Ithaca: looking at technology, visiting professors, and serving on boards." In Cleveland, Mark is quite active in economic development activities, having started two networking groups: one with a focus on reaching out to current and former Clevelanders (yescleveland.org), and one with a nanotech focus (nano-network.org).Mark notes that he would love to hear from classmates or other fellow Cornellians.

And so would we! Until next time, -- Jackie Byers Davidson, jackiekd@sbcglobal.net; Allison Farbaniec MacLean, aaf9@cornell.edu; and Hilory Federgreen Wagner, haf5@cornell.edu.e

87 | Have you seen the acclaimed movie by Sofia Coppola from last fall? For two weeks in February, I was Lost in Translation myself. I was traveling in Asia on business, changing hotels every three to four days and sleeping, on average, 5-1/2 hours each night. At least I was not feeling completely lost--I was mostly visiting cities where I had gone before. However, for the first time, I set foot in Beijing, China.Walking through the gate of Tiananmen, I was awed by the imposing Forbidden City, its sheer size and the bright colors, not to mention its glorious and infamous past. I felt a visceral connection to the "Middle Kingdom." At the same time, I couldn't help but feel sad and helpless when I looked back at the immense public square, where thousands of idealistic students died or were wounded on that fateful night of June 4, 1989.

Just before Thanksgiving last November, I got an early holiday e-mail from Chris Nielsen Berg in Washington, DC: "Here in Washington, all is pretty well.Our oldest son Peter, 7-1/2, is in second grade at a private school in Rockville,MD. Katy, 6, is in first grade and is working hard to learn to read,write, and do math. She had to have her tonsils out about a month ago, but the great part was I had the surgeon pierce her ears while she was unconscious. That was pretty neat! All the other moms are mad at me because their daughters are demanding the same! Stephen, 4, is in pre-kindergarten at our elementary school and is happy as a clam. My husband Dick is still working as a consultant to the defense mapping agency (NIMA). He's been diligently practicing his banjo, which I gave him for his birthday in 2002. I've taken up a new hobby this past year-- learning how to decorate cakes; I've been taking night courses with a friend. It's been great to learn something new and get out of the house one night a week.House, pets, and garden take up the rest of my time."

Rebecca and I were back in Ithaca in early December for the Harvard-Cornell hockey game at Lynah Rink. The team picked up its first home win with a 1-0 victory. Afterwards, Heidi Russell met up with us at the Statler for a celebratory drink. I almost didn't recognize her at first because she was sporting a new short hairdo. A month later, I flew to Cambridge for the rematch. Among the Cornellians in the rink were Heidi Claus Perry and husband Duncan '84, MBA '88. Harvard's rink has become the annual meeting place for me and the Perrys.We all enjoyed watching Cornell take an early lead of 3-0, before winning with a final score of 5-3. However, I missed seeing Mary Hohenhaus in Providence. She had left for Kenya less than a week before on a medical mission:

"I'm working with an intern, as well as a recent ‘house officer' grad (similar to an American physician's assistant) with responsibility for as many as 18 to 24 patients at a given time. We're very limited in what we can do in the way of diagnostics or treatment--medicine available from the pharmacy one day may be woefully absent the next."Mary did find time to take in the natural beauty of this African country: "Spent last weekend in the Kakamega rain forest hiking and bird/primate watching, and stayed at beautiful English colonial-style lodge. Spent the second weekend on Mount Elgon-- heavily forested, so you have to work at seeing the animals (monkeys, baboon, Cape buffalo, bushbuck, waterbuck, tons of birds). No luck with the elusive elephant or forest hog, however. Visited Kitum Cave, suspected home of the Ebola outbreak way back when."

Another classmate who caught the hockey fever is Stacey Neuhoefer Silberzweig:"Husband Jeff, son Ian, and I went to the RPI game with Carina Lagua and husband Pat after a fine dinner at Souvlaki House.We enjoyed reliving the Lynah experience despite the disappointing outcome of the game, especially since Ian has recently taken up skating. It was challenging to explain some of the fans' exploits to a 6-year-old!"

The holidays brought news from both coasts. From Bethesda, MD, Gail Stoller Baer sent a handsome photo of her son and two daughters and wrote about life after Singapore: "We do miss our Asian travels, but we are starting to travel much more now that husband Michael '88,MBA '89, is the director of treasury operations with USAirways. Since the kids have seen Asia, we need to plan some European adventures." Nearby, in Los Altos, Karl and Karen Fann Townsend sent a lovely letter: "Sierra started kindergarten in September and absolutely loves her teacher. Austin turned 3 the day before Thanksgiving; he is taking music and gymnastics, and learned to swim this past summer." Karen had LASIK surgery and underwent two months of physical therapy for a bad knee. Then she and Karl decided to "see what the triathlon bug was all about." She completed two races in Monterey Bay, while Karl finished four, including the famous Escape from Alcatraz.

Noah Price, ME '88, of Campbell, CA, sent a simple home-made card that said, "Noah's team created the new 20-inch iMac; wife Heather graduated from San Jose State with a BA in graphic design. In September we spent a relaxing vacation in Hawaii; we added environmentally friendly solar power (with a photo of panels on the roof); and Noah designed the lighting for a local production of 42nd Street." Fellow EE alumna Phyllis Ng, now living in Newburg, NY, used to work for IBM until July 2002 when she took "early retirement" and became a full-time mom to son Jonah, who is now approaching 3. She reported, "We had a nice surprise (in 2003). Gordon and Lillian Yee Lau and Andy, 2-1/2, came by to visit us (when they were visiting Lillian's parents in Bayside). I sold my house in Poughquag, NY (and was) waiting for my new condo in Newburg, NY, to be ready." Phyllis also completed an MBA from RPI in Aug. 2003. Gordon and Lillian live in Livermore, CA.

Two weeks after the hockey road trip to New England, I returned to frigid New York City for the annual Assn. of Class Officers (CACO) Mid-Winter Meeting and the CAAA lunar new year gala, in Chinatown this year. Class president John Gee and fellow officers Melissa Hodes, Mary Bowman, Scott Pesner, Heidi Russell, Stacey Silberzweig, Fred Barber, and Debra Howard Stern all braved the cold from near and far to attend the once-a-year class meeting. Among the items discussed: a possible coast-tocoast 40th birthday bash in 2005. Stay tuned for more details. At the CAAA dinner, I enjoyed seeing Laura Szeliga, Albert Chu, Marina Ho and husband James Panella, and Bob and Lindsay Liotta Forness '84. I also visited with President Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes and wife Rosa, and am happy to report that President Rhodes appeared fully recovered from his accident two years ago.

I think all of you would agree that the most exciting class news in the first half of 2004 was the appointment of Jim Knowles as Cornell's 25th head football coach on January 30. Athletic Director Andy Noel had these words of praise to say: "Jim brings a great deal of leadership and experience to our program and has an in-depth knowledge of the university and the tradition of Cornell football. I respect him very much as a person and a coach, and I could not be more pleased." Jim had spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Cornell (1988-96). In 2003, he served as the linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator at the U. of Mississippi, which won the Cotton Bowl. Before that, Jim coached at Western Michigan U. for six years. Jim and wife Nancy (Schlie) '83, MBA '89, have a daughter Halle and two sons, Luke and Jack.

Send in your fall football predictions, office pools, and news to -- Tom S. Tseng, ttseng@stanford.edu; or Debra Howard Stern, dstern@acksys.com.

88 | Hello, Cornell classmates! After a rather frigid winter in many parts of the country, I hope that by the time you read this, April showers have passed and a warm and comfortable spring has settled in for your enjoyment.

Just before the holidays last December, I had the pleasure of a visit from class webmaster Howard Greenstein. Officially, Howard was in Northern California on a business trip in the capacity of his new job as director of the Center for Management at the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies. Howard and I caught up over dinner in Oakland, CA, then visited the new enterprise of entrepreneurial classmate Jennifer Kaplan. Jennifer and her partner Edward Wong opened a store named Red Feather Mercantile shortly before Thanksgiving last year. Red Feather "offers an eclectic mix of furniture, home décor, and accessories, a bit of clothing, a bit of jewelry, and a wide range of sensational gifts." If you live in or visit the San Francisco Bay Area, why not drop in to say hello to Jennifer and Edward and browse their offerings. Red Feather is at 5418 College Avenue in the Rockridge section of Oakland.

Just after Christmas, I was able to spend a day with Steven and Anna Barnsley Werblow '90, who were visiting family in the Bay Area. Steve, Anna, and children Shoshana and Ilan had just moved back into their house in Ashland, OR, after a major remodeling. Before the holiday season, Steve was invited to join a small group of journalists from Africa and Europe to see the UN World Food Program's school feeding efforts in the Cape Verde Islands, 400 miles off the coast of West Africa. Steve found the islands fascinating, and the trip most exciting as "school feeding looks toward building a future for children rather than rescuing people from current cataclysms." Closer to home in Oregon, the Werblows visited with Karen Franklin Smith, husband Jimmy, and kids Andrew, 7, and Shannon, 3-1/2. The Smith family has moved back west to Lake Oswego, OR, after spending several years in Massachusetts. Karen works for transportation company CNF Inc. in Portland, managing their 401(k) and pension programs.

The news cards and e-mails have slowed to a trickle lately, but fortunately, some of you do write in reporting news of other '88ers. Nancy Michalski Wall e-mailed recently that her family would be relocating back to Okinawa for what should be her husband Michael's last assignment before retiring from the Army and Air Force Exchange System, known to many as the PX system. Nancy keeps very busy with her three children, the oldest of whom was born in Okinawa and hopes to go to Cornell one day! Nancy is thankful that e-mail is much more prevalent than the last time they were there and is already planning visits to Tokyo Disney, Australia, New Zealand, and a family gathering in Hawaii. Nancy wrote that she had chatted with Natasha Petrackis, who is also engaged in raising a family of three. She and husband Jim Casey, JD '94, have moved to a new home in Burke, VA.

Vicki Trabattoni Sullivan has also added another member to her family. She is a stay-athome mom raising sons Connor, 5, and Brady, 2, and the new addition as of last June, daughter Amelia.Vicki was a Cornell TriDelta who is active in the Denver alumnae chapter as co-chair of the silent auction committee for an annual fashion show fund-raiser for The Children's Hospital. Another TriDelta, Christine Brown Piller and husband Ken welcomed their third, son Lucas, in May of 2003. Lucas joined siblings Jacob and Katie at their home in Davidson, NC, where the Pillers are in the midst of building an addition. And if you need any more proof of three being a "magic number," Ken Szydlow sent news that he and wife Lisa Simpson '89 brought their third, daughter Emma Molly, into the world on Nov. 25, '03. Emma joined brothers Ben, 3-1/2, and Nathan, 2. Ken and Lisa have started a new business specializing in decorative architectural glass, while Ken also keeps busy in his job as VP for business development for Health Quest, a health system based in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Marc Weissman has also made an addition to his household, one of the canine variety! Last November,Marc brought home a 6-month-old bichon friese and named him, quite appropriately, Ezra--"Baron von Ezra" to be complete. The name follows in the tradition of the breed's royal ancestry and this particular dog's lineage, including a king, queen, and prince. On the professional front, Marc was on the project team that had a patent granted recently on the Summit ® Total Hip Replacement from DePuy/Johnson & Johnson. Another patent is pending for a future total hip design. In academia, Victor Seidel is now on the faculty of the business school at Oxford U. Victor teaches technical entrepreneurship and states, "It is a very exciting time as we build a new business school in an 800-yearold university."Victor would love to have visitors and recently saw Pete Lee and Steven, David '89, DVM '93, and Michael Santisi '91 at a favorite sushi restaurant in Manhattan.

For our last bit of classmate news,we received an interesting e-mail from Eric Way. When he wrote last October, Eric had recently participated in Overseas Americans Week in Washington,DC, where about a dozen organizations of Americans living abroad descended on the Capital "to bring awareness of the special challenges our group faces, most of which are caused by our very own government." Eric was in from Lyon, France, and was happy to meet another Cornellian, Mark Stenzler '82, in from Zurich, Switzerland. The main issues Overseas Americans are concerned with are taxation, census, voting rights, citizenship rights, and public diplomacy of, by, and for Americans living abroad.

In wrapping up, I'd like to note that our class website has received a wonderful face-lift through the efforts of class officers Howard Greenstein, Jane Scannell, and Larry Goldman. If you have not looked lately, please check it out at http://classof88.alumni.cornell.edu/. The additions to the site include some photos taken at our 15th Reunion last summer. Also updated on the site is the list of "missing" classmates. When you visit the site, be sure to read through this list of classmates with whom we have lost touch. If you have information about a name you see, please use the link provided to submit an update.

I hope you enjoy the summer that is nearly upon us. Let's hope that it is warm and sunny, but not nearly as hot as the winter was cold! As always, please send any news about yourself or classmates at any time--the supply is low and the demand is high. Tell us what you do on your summer vacations! -- Steve Tomaselli, st89@cornell.edu; and Suzanne Bors Andrews, smb68@cornell.edu.

89 | We'll be celebrating our 15th Reunion shortly after you read this--hope to see everyone in Ithaca! And here's something to put in your Palm Pilots for later this year: e-mail your news to your correspondents in the dead of winter. News seems to pile up at certain times of year (when class dues mailings go out), but as I write this column in February there are just a few items.

Thanks to Jim Hilsenteger, who provided the following update: "After 12 years of working as a mechanical engineer in the freight railcar industry with Gunderson Inc., I walked away from a perfectly good job as senior design engineer in June 2001 and began law school that fall at Lewis & Clark College Law School. I'm in my last year now and am pursuing patent law and patent litigation as a new career path. In the intervening years, I picked up a side passion of coaching rowing. I coached seven years for a local high school level club, Oregon Rowing Unlimited, before stepping down from the club. Since then I've been helping out with Lewis & Clark College's undergrad crew. I hope to continue coaching after law school. If folks come through my beautiful hometown of Portland, OR, feel free to contact me (hilsy@hilsy.com) and I'll show you great beer and great coffee."

Ardys Brinkmann Persson and husband Scott wrote to tell us of their "new Cornell legacy." Kyra Sage Persson was born on June 4, '03, joining her 3-year-old brother Sean, who calls her "his sweet princess."Another beautiful little girl was born to Andy Paterson and his wife Jenny Lim last year.Maggie Kai Lin Paterson will be turning 1 on May 27. Andy, Jenny, Cate, Logan, and Maggie live in Silver Spring, MD, and Andy works for the National Geographic Channel. Last we heard he was filming in India.

Mike and Lauren Kidder McGarry report the arrival of daughter Kerith Brooke in December 2003. She joins brother Thane, 6, and sister Jillian, 4, at their new home in Hamburg, NY (see below for new address).Mike continues to work from a home office for a small environmental consulting firm and gets to travel all over the country for work. Lauren is busy being a full-time mother and using her HDFS degree and life experiences writing and speaking for local mothers' groups.Mike extends this invitation to classmates: "Stop by for a visit if you're driving across New York State on 90--we're two minutes off the Thruway and there's always food in the fridge."

See you all at Reunion--and send in your news next February! -- Anne Czaplinski Treadwell, 105 Overlake Park, Burlington, VT 05401; e-mail, ac98@cornell.edu; Mike McGarry, 210 Highland Ave., Hamburg, NY 14075; e-mail, mmcgarry@dma-us.com; Stephanie Bloom Avidon, 5 Glenwood Rd., Plainview, NY 11803; e-mail, savidon1@hotmail.com.

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