Kyle Smith Takes the Helm in Levien Gym - Columbia College ...

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HISTORY PROFESSOR 

MARTHA HOWELL 

PAgE 12 

JOHN W. KLUgE ’37, 

BUSINESSMAN AND 

BENEFACTOR, DIES AT 95 

PAgE 4 

DR. JOHN CLARKE ’93 

RAPS FOR THE 

HEALTH OF IT 

PAgE 22 

Columbia College 

today 

November/december 2010 

Kyle Smith 

Takes the Helm 

in Levien Gym 

New men’s basketball 

coach hopes to lift 

Lions to next level

G ive 

This holiday season, treat yourself 

to the benefi ts and privileges of the 

Columbia University Club of New York. 

Yourself a Gift. 

See how the club and its activities could fit into your life. 

For more information or to apply, visit www.columbiaclub.org or call (212) 719-0380. 

The Columbia University Club of New York 

in residence at 

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Columbia’s SocialIntellectualCulturalRecreationalProfessional Resource in Midtown.

8 

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Cover Story 

K y l e Sm i t h ta K e S t h e Re i n S 

New men’s basketball coach Kyle Smith says if 

Cornell can climb to the top of the Ivy League, why 

not Columbia? 

By Alex Sachare ’71 

FeatureS 

t h e y Co u l d n ’ t le a v e ho m e 

W i t h o u t it 

CCT asked members of the Class of 2014 to show us 

the one special item they had to bring with them to 

the College. 

Photos by Daniella Zalcman ’09 

d R. Jo h n Cl a R K e ’93 Ra p S 

f o R t h e he a l t h o f it 

Physician and rapper Dr. John Clarke ’93 spreads 

positive healthcare messages through rhyme. 

By Kim Martineau ’97J 

C o l u m b i a fo R u m 

Award-winning novelist Daniel Alarcón ’99 asked 54 

great writers to describe how they do what they do. 

The result is The Secret Miracle: The Novelist’s Handbook. 

CCT do n o R S 2009–10 

Thank you to the alumni, parents, friends and 

organizations who donated to CCT. 

FRONT COVER: New men’s basketball coach Kyle Smith works with forward 

Issa Mase ’12. PHOTO: DANIELLA ZALCMAN ’09 

22 

Columbia College Today 

Contents 

33 

alumNi NewS 

32 b o o K S h e l f 

Featured: Danielle Evans 

’04’s debut work, Before You 

Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, 

a collection of short stories. 

34 o b i t u a R i e S 

36 C l a S S no t e S 

a l u m n i up d at e S 

54 Dr. Francis Collini ’78 

57 Steve Perlman ’83 

65 Emily Landsburg ’01 

72 a l u m n i Co R n e R 

Two young alumni, Arianne 

Richard ’10 and Jeffrey Spear 

’10, discuss how they lived 

with celiac disease while on 

campus. 

24 

departmeNtS 

2 let t e R S to th e 

edi t o R 

3 Wit h i n th e fa m i l y 

4 aRo u n d th e Qu a d S 

4 Remembering 

John W. Kluge ’37 

6 Austin E. Quigley 

Theatre Dedicated 

6 Alumni in the News 

7 New Sustainable 

Development Major 

8 Convocation for 

Class of 2014 

8 Kenneth Cole 

Sponsors Community 

Engagement Program 

10 Campus News 

12 5 Minutes with … 

Martha Howell 

13 Roar, Lion, Roar 

Web Exclusives at college.columbia.edu/cct 

Roa R li o n S 

Watch the press conference introducing Kyle Smith as the 

new head coach of the men’s basketball team. 

Joh n Cl a R K e ’93, do C t o R an d Ra p p e R 

Get in the groove with two of Clarke’s hit educational rap videos. 

mem o R i e S fR o m ho m e 

Don’t be embarrassed about that teddy bear you hid under 

your pillow. See a slideshow of the cherished treasures the 

Class of 2014 couldn’t leave home without. 

fiv e mo R e mi n u t e S 

Watch Professor Martha Howell discuss the challenges 

of starting a gender studies program.

Volume 38 Number 2 

November/December 2010 

Editor and publishEr 

Alex Sachare ’71 

Managing Editor 

Lisa Palladino 

associatE Editor 

Ethan Rouen ’04J 

associatE dirEctor, advErtising 

Taren Cowan 

foruM Editor 

Rose Kernochan ’82 Barnard 

contributing writEr 

Shira Boss ’93, ’97J, ’98 SIPA 

Editorial assistants 

Samantha Jean-Baptiste ’13 

Atti Viragh ’12 GS 

dEsign consultant 

Jean-Claude Suarès 

art dirEctor 

Gates Sisters Studio 

wEbMastEr 

Thomas MacLean 

contributing photographErs 

Eileen Barroso 

Kim Martineau ’97J 

Daniella Zalcman ’09 

Published six times a year by the 

Columbia College Office of 

Alumni Affairs and Development. 

For alumni, students, faculty, parents and 

friends of Columbia College, founded in 1754, 

the undergraduate liberal arts college of 

Columbia University in the City of New York. 

Address all correspondence to: 


Columbia Alumni Center 

622 W. 113th St., MC 4530 

New York, NY 10025 

212-851-7852 

E-mail (editorial): cct@columbia.edu; 

(advertising): cctadvertising@columbia.edu 

college.columbia.edu/cct 

ISSN 0572-7820 

Opinions expressed are those of the 

authors and do not reflect official 

positions of Columbia College 

or Columbia University. 

© 2010 Columbia College Today 

All rights reserved. 

CCT welcomes letters from readers about 

articles in the magazine, but cannot 

print or personally respond to all letters 

received. letters express the views of 

the writers and not CCT, the college or 

the university. please keep letters to 250 

words or fewer. all letters are subject to 

editing for space and clarity. please direct 

letters for publication “t o t h e e d i t o R .” 

letters to the editor 

John w. Kluge ’37 

“ … the tears just froze … ” 

I was sitting in my office. It was a slow 

Thursday, Rosh Hashanah, and my colleague 

Anna Jim ’84 Barnard called over to 

me, “Did you hear that John Kluge died?” 

Just then, the sky became a bit darker. All 

of a sudden the world was a little poorer, 

sadder. Then, almost on cue, the latest 

copy of CCT [September/October] landed 

on my desk. As I read about Kluge, his early 

trials, his spunk, his integrity, his many 

contributions, his love for Columbia and 

for his guardian Gracia DaRatt, my own 

tears started to well up. 

Thanks to John Kluge Jr. ’05, Rose Kernochan 

’82 Barnard and to CCT for the fine 

tribute to a great man. 

Eric Dannemann ’67 

New Ca N a a N, Co N N. 

Glee Club 

I read with great interest 

and mixed emotions Nicholas 

Rudd ’64, ’67 Business’ 

article on the Glee Club in 

“Alumni Corner” [September/ 

October]. I am a Glee Club 

alumnus, and I look back with 

pride at the quality of our music-making 

during my time with the club, 

including the opportunity to sing with both 

the Notes and Keys and the Blue Notes. Being 

one who tends to keep programs and 

mementos from musical events, I find myself 

looking back at our 90th anniversary 

national tour in spring 1963, which took us, 

across a three-week period, to 10 states from 

New York to Colorado and ended with a 

concert at Lincoln Center on April 26. 

I was saddened to learn of the club’s 

near-demise and heartened by its recent 

renaissance. I hope that the Glee Club 

returns to its former state so that future 

classes can be provided the musical opportunities 

that I feel fortunate to have 

been offered. 

Peter Smith ’65 

Sh a r o N, Ma S S. 

This antique Glee Clubber really appreciated 

Nicholas Rudd ’64, ’67 Business’ article 

in CCT about our recent get-together. The 

Glee Club was the center of my Columbia 

life in the ’50s, and I was the next-to-oldest 

of the many participants at the reunion performance. 

It was especially challenging for 

me, because even though I had sung much 

NOvEMBER/DECEMBER 2010 

2 

Columbia CollEgE Today 

of the music way back when, I was a first 

tenor in those days. I’m a bass-baritone today, 

so even the familiar was unfamiliar. 

The bottom line is that it was a thrill to get 

together with so many Glee Clubbers from 

so many years to prepare and deliver a demanding 

program. It was a thrill to sing 

with, among others, my brother Elliott ’60. 

My sincere thanks to Nick and all the others 

who made this terrific event happen, 

including my old buddy Jerry Weale ’57; 

I can remember how excited the CUGC 

leadership was when this red-headed superb 

musician showed up as a new recruit. 

He never disappointed us! 

A few regrets: I really missed the Glee 

Clubbers from ’55 and surrounding years; it 

would have been great to have 

seen more of them. I especially 

missed Aaron Preiser ’55, ’56E, 

no longer of this world. And 

I wish that I, like Nick, might 

have been able to sing my 

old solo (in There is a Balm in 

Gilead). Sadly, bass-baritones 

can’t come close to the tenor 

notes it requires. 

Stu Kaback ’55, ’56 GSAS, 

’60 GSAS 

Cr a N f o r d, N.J. 

mel’s Gold rail? 

I live in Morningside Heights and have 

watched with interest the construction of 

Mel’s Burger Bar on Broadway between 

West 110th and 111th Streets. As it neared 

completion, I looked in and had a sudden 

realization — Mel’s is the reincarnation of 

The Gold Rail. 

The Gold Rail closed when I was a 

sophomore, in 1978. It and The West End 

were the anchor student bars on Broadway 

at the time. The Gold Rail had cheap 

pitchers of beer, burgers and enormous 

French fries — all back in the day when 

the drinking age was 18. 

Mel’s sits in the Rail’s former location on 

Broadway and has the same layout — bar 

on the right, tables on the left, stairs down 

to the restrooms in the back. (There always 

was great graffiti in the men’s room, from 

the trite “eschew obfuscation” to the sad 

“doesn’t anybody remember Peter Honerkamp?”.) 

It is with a strong sense of déjà 

vu that I peered through the windows. 

The Gold Rail folded in the economic 

depths of the late 1970s. I am taking the 

view that the Rail’s ghostly reappearance 

(Continued on page 70)


John W. Kluge ’37’s approach to 

philanthropy was summed up in 

a quote that appeared in an article 

CCT published shortly after Columbia 

celebrated his 90th birthday 

with a dinner in his honor in Low 

Rotunda on October 1, 2004 (college. 

columbia.edu/cct_archive/nov04). 

“I’d rather by far invest in people 

than buildings,” said Kluge, who died 

on September 7 at 95 (see page 4). “If I 

can help a person to improve his or her 

mind, that will pass on to their children 

and to their children’s children.” 

Clearly, Kluge, who rose from poverty 

to become the richest man in America 

at one time, was a man without an edifice 

complex. His legacy is not bricks and 

mortar; while he was Columbia’s greatest 

benefactor, no building on campus 

bears his name. 

Kluge’s legacy is the hundreds of 

men and women who have attended 

Columbia since 1987 as Kluge Scholars, 

many of whom might not have made it 

to Morningside Heights were it not for 

his generosity. In addition to receiving 

financial aid, Kluge Scholars participate 

in special programming designed to 

create an atmosphere in which they can 

flourish academically, develop their 

talents and assume leadership roles. 

Many have become doctors, lawyers 

and educators; one, Daniel Alarcón ’99, 

is a prominent writer whose work may 

be found in the “Columbia Forum” 

department in this issue; another, Benjamin 

Jealous ’94, is president of the 

NAACP. 

“Why limit the dream to what your 

life expectancy is?” Kluge once asked. 

“I would hate to think we have the final 

authority.” 

On April 11, 2007, Kluge further assured 

that his dream, his vision, would 

live on by pledging $400 million to 

Columbia for financial aid — half for 

the College, half for certain graduate 

schools — to be distributed after his 

passing. It is the largest gift ever made 

to financial aid in the history of American 

education, and it’s a gift whose 

W i t h i n t h e F a m i l y 

A Lasting Legacy 

Entrepreneur’s generosity has 

enabled hundreds of promising 

students to attend the College 

and make the most of their 

campus experiences. 

rewards will be realized for many years 

to come in the deeds of the men and 

women who will benefit from it. Some 

of the money is being used in fundraising 

matches, so the total impact of 

Kluge’s final gift will significantly exceed 

the pledged $400 million. 

“To me, philanthropy comes naturally,” 

Kluge said in that CCT story six 

years ago. “I know that when you pass 

out of this picture, you don’t take anything 

with you. With the sands of time, 

we make very little difference, but what 

difference we can make we should try 

to make.” 

One of my favorite Kluge stories was 

retold in the excellent New York Times 

obituary by Marilyn Berger that was 

published on September 8. It seems that 

one of the ways Kluge earned pocket 

money during his College years was by 

beating classmates in poker. This caught 

the attention of the dean of the College, 

Herbert E. Hawkes, who called Kluge 

into his office and warned him he was 

in danger of losing his scholarship. “I 

told him, ‘Dean, you will never catch me 

gambling again,’ ” Kluge later recalled, 

“and it was then that I realized the dean 

didn’t understand the English language. 

I had told him he’d never catch me gambling 

again.” 

Kluge took his penchant for gam- 


3 

bling into business, where his starting 

philosophy was, “When you have 

nothing, why not take a risk?” He was 

best known for growing some local radio 

and television stations into Metromedia, 

the nation’s first major independent 

broadcasting company. In 1984 he 

took Metromedia private in a leveraged 

buyout, and shortly afterward he sold 

the seven TV stations for more than $2 

billion to Rupert Murdoch, who was 

expanding his global communications 

empire by forming the FOX Network. 

Kluge remained involved in business 

but increasingly turned to philanthropy. 

In addition to Columbia, other 

beneficiaries of Kluge’s generosity included 

the Library of Congress and the 

University of Virginia. 

Kluge never sought the limelight 

and did not employ public relations 

officers. “I think a great deal of publicity 

becomes an obstacle,” he said. “I’d 

love to be in the woodwork all my life. 

I enjoy it when I know who the other 

people are and they don’t know who 

I am.” 

But Kluge knew how to enjoy life. He 

had homes in Virginia, Florida, New Rochelle, 

N.Y., and the south of France and 

an apartment in New York City, moving 

between them by private airplane or 

helicopter. “If I like something, I buy it,” 

he once said. 

Kluge’s story is a remarkable one. 

Thankfully, he told much of it in his own 

words in a book, John Kluge: Stories, written 

and edited by his son, John Jr. ’05. 

The book was published last year and 

excerpted in the September/October 

2010 issue of CCT (college.columbia. 

edu/cct/sep_oct10). The cover of the 

book displays many Kluge quotes, leading 

off with “What difference you can 

make, you should try to make.” Kluge 

certainly lived up to that aspiration. 

CCT is contacting some Kluge Scholars for 

a tribute that will appear in a future issue.

John W. Kluge ’37, the billionaire businessman 

who was Columbia’s most 

generous benefactor and the founder 

of the Kluge Scholars Program, died 

on September 7 at his home outside 

Charlottesville, Va. He was 95. 

Kluge was born Johannes Kluge on September 

21, 1914, in Chemnitz, Germany. His 

father died in WWI, and after his mother 

remarried, Kluge was brought to America 

in 1922 by his German-American stepfather, 

Oswald Leitert, to live in Detroit. 

When Kluge was 10, Leitert put him to 

work as a payroll clerk in the family contracting 

business. But Kluge was focused 

on education and left home at 14 when his 

stepfather said he would not pay for further 

schooling. Kluge went to live with his 

typing teacher, Gracia Gray DaRatt, whom 

he considered his mentor. Kluge completed 

secondary schooling and then attended 

Detroit City College, later renamed Wayne 

State University. He transferred to the 

College, from which he earned a degree 

in economics, after he was offered a full 

scholarship and living expenses. 

“If it hadn’t been for Columbia, my 

path would have been entirely different in 

life,” Kluge said at a celebration of his 90th 

birthday in Low Library. “Columbia gave 

me an opportunity, and the only way you 

can really repay that opportunity is for you 

to help someone else.” 

Kluge, the longtime chairman and 

president of Metromedia, made a $400 

million pledge to the University in 2007, 

the largest gift ever devoted to student 

financial aid. The donation provided $200 

million in financial aid endowment for 

undergraduates at the College and $200 

million for GSAS, the School of the Arts, 

the Journalism School and SIPA. It has 

been used in part to create matching programs, 

prompting millions in additional 

donations from alumni and friends. That 

gift brought Kluge’s philanthropy to Columbia 

to more than $500 million, including 

money for the Kluge Scholars Program, 

which provides financial aid and 

programming to high-ability students 

from underrepresented populations; the 

Kluge Presidential Scholars; the Kluge 

Faculty Endowment; and other programs. 

“I want to help ensure that Columbia 

will always be a place where the best and 

the brightest young people can come to 

develop their intellect, make something of 

their own lives and give something back 

to our communities, our country and our 

world,” Kluge said. 

Kluge often spoke fondly about his 

time at Columbia, saying that thanks to 

odd jobs and poker games with classmates, 

he arrived with $15 and left with 

$7,000. Joking aside, he cited his time at 

the College as a formative intellectual 

experience and credited lessons learned 

from professors and figures such as 

former University president Nicholas 

Murray Butler (Class of 1882). A number 

of anecdotes about Kluge’s time at the 

College, in his own words, are included 

in the 2009 book John Kluge: Stories. The 


4 


arouNd QuadS 

the 

John W. Kluge ’37 Dies at 95; 

Columbia’s Leading Benefactor 

B y Li s a Pa L L a d i n o 

collection was compiled by his son John 

Jr. ’05 and excerpted in CCT’s September/ 

October “Columbia Forum” department 

(college.columbia.edu/cct/sep_oct10). 

Following graduation, Kluge worked 

at a printing company in Detroit. During 

WWII he served in Army intelligence in 

the Aleutian Islands. He then ran a fooddistribution 

company and next turned 

to broadcasting. In 1946, Kluge used his 

Army discharge money to buy his first radio 

station, WGAY in Silver Spring, Md., 

with a partner. He continued to buy and 

sell stations and invested in what became 

the Baltimore-based food wholesaler 

Kluge, Finkelstein and Co. In the 1950s, 

Kluge acquired radio stations in St. Louis, 

Dallas, Fort Worth, Buffalo, Tulsa, Nashville, 

Pittsburgh and Orlando. He also 

invested in real estate and expanded the 

New England Fritos Corp., which he had 

founded in 1947 to distribute Fritos and 

Cheetos in the Northeast. He added Fleischmann’s 

yeast, Blue Bonnet margarine 

and Wrigley’s chewing gum to the distribution 

network. Working with David 

Finkelstein, Kluge augmented his fortune 

by distributing the products of companies 

such as General Foods and Coca-Cola to 

supermarket chains. 

The most satisfying day in his life, 

Kluge said, according to The New York 

Times, was the day Barney Balaban of 

Paramount told him, “Young man, you 

bring me $4 million and you’ll be able to 

have the Paramount stock in the Metropolitan 

Broadcasting Company.” 

With that $4 million, Kluge got into the 

television business as chief executive of 

Metropolitan, which consisted of two stations 

— WNEW in New York and WTTG 

in Washington, D.C. — and two radio stations. 

He renamed the company Metromedia 

in 1961 because he intended to expand

Columbia CollEgE Today AROuND THE quADs 

it beyond broadcasting. 

Kluge had no patience for those 

he called “self-important corporation 

types cut out of the same cookie cutter” 

who tended to play it safe. He often 

took Wall Street by surprise, but as financial 

analyst Allen J. Gottesman said 

in 1986: “Whatever he does works out 

real well. You always assume there was 

a good reason, and you usually find 

out later that it was a good move.” 

“I love the work because it taxes 

your mind,” Kluge said in an interview 

with the Times. “Years ago, I could have 

taken a few million dollars and joined the 

country club and gotten into this pattern 

of complaining about the world and about 

the tax law.” 

Instead, Kluge grew Metromedia, the 

nation’s first major independent broadcasting 

entity, into a conglomerate that included 

seven television stations, 14 radio stations, 

outdoor advertising, the Harlem Globetrotters, 

the Ice Capades, radio paging and mobile 

telephones as well as syndicated rights 

to television shows and movies. 

Kluge made his first billion in 1984, 

when he took Metromedia private in a $1.1 

billion leveraged buyout and then liquidated 

the company, more than tripling his 

take. He sold the television stations for 

more than $2 billion to Rupert Murdoch, 

who was expanding his communications 

empire and forming the FOX Network. 

Kluge’s sale of 11 radio stations brought 

close to $290 million. The outdoor advertising 

business went for $710 million. The 

Harlem Globetrotters and the Ice Capades, 

which together cost the company $6 million, 

brought $30 million. Kluge topped 

the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans 

from 1989 to 1991. 

Upon selling his television interests, 

Kluge remained a businessman but 

increasingly turned his attention to philanthropy. 

He founded the John Kluge 

Scholars Program in 1987 to enable highachieving 

students to attend the College 

by providing them with financial support 

and programming to help them flourish 

academically and develop fully their individual 

talents. The program has evolved 

and grown, with additional support from 

Kluge, so that there is now a steady cohort 

of approximately 200 scholars in residence 

at any one time. 

Columbia President Lee C. Bollinger 

recalled that Kluge “had a fresh and firsthand 

understanding of the catalytic effect a 

Columbia education could have on a young 

person’s life, as it did on his own. He was 

determined to ensure as many students as 

Kluge accepts a framed class banner from Kluge Scholars 

Jessica Perez ’06 and Reginald Gossett ’06 at his 90th 

birthday celebration in Low Rotunda on October 1, 2004. 

PHOTOs: EILEEN BARROsO 

possible could benefit, as he did, from this 

kind of educational opportunity.” 

The College recognized Kluge with a 

John Jay Award for distinguished professional 

achievement in 1982 and the Alexander 

Hamilton Medal, its highest honor, 

in 1991. He was presented an honorary 

doctorate from the University in 1988 and 

was an Alumni Medalist in 2004. 

“John Kluge was a towering figure 

whose commitment to Columbia and to 

higher education sets a standard for us 

all,” said Dean Michele Moody-Adams. 

“He will be dearly missed, even as we 

continue to benefit from his generosity 


5 

and his devotion to Columbia and 

Columbia students.” 

Many institutions and charities 

have benefitted from Kluge’s philanthropy. 

He contributed to the restoration 

of Ellis Island and in 2000 gave 

$73 million to the Library of Congress, 

which established the Kluge Prize for 

the Study of Humanities. 

In an obituary published on September 

8, the Times noted that Kluge 

acknowledged that he had been ruled 

by his ambitions and traced them to 

the struggles of his boyhood. He recalled 

a conversation he had with friends 

in college about their aspirations. “One fellow 

said he wanted to be a lawyer, another 

a doctor,” he said. “I said one thing — that 

the only reason I wanted money was that 

I was always afraid of being a charity case 

and of being a ward someplace. That’s 

what really drove me all my life.” 

In addition to his son John, Kluge is 

sur vived by his fourth wife, Maria “Tussi” 

Kuttner; daughter, Samantha; stepchildren, 

Joseph Brad Kluge, whom he adopted, 

and Diane Townsend Zeier, Jeannette 

Townsend Brophy and Peter Townsend; 

and a grandson.

AROuND THE quADs Columbia CollEgE Today 

Austin E. Quigley Theatre Dedicated 

dean of the College Emeritus Austin E. 

Quigley was honored on Septem- 

ber 13 with the renaming of Alfred 

Lerner Hall’s Black Box Theatre as the 

Austin E. Quigley Theatre. Quigley, the 

Brander Matthews Professor of Dramatic 

Literature, was the dean for 14 years, the 

second-longest tenure in the College’s 

history, before stepping down in 2009. He 

is an expert on the works of playwright 

Harold Pinter and was instrumental in 

Austin E. Quigley speaks at the dedication of the Lerner Hall Black 

Box Theatre in his honor. 

PHOTO: EILEEN BARROsO 

alumNi iN the NewS 

n The College has been all over the silver 

screen this fall. Anna Boden ’02 teamed 

up with Ryan Fleck to direct It’s Kind of 

a Funny Story, which is about a suicidal 

teenager who checks into an adult psychiatric 

ward where he meets bizarre 

characters, learns life-lessons and even 

finds love. Another teen comedy, directed 

and distributed by Linda Appel Lipsius 

’93 and her husband, shows that a small 

independent movie can still make waves. 

Their film, Smash, starring Lindsey Shaw 

of 10 Things I Hate About You, tells the 

story of a tennis champion who suffers an 

injury that keeps her out of the game but 

brings romance in the form of Chandler 

Massey of Days of Our Lives. James Franco 

played the iconoclastic Allen Ginsberg 

’48 in Howl, a biopic of the Beat poet that 

focused on the obscenity trial waged over 

his masterpiece about gay love, drugs and 

disillusionment. George Clooney will direct 

Farragut North, a political drama adapted 

from the play written by Beau Willimon 

’99, ’03 Arts. CCT profiled Willimon in May/ 

June ’09, soon after the play came out: 

college.columbia.edu/cct/may_jun09. 

n Tristan Perich ’04 has reduced music to 

its bare minimum. His 1-Bit Music features 

a CD case containing not a CD but an electronic 

circuit that plays a five-movement 

symphony specially written in one-bit pro- 

expanding and enhancing Columbia’s theatre 

program while holding the deanship. 

On hand to honor Quigley was Dean of 

the Faculty and E.V.P. for Arts and Sciences 

Nicholas Dirks, who welcomed the guests 

by noting of Quigley, “His academic interests 

fed into one of his great passions — to 

advance theatre at Columbia.” Since coming 

to Columbia in 1990, Quigley founded 

the undergraduate major in drama and 

theatre arts, revived the doctoral program 

in theatre studies and 

helped reinvigorate the 

M.F.A. program in theatre 

at the School of the Arts. 

Quigley, who was joined 

by his wife, Patricia Denison, 

and their daughter 

Catherine, also was praised 

by Dean Michele Moody- 

Adams, who said that the 

renaming of the theater 

“recognizes Austin’s devotion 

to the humanized so- 

gramming code. The Wall Street Journal 

reports that these robotic sounds have “an 

intense, hypnotic force and a surprising 

emotional depth.” Perich is an experimental 

musician as well as a visual artist who has 

had solo exhibitions in New York, Copenhagen 

and Spoleto. He received the Prix Ars 

Electronica in 2009 and will be featured at 

Sonar 2010 in Barcelona. He also has produced 

Machine Drawings and 1-Bit Video. 

n Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich ’01 

has been awarded The 2010 

Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s 

Award for woman writers of 

exceptional talent in the early 

stages of their career. Marzano- 

Lesnevich plans to use the 

$25,000 award to take the time 

to finish her first book, Any One 

Of Us, described by the founda- 

tion as a “personal narrative 

that combines memoir with 

an inquiry into a murder and a 

murder’s past.” She draws on her personal 

trauma and professional experience as 

a Harvard Law student defending murderers 

and a sex offender in Louisiana. 

n Brandon Kessler ’96, ’07 Business’ Internet 

startup is proving that economic crisis 

and economic opportunity may be synonymous, 

according to an article in Crain’s New 


6 

Alexandria Marzano- 

Lesnevich ’01 

ciety … and reaffirms the value of Lerner 

Hall to our community.” 

Rita Pietropinto-Kitt ’93, an actress 

and a theatre professor at Barnard, and 

Thomas Kitt ’96, a Pulitzer Prize and Tony 

Award-winning composer (Next to Normal), 

paid tribute to Quigley. Both were active 

in theatre as students and noted how 

Quigley’s contributions were important 

for “making arts at Columbia University a 

priority,” as Pietropinto-Kitt noted. 

Quigley said that he thought of the 

renaming “as an honor for all faculty, 

alumni, students and administrators. The 

theater will be a resource for our students 

… it is an empty box wherein you can see 

anything, do anything, in any way you 

like. There is freedom in this space.” He 

then joked, “As long as the door is closed 

and the dean doesn’t see you!” Quigley 

then said, on a more serious note, “My 

childhood, my teaching life, my professional 

life, all have led to this. Thank you.” 

The evening closed with a skit from the 

116th Varsity Show, performed by four students 

from its cast. 


York Business. His company, ChallengePost 

(challengepost.com), is an online marketplace 

where users can post challenges and 

pledge money to motivate one another to 

solve problems. Kessler previously founded 

a record label, Messenger Records, which 

he launched as a senior at the College. According 

to Crain’s, ChallengePost already 

has raised $775,000 and is nearing an institutional 

round of funding worth “several 

million dollars.” 

n The Republican Party’s hottest 

trendsetter, Meghan McCain 

’07, was featured in an extensive 

profile in The New York Times 

Style section in September. In an 

interview conducted near her Arizona 

home, McCain dished about 

her new book, Dirty Sexy Politics, 

her blogging and how she thinks 

young people can become more 

connected to the political process. 

Her first attempts as a blogger, 

writing about her father’s unsuccessful 

run for President, were met with hostility 

by some readers but McCain says she has 

learned from her mistakes and now is a 

tweeter with 86,000 followers as well as a 

featured writer for The Daily Beast. The next 

step for her growing media empire may be 

television, according to the article. 

Atti Viragh ’12 GS


College Offers New Major in Sustainable Development 

Beginning this year, graduates of 

the College have another option 

to develop dynamic tools that will 

not only help them get jobs but also will 

help the planet stay green. 

Partnering with the Earth Institute 

at Columbia, the College now offers 

a degree in sustainable development. 

The program provides a diverse array 

of classes in several disciplines that 

will prepare students to deal with complex 

issues of development related to 

the interactions of natural and social 

systems. 

“We’re not teaching a single discipline 

or skill,” says Columbia economist 

Jeffrey Sachs, who directs the Earth 

Institute. “We’re teaching a way to view 

the complexity of the human situation. 

In the 21st century, this means the complexity 

of a crowded planet in an environment 

that’s under great stress, and 

economic and ecological systems that 

are at a crossroads.” 

This new major is one of three added 

for the new academic year. Students can 

now also major in financial economics 

(replaces economics and operations 

research) and ethnicity and race studies 

(replaces comparative ethnic studies, 

Latino studies and Asian American 

studies). Three new majors also were 

added last year (Latin American and 

Caribbean studies, African studies and 

information studies). College students 

have more than 70 majors and concentrations 

from which to choose. 

Kathryn B. Yatrakis, dean of academic 

affairs, notes, “The major in sustainable 

development reflects the heightened 

interest in issues of sustainability 

amongst students and the commitment 

of faculty in the field to undergraduate 

education. We are very fortunate to 

have world-class faculty in this area, led 

by the Denning Professor of Sustainable 

Development Ruth DeFries, so that we 

can capitalize on this interest and offer 

this exciting new major.” 

The major requirements include class- 

es from departments such as economics, 

biology, earth science and mathematics. 

Sachs, who is a special adviser to 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban 

Ki-Moon, says that “systems-oriented 

thinking” is increasingly in demand by 

employers in the development community. 

“Both in the public sector and the 

private sector,” he says, “there’s a huge 

premium on talent that can understand 

these issues and look across them to 

come up with creative solutions.” 

DeFries and Kevin Griffin, associate 

professor of earth and environmental 

science, led the program’s development. 

Faculty from the College, the Earth Institute, 

SIPA, Teachers College and the 

Mailman School of Public Health will 

provide instruction. 

The major will equip students with a 

strong theoretical foundation and ample 

practical skills that are in demand in the 

public, private and nonprofit sectors as 

well as in graduate programs. 


Alumni Giving 

MAKES IT POSSIBLE. 

�� 

Did you know about HALF of Columbia 

College students receive financial aid? 

All admitted students—regardless of 

their financial status—deserve full access to 

the Columbia experience. There are two 

ways for you to help: 1) Endowment 

giving—Kluge matches available 

2) College Annual Fund 

giving.columbia.edu/scholarships101 Watch and listen to Dean Moody-Adams & our students.


Class of 2014 Welcomed at Convocation 

the sun was hot, the skies were 

clear and the members of the 

Class of 2014 and their families 

were busy on August 30 as 

they were welcomed at Convocation into 

the Columbia family. Under a large tent 

on South Field that provided shade but 

not much relief from the heat, President 

Lee C. Bollinger, Dean Michele Moody- 

Adams and SEAS Dean Feniosky A. 

Peña-Mora, among others, addressed the 

students and their families. 

After the traditional, colorful parade of 

students carrying the 159 flags that represented 

every home state and country of 

the student body, Dean of Student Affairs 

and a.v.p. for undergraduate life Kevin 

Shollenberger welcomed the guests by 

noting that Convocation is “a celebration 

of the Class of 2014 as well as transfer 

students, and a day to honor new students 

and their families.” New Student Orientation 

Program coordinator Kevin Magus 

’12, who was joined in the audience by 

many of the NSOP students who ably 

facilitated the move-in process, made the 

point that that being at Columbia teaches 

students how to think, not what to think. 

Moody-Adams took the podium at her 

second Convocation as dean of the College 

and v.p. for undergraduate education. She 

addressed the students as “a select group” 

and congratulated them “on the accomplishments 

that brought you here today.” 

She also addressed the parents and families, 

President Lee C. Bollinger (top) and Dean Michele Moody-Adams were among the speakers who 

welcomed members of the Class of 2014, their families and guests at Convocation. 

PHOTOs: DANIELLA ZALCMAN ’09 

saying that their “nurture and support have 

been essential” and added that “Student 

Affairs professionals are committed to the 

success of your daughter or son.” 

Moody-Adams stressed to the students 

that the Core Curriculum offers the best 

of the liberal arts tradition. She said that 

while they may at times feel stressed by 

their many choices and responsibilities, 


8 

she urged them to “embrace uncertainty, 

and you will be on the path to taming it 

… you should find wonder in everyday 

surroundings and remain open to the possibility 

of being surprised.” 

The ceremony concluded with the 

singing of “Roar, Lion, Roar,” Columbia’s 

fight song, written by Corey Ford ’23. 


Kenneth Cole Sponsors Community Engagement Program 

Community engagement always has 

been a vital element in student life 

at Columbia. Now, fashion designer 

Kenneth Cole P’10 is giving students interested 

in working on community projects a 

huge boost. The College and SEAS are partnering 

with Cole to create the Kenneth Cole 

Community Engagement Program (student 

affairs.columbia.edu/ocae/kennethcole), 

which will provide 12 undergraduates 

the opportunity to produce meaningful, 

sustainable change by developing practical 

approaches to challenges and opportunities 

faced by participating communities. 

“I am enthusiastic about working with 

Columbia, one of the nation’s most esteem- 

ed universities, on a project intended to 

inspire its talented student body and em- 

power them with the necessary tools to 

make meaningful and sustainable differences 

in their respective communities,” 

said Cole, who sponsored a similar program 

at his alma mater, Emory, in 2002. 

Kenneth Cole Fellows will participate 

in a unique combination of academic 

study and co-curricular training. They will 

take at least two approved courses that address 

community-building and urban issues 

along with a spring semester seminar 

series that emphasizes practical learning. 

Their fellowships will culminate in a paid 

summer immersion experience working 

in teams on projects for community-based 

organizations, social enterprises or not-forprofit 

entities. To complement their summer 

projects, the fellows will participate in 

a unique living-and-learning community 

in University residence halls. 

“We wish to express our deepest gratitude 

to Kenneth Cole for recognizing the 

importance of instruction that extends 

beyond the classroom and impacts our 

greater community,” said Dean Michele 

Moody-Adams. “We are confident that 

Kenneth Cole Fellows will have the unique 

opportunity to enrich their own learning 

experiences while discovering the important 

role each of us plays in making a difference 

in the local and global communities to 

which we are all responsible.” 

A committee of faculty and administrators 

from the College, SEAS, the Division of 

Student Affairs and the Center for Career 

Education will select fellows in January 

from among College and SEAS applicants. 

Timothy P. Cross ’85 GSAS, 

’88 GSAS, ’98 GSAS

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CampuS NewS 

n wE’rE no. 4: Columbia climbed 

to fourth place, from a tie for eighth 

a year ago, in U.S. News & World 

Report’s 2011 ranking of national 

universities, which was released in 

August. Harvard, which had tied 

with Princeton for first place in 

2010, took sole possession of the top 

spot this year, followed by Princeton 

and Yale. Stanford and Penn 

were tied for fifth, CalTech and MIT 

tied for seventh and Dartmouth, 

Duke and Chicago tied for ninth. 

U.S. News’ ratings were begun in 

1983 and are based on peer evaluations, 

graduation and freshman 

retention rates, faculty resources, 

student selectivity, financial resources, 

graduation rate performance and 

alumni giving rate. This year, the 

methodology was adjusted to add 

high school counselors to the peer 

evaluations and to give more weight 

to graduation and retention rates. 

For more information, go to 

usnews.com and search for “best 

colleges 2011.” 

n fulbrights: A record 15 

young alumni, including eight 

members of the Class of 2010, won 

Fulbright Scholarships in the 2009– 

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10 competition. “We are most grate- 

ful for the continued support of 

faculty members who assist the 

process through reviewing research 

proposals, conducting language 

evaluations and writing letters of 

recommendation on behalf of our 

outstanding students,” says Mich- 

ael Pippenger, the associate dean 

who heads the Fellowship Program. 

Following are the Fulbright win- 

ners, with their class year, major and 

the country in which they will be 

teaching, studying and doing research: 

Adam Bazari ’10, anthropology, 

Indonesia; Jonathan Blitzer ’07, 

English, Spain; Amanda Erickson 

’08, urban studies, Azerbaijan; Matthew 

Franks ’09, English, Germany; 

Alexander Harris-Hertel ’10, German 

literature and cultural history, 

Germany; Paige Johnson ’10, drama 

and theatre arts, Indonesia; Jamie 

Johns ’10, history, China; Alex Jung 

’07, anthropology, South Korea; 

Caitlin Lynch ’10, anthropology, 

Brazil; David Nee ’08, English, 

Austria; Natalie Neumann ’10 history 

(pre-med), Mongolia; Deysy 

Ordonez-Arreola ’10, anthropology, 

Macau; Zoe Towns ’07, comparative 

ethnic studies, United Kingdom; 

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Rachel Vishnepolsky ’10, mathematics, 

Poland; and Emily Wright- 

Rosenblatt ’08, African-American 

studies and English, Venezuela. 

Also, Menachem Kaiser ’09 GS, 

an economics-philosophy major, 

was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship 

to Lithuania, and Lusia Zait - 

seva ’10, a double major in creative 

writing and French, was recommended 

by the IIE National Screening 

Committee and was awarded 

by the French Ministry Teaching 

Assistant program. 

n EndowMEnt: Columbia’s 

endowment performed well last 

year, posting a 17.3 percent return 

on its investments to finish the 

fiscal year that ended June 30 at 

about $6.5 billion. That beat the 14 

percent returns of stock averages 

for the period. It also surpassed the 

11 percent return that Harvard, the 

world’s richest school with an endowment 

of $27.4 billion, reported 

for its endowment, and the 8.9 

percent return reported by Yale. 

Across the past five years, Columbia’s 

endowment has risen an 

average of 7.9 percent annually; 

that compares with a 4.7 percent 

C O L U M B I A C O L L E G E 

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gain at Harvard and a 3.1 percent 

increase for institutions tracked by 

Wilshire Associates, a consulting 

firm in Santa Monica, Calif. 

“The successful investment 

performance over time has become 

a cornerstone of Columbia’s 

financial strength,” says Senior 

E.V.P. Robert Kasdin. “It provides 

a growing source of operating 

revenue, and our donors know we 

take their trust most seriously.” 

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iN lumiNe tuo 

n Wm. Theodore de Bary ’41, 

’53 GSAS, the John Mitchell 

Mason Professor Emeritus and 

Provost Emeritus of the University, 

was honored by The 

Japan Academy with a unanimous 

election as an Honorary 

Member on September 13. 

The honor was conferred, 

according to academy president 

Masaaki Kubo in a letter 

to De Bary, for his “outstanding 

contributions to the studies 

in Confucian ethics and 

Japanese thoughts.” 

COLLEGE 

COLLEGE 

COLUMBIA 

COLUMBIA 

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SAVE THE DATE THURSDAY, JUNE 2–SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2011


iN memoriam 

n sir frank Kermode, the Julian Clarence 

Levi Professor Emeritus in the Humanities 

during the 1980s, died on August 17 at his 

home in Cambridge, England. He was 90. 

Kermode, who was knighted in 1991, 

was one of the most distinguished literary 

critics of his generation, especially in his 

studies of Shakespeare and early modern 

literature. He published more than 50 books 

across a wide range of literature on authors 

as various as Beowulf, Homer, Philip Roth 

and Wallace Stevens. A prolific reviewer, he 

contributed frequently to The London Review 

of Books, which he helped create, The Times 

Literary Supplement and The New York Review 

of Books. He became co-editor of Encounter 

in 1964. Kermode’s The Sense of An Ending: 

Studies in the Theory of Fiction (1967, 2000) 

and The Genesis of Secrecy: On the Interpretation 

of Narrative (1979) have endured as 

classic works of criticism. His latest book, 

Concerning E.M. Forster, was published last 

December. 

Kermode was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, 

and graduated from Liverpool University in 

1940. He was a professor at King’s College, 

Cambridge and the University College of 

London before moving to the United States 

in 1982. He taught at Columbia, Harvard and 

Yale, and in 2003, he was presented with an 

honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Columbia. 

We’ve got you covered. 

“For the majority of us who 

will not be creating or 

collecting rare books for 

future generations, planned 

giving to Columbia Libraries 

is a meaningful way to 

support their sacred role in 

the continuum of education, 

research, and collection at our 

University.” 

Michael Garrett, Esq. 

’66CC, ’69LAW, ’70BUS 

Friend of the Columbia Libraries 

Through Columbia Alumni Association, 

life insurance is available in amounts up to 

$1,000,000, underwritten by New York Life 

Insurance Company (NY, NY 10010). 

For details about eligibility, coverage amounts, 

rates, exclusions and renewal provisions, please 

visit alumni.columbia.edu/insurance or call 

the plan administrator at 800-223-1147 

Join Michael Garrett in the 

1754 Society, a group of alumni 

and friends who have made 

bequest, life income, and other 

planned gi�s to the University. 

Planned gi�s support students, 

faculty, and more. Visit 

www.columbia.planyourlegacy.org 

or call 800-338-3294.


Martha Howell ’74 GsAs, ’79 

GsAs is the Miriam Champion 

Professor of History. Her 

research focuses on social, 

legal, economic and women’s 

history in northern Europe. 

she is the author of numerous 

papers and books, including, 

most recently, Commerce 

Before Capitalism: European 

Market Culture, 1300–1600. 

Howell earned a B.A. from 

Georgetown and an M.A. and 

Ph.D. from Columbia. 

what did you want to be 

when you were growing up? 

Something that was not visible. 

I grew up in the ’50s and 

’60s in a very conventional 

suburb of Washington, D.C., 

in which the only careers 

imaginable for a woman, other 

than being a mother with 

an Irish Setter, a station wagon 

and two kids, were to 

be a teacher, a nurse or a 

secretary. I didn’t want to 

be any of those. I didn’t 

know what I wanted to be. It 

wasn’t until later that I started 

to imagine other careers, really 

not until I was almost in 

college. 

how did you become a historian? 

When I started college, I 

thought I would probably be 

a professor and go to graduate 

school, but it wasn’t clear 

to me what that would lead 

to, maybe a job at a women’s 

college. Once I got into college, 

I had much grander 

ideas. I wanted to be a journalist 

and work in Europe. I 

went to Europe after college 

and lived there for a year. I 

came back fluent in German 

but was stunned to find out 

that The New York Times didn’t 

want to hire me as its correspondent 

in Bonn (then West 

Germany’s capital city). All 

they wanted to know was, 

could I type? And I couldn’t 

type. But I had done quite a 

lot of economics as an undergraduate, 

and I got a job doing 

financial research just at 

the moment when banks and 

Wall Street decided that they 

could hire women. Someone 

hired me even though I didn’t 

have an M.B.A., and I worked 

there for a few years, but I realized 

that wasn’t really what 

I wanted to do, so I decided to 

go to graduate school. 

how did you end up at 

columbia? 

I graduated from here in 1979, 

got my first teaching job at 

Rutgers and commuted from 

New York. Ten years later, 

Columbia was searching for 

someone who could teach 

and help organize gender 

studies, and I had done a lot 

of work on gender. My first 

book was on gender. Columbia 

invited me to apply. I was 

already living on the Upper 

West Side, so the transition 

was easy. 

what are you 

working on? 

I recently published 

a book 

called Commerce 

Before Capitalism: 

European Market 


12 

Culture, 1300–1600. Although 

it has tons about gender and 

other things I’ve become associated 

with, it is much more 

a return to economic history. 

But it is a socio-cultural history 

of the economy rather 

than a straight history as 

economists would tell it. I’m 

also gearing up for a new 

project, which is going to 

be about the culture of the 

economy in the early modern 

period. I think I am going to 

focus on merchant culture: 

how merchants see the world 

and their profession in a time 

when the pursuit of wealth 

was still suspect morally. We 

did not yet live in a world 

where the market economy 

could stand as the logic of the 

good society. It was exactly 

the opposite. 

Five minutes with … martha howell 

what are you teaching this 

semester? 

In addition to one graduate 

course and, in the spring, an 

undergraduate course, I’m 

teaching the year-long senior 

thesis seminar where the 

history majors who chose to 

do so can do independent 

research and have an opportunity 

to earn honors. 

what’s your favorite food? 

Probably either ice cream or 

salad. 

do you have any pets? 

I have had cats most of my 

adult life, and the two that 

I had most recently died a 

couple of years ago. I’m very 

sad about that, but I’m doing 

a lot of traveling, so it’s hard 

to have a pet right now. 

are you married? do you 

have kids? 

I am married and have twin 

boys who are 30. 

what’s something your students 

would never guess 

about you? 

I am a rabid Yankees fan, and 

I know a lot about them. 

growing up in northern virginia, 

how did you become a 

Yankees fan? 

Our team was the Washington 

Senators, and they were terrible, 

so I never developed a 

passion for them. But one of 

my sons, as a little boy, became 

fascinated with all sports. 

His father was uninterested 

in baseball. My son needed 

a partner, and he taught me 

about baseball. For years, for 

my birthday, he would take 

me to a Yankees game. 

what is your favorite spot in 

new York city? 

I have many, but one of my 

favorites is Central Park in 

May. 

how do you recharge? 

I go to the country. I ride 

bicycles. I hike. I ski. We 

spend summers at a farm 

on the Canadian border in 

Vermont. 

if you could be anywhere in 

the world right now, where 

would you be? 

I might be in Barton, Vt., or I 

might be in Berlin. 

what are you reading for 

pleasure? 

I’m on an Alice Munro kick. 

what on your resume are 

you most proud of? 

I was given an honorary 

degree in 2007 from the University 

of Ghent, which is the 

center for medieval studies 

in Belgium. It’s a part of the 

world that I study, so to be 

given an honorary degree by 

that part of the world, where 

they know a lot about their 

history, I guess that’s the best 

thing. 

Interview and photo: 


To watch a video of Howell discussing 

the challenges of starting 

a gender studies program, go to 

college.columbia.edu/cct.


roar, lioN, roar 

n satow stadiuM: Columbia’s 

baseball facility at the Baker Athletics 

Complex has been renamed in 

recognition of the generosity of former 

Columbia College Alumni Association 

president Phillip M. Satow 

’63. Satow played second base for 

the Lions and was a member of the 

1963 team that tied Dartmouth and 

Navy for the Eastern/Ivy League 

championship. 

The $1.5 million family gift, 

which was announced by University 

Trustees Chair Bill Campbell ’62 

at Homecoming on October 23, will 

fund major improvements that will 

make the baseball facility among 

the best in the Ivy League. The project 

includes new seats behind home 

plate and the expansion of seating 

down the first base line, construction 

of a new home dugout, installation 

of a new multimedia scoreboard 

and a new press box. 

Satow and his family have made 

numerous gifts to Columbia, including 

the Satow Family Scholarship 

Fund and the widely used Jed 

D. Satow Room on the fifth floor of 

Alfred Lerner Hall. As for his most 

recent gift, Satow said, “It was a 

natural fit. I love Columbia. I have 

always been a supporter of Columbia 

athletics. And I love baseball; it 

is one of the loves of my life.” 

Satow is a classmate of Robert K. 

Kraft ’63, whose $5 million gift in 

2007 resulted in the renaming of the 

football playing field as the Robert 

K. Kraft Field at Lawrence A. Wien 

Stadium. The baseball field’s proximity 

to Kraft Field and a planned 

facility named after Campbell will 

cement a bond among the three 

alumni. “I have great respect and 

special affection for Bill Campbell 

and Robert Kraft,” said Satow. 

Have You Moved? 

To ensure that you receive CCT and 

other College information, let us know if 

you have a new postal or e-mail address, 

a new phone number or even a new 

name. 

Click “Contact Us” at 

college.columbia.edu/cct 

or call 212-851-7852. 

n football: Sean Brackett ’13 

tied a school record by throwing 

five touchdown passes as Columbia 

opened its Ivy schedule in fine 

fashion, trouncing Princeton 42–14 

on October 2. Brackett completed 

18 of 24 pass attempts for 273 yards 

and helped Columbia amass 528 

yards in total offense, just 20 shy 

of the school record. Brackett’s five 

TD passes tied the Columbia record 

shared by Paul Governali ’43 

and John Witkowski ’84. 

Columbia’s 42 points were the 

most scored against Princeton in 

school history, and this marked 

the first time Columbia has beaten 

Princeton in consecutive years. 

Columbia won 38–0 at Princeton a 

year ago. 

n vollEYball: Columbia’s volleyball 

team beat Manhattan 3–0 

(25–12, 25–19, 25–17) on September 

29 for its ninth straight victory, the 

longest winning streak in school 

history. The Lions were led against 

the Jaspers by Madeline Rumer 

’14, who had 12 kills, and Megan 

Gaughn ’13, who had 11. Colleen 

Brennan ’14 had 26 assists and 

Katherine Keller ’14 had 24 digs. 

The streak came to an end on 

October 2 when the Lions narrowly 

lost at Cornell 3–2, coming back 

from two sets down before dropping 

the deciding fifth set 15–13. 

n olYMpian: Cross country and 

track and field alumna Lisa Stublic 

’06 qualified for the 2012 Olympics 

by running the Berlin marathon in 

2:33.42 on September 26. She finished 

ninth in the race but her time 

beat the Olympic ‘A’ standard by 

more than three seconds. 

Stublic will represent Croatia in 


13 

the London Olympics and become 

the country’s first female Olympic 

marathon runner. She moved to 

Croatia three years ago; her father 

is a native, while her mother is 

American. 

“When I saw the result, I thought 

that I was dreaming,” Stublic told 

the Croatian Times. “This was the first 

marathon of my life and regardless 

of the fact that we prepared well, I 

did not expect such a good result. I 

wanted to come to my father’s home- 

land, and when I saw the methods 

of training of my current coach, 

Slavko Petrovic, I was so excited that 

I stayed. And I am not sorry.” 

Stublic, a cross-country All- 

American at Columbia, was a 

member of the team that dominated 

Ivy League women’s cross country, 

winning championships each of the 

four years she competed. A two-time 

All-Ivy runner, Stublic qualified for 

the NCAA finals in cross country 

each of her four years and also for 

the NCAA finals in the 3,000-meter 

steeplechase her senior year. 

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They 

Couldn’t 

Leave 

Home 

Without It 

PHOTOs: DANIELLA ZALCMAN ’09 

move-in day can be 

a traumatic experi- 

ence, and not just for 

parents. For some 

students, it marks the first time they 

will be living away from home for an 

extended period of time. Volunteers 

from the New Student Orientation 

Program make the move-in process 

run remarkably smoothly, but there 

comes a time when goodbyes are 

said, more than a tear or two is shed, 

and parents and students go their 

separate ways. As first-year students 

settle into unfamiliar quarters in resi- 

dence halls such as Carman and John 

Jay, we asked, What one special thing 

did you bring with you to remind 

you of home? 

“Music is the one thing I definitely 

know I want to study here. If I could 

only bring one thing with me to 

college, it would be my keyboard.” 

Gabriel Ray, 17, Baltimore 


”I’m a runner, so I like to stay healthy. Oatmeal is really warm and comforting and I made it for 

breakfast every day at home, so hopefully I’ll keep that up in college.” 

Laura Vigilante, 18, Brookside, N.J. 

“Ratatouille is the one movie I always 

watched with my friends when I was sad 

or unhappy. I couldn’t leave it at home.” 

Andrew Wright,18, Parsippany, N.J. 

“I’ve always wanted to be a composer and it 

was really important to me that I could bring 

my clarinet to college.” 

solomon Hoffman, 18, Port Washington, N.Y. 

“My family is very important to me and I’m 

going to miss them — but I’ll go home to 

visit every couple weekends.” 

Bolivar Charles, 18, White Plains, N.Y.

Columbia CollEgE Today THEY COuLDN’T LEAVE HOME WITHOuT IT 

”A really good friend gave me this poster of Jessica Biel and I’ve always had it in my room. I think it’ll fit in well here.” 

Juan Ocampo, 18, Bogota, Colombia 

“I’m not really a photo person, but I brought this one picture so I can always keep my family in front of me when I’m away.” 

Zahra Bhaiwala, 18, Boston 


15

THEY COuLDN’T LEAVE HOME WITHOuT IT Columbia CollEgE Today 

“This is the Maryland flag and it reminds me of where I’m from. My oldest brother brought it with him 

to college and had it in his room and then my other brother did it, so it’s become a family tradition.” 

Gideon Wolf, 17, Baltimore 

”This is the only family portrait we’ve ever 

taken, so I had to bring it. My family means 

everything to me.” 

Tayler Johnson, 18, Los Angeles 

“I brought this 

one picture so 

I can always 

keep my family 

in front of me 

when I’m away.” 


16 

“These are the hair products that I buy when 

I go home to Buenos Aires that I can only find 

there — my hair is disgusting without them!” 

Ayelen Rodriguez, 18, New York City 

(by way of Buenos Aires, Argentina) 

“This photo is from my best friend’s Sweet 

16 party. I’ve known her since I was 4, and 

she gave me this to remember her by.” 

Mya Reid, 17, Fort Washington, Md. 

”Lacrosse is a huge part of my life and who 

I am. I’m a recruit, so I’ll definitely be on the 

Columbia team, and I’m really excited.” 

Camille Richardson, 18, Philadelphia

Columbia CollEgE Today THEY COuLDN’T LEAVE HOME WITHOuT IT 

”I’ve had this pillow since I was little. I 

actually grew up in Brooklyn, so it’s traveled 

around with me. It’s nice to bring it back to 

its original home.” 

Anna-Luisa Mirto, 18, sterling, Va. 

“This is the picture from It’s a Wonderful Life, 

which is the movie my family has watched 

every Christmas since I was born. It was also 

my school play senior year, and even though 

I’m really an athlete I tried out on a whim and 

got the main part, Mary. It was a life-changing 

experience.” Hilary szot, 18, Tewksbury, N.Y. 

“I’ve had her for four years — she’s a Build-A- 

Bear, and whenever I see her she makes me 

feel more at home.” 

Hannah Ellison,18, Evanston, Ill. 

“This monkey is always on my bed, no matter where I am.” 

Charlotte Haney, 18, New Rochelle, N.Y. 

“She’s a 

Build-A-Bear, 

and whenever 

I see her she 

makes me feel 

more at home.” 


17 

“I’ve had Peter Rabbit since I was born, and I 

still cuddle with him.” 

Justin D’Agostino, 18, Monroe, N.J.

Smith can relate. Another team in that 

Sweet Sixteen was St. Mary’s, a little-known 

school in California that had a 2–27 record 

in 2000, the year before Smith signed on as 

an assistant to his longtime friend, Randy 

Bennett. “They were kicking dirt on the 

place, talking about dropping down to Division 

III,” says Smith. Last year, it was St. 

Mary’s that did the kicking, all the way to a 

28–6 record, its second consecutive season 

with more than 25 wins. 

“Every job has hurdles you have to 

get past,” says Smith. “It’s not different 

at Cornell, but they did it. Let’s not let 

the hobgoblins and excuses get in the 

way. We’re going to keep motoring and 

get through it.” 

Kyle Smith 

takes the reins 

Columbia’s new men’s basketball coach 

hopes to lead Lions to the next level 

B y aL e x sa c h a r e ’71 

in a league historically dominated by the Killer Ps, Penn 

and Princeton, Kyle Smith wants to turn Columbia into 

the next Cornell. 

Last spring, Cornell compiled a 29–5 record and won its 

third consecutive Ivy League championship. It advanced to 

the Sweet Sixteen, the third round of the NCAA Division I 

Men’s Basketball Championship, something no Ivy team 

had achieved since Penn reached the Final Four in 1979. 

“Cornell had a great team,” says Smith, who was named Columbia’s 

22nd head coach on May 2. “It obviously can be done. You could 

say they got a 7-footer who transferred in and he ended up being 

really good, and they got a kid from somewhere down south and you 

could say he just stumbled onto campus. Well, I think Steve Donahue 

built a pretty good program over 10 years that gave them an opportunity 

to really blossom and develop and turn into what they did.” 

Smith, 41, was not yet born when 

Columbia beat Princeton 92–74 in a 

one-game playoff in 1968 to win its 

only Ivy League men’s basketball 

crown. The 1950–51 Columbia team that 

went undefeated in the regular season won 

the championship of the Eastern Intercollegiate 

Basketball Conference, the forerunner 

to the Ivy League that also included Army 

and Navy. Since the Ivy League was created 

in 1954, Penn and Princeton have combined 

to win 48 of the 56 men’s basketball 

championships. 

Seven coaches have come and gone since 

Columbia last wore the Ivy crown, and 

the Lions have enjoyed just three winning 

seasons in the last 30 years. Columbia was 


18 


86–108 in the last seven years under coach 

Joe Jones and had three 7–7 Ivy seasons before 

dipping to 5–9 in the league and 11–17 

overall last winter. So what makes Smith, a 

head coach for the first time after 18 years 

as an assistant at San Diego, Air Force and 

St. Mary’s, believe he can do what so many 

others have failed to accomplish? 

“The experiences I’ve had,” responds 

Smith unhesitatingly. “Where other people 

see a dead end, I see a tremendous opportunity. 

It was that way at St. Mary’s, and it’s 

the same thing at Columbia. St. Mary’s was 

not exactly a juggernaut when I got there. 

“Don’t get me wrong, this place is not 

2–27. It’s not,” adds Smith, speaking in his 

third-floor office in the Dodge Physical 

Fitness Center prior to the start of the fall 

semester. “When Joe got here, he inherited 

the same situation we had at St. Mary’s. 

I know how hard he worked. It’s hard to 

get over the hump. Joe put in a lot of work 

here, and I’m hoping to pick up on that.” 

But why does Smith think he can take 

the Lions to the next level? “I guess it’s 

because I’ve been in similar situations,” 

he replies. “I’ve done it. It comes down 

to basketball and team, the things we 

emphasize. I’ve been in situations where 

you have to look at things differently and 

we’ve been able to overcome the issues we 

were facing. It’s a matter of instilling a belief 

that it can be done, talking about it and 

then going out and doing it. 

“Penn and Princeton have had great 

teams. Cornell showed it can be done. Columbia 

has had great teams, too. So it’s been 

done in the Ivy League, and now we’re going 

to try to do it in New York City. Can you 

imagine if that happened?”

Columbia CollEgE Today KYLE sMITH TAKEs THE REINs 

The Columbia program bottomed out 

in 2002–03, when the team was winless 

in the Ivy League and 2–25 overall. Jones 

came in and laid a foundation. A campus 

presence, he boosted team morale, reignited 

spirit among students and alumni, 

recruited some good players and got the 

Lions to the middle of the Ivy League. 

But last spring, when Donahue cashed 

in on Cornell’s success and moved on to become 

head coach at Boston College of the 

Atlantic Coast Conference, Jones resigned 

to become Donahue’s top assistant. 

athletics Director M. Dianne Murphy 

said more than 150 applications 

were reviewed before her 

search team selected Smith as 

Jones’ successor. “He’s exactly what we’re 

looking for as our head basketball coach,” 

Murphy said when Smith was introduced 

to the Columbia community on May 5, citing 

Smith’s “strong leadership skills, excellent 

basketball knowledge and successful 

recruiting experience.” 

For Smith, the opportunity was “too 

good to pass up,” he says, even though it 

meant uprooting his family from a comfort 

zone on the West Coast. “Head coaching 

jobs are hard to get, period, and everybody 

knows the Ivy League and its schools. For 

certain kids, for certain families, there’s a 

feeling of awe when you say Columbia. 

Now I want to get the basketball to match 

that, which Columbia deserves.” 

Smith had no qualms about moving from 

a school, albeit a relatively lesser-known one, 

that was able to offer athletics scholarships 

to one where all financial aid is need-based. 

“I like the non-scholarship piece,” he 

says. “I was a Division III player at Hamilton 

College, and there was an investment 

on our part as players. We were there for 

the love of the game. I’ve been on the other 

side of that for a long time, where you’re 

offering scholarships that are worth $50,000 

a year. There’s somewhat of a lack of appreciation. 

I don’t know of many 17-year-olds 

who are ready to take on a $50,000-a-year 

job, which essentially is what it becomes. 

There’s a sense of entitlement, and they 

tend not to want to give back, whereas people 

at Columbia, or where I went at Hamilton, 

tend to give back.” 

Smith says he was pleasantly surprised 

by the interest in the basketball program 

among alumni. “I think the piece that really 

sells Columbia is that people who have 

gone through here have had a wonderful 

experience and they care so much about it. 

I wasn’t expecting that. There hasn’t been 

great recent success in the program, and 

After 18 years as an assistant, 

Kyle Smith assumes his first head 

coaching position at Columbia. 

PHOTO: DANIELLA ZALCMAN ’09 


19

KYLE sMITH TAKEs THE REINs Columbia CollEgE Today 

“Where other people see a dead end, I see a tremendous opportunity.” 

usually when that happens people kind of 

drift off, but that hasn’t happened.” 

While he can’t offer an athletic scholarship 

as an enticement, Smith believes he has 

a simple recruiting tool that could be just as 

effective. 

“Get ’em on campus,” he says. “There 

are so many people who are willing to come 

and tell them, ‘This is what it’s like to go to 

Columbia, this it what it was like when I 

was here.’ There’s excitement in their voices. 

They’re emotionally attached. 

“From my perspective, as an outsider 

coming from the West Coast, what makes 

Columbia different from the other Ivy 

League schools is New York City. The kid 

who wants the bright lights, the big city, 

the culture here … it’s advantageous for a 

certain kind of kid. For some it’s not. But 

those other seven campuses are different; 

this one’s unique, it’s New York. 

“In another sense, Columbia beats expectations. 

People think of New York, 

it’s going to be all hustle and bustle, but 

that’s not it at all — especially when you 

get through the gates and see the green 

space, the lawns. It’s what you want it to 

be. Coming to the Dodge Fitness Center 

through the campus is my favorite walk. 

It’s peaceful and calm. It’s really beautiful 

and not what you might expect.” 

Smith is hopeful of attracting prospects 

who will see it the same way. 

“For a recruit, I want Columbia to be 

his destiny. This is where he wanted to 

go, this is his first option, boom, I want 

to make this happen here. If a guy thinks 

he’s settling by going to Columbia, he’s 

not going to be as invested in the program. 

He’s thinking, ‘I could have gone 

somewhere else, I could have gotten a 

scholarship.’ Well, we need to change 

that, we don’t want that mentality. We 

want guys who wants to be here, who 

will say, ‘This is awesome!’ ” 

What does Smith, who coordinated recruiting 

for St. Mary’s, look for when he 

evaluates prospects? 

“Feel,” he responds. “When I say feel, I 

mean an understanding of the game. I like to 

find guys who can pass. They see things happen 

before they happen, offensively as well 

as defensively. They understand where the 

other four guys on the team are at all times. 

“In more general terms, I look for guys 

who can dribble, pass and shoot. You want 

those qualities. And really, that’s harder to 

find than you might think. That’s the definition 

of a guard, and we’d like to have five 

of them out there. Now, you’re not going to 

win with five 5-11 guys. But can you find a 

6-8 forward who can do those things? Can 

you find a center who can pass the ball? 

That’s a gift.” 

Kyle Smith: off the Court 

For a man with a vanilla last name, 

Kyle Smith has a rocky road background. 

“I’m kind of a product of the American 

tapestry,” he says. “My last name is Smith, 

but my mother is Italian and my dad is 

Polish, Czech, Eastern European. My parents 

split and my mother remarried a man 

who is Jewish and from New York and 

Philly. I have family in California, Seattle, 

Texas, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio. 

My ancestors came through Ellis Island, 

and now that I’m in New York, it’s kind of 

circled back. 

“We have a rich, deep history of people 

from all around this country.” 

Smith was born in El Paso, Texas, and 

raised on the nearby Fort Bliss Army base. 

He played basketball for Rick Sherley, a 

prominent Texas schoolboy coach, at Alief 

Hastings H.S. in Houston. He is married 

and lives in Morningside Heights with his 

wife, Katie, and sons, Rocco (2) and Bo, 

who was born on August 26 at NewYork 

Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical 

Center — “a true New Yorker,” Smith says. 

Smith spent a year at Deerfield Academy 

and graduated from Hamilton College 

in 1992 with a degree in English literature. 

Despite that major, Smith is at a loss when 

asked the last book he has read. 

“Anything of weight … it’s been awhile,” 

he admits. “It’s hard to turn off the coaching 

thing. The Kite Runner — I was about 

five years late to that one, but it was a 

book of substance that I enjoyed. Right 

now, with a 2-year-old and a newborn, I’m 

not sure how much reading I’ll be doing. 

Actually, I’ve been reading Five Silly Monkeys 

just about every night for the past six 

months.” 

Smith played basketball at Hamilton and 

helped the team to a 26–1 record and a No. 

1 ranking in Division III in 1991. He holds a 

master’s in educational leadership from the 

University of San Diego, where he began 

his coaching career in 1992. 

A.S. 


20 

Smith adds, “Sometimes there’s too 

much of an emphasis on recruiting. It’s 

what the fans and the alums like to talk 

about — who’s coming in, who’s going to 

do what. The big thing we’ll do here is worry 

about the ones we have and not so much 

about the ones we don’t. The guys we 

have now, those are guys we were excited 

about three years ago, so let’s see if we can 

get them to reach their full potential. That 

was our blueprint at St. Mary’s. We weren’t 

signing McDonald’s All-Americans, but 

we got guys with great attitudes, guys who 

really wanted to be there. That’s important. 

We’ve got guys who really want to be at 

Columbia.” 

Smith has definite ideas about the 

kind of program he wants to run at 

Columbia. 

“Our thing is going to be selling 

team,” he says. “That’s where my confidence 

comes from. Fans and the media 

are going to gravitate to star players; fine, 

that’s how you market the program. But 

there’s an underlying integrity to the team, 

the program, certain expectations that everybody’s 

meeting that make it really good. 

So at St. Mary’s, when we lost five seniors 

from our 26–8 NIT team, including one 

NBA player and the second-best player 

in school history, we came back and went 

28–6 last year and to the Sweet Sixteen. It 

was a confirmation that team matters, that 

doing the little things to support each other 

is important. If you do things right, if you 

support each other, you’ll succeed. 

“The coaching philosophy we had at 

St. Mary’s and that I’ve carried with me 

through high school and college is suited 

for the Ivy League, for guys who are willing 

to put the team first.” 

Like Jones before him, Smith wants his 

team and his players to be fully integrated 

into campus life. 

“I don’t want our shirts to say Columbia 

basketball, I just want them to say Columbia,” 

he declares. “We can be a great vehicle 

for promoting what Columbia can be, 

what Columbia is about. Now, I want guys 

who are committed to basketball and being 

part of a team, because those relationships 

are going to last forever. The alumni who 

played here have that, and a lot of them are 

very close. 

“But we’re Columbia. Our guys will be 

part of the community. They’re students, 

there’s no doubt about it. They’re not separate. 

People see them, they go to class like

Columbia CollEgE Today KYLE sMITH TAKEs THE REINs 

“Team matters; doing the little things to support each other is important.” 

everyone else, they’re regular Joes. And 

we do have the best arena for bringing the 

community together. We’re on campus. It’s 

where people can meet. I don’t know what 

it’s been like, but I’m hoping that no matter 

what your thing is, you’ll come over here 

for a two-hour break and support us.” 

As Smith speaks, Columbia’s 2010–11 

season opener at LaSalle on November 12 

is more than two months away, so it is understandable 

that he is reluctant to get into 

specifics about this year’s team. The top 

returning player is guard Noruwa Agho 

’12, a second team All-Ivy selection who 

led the Lions with 16.3 points per game 

and 58 three-point field goals last season. 

Others who saw significant action a year 

ago include Brian Grimes ’11, Asenso 

Ampim ’11, Mark Cisco ’13, Brian Barbour 

’13, John Daniels ’13, Steve Egee ’12, Matt 

Johnson ’12 and a pair of 7-footers, Max 

Craig ’11 and Zack Crimmins ’11. 

“I’ve watched video of our team,” he 

says, “but I don’t want to get too much of a 

preconceived notion of what guys can and 

can’t do. I think they hired me because in 

a sense they wanted a clean slate, where 

each guy has an equal opportunity to produce 

and earn a place in the rotation. 

“Obviously, the goal is to win the league, 

but we want to see improvement. We want 

to improve each year. We were an 11-win 

team and we lost three seniors, but we have 

some good talent coming back. We want 

to make sure our attitude is right and our 

work ethic is right, and let’s see if we can 

improve from there. We’ll set team goals, 

and we’ll reevaluate them periodically.” 

Asked about his coaching philosophy, 

Smith said, “I come from a history of playing 

up-tempo and I prefer to play that 

way. Now, are you going to go from A to 

Z in four months, when that has not been 

Columbia’s style? I don’t know. And there 

are some speed bumps in trying to play 

up-tempo. It’s going to be hard to change 

the way Princeton plays, especially on 

their court. Are we going to be able to 

speed them up? I don’t know. But that’s 

what I would like.” 

Smith says there are common misconceptions 

with regard to his chosen style of 

play. 

“Skill is what enables teams to play 

up-tempo and score more points,” he explains. 

“The general perception is that you 

need to be athletic, quick, fast to play uptempo. 

Well, our St. Mary’s team was 20th 

in the country in scoring last year and had 

At his introductory news conference in May, Smith spoke of trying to install an up-tempo style 

of play that takes advantage of fundamental skills. 

PHOTO: GENE BOYARs 

to be the slowest team in Division I. Our 

two big men were 6-11, 265 and believe 

me, not fleet of foot. We might have had 

four dunks all last year. We were a Sweet 

Sixteen team that couldn’t dunk. But our 

skill level was tremendous. In assist-toturnover 

ratio, we were near the top in the 

country. Our three-point field goal percentage 

was fourth in the country. 

“Our emphasis will be on skill — the 

ability to make shots, take care of the ball.” 

Smith also pays close attention to offcourt 

attributes. 

“I really want guys with great attitudes 

and great work ethics,” he says. “All things 

being equal, I want the great attitude guy. 

You ask him to do something, he’s going 

to go above and beyond to do it and that’s 

the foundation of our culture. We’ll reward 

guys who do the little things. I’ve been 

preaching that. 

“Now, how do we put a team together, 

get the chemistry right, get the egos right? 

That remains to be seen. I’m sure there’ll 

be some bumps in the road. But these are 

Columbia kids. They’re sharp cookies, it’s 

as simple as that, and it’s refreshing that 

way. You can raise the bar for them, as far 

as the work level that is expected of them. 

So I’m going to gauge them based on their 

work ethic and their level of commitment 

to the team. Those guys will do well in 

our program. They might not all play a 

lot. Obviously, only five guys are going 

to start and only eight or nine are going 

to play regularly. But I want guys on the 

team who will have a sense of pride and 

for whom it will mean something to wear 


21 

the Columbia uniform.” 

Next March, when his first season is in the 

books, how will Smith measure success? 

“Obviously, results are how you evaluate 

your performance in this business and measure 

whether you’ve reached your goals. An 

Ivy championship and a berth in the NCAA 

Tournament, we’d be walking on clouds 

around here. That would be terrific. But in 

more general terms, I want us to be a better 

team in March that we were in November. I 

want to see us improve each day. 

“We’re going to give each player tangible 

things to work on and get better at 

each day,” says Smith. “We’ll do a lot of 

measurement every day in practice — 

we’ll film it, evaluate it and give the guys 

feedback the next day so they can measure 

how they’re progressing, areas they need 

to get better at as well as areas in which 

they are doing well.” 

Smith cites three metrics as especially 

important: assist-to turnover ratio, rebounding 

margin and defensive field goal 

percentage. “These are the things that come 

to mind that we can measure. We’re probably 

not going to be able to get all three 

things, but we’ll try. If we can improve in all 

three of those areas, we will give ourselves 

a chance to have a great season.” 

alex sachare ’71, the editor of CCT, has 

written, edited or contributed to more than 20 

books on basketball, including The Official 

NBA Basketball Encyclopedia, America’s 

Dream Team (with Chuck Daly) and The 

Complete Idiot’s Guide to Basketball (with 

Walt Frazier).

Dr. John Clarke ’93 

Raps for the Health of It 

dr. John Clarke ’93 has rapped about asthma and allergies, 

but none of his songs have caught on quite 

like the one about H1N1 flu. A medical director for 

the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), Clarke spends 

his free time spreading public health messages 

through hip-hop. As swine flu hysteria swept the 

nation last year, Clarke coolly dished out prevention tips in an 

award-winning rap video. 

I’m recommending washing hands for protection 

Front and back real thorough while you count 20 seconds. 

Hand sanitizer, I advise you get it, why? 

It makes germs die, when you rub and let it dry. 

Shot mostly at Columbia, the video was submitted to the U.S. 

Health and Human Services’ national flu.gov PSA contest, where it 

beat out more than 200 other entries to win $2,500, a spot on national 

TV and enough attention to garner 240,000 hits on YouTube. The 

publicity has allowed Clarke to take his career in new directions. 

The National Psoriasis Foundation and LIRR have since commissioned 

the rapping doc to write songs for them, and most recently, 

he has entered an original song to 

promote condom use in a contest 

sponsored by Trojan and hosted by 

rapper Ludacris. 

On camera, Clarke, a specialist 

in occupational medicine, waves his 

hands and leans into the lens as if 

ready to brag and boast. Off-stage, 

he is polite and unassuming, leading 

a quiet life on suburban Long Island 

with his wife, Elizabeth, a nurse, and 

their two children. Though Clarke has 

been writing rap lyrics for three decades 

(since he was 8) and recording songs for others since college, it 

was H1N1 that gave him national exposure. He regularly speaks at 

churches and schools about public health, but lately the requests for 

his speeches and performances have been rolling in more often. 

On a Sunday this past spring, Clarke guided his minivan 

through Long Island’s sleepy suburban streets to Grace Cathedral 

International, an African-American congregation, where a group of 

teenagers and their parents awaited. While some artists rap about 

flashy cars and sexual conquests, Clarke is a self-described “physician 

musician” whose material consists of medical case histories 

and textbook terminology. Through hip-hop and plain language, 

his goal is to reach those who normally tune out authority figures. 

The health topics for teens include suicide, HIV and the dangers of 

B y Kim ma r t i n e a u ’97J 


22 

smoking, subject matter serious enough that Clarke is dressed in a 

suit and tie, which he wears to all performances. 

As Clarke drove, his latest song played from the car stereo: 

Yes, Dr. Clarke is back 

I came to drop a rap 

Cause everybody needs to watch the gap. 


The gap, for those who do not regularly ride commuter rail, is 

that treacherous few inches of space separating a train car from 

the platform, made famous by several serious injuries and lawsuits 

in recent years. The LIRR shot video of Clarke performing 

the rap, for use as a public service piece on train platforms. 

Clarke has been medical director for LIRR for four years, supervising 

its drug testing program and determining whether employ- 

Dr. John Clarke 

’93’s songs often 

are a family affair. 

His son, John Jr., 

provides vocals, 

as do his wife and 

daughter. 

ees are medically fit to work. But it wasn’t until Newsday profiled 

him on September 2, 2009, after the H1N1 video hit, that people 

at work learned he could rap. In its ongoing campaign to remind 

the public about the gap (and avoid more lawsuits), LIRR asked 

Clarke if he would write for them. 

Until that point, Clarke’s hip-hop career had been on hold. His last 

album, Children’s Health Songs, teaching kids about dental hygiene 

and healthy eating, came out in 2005. But after the birth of his son, 

John Jr., now almost 5, followed by a daughter, Sandra, 2, he found 

his creative energy sapped by the demands of work and parenting. 

One morning in May 2009, swine flu was mentioned on the 

news. “Hey John, look!” Clarke remembers his wife saying. 

“Might be good to write a song.”

Columbia CollEgE Today DR. JOHN CLARKE ’93 

Over the next few days, Clarke started gathering information 

and writing lyrics, and a month later he recorded the song. 

In August 2009, while searching for a government agency that 

might like to use the piece, Clarke stumbled across the video 

contest on flu.gov. With four days to go till deadline, he dusted 

off his video camera, called his cousin, a photographer, and 

traveled to Columbia to shoot the piece on the walkway over 

Amsterdam Avenue. 

By the end of August, the video had climbed to the Top 10 on 

YouTube, and the talk shows began calling. Clarke appeared on 

The Wendy Williams Show and then flew to Los Angeles to appear 

on The Doctors. The night before the taping, he was stopped on Hollywood 

Boulevard for an autograph. “We just laughed,” his wife 

says. A few days later, Secretary of Health and Human Services 

Kathleen Sebelius called to congratulate Clarke, and he traveled to 

Washington, D.C., to accept his prize. 

Clarke was a member of the first generation to grow up with 

hip-hop and spent most of his formative years in Queens, where 

LL Cool J and Run DMC were becoming household names. He 

tried to emulate the complex rhymes of Big Daddy Kane and Rakim, 

and in high school often memorized 

vocabulary words by setting 

them to rap. Still, his parents viewed 

his hobby nervously. “They didn’t 

like it,” he says. “I had to assure them 

I wouldn’t allow it to jeopardize 

medical school.” 

At Columbia, Clarke was pre-med 

and did a double concentration in music 

and sociology. But he also found 

time to rap at talent shows, cut hair for classmates and neighborhood 

pals, and bring activists to campus to speak, including Rev. Al 

Sharpton, Ralph Nader and Dr. Ruth. “He was the only other person 

I knew at school who really appreciated early ’80s Jamaican dancehall,” 

says his friend Michael Goldwasser ’93, a Grammy Awardwinning 

reggae producer. “While I could not have predicted that he 

would later rap about medical issues, it definitely makes sense that 

he would rap about issues that are important to society.” 

Clarke recorded his first demos from Goldwasser’s dorm 

room and his first songs in Professor Brad Garton’s “MIDI Music 

Production Techniques” class, where they experimented with the 

synthesizers and sequencers used by hip-hop artists at the time. 

“We encouraged everyone to really explore their creative side,” 

says Garton. “I guess it paid off for John.” 

Clarke took Music Humanities with Kitty Brazelton, and for 

his final project, he transposed a piece of classical music that 

would later help him compose musical tracks. He aced the class, 

and Brazelton wrote him a recommendation for medical school. 

During his 1997 residency at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 

from where he also earned his M.D., Clarke composed his first 

medical-rap, “Asthma Stuff”: 


23 

Two puffs of the asthma stuff, 

Twice a day, 

Stops the wheeze and helps you to breathe! 

Asthma sufferer LL Cool J introduced the song in what became 

an internal hospital video. Since then, Clarke has self-produced six 

albums about diabetes, sickle cell anemia and even allergies (one 

song is playfully titled “So Many Tissues”) that he sells mostly to 

school nurses and other health professionals. His wife and son often 

contribute vocals while Clarke puts down the layers of synthesizer 

and drum machines himself. He plays the clarinet, piano, bass guitar 

and recorder, but says it’s faster and easier to rely on synthesizers. 

Clarke’s most ambitious album, Health Hop Music, is geared 

toward teenagers. On that Sunday at Grace Cathedral, he interspersed 

songs from the album with statistics and the occasional 

scripture. The big risk in rapping about medicine, he says, is coming 

off as preachy or worse, corny. To avoid that, he tells stories. 

In “Playaz Klub,” a young woman infected with HIV hides her 

status from her sexual partners, a true story Clarke learned about 

from a school social worker. Part of the song is told from the guy’s 

point of view, and as Clarke rapped, several 

teenagers smiled at the words. 

He took her back to the crib to hit a homerun, 

In his mind he said, ‘This ho’s dumb. 

I didn’t buy her drinks or take her to a movie, 

didn’t spend a cent and still I got the booty!’ 

But getting lucky leads to a life-changing mistake; the song ends 

after the guy tests positive for crabs, gonorrhea and HIV. 

After the lecture, the crowd stood to applaud. The teenagers 

mingled in the lobby on their way out and gave Clarke positive 

reviews. “He had a nice flow,” says Jelissa Dacosta, a student at 

Nassau Community College who is studying to become a nurse. 

“We hear about this stuff all the time, but hip-hop is a good way 

to get the message out.” 

To see Clarke’s music videos, go to college.columbia.edu/cct. 

Clarke spends many 

weekends touring 

Long Island in his 

minivan, performing 

at churches and 

other venues. 

PHOTOs: KIM 

MARTINEAu ’97J 

Kim Martineau ’97J is communications manager at Transportation 

Alternatives, a walking, bicycling and public transit advocacy group in 

New York City. She is a former science writer at Lamont-Doherty.

[ ColumBia Forum] 

the Secret miracle 


24 


Daniel Alarcón ’99 edits a handbook for novelists 

daniel Alarcón ’99 was chosen this year by The New Yorker for its prestigious 

“20 Under 40” list of the country’s top young fiction writers. Born in Lima, 

Peru, Alarcón spent his childhood in Birmingham, Ala., and attended Indian 

Spring School. “As a boy, I wanted to be the Peruvian Diego Maradona,” he 

Daniel Alarcón ’99 

PHOTO: MAY-LI KHOE 

told The New Yorker. (A longtime soccer enthusiast, Alarcón blogged about 

the World Cup last summer for The New Republic.) In 2007, his novel 

about people whose lives are torn apart by a civil war, Lost City Radio, was 

named a Best Book of the Year by the Los Angeles Times, The Washington 

Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Alarcón’s latest book, The Secret Miracle: The Novelist’s Hand- 

book, is actually a nonfiction collection about the craft of writing that 

he has edited. Contributors ranging from Mario Vargas Llosa to Ste- 

phen King and from Amy Tan to Gary Shteyngart answer the basic 

questions of beginning writers: What should a first chapter do? Do you 

outline? What makes for a successful ending, and how do you know 

when you’re done? The result is an informal master class in the art of 

fiction by some of today’s best writers — an Olympian version of liter- 

ary shoptalk. 

In the following essay from The Secret Miracle, revised for this 

magazine, Alarcón muses about the compulsive, dangerous and irre- 

sistible pursuit of writing. 

Rose Kernochan ’82 Barnard

Novelists, alarcón 

writes, “have good days, 

bad days, and days 

where it is more useful 

to sit quietly and read.”

THE sECRET MIRACLE Columbia CollEgE Today 

“Apart from a few friends and many routines, the problematic pursuit of 

literature constituted the whole of his life; like every writer, he measured 

other men’s virtues by what they had accomplished, yet asked that other 

men measure him by what he planned someday to do.” 

— Jorge Luis Borges 

The Secret Miracle 

in December of 2004, just before Christmas, I wrote the last 

sentence of my first (and for now, only) novel. I wasn’t 

done, nor was it a first draft exactly, but composing this 

seven-word sentence certainly felt like some kind of milestone. 

At the time I was renting a room in a big, lonely 

house in the Eastlake neighborhood of Oakland, California. 

There was a yard of overgrown grass in the back that I never once 

set foot in. The landlady was my age, with sandy hair and a thin, 

mousy voice, polite to the point of being nearly invisible, and we 

shared the space like two people in the waiting room of a doctor’s 

office. Her boyfriend lived in Los Angeles, and every few 

weeks she’d go see him and leave me to care for the house, which 

entailed nothing at all. The lights and the heat went off and on by 

electronic timer; there were no pets, no plants. Whether she was 

home or not made no difference to me: either way, I spent most 

of the day inside my room, venturing to the kitchen only to make 

coffee or lunch. I wrote all morning until I got too hungry to keep 

going. I had no distractions: baseball season was over, the disappointing 

presidential election had come and gone, and besides 

my sisters I had essentially no friends in the Bay. For months, that 

hadn’t mattered; I had my novel. And I knew I was close, knew 

I was approaching the end of something, but when it finally happened, 

I was caught completely by surprise. 

I saved the document and closed the computer. I paced nervously 

around the house for an hour or so, then sat back down 

to re-read the last paragraph, not sure what I would find. To my 

astonishment, it was still there — the last sentence — and the sensation 

I had was unlike anything I’d felt before, or have felt since. 

Not happiness or pride, not fear or abandonment, but some unholy 

combination of all four of these discrete emotions. I’d been 

thinking about this book for five years, been writing it for more 

than two, and suddenly I’d come to the end. My fingers tingled. 

My head ached. I had nothing to do. 

The next day I put the document on a USB drive and biked 

over to a shop on Grand Avenue to have a few copies printed 

out. It was a beautiful day, clear and sunny, the sort of December 

morning which makes one appreciate California living. The rest 

of the nation shivered through winter, but I wore a t-shirt and 

sunglasses, and had finished a novel (or a version of something 

that would three years later be a novel). I told myself this over 

and over, feeling at once carefree and agitated. Only when it was 

done, when the copy shop attendant passed me the three copies, 

did I realize how much it weighed. I’d never seen the entire 

thing printed out, never held it in my hands, and in my haste, I’d 

brought nothing to carry it home in. I couldn’t very well ride with 

this much paper under my arm, could I? I was too impatient to 

leave it at the shop and come back later, so we found a plastic bag, 

put the novel inside, and I pedaled home with three copies of the 

manuscript swinging happily from the handlebars. I was only a 

block from the shop, feeling quite content, when the novel got 

stuck in the spokes of the front wheel. The bike jerked to a halt, 

flipped dramatically, and sent me catapulting onto the asphalt. 

I was not that hurt, and the street, at least, was warm. I lay 

on my back for a moment, catching my breath, as cars swerved 


26 

around me, running over the manuscript pages strewn about the 

road. Someone came to ask if I was all right. “I’m fine,” I said, and 

it was true, just skinned elbows and sore wrists, but the fall must 

have been spectacular. A small crowd had gathered to watch me. 

This kind stranger helped me gather my things and push the ruined 

bike to the relative safety of the sidewalk. My front wheel 

was hopelessly bent, the bike un-rideable. One of the copies of 

the novel was damaged; the other two, thankfully, were fine. 

this little episode was so noxiously, so self-evidently meaningful 

— a man nearly killed by his novel — that I decided 

to take a trip. I gave up my room, set the book aside and 

flew to Buenos Aires, where I spent a week and spoke to no one. 

Without my characters I felt very alone. I drank a lot; I watched 

people; I tried to have fun. When I got bored, I went to Chile, 

and a few months later I found myself in a small town on the 

Pacific coast called La Serena. It was the Feria Internacional del Libro, 

though it seemed mine was the only international presence 

in town, and I was only there by accident. Alejandra, a novelist 

friend of mine, had come up from Santiago to give a reading, and 

we were going to meet up after the festival with some people 

she knew and head to the beach. Or something like that. I can’t 

remember exactly. I do remember however, very clearly, milling 

around after her reading and noticing a rather small, hunched 

and nervous-looking man hovering about the edge of the gathering. 

He was around fifty years old, with short, light brown hair, 

and a face lined with worry. His metal-frame glasses kept slipping 

down the bridge of his nose. Alejandra was signing books 

and talking to the writers who’d just been on the panel with her, 

and this man circled around them, looking for a way to join the 

conversation. Everyone was deliberately and quite obviously ignoring 

him. They knew him. Eventually, he gave up and turned 

to me. He asked if he could give me a book. 

“Sure,” I said. 

A poetry reading had begun by then, and we stood listening. 

The novelists took their conversation out of earshot, and the man 

giving away his books watched with envy as they wandered 

away. Chileans — God bless them — live and breathe poetry, and 

a very attentive crowd had gathered to listen to the reading, but 

the man next to me was not impressed. He spoke in a shrill whisper. 

Free verse has ruined poetry, he told me, and now anybody 

could claim to be a poet. “Do you hear that?” he said, waving a 

dismissive hand at the stage. I tried to listen. The reading disgusted 

him. “Sonnets, young man! Sonnets! What is classic never 

goes out of style.” 

I nodded, and he took the opportunity to introduce himself. 

“Enrique, the most published writer in Latin America.” 

“How many books?” 

“Three-hundred sixty-three,” Enrique said, beaming, and then 

recited a few notable figures from his vast bibliography: ninetythree 

books of essays, sixty-seven books about women, forty novels, 

one hundred or so books of sonnets. 

Naturally, I let him keep talking. He’d moved to Chile some 

thirty years before — that is, he left Spain just after Franco died, 

and relocated to Pinochet’s Chile. I did the math, and took a step 

back. He owned a few buildings and lived off the rents, which 

allowed him to dedicate all his time to literature. He started writing 

in 1998, he told me, and spent a day or two on each book. “I 

think in meter,” he said at one point, in a voice that can only be 

described as harrowing. 

When I told him I was Peruvian, he said he’d written a few 

novels about my country, and those were the ones he’d like to

Columbia CollEgE Today THE sECRET MIRACLE 

give me. If it was okay with me. A few novels — 

this was the phrase he used. I found it astonishing. 

It’s not even his country, I thought, and this 

man has written two. What have I done? 

“Of course,” I said. 

It was the entire premise of writing turned upside 

down: the goal was to produce pages, meter, 

rhyme, and finally books in industrial quantities, 

all these words worth nothing unless they are 

bound and lining the shelves of one’s own home. 

There is something narcissistic in the writing of a 

novel, to be sure, but I’ve never heard it expressed 

with such glaring honesty. My experience — I’ve 

abandoned more than five novels, and finished 

only one — couldn’t have been more different. 

Enrique came by my hotel the next morning 

with two books: one called Resentment, about a 

Peruvian who hates Spaniards because of the 

Conquest, and another called July 28, Day of Peru, 

a novel/sonnet in honor of the natural beauty 

of my country. Both were slim, printed with humongous 

type, and far be it from me to say what 

is and what is not a novel, but ... Of course, it is 

all very obvious now: Enrique was crazy. In his 

lunacy, he exuded a vulnerability and sadness 

that perhaps all writers share to some degree. He 

ran his fingers lovingly over the cardstock covers 

of his books, and explained how he had come to 

write them, what he was trying to say with each. 

I sat in the hotel lobby, sipping coffee, listening 

to this tender recitation, and was moved. At every 

other moment, Enrique spoke brusquely, 

without adornment, but now there was great affection 

in his voice, as he discussed the process, 

the discovery, the joy with a certain cluelessness 

I recognized. We don’t know what we’re doing, 

and for this very reason, we find it impossible to 

stop. And when we talk about writing, we are 

sometimes reduced to this: sentiment instead of insight, because 

describing what actually happens and how is next to impossible. 

Like Enrique, I don’t have any idea how it gets done, how a 

novel gets written. Perhaps if I’d written three-hundred sixty 

novels, the mystery would be solved — but I doubt that. The novel 

is an almost infinitely malleable form, and its flexibility is the 

key to its survival and relevance: still, even today, there are those 

who attempt to make sense of the world — its terror, humor, and 

beauty — through the reading and writing of novels. Oftentimes 

writing can feel overwhelmingly lonely, a fool’s errand, and it’s 

gratifying to be reminded that at any given moment, there are 

thousands of others, working in hundreds of languages all over 

the world, engaged in much the same pursuit. They, like all of us, 

have good days, bad days, and days where it is more useful to sit 

quietly and read, let the writing itself wait. 

Because I was running late, I let Enrique give me a ride to a 

local radio station where my friend was being interviewed. We 

were leaving town that afternoon. He spoke without pause, relating 

how he’d been expelled from various writing workshops 

(jealousy, he said), and fought with the mayor and the editor of 

the paper over local political controversies not worth getting into. 

He’d written a book called Letter to the Pope, which he mailed to 

the Vatican, and had even received a note from a representative 

of John Paul II in return. A very nice letter, he said, which led to 

Even today, Alarcón reminds us, there are those who attempt to make sense of the world 

through the reading and writing of novels. 

PHOTOs: © EsTATE OF ANDRé KERTésZ/HIGHER PICTuREs 


27 

his follow-up Response to a Letter from the Pope, the “novel” he was 

most proud of. I should be on these panels at the Book Fair, Enrique 

said, after all, he had the most number of books at the local 

library! I was silent. I hadn’t brought my manuscript with me. I’d 

done my best to put it out of my mind, and not be a writer for just 

a little while. In spite of my best intentions, I thought about my 

characters every single day. 

“I’m going to the beach,” I said. “I’m on vacation.” 

“How long?” 

“Three days. Maybe four.” 

Enrique smiled. “By the time you come back, I will have finished 

another novel.” 

“Amazing,” I said, nodding. 

He shrugged, and looked tired all of the sudden. “If your 

friend Alejandra wants to leave me a book, she can,” he said. 

For a moment, I thought he might cry. His face clouded, his 

eyes closed, but then it passed and he was himself again. “If she 

doesn’t want to that’s fine too. I’ve published many more books 

than she has.” 

Adapted from The Secret Miracle (Holt, 2010), reprinted with permission 

from the publisher and 826 National. © Daniel Alarcón 2010. For further 

information, go to danielalarcon.com or 826national.org.

CLAss NOTEs Columbia CollEgE Today 

ALUMNI 

1932 

Ber n a r d r. Qu e n e au 

1934 

WiLLiam ho f f m a n 

1935 

oma r Le g a n t * 

car L m. re Ly e a * 

1936 

soL o m o n fi s h e r 

ric h a r d sc h e iB Jr. 

1937 

the o d o r e h. Ko r o L 

1938 

tho m a s P. ar m s t r o n g 

PhiLiP K. Bo n dy 

Lou i s V. na n n i n i 

Joh n Pe r r i c o n e 

aBr a h a m a. ra i z e n 

1939 

Joh n h. Be e m a n 

ed W a r d c. Bi e L e 

ric h a r d m. co h n 

ric h a r d c. fr e m o n 

daV i d W. ma s o n 

Joh n mccor m a c K 

WiLLiam Ve r m e u L e n 

1940 

cha r L e s f. aL fa n o 

Jam e s a. fr o s t 

art h u r Jo s e P h 

aLB o n P. ma n 

WaL L a c e L. ma s u r 

edm u n d W. Wh i t e 

1941 

dan t e a. Bo V e 

Jos e P h d. co f f e e Jr. 

Wm. th e o d o r e de Ba r y 

Joh n m. fr e u n d 

WiLLiam h. go L d W a t e r 

WiLLiam h. Pat t e r s o n 

Joh n f. yo u n g 

1942 

WiLLiam r. ca r e y 

seLW y n eP s t e i n 

Leo n a r d i. ga r t h 

art h u r s. gr a h a m Jr. 

Pa u L e. ha u c K 

meLV i n he r s h Ko W i t z 

roB e r t J. Ka u f m a n 

ger a L d h. KL i n g o n 

imm a n u e L Li c h t e n s t e i n 

WiLLiam a. ma z z a r e L L a 

r. st e W a r t mciLV e n n a n 

rei n h a r d g. Pa u Ly 

Wer n e r d. ra h m L o W 

Leo J. re u t h e r iii 

Ber n a r d e. sm a L L 

art h u r e. sm i t h 

Ken n e t h g. Vo n de r 

Por t e n 

1943 

hen r y c. Be c K 

ed W a r d c. Br o g e 

giuLio d’an g i o 

WiLLiam c. fo L s o m Jr. 

Leo n a r d ma L d o n a d o 

hiromichi t. na r a h a r a 

cLe m e n t g. yo u n g 

1944 

WiLLiam W. Ba i n e s Jr. 

Van dy K Bu c h a n a n 

her B e r t t. di K e 

WiLt o n s. entWistLe 

roB e r t a. fi s h m a n 

Joh n K. gu c K 

aLf r e d ha m a dy 

art h u r W. Kn a P P Jr. 

aLB e r t L. se L i g m a n n 

ma u r i c e s. sPa n B o c K 

roB e r t J. We i s e n s e e L 

hoW a r d h. WiL s o n 

1945 

WiLLiam m. cL i f f o r d 

car L K. ha m m e r g r e n 

hoB a r t g. ha n s e n 

daV i d r. hay s Jr. 

JuL i a n B. hy m a n 

she L d o n e. is a Ko f f 

don a L d t. Ka s P r z a K 

roB e r t e. LaVeLLe 

daV i d h. Le W i s 

gor d o n L. mat h e s 

geo r g e J. ne u m a n 

arn o L d B. ritterBand 

dan i eL so L o m o n * 

ant h o n y Va s iL a s 

1946 

irV i n g P. ac K e r m a n 

La W r e n c e ar o n s o n 

mar V i n L. ar o n s o n 

miL f o r d fu L o P 

ed W a r d h. ga i n e s 

daV i d g. Ke Lt o n 

ste P h e n m. Kr a n e 

art h u r La z a r u s Jr. 

irW i n ny d i cK 

Leo n J. Qu i n t o 

ste P h e n e. se a d L e r 

set h J. so L o m o n 

Ber n a r d su n s h i n e 

1947 

CCT Donors 2009–10 

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art h u r as h K i n 

hen r y g. Bu r g e r 

Jos e P h V. Br u z e K 

aLB e r t Bu r s t e i n 

ed W a r d m. cr a m e r 

La W r e n c e n. fr i e dL a n d 

* Gift was given through trust, foundation, 

corporation or organization. 

** Deceased 

eri c V. ha n K a m 

dan i eL g. ho f f m a n 

fra n K e. ia Q u i n ta 

Jos e P h i. Ke s s e L m a n 

mar t i n KL e i n 

Pet e r Lafor t e 

Joh n f. Li P P m a n n 

roB e r t L. Lo V e t t 

asB J o r n r. Lu n d e 

geo r g e c. ma n i 

ed W a r d h. mcaVo y 

fra n c i s x. mcder m o t t 

irV i n g mo c h Jr. * 

mer t o n L. re i c h L e r 

WiLLiam i. ro s e n z W e i g 

Jos e P h P. ru m a g e * 

WiLLiam i. siLVernaiL Jr. 

ego n e. We c K 

cha r L e s g. Wo o t t o n * 

daV i d m. ze s m e r 

1948 

Pet e r a. ar t u r i 

daV i d n. Brainin 

geo r g e W. Bu f f i n g t o n 

geo r g e de r m K s i a n 

WaLt e r c. fr e y 

Jos e P h J. fu s c o 

Jam e s J. gr i f f i t h 

Pa u L r. ho m e r 

ric h a r d r. hy m a n * 

roB e r t B. Jo h n s o n 

hen r y L. Ki n g 

art h u r a. mat h i a s e n 

fre d e r i c K r. me s s n e r 

roB e r t c. miLLer 

Jos e P h a. mo n t i m u r r o 

Joh n a. mo r a n Jr. 

fre d B. mo r r i s o n 

ezio a. mo s c at e L L i 

reV. Jo h n f. Patten 

geo r g e J. Po r i s 

sta n L e y n. ra d e r 

set h ru B e n s t e i n 

cha r L e s L. sc h u Lt z 

roB e r t si L B e r t 

Joh n f. st e e V e s 

geo r g e a. sW i s s h e L m 

Joh n c. th o m a s Jr. 

geo r g e h. Va c h r i s 

tho m a s h. We y r 

1949 

Pet e r z. aLLen 

geo r g e m. Br u n n e r 

tho m a s f. Bu c K L e y 

arn o L d d. Bu L L 

ric h a r d B. ch o d o s h 

geo r g e V. co o K 

roB e r t a. di e t s h e 

mattheW J. do m B e r 

art h u r V. du n n 

art h u r a. fe d e r 

r. ca m P B e L L ge e s L i n 

coL i n a. hu g h e s 

daV i d n. iL c h e r t ** 

roL a n d n. Ju n g e B L u t 

taK a s h i Ka K o * 

roB e r t c. Kn a P P 

aLB e r t e. Ko s K a 

mar V i n m. LiP m a n 

Vi n c e n t a. ma n d r a c c h i a 

eu g e n e d. mcga h r e n Jr. 

art h u r W. me h m e L Jr. 

Pa u L r. me y e r 

Per ry e. mo r r i s o n 

chester a. ned WideK Jr. 

Jos e P h J. Patrizzi 

don a L d a. Po r t e r 

eug e n e ro s s i d e s 

Wa Lt e r a. sch LotterBecK 

cha r L e s a. so B e L 

fra n c i s t. th o m a s 

ric h a r d a. Vo n gL at z 

1950 

ray m o n d an n i n o 

Joh n ar e n t s 

ric h a r d d. cu s h m a n * 

geo r g e c. fi n c h * 

roB e r t W. go L d s B y 

eno c h go r d i s 

ash B e L gr e e n 

gor d o n r. ha m iLt o n Jr. 

Jer o m e r. Kay e 

ed W i n Ke s s L e r iii 

irV i n g Ku s h n e r 

mic h a eL a. Lo e B 

cha r L e s Lo n d a 

reV. aL e x a n d e r h. 

macdon e L L 

Leo n d. ma r r a n o Jr. 

Joh n h. mccut c h e o n 

mar i o a. Pa L m i e r i 

ed W i n W. Pe t e r s 

f. Br i a n Qu i nL a n 

dud L e y f. ro c h e s t e r 

ray m o n d sc a L e t ta r 

aLo i s e. sc h m i t t Jr. 

tho m a s h. se B r i n g 

WaLt e r r. sm i t h 

art h u r L. th o m a s 

Jam e s J. Wa r d Jr. 

hen r y zu K o W s K i 

1951 

Jos e P h V. am B r o s e Jr. 

de n to n c. an d e r s o n iii * 

don a L d a. Beattie 

WiLLiam a. BiL L i n g h a m 

WiLLard BL o c K 

ger a L d P. Br o P h y 

tho m a s s. co L a h a n 

ric h a r d J. dr a c h m a n 

cha r L e s em i c h 

aLf r e d m. go m e z 

ed W a r d P. ha r d y Jr. 

tho m a s m. he y m a n 

ed W a r d ho r a d e s K y 

tho m a s J. Jo y c e 

W. fr e d Ki n s e y iii 

geo r g e B. Ko P L i nK a 

arc h i e ma cgre g o r 

Leo r. ma e s t r i P i e r i 

Joh n c. ma n g a n 

aLf r e d Pe t r i cK Jr. 

tho m a s e. Po W e r s sr. 

ric h a r d n. Pr i e s t 

fra n K L. ra i m o n d o 


28 

roB e r t B. ra u P Jr. 

mer r i t t n. rh o a d Jr. 

sta n L e y i. sc h a c h t e r 

Lor e n c. si m m o n s 

roB e r t t. sn y d e r 

Leo n a r d a. st o e h r 

Pet e r t. su z u K i 

ernest h. Vo n na r d r o f f 

WiLLiam K. Wh i t e 

aLB e r t m. Wo J n iL o W e r 

Jos e P h g. ze t K u L i c 

1952 

don a L d J. Ba i n t o n ** 

ray m o n d a. Bizzigotti 

daV i d a. Br a u n 

ro y e. Br o W n 

Jay r. ca r V e r Jr. 

n. daV i d ch a r K e s 

Jos e P h a. di Pa L m a 

har r y m. du r n i n g 

dud L e y fe r r i s 

cha r L e s n. Ja c o B s 

geo r g e a. Kat e B 

Joh n J. Kr a J c i r 

WiLLiam g. LanceLLotti Jr. 

con r a d h. ma s s a 

ric h a r d g. mcgah r e n 

car L f. me i e r 

Pet e r J. no ta r o 

Joh n W. oP L i n g e r 

mic h a eL Pi n t o 

don a L d e. ro s s 

reV. do n a L d n. scofieLd 

saVa i. tc h o K 

JuL i u s c. uLLerich Jr. 

WiLLiam B. Wa L L a c e iii 

1953 

Jos e P h J. aa r o n 

den i s m. an d r e u z z i 

arn o L d J. Be n t o n 

cha r L e s m. Br e d e h o f t 

arn o L d d. Bu r K * 

Jam e s f. cr a i n 

daV i d r. ed W a r d s 

Pet e r eiL B o t t 

art h u r h. eL K i n d 

Ber n a r d L. eP s t e i n 

mor t o n fr e i L i c h e r 

WiLLiam c. gr o t h 

Lee J. gu i t ta r 

Wen d e L L B. hat f i e L d 

eLi o t s. he a r s t 

sey m o u r L. he n d e L 

aLLan e. Ja c K m a n 

ron a L d KW a s m a n 

Joh n d. Le a h y 

sta n L e y m. Le V i n 

Joh n h. ma r c h e s i Jr. 

Joh n d. Pa L L o n e 

roB e r t a. Pr e n d e r g a s t 

daV i d m. ri c h m a n 

gLe n n e. ri g g s 

Ben J a m i n P. ro o s a Jr. 

Bar r y sc h W e i d 

roB e r t B. Wa L L a c e 

her m a n WinicK 

WiLLiam Wo n 

1954 

Lee r. aB r a m s o n 

ant h o n y an t o n 

Jos e P h e. ar L e o 

Kam e L s. Ba h a r y 

daV i d Ba r d a c K 

car L e. Bay L i s 

ric h a r d K. Be r n s t e i n 

Jac K h. BL o o m 

WaLt e r a. Bo s s e r t 

ed W a r d co W a n 

Pet e r eh r e n h a f t 

aLa n B. fe n d r i cK 

cLifford r. fr a n K L i n Jr. 

daV i d ge r s t e i n 

Jos h u a f. gr e e n B e r g 

her B e r t g. ha g e r t y 

Jam e s f. hay s 

Ber t s. ho r W i t z 

nor m a n Ka h n 

har r y W. na g e L 

mic h a eL r. naV e r 

hoW a r d P. ro f f Wa r g 

fre d e r i c K J. ro h L o f f 

mar c ro s s 

WaLt e r J. sL i P e 

ste P h e n B. so B e L 

ron a L d h. su g a r m a n 

cha r L e s n. ta r ta n i a n 

sa u L tu r t e Lta u B 

don m. Wa r d L a W 

stu a r t J. Wa r n e r 

aLB e r t We i n f e L d 

ric h a r d s. We r K s m a n 

daV i d r. WiLLiams 

Pa u L t. WiL s o n 

geo r g e yo u r K e 

1955 

Jam e s B. aP P e L 

roB e r t d. Ba n z 

roB e r t Be r n o t 

PhiLiP d. BL e s e r 

Jef f r e y h. Br o i d o 

Joh n r. Br o P h y sr. 

roB e r t B. Br o W n 

her B e r t J. co h e n 

roB e r t B. diL L i n g h a m 

ant h o n y J. di sa n t o 

miLt o n J. fi n e g oL d 

Jac K B. fr e e m a n * 

eVa n s ge r a K a s 

don a L d griLLo 

eLLiot m. gr o s s 

aar o n s. ha m B u r g e r 

dan i eL B. ho V e y 

stu a r t m. Ka B a c K 

gor d o n i. Kay e 

raB B i ha r o L d s. 

Kus h n e r 

roB e r t e. Ku s h n e r 

WiLLiam g. La n g s t o n Jr. 

don a L d L. Lau f e r 

aBB ot t a. Le B a n 

iVa n e. Le i g h 

LeW i s J. me n d e L s o n 

fra n K r. Pi K e 

ger a L d m. Po m P e r 

Jos e P h V. PorceLLi * 

har r y n. sc h e i B e r 

arn o L d J. sc h W a r t z 

ger a L d sh e r W i n 

Joh n B. st u P P i n 

1956 

ro y Bo e L s t L e r 

traV i s h. Bo L e s 

Joh n r. Bottino 

aLa n Br o a d W i n 

cha r L e s h. Br o W n 

roB e r t ca B at 

guy t. ca s t L e 

aLLan B. de e r i n g 

ste P h e n K. ea s t o n 

max d. eL i a s o n 

dan i eL a. fr e e m a n 

Joh n t. ga r n J o s t 

WiLLiam W. ga r r e t s o n 

War r e n h. go o d m a n 

fre d e r i c W. hiLLs 

roB e r t e. ho r n 

har o L d a. Ju s t 

ric h a r d s. Ka n t e r 

Jam e s m. Li n eB a r g e r 

dan i eL h. Li nK 

fre d e r i c K Li P P m a n 

mic h a eL m. me t z g e r 

roB e r t e. miL B u r n 

ron a L d s. Pa u L 

Pet e r a. Po o L e 

aLV i n f. Po u s s a i n t 

nei L B. ru d e r m a n 

gun t h e r W. sc h m i t t 

sid n e y sh a n K m a n 

roB e r t r. si r o t y 

Jos e P h J. so f h au s e r 

sta n L e y so r e n 

mic h a eL d. sP e t t 

ric h a r d g. st e i n f e L d 

WiLLiam B. zB o r ay 

sey m o u r m. ziVa n 

1957 

arn e J. aa d L a n d 

reV. a. gary angLeBerger 

ant h o n y i. an t o n i o Jr. 

geo r g e m. at K i n s o n 

ric h a r d L. Be r g e r 

hai g e. Bo h i g i a n 

mar t i n L. Br ot h e r s 

ric h a r d J. co h e n 

Jam e s J. de a Ly 

nor m a n de c K e r 

ric h a r d a. dr e V e r Jr. 

roB e r t d. en s o r 

aLa n m. fr o m m e r 

ste P h e n s. fy B i s h 

roB e r t L. gn a i z d a 

Jam e s V. ha r W o o d 

ed W a r d r. he i s e r 

WiLLiam P. Ke n e a Ly 

daV i d W. Ki n n e 

Leo n a r d d. Ko h n 

ste V e n e. Ko r n g u t h 

fre d e r i c K W. Ko r z 

her m a n d. Le V y 

Jon at h a n d. Lu B i n 

geo r g e W. Lu t z 

Jam e s r. miLLs

Columbia CollEgE Today CCT DONORs 2009–10 


29 

roB e r t h. Po P o L o W 

Joh n P. re i n e r 

don a L d g. ro g i c h 

ste P h e n e. ro n a i 

sam u e L n. ro s e n B e r g 

Leo n sat r a n 

miLt o n d. se e Wa L d 

yit z h aK J. sh a r o n 

sta n L e y f. ta B a c K 

Jam e s L. WiLKie 

daV i d g. Wo o d B r i d g e 

1958 

hen r y f. Ba r B o u r 

ern e s t Br o d 

ron a L d L. Bu B 

Pet e r co h n 

Jos e P h d. co o g a n 

Jer o L d d. cu m m i n s 

Bar r y di cK m a n 

Jos e P h do r i n s o n 

ric h a r d h. dreiWitz 

tho m a s f. fe r g u s o n 

cha r L e s r. fe u e r 

har o L d W. fo o d m a n 

ric h a r d a. fr a n K e L 

ira d. go o d m a n 

mor t o n h. ha L P e r i n 

La u r e n c e e. ha r r i s 

roB e r t L. ha r t m a n 

fre d e r i c K d. he s s 

Joh n c. hi r s i m a K i 

ste P h e n a. Ju r o V i c s 

ma u r i c e J. Kat z 

ste P h e n s. KL at s K y 

meLV i n n. Le c h n e r 

roB e r t a. Le V i n e 

ed W i n m. LiP t o n 

Jam e s c. ma h o n y 

tho m a s J. mcand r e W s 

irV i n g r. michLin 

dom i n i cK a. minotti 

ric h a r d s. Pata K i 

sid n e y s. ro s d e i t c h e r 

WiLLiam sc h W a r t z 

aLB e r t z. so L e t s K y 

roB e r t s. Wa L d B a u m 

Leo e. zi cK L e r 

1959 

tho m a s P. BiL B a o 

har r i s J. Br o d s K y 

ste P h e n L. Bu c h m a n 

n. Jo s e P h ca L a r c o 

Joh n L.e. cL u B B e 

ray m o n d n. co h e n 

edg a r W. co P e L a n d iii 

dan i eL ein 

LeW i s d. fi n e m a n 

ray m o n d y. fu J i i 

the o d o r e W. gr a s K e Jr. 

don a L d h. gr i f f i n Jr. 

ger a L d W. gr u m e t 

roB e r t e. hay n i e 

Ben J a m i n hu B e r m a n 

eri c g. Ja K o B s s o n sr. 

aLa n r. Ka h n 

aLLen d. KL e i n 

ric h a r d t. La c o s s 

roB e r t B. LaiBoWitz 

ray m o n d d. LaraJ a 

ric h a r d m. Lat K i n 

Jam e s r. Le V y 

Pat r i cK muLLins 

eLiJ a h J. os B u r n Jr. 

WaLt e r re i c h e L 

Joe L m. re i n 

J. Pe t e r ro s e n f e L d 

Ken n e t h P. sc h e f f e L * 

mattheW J. so B e L 

Joe L B. so L o m o n 

geo r g e P. sP e L i o s 

ric h a r d f. sta i g e r 

Bru c e m. staV e 

ric h a r d J. st e P c i cK 

mic h a eL ta n n e n B a u m 

Jam e s h. th o m a s 

sam u e L J. ti n d aL L Jr. 

stePhen Jo e L 

tr a c h t e n B e r g 

ric h a r d ty L e r 

ed W a r d J. yo u n g 

1960 

Joh n s. aL B r i g h t 

ant h o n y Ba r o n e 

Pet e r n. Bo g d a n 

Byr o n L. fa L K 

har o L d fe d e r m a n 

fre d e r i c K s. fe i n e r 

Jos e P h P. fr i e d 

Pet e r gL a s s g o L d 

sid n e y h. ha r t 

roB e r t m. he r s h 

WiLLiam r. ho s t 

tho m a s m. Jo B 

mic h a eL h. Jo h n s 

fre d e r i c K c. Jo h n s o n 

aLf r e d i. Ka P L a n 

iVa n r. Ko o ta 

BoW Lu m Le e 

the o d o r e c. ma r t i n 

f. do u g L a s mcKni g h t 

aLV i n s. mi c h a eL s o n 

roB e r t r. mo r g a n 

WiLLiam e. no r K 

roB e r t i. oB e r h a n d 

tho m a s J. Pa L m i e r i 

roB e r t J. Pa r t L o W 

Joh n B. Pe g r a m 

ian m. re i s s * 

ed W a r d J. ri g n e y 

ric h a r d s. ro d i n 

art h u r s. ro s e n B a u m 

ste P h e n c. sc h e i B e r 

dan i eL J. sc h W a r t z 

WiLLiam f. se e g r a B e r 

daV i d Q. sm i t h 

irW i n d. so L L i n g e r 

roB e r t a.m. st e r n 

roL f e. We i n g a r d t 

irW i n h. yo u n g 

1961 

Jam e s J. co L L i n s 

roB e r t de s i d e r ato Jr. 

sta n L e y n. fu t t e r m a n 

roB e r t e. Ju c e a m 

geo r g e Ka L B o u s s 

aLLen P. Ka P L a n 

mar t i n s. Ka P L a n 

daV i d Ka r P 

daV i d Ko n s ta n 

nor m a n a. Ku r n i t 

roB e r t P. Lafia n d r a 

Pet e r g. mccaB e 

ed W i n J. mccre e dy 

J. an t h o n y mo u n ta i n 

ric h a r d ne e L 

geo r g e m. Pe r r y 

roB e r t J. re n n i cK 

don a L d f. ro B e r t s Jr. 

mic h a eL B. sc h a c h t e r 

aLLan J. sc h W a r t z 

art h u r e. sc h W i m m e r 

Bru c e sh o u L s o n 

Leo n a r d m. siLV e r m a n 

g. PhiLLiP sm i t h * 

geo r g e W. so u L s 

1962 

nei L s o n aB e e L 

ge o r g e m. aBodeeLy Jr. 

Ber n a r d Ba L i cK 

aLa n m. Be r n s t e i n 

Bar t o n B. BL a n c h a r d 

cha r L e s f. Bo W e r s Jr. 

ed W a r d ch i n 

Joh n P. ch i nK e L 

Jer r y en g e L B e r g 

cLi f f o r d L. fo r B e s Jr. 

ant o n i o ge B au e r 

roB e r t K. ge d a c h i a n 

Joh n c. go L e m B e 

ric h a r d a. ha n s e n 

reV. Jo h n L. Kat e r Jr. 

raL P h d. Ko P P e r m a n 

PhiL s. Le B o V i t z 

sid n e y s. Le t t e r 

don B. Lo n g Jr. 

ron a L d c. me y e r 

Jam e s a. mo d L i n g e r 

Bar t o n ni s o n s o n 

Jos e P h B. no z z o L i o 

geo r g e J. Pe P Pa s 

Joh n r. ro c h e 

ric h a r d J. ro t h 

ric h a r d J. sc h W a r t z 

and r e W sm i t h ii 

ger a L d so r i n 

ed W a r d d. su r o V e L L 

yen t. ta n 

Joh n taVa n t z i s 

ric h a r d s. to d e r 

roB e r t s. um a n s 

Joh n c. V o n Le e s e n 

her B e r t B. We i nB L at t 

Pet e r d. yat r a K i s 

1963 

ste P h e n e. Ba r c a n 

cha r L e s V. Br e m e r 

Bur t o n a. Br o d y 

Pet e r W. Br o i d o 

ste V e n m. ca h n 

ste P h e n r. cL i n eB u r g 

ste P h e n a. fe i g 

mic h a eL fi s h B e i n 

PhiLiP h. fr i e d m a n 

yos h i h a r u fu J i s aW a 

Jam e s J. gLy n n 

Pet e r J. go L L o n 

eLLiott a. gr e h e r 

far h a d id J a d i 

roB e r t e. Jo h n s o n 

Joh n r. Ka r L B e r g 

con r a d P. Ko t ta K 

Vic t o r r. Kr a u s e 

Bar r y J. La n d a u 

ste P h e n B. La n g f e L d e r 

roB e r t s. Le V i n e 

mic h a eL s. Lu B e L L 

aar o n f. ma L a K o f f 

th o m a s e. o’co n n o r Jr. 

Ken n e t h r. os t B e r g 

eLLiott B. PoLLacK 

PhiLLiP m. sat o W * 

Lee t. sc h e r 

raL P h sc h m e Lt z 

har V e y a. sc h n e i e r 

roB e r t m. se L i n s K e 

hoW a r d n. sP o d e K 

tho m a s e. ti nK e r 

ric h a r d c. tu e r K 

aLa n Wa L L a c h 

roB e r t K. Wh e L a n 

Les t e r h. ya s s K y 

1964 

sam u e L h. ar o n s o n 

La W r e n c e h. daV i s 

aVi y. de c t e r * 

Ken n e t h t. du r h a m 

Jon at h a n f. ed e L B a u m 

Les L i e h. go r d o n 

ron a L d i. gr e e n B e r g 

WiLLiam r. gu s s m a n 

ed W a r d m. ha r r o W 

mar t i n g. is s e r L i s 

tho m a s a. Jo r g e n s e n 

roB e r t s. JutKoWitz * 

hen r y J. Ka P L a n 

ed W a r d n. Le aV y 

Leo s. Le V y 

art h u r Le W 

roB e r t P. na s h 

Joe Ku n i aK i oz a K i 

Jay m. Po r t n o W 

mar K e. ri t c h e y 

Pet e r r. ro B r i s h 

ste P h e n B. ro d n e r 

Jef f r e y g. ro s e n s t o c K 

ira ro x L a n d 

nic h oL a s ru d d 

roB e r t J. se Lt z e r 

Bar r y e. sh a P i r o 

mic h a eL L. si LV e r s t e i n 

mic h a eL sK L a r o f f 

Jac K s. Ve n t u r a 

Pa u L n. zeitLin 

1965 

Jam e s J. aL f i n i 

ed W a r d n. ca r r o L 

Jam e s ciuLLa 

mic h a eL L. co o K 

ed W a r d J. fa e d e r 

and r e W fi s h e r iV 

mic h a eL J. fr i e d m a n 

cha r L e s m. ga r B o W s K y 

ed W a r d V. ge i s t 

don a L d r. giLLer 

daV i d r. ha L P e r i n 

Pet e r W. he r m a n 

aLa n r. Ka g a n 

Lui s La i n e r 

aLe x e. La n c a s t e r Jr. 

roB e r t e. mattingLy 

Jam e s J. mu m m e r y 

mic h a eL e. ne W e L L 

ric h a r d m. ne W m a n 

tho m a s e. o’Br i e n 

daV i d a. o’st e e n 

daV i d K. ra s s i n 

Jam e s r. ri L e y 

noa h ro B B i n s 

Pet e r g. sa c K 

tho m a s o. sc h r o e P P e L 

Ben J a m i n d. sc h W a r t z 

nei L e. siLV e r 

Joh n s. st r a u c h 

WiLLiam J. We r t h e i m 

der e K a. Wittner 

Jay n. Wo o d W o r t h * 

1966 

t. Jo h n aK a m a t s u 

mar K L. am s t e r da m 

gia n L. Bi n d i 

syLVa i n e. ca P P e L L 

dan i eL g. ca r P o n c y 

aLe x m. co r e y 

Pet e r m. cr a i n 

ed W i n L. doernBerger Jr. 

dan i eL J. fr i e d e n s o n 

mic h a eL h. fr i e d m a n 

Kei t h gL i cK e n h a u s 

tho m a s J. ha r r o L d Jr. 

ree d a. hu t n e r 

Jac K Kat z * 

har V e y Ku r z W e iL 

fre d L. La n g 

aLLan i. me n d e L o W i t z 

roB e r t e. me y e r s o n 

WiLLiam h. ro a c h Jr. 

Bru c e d. sa r g e n t 

ric h a r d h. se n t e r Jr. 

tho m a s L. sh e L d o n 

tho m a s L. st r a u s B a u g h 

ste V e n f. We i n s t e i n 

ear L e. We r n e r 

1967 

WiLLiam d. an s c h e r 

ro y J. Be r n s t e i n 

cur t P. Br a m B L e t t 

meLV i n e. Br e n d e r 

WiLLiam t. Br o W n Jr. * 

ray m o n d f. Burghardt Jr. 

car Lt o n ca r L 

roB e r t f. coVieLLo 

Joh n m. cr e g o r Jr. 

roB e r t h. di c h t e r 

Bru c e s. dix 

Lei g h c. do L i n 

daV i d L. do r e n f e L d 

Jos e P h W. du f f y 

Bri a n h. eg a n 

sey m o u r s. fe L d 

au g u s t ga n z e n m u L L e r iii 

ant h o n y f. gr e c o 

WiLLiam f. he r r i c K 

Jef f r e y W. he r r m a n n 

La u r e n c e J. ia c u e o 

Jam e s f. is r a e L 

mic h a eL t. Ja c K s o n 

har o L d i. Ja W e t z 

ric h a r d J. Ju Pa 

Joe L s. KL a P e r m a n 

Ken n e t h B. Kr a m e r 

Jon at h a n e. Kr a n z 

geo r g e J. Le o n a r d 

geo r g e e. mccaB e 

Ken n e t h J. mo r g a n 

Jef f r e y a. ne W m a n 

mar t i n W. os t e r 

Bru c e eB e n Pi n d y cK 

roB e r t J. ro s e n B e r g 

ste P h e n m. sa c h s 

cha r L e s e. say d a h 

mar K a. sc h L e s i n g e r 

niL e s c. sc h o e n i n g 

da n i eL g. sc h Wa r t z B e r g 

Jam e s s. su e K a m a 

ste P h e n L. We i n e r 

tho m a s e. We r m a n 

ed W a r d c. ya s u n a 

aLB e r t zo n a n a 

1968 

ed W a r d m. de se a r 

don a L d J. en g L e m a n 

ste V e n r. gr o s s 

LoW e L L g. ha r r i s s 

don a L d c. hu B e r t 

cha r L e s i. Ja r o W s K i 

Ken n e t h r. Ka u f m a n 

Jef f r e y L. Ke s t L e r 

Bar r y J. KL a s s e L 

Jon at h a n Ko t c h 

Jef f r e y a. Ku r n i t 

Jam e s e. mccLeLLan iii 

ste P h e n s. miLLs 

ric h a r d d. mi r e L 

rus s e L L B. ne e d h a m 

mic h a eL e. ne W m a r K 

WiLLiam B. Pa r m e r 

fre d e r i c K t. Pu g a r e L L i 

Ken n e t h a. ri c h s ta d 

ric h a r d J. ro s s 

hoW a r d s. sc h e r 

eLLiott J. sPa n i e r 

Pet e r J. stat h i s 

ric h a r d e. st i e f L e r * 

ed W a r d g. st r o h Jr. 

La W r e n c e e. su s s K i n d 

mic h a eL g. tr a c y 

1969 

daV i d Br a d L e y 

tho m a s m. Br o W d e r 

Pet e r Bu s c e m i 

Pet e r W. cL a P P 

ric h a r d r. co n t e 

tho m a s m. diVine 

ant o n i o d. faV e t ta 

roB e r t c. fL e d e r 

miL e s d. fr e e d m a n 

nic h oL a s g. ga r a u f i s 

Jef f r e y L. gL a s s r ot h 

ste V e n n. ha n d e L 

ste P h e n t. ha z a m 

hen r y s. Ja c K s o n 

ros s c. Ko r y Jr. 

hoW a r d L. Le m B e r g 

Jam e s s. ma r K e r 

hiLt o n m. oB e n z i n g e r 

mic h a eL s. oB e r m a n 

ric h a r d e. Pe a r L 

Jef f r e y m. Pi n e s 

roB e r t a. ra B i n o f f 

ric h a r d a. ra Pa P o r t 

daV i d L. re i t m a n 

daV i d e. ro s e d a h L 

daV i d J. ro s e n 

gar y B. ro s e n B e r g 

mic h a eL B. rot h f e L d 

WiLLiam d. sL e e P e r 

aLa n W. sPa r e r 

aLa n L. su L L iVa n 

don a L d a. tr e L s ta d 

ron a L d h. We n d e r 

1970 

fr a n K h. ar L i n g h au s Jr. 

cha r L e s a. Bo o K m a n 

Joh n a. co n n o L Ly 

roB e r t h. do u g L a s 

Pet e r B. eLLiott 

Pet e r h. go r d o n 

Joe L g. gr e e n s Pa n 

Lyn W o o d W. ha m m e r s 

eug e n e d. hiLL 

osc a r a. Ja e g e r 

roB e r t m. KiLe 

ham iLt o n f. mcgre g o r 

Joh n x. Pr o B o L u s 

mar K e. Pr u z a n s K y * 

PhiLiP a. ru s s ot t i 

eLc h a n a n sa L i g * 

daV i d s. so K o L o W 

aLa n m. so L i n g e r 

reV. sP e n c e r Va n B. 

WiLKing 

1971 

mar K a. aLLen 

Vin c e n t r. Bo n a g u r a 

Las h o n B. Bo o K e r 

daV i d a. ca n z o n e t t i 

aLa n m. co o P e r 

Ken n e t h r. co W a n 

Jos e P h a. deBon i s Jr. 

miLt o n K. er m a n 

Joh n d. go o d s o n 

daV i d L. gr e e n e 

Pet e r n. hi e B e r t 

geo r g e P. Ka c o ya n i s 

roB e r t n. may e r 

roB e r t L. me y e r * 

PhiLiP L. mi L s t e i n * 

JuL i o h. mo n t e r o 

daV i d s. mu n t z 

Jam e s e. re e d 

reV. Vi n c e n t J. ri g d o n 

rog e r g. ro s e n s t e i n 

Jos h u a m. ru B e n s t e i n 

aLe x P. sa c h a r e 

ste V e n J. sc h L e i f e r 

hoW a r d V. se L i n g e r 

raP h a e L B. st r i c K e r 

Joh n K. su t h e r L a n d 

PhiLiP t. Va L e n t e 

Lee h. ze L L 

1972 

Br y c e c.J. Ba e r t s c h 

tho m a s P. Bo n c z a r 

ron a L d s. co h e n 

stu a r t co t L e r * 

Pet e r V. da r r o W 

Joh n h. da W s o n 

art h u r f. en s r o t h 

WiLLiam L. fLy n n 

sam u e L d. gL a z e r 

WiLLiam J. ha r t f o r d 

Jef f r e y L. Ja c K s o n 

ric h a r d Jo f f e 

Joh n J. Ke a r n s iii 

ed W a r d La n e * 

fre d r i c K W. Luzietti 

cra i g a. mcPhe r s o n 

oLi V e r d. ne i t h Jr. 

gre g o r y J. Pa L e r m o 

ger a r d J. Pa Pa 

rafa e L P. Pa s t o r 

daV i d L. rya n 

Jer e m y c. sh a r P e 

aLa n B. sh e i n e r 

Pet e r J. su c c o s o 

gar y sz a K m a r y 

eri c m. tu c K e r 

roB e r t P. tu m i n sK i 

ric h a r d h. VaLLiere 

1973 

roB e r t o e. aL o n s o 

her B e r t W. Ba K e r Jr. 

aLa n r. Be L L 

eri K h. Be r g m a n 

eug e n e a. ch a r o n 

Jon at h a n s. da B B i e r i 

ste P h e n J. fL a n a g a n 

fre d e r i c K d. ga n g e m i 

ste V e n J. gL a s e r 

ste V e n s. gr e e n B e r g 

Jef f r e y L. gr o s s 

don a L d Ja c K s o n 

mi t c h eL L e. Kr o n e n B e r g 

tho m a s c. me L o Jr. 

ste V e n f. me s s n e r 

Jam e s f. mi n t e r 

Pet e r J. ni e m i e c 

har o L d i. Pa L e V s K y 

Joh n m. ru s s o 

aLLan h. so L o m o n 

Jer o m e r. We i n e r 

ste P h e n K. Wo o d s 

1974 

cha r L e s d. co L e Jr. 

Joh n m. eg a n 

tho m a s f. fe r g u s o n 

gar y s. fr i e d m a n 

Joe L h. ha L i o 

ant h o n y c. he r r L i n g 

Joh n B.a. ho s ta g e Jr. 

cha r L e s Le iW a n t 

ste W a r t L. Le V y 

aBB e d. Lo W e L L 

ste P h e n r. Ly n c h 

La u r e n c e a. siLV e r m a n 

WiLLiam r. st e i n 

Pet e r su L L iVa n 

1975 

mic h a eL J. Bo y L a n 

roB e r t c. eVa n s * 

LLo y d n. fr i e d m a n 

guy go L e m B i e W s K i 

mar c J. go t t r i d g e 

tho m a s m. he r L i h y 

Pet e r J. hoLLiday 

WiLLiam ho n g 

Jon at h a n e. Ko L i t z 

roB e r t s. Le V i n e 

tho m a s J. Lo s o n c z y 

ira B. ma L i n 

fer d i n a n d J. miL a n o 

aLB e r t J. mr o z iK Jr. 

ran d o L P h c. ni c h oL s 



** Deceased

CCT DONORs 2009–10 Columbia CollEgE Today 

tho m a s J. PL o t z 

roB e r t sc h n e i d e r 

nei L L. se L i n g e r 

Jos e P h m. tiB a L d i 

fLo y d a. Wa r r e n 

1976 

Bru c e B. Ba n K 

has a n Ba z a r i 

Jam e s P. Br u n o 

mic h a eL J. deBus K 

ar n o L d n. de mo n i c o Jr. 

sa u L s. fi s c h e r 

ger a r d a. fo r L e n z a Jr. 

mar K c. Jo s e P h 

roL a n d J. Ko e s t n e r 

La u r e n c e P. Lu B K a 

Jos e P h g. Lu r i o 

san f o r d r. ma L z 

hoW a r d miLLer 

neL s mi t c h eL L 

Jos e P h P. Pa r a n a c Jr. 

Ju a n ri V e r a 

ric h a r d e. ro h r 

gre g o r y J. ru m o r e 

Joh n P. se s e K 

ed W a r d J. Wo L f 

1977 

gre g o r y f. Ba L L 

Pet e r J. Be L L e r 

Jam e s c. ca m Pa r o 

sid n e y h. gr i B e t z 

Bar t K. ho L L a n d 

ed W a r d g. izzo Jr. 

tim o t h y r. Kay W o r t h 

Jos e r. Le i t e s 

hir a m Lo P e z 

Jam e s m. muLLen Jr. 

don a L d m. oL s o n 

Bre n t m. ro s e n t h a L 

Joh n P. sa n ta m a r i a 

fra n K m. ta m a r i n 

1978 

geo r g e g. BL o o m 

mar c Bo g at i n 

Jef f r e y L. ca n f i e L d 

hoW a r d L. di s t e L m a n * 

tho m a s d. ei s e n 

aLf r e d g. fe L i u 

Jon at h a n L. fr e e d m a n 

daV i d c. ha s s a n 

VasiLios Ka r a B i n i s * 

tho m a s J. Ke e n a n 

ric h a r d a. Ly n c h 

daV i d m. me L a m e d 

eVa n miLLer 

Jef f r e y a. mo e r d L e r 

mattheW L. ne m e r s o n 

Jos e P h W. sm i t h 

sPe n c e r d. Wa r n c K e 

hen r y Wo n g 

1979 

Jos e P h P. ar m a o 

Per ry a. Ba L L 

mar t i n P. Be d i g i a n 

WiLLiam g. Bu c h h o L z 

Ber n a r d J. cr i n i g a n 

rod n e y cr o m a r t i e 

mar K a. de m i t r a cK 

ray m o n d J. do r a d o 

tim o t h y J. giLfoyLe 

eLi o t go L d m a n 

daV i d J. ha c h e y 

mic h a eL P. Ke L Ly 

mit c h eL L n. Ko t L e r 

roB e r t f. mazziotta 

ric h a r d s. miL f o r d 

cLi n t e. miLLer 

ste P h e n t. mu r P h y 

fer n a n d o or t i z Jr. 

Jef f r e y s. PoLLaK 

Joh n J. ri c a r d o 

don a L d L. sP e n c e r 

tho m a s c. st e e L e Jr. 

har o L d m. st e r n B u r g 

ger a L d B. st o u g h t o n 

mar K J. th o m P s o n 

1980 

PhiLiP J. ad K i n s 

roB e r t J. aL P i n o 

Jos e P h P. da Ly 

eri c f. du B o W 

Bru c e L. ed W a r d s 

cha r L e s f. em e r y 

Jef f r e y m. fi e L d 

daV i d m. fL e i s c h n e r * 

Kun i h iK o P. is h iK a W a 

daV i d m. Le a h y 

tho m a s W. mcnam a r a 

Joh n c. me ta x a s 

mar K s. PoLLacK 

Jam e s r. sc h a c h t e r 

Ken n e t h d. sc h e f f 

car y c. sc h W a r t z B a c h 

gar r y B. sP e c t o r 

mar s h a L L s. st. cL a i r 

Joh n s. te r m i n i 

he r B e r t L. th o r n h iL L Jr. 

1981 

Jea n-ma r i e ata m i a n 

mic h a eL a. Ba s s 

enr iQ u e Be r u m e n 

Pet e r m. ge r s t m a n 

noa m gL a s e r 

WiLLiam B. gr o g a n Jr. 

ric h a r d W. hay e s 

Bri a n e. ho f f m a n 

don W. Jo e 

roB e r t W. Ka n a r K i eW i c z 

Bri a n c. Kr i s B e r g 

mic h a eL J. La n e 

aLa n h. Le s s o f f 

Pa u L J. ma d d o n 

mar K J. ro s e n 

eLLiott m. ro s e n s t e i n 

geo f f r e y i. sh a P i r o 

michaeL W. steVenson ** 

man o L i n ti r a d o 

1982 

dee Pa K aW a s t h i 

geo f f r e y c. Bay L i s s * 

tim o t h y a. cL u n e 

chr i s t oP h e r fi t z g e r aL d 

dou g L a s r. fL e t c h e r 

noB u h i s a is h i z uK a 

mar K r. Ja r r e L L 

Les t e r W. Jo h n s o n 

ric h a r d a. Jo s e L s o n 

aar o n d. Ku g e L m a s s 

Jef f r e y h. La u t m a n 

ste V e n W. mo n t e i t h 

Lou i s m. orfaneLLa 

cha r L e s W. sa n t o r o 

Jam e s c. sh e h a n 

daV i d n. sh i n e 

PhiLiP m. sm i t h 

ste V e n d. sP e n c e 

and r e W t. su m e r e au 

dan i eL J. to B i n 

cha n d r a s e K a r 

Ven u g o Pa L * 

gre g o r y B. Wi n t e r 

1983 

Joh n L. aL o i a 

roB e r t aV i L e s 

KeV i n g. ch a P m a n 

fre d e r i c g. Le e d s 



** Deceased 

mic h a eL Le V i n s 

Bas iL m. mi c h a eL s 

daV i d ne W m a n 

1984 

mic h a eL J. Bozzo 

daV i d h. go d f r i e d 

Joh n t. fe e n e y 

thi e r r y Li n h fuLLer 

san J ay Ka n t u 

den n i s s. KL a i nB e r g 

Pet e r e. Le V e s Q u e 

mar t i n ma n s f i e L d 

Joh n P. Pe r f e t t i 

fra n K J. Pi c c i n i n n i 

mic h a eL e. ri P P s 

ric h a r d a. ro B i n s o n ii 

the o d o r e W. 

rod r i g u e z-Be L L 

sea n m. sc h W i n n 

Bri a n f. scuLLion 

ste P h e n d. tay L o r 

Jac K s. tr i oL o 

1985 

dan i eL J. BL u m e n t h a L 

cha r L e s J. Bu t L e r 

ray m o n d s. in g e r s o L L 

eri c d. Ka n t e r 

Joh n J. Ke L L e r 

heat h e r n. Pa x t o n 

dan i eL c. Po L i aK 

set h d. ra d W e L L 

dan i eL Wo L f saV i n 

mar K P. sc h e r z e r 

daV i d a. za P o L s K y 

1986 

nic h oL a s P. Bo y L a n 

don n a m. christie 

meg h a n f. cr o n i n 

Ber n a r d c. ey d t 

daV i d fi n K e L s t e i n 

mar i n a. ga z z a n i g a 

Jam e s f. ho g a n Jr. 

edm o n d s. ma L K a 

KeV i n P. mciVo r 

PhiLiP h.r. ne V i n n y 

roB e r t o g. ra g o n e 

nan c y ro d r i g u e z-Be L L 

daV i d e. ro m i n e 

you su n g sa n g 

sco t t f. sm i t h 

Joh n e. ty r r e L L 

Pa u L a. Ve r c e s i 

ed W a r d a. za h o s 

1987 

Joh n h. aL e s s a n d r i 

san d h ya e. as i rVat h a m 

dan i eL e Ba L i a n i 

daV i d B. Ba r r y 

Kyr a ti r a n a Ba r r y 

Jef f r e y B. eL iK a n 

eLLen Kr o t t hu m m e L 

La u r e n K. Ke a r n e y 

Jor d a n s. Ku s h n e r 

dia n a mo r e i n i s na s s e r 

Bru c e J. PhiLiPson 

raL P h m. st o n e 

Jea n n e s. Wo o 

1988 

nic h oL a s Bi r n s 

cra i g d. BL a c K m o n 

amy e. fr i e d m a n 

Pat r i cK t. mcmor r o W 

dia n e m. ri dL e y-Wh i t e 

aar o n m. st e r n 

mar K P. ti m o n e y 

Joh n a. WiLLiamson 

1989 

reg i n a ti z aB i aJ o d a n 

dou g L a s B. ca B o t 

Lis a La n d a u ca r n o y 

Joh n P. co n n o r 

don n a he r L i n s K y 

macPhe e 

Joh n a. ma cPhe e 

cin d i B. mishKin 

mic h a eL W. sm i t h 

1990 

Jas o n d. au 

JuL i e an n fi s h m a n 

reg i n a ci o n e 

macad a m 

gLo r i a y. Pa K 

Jon at h a n a. ro s e n 

Jud i t h m. sh a m Pa n i e r 

tho m a s e. We aV e r Jr. 

1991 

Jen n i f e r an n e Be u B i s 

Jam e s a. co P P o L a 

Joh n J. desim o n e Jr. 

Joh n s. eh L i n g e r 

eLi z aB e t h sc h u m a n n 

gha u r i 

Ju a n f. La r a 

ray m o n d s. Pu z i o 

PhyLLis B. st o n e 

Jon L. sW e r g o L d 

mar i a t. Va r d i s-Ku B o 

1992 

ric h a r d B. Br o s n i cK 

VaL e r i e m. ch a s e 

aBi g a iL BL a c K eL B a u m * 

yae L ha L a a s 

aar o n J. Le B o V i t z 

tam i Lu h B y 

meg a n a. mo r a n 

don n a t. my e r s 

ant h o n y c. Po L i c a s t r o 

Joh n W. tu L L a i 

Jam e s n. Vi n c i 

La u r a re i d We i n f e L d 

1993 

an t h o n y f. aPoLLaro Jr. 

Pen n y s. aP o L L a r o 

WiLLiam Ba s s o 

sur a n i r. fe r n a n d o 

car L a m. fo r m i s a n o 

Joh n P. ma s ta n d o iii 

Kat h r y n c. mo r r i s 

Kristina a. ny e 

roB e r t t. ts a i 

art h u r K. We i s e 

1994 

cas e y day BL a i r 

cyn t h i a za m o r a da n i eL 

xim e n a f. Pa r e J a 

chr i s t oP h e r m. WiLLiam 

1995 

sar a h Lo r g e Bu t L e r 

WiLLiam h. ca n n 

Kei W. ch u a 

roB e r t e. Ja W e t z 

dan i eL J. Pe t r o s K i 

Ken t o n m. Pi e r c e 

mic h a eL h. sta n t o n 

1996 

san g Kim 

ma r c e L i n o e. menendez 

fre d e r i c K ha r r i n g t o n 

shu a r t iii 

son i a e. Va r L a m o s 


30 

1997 

day n a r. aL P i n e 

Jam e s V. an t h o n y 

Jo y c e f. ch a P n i cK 

tra c y an n e ha m m o n d 

Ben J a m i n d. Le d e r e r 

Kar e n Le e 

Bet s y P. Lu o 

ser g e i PL a K i d a 

car L t. Wat s o n 

1998 

Jac i e L. Ja c o B o W i t z 

Kar e n B. se P t i m u s 

meg a n K. Va n Li n d a * 

1999 

heat h e r e. fo L s o m 

mar ta e. Ka r a m u z 

VicK e n ye g Pa r i a n 

2000 

dem e t r i o s J. 

agr i a n t o n i s 

dan i eL J. fa z i o 

anJ a L i ga n d a 

Kat h e r i n e e. 

muh L e n K a m P 

yon g-Kyo o rim 

gra c e e. ro h 

aKs h at te W a r y 

2001 

Kat h a r i n e st o W e L L 

cor t e s i 

nat h a n ga r d n e rand 

r e W s 

isr a e L m. go r d a n 

ani ta L. ha Lt o n 

noa h t. Li c h t m a n 

nan c y P. Pe r L a 

Jes s i c a an n tu B r i d y 

Ben J a m i n r. Wh e e L e r 

2002 

aLe x i s r. Br a d f o r d 

ant h o n y J. Ji m e n e z 

Bra d L e y t. miLLer 

sar a e. st e i n 

Pur d y r. tr a n 

2003 

geo r g e J. ar n a o u ta K i s 

fra n K V. co P P o L a Jr. 

Jon at h a n r. KL e i n 

aLe c o’do h e r t y 

daV i d B. st e i n B e r g 

sco t t P. ti f t 

2004 

Joh n-Pa u L s. Be L L i s t r i 

Jan e t y. ch u 

miK e h. re n 

Kai a. sz a K m a r y 

dan i eL e. to u f f 

2005 

Pet e r J. an t h o n y 

Pat r i cK h. ma r t i n e z 

sar a h m. ra J t m a J e r 

2006 

ros s B. ga B r i e L s o n 

Bri a n n e n. mi t c h eL L 

emiLy g. ro s s 

daV i d L.P. so L i m a n o 

nic oL e a. ta g u e 

roB e r t o. Wr ay 

2007 

nata s h a t. co n W ay- 

Ju a r B e 

car y n h. eP s t e i n 

meL i s s a n. fry 

Kat h r y n a.s. go o d s o n 

coL L e e n a. my e r s 

2008 

JuL i a B. fi e r m a n 

sco t t h. hu g h e s 

she L B y y. Le L a n d 

mig u eL a. Lo P e z 

cha r L e s s. mcmiLLan 

mic h a eL s. to L e d a n o 

yVette f. zimering 

2009 

meg a n L. ch o y 

Bra n d o n i.s. Lu K e 

Jor d a n s. se L i g 

sPe n c e r m. si LV e r s t e i n 

gaB r i eL g. ViL L a m a r 

PARENTS 

P’68 

yu iKo ta K e d a yamPoLsKy 

P’71 

ire n e K. Le iW a n t 

P’75 

rut h Bu r s t e i n 

P’76 

Patricia ra i m o n d o 

P’79 

sta n L e y c. Ba r o n 

mar J o r i e h. su n s h i n e 

P’80 

car o L e r. Br o W n 

P’81 

Kar e n Le e KL at s K y 

eni d L. Ku s h n e r 

P’82 

mer n a Br a u n 

nan c y e. ch a r K e s 

mar g a r e t g. di e t s h e 

mon i c a me h m e L 

ann Wa r d 

P’84 

Jud i t h s. Pata K i 

aPh r o d i t e ro s s i d e s 

P’86 

Jan e t ca B at 

Jud i t h g. fr o m m e r 

Joa n ho s t 

ad a i r m. La n g s t o n 

nao m i L. LiP m a n 

eLa i n e r. re i n e r 

P’87 

san d r a co h e n 

eLi z aB e t h dr a c h m a n 

mar g a r e t Ko r n g u t h 

Lyn n e J. Ku s h n e r 

aLi c e t. me y e r 

Jan e t sc h W a r t z 

Jo y c e sh a n K m a n 

P’88 

arm a n d o m. By r n e- 

Jim é n e z an d 

gra c i eL a J. de B y r n e 

Lin d a m. cL i n eB u r g 

mar i o n r. Ju s t 

mar g a r e t La i 

don n a P. sat o W * 

P’89 

Lin d a fu t t e r m a n 

Wen d y Ka P L a n 

mar L e n e m. Po m P e r 

P’90 

ann Lo u i s e W. co W a n 

do n n a ru d n i cK Le B o V i t z 

aur e L i a re i n h a r d t 

myn a u. sc h W a r t z 

roB y n sh o u L s o n 

Lis a sP e t t 

P’91 

gis e L a hu B e r m a n 

maV i s e. Kr a u s e 

P’92 

car o L Be r n o t 

eLLen s. ro d i n 

fra n c i n e siLV e r m a n 

miriam We i n f e L d 

P’93 

Joa n co h n 

cha r L o t t e eh r e n h a f t 

isa B e L Ko t ta K 

Jac Q u e L i n e J. Pa L m i e r i 

she iL a sc h m e Lt z 

P’94 

mar g a r e t h. Jo r g e n s e n 

Bery L L. ro s e n s t o c K 

Kat h r y n B. yat r a K i s 

P’95 

aVa Ja W e t z 

Lin d a Pa r n e s Ka h n 

Bar B a r a Ku r z W e iL 

car o L a. La n g 

rho d a Le W 

Joa n r. mu m m e r y 

nor m a sc h W a r t z 

P’96 

Jud i t h J. sh e L d o n 

geo r g e Wi t t e m y e r 

P’97 

miriam carLisLe 

WiLLiam an d Ba r B a r a 

mur f f 

dar a J. ro s e n B e r g 

fra n c i n e z. 

tra c h t e n B e r g 

Jay n e Wi n t e r 

P’98 

sus a n er m a n 

rita faV e t ta 

gin eV r a PorceLLi * 

P’99 

mar y Lo u coVieLLo 

eLi z aB e t h a. ha r r i s s 

dia n a Ja c K s o n 

Kar e n a. os t e r 

Pam e L a ro s e n B e r g 

rac h e L a. si LV e r s t e i n 

Bar B a r a ta n n e n B a u m

Columbia CollEgE Today CCT DONORs 2009–10 

P’00 

Patricia he a Ly de se a r 

Bar B a r a d. go o d s o n 

eLLen c. We i n s t e i n 

P’01 

mar i a e. Br o W n 

La u r a h. Ko r y 

ann e m. Ko t c h 

Lee La i n e r 

Jud i t h La n e * 

P’02 

Jud i t h c. deBon i s 

rim a gr a d 

Jud i t h W. Kat z-Le aV y 

eLLen Lu B e L L 

sar a h r. sc h L e i f e r 

P’03 

don n a r. diVine 

mar i n a Wa L L a c h ein 

che r i e Ly n fe r g u s o n 

nan c y ni s o n s o n 

mar y e. Pi n d y cK 

mar iLy n se L i n g e r 

P’04 

mar i a n n a m. Lo n g 

she iL a e. Pr u z a n s K y * 

Bar B a r a h. ri c h s ta d 

deB o r a h m. ro a c h 

Kat h a r i n a sz a K m a r y 

P’05 

Joh n a L. Be n t o n 

Joh n d. Br ya n t an d 

JuL i a m. cotter 

P’06 

Wen d y L. Ba z a r i 

mar K B. a n d Je a n r. 

coh e n 

aLLan a n d ca r o L 

cy t ry n 

eLLa m. fo s h ay 

Joh n an d re B e c c a hs u 

cat h e r i n e B. KL i o n 

car o L d. Le iW a n t 

suz a n n e h. mi t c h eL L 

Jud i t h L. ro s s 

Jud i t h B. tr a c y 

car o Ly n WiL s o n 

Pen n y Wo L f s o n 

P’07 

Kat h L e e n m. hiLLs 

tae Ju Ju n g * 

mar y Kr u e g e r 

reg i n a m. mu L L a h y 

mar c i n e g. muLLen 

P’08 

Lyn n W. fL a n a g a n 

tam a r z. fr a n K 

ric a r d o an d di a n a 

gar c i a 

Jos e P h J. ho P K o an d 

nan c y c. sh a r t shoP 

K o 

Kei t h an d ga iL Le L a n d 

mer e d i t h m. ma e d a 

a n d no r m a 

mur o m o t o -ma e d a 

ofe L i a or t i z 

dor a Ly n n s. Pi n e s 

yur i a. a n d oL g a s. 

PoLya K o V 

aud r e y B. st r a h L 

ig n at i o s a n d eLLie zairis 

P’09 

Jea n t. a n d ch a r L o t t e 

L. mo r e L Ba r B e y 

dor o t h y Bo y L a n 

mar y L. fr i e d m a n 

cas iL d a hi d aL g o 

eri c La x an d Ka r e n 

suL z B e r g e r 

che r y L mi L s t e i n 

eKa e t e ud o f i a 

P’10 

JuL i a fe L d 

mar c d. a n d Pa m 

gro d m a n 

Lis a Ja c K s o n 

sha r o n L. oB e r m a n 

meg h a n o’co n n o r 

gar y an d di a n e 

sch a f f e L 

P’11 

Bar B a r a a. do u g L a s 

s. Le i g h an d La u r e n 

Lof t i n 

Pam e L a h. sc h a c h t e r 

Jan e t B. se r L e 

yih-ch e n g an d ch a i 

Lan sh i h 

P’12 

eLi s a Ba r n e s 

ami t a se h g a L fi e L d 

Lor i ga r g i a n-ata m i a n 

mar i a th o r n h iL L 

P’13 

sim e i Le o n a r d 

Kar e n Lo V e 

eLi z aB e t h Pa z-ru m o r e 

christine m. Pe r f e t t i 

Van e s s a sa n t o r o 

P’14 

dea n n a h. Ke L Ly 

fai t h Wo L f 

FRIENDS 

Kat h e r i n e B.L. aa d L a n d 

mar y ro s e aL e x a n d e r 

Patricia aL e x a n d e r 

La u r a s. aLLen-Jo s e P h 

dor o t h y c. am B r o s e 

Kar e n am B r o s e 

Jud i t h c. an d e r s o n 

mar i o n s. an d e r s o n 

Jud y a. an g L e B e r g e r 

VicK i a. ar a n o W-fe i n e r 

gaB r i eL e r. ar e n t s 

aLi n e e. as h K i n 

aLe x a n d r a au 

aiL e e n mo o dy Ba i n t o n 

heL e n s. Ba L i cK 

nan c y m. Ba n z 

Bettye gr o s s m a n 

Bar c a n 

cec e L i a m. Ba r n e t t 

mar g a r e t J. Bat i u c h oK 

myr n a L. Bay L i s 

ter e s a a. Be L m o n t e 

rus s e L L e. Be r g 

nor e e n h. Be r n s t e i n 

mar y h. Bi e L e 

Kat h e r i n e c. BiL L i n g h a m 

roB e r ta BL o c K 

Jer a L d e. Bo a K 



** Deceased 

Loi s Bo e L s t L e r 

sus a n L. Bo g d a n 

VaL e r i e Bo h i g i a n 

sar a h e. Bo n dy 

saL e t ta ma r y Bo n i 

tuLLio J. Bo r r i 

mic h a eL Bo W e n 

mar ya n n Bozzo 

sem a Brainin 

rut h e. Br o d 

rho d a Br o d s K y 

eiL e e n h. Br o i d o 

car m e L i t a Br ot h e r s 

don n a r. Br u n o 

Victoria a. Br y e r 

Jud i t h Bu r K * 

mar iLy n ro s s ca h n 

Lo r i n d a Be g a m ca m Pa r o 

La u r e n J. ca r d u L L o 

daV i d a. ca r n o y 

Kat h r y n L. ca r s o n 

don n a m. ca s s ata 

Vin c e n z o ca s t e L L a n o 

eLa i n e i. ch a n 

sha r o n L. ge r s t m a n 

cha P m a n 

the r e s a m. ch e c K o V i c h 

mar i a n ch e r t o W 

Jer e m i a h J. ciancia 

yoL a n d a ciancia 

ton i co f f e e 

aiL e e n cL e a r y co h e n 

mar i o n e. co h e n 

ann e g. co L a h a n 

ann a ma r i a g. co L L i n s 

eLa i n e P. co n g r e s s 

nan c y de a n co n r a d 

dia n a n. co n t r e r a s 

edi t h e. co o K 

roB e r ta tr o s s co o K 

ran d i co P P o L a 

sar a h d. co r at h e r s 

Lyn n cr a i n 

hei d i cr e g o r 

car o L P. cu m m i n s 

han n a h s. de c K e r 

L.m. de mo n i c o 

tam a r a de r m K s i a n 

Jac K i e desim o n e 

car o L h. di cK m a n 

Les L i e do L i n 

Jea n m. do n a h u e 

KeV i n g. do n o Va n 

Joa n n e W. do r e n f e L d 

tat J a n a dr a g i c 

Bar B a r a dreiWitz 

ric h a r d K. eL B a u m * 

arL e n e eL K i n d 

Patricia h. em i c h 

Lea h m. en s o r 

rut h m. fe d e r 

aim e e Jo fe Lt o nfre 

e d m a n 

BeV e r Ly B. fe n d r i cK 

rut h a. fi n c h * 

mar y c. fi s h m a n 

La u r a W. fL e d e r 

Jen n i f e r c. fLy n n 

eLLen r. fr e e m a n * 

yse u Lt fr e i L i c h e r 

Virginia i. fr e m o n 

Jea n e t t e o. fr i e d e n s o n 

aLi c e fr i e dL a n d 

Patricia a. fo L s o n 

arL i n e fo o d m a n 

sus a n a. fo x 

Jan e t W. ga r n J o s t 

sar a h K. ga r t h 

ren e e ge r s t m a n 

LuQ m a n s. gh a u r i 

car o L gL a s s r ot h 

ang e L a Pat o n go L d s B y 

she r r y go o d m a n 

miriam L. go r d a n 

Loi s go r d o n 

rut h L. gr a h a m 

saL Ly an n gr a s K e 

ann a gr e e n 

reVa m. gr e e n B e r g 

Jun e gr e e n s Pa n 

ros a d. gr e h e r 

Victoria J. gr i f f i t h s 

geo r g e t t e gr o s s 

La u r e L h. gr o s s 

she L L e y gr u n f e L d 

eLi z aB e t h m. gu i t ta r 

sus a n h. gu s s m a n 

Patricia a. ha c h e y 

sar a h s. ha m B u r g e r 

su yo u n g ha n 

Joa n L. ha n d e L 

cha r L o t t e B. ha r r i autho 

m a s 

sus a n B. ha r r i s 

mad e L i n e ha r t 

mon i c a ha r t m a n 

Bar B a r a ha r V e y 

Betty B. ha u c K 

dia n e h. hay s 

nan c y m. he d i n 

Jan e P. he i s e r 

Patricia t. he n d e L 

Jan i c e he r L i h y 

aLi c e h. he r m a n 

Lou i s e he r s h 

Les L i e K. he r s h Ko W i t z 

sus a n L. ho B a r t 

Lea h PaVetti ho g a n 

Jo y ho g g e 

hei d i J. ho L d e r 

rita ho r n 

feL i c e ho r W i t z 

Joa n n o. ho V e y 

Ken n e t h r. hu m m e L 

JuL i a hy m a n * 

ani ta is a Ko f f 

mar c i a te n g is h i z uK a 

Judy t h e a. is s e r L i s 

ros a L i n d fe i n B e r g 

Jac o B s 

dar L e n e c. Ja r r e L L 

she r y L a. Ja W e t z 

mar y an n Jo h n s o n 

eLe a n o r P. Ju c e a m 

mar iLy n Ka B a c K 

LiLLian Ka g a n 

daL e Ka h n 

meL i s s a ro e s c h Ka n t e r 

Lee Ka P L a n 

ann e i. Ka r L B e r g 

eLi z aB e t h W. Kat z 

nan c y W. Kay e 

mar i a c. Ke a r n s 

est e L L e Ke s s e L m a n 

mar g a r e t g. Ki n g 

ren e e L. KL a P e r m a n 

car o L s. KL e i n 

fLo r e n c e KL e i n 

Jud i t h m. KL i n g o n 

miriam h. Kn a P P 

mar g a r e t Ko P L i nK a 

Kat h r y n a. Ko P P L e 

cyn t h i a r. Kr a n e 

sus a n Kr i s B e r g 

aBB y s. Ku r n i t 

suzette e. Ku s h n e r 

La u r a g. LaiBoWitz 

car m e n de L PiL a r 

LanceLLo 

Kar e n e. La n c i 

adr i a n a LaraJ a 

ren a Lau f e r 


31 

ter i hu e B n e r La u t m a n 

christine La W r e n c e 

Joa n Le a h y 

Jan e t Le B a n 

heL g a Le c h n e r 

LiK e u ch u Le e 

yeo-Jin Le e 

car o Ly n J. Le W i s 

nan c y r. Li c h t e n s t e i n 

ann r. Lo e B 

ann a Ka z a n J i a n 

Lon g o B a r d o 

guy s. Lo n g o B a r d o 

iVo n n e mo r a L e s Lo P e z 

eiL e e n c. Lu t z 

mar g a r e t ma g n a n i 

tho m a s ma g n a n i 

eLi z aB e t h a. ma i e r 

Bar r i e d. ma n d e L 

Joa n f. ma r c h e s i 

mar J o r i e B. ma r K e r 

Led a ma r r a n o 

nan c y s. mat h e s 

nor m a J. mcaVo y 

tif fa n y m. mcder m o t t 

Pat r i cK J. mceLh i n n e y 

eLi z aB e t h c. mcgah r e n 

mar J o r i e mcgah r e n 

mar y ga r c i a mciVo r 

car o L mcPhe e 

ron a L d P. mcPhe e 

san d r a n. me c h a e L 

moL Ly me e g a n 

gaiL g. me i e r 

eLi z aB e t h d. me n a K e r 

sus a n P. me n e n d e z 

ire n e c. me ta x a s 

saL Ly a. me y e r 

suz a n n e me y e r s o n 

Lis a mi c h a eL s o n 

har r i e t e. michLin 

Jud i t h a. miLLer 

mar y an n e miLLer 

ter ry W. mo n t e i t h 

fra n c e s J. mo o r e 

Jan e t t. mo r r i s o n 

Bar B a r a ro s e n t h a L 

mo t z 

car o L e s. mu r o W i t z 

rut h K. na r a h a r a 

con s ta n c e m. ho g u e t 

nee L 

rho d a m. ne W e L L 

mar y h. no r K 

ann e d. no z z o L i o 

eLe a n o r ny d i cK 

mar y t. o’co n n o r 

sha r o n K. og a W a 

ceL i a B. or g e L 

JiLL m. oz a K i 

Jan i c e m. oz i m eK 

ger t r u d e Pa L m i e r i 

fay L. Pa Pa s 

aBB y Pa r i s e r 

mar i n a Pa s t o r 

ann W. Pa u L 

ter ry Pe c h a c e K 

Patricia n. Pe g r a m 

sha r o n r. Pe r ry 

oLg a Pe t e r s 

rut h g. Pe t r i cK 

deB o r a h m. PoLLaK 

Joa n B. Po r t e r 

Jan Po s t m a 

ire n e Pr e i s e r 

Kar e n Q. Pr i e s t 

sen ta a. ra i z e n 

Bro o K e Ka m i n 

raPa P o r t 

WaLt r a u d e. re n n i cK 

sa u L ricKLin 

sus a n s. ri L e y 

Loi s B. ro c h e s t e r 

nata L i e m. ro n a i 

Lin d a s. ro s d e i t c h e r 

Lin d a J. ro s e d a h L 

sus a n mcLa u g h L i n 

ros e n 

rim a Ko P e L m a n 

ros e n s t e i n 

Betty an n ro s e n t h a L 

eLLen W. ro x L a n d 

eLa i n e f. ru B e n s t e i n 

cLa u d i a a. sa c h s 

ran a sa m P s o n 

Jan e L. sc h e i B e r 

mar y an n sc h e i B e r 

Lis a sc h e r z e r 

Pa u L i n e e. 

sch L o t t e r B e c K 

Joa n sc h m i t t 

daV i d sc h n a B e L 

arL e n e c. sc h W i m m e r 

Jan e t sc h W i n n 

Patricia an n se B r i n g 

den i s e se e g a L 

eLi z aB e t h se i d m a n 

Kar L-Lu d W i g se L i g 

Bar B a r a B. se L i g m a n n 

sus a n Le W i s sh e h a n 

eLi s e a. si e g e L 

ash L e y siLV e r m a n 

sus a n sK L a r o f f 

mar g a r i ta ro s a 

sLe e P e r 

shi eL a sm a L L 

aud r e B. sm i t h 

eLi z aB e t h e. so L L i n g e r 

BeV e r Ly so L o c h e K 

sus a n s. so L o m o n 

eLe a n o r V. so u L s 

mar i o n h. sPa n B o c K 

fre d e r i K a sPeLLios 

hit o m i sP e n c e 

car o L e m. stat h i s 

Bar B a r a B. st e i n f e L d 

Jan e K. st u P P i n 

nata L i e su r o V e L L 

JiLL sW e r g o L d 

heL e n c. taVa n t z i s 

dor o t h y te r ry 

do u g L a s n. th o m P s o n * 

Jan e mcWiLLiams 

tiB a L d i 

ros Ly n m. ti nK e r 

Joa n s. to d e r 

shi rL e y tu r t e Lta u B 

tas i o s g. Va K K a s 

soP h i e Va s iL a s 

fLo r e n c e h. Ve r m e u L e n 

mar g a r e t s. Vo i g h t 

Joa n h. Vo n Le e s e n 

eLLen L. Vo n na r d r o f f 

don n a Vo s e 

rut h Wa L d B a u m 

heL e n e Wa L K e r 

Betty J. Wa L L a c e 

saLLie B. Wa L L a c e 

Jea n Wa Lt h e r 

mar iLy n Wa r n e r 

fer n z. We n d e r 

eLin B. We r K s m a n 

Bar B a r a f. WiL s o n 

sue Wo J n iL o W e r 

sus a n r. Wo o d W o r t h * 

har r i e t ya s s K y 

Lou an n ye m o L a 

ger t r u d e gr ay yo u r K e 

deLy n n mo r i n g ze L L 

Jud i t h h. zi cK L e r 

eff i e c. zi s s i m ato s 

Kar e n d. ziVa n 

ORgANIzATIONS 

aet n a fo u n d at i o n 

che V r o n 

coL g at e -PaLmoLiVe co. 

the ea s t e r n Ba n K 

cha r i taB L e 

fou n d at i o n 

exx o nmoB iL 


ge fo u n d at i o n 

iBm in t e r n at i o n aL 


ing (u.s.) fi n a n c i aL 

ser V i c e s co r P. 

Pfi z e r fo u n d at i o n 

Pru d e n t i aL fo u n d at i o n 

tim eWar n e r 


unu mPro V i d e n t co r P. 

Ver i z o n fo u n d at i o n 

WeLLs fa r g o 


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Bookshelf 

pearls of Yiddish poetry by Joseph 

and Chana Mlotek; translated by Barnett 

Zumoff ’45. An overview of the 

lives and works of Yiddish-speaking 

poets who wrote between the 

mid-19th and mid-20th centuries 

(Ktav Publishing House, $39.50). 

snow falling from a bamboo leaf: 

the art of haiku by Hiag Akmakjian 

’48. Akmakjian details the history of 

the haiku as a poetic form and provides 

translations of classic Japanese 

examples (Lulu Enterprises, $11.08). 

tech transfer: science, Money, 

love, and the ivory tower by 

Daniel S. Greenberg ’53. Greenberg 

pokes fun at elite universities in this 

satirical novel about the pitfalls of 

academia (Kanawha Press, $11.45). 

the american golfer: a novel by 

Anthony Robinson ’53. Robinson’s 

protagonist travels to Ireland in 

search of golf and relaxation but 

instead finds romance and political 

intrigue (Bluestone Books, $14.95). 

decline and revival in higher Education 

by Herbert I. London ’60. The 

author claims that American colleges 

and universities have lowered their 

academic standards and become bastions 

of political extremism in recent 

years (Transaction Publishers, $39.95). 

thalassa: one week in a provincetown 

dune shack by Allen 

Young ’62. During August 2007, the 

author traveled to Provincetown, 

Mass., where he spent a week 

living alone in a small shack. He 

reflects on the experience in this 

short volume (Haley’s, $9.95). 

the fiery trial: abraham lincoln 

and american slavery by Eric 

Foner ’63, the DeWitt Clinton Professor 

of History. Foner examines 

the mix of principle and pragmatism 

that characterized Lincoln’s 

approach to slavery before and 

during the Civil War (W.W. Norton 

& Co., $29.95). 

oskar panizza and The Love 

Council: a history of the scandalous 

play on stage and in court, 

with the complete text in English 

and a biography of the author by 

Peter D.G. Brown ’64. This text introduces 

readers to Panizza, a German 

author who was imprisoned 

for blasphemy in 1895 after writing 

a play about the first known 

outbreak of syphilis (McFarland & 

Co., Inc., $49.95). 

time’s dual nature: a commonsense 

approach to Quantum physics 

by Jonathan Deutsch ’70. Deutsch 

uses layman’s language to explain 

the fundamental properties of matter 

and time (CreateSpace, $16.95). 

tales from the sausage factory: 

Making laws in new York state 

by Daniel L. Feldman ’70 and Gerald 

Benjamin. Feldman and his coauthor 

describe how the legislation 

process in New York State has 

changed during the last three decades 

(Excelsior Editions, $24.95). 

a Measureless peril: america in 

the fight for the atlantic, the longest 

battle of world war ii by Richard 

Snow ’70. This account of the 

struggle between German U-boats 

and American ships for control of 


32 

the Atlantic throughout WWII includes 

passages from letters written 

by the author’s father, Richard B. 

Snow ’26, an American naval officer 

during the war (Scribner, $27). 

the best american science writing 

2010 edited by Jerome Groopman 

’72 and Jesse Cohen. A collection of 

the year’s best essays on current 

scientific research (Ecco, $14.99). 

bob dylan in america by Sean 

Wilentz ’72. Wilentz, the Sidney and 

Ruth Lapidus Professor of History 

at Princeton, chronicles the most 

significant events in the professional 

life of the man he calls the “greatest 

American songwriter of the last 50 

years” (Doubleday, $28.95). 

the Man who saved new York: 

hugh carey and the great fiscal 

crisis of 1975 by Seymour P. Lachman 

and Robert Polner ’82. The authors 

argue that the leadership of 

Governor Hugh L. Carey was crucial 

in saving New York City from 

bankruptcy during the mid-1970s 

(Excelsior Editions, $24.95). 

the long run: a new York city 

Firefighter’s Triumphant Comeback 

from crash victim to Elite athlete 

by Matt Long and Charles Butler ’85. 

Aided by Butler, Long tells the story 

of his physical and emotional recovery 

from a near-fatal traffic accident 

(Rodale Books, $25.99). 

lady lazarus by Michele Lang ’89. 

Set in Budapest during the summer 

before WWII, this supernatural 

thriller combines elements of history 

and fantasy (Tor Books, $14.99). 


Young world rising: how Youth, 

technology, and Entrepreneurship 

are changing the world from 

the bottom up by Rob Salkowitz 

’89. Salkowitz analyzes the economic 

role played by the Net 

Generation in developing countries 

as well as in the first world (Wiley, 

$29.95). 

laundry can wait by Dorothy Cadet 

’96. The author advises women 

on how to balance the stresses of 

work, marriage and motherhood 

(Dog Ear Publishing, $13.95). 

stiltsville: a novel by Susanna 

Daniel ’97. Daniel’s debut book 

centers on the romance between an 

Atlanta native and a Floridian lawyer 

as it develops across 30 years 

(Harper, $24.99). 

hokkeji and the reemergence of 

female Monastic orders in premodern 

Japan by Lori Meeks ’98. 

The author discusses the role of 

women in the Japanese Buddhist 

tradition, focusing on the history 

of a single convent (University of 

Hawaii Press, $50). 

dirty sexy politics by Meghan 

McCain ’07. McCain looks back on 

her father John’s 2008 presidential 

campaign and speculates about 

the future of the Republican Party 

(Hyperion, $23.99). 

higher Education?: how colleges 

are wasting our Money and failing 

our Kids — and what we 

can do about it by Andrew Hacker 

and Claudia Dreifus, adjunct associate 

professor of international and

Columbia CollEgE Today BOOKsHELF 

Danielle Evans ’04 Sees the Past in the Present 

in her new collection of short stories, Danielle 

Evans ’04 challenges both social boundaries and 

stylistic conventions. The author’s first full-length 

work, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self 

(Riverhead Books, $25.95), is set in modern-day 

America. Evans’ characters live in a world of uncertainty 

and contradiction. In “Robert E. Lee Is Dead,” a 

teenager rises to the top of her high school class only 

to jeopardize her graduation by pulling a dangerous 

prank. In “Snakes,” a biracial girl is tormented by her 

white grandmother. Children are expected to make 

adult choices, and prejudice persists even as the 

lines between ethnic groups grow fuzzy. 

At the same time, Evans’ narrative style departs 

from traditional literary conventions. She mixes informal 

vernacular with elegant prose, creating characters 

whose most poignant remarks are hidden in 

their most casual comments. Evans also collapses 

time and space in her narration; though none of the 

stories in her debut collection is longer than 40 pages, 

many of them span several years and a wide range of 

geographic locations. In “The King of a Vast Empire,” a 

brother and sister travel from Massachusetts to Maryland 

to Washington, D.C., all in the course of a single 

night. “Jellyfish” reveals an entire family history by telling 

the story of one father-daughter lunch. 

Evans’ treatment of time has thematic implications 

for her work. In the minds of her characters, the line between the 

present and the past often is blurred. “I think readers will notice 

how present the past is in the book,” says Evans. “Again and again, 

characters find that they can never fully escape their histories.” 

One boundary that Evans sees as sacred is the line between 

truth and fiction. Though she has undergraduate degrees in 

anthropology and African American studies, Evans chose to 

become a fiction writer because, as she explains it, she has too 

much respect for the truth. 

“I loved studying anthropology because it opened up the way I 

think about people and the world,” she says. When reading interviews 

and historical documents, however, she found herself frustrated. 

“As an anthropologist, I had to observe and report events exactly 

as they happened, but I often thought that I could tell a better story.” 

Rather than risk embellishing the truth, Evans turned to fiction. 

Of course, her stories are not pure invention. Bits and 

pieces of the author’s own life have found their way into her 

writing. Asked whether she is afraid that people she knows will 

recognize themselves in her characters, however, Evans laughs. 

“People are only right about 50 percent of the time, and as 

long as you don’t tell them which 50 percent, they’ll never know.” 

While her anthropology studies led Evans to think about the di- 

public affairs. In their critique of the 

modern system of higher education 

in the United States, the authors 

point to oversized bureaucracies and 

unreasonable tuition costs (Times 

Books, $26). 

the lucky ones: one family and 

the Extraordinary invention of 

chinese america by Mae Ngai, the 

Lung Family Professor of Asian 

American Studies and professor of 

history. Ngai’s multigenerational 

history of the Tapes, a Chinese 

family that immigrated to the United 

States during the 18th century, 

offers insight into the challenges of 

integration and the complexities of 

the immigrant identity (Houghton 

Mifflin Harcourt, $26). 

B y gr a c e La i d L a W ’11 

PHOTO: COuRTEsY PENGuIN 


33 

vide between truth and fiction, other classes shaped 

the way she thought about writing. Columbia marked 

Evans’ first real exposure to contemporary literature, 

and she recalls being particularly inspired by Junot 

Díaz’s use of vernacular and Toni Morrison’s complex 

narrative structure. Evans also credits Morrison with 

proving to her that the topics she was most interested 

in writing about — including African-American culture 

and female relationships — were worthy subjects for 

literary exploration. “I think I needed to read her before 

I could give myself permission to write,” Evans says. 

Evans’ father is a College alumnus and her mother 

a Barnard alumna, and Evans initially was reluctant 

to follow them to Morningside Heights. “There was 

just so much history there,” Evans says. “I didn’t 

want to feel like I was copying their example.” Her 

parents had to bully her into visiting the campus; 

once she did, she was enamored. 

Evans made the most of her Columbia experience, 

becoming head of the Pan African House and political 

secretary of the Black Students’ Organization, among 

other activities. She also wrote a weekly opinion 

column, “(Re)-Education,” for Spectator. Along with 

her two majors, Evans pursued a creative writing 

track. She says she especially enjoyed classes with 

Colin Harrison and Victor LaValle. In fact, several of 

the stories in Evans’ book began as assignments for 

undergraduate writing courses. 

Given that she’s been revising some of her stories since college, 

it is perhaps not surprising that Evans feels more than ready 

to move on to her next project. “It’s like I just got engaged, and 

everyone keeps talking about my ex-boyfriend,” she says. She is 

working on a novel, tentatively titled The Empire Has No Clothes, 

about a young woman who is asked to rewrite a history textbook 

for a progressive charter school. 

Though many of the stylistic elements that define her first 

book will reappear in this next work, Evans says the project will 

be something of a departure for her. “Writing a novel forced me 

to think about structure in a new way,” she says. The story has 

been especially challenging to construct, Evans says, because 

large chunks of it are set in the past. Beyond these details, she 

refuses to reveal too much about her latest work, but she does 

promise an engaging read. 

“It’s been a lot of fun to write,” Evans says. “The characters 

get up to all sorts of shenanigans.” 

Grace Laidlaw ’11 is majoring in creative writing and psychology. 

She is director of Columbia’s peer counseling hotline and 

contributes regularly to CCT. 

crisis on campus: a bold plan for 

reforming our colleges and universities 

by Mark C. Taylor, professor 

and department chair of religion. 

Taylor identifies flaws in the current 

American university system and 

proposes an alternative model that 

privileges teaching over research 

and places greater emphasis on interdisciplinary 

study (Knopf, $24). 

the isle of Monte cristo: finding 

the inner treasure by S.T. 

Georgiou. Georgiou’s reflections 

on Christian theology are inspired 

by the writings of poets and close 

friends Thomas Merton ’38 and 

Robert Lax ’38 (Novalis Publishing, 

$19.95). 

Grace Laidlaw ’11

obituaries 

1933 

John r. phelps, music teacher, Sun 

City Center, Fla., on March 4, 2010. 

Phelps was born on May 2, 1909. 

At Columbia, he was a member of 

the Iota Chapter of the Phi Kappa 

Sigma Fraternity. Phelps earned an 

M.A. from Teachers College in 1936 

and a Ph.D. in musical composition 

from the Institute of Musical Art, a 

branch of Wayne State in Detroit. 

During WWII, he served as an 

anti-aircraft officer, as an instructor 

in the Officer Candidate School 

at Camp Davis, N.C., and in the 

Philippine Islands. Phelps was the 

organist and choir director at Trinity 

Methodist Church in Highland Park, 

Mich., and Nardin Park Methodist 

Church in Farmington Hills, Mich.; 

and organist at the United Methodist 

Church in Sun City Center. He 

composed many works, including 

Piano Concerto in D Minor for Piano 

and Orchestra, the third movement 

of which was performed by the 

Florida Orchestra on May 28, 2009, 

in celebration of his 100th birthday. 

Phelps was predeceased by his wife 

of 56 years, Dorothy Schultz Phelps, 

and a daughter, Janis Benner. He is 

survived by a daughter, Nancy; four 

grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. 

Memorial contributions 

may be sent to the Emergency Squad 

or the Security Patrol, both of Sun 

City Center, Fla. 

1942 

david p. harrison, retired market 

analyst, Madison, Wis., on February 

3, 2010. Born in Liverpool, England, 

on March 3, 1922, Harrison moved 

with his family to Brooklyn at 11. He 

lived most of his life in New York 

Obituary submission 

Guidelines 


welcomes obituaries for 

College alumni. Deaths are 

noted in the next available 

issue in the “Other Deaths 

Reported” box, but due to 

the volume of obituaries 

that CCT receives, it may 

take several issues for the 

complete obituary to appear. 

Word limit is 200; text may 

be edited for length, clarity 

and style at editors’ discretion. 

Click “Contact Us” at 

college.columbia.edu/cct, 

or mail materials to 

Obituaries Editor, 

Columbia College Today, 

Columbia Alumni Center, 

622 W. 113th St., MC 4530, 

New York, NY 10025. 

City and moved to Madison with 

his wife, Shirley, in 2003. Harrison 

served in the Army from November 

1942 to November 1945, including 

service in Europe in the Battle of the 

Bulge. He earned an M.A. in economics 

in 1949 from GSAS. Harrison 

was a market analyst in the textile 

industry in New York and traveled 

widely for work and in retirement. 

He maintained close friendships 

with classmates from both Erasmus 

Hall H.S. and the College, going 

on cruises with high school friends 

and attending College reunions. 

He is survived by his children, 

Tom and his wife, Carolynn, Joan 

Provencher and her husband, Bill, 

and Roger; four grandchildren; and 

two great-grandchildren. Harrison 

was preceded in death by his wife of 

58 years and by his brother, John ’38, 

’52 GSAS. Memorial contributions 

may be made to The Capitol Lakes 

Foundation, 333 W. Main St., Madison, 

WI 53703. 

1943 

henry corey, attorney, Falmouth, 

Mass., on February 27, 2010. Born 

in Oak Bluffs, Mass., Corey was an 

Army veteran, serving as a medic 

with the 47th Field Hospital during 

WWII. He was in Normandy, 

France, in 1944, taking part in the 

Battle of the Bulge, and was honorably 

discharged in 1945. Corey 

graduated from Fordham Law in 

1949 and was admitted to the Massachusetts 

Bar the same year. He 

conducted a private practice on 

Martha’s Vineyard for more than 

50 years. In 1955, Corey and the 

late John W. Osborne co-founded 

the Dukes County Savings Bank, 

now Martha’s Vineyard Savings 

Bank, and the Bank of Woods Hole, 

where he was a trustee/officer until 

his death. A lifelong member of 

the VFW, DAV and the American 

Legion, Corey was dedicated to the 

recognition of service people in the 

local community. An avid jogger, 

he won several Martha’s Vineyard 

Road Races into his late 70s. Corey 

volunteered at the Woods Hole 

Oceanographic Institution. He is 

survived by his wife of 57 years, Patricia 

(Kiley) Corey; son, Sean J. and 

his wife, Kristin; daughter, Kathleen 

Lynch and her husband, William; 

and six grandchildren. Memorial 

contributions may be made to VFW, 

MV Post 9261, PO Box, 1437 Vineyard 

Haven, MA 02568. 

1944 

John J. donohue Jr., retired market 

research manager, Hamden, Conn., 


34 

on February 4, 2010. Donohue was 

born on June 24, 1923, in the Bronx, 

N.Y. He served in the Army Signal 

Corps and participated in the Battle 

of the Bulge. Donohue earned an 

M.A. at Teachers College. He taught 

junior high school, worked for the 

federal government in Washington, 

D.C.; the New York State Labor 

Department; Republic Aircraft on 

Long Island; and was the market 

research manager for U.S. Motors, 

a division of Emerson Electric, for 

many years before his retirement. 

He also was a Justice of the Peace. 

Donohue received the National 

AARP Award in 1992, the Distinguished 

Service Award from the 

Caucus of Connecticut Democrats 

in 1991, the 1997 Certificate of Merit 

from the Connecticut Association of 

Boards of Education and the Secretary 

of State’s Public Service Award 

in 2002. In addition to his wife of 

60 years, Mildred Sileo Donohue, 

survivors include his children, 

Jeanne D. Miner and her husband, 

Bruce, and John J. III and his wife, 

Maureen; six grandchildren; a greatgrandson; 

and five nieces and nephews. 

Memorial contributions may 

be made to Holy Infant Church, 450 

Racebrook Rd., Orange, CT 06477 

or American Legion Post #127, 630 

Grassy Hill Rd., Orange, CT 06477. 

1949 

clyde r. hampton, environmental 

attorney, Aurora, Colo., on February 

14, 2010. Hampton was born on 

May 10, 1926, in Worland, Wyo. At 

the College, he played four years of 

varsity football and was on the team 

that beat Army in 1947. Hampton 

was a captain in the Navy Reserve 

and a commanding officer of the 

Naval Intelligence Unit at NORAD 

in Colorado Springs. He graduated 

from the University of Colorado 

Law School and was active in the 

Colorado Bar Association, the 

American Bar Association, the Rocky 

Mountain Mineral Law Institute and 

the American Petroleum Institute. As 

a pioneering environmental attorney, 

Hampton was known nationally 

for special contributions to environmental 

law and was employed for 

33 years as a general attorney for 

Conoco. Hampton also was a founding 

officer for the Association for Retarded 

Citizens and was a deacon at 

Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church 

as well as an avid golfer and skier. 

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy 

L.; daughter, Dorothy N.; a sister; 

and numerous in-laws, nieces and 

nephews. Memorial contributions 

may be made to Cherry Creek Pres- 


byterian Church, 10150 E. Belleview 

Ave., Englewood, CO 80111. 

1950 

frank p. Mcdermott, retired deputy 

assistant treasurer, Agawam, Mass., 

on December 11, 2009. McDermott 

was born on December 22, 1926, in 

New York City and was a graduate 

of the Mamaroneck H.S. Class of 

1944. After serving with the Navy 

during WWII, he earned a bachelor’s 

in business from Columbia. McDermott 

worked for Hartford Life Insurance 

and later was deputy assistant 

treasurer for the State of Connecticut, 

retiring in 1994 after 12 years. Mc- 

Dermott enjoyed gardening, bird 

watching, reading and UCONN 

sports. He was predeceased by his 

wife, Margaret (Doody) McDermott, 

a brother, Jim, and a sister, Jean Brennan. 

McDermott is survived by his 

daughters, Anne, Elizabeth and her 

husband, Martin Bak, and Clare 

O’Malley and her husband, John; 

and six grandchildren. Memorial 

contributions may be made to the 

American Heart Association, 2550 

U.S. Highway 1, North Brunswick, 

NJ 08902-4301. 

1954 

thomas J. o’grady, thoracic and 

cardiovascular surgeon, Toledo, 

Ohio, on February 28, 2010. O’Grady 

was born September 21, 1933, in 

Jersey City, N.J. After medical school 

at Cornell, from where he graduated 

in 1958, he served as a captain 

in the Air Force Medical Corps and 

was stationed in Thule, Greenland. 

O’Grady moved to Toledo upon 

completion of his training at Boston 

City Hospital, Case Western Reserve 

University and the Cleveland Clinic. 

He was on the staff at Flower Hospital, 

The Toledo Hospital, St. Charles 

Hospital, Mercy Hospital and The 

Medical College of Ohio. O’Grady 

retired from surgical practice with 

the Toledo Clinic on December 31, 

1999, and continued his involvement 

in quality assurance programs. 

He was an avid fisherman and 

enjoyed gardening with his wife 

of 47 years, Inez, as well as family 

vacations. In addition to his wife, he 

is survived by his daughters, Naomi 

and Claudia; sons, Justin ’89, and 

Matthew and his wife, Sarah; and 

sister, Jane. Memorial contributions 

may be made to the Flower Hospital 

Foundation or the Toledo Botanical 

Gardens. 

1956 

alan n. Miller, retired nephrologist, 

New York City, on August 20,

Columbia CollEgE Today OBITuARIEs 

Alan N. Miller ’56 

2010. Miller earned a B.S in 1957 

from the Engineering School and 

an M.S. in finance in 1958 from the 

Business School. Prior to becoming 

a nephrologist, he was an engineer. 

Miller served as a captain in the 

Special Forces training Green Berets. 

An avid learner, he took classes 

at Columbia all his life. President of 

his College class as well as his class’ 

CCT Class Notes correspondent 

for many years, Miller worked 

tirelessly to keep his classmates 

connected. He attended many 

Columbia events and was deeply 

involved in class activities and 

lunches. Some fellow Columbians 

referred to him as “The Class Act.” 

An advocate of the 3 x 5 index card 

form of organization, he also was a 

proud cigar smoker, stock watcher 

and wine collector. Miller was widowed 

after 37 years of marriage to 

Libby Shana Halpern Miller Ph.D. 

He is survived by his partner, Helene 

Ruddy; mother, Iris; daughter 

and son-in-law, Elisa Miller and 

Greg Griffin; daughter, Jennifer van 

Voorst van Beest; sisters, Barbara 

and her husband, Maurice Kupritz, 

and Mona and her husband, Lee 

Berg; and four grandchildren. Memorial 

contributions may be made 

to the Columbia College Class of ’56 

Scholarship Fund. 

1957 

albert J. anton Jr., oil analyst, Louisville, 

Ky., on April 10, 2010. Anton 

was a graduate of Chaminade H.S. 

on Long Island and the Wharton 

School. At Columbia, he was president 

of Delta Upsilon Fraternity 

and was a member of the Newman 

Club. Anton had a long career as an 

oil analyst and was for more than 

30 years a partner and director of 

research with Carl H. Pforzheimer 

& Co. in New York. He was a 

chartered financial analyst and a 

past president and honorary life 

member of the National Association 

of Petroleum Investment Analysts. 

Anton was a featured guest on the 

popular television show Wall Street 

Week. A former New Jersey resident, 

Anton served on the Board of Trustees 

of South Orange, was chairman 

of the board of the YMCA of the 

Oranges and was a member of the 

Advisory Board of St. Benedict’s 

Prep in Newark. He was recently an 

instructor with the Veritas Society at 

Bellarmine University in Louisville. 

Anton is survived by his wife of 51 

years, Sara (Lembcke) ’58 Barnard; 

daughter, Claire; and sons, Christopher 

and Thomas. Memorial contributions 

may be made to Food for 

the Poor at foodforthepoor.org. 

1961 

robert l. trelstad, physician, Prince - 

ton, N.J., on February 15, 2010. Trelstad 

was born in Redding, Calif., and 

raised in Salem, Ore. He graduated 

from Harvard Medical School in 

1966, where he worked with the 

pioneers of cell biology. Trelstad was 

a resident at Massachusetts General 

Hospital and in 1972 became an assistant 

professor at Harvard Medical 

School. From 1975–81, he was chief 

of pathology at the Shriners Burns 

Institute in Boston. In 1981, Trelstad 

became chair of pathology at Robert 

Wood Johnson Medical School 

in Piscataway, N.J., and in 1998 

founded the Child Health Institute 

of New Jersey. He also founded Keyboard 

Publishing, which developed 

computer-based learning products, 

and chaired the Health Professions 

Advising Committee at Princeton. 

Trelstad is survived by his wife of 48 

years, Barbara; brothers, John and 

Donald ’69, ’73 P&S; sons, Derek ’91 

Arch., Graham ’89, Brian and Jeremy 

’97; and five granddaughters. 

1970 

Robert W. Butterfield, sexton, 

Bethlehem, Pa., on January 5, 2010. 

Butterfield was born on November 

7, 1948. A lifelong resident of 

Bethlehem, he was a graduate of 

Moravian Preparatory School and 

the inaugural session of the Citizens 

Academy of Bethlehem. After a career 

in home renovation, he served 

as sexton for Central Moravian 

Church for 24 years, turning his 

role as curator of historic properties 

into a unique ministry to the church 

and congregation. As a member 

of the Bethlehem Area Moravian 

Trombone Choir, Butterfield took 

part in its mission trip to Jamaica 

in 2005. He also was a board 

member of the South Bethlehem 

Neighborhood Center, secretary/ 

treasurer of the Sacristans Corp at 

Central Moravian, treasurer of the 

Wednesday Men’s Bible Study and 

treasurer of the Bethlehem Area 

Moravian Trombone Choir. Butterfield 

is survived by his wife of 14 

years, Helenann Celecz Butterfield; 

son, Joseph Florio; brothers, Nicho- 

oThEr dEaThs rEporTEd 


35 

las and his wife, Rachel Osborn, 

and Jonathan and his wife, Sally 

Lifland; sister, Janice Ostock and her 

husband, David; in-laws, Pam and 

Louis Celecz Jr.; and several nephews 

and nieces. 

1987 

albert J. weisel, freelance writer, 

New York City, on February 27, 2010. 

Weisel was born on July 18, 1963. 

He wrote for publications such as 

Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, 

New York Newsday, Us, Premiere, Spin, 

Tracks, George, Travel & Leisure, Out, 

Time Out New York and The Bulletin 

(Australia). From 1999–2002, Weisel 

was the movies editor at CDNow, 

where he launched the video/DVD 

section. In October 2005, Live Fast, 

Die Young: The Wild Ride of Making 

Rebel Without a Cause, a book coauthored 

with Larry Frascella, was 

published, which explores the making 

of the film Rebel Without a Cause 

and in particular the relationships 

between director Nicholas Ray and 

leading actors James Dean and Natalie 

Wood. Weisel was known as Jon 

Swift in the blogosphere, where he 

wrote a satirical political blog (jon 

swift.blogspot.com). 


Columbia College Today also has learned of the following deaths. Complete obituaries will be 

published in an upcoming issue, pending receipt of information. Due to the volume of obituaries 

that CCT receives, it may take several issues for the complete obituary to appear. 

1933 clarence barasch, New York City, on August 31, 2010. 

1935 william c. oberkirk, retired engineer, Old Lyme, Conn., on June 6, 2010. 

1936 herbert M. olnick, retired radiologist, Blue Ridge, Ga., on July 25, 2010. 

1940 robert benjamin, retired textile executive, New Rochelle, N.Y. on August 27, 2010. 

1941 cecil h. london, magazine executive, Greenbrae, Calif., on August 21, 2010. 

1943 Edward M. Marwell, Mount Kisco, N.Y., on September 7, 2010. 

1947 Edward b. gold, retired writer and editor, New York City, on September 9, 2010. 

Ellis levine, Bronx, N.Y., on September 5, 2010. 

robert h. Marshall, business executive, El Paso, Texas, on August 20, 2010. 

1948 Marvin a. schlaff, UN official, New York City, on August 18, 2010. 

irwin f. “woody” woodland, retired attorney, Seattle, on August 25, 2010. 

1949 david n. ilchert, retired INS executive, Novato, Calif., on August 9, 2010. 

francois d. vaillant, teacher, Pensacola, Fla., on September 14, 2010. 

1950 william J. hill, quality control expert, Weston, Conn., on September 20, 2010. 

1952 donald J. bainton, business executive, Boca Raton, Fla., on June 13, 2010. 

thomas E. Murray sr., retired advertising executive, Venice, Fla., on August 5, 2010. 

Eugene c. thomas, attorney, Boise, Idaho, on September 13, 2010. 

harold h. “hal” wanamaker, retired otolaryngologist, Syracuse, on August 29, 2010. 

vernon c. wynott Jr., sales executive, referee, Belmont, Mass., on April 17, 2010. 

1953 william M. bason, physician, Chesapeake, Va., on September 18, 2010. 

Erik d. wensberg, writer and editor, New York City, on June 5, 2010. 

1954 daniel r. thompson Jr., retired insurance executive, Queensbury, N.Y., on June 17, 2010. 

1956 seymour wallace, anesthesiologist, Los Altos, Calif., on August 25, 2010. 

1960 John M. radbill, Albuquerque, N.M., on August 7, 2010. 

1962 david M. lowrey, economics professor, Paris, France, on February 27, 2010. 

ovadya Yesodi, Laguna Woods, Calif., on August 22, 2010. 

1964 leslie M. “les” pockell, publishing executive, literary anthologist, White Plains, N.Y., on July 26, 2010.

Class Notes 

25 

40 



622 W. 113th St., MC 4530 


cct@columbia.edu 

robert benjamin ’40, a retired textile 

executive, passed away in New 

Rochelle, N.Y., on August 27. Bob 

was born on June 6, 1919, in New 

York City. He served with the Fifth 

Air Corps in the Pacific and came 

home from Japan in 1945. He is 

survived by his wife, Betty K.; sons, 

John and Richard; and grandson, 

Scott. 

Share your news with Columbia 

College Today. Your classmates and 

fellow alumni want to hear about 

your families, travels, adventures, 

memories of your time in Morningside 

Heights and your thoughts 

on the state of the world. Submit 

a Class Note to Associate Editor 

Ethan Rouen ’04J by e-mail at 

ecr2102@columbia.edu or by postal 

mail at the address above. 

41 

robert Zucker 

29 The Birches 

Roslyn, NY 11576 

rzucker@optonline.net 

The old expression “no news is good 

news” is not good news for the writer 

of this column. I assume most of 

you had a relaxing summer and fall, 

and did I, and were too busy lolling 

on the beach and playing tennis to 

take the time to update us on your 

activities. 

A call, e-mail or letter would be 

appreciated. 

42 

Melvin hershkowitz 

22 Northern Ave. 

Northampton, MA 01060 

DrMelvin23@gmail.com 

The New York Times of July 1 had a 

brief obituary on sanford bayer, 

Class Notes are submitted by 

alumni and edited by volunteer 

class correspondents and the 

staff of CCT prior to publication. 

Opinions expressed are those of 

individual alumni and do not 

reflect the opinions of CCT, its 

class correspondents, the College 

or the University. 

who died on June 27. The cause 

and place of his death were not 

mentioned. I knew Sandy when we 

ran on the freshman cross country 

team together. He was tall, thin, 

fast, had excellent stamina and 

always finished far ahead of me in 

our races. I never saw Sandy again 

after graduation and did not know 

anything about his military service 

(if any) during WWII. He became 

an antique and fine arts dealer in 

New York City and California, and 

finally in Wellfleet, Mass., before his 

retirement and death. He was the 

father of a daughter, Susan, and a 

son, Fred. No further information is 

available at the time of this writing. 

Our Alumni Office notified me 

of the death of frank gherardi on 

June 28 at his home in Wethersfield, 

Conn. Frank entered Columbia 

with our Class of 1942 but left for 

military service in WWII, serving as 

an interpreter in an intelligence unit 

in France. Post-war, Frank returned 

to Columbia and graduated from 

the Business School in 1947 with 

a degree in accounting. He then 

worked for Arthur Young & Co., 

Catawba Corp. and as a partner in 

the accounting firm of Gherardi & 

O’Donnell. In 1956, Frank married 

Mary Markstein, who survives him, 

along with their daughter, Mary 

Elizabeth; granddaughter, Luz 

Elena; niece, Sr. Patricia Gould; and 

several additional nieces and nephews. 

Frank was fluent in Italian and 

French and was a family historian 

with an encyclopedic memory and 

memorable narrative style. We 

extend our condolences to his wife 

and to all members of his family. 

Our Alumni Office also notified 

me of the death of franklin Joseph 

tobey ii on May 6 in Purcellville, 

Va. Franklin was a retired lieutenant 

colonel in the Army and former editor 

of the Annual Report to Congress 

from the U.S. Energy Department. 

He earned a master’s in economics 

at Columbia in 1947. Franklin also 

was associate editor of Public Utility 

Reports from 1947–57, director of 

public relations at W.E. Hamilton 

Associates,1957–58 and a public information 

officer at the Atomic Energy 

Commission in 1958. In WWII, 

Franklin served as a medical corps 

motor transport officer in Europe. 

He was a multi-talented polymath, 

serving as a merit badge counselor 

in mineralogy, atomic energy and 

herpetology, and writing articles on 

these subjects for Collier’s Encyclopedia 

Yearbook. He also was a member 

of the National Press Club. 

Franklin wrote several letters to 


36 

me in recent years, some of which I 

summarized in a Class Note about 

him in the May/June 2008 issue of 

CCT (college.columbia.edu/cct/ 

may_jun08). He reminisced about 

his classes in politics and public 

administration with Professor Lawrence 

Chamberlain ’45 GSAS and his 

7 p.m. zoology labs with Professor 

James McGregor. He had been a 

zealous Elderhostel traveler, with 

visits to Hawaii, England, Scotland, 

Wales, Eire, Colorado, California, 

New England and Canada. Franklin 

was devoted to Columbia and suggested 

that the CCT editors write an 

article on Deans Herbert Hawkes, 

Harry Carman and Harry Coleman 

’46 because he had positive memories 

of all of them. 

Franklin is survived by his brother, 

Dr. John R.; children, Carolyn 

Tobey Berardesco, Franklin Joseph 

III and Alix Tobey Southwick; six 

grandchildren; and six greatgrandchildren. 

We thank Alix for 

sending us information about 

Franklin, and we send our condolences 

to his family. 

On August 12, I received a nice 

note from bill Mazzarella, who 

enclosed a copy of News Of The 

Few, the newsletter of the Maj. Gen. 

Raymond L. Murray Chapter of 

The Chosin Few. Bill is a member 

of the Chosin Few, having fought 

with the Marine Corps in that 

terrible battle and retreated from 

the Chosin Reservoir in Korea in 

November–December 1950. Our 

Marine and Allied Force of 15,000 

men was surrounded by 120,000 

Communist Chinese troops and 

sustained 12,000 casualties, including 

3,000 KIA, before reaching 

their Hungnam evacuation objective, 

bringing out their dead and 

wounded in sub-zero weather. Sixty 

years later, on a much warmer and 

happier day, July 3, Bill participated 

in a reunion parade of The Chosin 

Few in Oceanside, Calif. At 90, Bill 

completed the parade, pushing his 

walker ahead of him along the way 

to the end. Bill also told me he is 

“still in love with Marguerite,” his 

longtime and beautiful life partner. 

I hope to hear from Bill again when 

he joins the Centenarian Club in 

2020, and many times before that, 

too. Congratulations, Bill! 

With great sadness, I must report 

the death of Marilynn Wellington, 

wife of arthur wellington, on 

August 14 in Elmira, N.Y. Marilynn 

and Art were married in 1944, when 

Marilynn graduated from Syracuse 

and Art was a Marine lieutenant in 

WWII, in which he served as an artil- 


lery officer in the Pacific campaigns. 

After the war, Art and Marilynn 

settled in Elmira, N.Y., where they 

raised four children, and Mari lynn, 

who had been valedictorian of 

her class at Syracuse Central H.S., 

became active in church affairs and 

educational programs for the wider 

Elmira community. Marilynn was 

a brilliant, modest polymath, with 

wide knowledge of the arts, literature, 

science and nature. She was a 

gifted teacher and was an inspiration 

to members of numerous social 

service organizations in Elmira, 

including leadership in volunteer 

work in the local prison system. 

Art became a prominent optometrist 

in Elmira, a part-owner of the 

minor league baseball team and a 

harness-racing enthusiast. In 2003, 

my wife, Leslie, and I had a wonderful 

vacation visit with Art and 

Marilynn at their summer cottage 

on the water in Tenant’s Harbor, 

Maine. We had not seen each other 

for many, many years, and it gave 

us a chance to reminisce about 

those happy pre-war days on the 

Columbia campus in 1938–42 when 

your correspondent was a pre-med 

student and Art was enrolled in the 

pre-optometry program, which he 

finished when he returned to Columbia 

after the war. Art celebrated 

his 90th birthday on May 17. We 

salute him for his loyal friendship, 

longevity and devotion to Columbia. 

We send condolences to him 

and his entire extended family on 

the loss of Marilynn. 

As I write these notes in early 

September, our football team recently 

has been defeated by Brown 

in a pre-season scrimmage 31–0. 

Coach Norries Wilson’s comments 

about the scrimmage were not 

optimistic, but I take solace in 

recalling that Columbia defeated 

Brown 28–10 at Wien Stadium in 

November 2009 in the final game 

of the Ivy League season. By the 

time this issue of CCT reaches us 

in November, our Lions will have 

played much of their schedule, and 

we will know more about our current 

and future prospects for an Ivy 

League championship. It has been a 

long wait since our last one in 1961. 

If we cannot do it this year, it would 

be a great accomplishment to win it 

in 2011, the 50th anniversary of our 

last championship, a year in which 

almost all surviving members of 

this Great Class of 1942 will have 

reached their 90th birthdays. 

Please note my new postal address, 

at the top of the column. Kind 

regards and best wishes to all.

Columbia CollEgE Today CLAss NOTEs 

43 

g.J. d’angio 

Department of Radiation 

Oncology 

Hospital of the University 

of Pennsylvania, 

Donner 2 

3400 Spruce St. 

Philadelphia, PA 19104 

dangio@xrt.upenn.edu 

The last Class Notes column mentioned 

Columbia’s first professor 

of Italian, Lorenzo Da Ponte, who 

was librettist for three of Mozart’s 

most popular operas. A more recent 

history linking Columbia with the 

entertainment world is to be found 

in the book A Fine Romance: Jewish 

Songwriters, American Songs by David 

Lehman ’70. It brings to the fore 

the parts played by several Columbia 

alumni in the jazz/swing era. 

Many memorable songs and great 

Broadway shows were the work of 

Richard Rodgers ’23, working first 

with Lorenz Hart ’18 and later with 

Oscar Hammerstein II ’16. Rodgers 

and Hart met as Columbia students 

and got their start by writing books 

and music for school shows. Another 

productive team, with more 

tenuous Columbia connections, 

however, was Arthur Schwartz and 

Harold Dietz ’40. 

My summer was busy with 

medical meetings in Williamsburg 

and Stockholm. My wife and I 

stopped off in the Shetland Islands 

on our way back from Sweden 

just for fun and touring. We were 

not disappointed. We then visited 

old friends in the highlands of 

Scotland. In August, we saw 13 

members of the family in Bermuda 

for a week. It is a biennial gathering 

so we keep in touch. Great 

setting for that. 

John Zullo waited 60 years for 

his WWII Philippine Liberation 

Medal (with one star). It was finally 

awarded in March. The medal 

was created to honor the help he 

and many others gave the Filipino 

people in freeing themselves from 

the Japanese during WWII. John, in 

a recent letter, filled in other details 

concerning his Navy years as well 

as his 40 years of industrial work in 

the chemical industry. At one point 

in the early 1940s, while working at 

Columbia on an M.S. (professional 

chemical engineering), John was in 

the same building as Enrico Fermi. 

The latter’s laboratory was in the 

basement, dissecting the uranium 

atom with portentous results. John 

was told to “stay out of there” in 

no uncertain terms. It was only 

after the atom bomb was dropped 

that he understood the objective of 

Fermi’s research. 

John retired from the Navy Organized 

Reserves in 1951, and 24 years 

ago from his position as director 

and v.p. of synthesis manufacturing 

for the Amchem Agricultural Prod- 

ucts Division of Union Carbide. He 

and his wife are well and involved 

with many community activities in 

Flemington, N.J. 

John Owens ’44 saw my note in 

the last issue of CCT regarding Professor 

Wilbur Frohock, who was also 

one of John’s favorites. He added 

some interesting facets; for example, 

Frohock had been on the faculty at 

Brown before being recruited by 


albert w. cayot and I exchanged 

recollections of the lightweight crew 

and associated personalities. The 

lightweight coach was author Alas- 

tair McBain. Fellow crew members 

included John cahill and Tom 

Cantor. Albert recalled an escapade 

when he and Tom went into the 

Hudson in a two-man shell against 

regulations, were swamped and 

had to be rescued. 

44 

henry rolf hecht 

11 Evergreen Pl. 

Demarest, NJ 07627 

hrh15@columbia.edu 

We recently heard that our ’44 musician 

laureate, Mort lindsey, has 

picked up a Lifetime Achievement 

Award from the Malibu Music 

Organization, only the second time 

this California cultural group has 

dispensed such an honor. The evening, 

with red-carpet reception for 

Mort and his wife, Judy, featured a 

large-screen presentation of Mort’s 

career highlights and presentation 

of an Oscar-like trophy. 

We must bid farewell to John 

bruzza, Jack lorick (proud achiever 

of at least five holes-in-one) and 

frank Marshall. 

And on a personal note, your 

correspondent is saddened to hear 

of the departure of Charlie Cole 

’43, a good friend to many of us on 

Spectator, even though he was on 

the business rather than the editorial 

side. 

45 



622 W. 113th St., MC 4530 



The Class of ’45 is looking for a class 

correspondent to write a bi monthly 

column for Columbia College Today. 

If you want an open platform and a 

chance to reconnect with classmates, 

please contact Associate Editor 

Ethan Rouen ’04J at ecr2102@colum 

bia.edu. Until then, please send notes 

about your life, thoughts, travel, 

family and experiences at Columbia 

to the postal or e-mail addresses at 

the top of the column. 

REUNION JUNE 2–JUNE 5 

ALUMNI OFFICE CONTACTS 

ALuMNI AFFAIRs Jennifer Freely 

jf2261@columbia.edu 

212-851-7438 

DEVELOPMENT Paul staller 

ps2247@columbia.edu 

212-851-7494 

46 


37 

bernard sunshine 

20 W. 86th St. 


bsuns1@gmail.com 

At our class luncheon in the spring, 

irwin nydick ’48 P&S told us of 

his pro bono work at Weill Cornell 

Medical Center and what has come 

to be known there as “Nydick 

Rounds.” It refers to patient rounds 

that he makes with medical students, 

interns and residents the “oldfashioned 

way.” I thought it would 

be interesting to have him explain 

the special nature of the rounds and 

his philosophy behind them. Irwin 

wrote: 

“Before acceptance at P&S, I had 

heard that the formidable Dean Willard 

Rappleye strongly favored ‘the 

whole person,’ one who blended 

science with liberal arts and humanism. 

My influences at P&S were 

inspiring with consistent emphasis 

on science combined with ‘the art of 

medicine.’ The patient was central.” 

Mort lindsey ’44 was presented a lifetime achievement 

award from the Malibu Music organization. 

After a stellar career that included 

four hospital appointments, 

distinguished cutting-edge research 

and private practice, Irwin says 

he was lucky to have a great ride 

(cardiology) and be able to retire at 

a peak. “I hoped it would then be 

possible to devote time to teaching 

and share some of the lessons I 

had learned. The director of the 

Cornell House Staff Program was 

enthusiastic about my idea, and 

together we developed a proposal: 

work 15–20 hours a week (three 

days); attend two core departmental 

conferences; and ‘morning report’ 

three times a week, when residents 

present patients of particular interest, 

diagnostic or treatment dilemmas, 

ethical issues and so on. Most 

crucial, I would conduct individual 

teaching rounds with my young 

charges twice weekly. They chose 

the patients, and I would not know 

the cases in advance. The plan 

required approval of the depart- 

ment chairman, who said, ‘We can’t 

afford you,’ to which I responded, 

‘You don’t understand. I am donating 

my body to the department 

totally gratis.’ With that, the deal 

was done, and 12 years later the 

deal is still solid. 

“Our rounds are stereotypically 

structured but different in content 

every day. We never know the 

problem in advance. Each session 

is an intellectual adventure. We 

hope for a perfect history and 

physical examination to create an 

accurate image of the patient for 

our preliminary evaluation. Basic 

laboratory studies are presented, 

but no advanced technological 

tests, which I stress are confirming 

only after examining the patient 

at bedside. We discuss the family 

history, occupation, social history, 

recent travel, medications, and 

home and community exposures. 

We synthesize this information and 

deductively, and often intuitively, 

try to arrive at a proper diagnosis. 

Finally we review advanced studies 

available for confirmation purposes 

or change in deductive direction. 

We emphasize that every study, 

whether historical, technological 

or physical examination, has its 

own sensitivity and specificity and 

should be weighed accordingly. 

This requires a great leap of faith, 

as modern teaching emphasizes 

the technological. Unfortunately, 

physical examination has become a 

lost art, so my findings usually add 

disproportionate data.” 

Irwin points out that much of 

this relates to hospital medicine, but 

he stresses the importance of “the 

devoted personal practitioner who 

knows and cares for the patient 

through the years, understands 

nuances of the patient describing 

unwellness and remembers all the 

operations, medications and injuries. 

Emphasis on developing these 

relationships is critical in changing 

our patient-care system for patient 

and doctor satisfaction as well as for 

enormous savings in unnecessary 

tests and duplications.” 

I was pleased to hear from James 

ferguson’s widow, Aileen, who 

wrote of Jim’s friendship with harry 

coleman and Ed taylor. She also 

graciously thanked us for our “informative 

column.” 

Mark your calendar. The 65th 

anniversary reunion celebration of 

our class will be held on Saturday, 

June 3, on the Columbia campus. 

Certainly it is a time in our lives to 

be savored. An engaging, interesting 

program will add to the fellowship 

and good cheer of being with 

friends. Wives and friends are of 

course welcome. Lock in the date. 

We can only enjoy and celebrate 

the 65th once. 

I am sorry to note the passing 

of two classmates. Jack l. orkin,


a retired attorney, lived in Miami. 

He also received the M.S. (business) 

and J.D. (law) degrees at Columbia. 

frederick holte ’46E was a retired 

executive with Proctor and Gamble. 

At Columbia, he earned five varsity 

letters in track and field and cross 

country. 

47 

bert sussman 

155 W. 68th St., Apt. 27D 


shirbrt@nyc.rr.com 

I called Masato doi in Honolulu, 

and he answered with this letter: 

“Here goes nothing: 

“How I got into Columbia College: 

When WWII broke out, I was 

a junior at the University of Hawaii. 

After serving in the Army in Italy 

and France till the end of the war 

there in 1945, I returned to Hawaii. 

“A former high school teacher 

of mine, Edward T. White ’36, ’40 

GSAS, got me to apply for admission 

to the College. This was in 

December 1945. Getting transportation 

out of Hawaii to the mainland 

United States being extremely 

difficult at the war’s end, I took the 

first chance I got — even before receiving 

a reply to my application — 

and presented myself to the College 

dean (Harry Carman, if I remember 

correctly). He said, ‘Didn’t you get 

our letter? You were rejected.’ 

“He explained that College 

admission policy prioritized the 

thousands of applicants into seven 

categories, the highest being those 

who left the College in order to 

serve in the military, and the lowest 

being those who, like me, were 

attempting to transfer from other 

universities. ‘But,’ I told him, ‘here 

I am in New York City all the way 

from Hawaii. Columbia is the only 

college to which I applied. I have 

nowhere else to go.’ He gave little 

hope but told me to stick around 

and promised reconsideration. I 

think it was the day after Christmas. 

“In mid-January 1946, I received 

the good news that I had been 

accepted. The spirit of the holiday 

season had worked its miracle! 

“Incidentally, I was later forwarded 

the letter of rejection. One intriguing 

thing about it that I remember 

was that the postal stamp on its envelope 

was the higher-priced foreign 

mail stamp. Ironically, even a learned 

institution like Columbia did not 

realize that Hawaii was at the time 

an integral part of the United States 

as its territory and that a domestic 

stamp would have sufficed. 

“I later went on to Columbia Law 

School (’50) and became a Hawaii 

state court judge (accounts for the 

‘Hon.’ title).” 

I asked george borts, professor 

of economics at Brown, for a followup 

comment on the economic scene, 

and he wrote: 

“At the time of writing, August 

19, 2010, no one is sure what direction 

the U.S. economy will take 

in the next year. Uncertainty is 

high because of the terrible events 

of the last three years and the 

resulting adoption of conflicting 

policies by the federal government. 

The collapse of the sub-prime 

mortgage market in 2007 led to a 

host of financial catastrophes: the 

bankruptcy and/or fire sale of 

major finance houses such as Bear 

Stearns, Merrill Lynch and Lehman 

Brothers; and the insolvency of Fannie 

Mae and Freddie Mac, federally 

subsidized lenders to the mortgage 

markets. The financial shocks led to 

higher unemployment and reduced 

consumer spending. In 2009, General 

Motors went bankrupt, was 

rescued and reorganized with an 

interjection of $58 billion of public 

funds. Now, two years later, the 

home mortgage market and home 

construction have yet to recover, the 

wave of mortgage foreclosures is 

not yet over and the path of unemployment 

is still uncertain. 

“The U.S. Department of the 

Treasury and the Federal Reserve 

System have spent more than $1 

trillion in an attempt to prevent 

financial collapse and stimulate 

economic recovery, but the public 

reaction has been sour approval 

rather than a restoration of economic 

confidence. At such times, 

discussions among economists 

are heated but inconclusive. The 

financial crisis has created a variety 

of economic pathologies, and one 

can find a wide range of diagnoses 

and cures. 

“Some observers argue that the 

country is on the brink of deflation, 

i.e., a decline of price levels sufficiently 

great to induce households 

and firms to withhold current 

spending in the expectation of lower 

prices in the future. Many who hold 

this view have urged the federal 

government to press forward with 

greater levels of public spending 

and have admonished the Federal 

Reserve for timidity in failing to 

carry out a greater increase of the 

money supply. 

“Others believe that federal 

stimulus actions portend inflation, 

because the dramatically bloated 

level of bank reserves and federal 

loans to the private sector will ultimately 

lead to an explosion of the 

price level. They urge caution in 

monetary policy, in the belief that 

inflation would increase business 

risk and create a further threat to 

business investment and expansion. 

“There is disagreement over 

future federal tax policy. The Bush 

income and estate tax cuts of 2001 

and 2003 are scheduled to disappear 

at the end of this year, and 

without Congressional actions will 


38 

be replaced by the significantly 

higher taxes that were in effect at 

the beginning of the decade. 

“Congress is divided over the 

fate of the Bush tax cuts. Some wish 

to keep the tax rates low in the 

belief that recession is not the time 

to reduce the disposable income of 

American households. Some wish 

to restore higher taxes on the very 

rich (defined as income in excess 

of $250,000). A third group places 

priority on reduction of the federal 

deficit in the belief that it threatens 

to eat up our savings, reducing 

the ability of business to raise new 

capital. They would eliminate the 

tax cuts entirely, and indeed some 

would raise taxes further and 

reduce federal spending. 

“My belief is that the paralysis 

of the economy is the result of 

restrained consumer and business 

spending, caused to a large degree 

by economic uncertainty over 

future federal tax and regulatory 

policies. The recession will not end 

until there is a revival of business 

spending on new technology and 

capital good. Corporations have 

accumulated large cash balances 

but are reluctant to spend. A significant 

business critique of federal 

government policy was issued 

June 23 by the Business Roundtable, 

an organization of major 

business firms. It is titled Policy 

Burdens Inhibiting Economic Growth 

(businessroundtable.org/letters/ 

business_roundtable_letter_honor 

able_peter_r_orszag). 

“The 54-page report contains 

five major criticisms: 

“1. New health care and financial 

reform legislation will force companies 

to freeze investments and 

hiring until they understand how 

they will be affected by these new 

mandates. 

“2. The current levels of U.S. debt 

as well as those required to finance 

the forecast deficits will crowd out 

private capital. 

“3. Proposed taxation of foreign 

earnings of domestic corporations 

will harm the ability of global 

American companies to create and 

retain U.S. jobs. 

“4. The new tax on private 

health insurance will divert 

resources away from investment 

in new technology, processes and 

jobs, and will significantly raise 

costs. 

“5. The administration has failed 

to move forward on pending free 

trade agreements and more expansive 

presidential trade negotiating 

authority. 

“We seem to be repeating the 

history of the Great Depression 

of the 1930s, this time with better 

damage control of the economic 

and financial losses. But the Great 

Depression was extended by such 

policy mistakes as the Smoot- 

Hawley Tariff (1930), the National 

Industrial Recovery Act (1933) 

and the Agricultural Adjustment 

Act (1933). Now, 80 years later, the 

federal government’s response to 

crisis displays the same injurious 

pattern of ill-conceived economic 

regulation in the guise of reform. 

We are less likely to come out of 

recession quickly when government 

has an anti-business and 

anti-competitive bias.” 

48 



622 W. 113th St., MC 4530 



From durham caldwell: “Columbia 

alumni can now listen to music 

composed by two members of the 

class, dick hyman and fred 

Messner. 

“A new CD by the chamber 

music group Palisades Virtuosi 

features a piece by Dick, Parable for 

a Parrot. Fred says he is apologizing 

to Mozart for the title of his composition. 

Mozart penned his famous 

Eine kleine Nacthmusik (A Little Night 

Music). Fred’s piece is a serenade 

— a little evening music — so he 

dubbed it Eine kleine Abendmusik.” 

“If you’d like to add some Class 

of ’48 music to your record library, 

go to amazon.com and search for 

Palisades Virtuosi and New American 

Masters Volume 3.” 

Smithsonian magazine ran an 

article about allen ginsberg’s 

photography in its June ’10 issue. 

The Class of ’48 is looking for 

a class correspondent to write a 

bimonthly column for Columbia 

College Today. If you want an open 

platform and a chance to reconnect 

with classmates, please contact Associate 

Editor Ethan Rouen ’04J at 

ecr2102@columbia.edu. Until then, 

please send notes about your life, 

thoughts, travel, family and experiences 

at Columbia to the postal or 

e-mail addresses at the top of the 

column. 

49 

John weaver 

2639 E. 11th St. 

Brooklyn, NY 11235 

wudchpr@gmail.com 

The summer was one of unbearable 

heat and humidity. Many of us experienced 

what I call “two Augusts” 

wherein the heat and humidity we 

traditionally associate with August 

was upon us through most of July as 

well. However, your correspondent 

survived and hopes you all made it 

through the sweaty days with some 

happy moments of fun in the sun. 

My e-mail inbox was happily 

stirred by some passionate exchanges 

from basil shanahan,


campbell geeslin and art nolan. 

Basil and Campbell shared their 

strong feelings regarding Columbia 

College admissions policies 

and their thoughts as they recall 

their undergraduate adventures. It 

is heartening to experience the continued 

interest and active intellectual 

exercise represented by these 

exchanges. I extend my gratitude 

to both for allowing me to share in 

their conversation. Perhaps most 

interesting is the articulation of 

the cultural tradition of certain 

ethnic groups whose emphasis on 

academic excellence has weighed 

heavily on their success in college 

admissions. 

The thought that comes across 

might be to value, study and emulate 

such tradition. It would be far 

more meaningful than to concern 

ourselves with imbalance in the 

ever-changing complexion of student 

bodies. 

From Art has come a series of 

notes recalling one of his favorite 

professors as well as the mysterious 

“back story” surrounding that same 

professor. Franz Neumann was an 

extraordinary individual whose 

life story includes growing up in 

Germany during the first third of 

the 20th century, getting out from 

under the imminent threat of arrest 

by the Nazis and being the subject 

of suspicion regarding rumors of 

his supposed relationship with the 

KGB during and (perhaps) after 

WWII. None of this was proven, 

and he served our government 

honorably throughout the war and 

invaluably in the Nuremberg Trials 

as well as engaging the minds of his 

students at Columbia. 

In these days of access to information 

via the various search engines 

on our computers, Neumann 

is a subject that will consume as 

many hours of investigation as any 

one of you may wish to devote. 

Thank you, Art, for opening this 

window in history. 

From bill lubic, a note of good 

news regarding his wife Ruth’s 

battle with viral meningitis and a 

spirited report on his attendance 

at the memorial for Justice Ruth 

Bader Ginsburg ’59L’s husband. 

“One and all: It has been a difficult 

period but the worst is over. The 

viral meningitis has abated and was 

tough on Ruth in the first several 

days during the assessment process. 

“As a result of the inflammation, 

she is still unsteady, but the tremor 

is almost gone, and she had made 

tremendous progress. As of early 

September, she was at the National 

Rehab Center in D.C., which is one 

of the best in the country. Thank 

you all for the many good wishes 

received. 

“Parenthetically, Ruth and I had 

been invited to attend a memorial 

celebration of Justice Ginsburg’s hus- 

band, Martin, held at the Supreme 

Court. He and I were associates at 

WG&M. 

“Together, we organized the notfor-profit 

American Association 

of Birth Centers, we exchanged 

recipes, and Marty and (his) Ruth 

were through the years continuing 

supporters in various ways of (my) 

Ruth. 

“Sadly, my Ruth could not attend, 

but as instructed, I did. It was well 

attended, dignified and memorable, 

but hardly solemn. Marty, aside from 

being one of best tax lawyers ever, 

was a great cook, a crafty humorist 

and fine storyteller, and never uncomfortable 

as a second fiddle. 

“These are my random trivia 

notes on the reception that followed: 

Justice Ginsburg expressed 

great concern at my wife’s illness 

and offered her help. On the coattails 

of a ravenous Justice Antonin 

Scalia, we attacked the food 

delights as he commented that 

Marty’s ‘deconstructed’ chicken 

was ‘not to be believed.’ 

“I mentioned to the surprise of 

Mrs. Scalia that fresh black pepper 

was the secret ingredient of a cherries 

jubilee dessert. Unsolicited, she 

had some very pleasant things to 

say about Justice Elena Kagan. 

“I spoke to Justice Kagan who, 

looking happy and trim in her 

stylish pantsuit, was uncommonly 

pleasant. On a happy note, Justice 

Ginsburg announced the impending 

marriage of her son, James, to 

take place the day following at the 

Court House. He was the subject 

of the ‘collaboration’ between Ruth 

and Ruth during her pregnancy. 

“Unfortunately I could not find 

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, for whom 

I had two undelivered messages, 

from my wife and son.” 

Happy Turkey Day to one and 

all and, writing in advance of the 

fall football season, hope for success 

to our team. Roar Lions! 

50 

Mario palmieri 

33 Lakeview Ave. W. 

Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567 

mapal@bestweb.net 

An item in the inaugural issue of 

Legacy, the newsletter of Columbia’s 

Office of Planned Giving, 

caught your correspondent’s attention. 

Looking out at us was a photo 

of ted Karchuta, accompanying 

an article about Ted’s enthusiasm 

for Columbia’s athletics as well 

as its academic excellence. Ted’s 

wish was to encourage and inspire 

scholar-athletes, and he chose to 

do that in a way that would honor 

his childhood hero, Lou Gehrig 

’23, who, as we all are aware, is a 

Columbia athletics icon. 

Ted’s method of ensuring his 

objective was to include in his estate 

plan a bequest to fund the Lou Gehrig 

Scholar/Athlete Scholarship. The 

scholarship will be awarded annually 

to a select number of male and 

female students who demonstrate 

great potential for both academic 

and athletic success at Columbia. 

Sad to report, harvey M. radey 

Jr. of Clarkesville, Ga., died in December. 





212-851-7438 



212-851-7494 

51 


39 

george Koplinka 

75 Chelsea Rd. 

White Plains, NY 10603 

desiah@verizon.net 

First off, a correction: In the previous 

column, Class President robert 

t. snyder’s e-mail address was 

listed incorrectly. His e-mail is 

roberttsnyder@gmail.com. Anyone 

who would like to get involved in 

reunion should reach out to him at 

that address. 

With the Class of 1951 60th reunion 

on the horizon, we want to 

devote this column to its planning 

and program. 

First and foremost, save the date 

for the entire Alumni Reunion 

Weekend, Thursday, June 2–Sunday, 

June 5. It is not too early to make 

plans now to return to New York 

City and the Columbia campus. 

Our Reunion Committee is preparing 

class-specific panels as well as 

cocktail receptions, luncheons and 

dinners. In addition, as part of the 

traditional Saturday Dean’s Day, the 

Alumni Office will offer an array of 

significant and timely lectures following 

the time-honored academic 

format. In addition to the cultural 

and entertainment options offered 

by New York City, we may attend 

the annual Starlight Reception on 

Saturday evening, which features 

dancing on Low Plaza. Please keep 

in touch and get reunion updates 

at reunion.college.columbia.edu/ 

alumniupdate. 

How about 60th reunion funding? 

Class President robert t. 

snyder noted in his e-mail to all 

classmates last July that it would 

be helpful if CC ’51 could raise 

some working capital on its own 

to cover planning, program and 

promotional expenses. Class treasurer 

willard block has opened 

a class checking account at Chase 

Bank to receive contributions. The 

suggested amount is $25 per classmate. 

Checks should be made out 

to Columbia College Class of ’51C 

Reunion. Please send your check 

as soon as possible to Willard at 

his home: 54 Cornwall Ln., Sands 

Point, NY 11050. 

Traditionally, reunion classes 

make a major gift to the College. 

Think in term of sixes: $66, $666 and 

$6,666 or whatever fits the budget. 

A separate CC ’51 Gift Committee 

will contact classmates soon in what 

is one of our remaining reunion opportunities 

to hit a home run! 

Several organizations and groups 

within CC ’51 already are at work 

in organizing reunion participation. 

Notably, Jim lowe and len 

stoehr in a recent communication 

noted that almost 98 percent of 

the NROTC cadre at Columbia 

attended our 50th reunion at Arden 

Columbia school Designations 

In Class Notes, these designations indicate Columbia 

degrees from schools other than the College. 

Arch. School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation 

Arts School of the Arts 

Barnard Barnard College 

Business Graduate School of Business 

CE School of Continuing Education 

Dental College of Dental Medicine 

E The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and 

Applied Science 

Gs School of General Studies 

GsAs Graduate School of Arts and Sciences 

J Graduate School of Journalism 

L School of Law 

Nursing School of Nursing 

P&s College of Physicians and Surgeons 

PH Mailman School of Public Health 

sIPA School of International and Public Affairs 

sW School of Social Work 

TC Teachers College


House. Despite some lingering hard 

feelings over the unfortunate banning 

of NROTC from the campus 

years ago, Jim feels there is a necessity 

in the organization to reaffirm 

personal friendships and commitment 

to the NROTC original oath of 

office. As Jim said in a recent e-mail, 

“I fully support a CC ’51 NROTC 

reunion! Many of our group have 

passed on, and any reunion should 

now be fused with the entire class.” 

(Members of the NROTC should 

contact Jim at JloweABQ@aol.com 

to see how they can be helpful with 

reunion planning.) 

As with our 50th reunion, we 

are planning to publish a 60th 

Reunion Yearbook. In all likelihood, 

it will not be as elaborate as 

the 50th, but it will contain a good 

assortment of photographs from 

college days activities, and campus 

and sports events along with minibiographies 

of classmates. Early 

in 2011, you will receive a request 

for your photo. You may include, 

if you wish, photos of a spouse, 

children and grandchildren, 

and favorite pets, golf clubs and 

boats. The yearbook is especially 

important because it will contain 

the latest class directory and an 

“In Memoriam” page. Please start 

gathering information for your 

class secretary, who will once again 

be the editor and can always be 

reached via the contact information 

at the top of the column. 

Several classmates already have 

volunteered to work on various 

reunion sub-committees. In addition 

to those mentioned in two previous 

columns, as well as this one, 

thanks go to bob osnos, Jennings 

gentzler, al petrick and al gomez 

for offering help and suggestions. 

Please join the list to see how you, 

too, can be helpful with what promises 

to be CC ’51’s best reunion ever! 

52 

sidney prager 

20 Como Ct. 

Manchester, NJ 08759 

sidmax9@aol.com 

I went to a department store to buy 

a few polo shirts. I was surprised 

when I read the labels to see that 

they were made in Vietnam. 

The Vietnam War was a Cold 

War military conflict that occurred 

in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia 

from November 1, 1955–April 30, 

1975, when Saigon fell. 

U.S. military advisers arrived beginning 

in 1950. U.S. combat units 

were deployed beginning in 1965. 

The war exacted a huge human 

cost in terms of fatalities, including 

3–4 million Vietnamese from both 

sides, between ½–1 million Laotians 

and Cambodians, and 58,159 

U.S. soldiers. 

More than 58,000 of our wonder- 

ful, brave, dedicated and obedient 

soldiers gave their young and 

promising lives for a war of questionable 

purpose. What about all 

the countless wounded American 

soldiers who lost legs, arms and 

other body parts and their mental 

and emotional normality as well? 

What had we become? 

There was no way I could possibly 

purchase those polo shirts. 

The price, not in money, but in the 

memory of beautiful lives wasted 

was much too high. 

This is November, the month of 

Thanksgiving. We give thanks for 

many things as well as our wonderful 

country. Let us hope that 

when we send men and women 

to war, they come home alive and 

healthy. 

alden Mesrop writes: “This 

year, being the 60th anniversary of 

the beginning of the Korean War, it 

brought to mind some of my recollections 

of my tour of duty in that 

country during what was called at 

the time a ‘police action.’ Though it 

also is known as the ‘forgotten war,’ 

it will never be forgotten by those, 

like myself, who took part in it. 

“Since I did not join the Naval 

ROTC when I started at the College 

in 1948, I was drafted into the Army, 

and, after infantry basic training at 

Fort Dix, off I went by troopship 

(no flying in those days) to Japan 

for three days, and then to Korea, 

where I landed on May 13, 1953, at 

the port of Pusan at the southern 

tip of the Korean peninsula. I was 

assigned to an infantry company 

of the 25th Division, which was 

just going on line, where I spent 

the next 10 weeks dodging mortar 

and artillery shells, until, just before 

the truce was signed in late July, I 

was transferred to a military police 

company, which acted as security 

for Eighth Army headquarters in 

Seoul. Since I was the only man in 

our company of 200 who had a college 

degree, other than the officers, 

the company commander ordered 

me to set up a club for the enlisted 

men. 

“Consequently, for the next year 

I ran what amounted to a drinking 

club. I had Korean bartenders and 

waitresses, and my time was my 

own, except I had to be at the club 

during the hours of operation from 

6–11 p.m. Of course, I had to buy 

liquor, beer and soda from the 

American export companies in 

Seoul (Ballantine’s Scotch was $18 

a case, Canadian Club $12 a case 

and other alcohol at comparable 

prices) and take care of the records 

and inventory of the enterprise. I 

felt like Rick in Casablanca, strolling 

from table to table, making sure all 

ran smoothly. For the men wanting 

a drink, beer was 10 cents a can, and 

a mixed drink was an exorbitant 25 

cents! When I rotated out of Korea 


40 

in August 1954, I left my successor 

with a profit of more than $600. 

Well, that was my military experience 

in Korea, and I can’t tell you 

how much fun it was running that 

club. I thank the Lord I never had to 

fire a weapon at anyone, whether 

Chinese, North Korean or Russian. 

“After [leaving] the Army, I 

entered Columbia Law School and 

married Alida, whom I met while 

at college. We live in a co-op apartment 

in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. We have 

three daughters, Andrea, Alison 

and Claudia, and two grandchildren, 

Matthew (8) and Samantha 

(6). I have retired from law and am 

trying to smell the roses.” 

Your reporter had a long telephone 

conversation with Dr. saverio panzarino. 

We solved all the world’s 

problems, even though the world is 

not aware of that. 

Saverio wants classmates to 

know that he enjoyed his career in 

medicine and surgery and appreciates 

his Columbia education. He 

invites classmates to contact him at 

spanzarino@yahoo.com. 

From Jerome Monkarsh: “It was 

my first contact in more than 50 

years with any Columbia classmate. 

sid prager’s phone call to me in 

Calabasas, Calif., to write something 

pushed me into this. But how does 

one condense a boringly interesting 

lifetime into a few paragraphs? 

“The family fortune was 

amassed by my selling commodities 

and not by practicing law, which I 

considered too picayune after being 

imbued with our college’s liberal 

arts. Columbia Law ’55 helped me 

to beat every parking and traffic 

rap and to win every court case I 

ever faced except the most recent 

one. It took me all the way to the 

California Supreme Court, which 

refused to hear my claim against a 

giant utility for its predatory billing 

practices, and may now be pursued 

in a half-billion-dollar class action 

suit by real lawyers. 

“I did win a substantial refund 

from our water district provider for 

fellow city residents for excessive 

charges. 

“Yes, my life has been made more 

exciting by tilting at windmills, the 

most memorable of which was helping 

to kick out of office the majority 

of a corrupt, Tammany Hall-type of 

political machine in the highest taxed 

(upstate) village in all of New York 

while running political campaigns 

and ultimately becoming deputy 

mayor in the process. Among other 

things, I left behind the legacy of the 

first primary elections ever held in a 

New York village (instead of smokefilled, 

backroom party designees 

selected and perpetuated by corrupt 

committeemen) and the first village 

elections held during the national 

November elections instead of costly 

special spring elections held in most 

municipalities. 

“The exploits in this process, 

which involved a run-off election 

and a victorious case brought all 

the way to New York’s highest 

court, are part of a memoir, along 

with two novels, several short 

stories and more than 1,000 poems 

written (since retirement), a great 

many of which have been published, 

all under a pen name. 

“I leave you with one of them, a 

short rhyming ditty, written earlier 

this year when I almost died from 

uremic poisoning, called I Just 

Won’t Go: I saw the Grim Reaper 

headed for me,/his sharp scythe 

uplifted in fatal decree./Bravely, I 

stuttered, ‘I don’t have the time,/to 

accompany you in some misguided 

rhyme.’/Smiling, death chided 

that he’d wait and see/just how 

good this poem turned out to be. 

“And, oh, yes: my four grandchildren 

(well, at least three of 

them) are smarter than yours.” 

Dr. bob rhodes, who holds a 

D.D.S and an M.D, writes: “As [Sid 

will] remember, we discussed one 

of the favorite topics of 79-yearoldsters, 

death, as well as what we 

did after graduation from college 

(aside from producing children 

and grandchildren), and I threw 

in suggestions regarding hip joint 

prostheses. Anyhow, after college, 

I did a couple of grad schools, 

residency training and ended up 

in California, where I practiced 

surgery for 22 years. 

“I retired at 60 (19½ years ago), 

and my wife, Ethel, and I went 

to Florida, got certified for open 

water scuba and never looked 

back. We’ve done about 700 dives 

in warm waters — Caribbean, 

South Pacific, Indian Ocean and 

so on (no dry suits and cold water 

stuff for us) — as well as hikes 

and assorted trips to western and 

eastern Europe and a couple of 

trips to South America and Russia. 

In short, we’ve traveled quite a bit, 

four to five months a year except 

for 2009, when I had a thymoma 

removed and a prosthetic hip joint 

replacement, which worked out 

fine. We now have our grandson 

(8) hooked on scuba. Anyhow, our 

retirement time has been busy and 

as much fun as working (which I 

enjoyed). It’s still a wise idea not 

to define yourself by your work 

and be sure you quit before you 

crumble so you can follow happy 

trails with the wind at your back 

and your ass not dragging. 

“Cheers and fair winds.” 

Ernie sciutto, in New York City, 

writes: “It has been some time since 

I last wrote to the alumni magazine, 

but my reason for doing so now is 

that my grandson, Austin Lowe ’14, 

is a freshman at Columbia. 

“In short, my history includes 

three years with the Kingsmen,


Sigma Chi and NROTC, serving 

after college on the USS Iowa and 

the USS Columbus, then working 

for Shell Oil for many years. 

“I live in the city and have four 

children — a doctor at Columbia, 

an ABC-TV reporter in D.C., a banker 

in Hong Kong and an actress in 

Los Angeles. Sadly, my wife of 49 

years passed away in 2006. 

“I read a recent issue of Columbia 

College Today and was pleased to see 

that alumni were becoming a more 

important part of College life and 

that 97 percent of the students now 

live on campus. (Quite unlike our 

time at Columbia.) I also was glad 

that the Core Curriculum remains 

an integral part of the Columbia 

experience. 

“I was sad to hear of frank walwer’s 

death. I knew him well.” 

From your reporter: Thank you 

all for your contributions, and I 

wish the Class of 1952 healthy and 

happy holidays. 

53 

lew robins 

1221 Stratfield Rd. 

Fairfield, CT 06825 

lewrobins@aol.com 

Sad to report, one of our most 

vibrant, enthusiastic, humorous 

and talented classmates, Erik 

wensberg, passed away on June 5 

of pneumonia. Shortly after Erik’s 

death, I talked to his sister, Eleanor 

Peleyger, and learned that Erik, 

who grew up in Omaha, Neb., 

had always dreamed of attending 

Columbia. Eleanor put it his 

way, “Erik came to Columbia like 

a homing pigeon. It was the place 

he always wanted to come to after 

leaving high school.” 

Erik received a Silver King’s 

Crown award for his work with 

Columbia Players and was selected 

to become a Nacom. In 1955, he became 

the editor of Columbia Alumni 

News. Erik founded a quarterly 

literary magazine, The Columbia 

Forum, and was its editor from 

1957–63 as well as from 1971–75. 

According to his sister, the literary 

world came to recognize Erik as 

an important voice in American 

letters. He became the editor of The 

New York Times Book Review in the 

1960s, a literary editor of Esquire 

magazine, and a book reviewer for 

Commentary and Vogue magazines. 

According to his sister, in 1998, 

when Hill & Wang, the publisher 

of Wilson Follett’s Modern American 

Usage: A Guide asked Jacques Barzun 

’27 to edit a new edition, Professor 

Barzun replied that he was 

too old and recommended Erik as 

the best editor for the project. Thus, 

Erik’s name appears on the cover 

as the “compiler” of the edition. 

Erik lived in Greenwich Village 

and was one of the founding 

members of the West Village Committee, 

with Jane Jacobs. Together, 

they blocked an urban renewal 

project that would have destroyed 

14 blocks of Village streets. In 1963, 

Erik successfully fought Robert 

Moses’ plan to build an expressway 

from river to river in lower 

Manhattan. 

At the time of his death, Erik 

was in the process of completing 

40 years of work on a biography 

he was writing of James Agee. 

Although it has not yet been 

published, Erik’s book is the only 

biography that was sanctioned by 

the Agee family. 

We will remember Erik as a 

treasured, delightful, outstanding 

classmate. 

Talking to roger breslau by 

phone, I learned a number of fascinating 

details of the life of one 

of our brave classmates. In 1971, 

Roger was shot down over Laos 

while serving as a doctor in the Air 

Force. Luckily, Marines at a base in 

Thailand were monitoring Roger’s 

plane and quickly dispatched a 

Marine helicopter to rescue the 

Americans on the ground. Within 

one hour and 55 minutes, the 

Marines removed the wounded 

Americans from the plane, placed 

them safely on the helicopter, set 

fire to destroy their plane and flew 

the men to their base in Thailand. 

Unfortunately, Roger had broken 

his back in three places and needed 

extensive surgery. Roger told me, 

“We all evaded capture and none 

of us died in the crash. I was the 

one most injured.” While he was 

on active duty with the Air Force, 

Roger spent a year with the CIA 

and was a member of the Apollo 10 

recovery team. 

After spending 16 years with 

the Air Force, Roger retired as a 

full colonel and spent the next 14 

years as a vascular cardiothoracic 

surgeon. 

In 1963, Roger married Betty. 

This was the second marriage for 

both, and together they have three 

adult children and four grandchildren. 

They live happily in a 

beautiful agricultural community 

in Fallbrook, Calif., which is about 

60 miles north of San Diego. Roger 

spends most of his time reading, 

participating in an outreach program 

for hospitalized veterans and 

teaching anatomy at the UC San 

Diego School of Medicine. Because 

of his back injuries, Roger is limited 

to walking short distances but is 

able to get around using a mobility 

chair. His spirits are inspirational. 

He told me, “I feel lucky to be able 

to walk and to have gotten out of 

Laos alive.” 

Keep up the good work, Roger. 

Your classmates are looking forward 

to seeing you again at our 60th reunion 

in 2013. 

54 

howard falberg 

13710 Paseo Bonita 

Poway, CA 92064 

westmontgr@aol.com 

This column doesn’t write itself. 

It needs you to share your news. 

Don’t be shy. We all want to hear 

what you are up to. Please send me 

an e-mail or a letter. 

55 


41 

gerald sherwin 

181 E. 73rd St., Apt. 6A 


gs481@juno.com 

As everyone is beginning to realize, 

Columbia is becoming the 

preeminent school not only in the 

United States but also around the 

world. One current key initiative 

is the establishment of Global 

Centers, which are to be the nexus 

for learning and practice among 

faculty, students and alumni 

overseas. In addition, the popular 

Alumni Travel Study Program 

will continue in the spring, when a 

special tour will take place covering 

five major sites: Jerusalem, St. 

Catherine’s Monastery near Mount 

Sinai, Petra, Luxor and the Great 

Pyramids. Another exciting trip 

will be the one in the late winter, 

where Columbians can swim with 

tropical penguins, walk among 

huge tortoises and experience the 

other wonders of the Galapagos. 

Closer to home, Dean Michele 

Moody-Adams will be making her 

semi-annual trip to Los Angeles 

and San Francisco after the first 

of the year, meeting and greeting 

alumni, prospective students 

and parents. During the late fall, 

various activities took place that 

exposed alumni to the workings 

of the school’s administration and 

what the school has to offer — specifically, 

at Lincoln Center, President 

Lee C. Bollinger chaired a 

panel of notable alumni discussing 

what inspires creativity and how 

Columbia contributes to creative 

development. A “jazz jam” featuring 

Branford Marsalis and Terence 

Blanchard was held right after the 

panel put forth its comments. 

A huge turnout took place for 

the Walking Tour series, which 

occurred in the late fall and began 

at City Hall and then moved across 

the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn 

Heights. There will be more 

walks to come. As an aside, did 

you know that you can research 

burning questions with Columbia 

Libraries’ new free online 

resources, including Factiva and 

JSTOP (columbia.edu/cu/lweb/ 

eresources/)? All you need is your 

UNI and password. 

There has been much revitalization 

at the Baker Athletics Complex. 

In addition to the new fields for 

field hockey and soccer, a mammoth 

reconstruction job has taken 

place with regard to baseball: new 

scoreboard, new stands, new press 

box. It would make our stars of 

yesteryear joyous to see the site — 

tony palladino, John naley, richard 

heffner, walt deptula, Jud 

Maze, tom brennan, bob dillingham 

and Jack freeman. Even Rollie 

Rourke would be proud. 

Jack stuppin has done it again. 

Our creative classmate has been 

participating in a showing at the 

Hudson River Museum during 

the past couple of months: Oil 

on Canvas. Well done, Jack. ron 

Mcphee continued in reunion 

mode by holding a barbecue for 

various Columbians at his home in 

Westchester during the late summer. 

(In addition to basketball, Ron 

participated in a little baseball.) 

lew Mendelson, who was a key 

player at our 55th, still is traveling 

extensively overseas. He probably 

has more mileage than the prez, 

Lee C. Bollinger. We’ve heard from 

Elliot gross, who sent some kind 

words (including a mention of the 

fourth-place ranking of Columbia 

in the U.S. News & World Report 

survey), and berish strauch, who 

has joined the alumni group that 

holds the Great Teachers Award in 

October, the Society of Columbia 

Graduates. It’s interview time 

for applicants to the College and 

SEAS. Leading the alumna/e 

from Nassau and Suffolk Counties 

(Long Island) is larry balfus. The 

number of students applying to 

our favorite school gets larger and 

larger. 

don Mcdonough missed his 

trip to Morningside Heights in 

early June due to being under the 

weather. He also curtailed his annual 

visit to Paris and Ireland. We 

wish him well and hope to see him 

soon. Another absentee was ferdie 

setaro, who moved from Southern 

New Jersey to Staten Island 

a few months ago. barry pariser 

journeyed into Manhattan from 

Newburgh recently to celebrate a 

birthday with dick Kuhn. Barry, 

after a long hiatus, has gone back 

to work as an ENT doctor in the 

office of the fellow who bought 

his practice eons ago. (What goes 

around … ) 

A note to tony disanto: Your 

favorite columnist will do some 

sleuthing to find out the whereabouts 

of his good friend ben 

Kaplan. Plainview’s (Long Island) 

bob schoenfeld is semi-retired 

and is devoting more time to his 

avocations, photography and 

writing. He has had two photographic 

exhibitions at the National 

Art Club at Gramercy Park and 

recently published his first book, 

Over There. The book chronicles 

his almost six years of medical


Best friends John “sparky” Breeskin 

’57 (left) and Roy Wolff ’57 

posed for the camera during 

Alumni Reunion Weekend 2007. 

After Wolff suffered a stroke 

recently, Breeskin rushed to his 

bedside and reports that his friend 

is recovering. (See the ’57 column 

for more.) 

studies in Switzerland, where 

the courses were given only in 

French and German. Bob hopes 

to become more active with his 

classmates and other Columbians 

now that his workload has been 

cut back. A most wanted person is 

harold Kushner, wanted in terms 

of giving speeches and making 

presentations. The latest request 

came from lew sternfels, who 

talked to Harold about speaking 

to the members of the Western 

Region of the Federation of Jewish 

Men’s Clubs in Costa Mesa, Calif. 

Lew could not have gotten a better 

person to talk to the FJMC. 

Where are they now, you ask? 

nathan olshin lives in Middletown, 

Conn.; anthony nicastri is 

professor of pathology at SUNY 

Downstate Medical Center in 

Brooklyn; al Momjian practices 

his legal trade in Philadelphia; Joe 

wagner is doing the same in Manhattan; 

Monte Manee is a retired 

investment adviser in Scarsdale; 

and paul braverman resides in 

downtown Manhattan. 

To the unbelievable and unbeatable 

Class of 1955, continue to do 

good things for yourselves and 

others. Keep your sunny side up. 

You guys are terrific. Love to all, 

everywhere! 



ALuMNI AFFAIRs Kimberly Peterson 

knp2106@columbia.edu 

212-851-7872 



212-851-7494 

56 

stephen K. Easton 

6 Hidden Ledge Rd. 

Englewood, NJ 07631 

tball8000@earthlink.net 

For those of you who may not 

know, alan Miller, our class presi- 

dent, passed away on August 20 

after a 2½-month battle with pancreatic 

cancer (see Obituaries). His 

funeral on August 22 was attended 

by the following classmates, 

wives and significant others: alan 

broadwin, ronald Kapon, ralph 

Kaslick, arthur frank, alan press, 

Barbara and gerald fine, Fanny 

and al franco ’56E, Judy and 

Maurice Klein, Anita and lou 

hemmerdinger, Elinor Baller and 

danny link, Anne-Marie and don 

Morris, Maya and Mark novick, 

Roz and robert (buz) paaswell, 

Margo and bob siroty, Ruth and 

stan soren, Ruth and len wolfe, 

and myself and my wife, Elke. Rest 

in peace, Alan! 

I found out about Alan’s passing 

that Friday morning in East Hampton, 

where Elke and I were entertaining 

danny link and Elinor. 

We went back to Englewood, N.J., 

on Saturday to celebrate my 75th 

birthday with my family at our 

home. I attended Alan’s funeral on 

Sunday. After spending the last 20 

years working with Alan on class 

matters, continuing a long personal 

relationship and then celebrating 

my birthday, this certainly was the 

most emotional three days I have 

experienced. 

Class news: 

As most of us enter our 75th 

year of life, and our 55th year after 

Columbia College, we find we 

have a full spectrum of classmates 

who continue working, in addition 

to those of us who are retired. I 

count myself as one of the retired 

class members, although my wife 

will disagree with that. 

The working class members 

that I have talked to include roy 

russo, an active partner in his 

Washington, D.C., law firm. Ed 

botwinick is getting recertified 

for flying (his own plane) and is 

considering a CEO position with 

a California technology company. 

Good luck to Ed in whatever he 

chooses to do. 

Mark novick practices psychiatry 

in New York City and is 

affiliated with Beth Israel Medical 

Center. philip liebson is a professor 

of medicine who also chairs 

the Clinical Cardiology Research 

Department at Rush University 

Medical Center in Chicago. 

At our bimonthly class lunches 

(now resumed after a summer 

recess), we always can differentiate 

the working members of our class, 

who generally are dressed in suit, 


42 

jacket and tie. In any case, let me 

know by e-mail what you’re doing 

(i.e., work or retired) so we can 

include that information in a future 

Class Notes column. 

Answer to last issue’s pop quiz: 

There were three sets of twins 

in our class: chauncy bartholet 

and paul bartholet (Paul recently 

passed away), stephen Easton 

and Maurice Easton, and richard 

steinfeld and robert steinfeld. 

Quiz question for this issue: 

What percentage of our class came 

from New York City public high 

schools? (As another interesting 

question, what is that percentage 

for our reunion class of 2011?) 

We have new class officers as 

follows: 

stephen Easton, president, 

formerly v.p. 

bob siroty, v.p., past president 

of the Columbia Club of Northern 

New Jersey 

danny link, v.p.; will coordinate 

our planned Florida area gettogether 

and continue to host our 

golf/tennis lunches at his club 

len wolfe, continuing as class 

historian 

al franco ’56E, Class Agent, for 

Columbia College Fund fundraising 

lou hemmerdinger, stepping 

in as a class correspondent in order 

to assist me with this column (see 

below for more) 

I will be calling various classmates 

to work as regional Class 

Notes representatives so that we 

have more than the New York 

City contingent represented in this 

column. Please respond by saying 

“yes” when I ask. Thank you. 

philip liebson ’56 chairs the clinical cardiology 

research department at rush university Medical 

center in chicago. 

Reunion news and events: The 

second reunion planning meeting 

was held at alan press’ office on 

East 41st Street and Lexington 

Avenue on September 21. Classmates 

in attendance were alan 

broadwin, ron Kapon, ralph 

Kaslick, buz paaswell, bob siroty, 

stanley soren, Maurice Klein, 

Mark novick, Jerry fine, peter 

Klein, lou hemmerdinger, al 

franco ’56E and myself. As happens 

when Columbia classmates 

get together, there is always lively 

discussions, some agreement, 

some disagreement, but always 

interesting conversation. Some 

of the attendees may say that the 

best part of the meeting was the 

food from the 2nd Ave Deli (it was 

good, and artie frank, you missed 

it). But a lot more than eating was 

accomplished. The next events, 

which were scheduled for after 

Homecoming, are two basketball 

games: first, the Cornell-Columbia 

game Saturday, January 15, and 

then the next-to-last game of the 

season, the Yale-Columbia game, 

on Friday, March 4. Anyone interested 

in attending should contact 

ron Kapon, who is arranging a 

section of tickets for our class. Also, 

there is a mini-reunion planned in 

March for our Florida classmates, 

coordinated by danny link and 

lou hemmerdinger. 

Our next reunion planning meeting 

will be on Wednesday, December 

15, at the Columbia Alumni Center, 

622 W. 113th St., between Broadway 

and Riverside Drive, at 4 p.m. All are 

invited to attend. 

We still are working with the 

Alumni Office to finalize venues 

for our reunion activities. As a 55th 

reunion class, we do not get the 

same first choices as we did with 

the 50th reunion, so it is important 

that our class participation speaks 

louder than our good wishes. For 

our 50th, more than 90 classmates 

attended. We are looking for and 

projecting a minimum of 60 for our 

55th, but you have to make it happen. 

As Alumni Reunion Weekend 

now coincides with Dean’s Day 

(Saturday), there is a double reason 

for all those interested to attend. 

College fundraising activity: I 

attempted to have our Class of ’56 

Scholarship Fund renamed to Class 

of ’56, Alan N. Miller Scholarship 

Fund to honor Alan’s memory and 

service to our class. I have been 

informed by the Alumni Office 

that we cannot, for legal reasons, 

rename this fund, no matter how 

good our intentions. This fund, set 

up at the time of our 50th reunion 

(which Alan and I worked on with 

the help of all our class contributors), 

now is a permanent endowment 

of $539,000 and funds four 

yearly Columbia College student 

scholarships. 

For the Columbia College Fund 

fiscal year ending Thursday, June 

30, 2011, we have an opportunity to 

have all contributions to the College 

Fund be matched by a like amount, 

based upon our goal of $150,000 

(our average contributions for the 

past four years), by the John W. 

Kluge ’37 estate under the provision 

of his will. The Kluge monies will 

be used to establish one permanent 

endowment scholarship fund, to be 

named Class of ’56, Alan N. Miller 

Scholarship Fund, to fund a yearly 

scholarship for a four-year period to 

a selected incoming first-year student 

every four years (to be selected 

on the values that Alan exhibited). 

Thus it is important for us to 

reach our goal of $150,000. I think 

we can surpass it. I ask that all class 

members who can afford it and are 

so inclined to become John Jay-level


contributors ($1,500 or more) this 

fund year. Remember, we have until 

June 30 to reach our goal. Hopefully 

with our 55th reunion year, and 

with the stock market recovering 

so our 401ks start to feel and look 

more like 401ks, our feelings and 

commitment to giving to Columbia 

will increase with our age. It also 

will be a continued blessing to the 

students we are supporting. 

I am again asking all class members 

who want to keep in touch 

to share or update their e-mail 

addresses by contacting lou hemmerdinger: 

lhemmer@aol.com. My 

name will remain at the top of the 

column, but Lou and I will share 

Class Notes responsibilities. This 

seems to be the best way to stay in 

touch with the majority of our class 

members. Please keep in contact 

with Columbia in whatever ways 

you feel appropriate. It has been a 

force of power, I am sure, in each 

and every one of our lives. 

Until our next issue, wishing for 

a fall season of Columbia teams 

winning and health and good fortune 

for all our class members. 

57 

hdlleditor@aol.com 

Ken bodenstein left Duff & Phelps, 

a financial advisory firm, on August 

31 after 35 years; he had been mana- 

ging director. His new contact information 

is 28 Westwind St., Marina 

del Rey, CA 90292; 310-629-3694; 

kenbodie@yahoo.com. 

Ken attached a copy of an excerpt 

from the Daily Bruin (“UCLA’s answer 

to Spectator”) of May 25. The 

Daily Bruin described Ken as “not 

your average tennis fan” and “a 

30-year-old trapped in a nearly 

75-year-old man’s body.” In the 

excerpt, Ken noted he competes in 

70-and-over tournaments and that 

his wife, Diane, was a member of the 

Bruin Racqueteers, a support group 

for the UCLA tennis teams, which 

“opened his eyes to the UCLA tennis 

program.” 

ronald h. boorse, retired business 

owner, died in Houston on 

July 6. A complete obituary will be 

published in an upcoming issue, 

pending receipt of information. Due 

to the volume of obituaries that 

CCT receives, it may take several 

issues for the obituary to appear. 

John “sparky” breeskin: “roy 

wolff had a stroke, and he [was 

at this writing] in a rehabilitation 

hospital in the wilds of New Jersey. 

There is no question that Roy is a 

fighter, and he receives praise on 

all sides for his motivation directed 

toward regaining his ability to 

function. He has made remarkable 

progress to date and that fact 

encourages all of us who love him. 

“[Because] he may be changing 

hospitals in the near future, I will 

be the contact point for him for our 

class and would welcome the opportunity 

to correspond with any 

of you who wish, as I do, the very 

best for our friend. 

“I was standing in total shock at 

the foot of a hospital bed looking 

into the face of my dearest, closest 

friend whom I have been privileged 

to know for 57 years. Roy is the 

only person alive who knew my 

parents and my brother and, thanks 

to the acceptance of brolove in our 

culture today, we are able to tell one 

another, without hesitation, that we 

love one another. [See photo.] 

“He is my age (75) and also has 

heart problems with atrial fib as I 

do. He was lying uncomfortably 

in a hospital bed in an intensive 

rehabilitation hospital, and he had 

aged at least 10 years since I saw 

him a few months ago. He suffered 

a stroke, fell to the floor, and it was 

four hours before he could reach a 

phone. Roy has left-side residual 

paralysis and is in obvious physical 

discomfort. His left arm is essentially 

paralyzed, and he tries over 

and over again to get it to respond 

herman levy 

57 7322 Rockford Dr. only to be faced with failure. His 58 

Falls Church, VA 22043 

face was pale, and he had lost more 

than 30 pounds. When I first called 

him on the phone just after learning 

of his stroke, I was unable to 

understand him, and I am relieved 

that his speech has improved 

enormously. 

“In addition to my great concern 

about Roy, I was sharply aware that I 

was looking into myself lying in that 

hospital bed. What had happened to 

Roy could also have happened to me 

and, indeed, is something that I have 

to realize may be in my future. 

“His close companion of more 

than 10 years, Monique, was with 

him, and she can appropriately 

be called an angel of mercy. She 

feeds him soup in tiny spoonfuls, 

assists him to the bathroom and 

coordinates all the services that the 

hospital offers. She does this with 

obvious pride over the fact that she 

is able to offer her compassion to 

him, and it is beautiful to observe. 

“Roy was quick to point out to 

me that the stroke has not affected 

his mind, and he proceeded to 

quote Kipling, Henry V and Omar 

Khayyam with obvious and appropriate 

pride. Of course, we got into 

one of our ongoing debates about 

politics and the dubious applicability 

of the scientific method. Monique 

and I watched and were moved to 

see Roy’s complexion improve and 

the sparkle come back to his eyes 

as he was talking to me, and when 

I left, he told me how wonderful it 

had been to talk to me in our old 

style of loving disagreement. 

“I was able to keep it together 

until I said goodbye to Roy and 

walked out the door, and then 

proceeded to burst into tears in the 

nurse’s station. Monique did not 

have to say a word, but she held me 

until I could gain some control over 

my emotions. 

“I know that what I learned as 

a result of visiting my dear friend 

will be a lesson that will take me 

some time to understand, but I 

know that the end result will be to 

leave me both sadder and wiser, in 

that order. 

“I wish to publicly acknowledge 

my deep gratitude to my 

dear friend Michael Gottdenker 

’86, who provided me with angel 

wings to speed me on my journey.” 

While in San Francisco for the 

American Bar Association Annual 

Meeting and vacation, yours truly 

had dinner with ira lubell and 

his partner, Louis Bounsignore, 

and Sunday brunch with Eloise 

and John norton. My plans are 

to return to San Francisco in May 

following the ABA meetings in Sacramento; 

I look forward to again 

seeing our Bay Area contingent. 

58 


43 

barry dickman 

25 Main St. 

Court Plaza North, Ste 104 

Hackensack, NJ 07601 

bdickmanesq@gmail.com 

We are sorry to report the deaths of 

two more classmates. 

Dr. george braman died on June 

23. He earned his medical degree at 

SUNY Downstate Medical Center 

and taught in its School of Public 

Health, retiring as an assistant professor. 

George also was director of 

quality management and assistant 

attending physician at Elmhurst 

Hospital Center in Queens. In 

addition, he was a published poet; 

many of his poems and essays 

appeared in Annals of Internal 

Medicine. George is survived by his 

wife, Joan; and sons, Donald and 

Leonard. 

Edward “bud” spraker died on 

July 3. Originally from Knoxville, 

Tenn., Ed was a wide receiver on 

the Lions football team and went 

on to get an M.A. in education at 

Teachers College. He had a long 

teaching career in the Tenafly, N.J., 

school system, including time as 

varsity coach in several sports and 

as athletics director. Ed sang in the 

choir at Christ Episcopal Church in 

Teaneck, N.J., and was the Sunday 

School superintendent for many 

years. He is survived by his sons, 

Gary and John, and one granddaughter. 

Congratulations to russ Ellis 

on winning the Wyld Propulsion 

Award, given by the American 

Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. 

The award is presented 

for outstanding achievement in 

the development or application of 

rocket propulsion systems. Russ, 

’58’s leading rocket scientist, spent 

his entire career in rocket engineering, 

including 32 years at Pratt & 

Whitney Rocketdyne, and he continues 

to work as a consultant. The 

award honored Russ’ “significant 

improvements to solid and liquid 

nozzle reliability and performance 

through introduction and demonstration 

of innovative design 

concepts incorporating new composite 

materials.” We asked Russ 

for a translation into English and 

he replied, “Most of my work was 

on advanced, high-performance 

rocket nozzles, applying new 

high temperature composites to 

systems such as the Trident II (D5) 

submarine-launched ballistic missile, 

Tomahawk, Delta 4 and many 

others. It was rewarding to see 

things I’d worked on send probes 

to Mars, Saturn, Pluto and so on. I 

also was fortunate to be involved in 

importing advanced foreign rocket 

technology and made many trips 

to France and Russia through the 

years to work with their experts.” 

We caught Frost/Nixon on HBO 

and were delighted to spot a cameo 

by carl stern (NBC News, Washington): 

a clip from his post-Watergate 

coverage. 

Marshall front, dapper and 

eloquent as always, appeared on a 

recent Bloomberg News TV report, 

discussing financial stocks and the 

new reform law. 

Ed halperin, who confides that 

he has “always avoided filling in 

the details of my life,” has finally 

decided to share them with Class 

Notes. Ed is a child psychiatrist 

practicing in New Rochelle, N.Y.; 

he also is board-certified in adult 

and adolescent psychiatry. Ed is a 

consultant for Leake & Watts, a Yonkers 

foster care agency. His wife, 

Beth G. Weingast, is president of the 

American Society of Appraisers; she 

specializes in valuing Judaica and 

coins (both ancient and modern). 

Ed and Beth have three children: 

Alex ’03J, a journalist who recently 

won the Sidney Hillman prize for 

socially responsible journalism; 

Anne, who is starting her residency 

in psychiatry at New York 

Hospital; and Anthony, who is in 

Bolivia on an NIH Fogarty grant 

to do research on Chagas disease, 

a parasitic infection prevalent in 

South America. 

charles goldstein has once 

again made the news for his activities 

in the art world. As counsel to 

the Commission for Art Recovery, 

a nonprofit that helps victims of 

Nazi art thefts, Charles is involved 

with a claim by the Herzog family 

against the Hungarian government, 

seeking the return of $100 million 

worth of paintings and sculptures,


including works by El Greco, Velazquez 

and Monet. Baron Herzog 

was a well-known collector, and the 

family also has pursued pieces from 

his collection in Germany, Russia, 

Poland and Austria with some 

success, but Hungary has proven 

particularly resistant. 

The Class of ’58 rated two 

mentions in recent issues of New 

York magazine. An article on New 

York Times columnist David Brooks 

observed in passing that neil 

harris was his thesis adviser at the 

University of Chicago. 

And a piece on an exhibit of the 

works of an artist named Brion 

Gysin at the New Museum in 

downtown NYC pointed out that it 

was across the street from Gysin’s 

former home at 222 Bowery, which 

he had shared with his lover, John 

giorno (who still lives there). 

Gysin, who died in 1986, was a 

member of the Beat Generation 

(along, of course, with Jack Kerouac 

’44 and Allen Ginsberg ’48); a 

pioneer of postmodern literature; 

and the inventor of the favorite 

writing technique of another 

famous occupant of 222, novelist 

William Burroughs: the “cut-up,” 

in which newspapers or other 

printed items are sliced, diced 

and reassembled in new forms. 

John is described as the “social 

butterfly” of the group, who did 

the cooking for their exceptionally 

convivial nightly gatherings in his 

loft (known as the “Bunker”). The 

building, incidentally, dates back 

to 1884, when it was home to the 

first modern YMCA. It became an 

artists’ colony after WWI, when 

one of its tenants was Fernand 

Leger. Mark Rothko later leased 

the building’s gym to work on his 

murals for the Four Seasons (the 

subject of the Broadway show Red). 

John has preserved the Bunker as 

a shrine to the good old days, but 

the historic building is gradually 

succumbing to gentrification. 

The Class Lunch is held on the 

second Wednesday of every month 

in the Grill Room of the Princeton/ 

Columbia Club, 15 W. 43rd St. ($31 

per person). E-mail art radin if 

you plan to attend, up to the day 

before: aradin@radinglass.com. 

59 

norman gelfand 

c/o CCT 


622 W. 113th St., MC 4530 


nmgc59@gmail.com 

I hope that this finds you all well 

and doing things that bring you 

joy. Many of have been traveling 

lately and fortunately some of you 

have sent descriptions of these 

adventures. 

ralph w. wyndrum Jr. has 

surely been active. He writes, “My 

wife, Meta, and I traveled to the 

Panama Canal in March, reviewing 

the technical aspects of the canal’s 

history and its current expansion 

with a third set of locks to accommodate 

the huge ‘Post-Panamax’ ships 

of the 21st century. I was part of an 

IEEE engineering group invited 

by the Panama Canal Authority to 

see the workings of the canal from 

the ‘inside out,’ visiting the control 

rooms, the machine shops able to 

handle gigantic repair tasks and the 

operations of the canal and its parallel 

railroad connecting the Atlantic 

and the Pacific as well as the giant 

construction job for the third ‘canal.’ 

“In addition to traversing the canal 

in a small boat, the group visited 

the jungles of Panama within Barro 

Colorado, an island wildlife refuge 

in the Gatun Lake (sponsored by 

the Smithsonian Institute) that is 

home to thousands of native and 

migrant species of insects, birds, 

monkeys and crocodiles as well 

as plants, flowers and trees. All of 

this beauty is within a country that 

also has more than 70 skyscrapers 

in its capital, Panama City, and is 

a major financial center for South 

and Central America. The canal is 

run very professionally, and the 

engineering staff, largely trained in 

Panama and other regional engineering 

and business schools, seems 

well equipped for their tasks. By 

the way, one trip through the canal 

costs $1,000 for a small boat and up 

to $450,000 for a large passenger 

liner or bulk freighter. 

“After about a week in Panama, 

Meta and I departed for a rural 

part of Costa Rica, Guanacaste, in 

the arid and hot northwest portion 

of the country. Populated largely 

by Brahman cattle ranchers with 

a large native Indian population, 

the shores provide miles of white 

sandy beaches on the Pacific. Temperatures 

typically exceeded 100 

degrees, hence the Brahman cattle 

imported from India, where the 

climate is not dissimilar. Flying to 

San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, 

we made a five-hour drive over 

the Inter-American Highway, and 

then poor gravel and rutted roads 

brought us to Tamarindo for four 

days of relaxation. I even acquired 

two new shirts when my laundry 

bag was mistakenly discarded 

in the trash by the hotel staff; the 

hotel drove us to several towns 

before they could find shirts size ‘L’ 

in Santa Rosa. 

“Many Americans live and retire 

in Costa Rica, where there are low 

costs, nice living and reasonable 

medical care. Ditto for Panama, 

though there, many of the retirees 

we saw were retired military 

personnel who had been assigned 

there during their careers. 

“I am willing to provide any class 


44 

member who requests it a CD with 

all the slides captioned, and the necessary 

Picasa software included on 

the CD, so that any computer with 

Windows 98 or later will enable one 

to see the entire presentation. (The 

material was assembled for a talk I 

provided recently in New Jersey.) 

Just send an e-mail to me: rww@ 

monmouth.com.” 

Ken scheffel writes about a great 

trip: “I had a great time in Europe, 

but now I need a vacation to recover 

from my vacation. It was my first 

trip across the pond and only my 

second flight (the first came last year 

for our reunion). Spent three days 

in the Black Forest area of Germany 

with a side trip to Koln, a day on the 

Normandy invasion beaches plus 

a stop in Bayeux to see William the 

Conqueror’s tapestry and church, 

three days in Paris (the dirtiest, most 

disorganized, least friendly, most 

beautiful city I saw) and three days 

in London (to which we took the 

Chunnel. They speak English as if 

it’s their native language.). Had a 

great time everywhere and definitely 

want to go again, but after sufficient 

recovery time. I was in a beer garden 

in Freiburg when the Germans beat 

the English in World Cup soccer. The 

whole town went bananas. They 

even rang the church bells in celebration. 

It reminded me of a Michigan- 

Ohio State game. Now, I’m getting 

ready to travel to Ann Arbor for our 

equivalent of World Cup soccer. 

“If any classmates are in the 

vicinity this fall and would like to 

see a Michigan game, let me know. 

I have several season tickets and 

sometimes have spares, which I 

give away (if family and friends 

aren’t interested, they go to the 

families of patients at Mott Children’s 

Hospital). 

“P.S.: I recently passed my fiveyear 

anniversary and check-up for 

esophageal cancer. So I guess I now 

qualify as a survivor. Each new 

day is a blessing. 

“If you would have told me 

five years ago I’d be alive today, I 

wouldn’t have believed you. The 

initial diagnosis was 12 months 

to live. Fortunately, it was wrong. 

Since the survival rate for esophageal 

cancer is less than 10 percent, 

I feel fortunate to still be on this 

earth, rather than in it.” 

Mike tannenbaum informs 

us that “My memoir of Columbia 

physics is posted on the Columbia 

physics webpage: columbia.edu/ 

cu/physics/about/main/one/ 

index.html, click on ‘Columbia 

Physics in the Fifties.’ 

“The direct link to my memoir is 

columbia.edu/cu/physics/pdf-files/ 

Tannenbaum.pdf.” 

hal stahl reports: “A healthy boy 

was born to my daughter Carrie in 

Minnesota. It was a natural water 

birth, and her husband, Lewis, 

caught the baby with my wife, Toby, 

and me, other family members and 

three midwives present. Ari Elani 

was 22 in., 8 lbs., 7 oz. All is well with 

his mom and him. His mom will 

return shortly to teaching nursing at 

the community college level.” 

This is a continuation of the contribution 

of ralph James alster, 

the first part of which ran in the 

September/October issue. 

“Late in the ’80s, I started full time 

into the quirkiness of my ruminating 

fictions that total some 20 or so 

unpublished titles to date. Several 

times some years back I sent out 

hundreds of queries to editors and 

agents, and for receiving back only 

their stick-on, pre-printed notes that 

they like sending for out-of-hand 

rejecting as unsuitable to their needs 

what they’ve not even examined. 

So of course it dawned on me that 

you needed someone’s reference for 

getting in the door, and that as the 

writing itself was so engrossingly 

gratifying, I didn’t want to waste any 

more time non-referenced trying to 

beat down the door. 

“My Emes Dick cycle came first. 

It tells of a Brooklyn yeshiva boy’s 

rise to establishment-media-mogul 

notoriety through his self-altering 

deceptions that have him becoming 

a Columbia classmate’s lover just so 

that he might obtain the Mississippi 

boy’s agro-business (think Archer 

Daniels Midland) tycoon father’s 

financial sponsorship of his ingeniously 

retro-rightist-leaning media 

contrivances. When Emes Dick’s 

16-year-old son suicides himself, it 

launches him downslidingly into 

his becoming its self-documenting 

author of my Emes Dick cycle. 

“The Enviousness of Being a 

Book has its reclusive author being 

held captive by himself inside his 

own attic after the run-in that his 

head has with one of the backyard 

swings being swung by one of 

his kids at his invisibility that he’s 

conjured himself into after being 

dumped into his spell of depressed 

enviousness by his traveling about 

one Sunday morning to visit an 

estate sale in the very ritzy town 

next door to his own. First there’d 

been his finding himself in the 

hospital while being prepped for 

the cerebral-lobe balancing surgery 

that he will have to undergo. Next 

he finds himself post-surgery 

trapped in his attic trying to read 

his latest compositions to the likes 

of Edmund Wilson, Lionel Trilling 

[’25] and Rickey Jay. But their utter 

contempt for him has him accomplishing 

only his transubstantiation 

into that deck of cards that Edmund’s 

tricky fingers keep fiddling 

with while he’s babbling forth with 

his relatively lucid contemplations 

concerning American authors that 

he shares with Trilling’s sharing his 

own far more obscure perceptions


with him. When Rimbaud and 

Scott Fitzgerald come bounding 

up the stairs, things go from bad 

to worse. As Trilling’s running out 

of smokes and Edmund’s having 

consumed all his bourbon has the 

two newbies racing back down to 

Cameron Diaz’s adorable nakedness 

in the kitchen that out of her 

cabinets can offer not any resupply 

to help them at all. And which has 

them next burst forth out onto the 

street with their running amuck 

questing until finally there’s that 

down pouring torrent of thunder 

and lightning that it incites for 

smithereening its flimsy entirety of 

what’s been fictionally establishing 

itself built up. And so that there’s 

next the protagonist finding himself 

sailing all alone in a paper boat 

that’s being curbside swept along 

sewer-bound in the storm’s rush of 

debris-strewn runoff waters. 

“Dogwriter Thurber jumps ahead 

to some indeterminate time in the 

future when mankind’s idiotic 

mishandling of its own evolutionary 

preeminence instigates a 

world-wide canine revolution that 

has canines superseding humans 

as the dominant terrestrial species 

and with humans sometimes now 

serving to them as their pets. Every 

humanoid who has played any 

significant role at all in the overall 

mismanagement of the planet is 

compelled into producing a highly 

detailed written documentation 

of all his humanoid errors as the 

price of his retaining to some small 

measure of his lost autonomy and 

freedom. As the narrator has not on 

his own the literary skills essential 

to his accomplishing the task he’s 

had the canine Dogwriter Thurber 

assigned to providing the assistance 

he needs. Ultimately, the confession 

that he produces is found to be — 

by the humanoid Commissar of 

Sincerely Truthful Communication 

— so replete still with his humanoid 

self-deceptions that she appoints 

him into his vice-commissarship. 

For all of their sincere dedication 

to reform, even the new canine 

establishment’s New World Order 

leadership understands how ill 

equipped it will be for providing it 

on its own to itself, that curriculum 

of deceptions that every form of 

ordering the generally prevailing 

disorder needs to lean on for securing 

itself in power. 

“I have two verse novels in the 

works. The first depicts an atheist’s 

bafflement with our culture’s Bible 

dependencies. The second has 

Trip Daydreamer, a 19-year-old 

Mormon-convert rock-band musician 

examining his dad’s and his 

granddad’s lives as they relate to 

his own. His dad, who he knows 

as Manvile Same, he knows also as 

having once been Emes Dick and 

as having been Reiseverzögerung 

Taagtrammer even before that. 

His dad’s transitions through his 

several self-reincarnations that 

finally gave him his own existence 

so remote from his grandad’s long 

ago pre-WWI origins in Ungelikt, 

Germany, are what he seeks to 

decode. The narrative has part 

one’s relatively sober prose becoming 

progressively more and more 

energized towards part two’s racy 

free-verse retelling, as the protagonist 

proceeds in his unraveling of 

the past that ultimately becomes 

his unraveling of himself. 

“I started writing short-form, 

lyrical free verse while at Columbia 

and never fully abandoned the form 

as I became ever more ambitious in 

attempting its ever more complex 

application to narrative purposes. 

During those several years when 

my creative impulses went entirely 

over into the discoveries I began 

making for myself in painting, I quit 

versifying altogether. And then all 

at once there was that fluidity of 

narration that in the late ’80s came 

to me in prose and in supplantation 

of my painting. And now lately, 

here’s verse starting up again inside 

me for yet more fluidifying the 

truth-telling of my narrations out 

of their resistant blockishness that 

prose more insistently imposes. 

“My New Utrecht classmates 

will understand me when I say 

in closing that I cannot give brief 

remembrance to my brief Columbia 

years and to my entire life thereafter 

without giving pivotal remembrance 

to Arnold Horowitz. If I’ve 

accomplished anything in my life, 

he was the father of whatever I have 

accomplished. He died very young, 

late ’30s or very early ’40s. But he’s 

continued with me ever since as 

an absence that came far too soon. 

He’d been the mentor to all us 

’59ers who’d gone to Columbia out 

of New Utrecht, and as to precedent 

New Utrechtites at Columbia as 

well. But with perhaps his having 

had a more challenging task at 

hand in his wanting to advance me 

out of myself, than in his advancing 

any of the others who’d already 

been so much more advanced selfemergent.” 

Take care, and have a happy 

holiday season. 

60 

robert a. Machleder 

69-37 Fleet St. 

Forest Hills, NY 11375 

rmachleder@aol.com 

One source of enormous delight in 

compiling the Class Notes is serving 

as an intermediary to reunite old 

friends. Following our 50th reunion 

and the broadcast by CCT online 

of nathan gross’ performance of 

songs (college.columbia.edu/cct/ 

jul_aug10; see “Web Exclusives” at 


45 

the bottom right) he had composed 

for the occasion, I was contacted by 

Arnold Abrams ’61, who had seen 

the broadcast and wanted to get 

back in touch with Nathan. Both 

had been active on Spectator, Nathan 

as managing editor and Arnold as 

news editor. I forwarded Arnold’s 

request to Nathan, who I knew 

to be in Paris at the time. Nathan 

responded that his receipt of word 

from Arnold cheered him on “a 

dreary chilly morning in Paris.” 

Nothing could be more heartening 

than knowing that through the 

agency of class correspondent a 

good deed had been done. 

At the same time my education 

was broadened as I learned, to my 

disappointment, that the weather in 

Paris is not always perfect though 

I had long entertained that notion 

and the belief that it was with Paris 

in mind that Alan Jay Lerner had 

written: “A law was made a distant 

moon ago here, July and August 

cannot be too hot, and there’s a 

legal limit to the snow here, in 

Camelot. The winter is forbidden 

till December, and exits March the 

second on the dot, by order summer 

lingers through September, in 

Camelot. The rain may never fall till 

after sundown, by eight the morning 

fog must disappear ... ” and so 

it goes. 

Nathan promptly disabused me 

of this fantasy. “Weather in Paris 

during the summertime cannot be 

predicted from year to year. I never 

get the packing right. I remember 

early July one year with nothing 

but rain and chill. We had several 

days of high temperatures this season, 

then a stretch of incomparable 

blue skies and moderate temps. 

Meteo France also never seems to 

get it right. The storms it predicts 

materialize somewhere, I suppose, 

but rarely where the service leads 

one to believe. Umbrellas today 

are useless burdens. I have learned 

to let myself get soaked occasionally 

and to enjoy it. (Famous last 

words. I should not tempt Jupiter 

Pluvius.)” 

One source of anxiety in compiling 

the Class Notes is finding the 

mailbox empty or virtually so as the 

deadline for filing approaches rapidly, 

inexorably. And so, I was most 

appreciative to receive this beautiful 

note from tom hamilton: 

“I am planning to create a 

foundation to provide scholarships 

to undergraduate and graduate 

students planning to enter the 

planetarium field as well as to 

provide limited funding (grants 

and interest-free loans) to planetariums 

threatened with closure 

for economic reasons. My lawyers 

hope to have this up and running 

by some time in mid-2011, in time 

for the fall semester. I will initially 

put $50,000 into it, with more later, 

to an eventual total of $1 million. 

The rules I am setting up require 

a trustee to have at least five years 

experience in the field at the time 

of appointment as a trustee and to 

be limited to serving for no more 

doug Mccorkindale ’61 was elected lead director 

of lockheed Martin. 

than nine years total, to receive no 

compensation except reimbursement 

for actual, approved expenses, 

and not eligible for any of 

the funds to be disbursed. It will be 

called the Hamilton Planetarium 

Scholarship Fund.” 

Tom, who last year had an asteroid 

named in his honor, has been 

awarded the title of Fellow of the 

International Planetarium Society. 

This honor was announced at the 

society’s biennial convention, this 

year hosted by the planetarium in 

Alexandria, Egypt. Only six such 

titles were awarded this year, and 

Tom was one of only two Americans 

so recognized. 

I’d love to hear from the rest of 

the class. 





212-851-7438 



212-851-7494 

61 

Michael hausig 

19418 Encino Summit 

San Antonio, TX 78259 

mhausig@yahoo.com 

We are now less than one year away 

from our 50th reunion, which will 

take place Thursday, June 2–Sunday, 

June 5. The Reunion Committee is 

planning the event with the help 

of the Alumni Office. Anyone 

interested in helping should contact 

bill binderman (wbinderman@ 

msn.com), Tony Adler (awadler@ 

spartacommercial.com) or Burtt 

Ehrlich (burtt@bloomberg.com) 

with their ideas. 

gene Milone and his wife, Helen, 

recently returned from a cruise to 

Alaska to celebrate her birthday. 

“This is our third cruise in the 

last four years, the previous one 

being to the western Mediterranean 

from Barcelona, there to 

celebrate our 50th anniversary.” 

They have found certain cruises to


Frank Lorenzo ’61 (center) celebrated his 70th birthday in style with 

Jack Kirik ’61 (left) and Bill Binderman ’61. 

be cost- and energy-efficient ways 

to take holidays with minimal 

packing and unpacking and risks. 

Gene and a Belgian colleague 

have edited the volume Astronomical 

Photometry: Past, Present, and Future 

for Springer, based on sessions 

on this topic that Gene organized 

for the History of Astronomy Division 

of the American Astronomical 

Society at a West Coast meeting in 

2009. He contributed to three papers 

in this volume, detailing his work 

on precise photometry techniques 

and hardware during the past three 

decades. Also, the second edition 

of Exploring Ancient Skies: An Encyclopedic 

Survey of Archaeoastronomy, 

a comprehensive survey of ancient 

and cultural astronomy, written by 

David H. Kelley and Gene, is now 

in press and should appear before 

the end of 2010. 

Gene continues to publish 

research papers. His latest paper 

(with two European colleagues) 

appeared in the July issue of the 

Astronomical Journal. At the moment, 

he still has a laboratory and 

office, but 2011 may be his last year 

as faculty professor. As a retirement 

present (retirement, that is, from 

the teaching faculty) a few years 

ago, his son gave him a 120 mm 

refracting telescope with exquisite 

definition. While his eyesight still 

holds, Gene wants to be able to 

spend more time just enjoying the 

stars that first attracted his attention 

as an apartment-dwelling kid in the 

Bronx nearly 60 years ago. 

Gene is looking forward to 

seeing many old friends among 

our classmates at the 50th Alumni 

Reunion Weekend. 

al Klipstein spent a week with 

his family (two children, their 

spouses, four grandchildren and his 

fiancée, Bonnie Botwick) in Ixtapa, 

Mexico, at a Club Med. It was a 

fabulous place for the family with 

something to do for everyone. The 

accommodations were great, the 

food was fantastic, and the beach 

and weather were wonderful. They 

were a little concerned for their lives 

going through the Mexico City Airport 

but did not have a problem. 

Later, Al and Bonnie went to 

French Polynesia (Tahiti, Mooraha 

and Bora Bora). Bora Bora was the 

most beautiful place he has ever 

been, he says, with an over-thewater 

bungalow, beautiful green 

water, great food and lovely people. 

The gentle breeze, the smell of flowers 

and fabulous service cannot be 

realized by pictures. It is all a dream 

now but a wonderful one. 

Al has been back to work several 

weeks now with his usual 12 hours 

a day and looks forward to his next 

adventure (destination unknown). 

doug Mccorkindale was elected 

lead director of Lockheed Martin. 

Shortly thereafter, he reached the 

retirement age for directors of 

Continental Airlines, so he left that 

board before the merger with United 

Airlines was completed — missing 

some interesting events. Doug is 

still on the board for the Prudential 

Money Management Group. 

Doug also is on the PGA Tour’s 

Equipment Committee (almost 20 

years now) but has learned from 

personal experience that, notwithstanding 

reports to the contrary, golf 

technology is not keeping up with 

the aging process! He hopes to shoot 

his age much sooner than later. 

don savini had his first hole-inone 

recently. He said it was a great 

feeling but expensive. 

bob soltys and his wife, Patti, 

are downsizing, moving from 

Alexandria, Va., to Hilton Head 

Island, S.C. (Port Royal Plantation). 

Though neither are golfers, 

they have found the perfect home 

overlooking the Port Royal Sound 

marsh. Their son, Andrew, a sophomore 

at NYU-Tisch, is firmly rooted 

in NYC and completed a summer 

internship at College Humor. 

david Konstan’s latest book, 

Before Forgiveness: The Origins of a 

Moral Idea, has been published by 

Cambridge University Press. In 

the book, David argues that the 

modern concept of interpersonal 

forgiveness, in the full sense of 

the term, did not exist in ancient 

Greece and Rome. Even more 

startlingly, it is not fully present 

in the Hebrew Bible, nor again in 

the New Testament, or in the early 

Jewish and Christian commentaries 

on the Holy Scriptures. It would 

still be many centuries before the 

idea of interpersonal forgiveness, 

with its accompanying ideas of 

apology, remorse and a change of 

heart on the part of the wrongdoer, 

would emerge. For all its 

vast importance today in religion, 

law, politics and psychotherapy, 

interpersonal forgiveness is a 

creation of the 18th and 19th centuries, 

when the Christian concept 

of divine forgiveness was finally 

secularized. Forgiveness was God’s 

province, and it took a revolution 

in thought to bring it to Earth and 

make it a human trait. 

frank lorenzo recently celebrated 

his 70th birthday with bill binderman 

and Jack Kirik in attendance. 

[See photo.] 

John Kater ’62 was granted an honorary degree of 

doctor of divinity by the church divinity school 

of the Pacific. 

My wife, JB, had a successful hip 

replacement on August 30. She was 

walking several hours after surgery 

and home the following day. The 

hip was replaced using a direct 

anterior muscle sparing approach, 

which provides wider range of 

motion, and she hopes to be back 

skiing at some level in March. 

62 


46 

John freidin 

1020 Town Line Rd. 

Charlotte, VT 05445 

jf@bicyclevt.com 

This year brought John Kater honors 

and opportunities. The Church 

Divinity School of the Pacific, 

which is the Episcopal seminary in 

Berkeley, Calif., marked John’s “official” 

retirement by granting him 

the honorary degree of doctor of 

divinity at graduation in May, and 

his alma mater, the General Theological 

Seminary in New York, will 

give him its 2010 “Distinguished 

Alumnus” Award in November. 

“Funny,” writes John, “ ‘distinguished’ 

is not a category I’d ever 

identify myself with! (And to tell 

the truth, it is somewhat embarrassing 

to mention it.)” 

During the summer, John 

spent a month in New York City, 

where he completed research for 

a book he’s been working on “for 

far too long, [but being in New 

York] gave me the opportunity 

to spend time with Jack hurwitz 

and richard Klutch as well as my 

roommate rudy chen and his 

wife, Linda, and our Hartley Hall 

neighbor Murray Mohl and his 

wife, Marion. Reconnecting with 

old Columbia friends is always one 

of the special pleasures of coming 

back to New York.” 

John continues to work in “retirement.” 

This fall he is teaching a full 

course load plus an online course 

or two for the Church Divinity 

School, and in the spring he will 

teach at SKH Ming Hua Theological 

College, the Anglican seminary 

in Hong Kong. Since he last wrote, 

John spent two months lecturing in 

Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, 

Sao Paulo and Curitiba). You may 

contact him at jlkater@aol.com. 

John boatner’s older son, John 

Jr., introduced a young engaged 

German couple to a wedding processional 

for organ that John Sr. 

composed. The bride and groom 

decided to have the work performed 

at their wedding in Hückeswagen, 

Germany, and John Jr. attended the 

event. “This work,” writes John Sr., 

“has probably been performed more 

than 200 times in the United States 

and England. I am constantly churning 

out new CD recordings of my 

published compositions. My current 

projects are Cantata for a Young Girl 

and Cello Ludens (‘The Cello Wants to 

Play’), for solo cello and symphony 

orchestra.” 

Several summers ago, allen 

Young won a lottery, sponsored by 

Provincetown’s Peaked Hill Trust, 

for a week’s stay in one of the celebrated, 

primitive dune shacks in 

Provincetown, Mass. During that 

week, Allen kept a journal that 

recently was published by Haley’s 

Publishing of Athol, Mass. The 

book is titled Thalassa: One Week in 

a Provincetown Dune Shack. 

Featuring photographs of the 

Provincetown dunes and the 

shack where Allen stayed, Thalassa 

includes an introduction to the 

shacks and their history as well 

as Allen’s journal. Tim Miller, a 

performer and the author of Body 

Blows: Six Performances, writes 

about the book: “Allen Young’s 

Thalassa is a joyous call to being 

present in the world. The book 

calmed me, focused me and made 

me feel almost as if I had also been 

blessed with a week in Thalassa.” 

Allen co-edited the 1992 pioneering 

anthology Out of the Closets: Voices 

of Gay Liberation and compiled the 

North of Quabbin Revisited: A Guide


to Nine Massachusetts Towns North of 

Quabbin Reservoir guides (1983 and 

2002) to the north central region of 

Massachusetts where he lives. 

Please write. As you can see, 

we’re in need of material. And 

Columbia has now made sending a 

note even easier. Just go to college. 

columbia.edu/cct/submit_class_ 

note and write. Be sure to select 

“1962” in the “CC Class Year” pulldown, 

and your message will be 

automatically forwarded to me for 

publication in a future issue. You 

also may continue to e-mail me 

directly. Peace to all. 

63 

paul neshamkin 

1015 Washington St., Apt. 50 

Hoboken, NJ 07030 

pauln@helpauthors.com 

I was lucky enough to spend most 

of my time this long, hot summer 

being a beach bum down the Jersey 

Shore. Not retired yet, just very little 

work. Sadly, I wasn’t able to make 

the regular dinner visits with Bettye 

and steve barcan to Vic’s (best pizza) 

in Bradley Beach, but I was able 

to join tom o’connor; his wife, 

Terrie; son, Matthew; daughterin-law, 

Emma; grandson, Raleigh; 

and other family and friends for a 

great birthday dinner at Sea Grass 

in Ocean Grove. Tom was honored 

in October with induction into the 

Columbia University Athletics Hall 

of Fame as a member of the great 

1961 football team along with lou 

asack, tony day, ron drotos, 

Mike hassan, Joe Marchese, pat 

Moran and fritz Mundorff. What 

a season! Certainly one I’ll never 

forget. Thank you, guys. 

phil satow was saluted for his 

generous donations to the athletics 

program on October 23 (Homecoming) 

when the baseball stadium was 

named Satow Stadium in his honor. 

The stadium will boast new seating, 

a home team dugout, a press 

box and a multimedia scoreboard. 

It will be one of the best in the Ivy 

League. Congratulations, Phil! 

Phil also was rewarded with a 

first granddaughter, Sophie Emilene 

Elliott, on July 8. The mother is his 

daughter, Julie ’96, ’01 SIPA, who 

is a journalist currently freelancing 

with The New York Times, and the 

father is Julie’s husband, Stuart Elliott, 

co-founder and editor-in-chief 

of The Real Deal, a key New York 

real estate publication. 

It is fitting that now both the base- 

ball stadium and football field, 

robert K. Kraft Field, are named 

in honor of two of our classmates. 

If any of you are interested, there’s 

probably a swimming pool or soccer 

field that could be named after you. 

gary rachelefsky writes, “Cannot 

believe our 50th reunion is fast 

approaching. Gail and I are married 

44 years, having met at a TEP party 

in 1962. We have three daughters 

(Holly, Cara ’94 and Lindsay ’01) 

and seven grandchildren. I left the 

practice of allergy immunology 

four years ago and am a full-time 

tenured professor at UCLA. Best to 

everyone.” 

Gary, I can’t believe it either; time 

moves too fast. We’d better start 

planning. 

Eric foner, the DeWitt Clinton 

Professor of History, now is a 

member of the editorial board of 

the Progressive Book Club. 

david pittinsky writes, “In addition 

to my continuing to work 

full-time as a commercial litigator, 

my wife, Alecia, and I continue to 

take wonderful vacations to France. 

This summer, we spent two weeks 

in Paris and one week in St. Tropez. 

We have been going to St. Tropez 

since 2002. We have also been going 

to Paris every October since 2006 

for extended eating weekends at 

one-, two- and three-star Michelin 

restaurants. My favorite Parisian 

restaurant is L’Ami Louis, which 

we went to for the fifth consecutive 

year this October. If anyone would 

like to read my Parisian eating reports, 

which also contain valuable 

information on other aspects of 

Parisian life, they should e-mail me, 

and I will be glad to share them.” 

You can reach David at pittin 

sky@ballardspahr.com. 

Our regular second Thursday 

lunches have been seeing an increasing 

number of you. Some of 

the luminaries in the spring and 

early summer included steve barcan, 

henry black, Ed coller, Jerry 

dwyer, doron gopstein, bob 

Heller, Rich Juro, Lee Lowenfish, 

don Margolis, larry neuman, 

paul neshamkin, tom o’connor, 

barry reiss, phil satow and Jeff 

thompson. If you’re in NYC, 

try to make the next Class of ’63 

lunch, scheduled for Thursday, 

November 11, and then again on 

Thursday, December 9. It’s always 

the second Thursday. Check our 

website at cc63ers.com for details. 

In the meantime, let us know 

what you are up to, how you’re 

doing and what’s next. 

64 

norman olch 

233 Broadway 


norman@nolch.com 

I am writing this column in New 

York City shortly after Labor Day. 

The scorching summer days are 

over, and everyone is looking 

forward to a mild autumn. The 

informal class lunches at the Columbia 

University Club resumed 

on October 14 and will continue 

on November 11 and December 9, 

both Thursdays. Please join us. 


47 

In July, howie perlstein retired 

after 42 years as an attorney at the 

National Labor Relations Board 

in Washington, D.C. During his 

career, Howie argued hundreds 

of cases before federal courts of 

appeals across the country. When 

he retired, he was assistant general 

counsel in the NLRB’s Appellate 

and Supreme Court Litigation 

Branch. He writes, “When not 

auditing courses at George Mason 

University, playing golf or serving 

on various committees, my wife, 

Linda, and I intend to travel, starting 

with the Panama Canal in the 

fall, and Israel in the spring.” 

Also during the summer, steve 

singer left for a five-week celebratory 

retirement trip to Europe; 

allen tobias read Fritz Stern ’46’s 

autobiography, Five Germanys I 

Have Known; nick rudd headed 

to San Francisco to cradle his 

newborn grandchild, Elizabeth 

Lucy Rudd; Nick and dave levin 

participated in Convocation to welcome 

the Class of 2014; and ivan 

weissman attended Old-Timers’ 

Day at Yankee Stadium. 

Speaking of baseball, Marty 

flamm writes, “I am enjoying my 

retirement in Arizona with a parttime 

‘job’ as a paid official scorer for 

Arizona League baseball games. I 

mostly score the rookie minor league 

Texas Rangers games, though I also 

will do a few Dodgers and Padres 

games. It is nice to get paid to watch 

games!” 

I’ll say! 

peter d.g. brown is the Dist- 

inguished Service Professor of 

German at SUNY New Paltz. He 

has edited more than 100 books on 

German history and literature, and 

his book Oskar Panizza and The Love 

Council: A History of the Scandalous 

Play on Stage and in Court was 

published in March. The German 

play The Love Council appeared in 

1894. Peter writes: “The Love Council 

is a carnivalesque satire dealing 

with the first recorded outbreak 

of syphilis in 1495, which portrays 

the scourge as divine punishment 

for the rampant sexual excesses in 

the Vatican court of the Pope of the 

time, the notorious Rodrigo Borgia. 

Panizza was imprisoned for one 

year on 93 counts of blasphemy, 

the harshest sentence ever given to 

an artist in the Second Empire. My 

book contains a detailed history 

of the play on stage and the court 

proceedings that led to Panizza’s 

imprisonment. A new English translation 

of the play is included as well 

as a biography of its avant-garde, 

modernist author.” 

I am saddened to report the 

death of thomas h. connell iii. 

Since 1981, Tom was the production 

stage manager — the chief stage 

manager — at the Metropolitan 

Opera. The New York Times obituary 

recounts his colorful and extraordinary 

career at the Met: nytimes. 

com/2010/04/28/arts/28connell. 

html. 

Tom’s daughter, Phoebe Day 

Danziger ’05, wrote to CCT: “I heard 

from one of [my dad’s] CC classmates 

during the summer, but as a 

CC alum, it would mean a lot to me 

if any of my dad’s other classmates 

had any memories of him, because 

I don’t know too much about his 

time at Columbia.” Phoebe can be 

reached at phoebedanziger@gmail. 

com. 

Requiesat in pacem. 

65 

leonard b. pack 

924 West End Ave. 


packlb@aol.com 

I have not received any news from 

classmates since our 45th reunion 

in June. While classmates who attended 

the reunion may have shared 

all of their recent doings, I have to 

request the rest of you keep those informative 

communications coming! 

My wife, Adele, and I spent a 

wonderful July weekend visiting 

bob Kronley and his wife, Ann 

Rosewater, at their house in the 

Berkshires near Tanglewood. Bob 

and Ann’s house is in the woods, 

off a dirt road, and I saw Bob at 

his rural leisure, a delightful contrast 

to his Atlanta intensity (not 

that there’s anything wrong with 

intensity!). We caught a marvelous 

performance of Mahler Symphony 

No. 3 at Tanglewood, where we 

saw pianist Emanuel Ax ’70 in the 

audience enjoying a performance 

instead of giving one. 



ALuMNI AFFAIRs Mia Gonsalves Wright 

gm2156@columbia.edu 

212-851-7977 

DEVELOPMENT Heather Hunte 

hh15@columbia.edu 

212-851-7957 

66 

stuart berkman 

Rua Mello Franco, 580 

Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro 

25960-531 Brasil 

smb102@columbia.edu 

Lana Mae Noone, widow of byron 

Michael noone, wrote recently that 

Byron’s life and work were celebrated 

during her remarks at a program 

she presented at the Woodstock 

Museum, Bethel, N.Y. (the site at 

the Woodstock Festival of 1969), on 

July 25. “My program was part of 

the Woodstock Museum’s Vietnam 

War 35th Anniversary Retrospective, 

and I related the events of the 

’60s and the Woodstock Festival 

itself to the historical issues and 

societal shifts that culminated in the


humanitarian Vietnam ‘Operation 

Babylift’ effort of 1975, in which 

Byron played an important role. I 

referenced Byron Michael’s years 

at Columbia during my talk, which 

included comments by my daughter, 

Jennifer Nguyen Noone ’99 SW, 

who is a Vietnam OBL adoptee. 

Newsday published an article about 

my talk and included a photo of 

Byron Michael, Jennifer and me, 

from the day Jen arrived from Vietnam, 

June 5, 1975.” Lana’s e-mail is 

lananoone@yahoo.com. 

From Belmont, Mass., geoff 

dutton wrote to us this summer, 

apologizing for having been out of 

touch for a long time. “When the 

latest CCT came and this column 

had so little about our year, I 

decided I needed to chime in. I’m 

a relatively anonymous, apathetic 

alumnus living near Boston since 

college. Two years out, I married 

briefly and divorced childless. 

Thirty years hence, I married again, 

and remain happily so with a 

daughter (9). Because as a family 

man I can’t retire, I keep my day 

job as a mild-mannered technical 

writer at a technical software 

vendor. At night I prowl the Net 

as a mysterious political prankster. 

My career started in academia, 

doing digital cartography research 

at a lab at Harvard in the ’70s and 

’80s. After a variety of professional 

gigs thereafter, in the ’90s I threw 

in the towel and went back to 

school to get a Ph.D. in geography 

and publish my obscure dissertation, 

which fulfilled me but left me 

nowhere to go. So I started writing 

about technology for fun and profit, 

and have since branched into other 

areas. Some of my writing sloughs 

off to maxentropyproductions.net/ 

blog, where I happily remain almost 

anonymous. Maybe it’s better that 

way; too much ego-tripping can 

suck one inside out. I have plenty 

to do, and look guardedly forward 

to retiring when my kid is out of 

college.” Write to Geoff at gdutton@ 

joimail.com. 

67 

albert Zonana 

425 Arundel Rd. 

Goleta, CA 93117 

az164@columbia.edu 

Jenik radon and I had a three-hour 

lunch in Santa Barbara in July. He 

was in town for one of his students’ 

weddings, one of the many to 

which he gets invited. Jenik is an 

international business attorney who 

became an activist many years ago 

and is or has been involved in an 

incredible number of causes and 

movements, including Estonia’s 

independence movement, advisor 

to Georgia’s Shevardnadze, the 

founding of the Afghanistan Relief 

Committee for refugees and free- 

dom fighters displaced during the 

Afghans’ war with Russia, Poland’s 

reformist government and the 

authoring of Nepal’s constitution. I 

know I’ve left much out. 

In 1990, Jenik established the Eesti 

and Eurasian Public Service Fellowship 

at Columbia. It is a prized 

assignment that earns undergraduates 

the opportunity to work closely 

with the nations’ presidents and 

cabinet-level officials in countries 

such as Estonia, Georgia, Kenya 

and Nepal. Eesti Fellows have gone 

on to become Marshall, Rhodes and 

Fulbright scholars. 

Jenik continues to work with 

the same energy, confidence and 

charm we remember from his 

undergraduate days. He practices 

law, teaches at Columbia and has 

taught at Stanford, writes, travels, 

organizes, mobilizes and influences 

world events in a major way. 

He saw Justin Malewezi in 

January. “I was the first member 

of our class to visit him in Malawi, 

and I expect to visit again in the 

fall,” Jenik says. “Justin is a former 

v.p. of Malawi and was responsible 

for many of the successful reforms 

of his native country. He takes 

personal pride in the education 

reform, as he was a teacher as well 

as a minister.” 

Jeff herrmann was kind enough 

to pass along the following news. 

“About five years ago, several 

classmates began meeting for dinner 

in New York every two or three 

months, usually at Meridiana, near 

Columbia, to discuss old times, 

new times, life, politics, sports and 

anything else that might come up. 

The group includes Mel brender, 

alan candiotti, tony greco, bill 

heinbach, ira Krakow, Ken Kramer 

harold wechsler and me. Art 

Steinberg ’68 joined us later. About 

2½ years ago, I moved to London, 

but on a short visit home this May, 

we all got together again. I volunteered 

to collect any comments that 

the group wanted to pass along, 

and here is what I gathered so far, 

in their own words: 

“Mel brender: ‘I’ve entered a 

period of long tenures: I work at 

TIAA-CREF, where I’ve been for 

about 11 years, exceeding my stay 

at any previous job. My wife, Terry, 

and I have been together for 29 

years, and we’ve been renovating 

and remodeling the same house 

in Brooklyn for the last 27 of those 

years. Our daughter, Kate (25), and 

our son, Will (23), are making their 

way in the world. Fortunately for 

us, neither child has yet left the 

borough, although both have left 

the house. Aside from the above, 

spare time goes for reading, cinema, 

old friends and a bit of travel 

when possible.’ 

“alan candiotti is professor of 

mathematics at Drew in Madison, 

N.J., where he has been teaching 

for the last 30 years. He also is CIO 

for the university, which divides 

his professional time between 

mathematics and technology. He 

lives in Bernardsville, N.J. 

“tony greco: ‘Recently retired, 

I’m happily using my new freedom 

to pursue old intellectual interests 

and enjoy New York City more than 

ever. I live in Manhattan, not far 

from Columbia, and am frequently 

on campus to use the libraries or attend 

a lecture or seminar. Columbia 

looks like a much more fun place 

than it was in our day: There are 

several cafes on the south campus, 

including one in Butler Library, and 

the coed atmosphere is a big improvement 

over what we knew.’ 

“bill heinbach retired in 2002 

after more than 30 years as a public 

middle-school teacher in Brooklyn. 

He is blessed with health, great family 

and friends, and almost enough 

money to enjoy them. He still is in 

a kind of awe that so many of his 

fellow students and friends from 

dr. bill chin ’68 was appointed executive dean for 

research at harvard Medical school. 


48 

Columbia are, as always, so bright, 

so achievement-oriented and such 

good people. Sometimes he wonders 

just where he fits in all of this, even 

now, more than 40 years later. 

“Ken Kramer: ‘I teach mathematics 

at CUNY and work on problems 

in number theory and arithmetic 

geometry. Outside of work, my 

simple pleasures include seeing my 

grandson Toby and our dinner meetings. 

My children are Michael ’95 

and Caren ’03.’ 

“As for me, Jeff herrmann, I 

retired from practicing law at the 

end of 2007 and moved to London 

with my wife, Mina, who works for 

a hedge fund. We bought an early 

Victorian terrace house in Knightsbridge 

and have spent a good deal 

of time and effort fixing it up and 

fitting it out. We have developed 

a wide circle of fascinating new 

friends from all over the world. We 

get out regularly to the Royal Opera 

and the Royal Ballet as well as to 

hear several of the fine classical 

orchestras in London. During the 

daytime, I have been filling in the 

gaps in my Columbia education by 

taking courses at Imperial College 

London, Oxford, and Birkbeck College, 

and struggling to learn to play 

the piano. Our older son, Justin, is 

in London at Citibank in risk analytics, 

and our younger son, Gabe, is 

a lawyer for Gibson Dunn in New 

York. We see Justin regularly, but 

Gabe only a few times a year. Most 

recently, the family was together 

to watch the races from the Royal 

Enclosure at Royal Ascot. In July, 

my wife and I were in Siena for the 

running of the Palio, and in October, 

we cruised the Nile. In other 

words, life for us is pretty good 

these days. I extend an invitation to 

all classmates to visit us if passing 

through London.” 

68 

arthur spector 

271 Central Park West 


abszzzz@aol.com 

September rolled into the city, 

bringing global cooling. It was really 

cold out for those of you who 

are in Naples, Fla. 

I ran into ira Mccown in September. 

He then sent an effusive 

piece about our being in spin class 

at the gym. He reported that I 

looked in good shape. Thanks, Ira. 

He was at the gym, he told me, for 

the fourth day in a row. He looks 

ready to row for Columbia. John 

tait sent a copy of the WSJ editorial 

praising Columbia’s Core and 

academic world and concluding, 

“Where Columbia Beats Harvard: 

On the Battlefield of Curricula.” 

But John, we knew that. I will 

take a football win this fall. 

I received a note from bill chin 

noting his third career is under 

way for what he suggested might 

be a “slow news cycle.” I have a 

copy from the dean of Harvard 

Medical School announcing the 

news about Bill. The dean wrote: 

“It is my great honor to announce 

the appointment of William W. 

Chin, M.D., as HMS executive dean 

for research, a newly created senior 

position with overarching responsibility 

for biomedical research at 

HMS. As a senior member of my 

leadership team, Bill will spearhead 

efforts to design and implement a 

vision for research at HMS, with 

special emphasis on interdisciplinary 

research that crosses departmental 

and institutional boundaries. He will 

also hold an academic appointment 

as professor of medicine at HMS. 

“Bill’s impressive career is exemplified 

in part by his extensive 

bibliography of nearly 300 papers, 

chapters and books, most of 

which were generated during his 

25 years on the Harvard Medical 

School faculty. After graduating 

from HMS in 1972, Bill trained at 

several HMS teaching hospitals, 

including a medical internship and 

residency at Beth Israel Hospital 

and endocrine clinical training and 

research at Massachusetts General


Hospital. During his tenure as a 

faculty member in the Department 

of Medicine at Brigham and 

Women’s Hospital, he became 

chief of the Genetics Division and a 

Howard Hughes Medical Institute 

investigator, advancing to professor 

of medicine and obstetrics, 

gynecology and reproductive biology 

at HMS. 

“In this new role at HMS, Bill 

assumes a key HMS leadership 

position at a remarkable moment in 

the history of biology and medicine. 

One of Bill’s highest priorities will 

be to conceptualize and develop 

new research initiatives, such as the 

therapeutics discovery initiative, 

envisioned as a focused and innovative 

effort to bring together the 

enormous expertise of our community 

in order to find effective new 

ways for transforming the world’s 

most vital biomedical research into 

therapies that can directly improve 

human health. Bill will also develop 

a coherent strategy for the school’s 

scientific interactions with industry, 

ensuring it is both aligned with the 

HMS Faculty Policy on Conflicts 

of Interest and Commitment and is 

capable of advancing critical unmet 

needs. 

“Bill will work closely with me, 

other HMS deans, the HMS preclinical 

chairs and other research 

leaders across our affiliated institutions 

and the broader university to 

develop a framework for strategic 

scientific planning. Bill will engage 

the community in support of our 

key research initiatives designed 

to sustain HMS as the leading biomedical 

research institution well 

into the future.” 

I did shorten the expansive piece 

by the dean, but his ebullience 

comes through clearly. Great to hear 

from you, Bill, and congratulations. 

We wish you great success in your 

third career. 

Talking about professors, ted 

Kaptchuk wrote a little note: “I 

have a family and am an associate 

professor of medicine at Harvard 

Medical School. Most of my work 

is researching placebo effects. Still 

kicking.” 

Glad to hear you are doing well, 

and it is wondrous how a sugar pill 

makes folks feel better sometimes. 

I continue to get beautiful pictures 

from bob carlson from Sitka, 

Alaska. They are truly amazing, 

with eagles and bears and scenic 

views of mountains and snow. If 

any of you want to be added to his 

list, I am sure he would send them 

to you, too. Let me know and I will 

let him know. 

I chatted with Jim shorter. He 

was about to go on a trip. Maybe 

China again for business. He sounded 

great and busy. 

Ed brennan and his wife, Jane, 

are being (and I knew this, Ed) good 

people. Ed sent this: 

“For the past two years, I have 

been devoting an increasing amount 

of my time (when not doing a wonderful 

job for my investment clients) 

to an organization my wife, Jane 

Ross (whom I met at the Columbia 

Business School EMDP program in 

1978), started 10 years ago. It is called 

Smart Kids with LD (note: not gifted, 

but stemming from the observation 

that many, many children with 

learning disabilities are really quite 

smart). 

“Jane started the organization 

after spending several years learning 

about and finding the resources 

she needed to help our son Ben, 

who only learned to read in the 

fifth grade. But once on track, he 

was not to be denied. Graduating 

Phi Beta Kappa from Bowdoin 

in 2008, Ben recently entered the 

master’s in architecture program at 


“The first honorary chair was 

David Neeleman, founder of Jet- 

Blue and self-confessed LD person. 

His position was recently taken by 

the ‘Fonz,’ aka Henry Winkler, and 

two short videos with him talking 

about his own experiences growing 

up and pitching for a Smart 

Kids read-a-thon can be seen at 

www.SmartKidswithld.org. 

“Beginning two years ago, Smart 

Kids made a decision to move from 

a paid subscription-based printed 

newsletter to a free web-delivered 

newsletter and resource center. This 

will only be feasible longer-term if a 

sufficient number of people become 

subscribers to the newsletter by 

signing up. 

“We have found that grandparents 

(our generation, as much as 

it’s painful to admit) have been 

very useful to their children and in 

turn grandchildren by using information 

available through Smart 

Kids. Who knows, maybe even 

some of the younger grads might 

spy a reference to Smart Kids in 

your Class Notes and spread the 

word further. 

“Jane whipped me into shape by 

finding more garden projects for me 

this summer than I knew existed, 

melting me down from a portly 242 

in early May to a nearly svelte 215 

now.” 

Awesome, Ed and Jane. Great to 

hear what you are up to, and Ed, as 

tom sanford said at our reunion, 

exercise is the way to go. 

I am looking forward to the football 

season this year, under way as 

you read this. paul de bary’s seats 

are next to mine so we will share 

some good fall weather again this 

year. The coach seems fabulous. 

The team looks better than last 

year. So it should be a good year if 

not a great one for the Lions. 

I continue to do public finance, 

working on a $1 billion financing 

for the State of Utah to be completed 

in a couple of weeks as of this 

writing, and having some good fun 

and enjoying my place in Saratoga 

more than in the past. The opera 

season is under way. Maybe I will 

run into bill henrich, as in the past. 

The Texan and his lovely wife show 

up there periodically. My first opera 

of the season was Boris Godunov. It 

has been a long time since I saw the 

Czar on the Met stage. 

Do write and let me know the 

news of the day. I hope you are all 

well. 

69 


49 

Michael oberman 

Kramer Levin Naftalis & 

Frankel 

1177 Avenue of the 

Americas 


moberman@ 

kramerlevin.com 

Two classmates responded to my 

July/August column, in which I 

mentioned that — for lack of news 

sent to me — I used the Internet to 

pick up biographical information 

on classmates. 

From Mark leeds: “You should 

not have to subsist on secondhand 

news, so, listening to the ’65–’69 

selection on tropicalglen.com, I will 

dust off the old keyboard. Most 

people are not really interested in 

the vicissitudes of the lives of others, 

particularly the ‘tzuris’ parts. 

Sometimes it is good to share happy 

things (‘Shep Nachas’), although 

doing so is said to attract the Evil 

Eye (‘kenahara,’ or, thinking of it 

as part of a Borscht Belt team with 

Shep Nachas, Ken O’Hara). That 

said, I will shep a bit of nachas. 

“Still trying to make the world 

a better place, I am special senior 

counsel at the NYC Environmental 

Control Board and, trying to 

advance recognition of rights of 

people with disabilities, I am active 

in bar association and other efforts. 

My wife, Dr. Marian Demeny ’69 

Barnard, ’88 P&S (allergy fellowship) 

is board-certified in allergy 

and in pediatrics. For our 40th anniversary, 

in July, I told her I want 

40 more. In March, we became 

grandparents. I have been waiting 

for our daughter, Dr. Elizabeth 

Leeds Lobel ’02, to share this and 

other news through her own Class 

Notes, but she is just too busy. 

“This summer, Elizabeth finished 

a three-year psychiatry residency at 

Long Island Jewish Medical Center, 

The Zucker Hillside Hospital and 

began a two-year child psych fellowship 

at Mount Sinai in Manhattan. 

She and her husband, Rabbi 

Joshua Lobel of Plainview, N.Y., 

celebrated their seventh anniversary. 

My son, Daniel, after a bachelor’s 

and a master’s in computer 

science and electrical engineering at 

MIT, recently earned a master’s in 

robotics at Carnegie Mellon, where, 

with his second National Science 

Foundation graduate fellowship, 

he is well on his way to a Ph.D. at 

the Center for the Neural Basis of 

Cognition.” 

hank reichman writes: “Thank 

you for the nice writeup in the 

summer issue of CCT. It takes courage, 

I think, to go onto the Internet 

and find info on people and trust 

that it will be genuine. But you’re 

apparently an excellent researcher, 

and your information on me was 

accurate. I did get some space in 

the alumni news about a decade 

ago (at our age, who can keep 

track?), and I had been thinking 

of writing to you with an update 

but was waiting for some notable 

achievement or milestone to report. 

I thought I might have one when, 

18 months ago, the Academic Senate 

of the California State University 

System submitted my name 

and one other to our movie-star 

governor for appointment as the 

sole CSU faculty representative to 

the CSU Board of Trustees. California 

law provides that the governor 

‘shall appoint’ from a list of at least 

two candidates provided by the 

Senate, but first his office dawdled 

and then last December demanded 

more names, which on principle 

the Senate refused to provide. It 

now appears that no one will be 

appointed at least until we have a 

new governor, leaving more than 

20,000 CSU faculty in our 23 universities 

without representation on 

the board and me with only a runof-the-mill 

professional disappointment 

to report. Yesterday, however, 

I received my copy of CCT when I 

returned home from formally filing 

my retirement papers, surely 

a milestone worth noting. I will 

be participating in an ‘early retirement’ 

program that allows me to 

receive my full, but still all-toomeager, 

pension while continuing 

to teach no more than half-time for 

no more than five years. Of course, 

a half-time teaching load in the 

CSU is larger than a full-time load 

at Columbia or Barnard, but, still, 

it’s a pretty good deal. In addition 

to the faculty governance activities 

you reported, from which I will 

be stepping down in retirement, I 

also served on our faculty union 

collective bargaining team (this 

may be why the governor was 

reluctant to appoint me!). Since the 

financial crisis eliminated most of 

the hard-fought gains we won in 

our last contract, I’m back on that 

team this go-round (our contract 

expired June 30) in the hope that 

we can win back at least some of 

what we’ve lost. 

“My experiences at Columbia 

have turned out to be good training


for dealing with difficult university 

administrators. As I told our classmates 

at the 40th reunion luncheon, 

I once faced down an inordinately 

pushy dean with this remark: ‘You 

don’t intimidate me; when I was 21 

I helped kidnap a dean!’ An exaggeration, 

to be sure, but he did back 

down!” 

Hank continues: “Members of 

our class might also be interested 

to learn that when Mark rudd 

published his memoir Underground: 

My Life with SDS and the 

Weathermen (which I recommend), 

I arranged to have him give a talk 

on my university campus. Mark 

did a great job, and our students 

were fascinated by his stories and 

his heartfelt self-criticisms, but 

what made the event unusual 

is that some right-wing activists 

showed up to ‘confront’ Mark 

(ironically, in a style more often 

employed in our youth by people 

like Mark and me!), bringing with 

them a man who had earlier been 

the only police agent to infiltrate 

the Weather Underground (for 

the details, see Mark’s book or the 

profile in the ‘Bookshelf’ section 

of the July/August 2009 CCT: college.columbia.edu/cct/jul_aug09). 

Well, it was quite a scene, and as 

the moderator, I had to work hard 

to ensure that things didn’t get out 

of hand and all sides had their say. 

I was backed up by half our campus 

police force, but fortunately 

they didn’t have to do anything 

but stand around. In the end, Mark 

even invited the former agent to 

take the podium and offer his version 

of events. 

“I’m in the 35th year of my 

marriage to Susan Hutcher ’70 

Barnard, whom I met and fell for 

in SDS during our senior year. 

After 33 years as a public defender, 

Susan retired last year. Our son, 

Daniel (25), lives with us while 

running the office of a local attorney 

in solo practice. He’s gotten 

into organic gardening and has 

turned our backyard into a minor 

agricultural center. He even raises 

his own worms. Our daughter, Alice 

(21), is entering her senior year 

at Claremont McKenna College. 

She was wait-listed by Columbia, 

but CMC has turned out to be a 

perfect place for her. Like her dad, 

she’s a history major, but she intends 

to follow in her mom’s shoes 

and become a criminal defense 

attorney. This spring we traveled 

to Memphis to watch her compete 

in the collegiate mock trial national 

championships. This also allowed 

us to see old friends from when I 

taught at Memphis State for five 

years in the 1980s. 

“In retirement, I hope to get 

back to writing. My first project 

will be to transform a conference 

paper I did last year on Soviet rock 

stars Andrei Makarevich of Time 

Machine and Boris Grebenshchikov 

of Aquarium into a publishable 

work. Seems appropriate, since 

so many of my good Columbia 

friends, such as gregg geller, 

bob Merlis and Mark Wenner ’71, 

went into the music biz. One of my 

biggest hopes for retirement is to 

come back to Columbia for a year 

to teach CC. I loved that class and 

in many ways it helped shape my 

future, but I also know that I, for 

one, never really learn anything 

until I have to teach it. I had a brief 

conversation about this with Dean 

Michele Moody-Adams when she 

was in SF earlier this year (woody 

lewis, who recently moved back 

to New York from the Bay Area, 

and I ‘represented’ our class at that 

event), and she seemed receptive. 

Here in the Bay Area, some members 

of our class and other veterans 

of the ’68 strike, including peter 

clapp, hilton obenzinger and 

alan senauke, have been keeping 

in touch and getting together.” 

In another attempt to stimulate 

news, I’ve signed onto Facebook 

and LinkedIn and tried to locate 

classmates. My social networking 

yielded one item so far. From 

John castellucci: “In September 

2008, after 30 years as a reporter, I 

took a buyout from the Providence 

Journal, the newspaper where I had 

spent two-thirds of my career. A 

month after I left, the Journal laid 

off 31 people, among them a talented 

young reporter with whom I 

worked on several breaking news 

stories, including one that was 

headlined: ‘I CALLED THEM FOR 

HELP: Mother says Pawtucket 

police didn’t have to shoot her 

son.’ It took the reporter 599 days 

to find another job. It’s been widely 

reported that reporters are an 

endangered species. It’s true. For 

someone just starting out in journalism, 

this is a terrible time. But 

for me, the meltdown of the news 

business hasn’t been a crisis, it’s 

been an opportunity. Thanks to the 

buyout, I can finally do the kind 

of developed reporting I couldn’t 

do when I had a column to fill 

every 24 hours. Since leaving the 

Journal, I’ve written several book 

reviews and op-ed pieces, pitched 

a book about the Station Nightclub 

fire and had a 2,500-word article 

published in The Chronicle of Higher 

Education about the night, during 

the 1968 Columbia disturbances, 

that Professor Orest Ranum’s papers 

were set afire. The research I 

did for the Ranum piece was fa- 

cilitated by a thing widely blamed 

for destroying newspapers: the 

Internet. I found a treasure trove 

of information on websites such as 

www.columbia1968.com. I got in 

touch with Mark rudd by e-mail. 

I used the Internet telephone service 

Skype to interview Professor 

Ranum at his summer home in 

Villefranche-de-Panat, France.” 

Congratulations to Michael 

rothfeld, the recipient of the 2010 

Alexander Hamilton Medal (to be 

presented on November 18 at the 

Alexander Hamilton Award Dinner, 

an annual black-tie event held 

in Low Rotunda). The medal, the 

highest honor paid to a member of 

the Columbia College community, 

is awarded annually by the Columbia 

College Alumni Association to 

an alumnus/a or faculty member 

for distinguished service to the 

College and accomplishment in 

any field of endeavor. 

As reported in the “Around the 

Quads” section of the September/ 

October CCT, Mike, a 1970–71 

victor hertz ’70 is president and cEo of legal 

language services. 


50 

International Fellow at SIPA, is a 

University Trustee and a CCAA 

board member. He is a former chair 

of the Columbia College Board of 

Visitors and also has served on the 

advisory board of the Journalism 

School’s Knight-Bagehot Program 

in business and financial journalism. 

A theatrical producer and 

private equity investor, Mike has 

been an associate editor of Fortune, 

assistant to the chairman and CEO 

of Time, an investment banking v.p. 

of Salomon Brothers, a managing 

director in the investment banking 

division of The First Boston Corp. 

and, through private corporations, a 

general partner of Bessemer Capital 

Partners and Bessemer Holdings. 

He was a director of The Overhead 

Door Corp., Graphic Controls Corp. 

(non-executive chair) and Kelly Oil 

& Gas. He was a member in 1979 

of the first cultural delegation from 

the United States to the People’s 

Republic of China. Mike received 

the Drama Desk and Outer Critics 

Circle awards and was nominated 

for a Tony for the revival of Gore 

Vidal’s The Best Man. His production 

company received the Lucille Lortel 

Award for the New York revival of 

Our Town. He also is a director of 

The Jed Foundation and a trustee of 

Second Stage theater. Mike is married 

to Ella M. Foshay ’71 GSAS, ’79 

GSAS, who holds a Ph.D. in art history. 

They are the parents of Ella M. 

Foshay-Rothfeld ’06 and Augusta F. 

Foshay-Rothfeld ’08. 

The vitality of this column re- 

quires participation, especially since 

it is frustrating for me to e-mail 

requests for news that often go 

unanswered. You can send me your 

news or your reflections on our College 

years by e-mail or via Facebook 

or LinkedIn. Maybe our class can 

form a group on these sites. 

70 

leo g. Kailas 

Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt 

885 Third Ave, 20th Fl. 


lkailas@reitlerlaw.com 

It is with regret that I report the 

passing on October 20, 2009, of 

stephen g. plummer, who was a 

chairman and CEO in Crumpler, 

N.C. 

I also wish to report on a new 

feature at the CCT website. There 

is a “Contact Us” button on the 

homepage (college.columbia.edu/ 

cct) that opens to a link that allows 

readers to submit a Class Note directly 

to me from the site (college. 

columbia.edu/cct/submit_class_ 

note). Select our class year from the 

pulldown menu. Please report any 

newsworthy items. 

danny feldman reported at 

reunion that he is leaving his 

position at the Office of the State 

Comptroller to become a professor 

at John Jay College. bernie Josefsberg 

continues as superintendent 

of schools for Leonia, N.J., public 

schools. victor hertz is president 

and CEO of Legal Language 

Services, and peter sugar keeps 

matters in order for NYC Mayor 

Michael Bloomberg at the Office 

of Management and Budget. I also 

had a nice conversation with Joel 

Mintz, a professor at Nova Southeastern 

University Shepard Broad 

School of Law, regarding the BP 

oil spill and its effects on environmental 

regulation in this country. 

Finally, richard goodman retired 

in April as CFO of PepsiCo. 

Please keep me in mind when 

you have news to report. 



ALuMNI AFFAIRs Ken Catandella 

kmc103@columbia.edu 

212-851-7430 

DEVELOPMENT Heather Hunte 

hh15@columbia.edu 

212-851-7957 

71 

Jim shaw 

139 North 22nd St. 


jes200@columbia.edu 

Mitch orfuss: “Life is good. After 

a not-very Mad Men career in advert- 

ising for 35 years, during most of 

which my wife, Kate, and I and kids, 

Kathryn ’11 Georgetown and Stuart 

’14 Lynchburg College, lived two


miles from campus, I am happily 

at work for a company I became 

acquainted with and joined forces 

with during my agency career, a 

professional-services firm that applies 

technology and scale to print 

production, which is as analog a 

business as you are likely to find. 

“That, and my wife’s return to 

health from leukemia following a 

stem-cell transplant in 2008, have 

been rejuvenating for me. 

“Though a recent diagnosis 

of arthritis in my feet has put a 

voluntary end to my daily runs, I 

still work out conscientiously (or 

is it compulsively?) and read as if 

I still had reading lists — if with 

less pressure and intensity (though 

perhaps better analytic ability!). 

And so, in unexpected ways, my 

Columbia life seems more present 

to me now than it did then, and 

certainly more than it was in the 

first 10 or 20 years after graduation. 

I suspect that Columbia had 

as incalculable an effect on my 

classmates (I knew so few of you, 

unfortunately) as it did on me, and 

I am very lucky for it. Wishing all 

the best to the Class of ’71.” 

Mark silverman: “After a long 

silence, here I am. After CU, I attended 

University of Connecticut 

medical school (Mike Kempster 

and I were classmates) followed by 

training at Yale and New England 

Deaconess in anatomic pathology. 

“Being in the right place at 

the right time, I met and married 

Susan Mohr (Silverman) ’72 Barnard 

after a chance meeting at the 

Barnard library. 

“Being in the right place, again, 

I became the founder and chair 

of the department of pathology 

at Lahey Clinic outside of Boston 

when the new hospital was built 

in 1980. My solo department has 

grown into a large and sophisticated 

pathology group. 

“We settled in Newton, Mass., 

where we have lived for almost 30 

years, raising three great kids along 

the way. Jill, our oldest, is an attorney 

at Goldman Sachs after spending 

four years at Paul Weiss. She’s done 

well despite being handicapped 

with a B.A. from Yale. It felt a little 

strange hearing about her working 

with some of my classmates, but everyone 

was really nice to her, proving 

to me once again how wonderful 

our years at Columbia were. 

“My son David ’09 Business saw 

the light and attended Columbia 

for a M.B.A., recovering from his 

Harvard follies. He is now one of 

those ‘guys’ and works at Eagle 

Capital in New York. 

“Our youngest, Billy, is a charming 

young man who knows how to 

enjoy himself as he looks for a job 

after finishing Emory last spring. 

He also lives in New York. Anyone 

looking for a multi-talented and 

charming young man who has 

a strong working knowledge of 

ancient Greek and Latin, look no 

further. 

“My only Columbia regrets have 

been not being able to stay in touch 

with more of the class over the years. 

If you’re in Boston, give us a call!” 

david Margulies: “I am a 

research scientist at the National 

Institute of Allergy and Infectious 

Diseases of the National Institutes 

of Health, where my major interest 

is in understanding the function 

and structure of various molecules 

expressed on the cell surface that 

regulate the immune system. 

“I pretty much have the same 

position that I’ve had for the last 25 

or 30 years, though I have retired 

from my position as an officer in 

the Public Health Service and now 

have an appointment in the Senior 

Biomedical Research Service. Of 

course, the research changes and 

draws me into new approaches 

and new problems. 

“My connection to Columbia 

has been reinforced since our son, 

Dan ’13, a chemical physics major, 

is a student. This past summer, 

Dan worked in the laboratory of 

Nicholas Turro, who taught one 

semester of my organic chemistry 

class in 1969! I guess some things 

don’t change. 

“When visiting Dan this summer, 

I got a tour of the lecture halls 

in Havemeyer (exactly the same 

as ’67–’71) and the new labs there 

as well. 

“The Columbia chemistry connection 

continued recently at the 

NIH, when I attended a seminar 

given by Charles Cantor (now at 

Boston University and founder of 

some four biotech companies), who 

taught a graduate biochemistry 

course I took in 1971 and was an 

adviser of mine. After the seminar, I 

talked with Cantor, reminding him 

that I had taken his course almost 

40 years ago. He asked my name, 

and promptly replied, ‘Oh yes, I 

remember the name.’ (Whether he 

really remembered or was being 

politically astute, I can’t say.) 

“We’ve made a few trips from 

Maryland to New York, rediscovering 

the vitality of the Upper West 

Side, and allowing us to connect 

with some old friends, particularly 

Joe Mandel, who lives in New 

York. The last reunion sparked connections 

with my freshman/sophomore 

roommate, rick Marsh, with 

whom I met up with again last year 

in D.C., as well as several others. 

“I continue to have a charmed 

existence, married now more than 

30 years to Donna Vogel (a recent 

Jeopardy! champion) and following 

the progress of our older son, 

Ben, as he applies his chemistry 

background to enology and viticulture 

at several Virginia wineries. I 

enthusiastically look forward to the 

reunion in June.” 

Ah, yes! Reunion! Earlier in the 

evening that I wrote this, I attended 

(by phone) a Reunion Committee 

meeting. There are lots of ideas 

under consideration to take advantage 

of both Columbia and New 

York. A few years ago the Alumni 

Office incorporated Dean’s Day into 

reunion, offering even more activities 

and the opportunity to attend 

lectures on Saturday by Columbia 

professors. 

I always have a great time at 

reunion, with both old friends and 

new. Our class always has a strong 

turnout. See ya there, Thursday, 

June 2–Sunday, June 5. Mark your 

calendars now. 

72 


51 

paul s. appelbaum 

39 Claremont Ave., #24 


pappel1@aol.com 

david ricks, a self-described “delinquent 

classmate,” brought us 

up-to-date on what’s been happening 

in his life. “I work at the National 

Institutes of Health in Rockville, 

Md. Our multicultural family now 

includes two daughters (U.S.), wife 

Fatima (Somalia), two sons-in-law 

(U.S., Costa Rica), two sons (Canada, 

U.S.) and two grandkids (U.S./Costa 

Rica). Recent Columbia contacts 

include opera critic John Yohalem 

’71, zymoglyphic sculptor Jim 

stewart and art curator peter frank. 

I am enjoying ‘The Adventures of 

David and Fatima’ more than ever, 

still learning, growing and looking 

forward to what’s next.” 

“As for me,” writes colin petz, 

“I returned to Columbia in 1976 

after graduating with a barely 

earned B.A. I then studied calculus, 

organic chem and other non-lyrical 

forms of poetry, and became a 

physician at the fermented age 

of 33. At 55, I entered Harvard 

through the back door, while 

practicing medicine in Massachusetts, 

and reenacted sophomore 

year, sharing after-class beers and 

philosophical diversions with the 

clear-eyed Harvard cognoscenti. I 

loved it. These digressions aside, 

‘Quantum Columbia,’ as I now 

imagine her, can no longer be 

located, by me at least, precisely in 

space-time without losing a sense 

of her momentum. Perhaps she 

has leapt ahead of the space-time 

conundrum altogether, into that 

void we feel somewhere behind 

our eyes. Perhaps she’s observing 

us as we look backwards futilely 

to recapture the experience of her. 

Sometimes I worry about us both 

and recall the inscription at Delphi 

carved three millennia ago: ‘Know 

thyself.’ And I mean both you and 

me, beloved Columbia, entangled 

as we are! Can we summon when 

needed the wisdom of Athena 

from the persona secreted in the 

folds of your gown? I’ll meet you 

on top of the library steps.” 

John Miller spent the summer 

hiking many state parks in 

Ohio and West Virginia, and was 

introduced by a good friend to 

the world of Renaissance Faires. 

“We attended one near Cleveland 

during the summer, and we will 

be going to one in Cincinnati in 

October. We dress in the period 

and immerse ourselves in the fun 

of the period. I probably will forever 

introduce my wife to people 

as My Lady. Anyone who hasn’t 

gone to a ‘Ren Faire’ should try it. 

To really enjoy it, you must at least 

rent an outfit there to join in the 

merriment. Being dressed in the 

period leads to much more interaction 

with others. Costumes vary 

from peasants to nobility, pirates, 

barbarians, knights, etc.” 

John will be visiting NYC this 

December (anyone interested in 

connecting with John during his 

visit can contact me for information). 

“My Lady has never seen 

New York, and I’m looking forward 

to showing her New York at Christmas. 

Is there a more beautiful place 

than that? And of course there will 

be ice skating,” he says. 

Some news shorts: sean wilentz 

has a new book out that had a 

great review in The New York Times 

Sunday book section in early 

September. It’s called Bob Dylan in 

America, and it’s about … well, you 

know. Mark roe, the David Berg 

Professor of Law at Harvard Law 

School, spent the fall semester as a 

visiting scholar at the Law School. 

(Isn’t David Berg the guy who used 

to draw the “Lighter Side” cartoons 

for Mad Magazine?) 

73 

barry Etra 

1256 Edmund Park Dr. NE 

Atlanta, GA 30306 

betra1@bellsouth.net 

As the seasons go ’round and 

’round (and CCT does the same), I 

remind everyone there is a time lag 

between submission of notes and 

seeing them in print; if I receive 

notes directly after a column is sent 

in, that could be as much as four 

months, a consequence of the CCT 

publishing schedule. Sorry! 

richard dorfman’s first feature 

film, Pictures of Lilly, won an Award 

of Merit at the Indie Fest in La Jolla, 

Calif. Richard’s production company 

is Zenoir Productions. He was seeking 

distribution for the film and 

creating his own website when his 

e-mail arrived in July. 

allen schill has lived in Torino, 

Italy, for 14 years, with the last few 

on Superga, the mountain that


overlooks the city and offers a magnificent 

view. Allen got his Italian 

driver’s license years back, but he 

prefers to cycle whenever it’s reasonable. 

He’s been devoting himself to 

photography since the early ’80s, 

mostly still-life, mostly black and 

white. Allen taught photography for 

15 years at CUNY, was an assistant 

to Irving Penn years ago and has 

had numerous exhibitions. His website, 

which he shares with his wife, 

Stefania Levi (a fine photographer 

in her own right), is impressive: 

http://2you.it/levischill. There are 

samples of Allen’s art (self-described 

as “Joseph Cornell channeling Samuel 

Beckett”), his wife’s and many 

of his learned musings on other 

matters, both art-related and non-. 

Interesting reading. 

More would be better. E-mail 

with impunity! 

74 

fred bremer 

532 W. 111th St. 


fbremer@pclient.ml.com 

They say that if you wait long 

enough, everything goes full circle. 

This certainly seems to be the case 

on Morningside Heights. Many in 

the class bemoaned the loss of The 

Gold Rail (the famous “jock bar” 

on 111th and Broadway) and what 

many said was the best burger 

in the area. It was replaced in the 

mid-1970s by a Chinese restaurant 

and more recently by Tomo, a Japanese 

restaurant. Just as the new 

school year started, the circle was 

completed. In the place where The 

Gold Rail once stood, Mel’s Burger 

Bar has emerged. And yes, it has 

the best burger in the neighborhood 

and even serves more than 

70 types of beer. As said in The Lion 

King, “The circle of life!” 

Some of my ramblings in the 

last column brought responses 

from several classmates. Mention 

of Sherry Glied (wife of richard 

briffault) being appointed to a post 

in the Obama administration reminded 

Dr. steve decherney that 

he had Sherry as a health economics 

professor while he was doing 

a master’s of public health at the 

Mailman School of Public Health 

many moons ago. He wrote, “She 

was an excellent teacher. We did 

not realize the connection until the 

end of the semester, and it did not 

help my grade (B+).” Steve adds, “I 

retired briefly about two years ago. 

It was terrible.” So now he is teaching, 

seeing patients half-time, is an 

s.v.p. at MedAssurant in Bowie, 

Md., is consulting on healthcare 

investments and is on some boards 

in the United States and the United 

Kingdom. “Good to be overworked 

again. Honestly,” Steve says. 

The column item about class- 

mates with young children brought 

a response from dave black in 

Raleigh, N.C. He reminds us that he 

claims the record of the “first child 

produced by our class mantle.” 

(His son Chris was born in January 

1971, and son Bryan came along in 

May 1976, just as he was graduating 

from the Graduate School of Architecture, 

Planning and Preservation.) 

Dave adds, “Despite this early start, 

my first grandchild is not due until 

November of this year. I guess my 

sons learned something from my 

experience. It was, however, nice 

to have an empty nest in my early 

40s. I can’t imagine running after a 

young one at our age.” 

We’ll see how well “gramps” 

does at chasing his grandchild during 

the inevitable babysitting! 

Within an hour of receiving the 

e-mail from architect Dave, another 

architect in the class contacted me. 

peter budeiri, owner of Peter Bu - 

deiri + Associates in lower Manhattan, 

was just checking in, but it 

was good to hear that construction 

projects had started again after a 

year’s slowdown following the 

financial crisis. Peter and his wife, 

who is his partner at the firm, live 

up the Hudson in Irvington, N.Y. 

From the West Coast, Mark 

goldstein sends details of what 

he has been up to during the past 

third of a century. Mark got an 

M.B.A. from the Business School 

and went to work for Citibank. 

However, fairly soon he decided 

“to give the Bay Area a chance” 

and moved west. In 1979, Mark 

joined Chevron in its information 

technology department and 

gradually became one of its senior 

project managers. After almost 30 

years, Mark retired in late 2008. He 

and his wife, Jane, have a son, Sam 

(26), who followed in his dad’s 

footsteps. Sam is in Portland, Ore., 

building high-volume websites. 

Their daughter, Emily (24), recently 

returned from a year teaching in 

Japan and has started a graduate 

program in English. Mark is 

spending his free time hiking in the 

hills near his home in the East Bay, 

traveling around the United States 

and doing a lot of history reading. 

A short note from chris hansen 

in London tells us that he recently 

was installed as the master of his 

Masonic Lodge. I will spare you 

the details, but a health problem 

had him in the hospital just as 

his installation was about to take 

place. After much pleading with 

his doctor, Chris gained permission 

to slip out for a few hours. “After 

preparing for that night for five 

years, I would be damned if I was 

going to let a doctor keep me from 

enjoying it,” he wrote. 

Dr. Mark seredowych sends his 

greetings to one and all from Santa 

Fe, N.M., where he has a primary 

care internal medicine practice. 

He says, “No awards, no plaques, 

no honorary anythings here, just, 

as the French say, le toubib du 

coin (doctor on the corner).” He 

passes on that his son, Julien (20), 

is studying acting at the University 

of Santa Fe, and his daughter, 

Gabrielle (17), is at the University 

of British Columbia, also in theater. 

He asked me for updates on bob 

heimer and steve dworkin, so I’ll 

find out more on them for a future 

column. 

There you have it. The virtual 

mailbag is always thin during the 

summer months but we still heard 

from classmates around the country 

and even one living abroad. 

With the arrival of chillier weather, 

I hope that more of you find 

yourself inside with time to dash 

off an update on what’s happening 

in your life. 

75 


52 

randy nichols 

734 S. Linwood Ave. 

Baltimore, MD 21224 

rcn16@columbia.edu 

paul argenti, professor of corporate 

communications at Dartmouth’s 

Tuck School of Business, was 

quoted in a New York Post article 

about Goldman Sachs’ recent 

image-repair p.r. efforts, including 

discussions to have the CEO appear 

on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Paul 

said that Goldman should instead 

explain to customers that the bank 

serves a purpose beyond lining its 

own pockets, as its value to society 

is what is being questioned. 

James c. finkenstaedt Jr., a 

former Boston Globe editor on 

the international desk, died in 

Paris last year. “Clem,” as he was 

known to his family and friends, 

was a consummate journalist who 

dedicated his life to the public’s 

right to know and the betterment 

of journalism. His career took 

him from the Asbury Park Press to 

the Agence France Press, to the 

International Herald Tribune in Paris 

and finally to the international 

desk of the Boston Globe, a position 

from which he recently had retired. 

Jim was known for his courteous, 

hospitable, welcoming and open 

nature. Our condolences and best 

wishes go to his wife, Elizabeth, 

and their four children. 

Years later, victims of Hurricane 

Katrina are still recovering from 

her wake, and some have received 

assistance from a classmate in 

an unusual way. The Appraisal 

Group, under the direction of 

david J. goldberg, has negotiated 

nearly 150 settlements in the 

New Orleans area and recently 

has finished appraisals in Texas 

and Washington state as well. 

The group’s most recent success 

resulted in a client selling an inherited 

painting that she thought was 

worth $500 for more than $100,000 

at a major Western art auction. 

(You can read success stories and 

more about the Appraisal Group 

at www.appraisalgroupusa.com.) 

While at Columbia, David worked 

the auction rooms. Sotheby’s 

had not bought Parke-Bernet on 

Madison Avenue yet, and the art 

and antiques world was quite 

different. He worked with William 

Doyle on East 87th Street and also 

at Tepper Galleries. David says that 

his Columbia experience certainly 

was important in the development 

of his skills as an appraiser. He is a 

member of the Certified Appraisers 

Guild of America and has an 

affiliate in Los Angeles. 

The June New York Law Journal 

included a lengthy article, “Married, 

Filing Jointly? Same-Sex 

Marriages and New York Taxes,” 

co-authored by Joseph lipari and 

Deborah Silverman Herman, a 

partner of Joe’s at Roberts & Holland. 

While I’m not a New York 

resident and not planning to get 

married anytime soon, I still read 

with interest. I’ll also be passing 

the article along to some friends! 

Joseph tibaldi has practiced 

endocrinology in Queens for more 

than 20 years and is the director of 

endocrinology at Flushing Hospital 

Medical Center. Accompanied 

by his wife of 32 years, Jane McWilliams 

’77 Barnard, Joseph recently 

had the opportunity to lecture and 

vacation in China. While in Hong 

Kong, he looked up former Carman 

suitemate Peter Boczar ’76. 

They had not seen each other in 35 

years but kept in touch, and they 

had a wonderful time recounting 

memories of Columbia. They, of 

course, discussed impacts of their 

Columbia experiences and agreed 

that the experience of learning 

from professors who actually led 

and lived history in their respective 

fields was absolutely priceless. 

In the last issue, I told you 

a little about Alumni Reunion 

Weekend 2010, but have more to 

report. I hope I didn’t give you 

the impression that I was the only 

one to receive a Dean’s Pin. (I 

recently had mine delivered to me 

by proxy.) Receiving theirs from 

Dean Michele Moody-Adams 

were paul argenti, glenn bacal, 

barry berger, louis dalaveris, Jim 

dolan, steve Jacobs, bob Katz, 

charles lindsay, ira Malin, walter 

ricciardi, bob schneider, wayne 

turner and richard witten. terry 

Mulry’s was awarded in absentia. 

Classmates came from far and 

near (well, mainly near New York 

City) and brought family and 

friends. Since I couldn’t make it, 

I have to rely on other eyes and 

ears “on the ground” to report. I


had hoped to come home with a 

notebook full of news and things 

to include in these notes, but will 

have to rely on you all to send me 

updates. Please send e-mails! 

Elizabeth, Roberta and richard 

barnett and barry pinchoff came 

in from Long Island. 

barry berger, Tamar and gary 

brill, Stacey and gene davis (and 

clan — I fondly remember sitting 

with you all at the Alexander 

Hamilton Award Dinner a few 

years ago), ben greene and albert 

Mrozik represented New Jersey. 

Coming from farther away 

were Jim dolan from Maryland 

(my fellow Balti-moron), peter 

garza-Zavaleta (Florida), Sue and 

gerry Keating (Florida), Jeff Kessler 

(Virginia), Glenda and tom 

Quarnstrom (where are you these 

days? I don’t seem to have a current 

address), Joyce and Jeff retig 

(Pennsylvania) and Ken scherzer 

(Tennessee — hey Ken, I’m working 

at a Banner school now). 

david gawarecki (Connecticut 

— what parking schemes do you 

have when you come to campus?), 

steve Krasner (Rhode Island) and 

Patricia and paul Kulig (Vermont) 

were down from New England. 

And, no surprise, the largest 

contingent was from the New York 

Metro area: bert grossman ’75E; 

steve Jacobs; Jane and bob Katz; 

Helaine and stew lazow; Fern, 

Maxwell, Sally, Susan and charlie 

lindsay; robert lopez; Janet 

Serle and ira Malin (city dwellers 

again); peter Mccann; steve Miller; 

Jacqueline and Joseph pober; 

Clara and walter riccardi; Regina 

Mullahy and bob schneider; rick 

shur; Mitch stein; wayne turner; 

Nancy Jane and floyd warren; and 

Lisa and richard witten. 

If I missed anyone, got a location 

wrong or made any other errors 

in the above, forgive me (and 

send updates)! 



ALuMNI AFFAIRs Taruna sadhoo 

tds2110@columbia.edu 

212-851-7849 

DEVELOPMENT sam Boyer 

sb3029@columbia.edu 

212-851-7452 

76 

clyde Moneyhun 

Boise State University 

Department of English 

200 Liberal Arts Building 

1910 University Dr. 

Boise, ID 83725 

clydemoneyhun@ 

boisestate.edu 

The only news I’ll report this time 

is mine: I’ve moved to a new job in 

a new town. It was strange leaving 

Stanford and the Bay Area for the 

wilds of Idaho, but it’s a happy 

move to a progressive, growing 

university in a terrific town (one 

of those places that appears on 

“top 10 cities to live in” lists in 

magazines). I left administration in 

a provost’s office to go back onto 

a tenure line in an English department, 

where I’ll pick up research 

again, teach undergrads and grads, 

and share admin work with colleagues. 

Specifically, I’m directing 

both the writing center and the 

university’s writing-across-thecurriculum 

efforts. 

My wife, Nancy, is teaching antebellum 

American lit in the department; 

my son Jesse (15) is attending 

her alma mater, Boise H.S.; and my 

son Gabriel (8) is in the third grade 

at Lowell Elementary, which is a de 

facto international school from absorbing 

so many recent immigrants 

from Eastern Europe and Africa, 

notably Somalia. 

Please note my new contact information, 

at the top of the column. 

And please send your items along 

for future columns. 

77 

david gorman 

111 Regal Dr. 

DeKalb, IL 60115 

dgorman@niu.edu 

steve caley extends greetings to 

everyone. He lives in Westchester 

and works in NYC, where he’s 

been with Kelley Drye & Warren 

for many years and is a partner 

in the litigation department. “My 

practice focuses on complex business 

and commercial litigation 

and advertising-related litigation,” 

Steve explains, noting further that 

his wife, Bonnie, is a Law School 

alum. “Our oldest daughter graduated 

from Dartmouth last year and 

lives and works in the Boston area. 

Her sister is a junior at Northwestern. 

In recent years, I have been 

bitten by the golf bug. Fortunately 

for me, golf is one of the few activities 

that one can do poorly and still 

enjoy tremendously.” 

Like the rest of us (if more poetically), 

Steve finds it hard to believe 

how much time has passed since 

“our halcyon days on Morningside 

Heights.” 

I was pleased to hear from david 

rothkopf and even more pleased 

that my e-mail dunning him for 

news gave him a break from his 

latest book project. “After having 

had a media company in New 

York, I was asked to join the Clinton 

administration in 1993 as deputy 

under secretary of commerce for 

international trade policy. When I 

left in 1996, I was acting under secretary 

of commerce for international 

trade, in which I oversaw all the 

department’s international trade 

promotion and enforcement activities. 

From there, I did a couple years 


53 

as managing director of Kissinger 

Associates and then founded a company, 

Intellibridge, which provided 

open-source intelligence to the U.S. 

government and companies. After 

that company was sold, I started 

what has become Garten Rothkopf, 

an advisory firm co-chaired by 

former dean of the Yale School of 

Management Jeffrey E. Garten. At 

the same time, I’ve been doing a 

lot of writing and academic work. 

I taught for a number of years as 

an adjunct at SIPA, did likewise at 

Georgetown and am now also a 

visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment 

for International Peace.” 

And that, again, is the brief 

report; for more details, you might 

consult the profile of David that 

appeared in the May/June 2008 

issue of CCT (college.columbia. 

edu/cct/may_jun08). Among 

other books, David has written 

Running the World: The Inside Story 

of the National Security Council and 

the Architects of American Power 

and Superclass: The Global Power 

Elite and the World They are Making. 

The book I interrupted, due out 

in 2011, deals with the history 

and the future of the relationship 

between business and government. 

In addition, let it be noted that 

David writes regularly for Foreign 

Policy, among other publications. 

Living in Bethesda, Md., David has 

been able to see former roommate 

Mike oren (Israeli ambassador) 

fairly often. “I’m also in touch with 

another former roommate, andy 

greenspan, although given that 

he is in far-away Florida, I don’t 

get to see him that often. He seems 

to be thriving however, and both 

ex-roommates have managed 

thankfully neither to age nor to 

lose their senses of humor, so when 

I’m with them, I feel like nothing 

has changed at all. (Sometimes 

no change at all is the best kind of 

progress. Oy ... I think I’ve been in 

Washington too long.)” 

David’s wife, Adrean, works for 

Research in Motion, his older daugh- 

ter, Joanna, is studying at the Sor- 

bonne, while the younger, Laura, 

“gives me yet another reason to 

think of Columbia regularly, as she 

is starting her sophomore year at 

Barnard, on whose international 

advisory board I now have the 

pleasure of serving.” David adds, 

“I travel constantly, keeping up 

with the world primarily by reading 

Columbia College Today.” 

Updates from all over: The 

aforementioned Mike oren had an 

op-ed piece in The New York Times 

on June 3. Six degrees of richard 

otter: “Me and Barack Obama 

[’83], what’s the connection? My 

wife and Obama both attended 

Punahou School in Hawaii, Obama 

and I attended Columbia for college, 

Obama taught at the Univer- 

sity of Chicago, which I attended 

for grad school. We both lived 

in Hyde Park in Chicago. Now, 

however, he lives in Washington, 

D.C., and I am in Oakland, Calif.” 

(Richard was pursuing an M.A. in 

biochemistry at Chicago, incidentally, 

and has worked since 1997 for 

Bio-Rad Laboratories.) As of this 

writing, bob schuchts is expecting 

an impressive sixth grandchild. 

And adam nortick is proud to announce 

that his daughter, Mariel, 

is a 2010 graduate of the Dental 

School: “Mariel will be doing a 

residency in pediatric dentistry at 

the University of Alabama, Birmingham,” 

he informs us, and also 

that he will henceforth be known 

as “Papa Doc.” 

78 

Matthew nemerson 

35 Huntington St. 

New Haven, CT 06511 

mnemerson@snet.net 

The bright blue sky shines over the 

red brick of Morningside Heights as 

the latest college ratings (which in 

other circles we are supposed to say 

mean nothing and use an obscure 

and unfathomable methodology) 

have moved Columbia up to No. 4 

in U.S. News & World Report’s large 

university standings. [Editor’s note: 

See Campus News in “Around the 

Quads.”] This is a great achievement 

for our president and the 

power of a good set of strategies, 

fundraising and the ascendency of 

New York City as the global city 

and alma mater as its muse. 

Anyway, for those of us going 

along for the ride it’s nice to see. 

robert crochelt writes, “I’ve always 

been amazed by your staying 

power [as your humble scribe, no 

doubt, Bob would have no clue as 

to any other sorts of staying power] 

and also by the amazing things 

manage your 

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online, you can help us 

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dr. Francis Collini ’78 leads Surgical teams to ecuador 

two years ago, in Ecuador, 

a 9-year-old boy who had 

stepped on a nail came 

to Dr. Francis Collini ’78. The 

neglected wound had become 

chronically infected, and the only 

cure was a below-the-knee amputation. 

“He had a small tear in his 

eye,” Collini says, “but he bright- 

ened up and said ‘That’s OK, 

doc. I know I’m gonna be successful 

even with one leg. Because 

my pediatrician has one 

leg and he’s a doctor like you. 

So if he can do it, so can I.’ For 

a 9-year-old to have that kind 

of fortitude!” Eighteen months 

later, the boy sent Collini photographs. 

“He’s healed and doing 

great,” Collini says. 

Starting in 1994, Collini has 

made it his mission to lead a 

group of volunteer surgeons 

from America to Ecuador one 

week every summer to do reconstructive 

plastic surgery for 

patients in need. He currently 

takes anywhere from 24–30 

people with him, and the brave, 

one-legged boy is one of more 

than 1,000 people treated by 

Collini or his team. 

Collini initially traveled to 

Ecuador with Hands Healing 

Hearts, an organization he co- 

founded with a surgical colleague. 

After nine years, the 

colleague opted not to continue 

and the organization disbanded. 

A couple of years later, Collini’s 

wife, Susan, urged him to return 

to Ecuador. Collini agreed “on 

one condition,” he says: that 

she organize the trips. 

She accepted, and in 2006, 

the couple founded Community 

Cares for Kids (communitycares 

forkids.org), the current vehicle 

for Collini’s team. 

Cleft lip/palate repair, ear 

some of our classmates did and are 

doing. I practice general surgery 

but given the state of our healthcare 

reform, I am considering attending 

school in Modoc, Calif., to learn 

how to operate railroad locomotives. 

The pay is not as good, but it’s 

cleaner, and you can always strike if 

the government cuts your pay. 

“Alas, the hours are about the 

and burn reconstruction, and 

club foot repair are some of 

the surgeries Community Cares 

for Kids performs. Ecuadorians 

are informed through television 

and newspaper advertisements 

about the team’s arrival and the 

surgical services offered. 

Much of the organization’s 

work concerns transporting 

equipment to the operating theater, 

a naval hospital in the city 

of Guayaquil. (The team stays in 

a nearby hotel.) “Anything in an 

operative field you will need you 

have to bring with you,” Collini 

says. This year he and his team 

flew down 2,300 lbs. of equipment, 

from maxillofacial plates 

to nasal implants to sterile supplies. 

The mammoth inventory 

is overseen by Collini’s mother, 

Cynthia, a nurse. 

Though volunteers constitute 

the entire team, the annual trip 

costs approximately $25,000. 

Funds come from a mixture of 

a small group of regular donors, 

an annual fundraiser and a grant 

from the charitable organization 

SmileTrain (smiletrain.org). 

“Frank’s a gifted surgeon,” 

says Dr. Jaime Morhaim ’78, ’82 

P&S, a bilingual doctor — and 

Collini’s College roommate — 

who accompanies Collini to 

Ecuador as a translator. “There 

aren’t many people in the world 

who can do the reconstructive 

stuff he does. To see him go 

from sitting across the room 

from me studying organic 

chemistry, to this … it’s pretty 

impressive.” He and Collini 

speak several times a week. 

As a high school senior in 

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Collini debated 

between Columbia and 

Fordham. “I was very naïve,” 

he says. “I probably asked 50 

people which college I should 

same. I have left my practice in West 

Virginia and am doing locums sur- 

gery in Alaska and New Mexico, 

both at Native American hospitals. 

The organizations are poorly organized 

and inefficient, but the staff is 

dedicated to providing healthcare, 

and the patients are grateful. I have 

made one trip to Haiti as a volunteer 

surgeon and have another planned 

B y ca s e y PL e t t 


54 

Dr. Francis Collini ’78 operates 

on a child with a cleft palate. 

go to. All 50 said Columbia.” 

And Columbia has followed 

him to Ecuador. Dr. Dave Levens 

’82 P&S is part of the surgical 

team, and Dr. Roy Sheinbaum 

’82 P&S, an anesthesiologist, has 

helped in the past. Collini met 

both in his time at the College. 

Dr. Ray Ortega, a surgeon on the 

team whom Collini knows from 

high school, is an attending at 

P&S now, and Dr. John Andrews 

’89 Dental, who traveled with the 

team two years ago, met Collini 

when he moved to Pennyslvania. 

Collini says he did not seek 

out Columbia people, but colleagues 

he knew from Columbia 

asked to be included as the 

Ecuadorian team grew. “It’s really 

been quite amazing how Columbia 

gets involved,” he says. 

Collini majored in psychology, 

then attended SUNY Downstate 

Medical School in Brooklyn. He 

began his residency at Johns 

Hopkins but left because his 

pursuit of plastic surgery had 

earned scorn from some of the 

other doctors. 

“In those days, [it] was a very 

as I write this. I continue to be blessed 

with excellent health and the 

wonderful companionship of my 

wife, Donna Lynn Smith. I am not 

sure what the future holds but am 

looking forward to an interesting 

2011.” 

alfred g. feliu selflessly notes, 

“The Hon. Joseph a. greenaway 

Jr. was appointed by President 

young field … looked at as quasisurgical,” 

he explains. “I was 

strongly considering going into 

surgical infections and diseases, 

but at the crucial moment I dug 

deep into my guts.” He transferred 

and finished residency at 

the University of Medicine and 

Dentistry of New Jersey. 

After three years with the 

Mayo Clinic followed by six 

months with Hollywood surgeon 

Richard Ellenbogen, Collini 

opened a practice in Shavertown, 

Pa., in 1990, where he and his 

wife raised their children, Lauren, 

23, and Joey, 20. He continues to 

live and run a practice there. 

According to Collini, Ecuador 

has the highest rate of microtia 

(underdevelopment of the ear) 

in the world, along with staggering 

rates of cleft lip/palate 

and burn injuries. While his team 

is in Ecuador, they will triage 

250–300 patients and treat 

about 65 of them. 

“You make the decision that 

moment whether they get the 

surgery,” Morhaim says. “And 

a lot of them can’t.” Not every 

kind of specialist can go down 

every year, and some patients 

have multiple syndromes that 

make treatment beyond the 

organization’s capacity. Also, 

the hosting hospital does not 

have an ICU, prohibiting extended 

treatment beyond one 

overnight stay. “It’s just tragic, 

it’s beyond anything you’ve 

ever seen,” Morhaim says. “But 

you keep going down. Once you 

go, you can’t stop.” 

Collini echoes his longtime 

friend. “I’m going to do it until 

I can’t do it anymore. I really 

enjoy it that much.” 

Casey Plett is a freelance writer 

based in the New York area. 

Obama to the Federal Court of 

Appeals, Third Circuit, in February. 

Joe had been a federal district 

judge for the District of New Jersey 

since 1996.” 

Mark axinn has been “meaning 

to write as I actually do have some 

news worthy of your column. Last 

April, I was elected chair of the 

New York State Libertarian Party.


Dedicated to increasing freedom 

and personal liberty in our lives, the 

Libertarian Party is the country’s 

third largest political party after the 

Democrats and Republicans. 

“This summer, I coordinated a 

petition drive that resulted in 34,000 

signatures being submitted to the 

Board of Elections (we needed 

15,000) for the Libertarian slate in 

New York. We have pro-freedom, 

anti-war candidates running for 

Senate, Congress, governor, lieutenant 

governor, comptroller, attorney 

general and state assembly. 

“The entrenched parties make it 

virtually impossible for independents 

to challenge their hold on 

power. Hopefully my efforts this 

year will make it a bit easier to 

provide voters in New York with a 

choice other than statism and more 

government.” 

Good luck, Mark, and perhaps 

you can tell us what is really happening 

with the Tea Party folks … . 

tom reuter reports, “My wife, 

Grace ’78 Barnard, and I live near 

Albany. In a wonderful turn of 

family planning, this spring we 

will attend our son Tim ’11’s graduation 

followed three days later 

by our son Matthew ’07’s medical 

school graduation at Georgetown. 

The reception and grandparent 

management will probably kill us. 

We never thought about this when 

we decided to hold them back an 

extra year for kindergarten because 

they were too young. 

“Tim is a history major and 

future college professor. He had a 

wonderful time during studyabroad 

at the University of St. Andrews 

in Scotland. He is proud of 

the fact that between his visit to the 

Parthenon museum in Athens and 

the British museum in London, 

he has mastered the first month of 

Art Humanities. Scotland was a 

wonderful experience except for 

the food. ‘Dad,’ he said, ‘if I have 

mutton one more time there will be 

bullets.’ ” 

“So, Mom and Dad agreed to 

meet him for a few days during his 

spring break in a place where the 

food is fabulous, Paris. Everything 

went as expected: The museums 

were crowded, the staff at the store 

was rude, the waiters were attentive, 

but alas, during the spring the 

Parisians serve lamb. No matter, it 

was delicious, one of the best meals 

ever. We all enjoyed touring Paris. 

“Matthew is applying for a 

residency in orthopedics. He was 

away on rotations in orthopedics 

at NewYork Presbyterian/Columbia 

University Medical Center in 

October and at Yale-New Haven 

Hospital in November. So there 

will soon be another Columbia 

Lion residing, at least temporarily, 

in Eli country!” 

And me with the bad back may 

need him! 

Tom’s photo of Columbia men’s 

lacrosse action was published 

in the September 8 Spectator, for 

which he did not receive a photo 

credit. This continues a tradition 

started by his older son, in high 

school, where Tom’s photo credit 

always was turned into “Yearbook” 

or “Development Office.” 

We have a report that Ephraim 

rubenstein was featured at the 

George Billis Gallery, in the Chelsea 

Art District in New York City. 

The gallery features work by both 

national and international emerging 

and established artists. 

And finally, Yale J. reisner has 

the farthest return address for the 

month, as he tells us from Warsaw, 

Poland, what he has been up to. 

“I don’t write much because my 

life makes for dull copy: I haven’t 

changed addresses in 16 years or 

wives — even once! — during the 

last 28. And still the very same 

daughter. Yet every day is new and 

fascinating, thank God. 

“Since our memories aren’t getting 

any better, here’s what all that 

stability has entailed: 

“In 1994, I established the Ronald 

S. Lauder Foundation Genealogy 

Project at Warsaw’s Jewish Historical 

Institute to help Jews with Polish 

roots research their family histories. 

The project grew to include Poles 

discovering Jewish roots and 

Holocaust survivors seeking family 

and people claiming citizenship or 

property; and to consult for NGOs, 

rabbinates, consulates, government 

offices and courts. Facing growing 

demand, the project became the 

Jewish Genealogy & Family History 

Center, funded by the Taube Foundation 

for Jewish Life & Culture, 

with a growing staff and improved 

information technologies. 

“Concurrently, my wife, Helise 

(Anna Przybyszewska Drozd) 

founded the Lauder Morasha 

School, Warsaw’s first Jewish 

school in 45 years. She took the 

school from 18 kids to 240 (pre- 

K–9). Helise now directs the Taube 

Center for the Renewal of Jewish 

Life in Poland, supporting varied 

educational and cultural programs. 

“My daughter, Nitzan (22), left 

Morningside as a shy 5-year-old 

who did not speak any Polish. She’s 

now completing an M.A. at the 

Warsaw School of Social Psychology. 

Her Polish is impeccable and 

her shyness has given way to a 

vibrant social life. 

“Anyone headed to Warsaw — or 

with Polish Jewish roots — can drop 

me a line: familyheritage@jhi.pl.” 

Yale, that sounds anything but 

dull and in fact, is quite impressive. 

And we wrap up with a poem 

of sorts from bruce fraser, “Remodeling 

my ‘fixup’ barn is consuming 

a lot of time. Previously, a 


55 

new start was easy. Spending the 

weekend removing old and rotten 

wood makes me feel like a coal 

miner. Old friends drop by and see 

me in the pine barrens, where the 

sand is flat and there are more pine 

trees than anywhere on earth.” 

Thank you Bruce, you sound like 

Charles Kuralt. 

We are all happy and healthy 

here in New Haven, although the 

trajectory of the world leaves us 

perplexed and saddened much of 

the time. Still, if Columbia taught 

us anything it must be that human 

spirit, intelligence and humor can 

overcome the presence of human 

greed, arrogance and stupidity. I 

just can’t remember if that happened 

in history class or the study 

of the novel. Oh well, write soon 

with your point of view. 

79 

robert Klapper 

8737 Beverly Blvd., Ste 303 

Los Angeles, CA 90048 

rklappermd@aol.com 

Musical updates from brewer 

shettles bring news that “Indie 

label Liquid Fusion Records is 

releasing two CDs and two singles 

for entry into upcoming 53rd 

Grammy Awards: Liquid Fusion 

– Psychedelic Blues; Liquid Fusion/ 

The Kitchen – NYC Rock Vol 1; 

Liquid Fusion – a rock instrumental; 

The Shiningest Star – upbeat 

dance/rock blues instrumental. 

Listen free at liquidfusion.com. 

“Making a push for serious longterm 

capital investors, as we wish 

to integrate music, clothing design 

and film all under the power of our 

brand, Liquid Fusion. Labor of love! 

We’re listened to globally via our 

free online players. Nice to think 

we’re helping bring peace and good 

vibes to heal a very troubled world: 

United States, China, Russia, Iran, 

Europe ... .” 

I’m trying to learn the ukulele, 

any advice? 

In June, glen savits was elected 

v.p. of The National Employment 

Lawyers Association. NELA is the 

largest plaintiff employment bar in 

the country. The national organization 

and its affiliates have more 

than 3,000 attorney members. 

How many hours of billing is 

that? 

Architect Matthew a. peckham 

reports, “Work is slower these 

days. I am not sure if it’s a good 

thing or bad thing. I am approaching 

the decade mark at my firm 

and begin my ninth year as an 

adjunct professor of architecture 

at the New Jersey Institute of 

Technology School of Architecture. 

Teaching constantly reminds you 

of how much you don’t know. 

“Family is good: daughter Emily 

(12 going on 19) is a straight-A 

student entering the seventh grade. 

She’s tall, 5-foot-8, a mad rebounder 

and starting to knock down the short 

jumper for her traveling team. (Columbia 

is in her early choices of colleges 

but that’s five years away. Let’s 

get through high school first.) My 

lovely spouse, Carolyn, continues 

her work with physically challenged 

children for the NYC Board of Education. 

Daily exercise is keeping the 

stress and old age at bay, but those 

old wrestling injuries remind me 

that I am not 18 anymore. 

“I hope that this missive finds all 

our classmates happy and healthy. 

Peace.” 

Matthew, my next book is called 

Stop Exercising, You’re Killing Yourself. 

Keep that in mind, all you exercise 

nuts! 

steven h. shapiro, general 

counsel and corporate secretary of 

Cole Taylor Bank, was appointed cochairman 

of the national Small- and 

Mid-Cap Companies Committee for 

the Society of Corporate Secretaries 

and Governance Professionals. Earlier 

this year, Steven was appointed 

to the organization’s national Public 

Advocacy Committee and recently 

completed a second term as president 

of the society’s Chicago chapter. 

The society was founded in 1946, 

and has more than 3,100 members 

representing approximately 2,500 

companies. Its members deal with 

public disclosure under the securities 

laws and matters affecting corporate 

governance. The Small- and 

Mid-Cap Companies Committee 

works to support the unique governance 

needs of smaller companies 

through teleconferences, webcasts 

and a group-specific intranet. 

I’d like to describe my belly as 

small- or mid-cap. Welcome to 

middle age. 

Dr. robert c. Klapper: Being a 

surgeon in Hollywood these last 

21 years has led to, as you might 

imagine, taking care of quite a few 

well known movie and TV stars. 

I would be lying if I didn’t admit 

that it is quite entertaining to be 

their doctor. 

Now, keep in mind, I have a 

young office staff working around 

me, and sometimes I am the only 

one who gets excited when a major 

personality walks through the door, 

like Tony Danza (this isn’t a HIPPA 

violation because one of his recent 

office visits with me is on his blog, 

Daily Danza, dailydanza.com). 

I share this with you because 

recently I was taking a history from 

a new patient whom I could not 

stop looking at, wondering why 

he looked so familiar. His occupation 

was not actor, but rather music 

composer. The exam continued 

until all of a sudden I turned to him 

and said, “Wait a minute, you were 

Robbie in My Three Sons!” (His one 

truly legendary role, in my opinion.


Lou Orfanella ’82 was one of 

several students who spent time 

this summer with Professor Karl- 

Ludwig Selig discussing Selig’s 

history and his favorite subject, 

Cervantes. 

This was a hip violation because 

that’s what was hurting.) He then 

looked at me and said, “Very good, 

Dr. Klapper!” I then turned with 

excitement to tell my staff, who 

replied, “What’s My Three Sons?” 

Thank God I have this column 

to share my excitement with somebody. 

Dada dah dah daaaaah, 

dahhhhhhhmmmmmmm. 

80 

Michael c. brown 

London Terrace Towers 

410 W. 24th St., Apt. 18F 


mcbcu80@yahoo.com 

The fall has been wonderful this 

year in New York City, and I have 

been watching a lot of football 

games. Our Lions have shown 

some brilliance but still are a work 

in progress. It was great to see 

many of you at Homecoming, 

and the highlight of the weekend 

was the Athletics Hall of Fame 

dinner. While no one from the 

Class of ’80 was inducted, shawn 

fitzgerald had the honor of presenting 

Bill Steinman, Columbia’s 

distinguished statistician, with his 

award for service to the University. 

Remarkably, “Stats” has been a 

fixture with Athletics since 1970. 

Speaking of football, I have had 

the privilege of seeing super-lawyer 

dave Maloof at many of the New 

York Jets home games this season. 

In addition to keeping our seas safe 

for travel, Dave is an avid Jets fan 

and a longtime season ticket holder. 

The new stadium and good play 

made for an exciting season. 

Our annual baseball old-timers 

event was attended by Eric blattman, 

shawn fitzgerald and me. 

They don’t call it “old-timers” for 

no reason, as many of us got a 

step slower since last season. The 

new baseball stadium is a thing of 

beauty, and you should make an 

effort to get up to the Baker Athlet- 

ics Complex in the spring for a 

game. [Editor’s note: See Roar Lion 

Roar in “Around the Quads” for 

more on the new Satow Stadium.] 

Josh stolow, super-doc from 

San Antonio, had a wonderful 

evening with legendary Professor 

Jacques Barzun ’27. For those who 

do not remember, Professor Barzun 

is responsible for all of us taking 

Lit Hum. He spoke of his life 

and career as a historian and his 

relationship with Columbia. Josh 

said at 103, Professor Barzun was 

as sharp as a tack and that he has 

forgotten more than most people 

will learn in a lifetime. 

Best wishes to all for a happy 

and healthy holiday season. Drop 

me a line at mcbcu80@yahoo.com. 



ALuMNI AFFAIRs Kimberly Peterson 

knp2106@columbia.edu 

212-851-7872 

DEVELOPMENT sam Boyer 

sb3029@columbia.edu 

212-851-7452 

81 

Jeff pundyk 

20 E. 35th St., Apt. 8D 


jspundyk@gmail.com 

The pitiful number of submissions 

to this column can only mean one 

thing: that you’re saving your best 

and biggest lies for our big reunion 

in June. I understand completely. 

I wouldn’t want to waste a single 

fascinating story here when you 

can be telling it in person to that 

guy. You know, that guy. That guy 

from your dorm who just kind of 

showed up. Maybe he showed 

up at the dining hall or maybe he 

showed up hanging with your 

roommate or maybe he showed 

up just as you were sitting in the 

sun on the Low Steps. You may 

not exactly remember his name or 

even where he showed up, but I 

guarantee you this: He remembers 

you. He remembers things about 

you that you don’t remember. He 

has a bucketful of remembrances 

to share, things that may sound 

vaguely familiar, but frankly, you 

really don’t know what he’s talking 

about or what, for that matter, his 

name is, or whose friend he was. 

But he knows you, for sure, and he 

would love, love, love to meet your 

family and share some of those 

great stories with them, too. When 

he buttonholes you as you stand in 

that long line simply waiting for a 

drink, be kind. Remember, we’re 

all that guy to somebody. 

As a public service, I’m holding 

the single submission I received to 

publish alongside what I’m sure 

will be an avalanche of submissions 

for the next few issues. Send 

early and often to my new e-mail 


56 

address, jspundyk@gmail.com. 

You’ll all be hearing more about 

the reunion from official sources, 

as well as this column, in the coming 

months. 

82 

andrew weisman 

710 Lawrence Ave. 

Westfield, NJ 07090 

weisman@comcast.net 

Greetings, gentlemen. I am filled 

with hubris; my threats have 

borne fruit. Three of our esteemed 

creative classmates took it upon 

themselves to write. 

Checking in first this round was 

John Mastrodimos. Some of you 

may remember John’s excellent submission 

from two years ago, where 

he included some poetry. I was glad 

to hear that he still pursues his passion 

for music. While at the College, 

John was a student by day and a 

punk rocker by night playing clubs 

such as CBGB, Max’s Kansas City 

and the Village Gate. John continues 

to play in a couple of local bands, 

including the Time Bandits, which 

specializes in classic rock covers 

and can be seen pretty regularly in 

local clubs and venues in the North 

Jersey area. Additionally, he spent 

the last year working on an original 

project, Send Dreams. Find them on 

MySpace. Definitely worth a listen! 

Also checking in this period with 

a memorable submission is accomplished 

author lou orfanella: 

“I had the great pleasure this 

summer of spending some inspiring 

time with legendary Columbia 

professor Karl-Ludwig Selig [see 

photo]. While he is slowed physically 

by numerous health concerns, 

his mind and devotion to intellectual 

pursuits are as sharp as 

they were 30 years ago when he 

stood before us in Hamilton Hall. 

I was pleased to learn that there 

has developed a network of friends 

and admirers, many of whom he 

refers to as his ‘wonderful, loyal 

students’ who visit frequently to 

provide companionship and lend 

a hand tending to his needs. As 

any of us who studied with him, 

or were just aware of his presence 

as part of the fabric of our years on 

Morningside Heights know, he is 

one of the world’s foremost Cervantes 

scholars. I asked him about 

his affinity for Don Quixote, and 

he explained that he has always 

seen himself as a sort of outsider 

starting in his youth. ‘I wore thick 

glasses and had psoriasis. I was 

ugly so nobody wanted to touch 

me,’ he says. As he grew up, with 

his family escaping the Holocaust 

and arriving in America, Professor 

Selig continued to develop what 

he describes as, ‘An interest in the 

topics and matter of “outsiderliness” 

and marginality and the 

right to be different. Don Quixote 

made a point to be different. I have 

devoted a good part of my life to 

the study of Quixote. I assert myself 

as Don Quixote did. I am an individual. 

I am not a conformist.’ To 

this day Professor Selig wears rings 

dedicated to Don Quixote and Sancho 

Panza. More than 20 years into 

his retirement, he remains steadfast 

in his dedication and devotion 

to Columbia and to his former 

students. He welcomes visits from 

students, and while he enjoys reminiscing, 

he still has much to teach 

us. For contact information, classmates 

can get in touch with me at 

lorfanella@hotmail.com.” 

Lou, on behalf of all your classmates, 

thank you for your time and 

effort in putting this thoughtful 

contribution together. 

Last but not least, the extraordinarily 

talented Erik friedlander 

wrote in on the eve of the release 

of his latest recording. I did a little 

snuffling around online and discovered 

that, were it not for the 

fact that I reside under a rock, I 

would have known what Erik was 

up to. The following biographical 

information was culled from Erik’s 

website: 

“Erik started playing guitar at 

age 6 and added cello two years 

later. He began formal lessons at 

age 12. Erik continued his musical 

studies at Columbia University in 

1978. Upon graduation, he spent 

the next decade refining his cello 

technique through long hours of 

practice, supporting himself by 

playing in various orchestras and 

Broadway shows, recording commercial 

music for jingles and movies, 

and doing session work with 

artists like Laurie Anderson, Courtney 

Love’s Hole and Dar Williams. 

He also started his first small 

groups and made his first recordings. 

Erik came into his own in the 

1990s as he became an integral part 

of NYC’s downtown jazz scene, 

receiving notices in publications 

like the Boston Globe, The Wire and 

Billboard which wrote, ‘Friedlander 

[is] one of today’s most ingenious 

and forward-thinking musical 

practitioners.’ ” 

It should be noted that I also 

discovered an interview with Erik 

and a performance on NPR. How 

cool is that? 

Erik wrote: “I’m here to offer 

some bits of news. I often have 

little nuggets of news about things 

I’m doing. I’m a professional musician/composer 

and this is a press 

release for my latest CD: 

“ ‘Erik Friedlander’s haunting 

new CD, Fifty Miniatures for Improvising 

Quintet, is a collection of 50 

miniature pieces — little worlds — 

some wild and free, some carefully 

constructed like line drawings, 

others lush watercolor landscapes.


Steve perlman ’83 enhances Communication through technology 

Founder and CEO of 

San Francisco-based 

Rearden (rearden.com), 

an incubator for companies 

developing new ways 

to combine art and technology, 

steve Perlman ’83 has spent 

his life building pioneering Internet, 

entertainment, multimedia, 

consumer electronics and communications 

technologies and 

services. 

But he’s always been more 

intrigued by what technology 

can accomplish than in how it 

works, viewing computers “just 

as tools, not an end in and of 

themselves.” This attitude was 

apparent in his 1978 Columbia 

admissions essay, which he 

feels was “pretty unusual:” how 

to build a system that would 

understand human speech. 

“I don’t know why they accepted 

me but they did,” he 

says with a laugh. “For some 

reason or another, they thought 

that would be a useful contribution 

to the campus.” 

Although Perlman’s major 

was computing science, where 

he worked most closely with 

Yechiam Yemini, his professor 

and informal adviser, Perlman 

said that the classes he enjoyed 

most were those associated 

with the liberal arts. 

“I really liked the Core Curriculum: 

Contemporary Civilization 

and Literature Humanities 

[and] the subject matter in Art 

and Music Humanities. I also 

took several classes on the 

novel and English literature 

with Barnard professor Maire 

Jaanus.” 

It was this interest in communicating 

thoughts and ideas 

through various media that indirectly 

led to one of Perlman’s 

computer projects at Columbia. 

After an article he had 

written for Sundial, a campus 

magazine, on the usefulness of 

small computers for students 

didn’t get a positive response 

from the IT department, he 

took his idea to the masses — 

in this case, the students. 

“I had a computer I designed 

and a printer and terminal in 

my dorm room,” Perlman says, 

“and I wrote software so a 

person without any technical 

knowledge could do word pro- 

cessing. I know that sounds 

pretty mundane these days, but 

in 1979 and 1980, that was a 

big deal. I had students lined up 

outside my dorm room to get 

onto the one word processor 

on campus!” 

Perlman says that experience 

had a huge impact on him. “In 

every era, there always are peo- 

ple who are stuck in existing 

ways of thinking, and you need 

to just find ways around them,” 

he says. “My way, of course, 

was to turn my dorm room into 

the word processing room that 

I thought the campus should 

have.” 

Since graduating from Colum- 

bia, the 49-year-old Perlman, 

who now lives in Silicon Valley 

with his wife, has continued to 

successfully “find ways around” 

existing conditions and circumstances, 

as evidenced by his 

more than 100 U.S. patents, 

with more than 100 pending. 

B y na n c y christie 

steve Perlman ’83, founder and CEO of 

Rearden, OnLive and MOVA, at the company’s 

San Francisco headquarters. 

PHOTO: JAYMER DELAPENA 


57 

But he also has found a 

great deal of satisfaction in 

“developing people” — a talent 

for which Perlman also credits 

Columbia, where he had the 

opportunity to recognize the 

vast diversity of journeys there 

are and how to synchronize 

his efforts with others in a way 

that would be mutually beneficial. 

It’s a valuable skill that 

has enabled him to mentor 

the Rearden team of 

engineers, artists and 

scientists. 

Cindy Ivers, senior 

director of accounting 

and finance for 

Rearden and OnLive, 

a Rearden-incubated 

company, has witnessed 

Perlman’s 

approach in action. 

When his engineers 

come to Perlman with 

what they consider 

an insurmountable 

problem, she says 

he encourages them 

to think “outside the 

box.” “He’ll ask, ‘Did 

you think about it this 

way? Or how about 

this way?’ He just 

keeps plugging away 

until he finds something 

they haven’t 

tested yet. He’s told 

me, ‘I am not the 

best engineer in the 

company. I just help people get 

over their issues and get them 

to be the best they can be.’ ” 

But while Perlman has been 

successful in his endeavors 

— his recently patented facial 

motion capture technology, 

MOVA Contour, was used in 

the films The Curious Case of 

Benjamin Button and The Incredible 

Hulk — Perlman notes, 

“You never get exactly what 

you want out of the system. 

There always are impediments 

or things you learn along the 

way. What you need to do is 

learn while you are trying to 

reach your goal, and then reformulate 

that goal so you end 

up with some good outcomes 

… where something is useful 

to people and people see some 

benefit in it.” 

For example, when he was 

principal scientist of Apple 

Computer, Perlman led the 

team that developed the Quick- 

Time technology, which “Apple 

management thought … was 

the dumbest idea in the world,” 

says Perlman. But after Mac 

developers “went crazy over it,” 

in Perlman’s words, management 

allowed them to ship it 

as a product. “Now,” he says, 

“more than 20 years later, it’s 

built into every Mac, iPhone, 

iPod and iPad, and every PC 

running iTunes.” 

One of Perlman’s goals is to 

develop a platform for creating 

interactive experience with the 

depth and realism of movies 

that average people can enjoy. 

As he explains, while movies 

and television shows are passive 

forms of entertainment, 

“We stand on the threshold of a 

major cultural transition, where 

… we can step into a world and 

become immersed within it, 

either passively, or actively as 

a player. In time, perhaps not in 

my lifetime, the simulation of 

reality will be utterly complete. 

You will see, hear, smell and feel 

a completely artificially created 

world around you. You’ll experience 

the terror of landing at 

Omaha Beach, or the joy of cradling 

a newborn baby. Fantasy 

will become indistinguishable 

from reality and will open huge 

opportunities for expression and 

communication.” 

How does Perlman define 

career success? He says it’s 

when “you set out to change 

the world and make things better 

in one way or another, and 

have gotten reasonably close 

to the mark. It’s being able to 

go and move things, move the 

ball just a bit further.” 

Nancy Christie is a freelance 

writer and author of The Gifts 

of Change. A member of the 

American Society of Journalists 

and Authors, she lives in Ohio.


In a possible prediction of the future, Adam Belanoff ’84 (center), co-executive 

producer of TNT’s The Closer, cast fellow Varsity show alumnus 

and Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti ’92, ’93 SIPA (left) 

as mayor of Los Angeles, and his father, Gil Garcetti, a consulting producer 

on the show, as the outgoing chief of police in the season finale, 

which aired on September 13. 

PHOTO: RICK WALLACE 

The piece was written during a 

particularly difficult time when his 

wife, Lynn, was suffering from an 

unexplained and worsening leg 

pain that eventually turned out 

to be a breast cancer recurrence. 

Friedlander found refuge from the 

difficult atmosphere by immersing 

himself in composing for the five 

instruments (violin, cello, piano, 

bass, drums). Making playful 

use of style and orchestration, he 

varied the groupings, the length of 

the pieces (some as short as seven 

seconds) and the mood ... ” (To 

read more, go to allaboutjazz.com/ 

php/news.php?id=64467.) 

The album was released on September 

18 on SkipStone Records 

(skipstonerecords.com). 

I took a little time to listen to 

some of Erik’s recordings, and they 

were exceptional. I would highly 

recommend following the links 

and checking out his website, and 

then you’re going to want to proceed 

on to the second link (as I did) 

and order yourself a copy of his 

new recording: erikfriedlander.com 

and shop.geteriksmusic.com. 

83 

roy pomerantz 

Babyking/Petking 

182-20 Liberty Ave. 

Jamaica, NY 11412 

bkroy@msn.com 

I was thrilled by Columbia’s No. 4 

ranking in U.S. News & World Report. 

To be ranked higher than Stanford, 

MIT, Penn, Dartmouth, Brown 

and Cornell is noteworthy. With a 

10 percent acceptance rate (same 

as Princeton), Columbia is one of 

the most selective colleges in the 

country. [Editor’s note: See Campus 

News in “Around the Quads.”] 

Dennis Klainberg ’84 was kind 

enough to forward to me the Sep- 

tember 3 Wall Street Journal article 

“Where Columbia Beats Harvard: 

On the Battlefield of Curricula.” 

The article states, “If the objective of 

a liberal education is to identify the 

permanent and perennial issues in 

the midst of flux and change, then, 

the Columbia curriculum serves 

that purpose more directly than 

most alternatives. In judging the 

two curricula, one does not face a 

closer call. If it were a football game, 

Columbia would beat Harvard by 

several touchdowns.” 

I was deeply saddened by the 

death of John W. Kluge ’37. [Editor’s 

note: See “Around the Quads.”] 

In 2007, he pledged $400 million 

to Columbia. I had the honor of 

meeting Mr. Kluge during the 2008 

Alexander Hamilton Award Dinner. 

He is a Columbia treasure and will 

be sorely missed. 

bruce abramson: “The Republican 

Jewish Coalition was been 

kind enough to invite me to write 

a weekly guest blog until Election 

Day. I hope to use this forum to explain 

why those of us who thought 

that the country enjoyed a period of 

good governance in the 1990s must 

now support the GOP, and why 

the GOP must evolve to meet some 

serious contemporary challenges. 

“My first entry answered the 

poignant question, ‘Who Am I 

and Why Am I Here?’ Subsequent 

entries should post each Tuesday. 

I also plan to use this invitation as 

an excuse to breathe new life into 

my own blog, The Informationist, 

which has been rather dormant for 

the past three years. We are in the 

midst of migrating over the old content. 

Look for a relaunch announcement 

soon! As always, I welcome 

your comments and thoughts.” 

As many of you may remember, 

dan loeb was a huge barack 

obama supporter during his 


58 

presidential campaign. In fact, 

for our 25th reunion, Dan made a 

large contribution to the Columbia 

College Fund in honor of Obama. 

At the reunion, Dan also read a 

memorable letter from Obama to 

our class. 

In a New York Times article, “Why 

Wall St. Is Deserting Obama,” it is 

evident Dan’s feeling about Obama 

have changed. The article states, 

“Daniel S. Loeb, the hedge fund 

manager, was one of Barack 

Obama’s biggest backers in the 2008 

presidential campaign. A registered 

Democrat, Mr. Loeb has given and 

raised hundreds of thousands of dollars 

for Democrats. Less than a year 

ago, he was considered to be among 

the Wall Street elite still close enough 

to the White House to be invited to a 

speech in Lower Manhattan, where 

President Obama outlined the need 

for a financial regulatory overhaul.” 

The article goes on to discuss a 

recent letter to investors written by 

Dan lambasting the current state of 

affairs in Washington. 

Ed Joyce, who hosted the 

reunion reception where Dan read 

Obama’s letter, forwarded me a 

copy of the Times article. Ed is now 

a partner at the international law 

firm Jones Day. 

david hershey-webb sang at 

the Susan G. Komen Race for the 

Cure in Central Park on September 

12. Following that gig, he joined 

the Blue Yodels at P and G Bar. 

He sang songs from his new CD, 

Welcome to the World. 

I was invited to the Columbia 

University Athletics Hall of Fame 

dinner, held in late October. The 

following student-athletes from 

our Columbia days are in the Hall 

of Fame: tony corbisiero (swimming), 

Barry Nix ’82 (soccer) and 

John Witkowski ’84 (football). 

david lyle: “On July 21, I enjoy - 

ed a phone conversation with stephen 

scott brewer. Scott called me 

to follow up on my snail mail letter 

about the expected babies. I was 

glad to give the good news of their 

healthy birth. He and his life partner, 

Gioacchino Castiello, recently 

returned to their Paris residence 

after three weeks in Gioacchino’s 

native Italy. They had spent two 

weeks at their favorite remote 

European spot, the fishing island 

of Marettimo, about 20 miles off 

the west coast of Sicily. In August, 

Scott resumed teaching duties as 

professor of language acquisition 

at the graduate business school at 

da Vinci University, Paris. 

“I spoke with robert lucero 

by phone. He continues to thrive 

in his position as head of the 

collegiate store design team at 

Barnes & Noble in the Hartford, 

Conn., office. His sons, Martin 

and Matthew, are almost grown. 

Marty graduated in May from 

high school and started at a local 

college in the fall. We traveled 

home to Nashville with the girls on 

the August 28 (week three for the 

girls) and are enjoying settling into 

home-at-home life after our homeaway-from-home 

in our Sacramento 

rental. They flew like angels. Jet 

travel (though the pediatricians all 

cautioned about breathing soups 

of pathogens) is agreeable to newborns. 

It’s so much like the womb. 

You get held all the time, there is 

a loud ‘white noise’ canceling out 

too much stimulation and since 

you’re being held you get instant 

care for every whimper. Two days 

earlier, we had driven with them 

and a family ‘nanny’ figure to Lake 

Tahoe for the day and they loved 

the day but hated the car seats. Jet 

travel is so much more agreeable.” 

Ken chin is vice chair for the 

Harvard Law School 25th reunion. 

My family was honored to 

have Professor Karl-Ludwig Selig 

join us at our home to celebrate 

Rosh Hashanah. Professor Selig, 

still sharp as a tack, immediately 

identified the painting on my wall 

as an original drawing by “Sam the 

Hoishy Man.” My son, David (5), 

performed in the musical Oliver at 

camp. Professor Selig thoroughly 

enjoyed David’s musical renderings 

derived from the Dickens classic. 

I have read David the Dickens 

text, and he also loves the movie. 

He would have been fascinated 

by Professor Selig’s memorable 

Columbia lectures about the interrelationship 

of the arts. My entire 

family also joined Professor Selig 

in celebrating his 84th birthday. 

I was thrilled to get a telephone 

call from gary Mccready, one of 

the first friends I made as a freshman. 

Gary lives with his family in 

New Jersey and still knows more 

about computers than anyone I 

have met. He looks forward to attending 

our 30th reunion. 

84 

dennis Klainberg 

Berklay Cargo Worldwide 

JFK Intl. Airport 

Box 300665 

Jamaica, NY 11430 

dennis@berklay.com 

As a member of the class most 

identified with “Big Brother is 

watching,” I’ve done my best to 

keep tabs on you all, but sometimes, 

you either fall between the 

cracks, live under the radar or simply 

don’t stay in touch! 

I can depend on richard rothman 

to help me by doing what 

he does best: follow the money. 

“From 1992–2005 I ran a solo law 

practice in Chicago, and in August 

2005 President George W. Bush 

gave me a recess appointment 

to a job as U.S. district judge.


Twenty-four of us were chosen 

for these appointments. At the 

request of Congress and the Bush 

administration, I investigated 

terrorism and terrorist financing 

activity. Most of what I did is classified 

and cannot be discussed. 

In December 2006, President 

Bush reappointed me to a second 

recess term. In 1987, I completed 

a master’s on a fellowship from 

Chicago, where I wrote my thesis 

on the Nuremberg Trial of German 

banker Hjalmar Schacht, who 

helped rearm Germany in violation 

of the Kellogg-Briand Pact 

and the Treaty of Versailles. In my 

recent job, I incorporated my research 

to identify money laundering 

and other suspicious activities 

inside the United States.” 

And if Richard is unable to hunt 

you down, I need only turn over 

your dossiers to phil segal, our 

class’ Philip Marlowe. Phil recently 

was interviewed on PBS regarding 

his expertise in assisting lawyers and 

others as a private investigator. He 

has shown a keen insight in Internet 

security matters and has provided 

his services on dating sites and other 

e-commerce venues. Check out his 

website: charlesgriffinllc.com. 

By using techniques provided 

by these guys, and the folks at 

TMZ, I was able to dig up info 

on wayne weddington iii and 

his wife, Gabrijela, on their recent 

dream nuptials in Croatia! (Actually, 

Wayne “volunteered” the following 

details, but I can’t discuss 

my methods at this time.) 

“I chose Dubrovnik because it is 

a place we have enjoyed together 

many times, and it is magically 

beautiful. Most important, it is 

close to Gabrijela’s family, which I 

thought was important since she 

spends at least 11 months a year 

away from them. 

“Gabrijela’s family is a close-knit 

cluster of strong women in a village 

about 30 miles east of Zagreb. There 

are no men there, effectively attritioned 

by the transition of Yugoslavia 

to its separate states, including 

Croatia. When I visit I am the only 

man, so it is always eventful.” 

To see a most amazing and professional 

wedding video, check out 

youtube.com/watch?v=YwI5w 

TDulFo. 

Aside from his one-time stint 

as a GQ model (as reported here 

some years ago), Wayne is a partner 

at Brunswick Capital Partners 

and author of Do-It-Yourself Hedge 

Funds: Everything You Need to Make 

Millions Right Now. 

This just in: James Piereson, 

president of the Willian E. Simon 

Foundation and senior fellow at 

the Manhattan Institute, wrote an 

op-ed in the September 3 Wall Street 

Journal, “Where Columbia Beats 

Harvard: On the Battlefield of Cur- 

ricula.” He basically tells the world 

what we have always known: that 

Columbia’s Core Curriculum is second 

to none. Kudos, Mr. Piereson! 

Wishing you all a wonderful 

holiday season. 

85 

Jon white 

16 South Ct. 

Port Washington, NY 11050 

jw@whitecoffee.com 

Part II of our 25th reunion report: 

On Saturday morning, June 5, 

a second Glee Club rehearsal was 

held. In addition to those previously 

mentioned, it was really great to 

see tim tomasi, rich froehlich 

and tom scotti as part of our wellrepresented 

class. 

Tim has worked in the U.S. Attorney’s 

Office in Vermont for the 

last three years, after having worked 

for the Vermont Attorney General. 

He enjoyed the work but had a bit 

longer commute (40 minutes, which 

for Vermont is a lot more than NYC). 

He has three kids (13, 12 and 8), and 

he is involved in coaching them. 

Rich is e.v.p. for Capital Markets 

and general counsel of the New 

York City Housing Development 

Corp. (HDC) and all of its subsidiaries. 

He also is an adjunct assistant 

professor of public finance at 

the Graduate School of Architecture, 

Planning and Preservation. 

Rich directs the corporation’s legal 

department as well as its bond 

and finance activities and also is 

responsible for managing the corporation’s 

finance divisions including 

cash management, capital 

markets, loan servicing, accounting 

and budget. Rich has been 

the main coordinator of HDC’s 

preservation efforts, which have 

led to the continued affordability 

of approximately 20,000 units of 

low- and middle-income housing 

in New York City. He also has been 

a leader in designing and implementing 

HDC’s participation in 

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 

New Housing Marketplace Plan to 

build and preserve 165,000 units of 

affordable housing. 

Prior to joining HDC, Rich was 

with O’Melveny & Myers and Skad- 

den, Arps, and was an assistant 

general counsel at the New York 

State Housing Finance Agency. Rich 

also is a board member of the National 

Leased Housing Association, 

a national organization representing 

private and public participants in 

the affordable multifamily rental 

housing industry. Rich has recently 

been selected to join the governing 

committee of the American Bar 

Association Forum on Affordable 

Housing and Community Development 

Law. He is a past chairman of 

the New York City Bar Association 

Committee on Housing and Urban 


59 

Development and he was a board 

member of New Destiny Housing 

Corp., a not-for-profit dedicated to 

developing and managing housing 

for domestic violence survivors 

during 2002–10. Rich is working on 

a law review article on the creation 

of multifamily housing recycled 

bonds and their use in the financing 

of affordable housing. He lives in 

Chelsea. 

Tom came in from Boston with 

his wife, Karen, and their 16-year-old 

daughter. Tom is president of the 

Appraisal and Valuation division of 

Gordon Brothers Group, based in 

Boston. 

I spent some great time at Saturday’s 

lunch with the irrepressible 

Michael cho, who had come from 

San Francisco with his wife, Julie, 

and three kids (10, 9 and 5). After 

living in New York (Julie had attended 

the Business School), they 

have now been in San Francisco for 

13 years. They spent an extended 

weekend in New York taking in 

the theater. Mike is as entertaining 

as ever and remains in charge 

of Destination RX. He and John 

phelan had a great discussion 

about the new healthcare law, and 

I have no doubt that both of their 

cutting-edge concepts will play a 

prominent role in the future. 

At lunch, I caught up with 

steve sivakoff, who has 18-yearold 

twins who started college this 

fall. (One child at college is quite 

enough for me.) Steve is an adjunct 

lecturer in entrepreneurship in the 

Department of Management of the 

Zicklin School of Business at CUNY 

Baruch. He previously worked at 

The Polytechnic Institute of NYU, 

where he taught coursework in 

entrepreneurship and innovation 

capital. Steve has extensive experience 

in the online media industry 

and is a pioneer in secure digital 

data distribution. He helps direct 

corporate strategy and business 

development at start-up technology 

companies with a focus on Internet 

information technology. 

After lunch, I borrowed the 

Phelan family room in Carman to 

change into Glee Club concert attire 

(the Carman cinderblocks look the 

same). The concert went amazingly 

well, considering how we had little 

rehearsal time, different arrangements 

and much vocal rust. The 

performance was enjoyed by participants 

and the several hundred 

alums/friends/family members 

who attended. 

Our more formal class dinner 

was held on Saturday in the lovely 

space of the second floor of Casa 

Italiana (which I had never seen 

in all my years associated with 

Columbia). I got to spend all-toobrief 

time with many classmates. 

Judah cohen has four children 

and studies meteorology for a 

living (the serious stuff, not just 

the weatherman type). He is the 

director of seasonal forecasting at 

Atmospheric and Environmental 

Research, where he has been since 

1998. Prior to AER, Judah spent two 

years as a National Research Council 

Fellow at the NASA Goddard 

Institute for Space Studies after two 

years as a research scientist at MIT’s 

Parsons Laboratory. He has focused 

on conducting numerical experiments 

with global climate models 

and advanced statistical techniques 

to better understand climate variability 

and to improve climate 

prediction. In addition to his research 

interests, Judah directs AER’s 

development of seasonal forecast 

products for commercial clients, 

who include some of the largest 

investment firms in the United 

States. He has been interviewed on 

local and national television and by 

The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe 

and Investor’s Business Daily, among 

others. Judah’s work is highlighted 

as breakthrough technology by the 

National Science Foundation. He 

lives in Newton, Mass., along with 

my Glee Club cohorts Jon Abbott 

’84 and Cathy Schwartz Cotton ’83 

Barnard. 

barry Kanner is an attorney. He 

resides in Hackensack, N.J., and 

has two children. 

Adam Fleischer ’87 lives in Santa 

Cruz and since 2005 has been a marketing 

copywriter, project manager 

and consultant there, offering business 

writing and consulting services, 

including strategic messaging, 

writing, editing, information architecture, 

instructional design, SEO, 

research and project management. 

I had far too little time to chat 

with two of my former Barnard/ 

Macintosh lunch pals. gary brown 

last year was named chief compliance 

officer at Computer Associates 

on Long Island, where he has 

responsibility for the handling of 

compliance issues and management 

of compliance improvement 

What’s Your story? 

Letting classmates know 

about what’s going on in 

your life is easier than ever. 

send in your Class Notes! 

ONLINE by clicking 

“Contact us” at college. 

columbia.edu/cct. 

E-MAIL to the address at 

the top of your column. 

MAIL to the address at the 

top of your column. 

Class Notes received by 

November 8 will be eligible 

for publication in the 

January/February CCT.


programs. Gary continues in his 

role as CA’s chief counsel for litigation. 

He joined CA in 2005 after 

serving for 15 years in the U.S. 

Attorney’s Office for the Eastern 

District of New York. Mike reilly 

lives in Delaware and practices law 

there. 

Our class was well represented by 

folks in public service that evening. 

Ken handelman has been working 

for the Department of Defense 

in Washington, D.C., for 15 years. 

Konrad Motyka has been with the 

FBI for 15 years, has two children (13 

and 9) and resides in Hoboken, N.J. 

He also is the president of the Federal 

Bureau of Investigation Agents 

Association, a professional association 

with a membership of nearly 

9,000 current and more than 2,000 

retired agents nationwide. 

FCC Chairman Julius genachowski 

honored us by being our 

dinner speaker. He gave a brief 

overview (smartly questioned by 

leslie smartt) covering the many 

pressing issues confronting the 

FCC today. Unfortunately, the issues 

are complex and we just had 

a little time to discuss them. Julius’ 

eldest son started at Michigan this 

fall. Thanks again to both Julius 

and Leslie for a job well done. 

After dinner, we stopped by 

briefly at the Starlight Reception, 

held under a large tent on Low 

Plaza and featuring champagne and 

disco music. We quickly retreated 

to the comfort of the Sundial, where 

many of our previously mentioned 

Glee Club cohorts practiced our 

all-too-familiar Glee Club songs and 

all-too-familiar beverage consumption 

on the Sundial. 

Again, it was a really enjoyable 

weekend. My apologies for not 

capturing more extensive updates 

from everyone there (so for those 

I missed, or put in only a small 

piece, please drop me a note). I 

hope that in five years we will see 

the same group as well as more of 

us on a return to campus. 

I am sad to report that william 

f. Evans, investment banker and 

musician, New York City, passed 

away on July 10. 

And finally, I am happy to report 

that you would not recognize 

the crisp organization, staff and 

student enthusiasm and support, 

and overall solid planning that I 

experienced during my son Isaac 

’14’s move-in and orientation in 

late August. Both for his initial 

move-in for the Co-Op program, 

and for the larger orientation program, 

it went incredibly smoothly. 

Some things remain familiar (the 

boat ride around Manhattan, the 

odors in the John Jay cafeteria, 

neighborhood tours), and some 

things are new (night on the Intrepid, 

a second-day lecture on The 

Iliad attended by every member 

of the class as their first “class” for 

Lit Hum). A few tears shed, but off 

he goes. 

As if I didn’t have enough to do 

with the University, I am pleased to 

report that, effective mid-September, 

my wife, Allison ’86 Barnard, is 

associate director of alumnae affairs 

at Barnard. It will be nice for our 

family to get to work on Columbia 

reunions and earn a living at the 

same time. 

The College’s Alumni Office also 

sponsored a nice Legacy Lunch, as 

more than 70 members of the Class 

of 2014 were proud to continue their 

family’s Columbia tradition. I met 

multiple families who had multiple 

CC legacies, including Lou Vlahos 

’84. I also had a brief visit with len 

genova, whose son Jerome also 

is in the Class of 2014. Len lives in 

Massapequa with his wife, and, like 

me, has forsaken the everyday practice 

of law for the family business 

(in his case, construction development 

work). 

Now, with the reunion info complete, 

I need your updates again. 

Thanks. 





212-851-7438 

DEVELOPMENT Kimberly Rogers 

kr2276@columbia.edu 

212-851-7492 

86 

Everett weinberger 

50 W. 70th St., Apt. 3B 


everett6@gmail.com 

In this fast-paced world, there’s 

very little we can predict other 

than the inexorable passage of 

time. I know for a fact that in less 

than seven months, we will reach a 

milestone: the 25th anniversary of 

our college graduation. If you had 

asked us in May 1986 to describe 

the alumni celebrating their 25th 

college reunions, words like old, 

geezer and even alta cocker might 

have been used. But now that we 

find ourselves in this group, we 

know that we are actually young, 

dynamic, successful and in our 

primes. So let’s celebrate! Mark 

your calendars for Alumni Reunion 

Weekend, Thursday, June 2–Sunday, 

June 5. A Reunion Committee 

has formed and is planning some 

great events. Please go to the following 

page to ensure that the Alumni 

Office has your correct contact info 

for reunion updates: alumni.college. 

columbia.edu/reunion. Please join 

our class’s Facebook group: Columbia 

College Class of 1986. And stay 

tuned for updates! 

After finishing an M.F.A. in 

fiction at UMass Amherst, Jamie 

berger started a nonprofit, The 

Thrive Project, aimed at helping 

young adults pursue happiness. 

Thrive is based in Turners Falls, 

a former mill town in Franklin 

County, Mass. It provides young 

people with experiences, inspiration, 

support and role models. 

Check it out: thethriveproject.org. 

With great sadness I must tell 

you that we lost a classmate, Joshua 

Moreinis, to cancer. Josh was married 

to Pamela Ivinski and lived in 

Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. He was a 

senior planner at STV and a landscape 

painter. Josh was a Fulbright 

Scholar in South Korea and earned 

an M.S. in urban planning in 1988 

from the Architecture School. You 

can see photos and memorial post- 

ings for Josh at josh.gamefaceweb 

design.com, and you can see his 

beautiful landscape paintings at 

joshpaintings.com. Please e-mail 

me with any memories of Josh 

you would like to share in a future 

column. 

87 


60 

sarah a. Kass 

PO Box 300808 


sarahkassUK@gmail.com 

I spent a lovely summer evening 

catching up with ilene weinstein 

lederman, who was on holiday 

in New York visiting friends and 

family. Usually I only get to see her 

when I am rushing through San 

Francisco for academic conferences, 

but this was a chance for leisurely 

drinks and snacks at Rosa Mexicano. 

Joining us for the festivities 

was gerri gold, and by the end 

of the evening, it was just us three 

Columbia women having a gabfest. 

What could be finer? 

charles blass wrote in with the 

following update: “In an intimate 

ceremony in Central Park in early 

lance hosey ’87 has been named president and cEo 

of greenblue, which specializes in sustainable design. 

June, Agnes Elizabeth Gugala and 

I were married. Several days later, 

we relocated to Zurich, Switzerland, 

where we now are based. 

On August 10, Agnes gave birth 

to our daughter, Isabel Rose, who 

is healthy, gorgeous and peaceful. 

We live in the Niederdorf, the old 

section of the city, between the 

university and a handful of majestic 

church towers. At certain times of 

day, the exchange of bells is striking. 

“Agnes, aka Ella, from Chicago, 

graduated from Lake Forest College 

there in addition to studying 

in Salamanca, Spain, and Santiago, 

Chile. Her areas of focus were art 

history and international relations, 

and she now is in the financial 

industry providing bank-to-bank 

product services. She also is a passionate 

photographer. 

“Since college, I have enjoyed 

a continuous tenure at WKCR, 

where I remain rooted in the New 

Music Department, hosting the 

Audio Gumbo/Transfigured Night 

show as well as assorted Jazz and 

In All Languages (World Music) 

programs, and specializing in producing, 

mixing and recording livein-studio 

performances. I am now 

developing a radio show to launch 

soon here in Zurich and online. 

“In 1999, I founded Lovevolv, 

a New York 501(c)(3) arts and 

education company; see lovevolv. 

org for information and listings. 

Most of my activities flow through 

Lovevolv, including content production, 

marketing and publicity, 

and artist representation. For a decade, 

I managed the Times Square 

recording studio KMA Music. In 

2006, I co-founded the label network 

LiveWired, releasing a series 

of albums last year. I am directing 

a short film for the Zurich venue 

Bazillus encompassing 50 years of 

archives. 

“In addition to arts-related pursuits, 

I am a wordsmith: journalist, 

copy editor and proofreader in 

various corporate spheres, now 

providing quality assurance to the 

Zurich law firm Schellenberg Wittmer, 

and offering remote editing 

services to clients worldwide. 

“It would be great to hear 

from fellow alumni. E-mail me at 

charles.blass@gmail.com.” 

lance hosey has been named 

president and CEO of GreenBlue, a 

Charlottesville, Va.-based company 

with an office in New York, specializing 

in sustainable design. Lance 

has been an architect and designer 

and is co-author of the book Women 

in Green: Voices of Sustainable Design. 

His latest book, The Shape of Green: 

Aesthetics, Ecology, and Design, is 

expected out next year. 

diane Zanger lives in New Rochelle, 

N.Y., with her husband, Noah 

Berkowitz ’86, and their five children. 

She said, “Our oldest started 

college, and that is taking some 

getting used to. But our youngest 

is starting kindergarten, and he is 

keeping us young.” Diane practices 

cardiology with a private practice in 

Fort Lee, N.J. 

She has been trying to get in touch 

with hannah Jones, so Hannah, if 

you are reading, please get in touch. 

I’d love to hear from you, too! 

leslie vosshall was promoted 

to the post of the Robin Chemers


Neustein Professor at The Rockefeller 

University in New York this 

spring. Her research laboratory 

studies the sense of smell in insects 

and humans. You can see more at 

benchmarks.rockefeller.edu/view 

Article.php?id=292&issue_id=99. 

On a sad note, I must report the 

passing of albert J. weisel, who 

had been a freelance writer in New 

York City, on February 27. 

88 

abha Jain sinha 

9633 Eagle Ridge Dr. 

Bethesda, MD 20817 

abhasinha@comcast.net 

September has long passed: The 

kids are back to school, vacations 

are lamentably over and football 

season has been preoccupying my 

husband for two months. Summer 

went by too fast. And as I 

dropped off my eldest child for 

her freshman year at college, I am 

feeling that the years are also going 

by too fast! But at least we have 

a chance to reconnect here, and I 

was delighted to hear from several 

classmates. 

Jesse greenberg updates us, “I 

work at IBM (13 years now) and 

am happily married to my wife 

of 20 years, Karen. Our kids are 

doing great: Daniel (17) recently 

earned his Eagle rank in the Boy 

Scouts and attended Boys State this 

summer as a delegate, Hannah (15) 

wants to go to Columbia College 

(Class of 2017?) and Sophie (13) 

recently had her bat mitzvah.” 

stephen t. briones writes from 

Thailand: “I’ve been in Bangkok 

with my wonderful kids, Natalia 

(12) and Nicholas (9). Despite the 

political demonstrations and violence, 

we are all fine, and Bangkok 

is starting to recover. I’ve been in 

Bangkok for more than 10 years, 

and I could never have foreseen 

the craziness that occurred in May. 

It will take a while, but I hope 

Thailand will return to live up to 

its slogan as the Land of Smiles.” 

william (bill) seeley writes, “I 

was inspired by Jamie friedman 

and patrick crawford to send in an 

update. After graduation, I stuck 

around for a couple of years and 

received an M.F.A. in sculpture in 

1992 from the (now defunct) Division 

of Painting and Sculpture in 

the School of the Arts. I was head 

assistant for sculptor Ursula Von 

Rydingsvard ’75 Arts for several 

years. I then followed henry Jackman 

and neil feit into philosophy 

(I usually see Henry a couple of 

times a year). I received a Ph.D. 

from CUNY’s Graduate Center in 

2006. My research on the ways that 

we engage and experience artworks 

lies at the confluence of philosophy 

of art and cognitive neuroscience. 

We are still in Maine at Bates Col- 

lege (although this past spring, I 

was commuting to New Haven, 

where I was visiting at Yale). My 

wife, Christine Donis-Keller ’91 

Barnard, and I have two children, 

Parker (9) and Raines (7). Other 

than the usual fare of an academic 

vagabond, I have no adventures to 

report, although I have taken up ice 

hockey, which it turns out is a fourseason 

sport again.” 

Joe wanner provided us with a 

snapshot of the significant events in 

life since graduation: “1991: moved 

back to Chicago, 1994: married 

Kathy, 1996: Kellogg M.B.A., 1997: 

daughter Natalie born; moved to 

suburban Riverside, Ill., 1999: CFA 

Distinction, 2000: private pilot’s 

license, 2001: daughter Haley born, 

2004: started company Vesta Property 

Development for real estate 

investing, 2005: son Joe born.” 

david putelo sends greetings 

from Syracuse, N.Y.: “I love the life 

my wife, Susan (we recently celebrated 

our 20th anniversary), and 

our three daughters (insert ironic 

comment here), Anna (15), Audrey 

(12), and Lizzie (6), have forged. 

Our lives consist of school, sports 

and enjoying the great outdoors: 

running, skiing, golfing and the 

many activities that Central New 

York offers. I look to get together 

with other graduates at a dinner, 

golf outing or a road race such 

as running marathons with nick 

leone. 

“After graduation, I went to 

NYU, where I earned an M.B.A. I 

have worked in the pharmaceutical 

industry for different companies 

holding various positions. I’m now 

a manager for GSK.” 

donna schober tells us, “Since 

leaving Columbia, I have followed 

a circuitous path through the culinary 

world, first apprenticing in a 

fabulous (now closed) New York 

restaurant, then heading to Cornell 

to complete my M.B.A. with a 

concentration in hospitality management. 

It’s been restaurants ever 

since. I’m now in Orlando, having 

moved south many years ago, and 

am a proud mom to a high school 

freshman. During the summer, I 

took my daughter for her first trip to 

NYC, and we took in a show, a Yankees 

game and the museums. We 

also toured Columbia and Barnard 

because college is right around the 

corner, though sometimes I feel like a 

kid who just graduated myself.” 

Khalid wasti writes, “I am 

happily married to Joanne (who, 

although not an alum, I met on the 

Columbia campus) and have two 

sons (14 and 16) whom I hope will 

someday be part of the Columbia 

family, too. We live in Forest Hills, 

N.Y., and I am a director in the 

Enterprise Risk Services practice 

at Deloitte & Touche. I recently became 

an active part of Columbia’s 

Alumni Representative Committee 

and interviewed several potential 

dan Max ’90 joined the law firm of Apatoff Peters 

Ebersohl as a partner and chair of the business 

department. 

students, which not only gave me 

a sense of how strong the incoming 

classes will be but also was a great 

way to reconnect (and gave me an 

interesting perspective on life in 

general: ‘Wow, you graduated before 

I was even born!’). I definitely 

have not done a good job staying 

in touch with classmates, but now 

have a Facebook account, so look 

me up.” 

I hope to hear from the rest of 

you soon. Don’t make me beg! 

89 


61 

Emily Miles terry 

45 Clarence St. 

Brookline, MA 02446 

eterry32@comcast.net 

This summer, I heard from brian 

o’connell, who is married to Jean 

Marie and has two kids, Shane 

(4) and Shannon (5) (Irish twins). 

Brian writes, “This is my 20th year 

as an educator. I have been an administrator 

for 10 years, a teacher 

prior to that.” 

Brian is the founding principal 

of the Scholars’ Academy, a middle 

school and high school that Brian 

started as a gifted program while 

principal of The Belle Harbor School, 

a kindergarten–grade 6 school, in 

2004. In 2005, the program Brian 

began was expanded to a standalone 

school and then each year thereafter 

a grade was added. Today Scholars’ 

Academy, in Rockaway Park in 

Queens, N.Y., is an established and 

highly regarded school for gifted 

children from grades 6–12. 

In June, Scholars’ Academy will 

graduate its first class of high school 

students. Scholars’ Academy offers 

an accelerated academic program 

including foreign language and the 

arts, and has a sports program that 

includes basketball, golf, baseball 

and softball. According to Brian, 

a current student is a stellar golfer 

who is being aggressively recruited 

by many Ivy League schools. Brian 

also wrote, “The school is exceptional 

in many ways. We began 

replacing a failing middle school 

that had a 1-in-10 passing rate and 

voluminous disciplinary/safety issues 

in 2005. We are now one of the 

best schools in New York City and 

New York State by many metrics. 

Our school had the highest Quality 

Review (an audit of all things in 

a school) three years in a row. We 

earned a Progress Report Grade of 

A in 2009 as well as a No. 1 ranking 

for both middle school and high 

school levels in New York State 

according to Schooldigger.com metrics. 

Who knows, perhaps there are 

fellow alumni who are looking to 

make a difference in children’s lives 

and our nation’s future through 

monetary support and high school 

student internships or who may be 

interested in applying for teaching 

jobs at our school?” 

For more information on Scholars’ 

Academy go to schools.nyc.gov/ 

SchoolPortals/27/Q323/default. 

htm. 

Brian keeps in touch with 

classmates and added, “I recently 

saw Jon dwyer, who has a tribe 

of great kids and a pretty wife. 

Jon is doing phenomenally with 

fatTail.com. I also linked up with 

bennie seybold, Matt Engels and 

paul childers. Not too long ago, I 

touched base with bob giannini 

and duane bartsch. Bob is livin’ 

the single life to my knowledge, 

and Duane and his wife, Donya, 

recently had child No. 2! A few 

more Columbia cubs in the litter.” 

I also had some happy news 

from dan corcoran, who sent 

in a birth announcement: “My 

husband, Augusto Lima, and I are 

thrilled and proud to announce the 

births of our children, Lucas and 

Maria. They were born on July 26 

in Overland Park, Kan. We are all 

happy to be back home in New 

York.” Congratulations! 

90 

rachel cowan Jacobs 

313 Lexington Dr. 

Silver Spring, MD 20901 

cowan@jhu.edu 

I’m taking this opportunity to 

thank not only our classmates who 

send me news “unsolicited” but 

also all of you who have thanked 

me over the years for writing this 

column. I’ve enjoyed every moment 

of it — except for when I 

issue threats and act like a bully 

— and really appreciate your kind 

words. Now, on to business! 

There’s a lot of movement in 

professional arenas this issue. liz 

(lang) poston moved back to 

Washington, D.C., in June, after 

almost six years in Florida, to take 

a position as e.v.p. at Prism Public 

Affairs, a policy-oriented strategic 

communications firm. Her daughter, 

Ava (4), is turning into quite the 

city kid, taking Metro around town


on field trips with her preschool 

class. I’m always glad to know of 

another classmate in the area. Given 

the number of CC/BC/SEAS ’90 

alumni in the D.C. area, we could 

throw quite a party. If anyone wants 

to organize, let me know. It’s just 

too bad that gemma tarlach won’t 

be able to supervise the desserts. 

She wrote in July, “Since graduating 

from The Culinary Institute of 

America a couple years back with 

a fancy pants degree in baking and 

pastry arts, I’ve worked everywhere 

from the mega casino-resorts of 

Las Vegas to a luxe ranch perched 

at nearly 9,000 feet above sea 

level in the Rockies to a super-posh 

lodge on the South Island of New 

Zealand. By the time this issue of 

CCT is out, I will be in Antarctica. 

I’m going to be one of the bakers at 

McMurdo Station for about eight 

months. This will be my seventh 

continent and the realization of a 

dream I’ve had since I was little, so I 

am super-excited.” 

Gemma, this is way cool. Have 

any of the rest of us spent time in 

Antarctica? 

dan Max joined the law firm 

of Apatoff Peters Ebersohl in Falls 

Church, Va., as a partner and chair 

of the business department. He 

invites everyone to get in touch. 

This is kind of funny. With 

ijeoma acholonu Ejeh bringing 

this column to a close, you will now 

have read about 100 percent of your 

Class Notes columnists. (Ijeoma and 

Dan were my predecessors.) Ijeoma 

and her family have been in Fayetteville, 

N.C., for three years, having 

finally stopped moving around 

so much for fellowship training and 

job opportunities, and are happy to 

be back on the East Coast. She is a 

laparoscopic general and bariatric 

surgeon, and chief of bariatrics at 

Cape Fear Valley hospital in Fayetteville. 

She regrets having missed 

seeing everyone at reunion. 

If any of you has regrets for not 

having sent me news or updates, 

please don’t live your life in regret. 

Just write! 





212-851-7849 

DEVELOPMENT Rachel Towers 

rt2339@columbia.edu 

212-851-7833 

91 

Margie Kim 

c/o CCT 


622 W. 113th St., MC 4530 


margiekimkim@ 

hotmail.com 

Greetings, all! It’s a short column this 

time, but entertaining nonetheless. 

chris Kotes sent in this update: 

“My wife, Lori, and I welcomed 

our second 9 ½-plus-pound baby 

into the world on July 21: 9 lbs., 

15 oz. Kyle Christopher, or KC, as 

his older brother, Tyler (2), calls 

him. I had 12 paid paternity weeks, 

some unreal benefit of Bank of 

America. I am truly blessed and 

am enjoying my time with the 

boys. I am not on Facebook but 

my e-mail is kotey29@comcast.net 

if anyone wants to catch up with 

me. I recently changed positions at 

the bank and now manage credit 

card authorization approvals from 

a fraud perspective. So if you have 

good credit and still get declined, 

that’s my team. Tyler is quite the 

athlete already, playing golf, which 

makes Dad happy.” 

In January, ted stern ’94L started 

a new job as general counsel at Envision 

EMI in Vienna, Va. Envision 

is a leader in providing experiential 

educational programs to students 

from grade school through college 

throughout the world. In addition 

to handling all legal matters, Ted 

works in business development. 

He and his family live in Washington, 

D.C., and son Teddy recently 

turned 7. 

Looking forward to hearing from 

more of you. Until next time, cheers! 

92 

Jeremy feinberg 

315 E. 65th St. #3F 


jeremy.feinberg@ 

verizon.net 

With a little bit of help from superhero 

Class Notes Editor Ethan Rouen 

’04J, I asked, and you answered. I 

hated to have an empty column for 

you last time. Absolutely hated it. 

But you wouldn’t want me to make 

stuff up. Please do keep the communication 

lines open and let me know 

what’s going on, like those who 

wrote in this time. 

I need to give credit to the first 

of our classmates to use the newest 

means to submit Class Notes, as 

Ethan detailed in the last issue 

(college.columbia.edu/cct/submit_ 

class_note). I was pleased to hear 

from brenda (peterson) fowler 

in this way, which is via the CCT 

website. Brenda is a psychotherapist 

and works with couples in Portland, 

Ore. She “loves the wonder of being 

a new-ish mom to Eleanor Rae 

(1).” Brenda’s husband, Ben, is with 

a start-up software company and 

plays alto sax on the weekends. 

Brenda raved about the life in the Pa- 

cific Northwest, “Here in Portland, 

life is full of gardens, backyard BBQ 

gatherings, hikes in the woods and 

other activities that make it a total 

contrast to NYC.” 

Facebook allowed me to catch 

up with peter robbins. Peter is an 

attorney for the U.S. Department of 

Commerce and also has developed 

a second full-time job as a writer 

for and about the fishing and boating 

industries. I don’t think Peter is 

likely to be proven wrong in asserting 

that he is “the only Ivy Leaguer 

with a blog about professional bass 

fishing called ‘Pete Weighs In’ (in 

sideline.net/index.php/blog-pete). 

Peter spends “just about every moment 

away from the office” either 

in a boat or towing the boat someplace. 

Alums who live near Zapata, 

Elizabeth weeks leonard ’93 was promoted to full 

professor at the university of Kansas school of law. 


62 

Texas, Guntersville, Ala., Culiacan, 

Mexico, or Lake Biwa, Japan, may 

have seen him passing by. 

Peter is in frequent contact with 

his junior year roommate, greg 

wiessner. Peter shares that Greg 

and his wife, Jennifer, live in North 

Yarmouth, Maine, with their sons, 

Keji and Breton. In March, Peter 

attended a surprise 40th birthday 

party for rich brosnick in NYC, 

where he reconnected with a host 

of his fellow alums from Beta, including 

Matt DeFilippis ’93, Bruce 

Wacha ’95, Francois Furstenburg 

’94, Matt Murphy ’94, Miguel 

Javier ’93E, Rick Brenders ’95 and 

Linden Edsel (Buff) Thomas ’91. 

I saw andy contiguglia on his 

New York visit this summer. He and 

his girlfriend had a whirlwind tour 

of Manhattan, in which he saw peter 

hatch, Amy (Blumberg) Schraeder 

and Karen Sendler ’94. Andy’s 

encounter with Amy was the sort 

of thing that could only happen in 

New York: He was walking on 76th 

Street toward Central Park when 

two kids who were playing in a 

street yard hit their tennis balls over 

the fence and out into the street. One 

of the balls bounced across the street 

to where Andy was walking. When 

he picked it up and went to toss it to 

the mom crossing over to retrieve it, 

that mom was Amy. As Andy put 

it, “In a land of eight million people, 

and me just visiting, what were the 

chances that Amy’s kid would almost 

hit me with a tennis ball?” 

All I can say is, come back soon 

Mr. Contiguglia. 

I heard for the first time in a 

while from rob carey. Rob has had 

his own journalism and marketing 

communications firm in NYC 

since August 2007, when he left his 

position as editorial director within 

the business-media division of The 

Nielsen Co. Rob started there as an 

editorial intern during his senior 

year at Columbia and moved up 

another rung of the ladder every 

three or four years. He explains, 

“While it was a bit scary to leave 

in order to do my own thing, it’s 

allowed me to do projects across 

several industries, which has been 

incredibly interesting and made 

me a better businessperson in addition 

to a more-informed writer and 

editor.” 

Rob is pursuing development of 

a humorous decorative brand for 

golf apparel, hats, towels and club 

head covers called OhMyGolf!, and 

is presenting it to the large sportinggoods 

retailers around the country. 

Those who wanted to take a peek 

at some of Rob’s work can visit a 

website designed for individual 

purchases: OhMyGolfStuff.com. 

Rob took a vacation in August 

that involved flying to Denver with 

his girlfriend, renting a Harley 

and riding through the mountains. 

As he described it, “Coming over 

Wilkerson Pass on day No. 2, we 

stopped at a scenic viewing spot 

and noticed that the 14,000-ft. peaks 

before us were named Mount Harvard, 

Mount Princeton, Mount Yale 

and Mount Columbia. Although 

it was not the tallest of the peaks, 

it was apparent to everyone that 

Mount Columbia was the most 

well-rounded one.” 

Sounds like a fitting tribute to 

alma mater and a fitting end to this 

writing. I look forward to serving 

you up more news next issue. 

93 

betsy gomperz 

41 Day St. 

Newton, MA 02466 

Betsy.Gomperz@gmail.com 

A huge thank you to isolde brielmaier, 

who recently provided 

me with loads of information for 

this column! Isolde reports: “All 

is great by me. I am a professor at 

Vassar College, where I teach art 

history and cultural studies. I’ve 

also been guest teaching a contemporary 

photography and video 

course at Barnard the last four 

years, which has been fun. I’ve 

been doing a lot of independent 

curating in NYC and abroad with 

a big museum exhibition opening 

here in NYC at the Bronx Museum 

in January. My fiancé, Mangue, 

and I welcomed a daughter, Farrah, 

in the summer, and although 

sleep-deprived, we are loving life 

and little Farrah! Clearly, we are 

a class with loads of energy and 

creativity! Case in point: I’m in 

touch with my dear friends diana 

Mcclure and Herby Raynaud ’97, 

who both live near me in Brooklyn. 

Diana remains a true creative guru


— an artist, writer and cultural 

programmer — who in addition to 

her own art practice has consulted 

with the Queens Council on the 

Arts and Miami Art Basel, among 

others. She is the editor of a great 

online magazine: cultureserve. 

net. Herby works hard in the tech 

industry and plays hard at his 

newfound love of salsa dancing. 

His volunteer work includes teaching 

fencing to inner-city kids and 

DJ’ing! Jennifer anglade dahlberg 

is back in Sweden working 

on her second novel and hanging 

out with her husband, Christian, 

and kids, Yazmin and James. Erin 

dracos scott and paul scott live 

a wonderful life in Berkeley with 

their two kids and are about to 

embark on a one-year around-theworld 

adventure, spending most 

of their time in the South Pacific 

and East Asia. Evonne Gallardo 

’96 is executive director of Self 

Help Graphics and Art in East Los 

Angeles, a legendary 30-year old 

Chicano/Mexican visual arts cultural 

center that works to advance 

Latino arts both locally and nationally. 

She also is a board member of 

Pasadena Heritage, which works 

to preserve the cultural history of 

Pasadena, and she has been a longstanding 

member of the National 

Association of Latino Arts and Culture. 

And last, I heard that angela 

hernandez was working at a think 

tank in Washington, D.C.” 

I also heard from Elizabeth 

weeks leonard, who last spring 

was promoted to full professor at 

the University of Kansas School of 

Law, where she teaches health law 

and torts. Elizabeth is spending 

the fall semester in her hometown 

of Athens, Ga., teaching at her law 

school alma mater, the University 

of Georgia School of Law. Her husband, 

Thom Leonard, is an artisan 

baker and heirloom grain consultant 

who will spend the semester 

learning about hominy, peaches 

and other Southern delicacies. 

94 

leyla Kokmen 

440 Thomas Ave. S. 

Minneapolis, MN 55405 

lak6@columbia.edu 

Thanks to a tip from shawn landres 

(more on him later), I learned that 

russell sacks was married in March 

to Lauren Tobe. Shawn attended the 

wedding, and Russell filled me in on 

the slew of Columbians who came to 

celebrate: negar nabavinejad and 

her husband, Mehran Azar; sarah 

sheffer; James bradley; pablo 

garcia; heather sutton walsh ’94E; 

Ron Meyers ’92; Noah Rosenthal ’96; 

and Terence Woolf ’99, ’02L. Also 

in attendance were Russell’s sister, 

Robin Sacks Silverman ’97, as well 

as his brother, Roni Sacks ’04, and 

Roni’s girlfriend, Christy Pomeranz 

’04. In addition to his happy wedding 

news, Russell also shared that 

in January he became a partner at 

Shearman & Sterling, an international 

law firm, where he is a financial 

institutions regulatory lawyer. 

In addition to sharing Russell’s 

news, Shawn had some news of his 

own: He, his wife Zuzana, and their 

daughter, Abby, welcomed Natalia 

Miriam Riemer Landres on July 3. 

Many Columbians attended her 

baby naming, which was officiated 

by Rabbi Sharon Brous ’95. 

In other baby news, ayanna 

(parish) thompson, her husband, 

Derek, and their son, Dashiell, announced 

the birth of their daughter/sister, 

Thaisa Rose, on June 8. 

Congratulations to everyone. 

Look forward to hearing more news! 

95 

Janet lorin 

127 W. 96th St., #2GH 


jrf10@columbia.edu 

This update revolves around summer 

babies, who might be the Class 

of 2032 if they attend the College, 

and meeting up with friends from 

Lit Hum. 

First up: david webber and his 

wife, Irit Tau-Webber ’02L, welcomed 

Noam Zev Tau on August 15. 

He joins brother Boaz in the family’s 

adventure in Boston, where David 

teaches law at Boston University. 

On the other coast, hilton romanski 

and his wife, Emily Meyer, 

welcomed Georgia James on June 

16, a day after Emily turned 40. 

She joins Clement (2). The family 

moved back to Palo Alto from San 

Francisco just in time for Emily to 

give birth a month later to Georgia. 

Emily’s entrepreneurial venture 

(teacollection.com) continues to be 

the top brand in the country for 

children’s luxury clothes. Hilton has 

been working for Cisco for 10 years 

and recently moved from v.p. of 

corporate development leading the 

M&A and investments globally to 

helping to lead its service provider 

business. 

thad tracy; his wife, Michele 

Haberland ’04 SIPA; and their twins, 

Sacha and Tobin, live in Morningside 

Heights, Hilton writes. Thad recently 

accepted a key role as the general 

counsel of a private equity fund. (I 

caught up with Thad this spring for 

lunch, and we ran into Russell Sacks 

’94 at a diner in midtown.) 

Hilton moved to Palo Alto and 

found a classmate next door: gene 

Mazo, who lives with his wife, 

Gwen Parker, and their son, Max (3). 

“Gene and I were in Wallace 

Gray’s Lit Hum class freshman year 

and have been catching up over 

wine and impromptu dinners with 

our two families all summer,” Hil- 


63 

ton writes. “Small, small world.” 

Gwen bumped into their new 

neighbors and invited them over 

for a barbecue. 

“The family came over and when 

I saw the husband, I couldn’t believe 

my eyes. It was hilton romanski 

from my freshman Lit Hum class,” 

Gene writes. 

Their sons go to the same preschool 

and play together at home. 

“We can hear them over the fence, 

and our families hang out together 

all the time,” Gene writes. “Hilton 

turns out to be a great cook, and 

we couldn’t have asked for a better 

set of friends or neighbors.” 

Gene is a lawyer. He met his wife 

at Stanford Law, and he had been 

in academia for a long time, having 

completed a Ph.D. in politics at 

Oxford. 

I have my own baby news, too. 

My husband, Scott, our son, Ike, and 

I welcomed our daughter, Charlize 

“Charlie” Sarah, on August 7, 15 

days early. She had the good sense 

not to intrude on her brother’s 

second birthday of August 8. 

Like Ike, Charlie was delivered 

by the fabulous rebecca amaru. 

The morning after Charlie was born, 

Rebecca had her own daughter! Orli 

Maayan Waitman joins sisters Jolie, 

Lyla and Isabel. 

Rebecca practices with Shari 

Brasner and Isabel Blumberg in 

Manhattan. 

Two months before Charlie was 

born, my husband and I took a 

week-long trip to London, where 

I saw a familiar face on our flight 

to and from England. Sitting in 

the row in front of us was owen 

grover; his wife, Erin Gilbert ’95 

Barnard, ’99 GSAS, and their son, 

Devon (8). Owen was in my Lit 

Hum class with Jim Lewis. 

The couple celebrated their 10th 

wedding anniversary on July 1 and 

are happily ensconced in the Windsor 

Terrace section of Brooklyn. 

Owen has been working for five 

years at Clear Channel, where he 

runs programming and marketing 

for the company’s digital unit. 

Erin finished her dermatology 

residency at SUNY Downstate and 

recently joined Gramercy Park 

Dermatology Associates, where 

she’s eager to treat fellow alumni. 

Finally, I didn’t get to include a 

reunion update from Mark filstrup, 

who ventured up to 116th after 

living south of 8th Street for the last 

15 years. 

“I was impressed with the showing 

from Architecture (sara Moss 

and Vivien Chung ’01 Arch.), the 

Varsity Show (Chad Levinson ’97, 

rebecca gottesman and Laura Pietropinto 

’00) and Carman (amanda 

Kahn-Kirby, Maria celis Jeanseaume 

and Janet lorin),” he writes. 

“It was also fun to see adlar garcía, 

roosevelt Montás and winifred 

teng at the event at 230 Fifth.” 

While he did not see any Kingsmen 

all weekend, he has stayed in 

touch with a few. “I met baby Wyatt 

Yang when Welly Yang ’94 and his 

wife, Dina, brought him to town 

this spring,” Mark writes. 

Thanks for these great updates, 

and keep the news coming. 





212-851-7849 

DEVELOPMENT Rachel Towers 

rt2339@columbia.edu 

212-851-7833 

96 

ana s. salper 

24 Monroe Pl., Apt. MA 


asalper@yahoo.com 

Greetings, classmates. This is my 

first of many appeals to you to 

come back to Morningside Heights 

for our 15th reunion! Yes, our 15th. 

Those of you who attended our fifth 

and 10th reunions know how much 

fun it can be to, well, reunite. So 

please come. We would love to see 

you there and relive the glory days. 

After almost 10 years with Nike, 

anastasia thanopoulos (née 

Yatrakis) left to join her family’s 

real estate/property management 

company. She focuses on sales and 

rentals in Brooklyn and Manhattan. 

She and her husband, Billy ’95, 

have two children, George (3) and 

Nicholas (5). sarah robbins lives 

in Washington, D.C., with her son, 

Miles (1), and husband, Nathan 

Thompson. She works at the BBC 

as the planning producer for BBC 

World News America, the international 

news-focused evening program 

broadcast anchored in D.C. 

Sarah has been working with the 

BBC for 10 years, first based in Los 

Angeles, then for a bit in London 

and now D.C. 

submit Your Photo 

submitting a photo for 

Class Notes is easier 

than ever! 

ONLINE by clicking 

“Contact us” at college. 

columbia.edu/cct. 

MAIL by sending the 

photo and accompanying 

caption information to 

Class Notes Editor, 

Columbia College Today, 

Columbia Alumni Center, 

622 W. 113th st., MC 4530, 

New York, NY 10025.


Nine years after their first date as seniors, Abena Boakye ’01 and Omar 

slowe ’01 were married in November 2009 on the island of Maui. Soaking 

up the rays with them were (left to right) the bride’s father, Kwadwo 

Boakye; Kwabina Appiah ’78 Business; Kofi Boakye ’10; David Simpson 

’01E; Franklin Amoo ’02; Selom Gasinu ’04E; Alexander Gumbs ’01, ’07 

Business; Raefer Gabriel ’07 Business; the bride’s mother, Cynthia Boakye 

’94 PH; the groom; the bride; Chris Motley ’03; Reginald Cash ’04; Adrienne 

Bowman ’01; Vanessa Hs-Doyle ’01 (née Hutchinson-Szekely); Jon-Mychal 

Bowman ’99; Avrielle Gallagher ’01; Guambi Makoso ’01E; Akua Boakye ’11 

Business; Damali slowe ’10; Dionne Wilson Gumbs ’07 Business; Jacqueline 

Corona ’02; and Danae Mullings-Makoso ’01E, ’08 CE. 

dennis paul recently left UBS 

and moved his entire team, the 

Rosenau/Paul Group, off of the 

“big box” banking platforms to 

HighTower, where he is a registered 

investment adviser. Dennis 

is co-managing approximately 

$725 million for 110 investors in 

long-only U.S. equities and fixed 

income. On the stock side, Dennis’ 

group has outperformed the S&P 

500 index for the past 10 years. He 

can be reached at dpaul@hightow 

eradvisors.com. 

noah cornman lives in NYC 

and is a music producer and record 

label executive with Sh-K-Boom/ 

Ghostlight Records, which specializes 

in original cast recordings and 

solo albums with Broadway stars 

and composers. He continues to 

work with his Pulitzer Prize winning 

friends tom Kitt and Brian 

Yorkey ’93. The three worked on the 

Varsity Show together at Columbia, 

and more recently they recorded 

Next to Normal. Noah has worked 

with Tom on numerous recordings 

and live concerts, and last year, 

Noah was nominated for a Grammy 

for his recording of Hair. 

Jeff gale and his wife, Dana, 

have a daughter, Julia (3), and 

welcomed a new child to the family 

this past summer. TicketBiscuit, 

the online ticketing company Jeff 

founded in 2001, continues to grow. 

deganit ruben (née Stein) lives in 

Savannah, Ga., with her husband, 

Jesse, and daughters, Jordan (5) and 

Elana (2). Deganit planned to get 

back to teaching English and writing 

at the college level this fall. Elie 

levine and his wife, Jody alpertlevine, 

have been in their joint 

medical practice on the Upper East 

Side for more than two years. Jody 

is an adult and pediatric dermatologist, 

and Elie is a plastic surgeon. 

They take care of everyone from 

newborns to adults and have an operating 

room on the premises. Their 

children are Skyler (13), Jasmine 

(10), Caitlin (7) and William (2). Elie 

writes that they are looking forward 

to our 15th reunion. 

Jen sarnovsky guagenti earned 

an M.Ed. in early and middle childhood 

education from Ohio State in 

2000, married Joe Guagenti, whom 

Jen knew from her hometown in 

Ohio, taught second grade for several 

years, stayed home with her 

kids for six years and went back 

to teach fourth grade this fall. Jen 

has five kids: Allison (born 2001), 

Joseph (born 2002), Margaret (born 

2004), Ethan (born 2008) and Elizabeth 

(born 2009). Jen and her family 

live just north of Columbus, Ohio, 

and they are having fun with all of 

the kids’ sports and activities. She 

writes: “Life is good.” 

Jeremiah crowell and his wife, 

Heather McGeory ’97 Barnard, 

welcomed their second son, Beau, 

on Cinco de Mayo. Beau’s brother 

is Callum (2). Jeremiah and his 

family recently bought a home in 

Park Slope, and Jeremiah owns a 

small production company in Soho 

that is developing a feature film. 

A short film of Jeremiah’s, Small 

Collection, played at the Sundance 

Film Festival in 2009 and many 

other festivals in the following 

months, winning eight “best of 

fest” awards along the way. 

After living in Los Angeles for 

eight years, seven of them as a trial 

attorney with the federal public 

defender’s office, lara bazelon 

moved to San Francisco to begin a 

two-year clinical teaching fellowship 

at the UC Hastings College of the 

Law. She lives in Cole Valley with 

her husband, Matt, an associate at 

Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass. Lara 

and Matt have a son, Carter, born 

in April 2009. caleb weinstein and 

his wife, Debbie, moved to London 

with their daughter, Charlotte (2), 

in October 2008. Caleb runs the Discovery 

Channel across the emerging 

markets of EMEA (Eastern Europe 

from Russia and the CIS running 

south through the Balkans, Turkey 

and Middle East to South Africa). 

Caleb travels extensively for work 

and has been everywhere from 

Qatar to Dubai, Turkey, Slovenia, 

Serbia, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and 

Russia (where he is about once a 

month) to ensure that everyone who 

has cable or satellite TV can satisfy 

their curiosity through Discovery 

Channel, Animal Planet and TLC. 

navid Mootabar lives in Bedford, 

N.Y., with his wife, Nava (a dentist), 

and daughters, Kimia (6) and Lila 

(2). Navid is the associate chairman 

of the department of ob/gyn and 

the director of gynecologic surgery 

at Northern Westchester Hospital in 

Mount Kisco, N.Y. He has a special 

interest in laparoscopic and robotic 

surgery and stays involved with Columbia 

through alumni committees. 

Julie satow gave birth to a girl, 

Sophie Emmilene Elliott, on July 8. 

Eric creizman and his wife, Michelle 

Weber, live in Westchester, N.Y. They 

have two boys, Judah (5) and Caleb 

(2). Eric is a litigator in the New York 

office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher 

and focuses on white collar criminal 

defense and securities litigation matters. 

Elizabeth (tanenbaum) baron 

and her husband, Michael, have two 

children (8 and 6), and live in south 

Florida. Elizabeth’s daughter started 

school at the Donna Klein Jewish 

Academy of Boca Raton this fall. 

Elizabeth is working in commercial 

real estate for a privately owned 

company in western Florida. In her 

spare time, she jogs, swims and does 

Pilates. sala patterson is married to 

an Italian artist, has a son, Teo Freeman 

(1), and lives and works in Paris 

for the Africa and Middle East desk 

of the OECD Development Centre 

in a dual policy analyst/outreach 

coordinator role. Sala and her family 

have been there for a little more 

than two years. Before that, Sala was 

in Tunis, Tunisia, with the African 

Development Bank, and before that, 

with the UN in Rome. 

More news to report next time ... 

I will leave you with this: 

“The poets down here don’t 

write nothing at all, they just stand 

back and let it all be.” 

—Bruce Springsteen, “Jungleland” 

97 


64 

sarah Katz 

1935 Parrish St. 


srk12@columbia.edu 

nomi victor was named associate 

publishing director of the trade 

department at W.W. Norton. 

claire (fenton) simmonds 

writes that life is good in Austin, 

Texas. She and hubby david simmonds 

are happily working and 

raising their children, Patrick (6) 

and Hannah (4). “Any Columbia 

folks visiting the area should be 

sure to look us up!” she says. 

amrit nagpal writes that things 

are going well in San Francisco. 

“Reyna (5) started kindergarten, 

which was a milestone (and will 

hopefully be the start of her journey 

to Columbia!).” Her brother, Jay (3), 

started preschool. 

carrie sturts dossick was 

awarded promotion with tenure at 

the University of Washington. As 

of September 15, she is an associate 

professor in the Department of Construction 

Management in the College 

of Built Environments. She also is 

the executive director of the Pacific 

Northwest Center for Construction 

Research and Education. Carrie and 

her husband, stephen dossick, 

welcomed twins on July 23, 2009: 

Charles Ellis and Sara Verdie. 

In April, ruth Mason and her 

husband, James Wetterau ’05 GS, 

had their first child, Felix. 

Suzanne Park and her husband, 

Trevor Foucher ’98 UC Berkeley, 

are proud parents to Coralie Jae, 

born June 9. Suzanne also recently 

launched a line of eco-friendly 

laptop bags and accessories, available 

at plaiddoctrine.com. 

98 

sandie angulo chen 

10209 Day Ave. 

Silver Spring, MD 20910 

sandie.chen@gmail.com 

Hello, classmates. Unfortunately I 

don’t have too many updates for 

you this column, so I’ll once again 

invite all of you to send me news, 

even if you haven’t recently gotten 

married, changed jobs or had 

a baby. Don’t make me resort to 

stalking you on Facebook! 

There is one piece of fabulous 

news: Kapil desai wrote with baby 

news. His wife, Stefanie, gave birth 

to their first child, Julia Ann, in 

July. She delivered at Mount Sinai, 

where Kapil is an assistant professor 

in musculoskeletal radiology. The 

happy family lives on the Upper 

East Side with their English bulldog, 

Bella (1). 

Congratulations, Kapil and 

Stefanie! 

99 

lauren becker 

19 Devalan St., Apt. 3N 


laurenbecker@gmail.com 

Unfortunately, I haven’t heard from 

most of you in years, if ever. But 

luckily, I’ve been driving around 

the country unearthing some select 

morsels of information, and a couple


emily landsburg ’01 makes Sewage part of the Solution 

For most environmental 

activists, sewage water 

represents a biohazard 

— part of a growing 

waste disposal problem that 

threatens to upset the planet’s 

ecological balance. For Emily 

Landsburg ’01, it’s part of the 

solution. 

Landsburg’s company, Black- 

Gold (blackgoldbiofuels.com), 

has created the FOG-to-Fuel 

system, a device that converts 

sewer water into renewable 

energy. “FOG” stands for “fats, 

oils and greases,” three components 

of wastewater that can be 

chemically altered to produce 

biodiesel and other eco-friendly 

byproducts using the technology 

developed and sold by Black- 

Gold. Until now, the filtering of 

FOG has presented a budget 

concern as well as a health 

hazard for sewage treatment 

facilities. By turning the waste 

into sellable fuel, BlackGold’s 

invention transforms a liability 

into a revenue source. 

The company’s motto — 

“Converting our crudest wastes 

into our cleanest fuels” — emphasizes 

the environmental 

and economic implications of 

its flagship product. Landsburg 

further points out that the 

system has benefits from a 

national security perspective. 

If used widely enough, the 

technology has the potential to 

improve the U.S. economy by 

limiting American dependence 

on foreign oil and making the 

country less vulnerable to energy 

shortages as a result of 

natural disaster. 

“It’s a pretty simple proposition,” 

says Landsburg. “The 

more energy independent a 

nation is, the more secure it 

can be.” 

BlackGold began as a subsidiary 

of The Energy Cooperative, 

a utility provider based in Philadelphia. 

The original venture, 

co-founded by Landsburg in 

2004, was a green energy initiative 

on the part of the cooperative. 

The project was aimed 

at encouraging government 

agencies and commercial businesses 

to use biodiesel by making 

both the fuel and its delivery 

as affordable as possible. The 

search for a cost-effective way 

of generating green energy 

from otherwise useless materials 

led the company to focus on 

the wastewater industry and, 

ultimately, drove the invention 

of the FOG-to-Fuel technology. 

As interest in biodiesel grew, 

the project gained momentum, 

and BlackGold officially split off 

from The Energy Cooperative 

in 2008. 

What started as a regional 

effort has since gone national. 

BlackGold already has begun 

receiving widespread acknow- 

ledgment for its environmental 

conservation efforts, including 

a Renewable Energy Leadership 

Award from the governor of Pen- 

nsylvania. The company ranks 

third on Bloomberg Business- 

week’s list of America’s Most 

Promising Social Entrepreneurs 

of 2010. Its client list includes 

the city of San Francisco, which 

purchased the first commercial 

B y gr a c e La i d L a W ’11 

BlackGold founder Emily Landsburg ’01 

speaks at the 5th Annual Canadian Renewable 

Fuels Summit in 2008. BlackGold converts 

sewer water into renewable energy. 

PHOTO: NATIONAL BIODIEsEL BOARD 


65 

FOG-to-Fuel system in 2009. 

BlackGold owes much of its 

success to the expertise and 

enthusiasm of Landsburg, who 

was named CEO shortly before 

BlackGold separated from The 

Energy Cooperative. Before 

she arrived in Philadelphia, the 

young entrepreneur already had 

built and sold her first company, 

a seasonal business that maintained 

boats. Water was familiar 

territory for Landsburg, who 

spent four years on the sailing 

team while at Columbia. Before 

long, however, she decided to 

branch out. “I really loved building 

businesses, but I wanted to 

be in a field that had more of an 

impact,” Landsburg says. 

Though BlackGold occupies 

a very different niche than 

her first company, Landsburg 

believes that her previous experience 

as an entrepreneur 

was good 

preparation for 

her current work. 

“There’s a certain 

scrappy resourcefulness 

common 

to all start-ups,” 

she says. There are 

common challenges 

as well, such as the 

pre-revenue phase 

that all new businesses 

must deal 

with while facing 

deadlines and satisfying 

investors 

without the benefit 

of independent 

cash flow. By the 

time she started 

BlackGold, Landsburg 

had already 

become an expert 

at saving time while 

cutting costs. 

She is quick to 

distinguish, however, 

between 

financial and human resources. 

Landsburg believes that even 

in an economic downturn, it is 

possible for start-up companies 

with limited means to attract 

talented workers. In fact, she 

thinks that the recession may 

have given BlackGold an edge 

in the hiring process. “In an 

environment like this,” she says, 

“people are more willing to take 

risks, and in that sense, it’s a 

great time to be a start-up. We 

have some fabulous employees.” 

Those who knew Landsburg 

during college are not surprised 

that she has made a career as 

an entrepreneur. Carina Schoenberger 

’02, who sailed with 

Landsburg at Columbia, says 

that her friend has never been 

afraid to disregard convention. 

During a team trip to Miami, 

Schoenberger remembers 

Landsburg wandering off after 

practice to chat with local fishermen 

about the equipment 

they were using. 

“She’s definitely a perpetual 

student,” Schoenberger says. 

“She learns from everything she 

does.” 

While at Columbia, Landsburg 

majored in applied math — a 

program usually reserved for 

SEAS students. Her decision 

required a special waiver from 

the Office of Academic Affairs. 

“I wanted to focus on applied 

math, but I loved the Core,” she 

explains. “It offered a little bit of 

everything, a great overview.” 

This enthusiasm for tackling 

a wide range of subjects may 

explain Landsburg’s willingness 

to take on the hectic schedule 

and broad-ranging responsibilities 

of a small business owner. 

“I’ve always liked having my 

hands in a lot of different projects 

at once,” she says. 

Landsburg is confident that 

there will be more entrepreneurial 

undertakings in her 

future, but not for a while. 

“At some point, much further 

down the road, I’d like to start 

more businesses,” she says, 

“but for the foreseeable future, 

this is my sole and total focus.” 

Grace Laidlaw ’11 is majoring 

in creative writing and psychology. 

She is director of Columbia’s 

peer counseling hotline and 

contributes regularly to CCT.


Judy Vale ’04 and Mike Rubin ’04 hosted a Columbia reunion at their July 

4 wedding in Garrison, N.Y. Partying with the couple were (top row, left 

to right) Rae Neugarten ’04, Zoe Marcus ’04, Jon Steiner ’04E, Joe Gaynor 

’04, Mark Franczyk ’04, Tom Biegeleisen ’04, Zach Rosner ’04 and Kentaro 

Kaji ’04; and (bottom row, left to right) Sara Topek Spronz ’04 Barnard, 

Marisa Cohn ’02 Barnard, Mary Amasia ’04E, Kimberly Ong ’04, the bride, 

the groom, Neil Vaishnav ’04, Eric Chang ’04 and Rajesh Banik ’04E. 

brave souls have written in with 

news. 

aaron greco ’04 Business: “I 

recently founded a tech company 

that allows students and parents 

to customize pages that get added 

in their school yearbooks. We’re 

doing everything we can to get 

the word out about our product, 

and I thought CC alumni might be 

interested in hearing what we’re 

up to. I encourage you to check out 

our website if you’re interested: 

treering.com.” 

The most devoted and scrupulous 

contributor to this column, 

Kristina Kaufman, wrote to say, 

“I visited Erika (Moravec) Jaeggli 

and Nelson Jaeggli ’97 in Austin, 

Texas, for five days during Labor 

Day weekend. They’re doing well, 

raising two cute and hilarious kids 

named August and Raina. Erika’s 

painting as much as she can and 

has a studio space in East Austin 

with other artists. We had a great 

time going to the botanical gardens 

and the pool, and of course eating 

at least our weight in Tex Mex and 

BBQ. I learned that things really 

are bigger in Texas (bugs, cars, etc.) 

and that it’s acceptable to bring 

your own beer cozy to a cookout. 

I almost got stuck there because of 

Hurricane Ermine and experienced 

my first tornado warnings! But I 

made it back in one piece. Erika 

and I also realized that it had been 

exactly 15 years since we met during 

our first weeks at Columbia. We 

felt old!” 

In August, I drove out to the 

West Coast for a long-overdue 

consultation with my favorite psychiatrist, 

Dr. Jenya Kaufman, who 

is lovely and insightful as ever. 

On my way back east, I stopped 

in Chicago and stayed with Ethan 

fischer and his sweetheart, Robyn, 

who courageously put up with 

both me and my 150-lb. mastiff, 

Bear. We cruised around town and 

visited Jenn and her darling baby 

and happy husband. Jenn noticed 

Ebon Moss-bachrach on Damages, 

and shared that susie lee reads 

this column, that pete Younkin 

got hitched and that she got a 

Rosh Hashanah card from Ethan 

davidson. 

Later, we all had dinner with Esther 

chak, who revealed, after 1½ 

glasses of wine, that she’d recently 

seen Mike Erman, but he told her 

not to tell me. (Mike, why?) Esther 

also told me that Sofia Perenyi has 

opened a yoga studio in Paris, that 

chris hardin stopped in Chicago 

en route to San Francisco via train 

for his birthday, that Julia bloch 

is a video editor and hangs out in 

Brooklyn with Matt Miller ’00E 

and Maggie Pouncey ’00, and that 

interactive designer Mira alibek 

was in Odessa at some point but is 

now back in Brooklyn. Esther and 

Jenn both see David Meshoulam 

’00 often. He lives in Evanston 

with his wife and their daughters 

(1 and 3). 

This flurry of boldface names is 

what happens when people actually 

give up the goods. 

Finally, in case you were still 

curious about george demos’ run 

for Congress (I was), I pulled this 

from his website: 

“Thank you to all of you who 

worked so hard for our campaign 

and for our cause of true conservative 

values. We have fought the 

good fight for conservative principles, 

exceeded all expectations, 

but come a little bit short tonight. 

“Moments ago, I called Randy 

Altschuler and congratulated him 

on winning the Republican nomination 

for U.S. Congress. It is imperative 

that we stop the Obama-Pelosi- 

Bishop agenda of reckless spending 

and higher taxes. To do that, we 

must win back our Congress. I 

will do everything in my power 

to ensure that Randy Altschuler is 

our next Congressman because the 

future of our nation is at stake. I also 

congratulate Chris Cox for a vigorous 

campaign. 

“Thank you to the Republican 

party chairman, John LaValle, 

for opening the primary process 

so that we could participate and 

spread our message. 

“I have met thousands of people 

across Long Island, and they all 

agree that our spending is out of 

control and our taxes are too high. 

We must change course in this nation 

or our future is at risk. 

“I am so honored at the tremendous 

support we received from 

so many leaders including Rush 

Limbaugh. I will continue to fight 

for our principles and our values. 

I believed in them yesterday, I 

believe in them today and I will 

believe in them tomorrow. 

“May God bless you and always 

continue to bless the United States 

of America.” 

That’s all for now. Bye! 

00 


66 

prisca bae 

344 W. 17th St., Apt. 3B 


pb134@columbia.edu 

I recently attended the inaugural 

benefit and silent auction at Cipriani 

42nd Street for New York Needs 

You (newyorkneedsyou.org), a nonprofit 

that provides high-potential 

first-generation college students 

with the most intensive career 

mentorship program in New York 

City. Hundreds of the city’s most 

prominent and philanthropic individuals 

were in attendance. NYNY 

honored Howard Marks, founder 

and chairman of Oaktree Capital 

Management, and Cory A. Booker, 

mayor of the City of Newark, N.J., 

for their support and commitment 

towards NYNY’s crucial mission. 

As a first-generation college grad, I 

found the entire evening to be very 

moving. 

The organization, founded by 

robert reffkin, leverages 200 

highly accomplished professionals 

who volunteer more than 

10,000 hours of mentorship. It is 

the only nonprofit organization 

in New York City that focuses 

exclusively on first-generation 

college students. The foundation 

was launched after Rob, who also 

is president, uncovered significant 

empirical data indicating that the 

education level of parents, family 

structure and socio-economic 

conditions have a significant influence 

on the economic mobility of 

youth. The primary components 

of the NYNY curriculum are life 

planning, career development and 

community leadership projects. 

When not founding nonprofit organizations 

or running marathons 

for charity (runningtosupport 

youngdreams.com), Rob is a v.p. 

in the Principal Investment Area 

of Goldman Sachs. Several other 

alums were in attendance to support 

Rob and NYNY, including 

John Rowan ’01, Andrew Pyo ’01, 

Jeremy Falk ’02, Cindy Helen Brea 

’99E and Marissa Ballan ’01 Barnard. 

It was wonderful to catch up 

with everyone and celebrate Rob’s 

tremendous accomplishments. 





212-851-7977 

DEVELOPMENT Eleanor L. Coufos ’03 

elc19@columbia.edu 

212-851-7483 

01 

Jonathan gordin 

3030 N. Beachwood Dr. 

Los Angeles, CA 90068 

jrg53@columbia.edu 

Hi everyone. Hope things are going 

well and everyone is gearing 

up for the holiday season. 

It’s not always easy to fill this column. 

Sometimes a cursory glance 

at the Sunday New York Times gives 

me lots of great material, though. 

Jonathan vogel and Jacqueline 

Bell Lance were married on August 

14 at the Princeton University Chapel. 

The couple met at Princeton, 

from which the bride graduated 

and Jonathan earned a Ph.D. in 

economics. 

The bride is a manager in the 

mergers and acquisitions group at 

Capital One in McLean, Va. Jonathan 

is an associate professor of 

economics at Columbia. Congratulations 

to Jonathan and Jacqueline! 

Jennifer shalant and Luke 

Groskin were featured in the Vows 

section on September 5, which 

documented their wedding celebration 

at the Prospect Park Zoo. 

Jennifer is a managing web editor 

for the Wildlife Conservation 

Society, which runs the Bronx Zoo. 

Her husband is a videographer for 

the society. The couple met while 

working at the zoo. Luke would 

send her previews of his video 

clips about the new animals at the 

zoo. Jennifer was then responsible 

for writing the captions for the 

videos. Congratulations to Jennifer 

and Luke! 

Now, some people actually do 

write in with exciting news, and 

I encourage all of you to do the 

same. I know your classmates 

would love to hear from you. 

A hearty mazel tov to lauren 

silvers (née Goldstein) and her 

husband, Dan, on the birth of


Ethan Braun, born on July 14 at 7 

lbs., 10 oz. and 19 ¾ in. Ethan joins 

sister Hayley at home in NYC. 

courtney vowels wrote in with 

an exciting update: “John garnevicus 

and I got married on July 

4, 2009, on the Garnevicus family 

farm in Nelson, Wis. It’s the farm 

John’s mom grew up on; his parents 

retired there a few years ago 

after 40 or so years in the Bronx. 

We happily were able to convince 

about 60 close friends and family 

to make the tough trek to the middle 

of the country (2½ hours from 

the nearest airport and about a 

mile from the closest neighbor) and 

got to give a bunch of city folks the 

full rural Wisconsin experience, 

including feeding newborn lambs 

at the farm next door. 

“Columbians in attendance 

included Karen Bram (née Garnevicus) 

’74 Barnard, Erin Bailey ’09 TC, 

Elisa Jacobs ’01 Barnard, Joe Garnevicus 

’03 (John’s middle brother; 

his youngest brother and my brother 

were also in attendance), Kate 

Fillin-Yeh ’01 Barnard, Josephine 

lee, dean lin, laura baldez and 

Tom Garnevicus ’69 (John’s dad). 

Also present was Ben Frisch ’10 PH, 

and present in spirit was rebecca 

Zimmerman. She was scheduled 

to be part of the wedding party, but 

instead was on the other side of the 

planet welcoming a new addition to 

her family: She and husband, Eric 

Friedman, are now busy raising 

their son, Shai, in Israel. 

“John and I have had a whirlwind 

of a year. Just before the 

wedding we bought a townhouse 

in our hometown of the past four 

years, Seattle. John teaches high 

school math and science at Lakeside 

School in Seattle, and I’m the 

director of education at Tacoma Art 

Museum. I’m also on the board of 

our local Columbia alumni club, so 

we’ve gotten to meet a lot of local 

alums.” 

Congratulations to Courtney 

and John! 

Best wishes to all, and please do 

keep in touch. 

02 

sonia dandona 

hirdaramani 

2 Rolling Dr. 

Old Westbury, NY 11568 

soniah57@gmail.com 

Hope everyone enjoyed the summer. 

With fall came a new season 

and many new beginnings. Fill us 

in by e-mailing me at soniah57@ 

gmail.com. 

Melissa tominac was married 

on June 12 to Mike Stewart in New 

York City. They will live in London 

this year, where Melissa is participating 

in a study-abroad program 

for her second year of law school. 

beth stein lipschitz and her 

husband, Nat, welcomed their first 

baby, Eva Tess, on July 29. Evie 

already has been enjoying walks 

with Mom from the Upper West 

Side to the Columbia campus. 

daniel lupo is serving in the 

Army as a chemical specialist at 

Fort Carson, Colo., and is soon to 

be deployed to the Middle East. 

ginger gentile is filming her first 

feature documentary, Goals for Girls: 

The Movie, which follows the struggle 

of teenage girls in a Buenos Aires 

shantytown who dare to play a sport 

off-limits to women in Argentina: 

soccer. You can watch the awardwinning 

short and support the 

project at goalsforgirlsthemovie.org. 

lindsay Jurist rosner graduated 

from Harvard Business School 

and lives in Los Angeles. She 

works for Microsoft. 

avi fernandes graduated with 

an M.B.A. from INSEAD after having 

lived in France and Singapore 

for the last 10 months. He is now 

deciding on which city to make his 

permanent home: HK? SF? Singapore? 

NYC? Only time will tell! 

su ahn will be attending business 

school at INSEAD in Fountainbleau 

and Singapore beginning 

in January. 

Bethany Milton ’06 recently 

finished a two-year tour as a 

foreign service officer at the U.S. 

Consulate in Mumbai and is heading 

out again in April to serve as 

an economic and consular officer at 

the embassy in Tel Aviv. 

03 

Michael novielli 

World City Apartments 

Attention Michael J. 

Novielli, A608 

Block 10, No 6. Jinhui 

Road, Chaoyang District 

Beijing, 100020, People’s 

Republic of China 

mjn29@columbia.edu 

I wanted to take a moment to reflect, 

through this column, on the unfortunate 

passing of John W. Kluge ’37. 

His generosity toward Columbia 

was unparalleled, and the Kluge 

Scholars Program that benefitted 

many of our friends through the 

years is just one example of his legacy. 

In this season of giving thanks, 

it seems fitting to thank him and his 

family for their generous support of 

our alma mater. 

Members of our class continue 

to make unique contributions to 

society, including lien de brouckere, 

who is “now happily living in 

lovely Hamburg, Germany, where 

I am at White & Case’s office here 

working on EU and German competition 

law.” 

Oscar Olivo ’04, also in Germany, 

completed his “diploma 

in 2008 at the ‘Hochschule für 

Schauspielkunst “Ernst Busch” ’ 


67 

Jessica Bobula Foster ’06 married her UVA School of Medicine classmate 

Sean Foster in Charlottesville, N.Y., in July 2009. Keeping the bride 

company were (from left to right) Lauren Baranco ’06; Carly Hugo ’06; 

Tara Wedin ’06; Kelly Gavin ’06; the bride; Danielle Joset ’06; Katie Fernandez 

’06, ’09L; Dana Gold ’06; and Emily Berkman ’06 Barnard. 

PHOTO: DAVE CROCKETT 

and entered my second year of my 

three-year contract in the fall. I am 

part of a 30-person ensemble and 

am working at the Staatstheater 

Hannover. It is the state repertoire 

theater for the State of Hannover. 

Every state and big city has a state 

theater in Germany.” 

Eric siskind recently published 

his latest novel, Moment of Clutch, 

which can be purchased and downloaded 

on Amazon for Kindle, iPad, 

iPhone, and smartphone reader 

applications. lauren Kornreich 

shawn writes, “I married brett 

shawn. We didn’t know each other 

in college, surprisingly, but met a 

few years out of college. I’m in my 

last year of residency in emergency 

medicine at NYU/Bellevue, and 

Brett is a first-year associate at Wachtell, 

Lipton, Rosen & Katz.” luz 

Jimenez graduated from medical 

school and is in her second year 

of residency in combined internal 

medicine/pediatrics. 

pat holder writes, “My wife, 

Kirsten, and I moved in June 2009 

to Boston, where I took a job as a 

postdoctoral researcher for Daniel 

Nocera in the chemistry department 

at MIT. I was fortunate enough 

to receive an NIH Fellowship for 

three years for my research. Kirsten 

found work with the John A. Volpe 

National Transportation Systems 

Center in Cambridge, where she 

is planning alternative transportation 

such as shuttles and trails for 

National Parks and federal land 

agencies.” 

Miru Kim has been “working 

full-time on my artwork and traveling 

a lot. This year: April, one-month 

stay and a solo show in Istanbul; 

May, shooting in Iowa; July–August, 

The Fountainhead Residency in 

Miami (artist residency); September, 

Lodz, Poland, stay for two weeks 

to produce work for the Łódź Biennale; 

October, Uruguay for a show 

in Montevideo and another Miami 

residency.” 

Lastly, beth priest “recently 

completed the Intern Development 

Program and passed the last of my 

Architecture Registration Exams 

to become a licensed architect. I 

am practicing at DeStefano and 

Partners in Chicago. My husband, 

Gregory, and I welcomed a daughter, 

Mallory Eleanor Murphy, into 

our family on April 5.” 

04 

angela georgopoulos 

200 Water St., Apt. 1711 


aeg90@columbia.edu 

Hello fellow alumni! I hope you 

are all doing well and gearing 

up for a fun holiday season. As 

always, please send any and all 

updates my way. On to the news: 

ryan brumberg is the Republican 

candidate for Congress in New 

York’s 14th District. Ryan graduated 

from Stanford Law School 

in 2007 and worked at McKinsey 

and Co. for the past several years 

as a management consultant. In 

March, he resigned in good standing 

to run full-time for Congress. 

Matthew Einhorn is his campaign 

manager. 

After three years as a litigation 

associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel, 

sogol somekh started a judicial 

clerkship in the fall working in 

the federal courthouse in Brooklyn 

Heights. She is looking forward to 

what should be a wonderful professional 

and personal experience. 

Congratulations to arielle fenigstein 

and Yehuda cohen, who 

were married on August 1 in L.A. 

Yehuda writes, “We knew each other 

during college but were not really 

friends; we reconnected while living 

in Washington Heights during the 

past two years. Arielle is an English 

teacher at SAR H.S. in the Bronx. 

I am completing my residency in


Dalinez Martinez ’08 married her high school sweetheart, Eliu Lanzo, in 

New Rochelle, N.Y., on May 9. Nickisha Berlus ’08 (seated, far left) and 

Laura Lee ’08 (standing, second from left) were among a group of Columbia 

alumni joining the festivities. 

PHOTO: THE PROs 

internal medicine at Montefiore and 

next year will be heading to Boston 

for a fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess 

in infectious disease.” 

In attendance at the wedding 

were Josh weinberg ’04E, ’06E; 

ariel Zell; Michael wiener; Elie 

hassenfeld; Talia Falk ’06; Shifra 

Koyfman ’05 Barnard; Regine 

Setton Galanti ’04 Barnard; Ilana 

Mann ’03 Barnard; lisa Kellerman; 

Elie Kravitz ’06; Zev Wiener 

’06; tara herman; Saul Haberfield 

’05E; and Scott Rader ’03, ’06L. 

Congratulations also go out to 

James lee ’04E and his longtime 

girlfriend Susan Kim, who he met 

while she was visiting a friend at 

Columbia our freshman year. There 

was a big showing of Columbia 

alumni at their wedding: Eric rhee 

’04E, ’06E; Jared Kennedy ’04E; ben 

farber; Miklos vasarhelyi; Mark 

bhupathi; andrew sohn; Jesse 

scott; brian ballan ’04E; ray lansigan; 

anna fang; Megan Mccarthy; 

lindsey smith ’04E; and sogol 

somekh. 

Congratulations to Judy vale and 

Mike rubin, who got married on 

July 4 in Garrison, N.Y. It was a mini 

Columbia reunion of sorts, with 18 

alums in attendance: rae neugarten, 

Zoe Marcus, Jon steiner ’04E, 

Joe gaynor, Mark franczyk, tom 

biegeleisen, Zach rosner, Kentaro 

Kaji, Sara Topek Spronz ’04 Barnard, 

Marisa Cohn ’02 Barnard, Mary 

amasia ’04E, Kimberly ong, Judy 

vale, Mike rubin, Neil Vaishnav 

’05, Eric chang ’04E, rajesh banik 

’04E and fernando Martine. 

Happy holidays to you all. See 

you in 2011! 

05 

peter Kang 

205 15th St., Apt. 5 


peter.kang@gmail.com 

I hope everyone had a wonderful 

summer. Here are some updates 

from classmates. 

latoya tavernier recently 

moved from Atlanta to Santa Barbara, 

Calif., to begin a dissertation 

fellowship in the black studies 

department at UC Santa Barbara. 

She’s excited about completing the 

last year in her Ph.D. program. 

Yan feng continues his work as 

a religion correspondent for The 

Straits Times in Singapore. He will 

spend this fall shuttling between 

New York, Denver, D.C. and Doha, 

Qatar. If you’re in any of these 

cities, he’d love to catch up: yen. 

feng@gmail.com. 

Congrats to rebecca (pollack) 

Kee and bill Kee. Their first child, 

James Richard, was born in San 

Francisco on August 21 at 12:03 

a.m.. James was 5 lbs., 5 oz., and 18 

in. Rebecca says that this “future 

Columbian” plans to “major in 

philosophy.” 

w. garner robinson was selected 

for a commission as an intelligence 

officer in the Navy Reserve. 

He began training this fall. 

lily hsu married Konrad Schlick 

in Malibu, Calif. The newlyweds 

moved to San Diego, where they’re 

both medical residents. Congrats! 

Eliana Meirowitz nelson writes: 

“My husband and I soon will move 

to Jerusalem for a year. He’ll be continuing 

his rabbinic studies, and I’ll 

have an internship at the Smokler 

Center for Health Policy Research 

as part of my work toward a master 

of public health degree at Boston 

University. We’re excited to spend 

time in Jerusalem and also use it as 

a launching pad for some international 

adventures. (We’re thinking 

about going to Italy, Greece, Norway, 

Sweden, Egypt and Jordan during 

the year.) If I have any classmates 

in Israel, it’d be great to reconnect. 

And if you’re living somewhere else 

amazing and want some visitors, let 

me know.” 

phil sandick recently finished 

a book on the history of a private 

secondary school in Botswana. He 

also got engaged in a hot air balloon 

over the Serengeti to Colleen Kelley 

’07 SW. He is enrolled in a four-year 

J.D./L.L.M. program in international 

human rights at Northwestern. 

lizet lopez writes: “I finished my 

M.B.A. at Kellogg School of Man- 

agement (Northwestern) in June 

and celebrated with a trip to see the 

World Cup in South Africa (joined 

by charlotte Jacobs). We spent three 

weeks in the country and went to 

two games, quarter-final match of 

Argentina and Germany in Capetown 

and third place match between 

Germany and Uruguay in Port 

Elizabeth. We also survived a threeday 

safari in Krueger, where we saw 

all of Africa’s ‘big five,’ and more! 

Now I am busy settling back into my 

hometown, Dallas, after a nine-year 

hiatus, i.e., since I left for Columbia. 

I work full-time with A.T. Kearney 

management consulting.” 





212-851-7977 

DEVELOPMENT Amanda Kessler 

ak2934@columbia.edu 

212-851-7883 

06 


68 

Michelle oh 

17 John St., Apt. 2D 


mo2057@columbia.edu 

Hello, everyone. Here are some 

updates from our classmates: 

sean duffy is taking a year off 

from medical school at Harvard to 

work at IDEO in San Francisco. 

brian wagner is an account 

director at an international public 

relations firm in Washington, D.C., 

where his undergraduate interest 

in Chinese history and politics is 

finally being put to good use. Brian 

also is entering his second year as 

an officer in the Navy Reserve, and 

is working at the Pentagon as of 

October. He reconnected with Micah 

springut, claudia sandoval 

and Montse ferrer at a young 

alumni event in D.C. recently and 

hopes to rediscover more Columbians 

in the coming months. 

Julia nagle writes, “I’m working 

on my second year in a public policy 

master’s program in California. 

I’m loving the Bay area: the fresh 

food, outdoor excursions and great 

weather. Feel free to get in touch if 

you’re in the area.” 

After eight years in New York 

City, ganesh betanabhatla relocated 

to Houston in August. He works 

in energy private equity at CCMP 

Capital and will be opening a new 

office for the company. If any of you 

are in Houston, please reach out. 

holly guzman is starting her first 

year at the full-time M.B.A. program 

of the University of Chicago Booth 

School of Business. thessaly la 

force is the web editor of The Paris 

Review. She recently launched a blog 

and redesigned the website. 

J.J. stranko has started a master’s 

program at SAIS-Johns Hopkins in 

Bologna and welcomes any and all 

visits to la vita bella in Italy. victoria 

baranetsky sends a haiku from 

Cambridge: 

“Last year in school now 

Makes me think about CC 

Oh the many roars.” 

tamar fuhrer and Jonathan 

faria were married in Toronto on 

August 14. Other Columbians present 

included maid of honor Peta- 

Kaye Johnson ’07, best man Daniel 

Faria ’12J, bridesmaid Kayla Small 

’07, hilary parsons, vlad adzic 

’06E and Connie Shi ’07E. Tamar 

and Jon live in Los Angeles. Tamar 

is a transportation planner for Fehr 

& Peers, a consulting company. Jon 

earned his law degree from UCLA 

in May and began as an associate at 

Kirkland & Ellis in September. 

Last, but certainly not least, I 

want to extend a warm, much 

belated congratulations to Jessica 

bobula foster, who was married 

in July 2009. The wedding was in 

Charlottesville, Va. She married 

Sean Foster, a fellow medical school 

classmate at the University of Virginia. 

They both graduated in May. 

Jessica is doing her residency in 

pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s 

Hospital. [See photo.] 

07 

david d. chait 

1255 New Hampshire Ave. 

N.W., Apt. 815 

Washington, DC 20036 

ddc2106@columbia.edu 

“Our truest life is when we are in 

dreams awake.” 

—Henry David Thoreau 

It’s wonderful to hear the amazing 

things our classmates are up to. 

CC ’07, you’re all living the dream! 

nishant dixit writes in from 

Mumbai, India: “I recently finished 

up a project at TechnoServe with the 

Tibetan Government in Exile. This 

government, created by His Holiness 

the Dalai Lama, was founded in 1959 

to manage the affairs of the Tibetan 

community in India. The project goal 

is to enhance livelihood opportunities 

for approximately 80,000 Tibetan 

refugees across 28 settlements. This 

involves planning and designing collaborative 

livelihood interventions 

in agriculture, tourism, rural call 

centers, access to financial services 

and entrepreneurship. Our project 

was presented to the Central Tibetan 

Administration in June. 

“In July, I traveled to South 

Africa to watch the World Cup. It’s 

amazing to see how far the country 

has come in such a short time. I saw 

Ghana versus Germany with alper 

bahadir at Soccer City Stadium in 

Johannesburg. I was able to meet 

Professor Sunil Gulati, president 

of the U.S. Soccer Federation, for 

breakfast in Johannesburg.” 

Many of our classmates started


graduate school this fall. 

Jessica Zen (née Wong) and her 

husband moved to Cambridge, 

Mass., where Jessica started business 

school at MIT Sloan. 

becca hartog shares, “I completed 

my Peace Corps service in 

Cameroon in November 2009 and 

traveled to Tanzania with alison 

o’neill ’07E afterward. More recently, 

I’ve begun medical school at 

the University of Pittsburgh School 

of Medicine. Go Steelers!” 

Mark Keller writes, “I’m in the 

United Kingdom this fall to pursue 

my M.Sc. in Latin American 

studies at St. Antony’s College, 

University of Oxford.” 

aaron berman moved to Vail, 

Colo. He writes, “I’ve been enjoying 

the outdoors and also started a personal 

chef and catering company, 

Double Diamond Chefs. Hoping for 

a lot of snow this winter!” 

John shekitka notes, “After 

earning a master’s or two, I relocated 

to the Central Valley of California to 

teach at a charter school operated by 

Bard College. Aside from teaching 

at the Paramount Bard Academy, 

my days are spent eating In-N-Out 

burgers, listening to Katy Perry and 

sweltering in the oppressive heat.” 

tarik bolat shares, “dave schor 

participated in the King of Prussia 

Cheese Rolling Competition, working 

with a wheel of young Gouda 

and finishing a respectable 12th 

place.” 

Mike groopman embarked this 

summer on a two-week trip in Switzerland, 

where he hiked in the Alps, 

stayed in rustic cabins and made 

his own muesli at each stop. (This 

evidently is the point of the trip.) 

lukas Mcgowan is touring Buffalo, 

N.Y., performing his critically 

acclaimed one-man show, Pots, 

Pans, and Glass. Inspired by the hit 

musical Stomp, Lukas has created 

what he calls a “special cat-suit” 

that comprises household kitchen 

items including whisks, wooden 

ladles, a Cuisinart blade and electric 

skillets, which he uses to play an 

entire catalogue of Philip Glass compositions. 

The Buffalo News quoted 

him: “In college, I was inspired by a 

course called Music Hum[anities]. I 

thought, hey, I like cookware and I 

love the Minimalist compositions of 

Philip Glass — it just seemed like a 

natural marriage. You really haven’t 

experienced Mr. Glass’ compositions 

until you’ve heard them through the 

timbre of a Macy’s crock pot.” 

Lukas is in negotiations with 

several Off-Broadway theaters and 

hopes to bring his show to Manhattan 

in the fall. Keep an eye out! 

In August, Meghan Mccain published 

the book Dirty Sexy Politics. 

Publisher Hyperion Books describes 

it: “In this witty, candid and boisterous 

book, Meghan takes us deep 

behind the scenes of the campaign 

trail. She steals campaign signs in 

New Hampshire, tastes the nightlife 

in Nashville, and has a strange 

encounter with Laura and Jenna 

Bush at the White House. Along the 

way, she falls in love with America 

while seeing how far the Republican 

Party has veered from its core values 

of freedom, honesty and individuality. 

In Dirty Sexy Politics, Meghan 

McCain gives us a true insider’s 

account of life on a campaign trail.” 

08 

neda navab 

53 Saratoga Dr. 

Jericho, NY 11753 

nn2126@columbia.edu 

Hello CC ’08! Lots of exciting news 

to report from the last few months, 

my favorite of which may be the 

WSJ article, “Where Columbia 

Beats Harvard: On the Battlefield 

of Curricula.” (Look for the piece if 

you haven’t already seen it!) 

thommen ollapally recently 

moved back to Bangalore, India, 

after a two-year stint with Morgan 

Stanley in New York. He kicked 

things off with a backpacking trip 

around India up to the Himalayas 

and is excited about all the opportunities 

that await in the motherland. 

He strongly encourages 

Columbians to visit. 

neda navab is taking time off 

from McKinsey to work in Kigali, 

Rwanda, with TechnoServe, an 

NGO that focuses on finding business 

solutions to rural poverty. 

She is supervising a pilot business 

training program for 200 socially 

and economically excluded women 

throughout rural Rwanda. “So 

far, it’s been wild, and bizarre, and 

just what I needed: a great shakeup 

after six years in New York.” 

rachel trager recently launched 

Pink Pangea (pinkpangea.com), an 

online community for women travelers. 

Pink Pangea is a site where 

women travelers share their experiences 

abroad, connect to fellow 

travelers and inspire other women 

to explore the world. Pink Pangea’s 

goal is to make travel easier, safer 

and more fulfilling for women of 

all ages. “I invite all CC women to 

check it out and share their travel 

experiences,” says Rachel. 

david gerson’s short documentary 

film, Ultra Violet for Sixteen 

Minutes, about Dali’s mistress and 

Warhol’s muse, the born-again 

Mormon Ultra Violet, has been successfully 

playing festivals around the 

United States. “Totally engaging,” 

writes Albert Maysles. “A gem of a 

little film,” says HuffPo. “Because of 

this film the industry newsletter Film 

News Briefs named me one of May’s 

‘top four filmmakers to watch.’ I also 

recently acted in several New York 

theatrical runs as well as a national 

ad campaign for NBC’s new local 

nightlife blog.” More info can be 

found at davidhenrygerson.com. 

stanimir rachev has moved to 

Shanghai. “I started a science teaching 

job in a high school. I am looking 

forward to meeting any Columbia 

grads in China!” 

caroline Mcnamara recently 

returned from a weeklong trip in 

Germany and the Czech Republic 

with two friends from high school. 

“We traveled to Berlin and Prague 

and had a great time,” she said. 

riaz Zaidi returned from Iraq 

in February and after visiting alma 

mater while on leave in July deployed 

to Afghanistan in October 

with the 1st Squadron–113th Cavalry 

Regiment. 

rachel weidenbaum (now 

rachel claire) and noam harary 

starred in the independent film 

Heaven is Waiting, directed by Shlomi 

Ben Yair and produced by Pegah 

Easton. The film has been screened 

at the following international festivals: 

the Cannes Short Corner, Milan, 

Montreal and Rhode Island. 

09 


69 

alidad damooei 

c/o CCT 


622 W. 113th St., MC 4530 


damooei@gmail.com 

As the leaves have fallen and we 

start piling on the layers of clothing 

to keep us warm, the Class of 

2009 continues to pursue exciting 

endeavors everywhere from Hollywood 

to Mongolia. 

Keli leong took time off before 

graduate school to film part of the 

James L. Brooks movie How Do You 

Know in October 2009. Reese Witherspoon 

stars in the film in which 

her character is a professional 

softball player. Keli represented her 

sport by portraying one of Witherspoon’s 

teammates on the U.S. 

National Team. The movie opens 

in theaters on December 17. It was 

a fantastic networking opportunity 

that led Keli to a volunteer 

assistant coaching position at Iona 

College. During her time there, the 

team won the softball program’s 

first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference 

Championship in 25 years 

and made its inaugural NCAA 

Division I Regional appearance. 

liz berger returned last summer 

from Mongolia, where she volunteered 

on the Mongol-American 

Khovd Archaeology Project. Volunteers 

worked on an excavation of a 

2,000-year-old cemetery in the Altai 

Mountains and had the chance to 

experience contemporary life in the 

Mongolian countryside (including 

much off-road driving and even 

some barbecued marmot). 

After graduation, Marissa smith 

took to bartending to save for a 

three-month volunteer project in 

Guanajuato, Mexico. There, working 

at a shelter for abused women 

and girls, she took up multiple 

projects including education of the 

girls in math, science and English. 

Her group also developed a 

computer lab with eight computers 

for the girls to learn to type and 

use computer programs. After the 

project, Marissa decided to do a 

cross-country bike tour with the 

American Lung Association, raising 

more than $6,000 for lung disease 

research. It took 48 days, more than 

3,300 miles and many ice cream 

breaks to get from Seattle to Washington, 

D.C. Marissa has learned 

to speak to cows, developed zebralike 

tan lines and learned how to 

pitch a tent and find cover during 

ridiculous hailstorms. She started 

massage school in New York City in 

September and is searching for a job 

that unfortunately does not involve 

making drinks. 

After a year in the United Kingdom, 

Eric lukas spent the summer 

working in Washington, D.C., and 

at home in northern Virginia as an 

assistant editor at Foreign Policy 

magazine. From June–September, 

he was a regular contributor to 

ForeignPolicy.com’s Oil and Glory 

blog, where he provided news and 

commentary on the latest developments 

in the business, politics and 

economics of energy. Among some 

of his favorite pieces were posts on 

the future of the oil industry after 

the BP oil spill and on clean energy 

initiatives in the Middle East. He 

writes, “It’s not often that you’re 

in a position to write about exactly 

what interests you, and I felt very 

fortunate to have this opportunity.” 

When he was not blogging, Eric 

hiked and biked through Virginia’s 

Blue Ridge Mountains and visited 

New York and New England. He 

also caught up with friends over 

dinner and drinks in Washington, 

including spencer silverstein and 

Kunaal Sharma ’10. Eric returned 

to Oxford in October for the second 

year of his master’s program in 

international relations, where he is 

studying the problems of international 

cooperation in energy. 

10 

Julia feldberg 

4 E. 8th St., Apt. 4F 


juliafeldberg@gmail.com 

Hello, 2010. I am writing this in early 

September from my new apartment 

in Greenwich Village, shared with 

Charlotte Furet ’10 Barnard and sandra 

cariglio. As I watch the NYU 

freshmen move into their dorms and 

try not to wince when cashiers ask 

if I have my NYU student ID, I am 

struck not only by the fact that we 

are not returning to school but also

y how far we have come since we 

entered Columbia four years ago. 

After graduation, louis Miller 

traveled across Western Europe 

and returned to New York with a 

new interest in art and travel. He 

is working in the Capital Markets 

group of Morgan Stanley Smith 

Barney, which he says he is enjoying 

so far. He also is developing an 

interest in politics and is looking 

for a forum to explore it further. 

Although it will be his first fall 

not playing football, he says he is 

excited to watch his brother, Evan 

’12, play football at Columbia. 

nirvikar Jassal works for NYC 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg in City 

Hall as a research analyst. He recently 

moved to Long Island City, 

a short commute to Grand Central, 

with Jonathon sanchez and Eric 

pogue. They love their apartment, 

which has spectacular views of 

Manhattan. 

After spending a relaxing postgraduation 

summer working odd 

jobs and living in Brooklyn, bryan 

lowder is downtown this fall at 

NYU pursuing a master’s in jour- 

letters 

(Continued from page 2) 

in the form of Mel’s is a positive 

economic indicator. Or at least it will 

be a good place to get a hamburger. 

Bruce Paulsen ’80 

New Yo r k CitY 

Conservo? 

I see that you are publishing conservo-oriented 

letters these days — 

more so, it seems, than in the past. 

Thank you. 

Martin Heilweil ’66 


Columbia Club 

I suspect that distant memories 

have added enchantment. Mr. Jay 

R. Deutsch ’66 (Letters, September/ 

October) remembers an idealized 

clubhouse. 

I was a member for many years 

before it closed. It was a moth-eaten, 

dusty mess, with spooky moose 

heads coming out of the walls. The 

food was something to write home 

about; it was awful, with service to 

match. 

We gave the Princeton people 

our club privileges while they were 

building their new quarters and in 

return they offered our members a 

chance to join their brand-new, 

beautiful new club. I took advantage 

of their offer and for some 30 years I 

enjoyed the quiet, dignified setting, 

including the members’ lunch table 

where anyone alone could dine with 

others. We were the only non-Prince- 

nalism, concentrating in the highly 

regarded Cultural Reporting and 

Criticism program. He may still be 

seen around Morningside, however, 

as he will soon move to West 

Harlem with his partner, Cam Mc- 

Donald, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in 

cultural anthropology at the New 

School for Social Research. 

ajay Kumar Mangal writes, “I 

left NYC with a dream to create opportunities 

for teenagers in rough, 

low-income communities through 

Teach for America in Houston. I 

have been doing my best to bridge 

the achievement gap while coming 

to realize how much I miss New 

York City and all of my friends, 

who have significantly changed 

my life. I can’t believe I’m on my 

own. Soon enough, I’ll be heading 

to medical school. Until then, I’m 

training for the Iron Man competition 

while making a difference in 

the lives of others.” 

rachel vishnepolsky has quite a 

story to share. She writes, “My plans 

were fixed: I was to teach English in 

South Korea for a year. But in the taxi 

on my way to the airport, I checked 

tonians who were members. 

When Columbia took residence 

many years later, the atmosphere 

changed. Endless meetings took 

over the most enjoyable rooms. 

Members were shunted from small 

room to small room. Quiet was 

shattered by loud voices, as personal 

business was conducted by noisy 

groups in open view. The Princeton 

Club was no longer the Princeton 

Club. The Columbia Club that Mr. 

Deutsch remembers never was. 

Milton Kamen ’40 


I write as immediate past president 

and president emeritus of the Columbia 

University Club of New 

York (CUCNY). Jay R. Deutsch ’66, 

who must have attended the College 

during my tenure as an undergraduate 

but was not known to 

me, seems to opine on a topic about 

which he knows little or nothing. 

Many years ago, when the CU 

Club bunked with the physically 

inadequate Williams Club, we explored 

other venues. The Princeton 

Club of New York was one possibility. 

The PCNY was strapped for 

cash and casting about for a future. 

I had many conferences with the 

University’s financial and alumni 

administrators. They, as we, knew 

that a place for Columbia alumni to 

gather socially in NYC was essential. 

Finally, after months of negotiations, 

I signed a five-year agreement 

with the president of the Princeton 

Club. I spent more hours of congenial 

conversation with my Princeton 

board colleagues than I did 


70 

my voice messages and found out I 

had been taken off the waitlist for a 

Fulbright research grant. I had been 

on the list for several months. Now 

I’m going to Poland to study philosophy, 

math and logic. My college 

boyfriend, corey bregman, will join 

me in Warsaw.” 

chris Yim certainly wins for 

either his fiction writing skills or his 

remarkable experience. Chris writes, 

“While mowing the lawn, I was 

stung by a scorpion in my backyard. 

After being taken to the hospital 

and hospitalized for two weeks 

for an almost fatal sting, biologists 

who study insects started studying 

the origins of these scorpions that 

had made their way as far north 

as central Virginia. My misfortune 

began the pioneering of widespread 

research on the species. Glad I could 

help. Since then, I moved to Seoul, 

South Korea, and am teaching English 

at an English academy.” 

Erica lee hasn’t seen any 

scorpions lately, but she has seen 

many “cute little mice” in her 

Harlem apartment. She is hoping 

to escape before the bedbugs start 

confronting irate Columbians who 

sounded so much like Deutsch: 

unknowledgeable, unhelpful and to 

a great extent offensive. 

Princeton owned the building, 

the ground and the air. As they 

were in need of financial support, 

we were in need of a viable venue. 

During our contract negotiations, 

there had to be a certain amount of 

give and take. We could not usurp 

the total identity of Princeton. We 

could and did establish and slowly 

expand Columbia’s identity. 

The Columbia membership has 

grown to almost that of equal size 

with Princeton alumni. Programs 

of interest and entertainment to 

the Columbia community have on 

occasion been merged with those 

of the PCNY. And yes, we are the 

Columbia Club in Residence. We 

have never been disingenuous about 

that fact. 

If a grateful alumnus, perhaps 

like Deutsch, would donate a building 

in the midtown area, furnish 

it, staff it and leave it as his legacy, 

then we might well have our own 

CUCNY. Perhaps if Deutsch had 

known some meaningful facts, he 

might have had a more complete 

understanding of what preceded 

the current successful situation. Perhaps 

he might even have tendered 

some positive suggestions. He 

might even have been a little kinder 

and less offensive in his remarks … 

but then again, probably not. 

Laurance J. Guido ’65, ’69 P&S 

SiaSCoNSet, Ma S S. 


biting. Nevertheless, she says she is 

excited to still be in New York City! 

veronica couzo’s summer was 

filled with moving, packing, and 

more moving and packing. In addition 

to studying for the LSAT, she 

has been a full-time employee at 

MTV since June. She says the most 

exciting thing that happened to 

her during the summer (other than 

attending a Backstreet Boys concert) 

was having a bathroom ceiling in 

Columbia graduate housing collapse 

on her head. Stay safe, Veronica! 

Thank you for all of your great 

submissions. Keep them coming! 

alumni Corner 

(Continued from page 72) 

says. “The result, after a bit of research, 

was a gluten-free, dairy-free, 

egg-free and sugar-free cake that 

actually tasted good.” But you don’t 

have to be a magnificent pastry chef 

to support a celiac friend. We were 

able to enjoy countless dinners because 

people simply asked questions 

about what food was safe for us. 

So, what is Columbia without 

gluten? Without beer, pizza and 

Chinese take-out? In the end, not all 

that different. You find alternative 

drinks and foods, plan for meal-less 

emergencies and make understanding 

friends. While a gluten-free diet 

is certainly not an unsurpassable 

obstacle, our point is that it need 

not be an obstacle at all. The only 

thing truly daunting about celiac 

disease and a gluten-free diet is the 

barrier of unfamiliarity. We thrived 

at Columbia because we were able 

to break down this barrier within a 

small group of friends. But if celiacs 

are willing to speak up, to not be 

apologetic about their condition, 

and the rest of the community is a 

little more conscientious, the barrier 

needn’t exist. We hope that the Columbia 

community will continue to 

rise to the challenge of being aware 

and supportive of its celiacs, taking 

a lead in helping three million 

Americans lead normal lives. 

For more about celiac disease, see the 

article in the Winter 2009–10 issue of 

Columbia magazine: magazine.col 

umbia.edu/features/winter-2009-10/ 

against-grain. 

arianne richard ’10 works in an autoimmunity 

research lab at the National 

Institutes of Health and intends to enter 

graduate school in fall 2011. Jeffrey 

spear ’10 works for the Center for the 

Core Curriculum and is trying to earn 

a place on the U.S. 2012 Olympic fencing 

team before applying to graduate 

school in fall 2012.

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71 

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tuesday, november 23, 2010

if you were asked how much of your day involves 

food, you might think about a couple of 

hours spent preparing and eating meals. Think 

again. Think about your coffee breaks; the odd 

candy and baked goods found in colleagues’ 

offices; free food at an event, meeting or information 

session; and snacks or drinks with friends after 

dinner. How many of these instances involved food 

that you prepared and how many food that a restaurant, 

co-worker, friend or processed food company 

prepared? You probably have not seen the raw 

ingredients and preparation process for the grand 

majority of your food for the day. Now, imagine that 

an ingredient common to most kitchens, dishes and 

processed foods will induce a massive autoimmune 

reaction in your body. What in your daily life would 

you have to change? 

Such is the situation of a person with celiac disease. 

Gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, induces an 

autoimmune reaction in the small intestine of the celiac patient that 

leads to nutrient deficiency, weight loss, fatigue, numbness and, 

often, autoimmune reactions in other parts of the body. Undiagnosed, 

the disease can become deadly. Jeff was more than 50 lbs. 

underweight before he was successfully diagnosed at 16. He says, 

“My condition became so bad that at one point doctors told me 

that, if I survived my then-unknown illness, I would have to cope 

with permanent mental and physical disability.” 

Fortunately, a gluten-free diet prevents these effects and recovery 

is usually quick to follow its implementation. Studies estimate 

that one in every 100 Americans has celiac disease. This is approximately 

three million people, or about the population of Manhattan 

and the Bronx combined. Each Columbia College class, therefore, 

likely includes 10–12 celiac students. We write as two from the Class 

of 2010 in the hope that our stories will add to a growing awareness 

of celiac disease by providing information to both celiacs living in 

the Columbia community and non-celiacs who interact daily with 

the celiac population. 

Thus we return to the question: What would change in your daily 

life? Perhaps first would be your perspective on free food. To the 

average college student, free food is a staple of sustenance. Whether 

used as enticement to lunchtime review sessions, bribery to share 

your thoughts with the student council or excuses for dinnertime 

conferences, students respond. As celiacs, however, we generally 

experience such events without food. This is often just a minor annoyance, 

but during all-day events or travel, externally provided 

food becomes essential. Jeff recalls attempting to live on salad while 

traveling to fencing meets, while Arianne, who was diagnosed at 

18, remembers subsisting on corn chips during the 28-hour Dance 

Marathon her freshman year. Our reaction to the statement “Food 

will be provided” is not relief or enthusiasm but concern. 

The second change to your daily habits may occur in more 

casual communal eating settings: dinner at a classmate’s suite, 


a l u m n i C o r n e r 

College without Pizza: 

Life at Columbia with Celiac Disease 

B y ar i a n n e ri c h a r d ’10 a n d Je f f r e y sP e a r ’10 

Arianne Richard ’10 and Jeffrey 

Spear ’10 at graduation. 


72 

your roommate’s homemade guacamole, the 

outrageous cocktail your friend just dreamed up. 

Sharing food provides a bonding opportunity in 

social gatherings but often the celiac must refuse 

and risk offending the host. Arianne remembers 

one archetypal interaction: “My host was so excited 

about a freshly baked apple pie, she could not 

fathom my refusal to try a slice. When I explained 

having celiac disease, she quickly reassured me 

that she had used white flour, and when I said 

that this was still a problem, she suggested I eat 

only the filling. Unfortunately, this was not a safe 

solution, either, and as I turned down the offer 

again, I was met with a scowl.” 

In addition to social discomfort, this conversation 

highlights two common misconceptions. The first 

is that only whole-wheat flour contains wheat. In 

fact, all common flours, pastas, breads and pastries 

as well as many marinades, soy sauces and liquors contain wheat. 

The second is that celiacs can pick around the flour, that a little crosscontamination 

won’t hurt. Although celiac patients don’t have the 

immediately life-threatening reactions associated with some allergies, 

many are sensitive enough that even the small amount of gluten 

spread from a shared stirring spoon can initiate an autoimmune 

attack. It’s better to think of gluten like raw chicken — afterward, 

you must wash your countertops and utensils to avoid salmonella. 

Still, being a celiac is not all about walking a tightrope around 

socially obligated eating. During our time at Columbia, we were 

lucky to find support in the local community and at the University. 

The Celiac Disease Center at P&S, established in 2001, hosts benefit 

events and free roundtable discussions and is diagnosing and treating 

more than 2,000 patients annually from around the world. The 

Morningside Heights deli Nussbaum & Wu now serves gluten-free 

pizza, allowing us, in our senior year, to laugh at the absurdity of 

finally being able to order our first dorm pizza. John Jay dining hall 

has made an effort to support gluten-free students by labeling dishes 

in the cafeteria and stocking a gluten-free refrigerator. Unfortunately, 

cross-contamination remains a concern in both the kitchen and serving 

trays; one such incident left Arianne dizzy and numb during her 

freshman year. We recommend better control over the gluten-free 

food and better advertising of the gluten-free refrigerator. 

The greatest encouragement, however, came from our friends. 

Arianne recalls her suitemates surprising her with cupcakes from 

Babycakes, a gluten-free bakery on the Lower East Side, or excitedly 

reporting a new gluten-free product at Westside Market. Some 

friends were daring enough to try gluten-free baking themselves. 

Jeff fondly remembers the attempts of a few friends to make celebratory 

brownies, cupcakes and cookies. In perhaps the most ambitious 

and impressive of these projects, a friend baked a cake for the graduation 

party for his major. “My friend decided that for such a spe- 

cial event, she wanted to make a cake that everyone could eat,” Jeff 

(Continued on page 70)

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