50 | Over the weekend of January 19-20, class officers and council members attended the annual Mid-Winter Meeting of CACO (Cornell Association of Class Officers). For the second consecutive year the meeting was held in Philadelphia instead of New York. Future meetings are also planned for Philadelphia. CACO plays a unique and collaborative role in helping achieve Cornell's goal of creating and maintaining strong relationships with its alumni. The Office of Alumni Affairs, through CACO, also helps class officers plan and carry out reunions and other class events.

On Friday night 13 members of the class and two spouses joined 34 members of the classes of '51, '52, and '53, and several spouses and friends for a gala dinner in the elegant, wood-paneled Lincoln Memorial Room of the Union League of Philadelphia. Class members came from all over: class president Dick Pogue from Cleveland, OH; Walt and Ruth "Midge" Downey Crone from Colorado (en route to Virginia to visit one of Midge's daughters); vice president Stan Rodwin from Rochester, NY; Pat Fritz Bowers from Manhattan; and Dave Dingle from far eastern Long Island. From nearby New Jersey came Phyllis and Alex Richardson (Livingston) and Jo Kessel Buyske (Princeton); and from the Jersey Shore, Bob Post (Mantoloking) and Bob Fite (Cape May). Local Pennsylvanians were Bruce Davis, MBA '52 (Coopersburg), Libby SeveringhausWarner (Bryn Mawr), and Marion Steinmann and husband Charles Joiner (Philadelphia). After dinner, pianist Dave Dingle and Tom Foulkes '52 entertained us with an old-time songfest featuring melodic songs held in the memories of our days on the Hill.We were joined by youngsters from classes of the '80s and '90s.

A number of us stayed the weekend at the Union League at $159/night, including lavish breakfasts at which we had engaging conversations. A sample: Alex Richardson, like many of us, is deep into family history, and is editing for publication the diary of his great-grandmother, who grew up on a farm in western New York in the middle of the 19th century. Alex was the engineer in charge of installing the telecommunications system for the E-Z Pass system in use on the New Jersey Turnpike.

At our class meeting on Saturday morning we learned that our class was the second to pass the $100 million mark in donations to the university (the Class of '55 was first). This figure includes individual direct contributions to buildings, scholarships, and faculty chairs, and, for example, our Sam Johnson Memorial Scholarship Fund, which now stands at $448,708. (This year Kofi Ofori-Ansah '07, a senior Engineering student from New York City, was awarded a scholarship of $22,642 from the fund.) We also hold a number of other records: most donors for the 40th and 50th reunions (756 and 683); and, for our 55th Reunion, most donors (497) and most money ($9,603,675).

With regard to future giving, be reminded of last October's launch of "Far Above . . . The Campaign for Cornell," a bold fundraising undertaking with a goal of $4 billion and the far-reaching aspirational objective of making Cornell a beacon "far above" the world's leading universities. Now is the time to consider our individual and collective legacies to the future.

Dick Pogue is in the midst of the diversity-in-admissions issue at the U. of Michigan Law School, where he earned his law degree. Dick was recently appointed chairman of the Law School's 20-person Dean's Advisory Council. As Dick explains: while the US Supreme Court has upheld the school's carefully designed admissions policy,Michigan voters subsequently passed Proposition 2 banning any state agency from granting preferential treatment on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Dick notes that the Law School sees diversity of the student body as a desirable objective and points out that Proposition 2 makes it challenging to achieve such balance in a lawful manner. Dick's day job is as a full-time senior adviser to the international law firm of Jones Day in Cleveland.

Paul Joslin, your faithful class co-correspondent, who lives in Iowa because it's as close to both coasts as you can get, reports the birth of his first great-grandchild, a handsome and obviously intelligent boy. Between him and wife Erma, as well as their five kids, spouses, and 14 grandchildren, the family has had students in 20 different universities from Princeton to Colorado State. Family members have also been employed at ten universities.With the new guy, and five grandkids yet to go, there is still hope for a Cornell legacy. -- Paul H. Joslin, 6080 Terrace Dr., Johnston, IA 50131-1560; tel., (515) 278-0960; e-mail, phj4@cornell.edu; Marion Steinmann, 237 West Highland Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118-3819; tel. (215) 242-8443; e-mail, cjoiner@ix.netcom.com.

51 | From time to time we run a list of class members for whom we have lost addresses. Abraham Lipp was one of those. His brother Edward wrote to say that Abraham retired from the CIA and was living in Brazil with his wife, a psychology professor. He died in 1989.More recently, Rip Haley sent an obituary for Eric "Red" Jensen, who played tackle on Cornell's 1948-50 championship football teams. He started out as a safety engineer for Bethlehem Steel, convincing dockworkers that they should wear steel helmets, got a law degree at night, and became a labor negotiator for ACF Industries. Cornell's ILR school recognized his contributions with the JudgeWilliam B. Groat Award in 1971. Until 2004 he counseled and taught collective bargaining and labor relations at Pace U. He died January 3, 2007.

Bob McCombs, Lehighton, PA, recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for service in WWII, plus a medallion from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He was appointed to a fifth four-year term as public director of the Carbon County Soil Conservation District and is married to Jane (Johnson) '47. Arthur and Marcia Joyce Johanson, Shalimar, FL, are celebrating 55 years of marital blessing. How many of us can say that? Bill McKinnon,Michigan City, IL, has heard from George Bantuvanis several times after sending him a copy of a late '40s, early '50s photo. Bill made it to Reunion.

Sam Hochberger, Upper Saddle River, NJ, is still urging USTA senior tennis on us couch potatoes to stay young. He's played in one national and three Category II "super senior" USTA tournaments and finally got a national ranking: singles (57) and doubles (19). He adds, "I gave up teaching construction management at Stevens Tech in Hoboken because it interfered with my tennis ‘career.'"He and wife Phyllis still see Elliott and Marlene Siff for dinner occasionally. Elliott,Westport, CT, reports that Marlene has been appointed to the advisory council of the Johnson Museum. Son Bradford '83, MS '84,MBA '85, is chairman and CEO of Biowave Corp., an advanced technology medical device company. Son Brian '87, with a law degree from Washington U., is chairman and CEO of Eclectic Tech, specializing in new inventions and commercialization of technology.

Jack and Midge Vinson, Penn Valley, PA, report that the first of their 14 grandchildren to marry was Lori Vinson in Dallas, TX, on June 18. Jack retired from 41 years of teaching at the U. of Delaware 12 days later. Jack has a lectureship in mechanical engineering named after him at the U. of D. Albert Glassenberg and wife Judith, New London, CT, visited Africa for three weeks last year in October. Twin granddaughters Ellis and Jordan Hammerdinger,May 6, 2004, followed shortly after their first grandchild, Roxanne Glassenberg, on March 15. Albert talks to Ken Jaffe regularly and sees Bill Phillips often. Sue Pickwick Ray, La Canada, CA, visited family in England in 2005 and then had a week each in Greece and Crete with friends, a summer trip to Baja California, and then back to England for a fall visit.While home she works part-time at school and volunteers at church.

Bill, MBA '55, and Emily Reynolds, moved to Silver Spring, MD, after 40 years in Larchmont and four years in retirement. Bill volunteers for several charities and sings in a church choir, and they still summer in the Thousand Islands area. He reports talking with Dick Ehni, MS '55,Washington, DC, and seeing Ken Jones jogging around Larchmont.

Sabra "Piper" Baker Staley, Arlington,VA, is still seasonally employed by Close Up Foundation, working with special-needs high school students on their government studies program. She also volunteers at a summer children's camp and does accreditation visits for the American Camp Association. The "Staley Standard" reports the graduation of four grandchildren from college and high school and the birth of the sixth great-grandchild. A pair of old hands recorded a conversation five weeks after Sabra broke her wrist in a fall: (Right Hand) "Whee! Freedom!" (Dominant Left Hand) "Welcome back to the team." (Doctor) "There you go--good as new." (Right Hand) "No, when my arm was new, it was just four inches long." (Left Hand) "Please excuse Right Arm. She thinks she has a funny bone." (Nurse) "Correction: Humerus."

More and more alumni are showing up with two addresses. Jesse and Betsy Zobel Hannan cite Seneca Falls, NY, and Sarasota, FL. They are active in the Cornell Club in Sarasota, which has 190 members. It meets twice a month in the winter, and they get several speakers from Cornell--Jeff Lehman '77 the last two years. Betsy is on the board and heads up the polo match gathering. Surprisingly, the Seneca Falls address is a house on Cayuga Lake. Jesse is golf champion of Bobby Jones Men's League Match Play with a handicap--big surprise--of 79.

Barry Nolin's Class of '51 Web page is http://classof51.alumni.cornell.edu. Please send your news to: -- Brad Bond, 101 Hillside Way,Marietta, OH 45750; tel., (740) 374- 6715; e-mail, bbond@ee.net.

52 | We are still going strong, and, again, we start with honors. On December 1, 2006, Ron Gebhardt, Sewickley, PA, was the Corporate Leadership Award honoree at the Urban League of Pittsburgh's Leadership Gala. Ron was honored for his founding and chairing of FAME (Fund for the Advancement of Minorities through Education). FAME provides $6,000 scholarships for needy African American children to attend Pittsburgh independent schools. It supports 50 scholars, helps with internships, and tracks its graduates. The program is now in its 12th year. "Our ultimate mission," says Ron, "is to help increase the number of black leaders in the Pittsburgh region."

The Class Council met in Philadelphia in January. Family surgery precluded our attendance, but Jan Hofmann McCulloch, class co-president, sent a brief report. Reunion chairs Joy Rees Hoffman and Bob Chabon, M Ed '55, attended and reported plans for our 55th this June. Also there were Jean Brown Craig, Terry, JD '56, and Dori Crozier Warren, Judy Calhoun Schurman, and class officers Trudy Serby Gildea, Tom Foulkes, Gordon Williams, and Jack Carpenter. Don't be surprised if you get a call from Gordon or Judy urging you to come to Ithaca, June 7-10, or even from Terry and Dori, who will be recruiting hosts and hostesses. Reunion information was to be mailed in March. Jean arranged for a joint dinner for the classes of '50 to '53 at the Union League Club, which Jan called "lovely." Sorry I missed it.

I received a wonderful e-mail from Gayle Raymond Kennedy, which provided all sorts of news about old friends, a few of whom had not gone to Cornell. Alas, my new computer ate it. Gayle and George, MBA '56, see lots of people out there in Arizona, all of whom seem to be doing nicely and having a good time. I wish I could tell you about them.

I do have mailbag news, much of it from people who have not written before or in a long time.Many of them, like Joan Hockert Donnelly, Sarasota, FL, are still working hard. Joan, a lawyer, represents clients in employment discrimination, family law, and probate matters. She is also general counsel for the NAACP, on the ACLU board, and active in party politics. I'll let you guess which party. In her down time she traveled to Alaska and California. Dorothy BaczewskiWaxman, New York, NY, writes that after more than 50 years in various aspects of the fashion world, she continues to write for Textile View, a trade magazine published in Amsterdam and sold throughout the developed world. She covers New York happenings and economic and fashion news. She also spends time on a beautiful farm in Charlottesville, VA, with her only child and her grandchildren. Nick '49, and Edith Geiger Nichols live in Bronx, NY, in good weather and Sanibel, FL, December through April. Edith still goes to school--the New School's IRP (Inst. for Retired Professionals) in New York, and Big Arts (Barrier Island Group) in Sanibel.

Barbara Kirk Andrews-Hail, MA '53,Warren, RI, is retired, but spent 34 years at Brown U. as curator/deputy director of the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology. She has written four books and numerous articles on Native American culture and art. I remember a press release reporting that she was honored for her work at Brown. She has three children (one academic, one ecologist, and one entrepreneur, the owner of Bristol Harbor HomeMade), and four stepchildren. I remember that Nancy Harrington Booth, Brooklyn, CT, came to one of our reunions on a motorcycle. She has graduated to a Hummer, which she and Richard '51 drive to Maine occasionally to see one of their daughters. Nancy is busy with chores, home, animals, and so forth, but what she was really fired up about was a recent trip to England to see their other daughter and only grandchild. She had just returned on the Queen Mary 2 and was ready to put in a good word: "Absolutely the most fabulous experience I've ever had."

Robert Ostrander, Romulus, NY, has been retired since 1994. He lists his present activity as "trying to avoid going broke before I croak."Despite his resolve, he had cruised to Alaska along the Inside Passage.HelenWalker Taylor did not send news, but noted that she and William had moved from Golden, CO, into Denver. Lillian Schneider Innerfield Gerstman, twice widowed, stays extremely busy in Buffalo, NY, as a trustee of the Blue Rose Foundation and director of the Holocaust Resource Center, Bureau of Jewish Education. She is active at SUNYAB (SUNY at Buffalo), is a volunteer docent, does pastoral work at her temple, and is involved in the life of her developmentally disabled daughter Jen. Lillian writes that recently she has been "enjoying the blessings of good health, functioning brain, good friends." Great way to end a column. See you in June? -- Joan Boffa Gaul, 7 Colonial Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15232; e-mail, joangaul@mac.com.

53 | Jane Little Hardy had what you might call a heavy date for the Cornell Association of Class Officers' (CACO) Mid-Winter Meeting luncheon for 600 at the Philadelphia's Downtown Marriott on January 20. As meeting chairperson, she was to be seated at the right hand of President David Skorton. But she was stood up (partially) when Amtrak failed to deliver its passengers on schedule. It was not snow that stopped the train, even though the calendar said it was mid-winter (but a winter of almost no snow up to then). Skorton arrived in time for a few nibbles and the day's feature presentation--his speech. Jane will be in charge again--for the third time--in Philadelphia next winter (Feb. 8-9). Topic A at the '53 meeting that followed lunch was Reunion '08, our 55th (June 5-8, 2008). You will be hearing more about this. Those assembled agreed, among other things, to meet at Homecoming (Oct. 13, Colgate) with other classes, as in other years.

'53 classmates and friends from '50, '51, and '52 gathered at the Philadelphia Union League for elegant dining on CACO Friday night, topped off with voices raised in familiar song to the keyboard wizardry of Tom Foulkes '52 and Dave Dingle '50. The "Ship Titanic" sailed again and the seven old ladies remained locked in the conveniences as resoundingly and fetchingly described by soloist Bob Post '50. He came up with all seven of the time-honored but, well, elusive verses.

Hail all hail JoyceWisbaum Underberg for her inspiration. She created an enchanting evening. Classmates and fellow travelers saw noteworthy sites in that historic city, like the US Mint,museums, and such, at the suggestion of class secretary Caroline Mulford Owens. On Saturday night, a crew of us gathered at McCormick & Schmick's restaurant for multiple choices of seasprung delicacies, as arranged by Dick Halberstadt.

We don't hear it around the piano so much any more, but when we were very young there was this merry Saturday night ditty that included a line about "extensive researches by Darwin and Huxley," etc., and went on to the (let's say) "personal life of the camel (which is stranger than anyone thinks)."Now it can be revealed that T. Richard Halberstadt has been Googled into notoriety with a limerick he composed about the cicada, as follows: "Cicadas are wonderful things / with orange on the edge of their wings. / They've beady red eyes / and fly in the skies / and every last one of them sings."Most cicadas only come out every 17 years. It wasn't quite that far back when Dick entered this in a limerick contest--but it wasn't last week, either, or even last year. But 2004 was a prime vintage.

Belated huzzahs for Andrew Campbell (Hillside, NJ), honored as trustee of the year (last year) by the New Jersey Hospital Association. Andy, chairman of Trinitas Hospital, was instrumental in the consolidation of St. Elizabeth Hospital and Elizabeth (NJ) General Medical Center. That has meant improved service and facilities, the elimination of red ink, more patient satisfaction, and more patients.

"While many of our peers are selling their homes and moving to condominiums," John and Nancy Egan Webster (Madison, WI) observe, "we enjoy our 1922 home with lots of squirrels, rabbits, and birds in the yard, a five-minute walk to John's work" (teaching biomedical instrumentation and design and research on ways to battle liver cancer by heating or freezing the tumors). There were business-and-pleasure trips to London, Prague, Dresden, Berlin, Crete, and Seoul last year. "It's a little spooky to be 75," says Chuck Juran (Prescott, AZ) "but my dad is 102 and he says it's better to wear out than rust out." Chuck went around the Horn, east to west from South Africa to South America, with others from Cornell and Dartmouth, and to Southeast Asia, plus "a little motorhoming" last year. Back home, he says, "I made sawdust in my shop." No doubt he also went around the Horn (third to second to first) playing second base in the Senior League. "Happily retired" attorney Elliott Solomon, LLB '55 (Scottsdale, AZ) submits that spouse Paula, also an attorney, "was not so happily retired," so she took up real estate agentry. "Now I'm a kept husband," says Elliott, "improving my golf and barbecuing skills.We escape the summer heat by visiting our seven grandchildren."

Ingvar Tornberg, basking on a Florida beach, replies cryptically to the probing question,What would you rather be doing? "(It's a secret)," he reveals.When not basking, Swede socializes a bit. He and Lynn joined like-minded '53s at the Cornell Club of Sarasota's 50th anniversary black-tie gala in February. There was dinner, dancing, and worldclass after-dinner comment by Pres. Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes.Mark present Warren G. and Sue Grady, Don, BCE '55, and Eloise Mix Unbekant '54, Bob and Lou Schaefer Dailey '54, and Dave and Sandy Rossin, among others. All hugely admired the electronic retrospective display of Cornelliana Swede created on a DVD to run through the evening on a 100-inch screen.

See you at Tanglewood July 22 for the all-Beethoven program?

We learned late in the CACO Mid-Winter Weekend of Clark Ford's passing after a long illness. His great-hearted wit, his multiple talents, and the generous imagination he brought to reunions and other class projects are sorely missed. All share the loss with former '53 President Claire Moran Ford and their children Jeff '79, Chris '89, and Suzie. -- Jim Hanchett, 300 1st Ave., Apt. 8B, New York, NY 10009; e-mail, jch46@cornell.edu.

54 | Stephen Olney retired in 1996 from the Herkimer-Oneida Counties Planning Program, but remains very active in the region, serving as mayor of Poland, NY, a job he has held for the past 15 years, and as a member of the Landmark Society of Greater Utica. He also has facilitated courses covering the architectural style of Upstate New York and Adirondack great camps for the Mohawk Valley Inst. for Learning in Retirement, a program affiliated with Elderhostel and the SUNY IT Campus in Utica. Joan Schwartz Danziger of Washington, DC, is doing exactly what she enjoys, working in her studio as a sculptor and painter. Recent travels have been to India, Tunisia, and Ashland, OR. Among Joan's fond memories of Cornell was the Beaux Arts Ball. True to his calling, S. Richard Gross, JD '57, is still lawyering in Liberty, NY. Our lawyer classmates tend not to retire--another pattern worth exploring.Meeting his wife Rita (Davis) '58 is Richard's fondest Cornell memory.

Allen Smith retired from banking several years ago and now manages his 2,000-acre trout and wildlife preserve in Watertown, NY. He has entered a cooperative arrangement with the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation to improve the brook trout fishing on his 1-1/2 miles of trout stream. Allen is also a charter member of the Jefferson Lewis County Quality Deer Management program. Fond memories include fraternity life and competing with the varsity track and cross-country teams. Spero Davis lives in Des Moines, IA, where he is general manager of American Companies, a home improvement and mortgage company, but in all reality would rather be living somewhere near the ocean. Des Moines is a funny place for a wannabe beach bum.

DickWalker does live beside the sea--in Marblehead, MA. He had a mini-reunion recently in NYC with Ash Collins, in from the desert of New Mexico, and Charlie Hildreth from Mystic, CT. Barbara Marbut Karmel writes,"Making good use of semi-retirement from my management consulting firm, after many years as a business school professor. I served on the Oregon Public Commission on the Legislature, and the commission has just released its recommendations for major reform of the legislature."Her main passion, having replaced skiing and hiking, is--you guessed it--golf. Joan Sams Goland volunteers at the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind and does ballroom dancing, now that she has free time. Fondest memory . . . walking across the campus in the early morning with the snow falling and the chimes ringing. Pure magic.

Jack Vail is a counselor for SCORE, "Counselors to American's Small Business."He enjoyed weekends on the Hill, except for those that contained early Saturday classes and labs. I remember them well, to paraphrase Maurice Chevalier. Robert Hellmann, MS '57, spends his time volunteering for local programs and ecologically landscaping his property, and remembers fondly life in the Kline Road dorms and conservation course field trips. Elizabeth Dean Kraft reports from Seal Beach, CA, that her day job involves psychological testing of children. Extracurricular activities include serving as the Archaeological Inst. of America's Orange County membership chair and chairing the US-China People's Friendship Association. Recent travels have been to Egypt and Jordan. She remembers fondly the daily trek across Triphammer Bridge.

Andrew Craig traded banking and investing for fishing, boating, and enjoying summers in Hyannis Port. Lee '57 and Virginia Glade Poole loved every moment of their Alaskan trip aboard the Coral Princess, made all the more enjoyable thanks to two hip replacements. Highlights of their trip were the glaciers and Denali National Park. I got a lovely note from Ruth BehrensWhite recounting the latest reunion she had last fall in NYC with Cornell roommates Diane Freeman Kuehn and Noga Gelman Shapiro. Noga had recently moved to Tel Aviv, Israel, from Brooklyn. They gathered on a rainy fall weekend, but that did not deter their partaking of high tea at the St. Regis, a bit of theatre (The Producers and Carmen), and family visits with children and grandchildren. I have asked Ruth for a report on Noga's life in Israel, which has to be a change from Brooklyn.

I hadn't heard from Bill Simon '53, BEE '54, for awhile, so went searching for him and found he had moved north 100 miles to L.A., where he and his wife are becoming part of the film community. They take in most of the events of "Cornell in Hollywood," the group made up of Cornellians in the entertainment industry, and Writers Guild screenings every weekend, often with the writer in attendance. Bill's last books were quite a varied lot: iCon Steve Jobs, The G.O.D. Experiments, The Truth about Medium, and Gorgeous Disaster, just published. Bill is still going strong, being only 75, and just might teach at a small college if people ever stop paying him to write. In keeping with his fastpaced life, Bill still plays singles tennis and on occasion signs aboard for some tall ship racing. -- Leslie Papenfus Reed, 500 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA 22314; e-mail, ljreed@speakeasy.net. Class website, http://classof54.alumni.cornell.edu/. Cornell Directory, https://directory.alumni.cornell.edu/.

55 | Hi, classmates! We're still delving into the News and Dues forms from last spring, so if there are updates we should know about, send them on. Hearing from you makes my job as your class correspondent a breeze, so please keep me informed of your whereabouts and news.

CherieWoodcockMitchell, who lives in Brookings, OR, serves on the Southwestern Oregon Community College Board, and traveled to Washington, DC, last year to lobby for the college. Cherie is excited about a proposal to build a new satellite campus in Brookings. She still manages the retail end of Flora Pacifica, and says, "I wish I'd been a floriculture major for this second life!" Realizing one's passion in life is something that comes too late for most undergrads to take advantage of while at Cornell. Anyone else feel this is a common experience? We received a nice note from Sally Zautner Vanicek, who celebrated her 50th anniversary with husband Jim in December '05. All three of the Vaniceks' children and their eight grandchildren were in attendance. "We were very pleased that our best man, Fred Shuler, and his wife Barb, and our matron of honor, Diana, George Shear's wife, were with us."As is their long-standing custom, the Vaniceks spent ten weeks in Klosters, Switzerland, last winter. "Thank goodness for joint replacements!" Sally adds.

Sam '52, BA '55, and Bev MacNamaraWait shared their 50th anniversary in the Bahamas with all the family. A half-century of marriage was also celebrated by Lawrence, GR '52-55, and Elaine Rose Cerny. The Cernys' daughter-in-law is serving in Kuwait with the Army Reserves--"helping our son and granddaughters keeps Papa and Nana busy!"Howland Swift is fully retired but doing pro bono fundraising for a new charter school in Baltimore. I like his schedule: two winter months in Arizona and New Mexico, spring at their home in St.Michaels, MD, "and then to our summer place in northern Vermont."

Konrad Bald was spotlighted in an interesting article in the Chicago Tribune. He's the longest-standing part-time employee at the YMCA in Palatine, and is also the top fundraiser in the country for the CROP organization, which helps fight hunger. Konrad, a retired labor relations executive, and his wife Liddell (Tauscher) '52 work out together at the Y, exemplifying Konrad's theory that "a couple that exercises together, stays together." Elinor Gordon Freeman (president of Freeman Interiors Ltd.) is still working fulltime with "a wonderful staff of talented designers," and after hours checks on her 95-year-old mother who lives in a home for independent seniors. Allen Brezinsky and his wife Kay took a 17-day trip to Eastern Europe in August 2005, which included a seven-day cruise up the Danube River. "It was absolutely wonderful," Allen reports, adding, "Being 73 years old and retired is not all that bad!"

From Suzanne Liebrecht Joyce: "Minneapolis is still our base, but with four children and eight grandchildren living in San Diego, Seattle,Montpelier, VT, and Lima, Peru, we are constantly on the move." The family's favorite meeting spot is their home in Crested Butte, CO. Here's the gastronomic report from Ken Sanderson, who traveled with his wife Barbara to Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro. "We loved all the seafood; they eat anything that swims"--such as eel ("better than Chilean sea bass") and piranha soup. However, the much-touted Brazilian beach scene was disappointing. "Either it was off-season or that's a Hollywood myth!"

Our CACO (Cornell Association of Class Officers) annual Mid-Winter Meeting this year was held once again in Philadelphia, and offered a great chance to catch up with our fellow class officers, including co-presidents Barbara Loreto Peltz and Fred Antil. I even had the unexpected pleasure of sharing a cab with President Skorton on the way to the meeting, and found him a very interesting and personable guy. Looks like we're in good hands. And a final note: be sure to check out our newly revised and updated class website, http://classof55.alumni.cornell.edu. -- Nancy Savage Petrie, nancypetrie@optonline.com.

56 | Our traveling classmates: Ed and Lois Ullman Berkowitz '59, experienced hikers, trekkers, and climbers, spent two weeks in the southern Andes Mountains in South America looking for condors and guanacos. As Ed, one of our class wits and editor of the Widow during our undergraduate days, reminded me, "You can tell condors and guanacos apart if you remember that guanacos can't fly." Ed and Lois developed a taste for good Argentinian Malbec wine. Ed added, in a geographic lesson about a place they visited: "Tierra del Fuego is not the end of the world, but if you stand on a chair, you can see it from there."

Paul (Dartmouth '55) and Margot Lurie Zimmerman, Chevy Chase,MD, spent two weeks in Berlin, Dresden, and Leipzig this past fall. It was their first visit to this part of Germany since the Wall came down in 1989. "What changes,"Margot reported. "Berlin is a ‘must' for those interested in architecture and art, with buildings by Lord Norman Foster, I.M. Pei, Peter Eisenman '54, Daniel Liebeskind, and Renzo Piano."A musical highlight of the trip for Margot and Paul was seeing and hearing Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, perhaps not performed as much as it should be, as it is a 75-minute piece. The Zimmermans returned home to visit family, and then over the Christmas holidays they were off again, this time to Shanghai, China. They returned home long enough to repack for a different season, this time January and February in Mexican resorts to play tennis, swim, snorkel, and explore. I should add that as a result of the marvelous exhibit of the Zimmerman collection of modern Asian art at the Johnson Museum that we saw during our reunion, the Zimmermans gave two of those pieces to the museum's permanent collection. So we will be able to view the Zimmermans' art on campus forever.

Barbara Barron Starr and husband Bob went to Tucson, AZ, for a family birthday--Barbara's brother Howard Barron '48, hosted by his wife Barbara (Sverdlik) '49--then to Baton Rouge, LA, in November for a family wedding. In January of this year, they traveled to Barbados at Cobblers Cove, where they hiked at Barbados National Trust Park, then to Curtain Bluff, a resort in Antigua owned by a Cornell Hotelie, and then to Caneel Bay, St. Johns. Barbara rated the facilities at Barbados National Trust Park far superior to the US national parks where they have also hiked. Bob is retired and is enrolled at many continuing education classes at NYU. Barbara has a busy private practice as a psychologist in New Jersey. She also told me about the many interesting responses she has received from classmates who attended the Starr-Silman seminar at reunion on "How to Live Life at 70 with Pizzazz." I have asked her to give this column a report on the responses, and I hope she will do so. Carole Rapp Thompson and husband Paul have a new reason to explore the borough of Brooklyn. Their son Adam '97 has moved there from Denver to join the staff of the Wall Street Journal, reporting on the business of sports.

Mary Dwynne Brown Howland, Stamford, CT, a graduate of the Nursing program, takes care of her two grandsons, ages 1 and 5, and is "loving every minute of it." She is also commander of the Stamford Sail and Power Squadron. Syrell Rogovin Leahy divides her time between Ft. Lee, NJ, and Tucson, AZ, which she describes as "heaven on earth." Syrell had two more mysteries published in 2006. David and Jane Wedell Pyle '57, living in Nokomis, FL, were part of the organizers to celebrate 50 years of the Cornell Club of Sarasota-Manatee.

Peg Jones Halberstadt's husband Dick '53 was honored as Citizen of the Year in their hometown ofWyoming, OH, as Peg was honored several years ago. Dick and Peg celebrated their golden wedding anniversary on February 2, 2007. Art Hershey, Calabasas, CA, is now teaching at both UCLA and Loyola Marymount Ext. in human resources management. Art tells us he will be heading the HR certificate program at Loyola and has already made revisions to their academic program by adding six new courses. Gary Kirby, Pennington, NJ, plays golf twice a week, sings in the church choir, and is an acrylic painter of landscapes.

Ursula Bloch Pick,Wayne, NJ, is retired.Her first grandchild is 1 year old and lives in Fairfax,VA. Phyllis Miller Lee, Dorset,VT, is painting and drawing and taught a workshop on drawing this past September at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, VT. Barbara Grove Purtee, Gulfport, FL, active with church and family, welcomed her new left knee last August! A 2006 Christmas greeting from the James Larrimores reported that Jim's consulting for IAEA took Irene and Jim "around the world in 80 days"-- through Hawaii,Melbourne, Singapore, Dubai, Vienna, and New York, "with a side trip to our 50th Reunion, where Jim performed with the 1950s Cayuga's Waiters."

Phyllis Mable retired as VP of student affairs at Longwood U. in Virginia and is currently serving as executive director of the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education in Washington, DC, which promotes quality programs for students.We have also heard from Eric Truhol of Terra Verde, FL, who has visited most of the major European cities in the past four years. Dr. Carl Fabian lives in Miami, FL. C.Michael Curtis has a new address in Spartanburg, SC. He continues as senior fiction editor of the Atlantic Monthly and is jointly appointed (with his wife Elizabeth Cox, a novelist and professor of English) to the John C. Cobb Chair in the Humanities,Wofford College, in Spartanburg. "We both teach fiction, essay, and literature courses." In October Michael was a visiting lecturer in the Cornell English department. He spent two weeks in Paris in summer 2005, teaching at a writing workshop and visiting the city. He also published his sixth fiction anthology in 2005, Faith Stories (Houghton Mifflin), and Elizabeth published her fourth novel in August 2006, The Slow Moon (Random House).

Leo Convery, Edgartown, MA, works with the Rotary Club of Martha's Vineyard and attended the International Rotary Convention in Copenhagen this past June, among other travels. Lonnie Hanauer, MD '60,West Orange, NJ, is working half-time at the V.A. Hospital. Lonnie also proudly reports that his daughter Amy Hanauer '89 runs Policy Matters Ohio, which was responsible for the Democratic victory in 2006, and daughter Cathi Hanauer's new novel, Sweet Ruin, was published in June 2006. Irwin Scharf, Massapequa, NY, was installed as president of the Metro New York region of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Sandra AlbertWittow, Englewood, NJ, a painter, invites us to view her new website, www.sandrawittow.com. Leland Mote, Big Bear, CA, recently purchased 31 acres in Niagara County and will be planting ten acres of Pinot Noir grapes next spring. He is also working as a senior real estate loan auditor/underwriter for the Clayton Holdings Group.

I am very saddened to report the passing of our classmate Dale Archer McDonald, Punta Gorda, FL, this past April from cancer. He is missed very much by his wife, family, and friends. And from Lew Klotz: "Sadly I inform you that Brenda, my beautiful, classy wife of 48 years, passed away on Feb. 15. She fought and lost the good fight against ovarian cancer." -- Phyllis Bosworth, 8 East 83rd St., New York, NY 10028; e-mail, phylboz@aol.com.

57 | Only a month away before we find ourselves far above Cayuga's waters. Marilynn Rives Miller expects to be at reunion; her last visit to campus was with her late husband Lee, DVM '60, at the Vet college's 45th in '05. Recently she has been taking classes at the community college near her Woodsboro, MD, home and raising horses. PhyllisWhithed Spielmann plans to "walk down memory lane June 10, 2007," exactly 50 years after she and Warren '55 were married in Anabel Taylor Chapel. Nina Schick Appel celebrates a 50th wedding anniversary in September. After 21 years as dean at Loyola, Nina returned full-time to teaching in the law school. Alfred '56, a retired English professor at Northwestern, is working on a new book.

Tom and Shirley Besemer Itin drove 4,300 miles through Europe, the UK, and Ireland last year to celebrate her 70th. She also writes,"May and June 2007 will test our stamina: a Colorado U. graduation; a U. of Michigan graduation for granddaughter Whitney (two Cornell parents); and high school graduation for grandson in Ogden, UT.Will the 50th Reunion fit into this season of overscheduled ceremonies?"Must be, as Shirley checked the Yes column on her news form. Janice Littell and Phyllis Shames Korn have also checked Yes. As has GloriaWelt Sage, who is looking forward to seeing Doris Blum Baker this June. Gloria and Martin '55 celebrated last year's wedding of their son Daniel to Marla Kameny, MBA '00, with a trip to Botswana. For the celebrations of Claire Sanford Perrault's 70th, her husband Bob's 80th, and her sister Maryann Johnson's 60th in 2005, the three of them took trips to San Juan, PR, and Cinque Terre in Italy.

Adrienne McNair, M Ed '61, has been studying Taoist Tai Chi in Ithaca for 13 years and now teaches classes there. It will be a short commute for her to join classmates for the event-packed weekend. A trip to reunion from her home in San Diego, CA, is an opportunity for Sue Davidson Braun to see her kids and grandkids in Brooklyn. She is determined to tread the Hill once more despite problems with her back, which are alleviated somewhat with a brace worn full-time. Fortunately, the reunion committee is aware that some of us may be "mobility-challenged" and will do their best to accommodate one and all. The class officers met in Philadelphia in January to wrap up reunion plans. Martie Ballard Lacy has kept the class scrapbooks up to date; if you have anything to contribute, bring it to reunion, along with your vest from our 25th. See you in June. -- Judith Reusswig, 19 Seburn Dr., Bluffton, SC 29909; e-mail, JCReuss@aol.com. Class website, http://classof57.alumni.cornell.edu.

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

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

Paul Noble will be on hand with Paulette. Paul is technically retired, but among his current projects is working with the Palm Beach Theater Guild to save the Royal Poinciana Playhouse. He is also a newly elected director of the Palm Beach County Commission for Film and Television, and Paulette continues to write the "Pet Set" column for the Palm Beach Daily News. David Addis, who stretched his 70th birthday celebration into a Florida vacation and a Caribbean cruise, is active tutoring in the Marblehead, MA, school system, and will be there for the 50th. Another "yes" is David Hirsch, who celebrated his 70th at the restaurant at MOMA, and who has welcomed his daughter and sonin- law back to NYC, where they are both on the faculty of the Columbia U. School of Public Health. Ira and Elisabeth Ross spent two weeks in and around Hawaii for their co- 70th. Ira is retired, but develops computer programs for stroke victims and is in the process of qualifying as an arbitrator for NASD.He reports that he's looking forward to June 7, and is a little surprised that so many of us are still on this side of the grass.

Also look for Allison Collard, who has turned the reins of his patent law firm over to his son and daughter.He retreats to Jupiter, FL, for the cold six months, and you might want to ask him in June about his somewhat controversial opinion that the Ivies are overloaded with endowments and should consider passing some of the loot on to smaller colleges. Leighton Klevana is one of the few classmates that will have to take time off from his work to be there. He is president and CEO of Advance Global Investments, splitting his time between Tampa and Prague, where he digs out and packages investments in the less developed countries of Eastern Europe.

David, MS '58, and Sue Hanselman, who have recently completed a summer home 12 miles from the campus on Cayuga Lake, will paradoxically have to miss reunion because of a conflict with a graduation ceremony involving their oldest granddaughter. Your humble correspondent will try to recreate the event for them."Papa Sam"Waxman took an 11-family-member contingent to Bermuda for his 70th, and continues his outstanding work as scientific director of the cancer research foundation founded in his name. He'll be there, along with Sandy Kaiser, who is a volunteer mentor at the elementary school level.

Ed Vant passes along a wonderful tribute from Lenore Brotman Greenstein '56 on the passing of her "Cornell-mate" of 49 years, Rabbi Howard Greenstein. From his starring in Brigadoon in his freshmen year to the presidency of the Glee Club and membership in the Savage Club to his many academic and religious accomplishments, his life and career were outstanding in every regard. Anyone lucky enough to have heard him sing the "Alumni Song" is probably shedding a tear in that memory. -- John Seiler, 221 St. Matthews Ave., Louisville, KY 40207; tel., (502) 895-1477; e-mail, Suitcase2@aol.com.

58 | It seems our class officers and interested '58er groups are already meeting and planning for our big 50th! Jim Harper wrote a great piece and sent it to me, entitled "Tweener." Bright lights, mellow tunes, and the crackling fires of friendship drew a crowd of notables to the Weston, CT, home of Mary Anne and Jon Howell, hosts along with Roz and Mike Young, of a raging "Tweener" (between reunions party) on Nov. 12.More than 30 classmates and guests turned out.We may be getting older, but who's to say we're not a little wiser, too.

Woody Bliss, currently the mayor ofWeston, was on hand, and the Welchs, Jiffy Farnham, the Vaughns, Larry Severino, the Bernolds, Gary and Marjan Schneider Davidson (our newlyweds who will soon be residents of Kendal at Ithaca), George Nicholas, Bob Snook, the Arnows, Alan Goldman and Joanne Merren, Al Podell, the Hunts, and the Merritts were among the revelers.Myron Stacks, one of the founders of the Connecticut Coastal Cornell Club, wore his Spring Break jacket from the first rainy weekend in May '56!

Jim also wrote about the January Cornell Association of Class Officers (CACO) Mid-Winter Meeting, which was held in Philadelphia. His report is as follows: "Sixteen of us with reunion on our collective mind gathered at the annual meeting, which featured a punchy after-lunch address by our new president, Dr. David J. Skorton. If you were going to go fishing, say, in Montana for a week and were looking for mellow companionship, Dr. Skorton is one guy you want to have in your traveling party. If you like Letterman and remember the Frank Rhodes years with great fondness, you are going to love David Skorton. Our group included the Linsners, Alan Goldman, Peter Stifel, Harriet Auerbach Peters, David Koppes, MS '60, Annette (Fogo) and Jim Harper, Barbara Buehrig Orlando, Betty Anne Steer Merritt, Chuck Hunt, and Carol Boeckle Welch.

"We met and explored techniques for connecting with classmates, working through affinity groups, and using the Web to build a crowd for our 50th, June 5-8, 2008. The Sherwoods have signed on; they will have three time slots during our four days back on campus. There will be even more music and song, a panel on the arts, lectures and tours, and, of course, friendship.We need help so we can get a big crowd back to the Hill. If you can help, contact Betty Anne Merritt at (973) 334-0718, esm33@cornell.edu, or Chuck Hunt at (914) 948-8706, echunt@aol.com."

Michael Isaacs writes from San Francisco, "I am continuing to work as a psychotherapist and Tai Chi teacher."He enjoys exploring San Francisco nature and city life and spending time with his first grandson. Gail Glueck Bernstein also hails from the Bay Area and is in marketing and communication for the Oakland Museum of California. Her fondest memories of Cornell are meeting and dating her now husband throughout her undergraduate days.Michael Young has an active urology practice.He and his wife recently had a fascinating tour of Central Europe, including Krakow, Budapest, and Prague.Michael fondly remembers those football Saturdays and Spring Weekends on the Hill and would love to hear from his old roomies Bruce Augustus and Jon Gisiger.

Art Shostak received a major award from the American Sociological Association for achievement--only one is given annually. Now in his third year of retirement after 42 years of college teaching, he is trying to add to his 31 published books. He is currently completing a book about movie-goers who believe that seeing a particular scene helped them change their lives, and he would welcome any material you might contribute. He is now free to travel far and wide, and attended a 2006 Conference on Citizen Education in Israel, where he gave invited lectures in Copenhagen for trade unionists. He plans a 16-week visit to four Asian countries with wife Lynn in the spring of '07. Art will give invited lectures at universities in all the countries. -- Jan Arps Jarvie, jjarvie@sbcglobal.net; Dick Haggard, dhaggard@voicenet.com.

59 | Classmates attending the annual meeting of the Cornell Association of Class Officers (CACO) included George and Bobbie Greig Schneider, Barbara Hirsch Kaplan, Bill Day, and Alan Rosenthal. "We were small in number, but we had a great time," writes Barbara. "We had a class meeting Saturday morning and then heard President David Skorton at lunch." Barbara is to be congratulated for being named a Frank Rhodes Alumni Award winner for 2007. The award is given in recognition of extraordinary service to the university, in both length and quality of contribution by the individual, through activities within the broad spectrum of Cornell's various alumni organizations, associations, and related groups. Barbara and her husband Leslie are also to be congratulated on the birth of their first grandchild, son of daughter Emily Kaplan '91.

At the CACO meeting it was noted that the Class of '59 Scholarship now stands at more than $63,000. This year we presented a scholarship award of $2,645 to Miranda Uzoma '09. Also on the agenda at CACO were several topics related to our 50th Reunion, including fundraising and attendance. Our class continues to hold the attendance record for the 25th Reunion, with 428 attendees. Dave Dunlop and Harry Petchesky, co-chairs for that reunion as well as for our 50th Reunion, have a major goal for 2009: "To be the first class in Cornell's history to hold the attendance record for the 25th and 50th reunions at the same time!" The current attendance record for a 50th Reunion is 360, so we want at least 361. "I'm confident that our class is up to the challenge," says Harry.

Harry recently was in Miami visiting one of his Cornell roommates,Mike Simonhoff, whose son David has been named a Division 1-AA All-American as a punter for the third straight year. "David played for South East Missouri State and is a bona fide NFL prospect," notes Harry. This has been a good year for roommates' sons named David. Steve and Barbara Benioff Friedman's son David married actress Amanda Peet last September. David, a film writer who uses his mother's maiden name professionally, has a long list of credits, including the screenplays for 25th Hour (based on his novel) and Troy.

Harry and wife Jill were off to Australia in February to visit friends and Jill's family. Then in March Harry planned to join several other Cornellians as they competed in the National Crossword Puzzle Tournament. The following weekend Harry and Jill planned to visit Ray Handlan '53 in Georgia for some golf at Reynolds Plantation and the NCAA Final Four. In April they were going to a Tau Delt reunion that Joel Birnbaum and Alan Klein, MS '61, were putting together in the Bay Area. But, stresses Harry, "lest you get the wrong idea, I'm still working full-time [for Scheichet & Davis in NYC] thanks to, among other things, the Internet."

In January, Barbara Friedman began her term as the first woman to chair the board of governors of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Inst. of Religion. Barbara joined the board in 1993. The Jewish Week noted that Barbara "has been very involved in Jewish volunteer work for the last three decades. She has been a lay leader of the Jewish Braille Inst., CLAL, the Jewish Outreach Inst., Central Synagogue (where she is a member), and UJA-Federation of New York."

Joining the Cornell Board of Trustees in the 2006-07 year is Ratan Tata, BArch '62, our classmate who is chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of India's largest and most successful industrial conglomerate, the Tata Group. Earlier this year Ratan was responsible for one of the biggest acquisitions in Indian corporate history when the Tata Group acquired Corus Group, an Anglo-Dutch steel and aluminum producer. Barbara Curit Thorp, formerly a project manager at Triangle Steel, recently retired after 15 years at Ithaca's Sciencenter. "During her tenure, she directed the museum's operations department, scheduled and welcomed thousands of field trip groups to the museum, coordinated facility rentals, and was affectionately known as ‘the Snake Lady' for her enthusiastic, hands-on introductions of Candy and Ruby (our corn snakes) to thousands of visitors," notes Sciencenter NEWS.

Paul Read, MS '64, continues to teach and conduct research and extension programs as professor of horticulture/viticulture at the U. of Nebraska. His role as the resource professional for Nebraska's developing grape and wine industry remains a primary part of his university responsibilities. Following a 2005-06 semester in Tasmania, where he learned about that state's grape and wine industry--and marveled at its "incredible variety of geophysical attributes"--he led a group of students from his university on a Study Abroad tour of Tasmania. Paul is currently in his third and final year of serving his professional society, the American Society for Horticultural Science, as president-elect, president, and chair of the board of directors. Along with his professional endeavors, he keeps busy taking--with the help of wife Christine--their children Emma, 14, and Peter, 11, to sports,music, and other activities. -- Jenny Tesar, 97A Chestnut Hill Village, Bethel, CT 06801; tel., (203) 792-8237; e-mail, jet24@cornell.edu.