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| SEP./OCT. 2005 VOLUME 108 NUMBER 2 | Class Notes |
90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99
91 | There is a lot of news, so rather than editorialize about the recent announcement by Jeffrey Lehman '77 that he has resigned after just two years in office as university president (a big loss), or the recent heat wave that has hit the northeast (too hot for June), or the price of gasoline (getting cheaper), or the war in Iraq (no comment) . . . let's get right to it.
Joel Freundlich and his wife Karen happily announced the birth of their son Kyle Robert. Kyle was born on December 30 and is doing great. Kyle's sisters Grace and Madeleine are very excited to have a little brother. Joel is working as a medicinal chemist at Jacobus Pharmaceuticals in Princeton. His research is focused on novel therapeutics for malaria. He can still be found running on the roads and trails of Princeton early in the a.m. Chiara Puffer Shah and her husband Sunish celebrated the birth of daughter Kayla on October 12, 2004. Chiara reports, "With her big brother Kiran, now almost 5, our family is complete.We have happily settled in central New Jersey, where Sunish continues to work in the telecommunications industry, and I will be starting graduate school this summer. In two years I should be teaching high school English."
Robert G.Williams and his wife Melissa announce the birth of their son Christopher Louis on April 18. Christopher joins sister Caroline Brooke, who is 20 months old. These days, Rob is putting his English degree to work by developing a writing program for the 160 junior analysts and associates in the Lehman Brothers equity research department. Jeffrey Zola, ME '92, is living in Portland, OR, with his wife Julie and two boys Matthew, 6, and Sam, 3. After 13 years as a process engineer in semiconductor manufacturing, Jeffrey recently became registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office in patent matters and has started a new career as a patent agent at Kolisch Hartwell PC, an intellectual property law firm in Portland.
Cristos Goodrow and his wife Elizabeth (Toole), JD '97, write of the birth of their fourth child, Eve Elizabeth, on March 5, 2005. Wendy Fuhr writes that she is working full-time in family medicine in Collegeville, PA.Wendy is also in an all-female, traditional folk/Celtic/Americana group called Full Frontal Folk, which played in Ithaca on the nationally syndicated radio coffeehouse Bound for Glory, a show that is recorded in front of a live audience in Anabel Taylor Hall.Wendy sends out greetings "to any other former Touchtones reading this."
Jennifer Chuang VanderMarck finished her MBA in May 2004 and was married to a Stanford grad on August 28, 2004 in Sonoma, CA. Cornellians in attendance included: Kana Muraki, Michelle Casey Krakora '93,Matt '92 and Inger Hultgren Meyer '92, Randy '92 and Heather Nelson Koch '92, Lisa Lutz '92, Ed Barry, Liz Flynn '93, Eric '92 and Anne Tevebaugh Baurmeister '92, Eric Brinkley '93, ME '95, and Chris '90 and Jennifer King Hartung '92.
Jeremy Sarachan is a visiting instructor of communication/journalism at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. He and his wife Marie have a 4-month-old daughter Lillian. Marcia Delanty and her husband Caleb Brown have graduated (May 2005) from the U. of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. In between caring for their son Darius, born June 2, 2004, both Marcia and Caleb will be taking the Bar exam in July. Stephen Merz was recently promoted to VP, Administration at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Stephen's responsibilities include management of most non-clinical operational areas of the hospital, as well as its psychiatric hospital.
Lori AttanasioWoodring writes that she and husband Patrick '90 were blessed with twin girls on December 12, 2004. Isabella Maria and Tessa Jolee should be graduating from Cornell in 2025. Dave Koch and his wife Sara are living in New Canaan, CT, with 2-1/2-year-old son Griffin and 9-month-old daughter Payton. Therese Duane and Jeffrey Tessier welcomed son Xavier Duane-Tessier on July 1, 2004. Xavier joins brother Luke John, born October 21, 2004. Stephen Shimony reports that he and his wife Stacy welcomed their first child, Rebecca Morgan, on September 13, 2004.
Richard Levy is working as a research analyst for the National Multi-Housing Council in Washington, DC. In addition to his job, Richard participates in frequent piano recitals.He recently attended the wedding of his freshman-year roommate Marc Bloomstein. Ted Mason and his wife Holly have a 2-year-old daughter Sophia. Ted is practicing otology and neurotology in Springfield, MA, where he is the only specialist of his kind. Ted started a cochlear implant program at Baystate Medical Center, bringing hearing to deaf children and adults.
Lia Belanger Book, DVM '95, and husband Glen, DVM '95, have finished a two-year renovation of their 100-year-old farmhouse. They have sheep, peafowl, a donkey, dogs, and cats. In addition to their farm animals, the Books also have two children,Miles, born November 3, 2000, and Avery, born February 16, 2004. Christine Montenegro- Okezie writes that she married Tobenna Okezie (a Princeton alum--egad!) in September 2001 in NYC. They have one son, Chinwe Tristan Okezie, born July 9, 2003.
Cristina Moeder Shaul and husband Matt moved to Charlotte, NC, in April, where she promptly joined the Cornell Alumni Association. The Shauls have a 2-year-old son James. Cristina writes, "The weather is great and the flowering trees are gorgeous, but I still miss my friends back in Connecticut." Jean Signorelli Spiegel has been working for Kohl's department store for nearly seven years. Jean, husband Bruce, and their 3-year-old daughter Lauren recently relocated from Maryland to Albany and are looking forward to exploring the Capital District and surrounding areas and getting to Ithaca and Cayuga Lake this summer. Michael Maltenfort reports his wedding last September to John Glover.Michael is teaching math at one of the City Colleges of Chicago and developing his skills as a square dance caller "as a sideline."
And last but certainly not least, I had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Evan Kanew and Joanna Cohen in New York City on June 18, 2005. Evan's wedding brought together friends not only from Cornell, but also from summer camp, elementary school, and high school--a true testament to the kind of friend Evan is. It was a wonderful occasion and we wish him the best of happiness in his marriage. Oh, and I left a small crumbled piece of paper behind the third tile to the left in the main room that reads, "EK was here in 2005." I'm hoping Evan will go back and retrieve it around 2030.
Congratulations to all the newlyweds, newly-hireds, new parents, and parents for the second, third, and fourth times. Hope you had a good summer! -- Nina Rosen Peek, nsr5@cornell.edu; Dave Smith, docds30@yahoo.com; and Corinne Kuchling, kuccori@hotmail.com.
92 | Our classmates continue to be busy building their families, advancing their careers, and following their passions. Here's the latest. Lisa Cindolo Grace wrote that she and her husband Keith live in New Jersey with their 1-year-old daughter Olivia. Lisa is the managing editor of Quick & Simple magazine, a women's weekly that launched this summer. Her husband practices family law. Lisa reports she is still best friends with her two Cornell roommates, Candis Griggs Hakim and Danielle Cleveland Sears, who both have children and live in California and Hawaii, respectively.
James '91 and Christina Ching Skrocki moved to Flagstaff, AZ, and are enjoying life with their children. Christine Duncan married William Wilson on September 11, 2004 on Long Island. In attendance were Danielle Austen, Thomas James "TJ" Lepore, Jennifer Miner, Shannon O'Barr Decker, Andrew Yonteff, Christoper Ortiz '93, and Alexander Ortiz '93. Christine is currently practicing ob/gyn in Lake Success, NY.
Can you believe that Lisa Burton Radzely forgot to send us news that she had a second son on Jan 2, 2004? Devin and his 5-year-old brother Brendan were among the crowd that cheered on Cornell's hockey victory over Clarkson on Jan. 29 at a D.C. sports bar. Lisa wrote,"My kids get credit for being the youngest ones cheering for the Big Red. Brendan screamed for Cornell, and Devin clapped at goals and other good plays. You can never start too young!" Jody Kraft and husband Kevin Mills '93 are raising their boys Joey, 5, Andy, 3, and Sammy, 2, in Torrance, CA. Jody practices family medicine as medical director at a community clinic in Wilmington, CA. Also hard at work, MichelleWitt Pattison keeps busy with her husband Scott and 2-year-old Kennedy.
Lisa Everts spent a weekend at Disney World last December with Karen Miu, PhD '98, and her husband Justin Miller '95, ME '96. She also visited Vicky Lattone in New Jersey last summer. Congratulations to Lance and Amy Bonsall Harry on the birth of their son Baden on Jan. 5. Amy is a realtor in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and handles local real estate sales. She also helps with relocation placement nationally. Speaking of relocating, Jeannine Polito Centanni and her family moved from New Jersey to Charlotte, NC, last spring. "Although the move far from family was a little hard, we really like Charlotte and do not miss the winters in the Northeast!" Jeannine and her husband have daughters Abby, 6, Carly, 3, and Bailey, who was born on March 21. Jeannine is home with the girls for now, but is considering starting a home-based business.
Maher and Candis Griggs Hakim have a daughter Layla Elizabeth, who was born Aug. 16, 2004. They embarked on a two-week trip to Syria earlier this year so Layla could meet her Arab family. Candis said she studies Arabic, and they hope to raise Layla to be bilingual. Currently Candis is on hiatus from her museum contracts as an object conservator. She hopes to get back to archaeological fieldwork someday soon, but for now is plenty busy with her daughter. Chris and Christy Jordan King are thrilled to announce the birth of their second son, Collin, who was born on Mar. 21. Older son Brendan is 4-1/2. Christy continues to work at QA1 Precision Products Inc. as the executive VP. The company manufactures high performance shock absorbers and bearings.
Rajiv and Aaanchal Jain live in Getzville, NY, and Rajiv is a team physician at the U. of Buffalo Sports Medicine Inst. Also in upstate New York, just south of Rochester, is Steven Barber, an associate VP with Wachovia Securities.He wrote that he moved from crowded Long Island to a 25-acre horse ranch. "[I was] last seen driving off in my new tractor." Sharon Boyle resigned from Dell so she could follow a new career path. She plans to work in the area of Christian global missions and disaster relief. She lives in Austin, TX. DavidWuosmaa has a new job as a research associate in the tomato breeding program for Ready Plants in Estero, FL.
Paul and Amy Osenar had their first child, Torin Riley, in October. Paul co-founded Protonex Technology Corp. They received a second round of venture capital and are 20 employees strong, focused on building fuel cells for portable military devices. Sadi Erfani is finishing his second year of a plastic surgery fellowship at the U. of Texas, Houston. He and his wife Gail have a 2-year-old son Zachary.
If you'd like to see your news here, please send it to us. Just remember that we can't report on pregnancies or engagements, but we do love including info on new births and weddings.We also enjoy sharing most any kind of news about you and our classmates, so send in the news of jobs, vacations, home projects--whatever you think your classmates should know!--Renee Hunter Toth, rah24@cornell.edu; Debbie Feinstein, Debbie_Feinstein@yahoo.com;Wilma Ann Anderson, Info@WilPowerEnterprises.com.
93 | Hello, everyone.Happy September! Thanks to those who filled out their News and Dues update cards and to those who send info through e-mail. Please keep it coming! Now on to the news. Alison Schroeer writes that she is completing an MS in medical illustration from the Medical College of Georgia in May 2005. Following graduation she will begin a private practice medical and scientific illustration company in Chapel Hill, NC. She recently adopted an Australian shepherd/sheltie mix, Abby. Ann Wang writes that she is living in San Francisco and loving it! She is working at Merrill Lynch as part of a wealth management team. She just purchased her first house and first rental property.
Alison Amsterdam e-mailed that she lectured at Cornell for Dr. Parrot's human sexuality class PAM 350 (aka, the old HSS 315) on April 12, 2005. She spoke on "sexuality and cancer," and focused on the effects of a cancer diagnosis on sexual function. It went so well that she will be doing another lecture in the fall and hopes to make it an ongoing gig! Eileen Adamo, DVM '97, and her husband Jim Cotter '92, ME '93, have continued to keep their lives busy with the addition of another daughter,Madeleine Mary, born May 27, 2004. Older daughter Elizabeth Donovan turned 3 in May and is enjoying her role as the big sister. Jim is still CEO of his software company, CNS Digital Systems, though there may be a buy-out on the horizon. Eileen opened "The Cat Doctors," her own feline-exclusive veterinary hospital, in November 2003 in Penfield, NY, with a fellow Cornellian, Mary Lummis '81, DVM '85. She writes that it has been an amazing experience! If you have any cat questions, you can reach them at www.thecatdoctors. com.
David and Shoshana Sperber Baskind '96 e-mailed to say that they welcomed their first child, Jacob Philip, on March 15, 2005. Dave, a 1996 graduate of Cardozo Law School, is an insurance defense litigator with the New Jersey office of Traub Eglin Lieberman Straus LLP, and lives in East Brunswick. Christine Robillard Isaacs and husband Jonathan are the proud new parents of daughter Cary Sophia (Cornell class of 2026!). Christine is an ob/gyn, and Jonathan is an orthopedic surgeon. Both are on the faculty at Virginia Commonwealth U.Medical Center in Richmond, VA.
I recently caught up with David E. Cohen, who has been working in a new job for about a year. He's now at JPMorgan in their equities research group. David, his wife Janine, and their son Evan are living on the Upper East Side. He told me that Eric Hausman and his wife recently had a baby, and I went straight to the new father to confirm it.He did so via e-mail, writing, "Emma Olivia was born on Dec. 8, 2004 and is providing endless fun for Dad and Mom."His old housemate Neal Stern also welcomed a baby in the fall of 2004--a girl, Kayla Hannah, born September 15, 2004. She joins brother Aaron who is 3 years old. Neal and his family are living on Long Island, and he is working as a lawyer at Cap Gemini.
In May, our class sponsored an alumni picnic for the classes of 1990 to 1995 in Central Park.We had a beautiful day and I walked over from the West Side to attend. It was a great opportunity to catch up with some old friends. Lauren Bailyn Sapira, MBA '94, was there with her husband Valdi and their son Josh. Now that Dave '92 and Christine Watters Stuhlmiller have moved back to the area, it was great to see them and have them at a local event. Our class president Todd Rethemeier, MBA '95, was there, and VP Courtney Erickson came in from Albany. Elise Rosenberg came up from downtown Manhattan, and Pippa Loengard came over from the East Side, as did Kathy Nielsen. AllisonWaxberg and her husband Marc Milgrom '94 also stopped by to say hello. Brett, MS '95, and FernWeinfeld Silverman '94 and their daughter made the trip into the city from Long Island. Lori Denenberg Herz and husband Eric met up with Maryann O'Connor Child and her husband Rick '90, MBA '94, who brought their girls. There were a number of other classmates there, as well as Cornellians from the classes of 1990 to 1995. It was a lot of fun and we hope it's something we'll be able to do again!
Have a great fall and keep sending in your news! -- Yael Berkowitz Rosenberg, ygb1@cornell.edu; and Erica Fishlin Fox, ericazzz@aol.com.
94 | This season's column opens with the latest gifts from the stork. In May, Christina (Dougan) and Jonathan Blocksom welcomed their second son, Amory. According to the proud papa, the baby weighed 11 pounds, 9 ounces, and "was the biggest baby her doctor ever delivered." Also in May, Scott Behson and his wife Amy Griffin were ecstatic at the birth of their son Nicholas. Earlier in the year, Chris and Ralane Randolph Bonn celebrated the birth of daughter Alexandra.
Liza Brown Somilleda, the mother of Noah and a teacher of middle school English and history in South Los Angeles, checked in with more updates of newly minted parents. Congratulations go out to Sandip, ME '95, and Carly Powell Tarafdar, whose daughter Satya was born in April. Last October, Laurie Taylor and husband John McKernan welcomed baby Caroline, while Jane Gorayeb Kiernan and husband Tom had a second boy named Alex. Liza mentioned Kathy Burdette Shields, who bought an old house in Newton, MA."They have made some amazing renovations to it--doing lots of the labor themselves!"
Speaking of labor, Allison Hamilton-Rohe gave birth to a daughter, Adelia Anne. The new family now has a little extra wiggle room in their new house in Jersey City, NJ. Also in the New York area is Sanket Akerkar, who moved from California to Westchester with his wife and daughter Sejal. He now punches the clock at Microsoft. In Manhattan, Hemda Mizrahi is busy fixing up her new apartment and running her own counseling/coaching business, Life & Career Choices Inc. If you're looking for job advice, check out www.lifeandcareerchoices.com.
In Fairport, NY, Eileen Sierk Adams is the mother of 4-year-old Elizabeth and 2-year-old Emily: "I am a stay-at-home mom, although I recently started working parttime at a local, independent toy store. I'm accredited as a La Leche League leader, helping other mothers breastfeed their children." In the Boston suburbs, Jill Levine Bradford is enjoying her children Adam and Jessica. "They keep us busy, but also help us maintain our sense of humor! After taking a four-year hiatus to spend time with my kids, I am going back to practicing corporate law part-time at a small boutique firm in Wellesley, MA."
Legal eagle Jeffrey Anbinder reported his graduation from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City; back in June, he was studying for the Bar exam and job hunting. Another member of the Big Red/Big Apple nexus is Osman Ali, who wrote, "After completing my residency at Weill Cornell Medical College, I stayed in the city to do a fellowship and then to build a private practice in psychiatry. I would love to hear from fellow Cornellians in NYC who are interested in career advice or social or professional networking." Also in the medical field is Jennifer Altamura Namzy, an allergist at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, CA, who is enjoying the mild weather with her husband (whom she wed in Dallas in 2000) and finding time to catch up with her old roommate Jessica O'Toole. As for screenwriter Jessica, her handiwork can be seen in the movie Material Girls, slated for release next year. The film stars Hilary Duff and Anjelica Huston.
From Phoenix, AZ, Christopher Alt and Christiana Moss '93 e-mailed to announce the two-year anniversary of Studio Ma, their architecture firm. Some recent clients include the Heard Museum, which showcases Native culture (particularly of the Southwest), and the Arizona State U. bookstore. You can also entrust your real estate to Derek Bloom, BArch '94, who lives in Marblehead, MA, with his wife Eliza and son Aidan. He recently founded Derek Bloom Architects.
And now for the latest from the Midwest (sadly, news from the Heartland has been sparse). After graduating from Harvard with a PhD in Romance languages and literature, Maggie Flinn relocated to Urbana, IL, with Patrick Bray '98 and cats Lucy and Simon. Among the corn and soybean fields,Maggie is enjoying her first year as a tenure-track assistant professor at the U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she teaches in the French and cinema studies departments.
Another career update comes from Cynthia Bartok, the associate director for the Center for Childhood Obesity Research at Pennsylvania State U., where she is investigating "the role of early feeding practices in the prevention of pediatric obesity." She and husband Jonathan Olson celebrated their tenth anniversary in July and are the parents of 4-year-old Jordan and 1-year-old Ariana. Also hanging his hat in Pennsylvania is Greg Lingo, who lives in Kennett Square with his wife Valerie.
Adam Binder checked in from Florida, where he lives with his wife and son and works as the head of sales and marketing for American Coach Lines.He recently caught up with the Klugherz family (Seth, Jolee (Rosenau), and their daughters Rayna and Dara) at Disney World. Hopping the pond to Europe, Todd Beck and his wife Susanna found time to sail with six friends along Croatia's Dalmatian coast, winding up in picturesque Dubrovnik.Matt Schaab crossed several time zones recently, roaming in Cambodia and South Africa. -- Dika Lam, dikaweb@yahoo.com; Jennifer Rabin Marchant, jennifer.marchant@kraft.com; Dineen PashoukosWasylik, dmp5@cornell.edu.
96 | Greetings, 'Sixers! I hope this column finds you well. Tell me if you have recently experienced this thirty-something dilemma . . . I recently was walking around my apartment and wondering if it was still, for lack of a better interior design term, too "college." There are no posters of rock stars, pithy inspirational sayings, or the periodic table. No overstuffed Seventies couches, dying ficus trees, or well-worn industrial carpeting. I've also managed to graduate from IKEA--woo hoo! However, I still haven't quite gotten my feng shui on. I have things to sit on, there are several pieces of art and tapestries thoughtfully hung on the walls, and I do vacuum once in a while, but the place still has that not-quite-lived-in feel. I would venture to say that maybe it's "shabby chic" (is that still in, by the way?), but if any of you folks with a hankering for design want to write in and give me a few tips, I'm all ears. Otherwise, I'll still wait for one of those myriad home design shows to come knocking on my door. Thanks for letting me share my most recent existential dilemma. Here are your Class of '96 notes.
Andy and Jessica Brief received a very special anniversary present this year: daughter Jordana Ivy was born on January 2, 2005. Andy, Jessica, and Jordana reside in New York City, where Andy is completing his residency in orthopedic surgery at NYU, and Jessica is an elementary school teacher. Gina Saline Accordino recently wrote,"Here's one from me. After moving from apartment to apartment in NYC, Tom and I finally moved out to the 'burbs.We bought a house in Chappaqua, NY, and honed our manual labor skills doing renovations.We planned on finally moving in on January 17, but instead we went straight to the hospital, as Julia Mary Accordino had other plans-- our little bundle of joy arrived early! We had lots of fun moving into a new house in snowstorms with a newborn--especially when the heat went out and the pipes burst. Ugh! Now that things have settled down (and Julia's been sleeping through the night), we have had a chance to enjoy our beautiful baby girl! It's so weird, though . . . new house, new baby--we feel way too grown up!"
David Rickell is an area VP with Waffle House Corp. and resides in Spartanburg, SC, with his wife Kate. Dave and Kate welcomed a baby boy, Charles Elliott, into their family on March 1, 2005. Kate wrote,"He's a big, healthy baby; Terry Koza has nicknamed him ‘Touchdown Charlie' and is encouraging Dave to start conditioning him for Big Red football."
Shoshana Sperber Baskind and husband David '93 welcomed Jacob Philip into the world on March 15, 2005. Shoshana might have had the ultimate experience in new-mom training: she received her doctorate in child clinical psychology from NYU in 2003. She is now working as a school psychologist in Marlboro Township, NJ, in addition to seeing children and families in private practice. Hannah Alessandra Quigley was born to proud parents David '95 and AngelaWhitehead Quigley. And just in the nick of time for the column, Ilana Preuss Susskind and husband Hadar welcomed daughter Ana into their family on July 3, 2005. Ilana,Hadar, Ana, and new big brother Yoav live in Takoma Park,MD. Congratulations to all of our classmates on their new arrivals!
Becca Schader provided us with some great column news. She writes, "I am still a writer/producer for HBO, and they are keeping me as busy as ever. I finished last year by working on the ‘Six Feet Under' and ‘The Wire' campaigns, and begin this year by promoting the show ‘Carnivale' (which stars another Cornell alum, Carla Gallo '97!). However, the best thing to happen at HBO this month was learning that I had won a gold medal for my ‘Sex and the City: A Farewell' show at the New York Festival 2005 (an international competition for the promo world). The best thing to happen to me this year--by far--is that the new magazine I work for hit the stands with Jennifer Garner as our first cover; I'm the entertainment editor for a new college magazine called Co-Ed Magazine, which is now available at more than 1,000 college bookstores (including Cornell!), in addition to places like Wal-Mart, Target, and Borders, etc." Becca recently got a chance to catch up with many of her old friends during her 30th birthday party in January. 'Sixers Elizabeth Rand, Christina Cellini, MD '00, Gail Rosenberg Deutsch, and Susanna Klein, plus Marc Levin '95 and Elise Rosenberg '93 all helped Becca ring in her fourth decade.
On a closing note, I just want to make sure that everyone is sufficiently fired-up for our 10th (that's right, count 'em, TEN) Reunion, June 8-11, 2006. It's a fantastic chance to experience Cornell from somewhere besides the confines of Mann Library (oh, I'm just kidding!). Reconnect with friends, visit old haunts, and remember that special time in life--pre-mortgage, pre-parenthood, pre-responsibility in general. (And if you, like me, anticipate still having to show your ID at the door of your favorite C-town spots, just remember that at our advanced age, it's a compliment.) Looking forward to seeing you in Ithaca! -- Sheryl Magzamen, slm1@cornell.edu; Allie Cahill, Alexandra Cahill@aol.com; and Courtney Rubin, cbr1@cornell.edu. For updated class events, news, and resources, visit http://classof96.alumni.cornell.edu.
97 | As fall approaches, it is time to think back to some of our first days in Ithaca. It is also time to look forward.What has the Class of '97 been up to lately? Well, they've been . . . Getting Promoted! Jonas Chartock (jchartock@charterschoolpolicy.org) became president and CEO of the Charter School Policy Inst., a think tank that promotes quality public school choice legislation, in January of this year. Jonas also bought his first house, which he shares with his pit bull River, in the great city of Austin, TX. Our class treasurer, Ken Olsen (kenneth.olsen@morganstanley.com), is working as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley in Garden City, NY. He invites anyone needing help with a 401k rollover or retirement plan to contact him. Thanks, Ken!
Getting Married! Mary Carmen Gasco (mcg3@cornell.edu) tied the knot in her native Dominican Republic on September 4, 2004. By marrying Gerard Buisson at the Casa de Campo Resort, she became Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson. She was also promoted to brand manager at Procter & Gamble, which has allowed for travel to San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, and London, to name a few. Sounds like a busy year--but not too busy to keep up with friends. Classmates Yomarie Socarras, Kety Esquivel, and Kristin Boekhoff attended the nuptials, making it all the more special. Also in 2004, Beth Rothenstein (bharman526@hotmail.com) married Matthew Harman on May 23.Many classmates attended, including bridesmaid Julie Leffler Schultz and husband Andrew, bridesmaid Ellen Goodman Stiefel and husband Marc, bridesmaid Yvette Nick Montvelisky, and bridesmaid Samantha Youngman Meiler. Beth has kept busy as a speech pathologist working at Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital (MEETH) and works with some private clients on the side, while Matthew runs a hedge fund in the city. Beth also attended the wedding of Marisa Waldman and Michael Matays in October 2004 and updated us that Julie and Andrew Schultz had a baby girl, Emily Celia, on September 15, 2004.
The sunny state of Florida was the site of the December 4, 2004 wedding of Brian Peiser (blpeiser@yahoo.com) and Lisa Strunc. Attending the nuptials in Captiva were classmates Randall Brater, Randall Martel, MS '98, Jonathan Kruszynski, Robert Del Fierro, Kristin Loberg, Nancy Doon, and Danielle Ledoux. Brian and Lisa live in Chicago. Colleen Zampier (cjz8@juno.com) married Michael Casey in Troy, NY, in December of 2003. Guests included classmates Heather Rauf, Julie Platt, and Mindy Shaw-Lund. Scott Hatherley (shatherl@mac.com) and Stephanie Licht tied the knot on September 11, 2004. Scott reports that the weather was great and perfect for a wedding. Classmate Brad Hopper attended the nuptials at the Weekapaug Inn in Westerly, RI. The couple honeymooned in Hawaii for two weeks. Scott also passed along news of Brad Hopper's recent addition. Brad and his wife Laura welcomed Olivia Katherine on May 21, 2005. On March 26, 2005, Michael Pine (michael. pine@organon.com) married Shari Krumper on Long Island. Cornellians attending were Dan Ury and Sankha Lahiri '02. Michael and Shari live in Scarsdale, NY, where Michael is the director of global business development for Organon Int'l, a mid-sized pharmaceutical company. Shari stays busy as a speech language pathologist doing home care for young children. Congrats to all!
Having Babies! Shoham Filhart and Marisa Dolled-Filhart '00 welcomed their son Sapir in August 2004.Marisa describes him as a lot of fun, with a great personality. He's even been to see a Cornell versus Yale hockey game! Shoham works in finance for General Electric, while Marisa is finishing up a PhD in genetics at Yale. The family enjoyed a vacation to Israel and can't wait to take Sapir up to Ithaca. Rebecca Cantor Amster sent in news of the birth of her son Jacob Alexander on February 27, 2005. Rebecca says everyone is doing well and is very sleep-deprived! Husband Matt '95 is graduating from U. of Miami Law School and will sit for the Florida Bar in July, while brother Ari '05 was set to graduate from the Hotel school.
Chris Braceland (cbraceland@hotmail.com) and wife Christine welcomed daughter Jacqueline Eleanor into the world on April 14, 2005. Chris says that everyone is doing great. Another future Cornellian is Rowen Nyah Keister, daughter of Drew Keister (medstar2@yahoo.com). Rowen entered the world on November 9, 2004 and is thriving, but sad to be far away from Cornell while her parents serve out their Air Force commitment in Omaha, NE.
In the hubbub of putting together this column, information sometimes inadvertently gets left out. This happened last column to my co-correspondent, Erica Broennle Nelson. Thus, it is with great honor that I get to announce the birth of Adair Juliene Nelson to Erica and her husband Lathrop. Adair first graced us with her presence on March 21, 2005. Both mom and babe are doing well. Congratulations to all our new parents, and welcome to all the future Cornellians! Maybe we'll see your names on these pages in 25 years!
Reunion is just two years away. Send us your updates when you get your annual News and Dues mailing this fall, and let us know who you'd like to see in June 2007! -- Sarah Deardorff Carter, sjd5@cornell.edu; Erica Broennle Nelson, ejb4@cornell.edu. Class website, http://classof97.alumni.cornell.edu.
98 | It is the beginning of the summer when we write this column, which means we have just finished watching all the season finales of the latest television series. While we know full well we can't possibly compete with Tivo, here we bring you some snapshots of true reality. Are you ready? Here we go: "Real World 2005: Cornell Class of '98."
The Apprentice(s). Daniel Cane started the company CourseInfo while at Cornell. It had its IPO, and it is now known as Blackboard. Tim Chi, John Yang, John Knight, and Stephen Gilfus '97 all still work with Daniel at Blackboard.Who might the apprentice be? Daniel and wife Debra had a son, Connor, last year. Teodor Todorov graduated from Harvard Business School in June 2004, where he was in the same section with Vik Punwani and Danielle Blumberg. Last July he relocated to London, where he is working for Morgan Stanley. Jennifer Brokaw is a financial advisor with Goldman Sachs in New York City.
The Baby Channel. Kelsey Leigh, new baby daughter of Brendon and Cindy Moore Harrington '99, arrived May 25. A week later Brendon started a new job with UrbanTrans Consultants. Elyse Weidhorn Everett is married to Scott '97, and their daughter Hannah Rochelle was born November 3, 2004. They moved into their new house in Westfield, NJ, on December 13. Lots of Cornellians visited Elyse at the hospital, including Lauren Israel Segal, Joshua and Penny Kramer Hecht, Alissa Isikoff Dorfmon, Aliza Kirshenbaum '99, Kevin Ellenwood '97, and Matt '97 and Kara Levy Zlotnick.
Anoop, MMH '98, and Bindia Patel have daughters Arti, 5, and Dharma, 3. Nathan and Barbara Craft Blesy have been married since 1998. They now have five children: Alexandra, born in June 2000; Ashley, born in May 2002; and triplet boys Matthew, Brett, and Timothy on September 21, 2004. Congratulations! Nathan works on the family partnership dairy farm with his father, and Barbara is teaching biology at a local high school.
Grey's Anatomy. Christian P. DiPaola is in his second year as an orthopedic surgery resident at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY. He married Cara Lunbascram, a St. John's grad whom he met while in med school, on Nov. 20, 2004. She is a recent law school graduate and passed the New York Bar. Three other Cornellians were in the wedding party:Matthew DiPaola (best man and twin brother), Kip Melstrom '99, MD '03, and Buck Briggs '76.Matthew is in residency in Philadelphia at Jefferson, and is also in orthopedic surgery. Ryan Smart is living in Milford, CT, and is matched at Yale U. for orthopedic surgery residency.Wow, three orthopedic surgeons in a row. No sweat if you ever break a bone!
The Newlyweds. Kenneth Dai, ME '99, lives in Baltimore,MD, and is married to Audrey Chan '97. Mark and Sarah Long Wetzstein were married on October 3, 2004 in Beverly Hills, CA. Over a dozen Cornellians attended the wedding, including Michelle Nagle Grow (and husband Mat), who had a baby girl, Katie, in May; Franci Pearlman Ollard, whose baby Gabriella celebrated her first birthday on January 26; and Samantha Frankel, who married Ari Friedman on New Year's Day in Miami, FL, and had about as many Cornellians at the wedding as Mark and Sarah. Michelle Houle married Scott Hitz on Valentine's Day 2005 in a small ceremony in their home in Brooklyn, NY.Michelle and Scott met at the Vineyard Theatre, where Michelle is the director of development and where Scott freelances regularly.
Globetrekker. Jeff Williams returned to New York this year after completing a graduate program at Oxford and a Fulbright exchange in Oslo, Norway. Jeff is working as a manager of economic and research policy at Pfizer in NYC. James Roberts was dispatched by his company to a few cities around the country, and he was excited to share his alumni encounters (thank you!). He started in San Francisco, where he caught up with classmate Anthony Jones, a first year Stanford Business School student. In spite of the curriculum, Anthony remains dedicated to the program's social activities. He also had the chance to visit Seattle, Dallas,Miami, Philadelphia, and Boston on his way back to New York. On his last stop (through Boston), he was happy to run into his old friend Erik Yazdani, who is in his second year at MIT's Sloan MBA program. Agnes Galvez wrote that she was expecting her MS in nutrition in June 2005 from Cal State U., Northridge. She will start her PhD nutrition program in August 2005 at Oklahoma State U., Stillwater. Last but not least, Karen Ruenitz reports that she is living in Oakland, CA.
To be continued. Until the next column, please keep on sending us news and updates on what's going on in your world! -- Erica Chan, hc31@cornell.edu; Gregg Herman, gdh5@cornell.edu.
99 | So, I don't have kids or a dog, I did not marry the captain of the football team, and I certainly didn't invent the Post-it Note. But when I show up for my 10th high school reunion this fall, I can feel victorious because: a) the braces are no more; and b) the word "bangs" is no longer part of my vocabulary (nor is the Rave hairspray that kept them in place). Thankfully, it seems that the past ten years have treated many in the Cornell Class of '99 well.
Maile Goldstein Gilmore, for one, is married and has a dog. Koa, the beagle, is a new addition to Maile's family in Atlanta, where she works for Seyfarth Shaw LLP in the labor and employment group. Eric Pannese, too, has adopted Chance, a poodle/sheepdog mix, and lives with his wife in their newly built San Diego home, from which Eric commutes to the MBA program at the UCLA Anderson School.
As far as kids go, we've got 'em. Benjamin Fish and his wife welcomed Jacob into their lives this January. Benjamin also kicked his real estate brokerage job up a notch by opening his own firm--and if you're interested, he's giving discounts to Cornellians. Crew-woman Allyson Spahr and Leard Huggins '00, BS '01, had a little one,Maggie Lauren, in January. I hope Maggie will be learning how to handle an oar soon! Sarah (Hultquist) and Scott Roby in Orange County are on child numero 2. Natalie Gayle was born in April and is named in honor of "Aunt Rach," Rachel Gayle Plasky, MILR '02. Kate Zutt Bruno in Charlottesville,VA, has a successful nutrition and fitness company, On Track Nutrition. She and husband Tony have a 1-1/2-year-old, Virginia Elizabeth, who "keeps us very busy and entertained."
We have school "sweetheart" stories, too. After working as an aquatic biologist--driving airboats and wrestling manatees--for the state of Florida, Lisa Ahijevych married Cornell sweetheart Jonathan Griffin '97 in October '03. Their wedding took place at Anabel Taylor chapel, and the reception was held at a local vineyard. Attendees included, but were not limited to, Annie Koehne de Gonzalez, Alison Juozokas, Laura Baccash Franzon, and MollyWarsh. After graduating Columbia dental school, Greg Miller moved to San Francisco to do a residency at UCSF in orthodontics, where he met and married a fellow orthodontist.Millers, I hope your kids have the straightest teeth on the block.
In my high school reunion registration form, I was asked to buy a "commemorative digitized copy" of our senior yearbook. Really? Who's behind this madness? As much as I fondly remember my high school Debate Team days, I don't think anyone needs to be reminded how one looks in an oversized suit with shoulder pads. Believe you me.
Missy Globerman, a fellow South Florida debater, would commiserate.Missy has moved to D.C. for the Vilar Inst. for Arts Management at the Kennedy Center, after three years of managing the Alonzo King's LINES Ballet in San Francisco. "In" are the sharp suits for gallery openings and the opera; "out" are the shoulder pads. It seems like Darcy Partridge has stayed close to her science honors high school days--through her post-doc, she's researching peanut diseases at Virginia Tech's Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Virginia Beach.
Scott Levine hasn't given up the guitar he played in high school.He's working as a Web developer for Staples in Boston, having finished his master's in visual and media arts at Emerson, and can be seen all over the Northeast playing in bands such as the Beantown Project, the Velvet Stylus, the Spacnips, and 7 Coyotes. Stefan Lawrence and Alex Zalben are still enjoying improv-ing--their sketch comedy group Elephant Larry was reviewed in the New York Times as "a hilarious multimedia mix of the deadpan and maniacal . . . they ricochet fearlessly from subtly savvy to aggressively lowbrow." Carl Winter writes from Brazil that not only is he fearful of his high school reunion, he's responsible for planning it.How could a reunion in Brazil be dreadful, thought I? But no, he has to leave his tropical paradise to fly back to Kansas for the two-day affair.
While the Post-it line has already been used by Lisa Kudrow, we have some stories that rank up there (and two include chocolate). Margarita Rodriguez has moved to Glendale, CA, to continue to work for Nestle USA as a strategic sourcing manager. Her job involves travel through Central and South America. And Courtney Hodge is working in the family business, Echo Farm Puddings, which she started with her sister while at Cornell. The puddings are sold throughout the Northeast and just hit the refrigerator section of Whole Foods in Southern California.
But I think my favorite story to tell at reunion comes from Peter Polidoro: "Since graduating from Cornell, I fell out of a window in Italy and broke both of my arms, drove an old car to Central America and dumped it in Costa Rica, drove up to Alaska and slid my truck into a lake, hiked to both the highest and lowest elevations in the lower 48, and got chased on Alcatraz Island for camping overnight illegally with fellow Cornell '99er Greg Aloe."
There you have it, class. Throw away those scrunchies, cozy up to the 11th grade crush, stay far away from the digitized yearbooks, and go brave those ten-year reunions. Good luck out there. -- Jess Smith, jessica@fenton.com; Melanie Arzt, snoopymel@gmail.com; or Jennifer Sheldon, jennifer.sheldon@gmail.com.