Class Notes
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1941, 1942, 1943
Dick Korf ’42 info@mycotaxon.com
1944
Richard D. Rosenblatt rrosey26@gmail.com
1945 Be a QUAD Class Correspondent*
1946 Elizabeth Eidlitz eidlitz@gmail.com
1947 Be a QUAD Class Correspondent*
1944
From Class Correspondent Richard Rosenblatt: “We have been occupied moving to the Pacific Regent, a lovely senior ‘hotel’ here in La Jolla, in San Diego, CA, about 20 miles from our home of 40 years, Rancho Santa Fe.
“This is a fascinating place. A movie type ‘Grand Hotel,’ without John Barrymore or even Greta Garbo. Elegant ladies and gentlemen dressing for dinner, evoking the world of our parents. Here we have many WWII veterans: a 100-yearold Marine Corps General; writers, doctors, scientists, artists and athletes. There is a sort of roundrobin table mix; we get to dine with interesting people every night..
“Everyone is thrilled with this place, so we concluded that we should have moved here 10 years ago. We regret staying away from ‘senior housing’ on the misunderstanding that it was some flea bitten ‘home’ where they salted away ‘old people’.
“To Riverdalians of 1944…please send in your latest news, or your memories.”
1946
From Class Correspondent Elizabeth Eidlitz: Quick QUAD quiz: Can you name your classmate who….?
1. has a daughter who is Dean of Admission at Amherst College?
2. has a son who is the Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives Association of Yale Alumni?
3. has a granddaughter who is a Princeton freshman after a gap-year comprising courses at Cordon Bleu in London, a job as ski-lift assistant, volunteering in a Katmandu hospital, travel in Thailand and Laos, and a summer job at a San Francisco bakery?
4. has a daughter-in-law who teaches biology at RCS?
5. has already created a personal headstone which bears the legend, “It is the Spirit that Quickeneth”?
6. spent 15 years of retirement volunteering as curator of invertebrate paleontology at a California museum?
7. met the love of her life at the Columbia University bookstore when she was still in high school?
8. had 12 grandchildren, taught writing and literature, and authored a biography and two volumes of poetry?
9. became a studio potter after retiring from teaching?
10. owns an organic dairy farm?
Shirley Dawson Kirkland considers herself “a very lucky octogenarian, still married to my one and only husband (94 and going strong), in generally good health and very good spirits.
“My problem is failing eyesight due to age-related macular degeneration. That’s a bit of a downer for an avid reader such as I was, but I take full advantage of modern technology to read and type on my Mac and, when tired, use my new DaVinci Pro to enhance text and even read aloud. And when there’s time, I enjoy Audible books.
“Our elder son Keith and family live in Sewickley, PA, though his wife commutes to Boston during the work week. The eldest grandson in this family graduated from Pepperdine University and is now in China teaching English in a Nanjing high school. Number Two son is at Washington and Lee in Virginia. Number Three, a granddaughter, has just started her freshman year at Gordon College, north of Boston.
“Our second son Derek lives in San Francisco, but he is pretty bi-coastal since he works part-time at Morgan-Stanley in NYC and is also affiliated with the Kennedy School at Harvard, doing research on government policy relating to the environment. He and his wife have three children: a graduate of Brown who is now working as an activist against coal pollution; a newly graduated son from Northwestern University, currently job-hunting; and a daughter who has just started Princeton after a gap-year comprising courses at London’s Cordon Bleu, a temporary job as ski-lift assistant, some months as a volunteer in a Katmandu hospital, travel in Thailand and Laos, and a summer job at a San Francisco bakery.”
On their way to Canada last year and again last July, Shirley, her husband, Bill, and Keith, had lunch
with Shelley Bull Granger. When the house in Greenwich became too much, Shelley made a move which has “exceeded all [her] expectations” to Loomis Village in South Hadley, MA, which Shirley describes as “a super retirement community.”
“Their visits have been so welcome,” says Shelley, who recalls other enduring friendships from “wonderful Riverdale years.
“We had a great deal of freedom in an interesting community with friends in the older generation as well as our own. My life was certainly enriched by the families that left Europe with the threat of war and came to Riverdale, especially classmates Emmie Kreyberg and Suzanne Rufenacht.
“Shirley and I spent a Christmas and New Year’s with the Kreyberg family in Oslo while we were in Paris our junior year. Suzanne, my daughter Cate’s godmother, is very much a part of my life now. She came to Loomis Village to visit me and stayed with Cate earlier this year. Cate, and her husband Timm Zolkos, live in Amherst, only 20 minutes away. She is Dean of Admission at Amherst College; he in community development. They have two sons.”
Shelley’s eldest, Hal, and his wife, Alison, who live in Farmington, CT, work in the investment world and have two children; her son Chris, a doctor, and his wife, Bradi, a PhD nurse, are both at Duke University in cardiology and have three children.
Ronald Mullins writes, “Riverdale was a major cornerstone in all of our lives. Much happens between the ages of 14 and 18; big memories and long friendships. I learned more about right and wrong and moral behavior from the extraordinary assistant headmaster, D. Earl Gardner, than from any other experience.
“The current news from us: our Vermont Dairy Farm has gone organic. Not so easy. It takes about three years to meet the rules and regulations. Lots of continuing restrictions. We have a young couple living on our premises that manage the dairy operations. It is a pleasure to see the cows grazing in the fields.
“Our four children and four grandchildren all live in Vermont. Family gatherings and birthday celebrations bring all of us together and are scheduled frequently.
“My wife and I have had enough of travel—though we escaped to Florida for a break from our tough winter last year—but in many ways we are quite active, and we are blessed with good health. We still have an apartment in NYC. Our schedule is usually two weeks at the farm, and a week in the city. Vermont has many wonderful features but the city visits afford us the chance to keep up with cultural events, mostly music and art.”
Among his vivid Riverdale memories, Robert Blum cites Frank Hackett (“the Duke”), Earl Gardner (“the Shoe”); a generally superb faculty (e.g., Forrest Cobb, Bart Page, Robert B. Tucker, Irene Guiney, Marc Baldwin, Harold Klue, “Mickey” Murray); plus two marvelous coaches: Frank Bertino in football and Boris von Arnold in fencing. Bob was a member of the United States Olympic fencing team in the 1964 (Tokyo) and 1968 (Mexico City) Games. “No medals, but grand fun!”
Bob is still connected to Riverdale by his daughter-in-law, Dr. Michele DeCarlo Blum, who teaches biology at RCS and whose husband Tom is VP for Administration at Sarah Lawrence. Bob’s eldest, Stephen, is a senior resident administrator of Yale alumni and student affairs. His youngest, Jennifer, is a lawyer. “Our fourth (Jonathan, now 62 years old,) was
born profoundly autistic. He has no speech, and lives in a small group home in the Marine Park area in Brooklyn. We love him very much.
“I'm retired (first from my law firm, then as a Bureau Chief in the Attorney General’s Office of NY State), but still a member of the State’s Advisory Committee on Civil Practice.”
Bob keeps in close touch with his classmate Harry Rowney, whom he describes as “in good health, a splendid economist, a student of piano, and a devoted father and grandfather.”
Harry Rowney, “a resident in Asheville, NC, for nigh on 20 years,” acknowledges that he “helped to create a son and a daughter and in turn has three granddaughters.”
He recently retired as a trustee of the Asheville Art Museum, “on the old Wall Street rule that once your age begins with an 8, you retire from directorships and trusteeships.
“I devote my time to studying piano and sponsoring piano recitals under the umbrella of the Museum, and have done this for about a dozen years when I realized the Museum had access to a superb Hamburg Steinway.
“Following the custom of emperors and pharaohs before me, I have already created my headstone, which bears the legend ‘It is the Spirit that Quickeneth.’”
Harry, who found Riverdale a unique institution/experience, considers “today's Riverdale quite different, which is not surprising with the passage of time. That does not make it better or worse. But my sense of the institution is that the purpose of the school is to drive its philosophy, rather than encourage mind creativity.”
Longtime West coast resident Pat Arkin Gersden has been living in
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1948
Victor S. Noerdlinger vnoerdlinger@comcast.net
1949
Barbara Neebe Thompson 26 Dorchester Avenue Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706
1950
Bina Pawley beanpawl@gmail.com
1951
Karl R. Heiser krheiser@verizon.net
California for almost 60 years, “in our house in Orinda 50 years, five minutes from the UC Berkeley campus. It’s been a wonderful and stimulating place to be. We are retired from our former work; my husband, Bob, as medical director of Children’s Hospital Oakland, and me from my work as a school psychologist. We spent 15 years in retirement, five months a year, in the desert of Borrego Springs, CA, where I volunteered in the Paleontology Museum as curator of invertebrate paleontology, my first career.
“We raised three wonderful kids and we have three grown grandkids and one step-grandchild in Costa Rica. The grandkids have carried on the tradition of volunteer work and have helped in Nepal after the earthquake and volunteered in an orphanage in India near Tibet. One is a musician still in college and one in a PhD program in dramaturgy. They live in Hawaii, Washington state, and Costa Rica, great places to visit.”
After Ruth Bailey Paine “met the love of my life, James C. Paine, at the Columbia University bookstore,” according to her 2012 obituary in the Palm Beach Post, the couple “spent their 1950 honeymoon driving to southern Florida where they would spend the rest of their lives.”
Ruth was a first grade teacher at Palm Beach public school, a realtor, an avid tennis player, and a mother of two boys and one girl. She had four grandchildren.
The largest family of a Riverdalian classmate may well belong to Rosamond Rauch Rosenmeier, a “deeply loved wife, nurturing mother and grandmother, professor, and poet,” who died in 2011, leaving five children and twelve grandchildren, according to The Boston Globe. In addition to teaching writing and literature at the University of Massachusetts at Boston and later at the Andover Newton Theological School, Roz
authored three books: a biography of Anne Bradstreet and two volumes of poetry, Lines Out and Where Light Answers Light
Elizabeth Eidlitz bets she is the only classmate with a pottery wheel in a hall closet and an electric kiln in the dining room that vents onto her condo patio. Retiring from independent schools as an English teacher and dean of students, Liz recycled herself as a studio potter who also facilitates writing workshops and writes newspaper columns and feature articles, flash fiction, and short stories. “If the agent who has accepted the 15th draft of my novel finds a publisher for it, you will all hear about it.”
Those of you are reading this but aren’t mentioned in the Class Notes, please share your news for the spring issue.
Centenerian sisters Rubye, 110, Ruth, 104, and Rose, 106, believe that longevity depends on cherishing those fleeting moments we have together, as we remember the importance of connectivity: http://www.everydayhealth.com/ columns/my-health-story/rubye-ruthand-rose-centenarian-sisters-sharetheir-secrets-to-a-long-happy-life.
1948
Kathryn Lodal let QUAD know the sad news that her husband, Jack Ripperger, passed away on April 9, 2016. He died from aspiration pneumonia after almost two and a half years in senior living with progressing dementia. Our thoughts and prayers are with Kathryn and all of Jack’s family and friends.
1949
From Ruth Carey: “I am well and happy and enjoying my life in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey; over 40 years here. I’ve enjoyed reading Helen Vincent Atlas’ accounts about her trips abroad.Her trip to Russia and her involvement with the culture there was really
fascinating. I see the word ‘lifer’ in QUAD. I too, am a lifer, beginning at the Neighborhood School, as I called it then, all the way through.”
1951
Submitted by Class Correspondent Karl R. Heiser:
Congratulations to Virginia Deane Abernethy on the July publication of her most recent book, The Vanishing American Dream: Immigration, Population, Debt, Scarcity (Transaction Publishers, 2016; available at Amazon).
From Dorothea Hutton: “Karl, the big news at our time of life is I’m still here. Sixth trip to Venice with my younger daughter in June (still trying to figure out if I like it). Still volunteering as a docent at the Tenement Museum after 12 years. Not very exciting news, which is all to the good, I think. Dorothea (formerly Dotty)”
Anne and John Johnson kindly sent a photo taken at John’s activity center. Our best to both!
We all owe a salute to Major General Felix Santoni, whose note reads, “Just to let you know that come this 9 November 2016, I will step down as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army for Puerto Rico. I had to resign as my appointment was until 2018, and they selected as my replacement the individual who I recommended. I served as a CASA since August 2002 and it was time to step down; I wore a uniform for almost 40 years plus four years as an ROTC cadet, and 14 years as a Civilian Aide, so it was time to take care of other things.” For more on Felix, see the Alumni Profile on page 32.
Lyle Thompson writes, “Sorry, but I will not be attending the reunion. I wish all of you a wonderful time, and I had really planned on being at the reunion, but it seems that age has finally found me. I remember the days when, in a few minutes, we ran up the steps from
the playing field and back to the dorm. It would take me several days to make that same journey today.” Me too, Lyle…
Finally, I hope to see some of the class at our 65th (!) reunion in October. There aren’t many left who remember Mr. Hackett and Miss Cooper!
1952
Adeeb Khalid, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Professor of Asian Studies and History at Carleton College, has won the Reginald Zelnik Prize from the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies for his book, Making Uzbekistan (Cornell University Press, 2015). The prize is awarded annually in memory of Reggie Zelnik for an outstanding monograph published on Russia, Eastern Europe or Eurasia in the field of history in the previous calendar year.
1953
From Class Correspondent Bill Gardner: “Our class tried a new approach, as classmates were encouraged to exchange e-mail updates and news among ourselves. Eight responded, and several, who asked to be included in the QUAD, follow. As for us, Kathleen and I are still very much enjoying our 31st year in Tucson: the weather, golf, volunteering, quilting (Kathleen), and travel. Health good; not great, but hanging in there. Children and grandchildren are all doing well. Second granddaughter is a sophomore at Carnegie Mellon (oldest graduated from FSU). December will be our 59th wedding anniversary.”
Robert Milligan writes: “We have been to Switzerland three times already this year, to see our family in Zurich where we now have two great-grandsons (neither of whom is likely to get to Riverdale, unfortunately). We also went crosscountry skiing from our chalet in
the Bernese Oberland, and I got round the piste without accident! In May we went walking for a week on the Isle of Wight with a group of friends, getting good exercise in lovely country. We flew halfway across the Atlantic In late June to stay in the Azores for two weeks, staying on three different islands for a few days and visiting the local tourist sites. The islands are all volcanic and we would be taken by bus to the summits, but unfortunately they were often cloaked in clouds. The guide then produced picture post cards to show us what views we were missing, but it is not the same somehow! We are making another attempt on the Atlantic next week, when we fly to Bermuda for some late summer sunshine (we hope)! Best wishes to all our friends, and hoping to see as many as possible in 2018.”
Walter Gans writes: “Firstly, I have been fortunate to have dodged a number of medical bullets, most recently lung cancer (I’ve never smoked), heart problems (I have a pacemaker) and spinal stenosis. For my 80th this spring my son gave me a t-shirt depicting nine lives. I still hopefully have a few to go. No complaints, though, because life is good. Five grandchildren (from 16 to 21) are flourishing: one at Bowdoin, another at Lehigh, and a third at Villanova, with two more close to college age. And all are within a couple of hours away. Still working full-time as an arbitrator and mediator, focusing on international, sports, and commercial disputes. Katherine and I divide our time among NYC, CT, and southeast England, where on occasion we meet up with Shirley and Bob Milligan. Also, recently in Vietnam and Cambodia, France and Switzerland. Best wishes to all.”
John Ahouse writes: “In August, my colleagues and the interns at the Wende Museum threw me a party with two cakes (see photo right). The first was for my 81st
birthday, and the second marked my tenth year with the Wende Museum (Culver City, CA). My work for the museum in these post-retirement years has included archiving, interviewing, and serving as docent for visitors of all ages. The focus is on the division of Europe, which ceased with the ‘Fall of the Wall’ in Berlin and the end of the Cold War – ‘Wende’ being the German word for ‘turn’ or ‘transformation’. My health continues to be good, except for some mobility problems. My son works as a biologist for ‘big pharma’ in Boston, so I don’t see him too often. Check out the Wende website (http://www. wendemuseum.org/)!”
1954
From Class Correspondent Nancy Bomeisler Nightingale: “I have been living at The Osborn in Rye, a beautiful independent living facility, with my Bill of 62 years. We love it.”
1956
QUAD extends condolences to the family and friends of former Class Correspondent Barbara Rearden Farnham, who died October 26, 2016. Barbara earned her MPHL and PhD degrees from Columbia University.
QUAD also was saddened to learn that Rona Kaplan Roob passed away on September 26, 2014 after a battle with cancer. Rona graduated from Barnard College,
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1952
Barbara Dean Schuler 17 Bronxville Road Bronxville, NY 10708
1953
Gail Fletcher Edwards blueheronlake@msn.com
William H. Gardner whginc@mindspring.com
1954
Nancy Bomeisler Nightingale nbnight@optimum.net
1955
Jane Samet Rogers jazzpiano77@verizon.net
1956
Barbara Berger Goldman barbaraandronnie@aol.com
This past summer John Ahouse ’53 celebrated his 81st birthday and his 10th anniversary with the Wende Museum in Culver City, CA.
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1957
Judy Austin judyaustin40@yahoo.com
Rick Bates rick.bates27@gmail.com
Sue Jacobs Schaffzin craftyme33@hotmail.com
Marty Zelnik panzel1@aol.com
1958
David F. Lahm dflahm@gmail.com
majoring in art history, and later earned a master's in library science at Columbia University. She had a life-long love of modern art, and The Museum of Modern Art was her second family. She first worked at MoMA in the 1960s, as secretary to Alfred H. Barr, then Director of the Museum Collections. In the 1980s Rona helped to build The Museum of Modern Art Archives Records Management Program, which was formerly established as a separate department in 1989 with Rona as the founding archivist. She was named Chief Archivist in 1996, and upon her retirement in 1998, the position of Rona Roob Museum Archivist was established.
1957
Marty Zelnik has purchased a golf course in Palmetto, FL, which is not far from Bradenton and Sarasota. The course is managed by Marty’s son, Noah, who is also the pro. At press time the course was being upgraded for a projected opening in November. Marty has branded the course Moccasin Wallow Golf Club (nicknamed The Moc), which is also the name of the nearby community.
Paul Dickson has written a biography of Leo Durocher that will be published in March 2017. Leo was a member of all three New York baseball teams.
On May 5, 2016, the 13th Annual Reginald Zelnik (RCS 1952) Memorial Lecture took place at Riverdale. This lecture is sponsored by Marty Zelnik and Reggie’s widow, Elaine.
The most recent speaker in the Class of 1957 Alumni Speaker Series was Peter Ellis, who spoke about his pro bono legal work for a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
George Liebmann spoke at the 92nd Street Y in February on his book, The Fall of the House of Speyer. George’s talk was attended by Doug Warwick, Marty Zelnik, and Rick Bates. After George’s
talk the group paid a visit to Dr. George Falk at his nearby office.
Richard Meade visited New York from his home in Cambridge, England. He joined Doug Warwick, Marty Zelnik, and Rick Bates for lunch on the banks of the Hudson River in Westchester.
In 2015 Tim Zagat established the Zagat Global Fellows program at Riverdale. “This builds on Riverdale’s long history of international education. It is intended to foster a partnership among Riverdale and schools worldwide with the purpose of introducing international educators to the Riverdale community for extended visits each year while also providing Riverdale faculty members an opportunity to become reciprocally immersed in each partner school’s educational program.”
1958
From Alex Garvin: “I am happy to announce that my new book (in beautiful full-color), What Makes a Great City (978-1-61091-7582/$40), is finally available.
“The question that the book asks, what makes a great city, is not about the most beautiful, convenient, or well-managed city; it isn’t even about any ‘city.’ For me it is about what we can do to make a city great. I spent two years traveling to some of the great cities of the Western World (many of which I already knew quite well) to determine why these cities were so great. This book is my answer. It is neither a textbook nor a travelogue; it is the story of my quest to determine what makes a great city and a presentation of my conclusions.
“I presented these ideas in key US cities recently, including two events in New York at the New York Public Library and the 92nd Street Y, as well as the Kinder Institute in Houston.
“If you’d like to purchase a copy of the book from Island Press, use the code 4GARVIN, which is good for a 20% discount. You can also order it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local independent bookseller.
“I hope you will consider sharing the book with your own networks.”
Alex also favored us, as is his habit, with e-postcards about his summer travels. Spoiler alert: he ate very well in Budapest. Anyone who didn’t see the postcards can e-mail me (DFLahm@gmail.com) and I’ll send you the whole thing. Likewise, his earlier dispatch from Bordeaux and the Dordogne. Both communiqués gave us incisive written observations and fabulous color photos.
Phil Proctor stays busy, mainly in voiceover work. He’s one of 64 actors in the 47.5-hour audiobook release of L. Ron Hubbard’s epic, Battlefield Earth, which has already garnered several awards and tops the best-sellers list. But an even greater thrill was being cast as the eccentric Senator John Randolph of Roanoke in the three-part PBS documentary, Francis Scott Key: After the Song, to be aired nationwide during Black History month in February. Phil and Melinda visited New York City this fall, after a trans-Canadian rail trip and an autumn leaf-peepers drive down the East Coast. Says Phil, “We haven’t taken a bite out of the Big Apple for a while!”
From Frank Clarke: “I am now fully retired, doing just a little bit of consulting, and living full time in Stuart, FL. Vera and I plan to keep busy with golf, volunteer work and travel – which started with a cruise down the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam last spring. Also, time with our grandchildren in Miami. Best wishes to all – and let us know when any of you are in the area.”
David Frankel writes: “I am now retired from practice and spend my
E. Harvey Meer ehmeer@aol.com Classes ending in 2's and 7's will have their reunion in the 2017-2018 school year, beginning the weekend of October 13-15. Please save the date!
time managing our New York real estate company full-time. Linda and I spend about one week a month in New York, with weekends in Connecticut and three weeks a month in Miami Beach, where we have our home. Our sons, David and Gregory—and their respective families—all live in Miami as well. We sold our place in Paris and closed three weeks before the massacre (whew!) and have our CT house on the market. We are trying to simplify. If anyone finds themselves in Miami, shoot me an e-mail.”
From Alan Coyne: “We have lived on Hilton Head Island since 1980.
Twelve years ago we started a Keller Williams real estate franchise and it has grown to be the largest real estate office in our market area. I am the Broker in Charge and am having fun! Only one of our four children lives in the area. We now have eight grandchildren who like to visit us here. We recently returned from Mexico – one son lives in Saudi Arabia and just married a girl from Oaxaca, Mexico. Big wedding, great family reunion, and now our new daughter-in-law is adjusting to life in Saudi Arabia. Hopefully for Christmas the whole family will be here.”
Paul Jablow’s distinguished journalism resume now includes the following: “Last year, I worked with a filmmaker creating a multimedia documentary about a young West Philadelphia man, Glen Casey, who went from selling crack on street corners to the Class of 2017 at Penn. It was a multigenerational project: the filmmaker graduated exactly 50 years behind me at the Columbia Journalism School. Glen’s Village has won awards at several film festivals and this year it won a best-in-category award from the Education Writers Association of America (EWA), basically the Oscars of education writing. At the EWA conference, U.S. Secretary of Education John King called it one of the three best education stories he’s seen this year.”
From Class Correspondent David Lahm: “Myself? Well, 10 juvenile delinquents (also known as fingers) have stumbled around numerous keyboards this year. Recently I’ve begun to learn salsa rhythm, which wasn't much help when I volunteered to play hymns for a friend who is pastor of the Huntley Road Baptist Church in Niles, MI.
“Sad to say, we lost Randy Colman in April.”
Jim Marrow was in Cambridge, MA, for the fall term of 2016. “My wife Emily has been appointed a Visiting Scholar in Medieval Studies at Harvard so I bask in uxorious pride, and not only for that appointment: Emily’s first book, The Murder of William of Norwich: The Origins of the Blood Libel in Medieval Europe (Oxford University Press, 2015), has won the Phi Beta Kappa Society’s Ralph Waldo Emerson Award honoring ‘scholarly studies that contribute significantly to interpretations of the intellectual and cultural condition of humanity, including works in the fields of history, philosophy and religion as well as such fields as anthropology and the social sciences.’ Our time at Harvard overlaps a major exhibition of illumined manuscripts on which I collaborated (Beyond Words: Illuminated Manuscripts in Boston Collections). The largest exhibition of illuminated manuscripts ever mounted in the U.S., it is on view at Harvard’s Houghton Library (Manuscripts from Church and Cloister), the new McMullen Museum at Boston College (Manuscripts for Pleasure and Piety) and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Italian Renaissance Books).”
1959
From Class Correspondent Geoff Howard: “Congratulations to Terre Otto, whose work appeared in the New York Pier this past spring. Well, the work was seen by folks at the AVA Galleria in Helsinki and she’s now under contract with
them to show her work in Paris and Osaka, in addition to Helsinki. Classmates are invited to visit her website, www.sigridsomer.com, to learn more.
“And her children have been active and successful as well: Son Kyle got married and wrote/produced a movie that is being screened; daughter Regan recently got remarried and the newlyweds took a great trip to Santorini; and finally, daughter Tiffany’s Washington Market Pediatrics office has been getting a great deal of recognition in TriBeCa.
“Terre concludes, ‘I am still ‘young’, happy, and looking forward to whatever wonderful things lie ahead.’ Well said!
“And from the other side of the pond, this from John Lahr: ‘My news is all theatrical. I’m currently in rehearsal of a musical evening I’ve written with the lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner, directed by Susan Stroman (The Producers). And, Scott Rudin (The Book of Mormon) has optioned a play of mine, Nobody’s Angels, about Walter Winchell, Sherman Billingsley, and the Stork Club. Contracts have been signed and it’s scheduled for 2018...but many a slip between cup and lip.’ When the play opens, you can count on a large turnout from your classmates!
“Mike Otten is once again teaching his seminar on crosscultural management in one of the prestigious grandes écoles in Paris, where he and Evelyne have a lovely apartment. He is proud of the fact that his students ‘graded’ him very highly — a grade that will be even higher when he learns to speak more slowly.
“Finally, from me: As a graduation present in 1959, my parents gave me a trip with the Experiment in International Living and I wound up in Fuerstenfeld, a small town in southeastern Austria that I had never heard of. That trip gave me my first taste of living overseas and
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1959
Micki Seligson 139 Cushing Street, #1 Cambridge, MA 02138
Geoff Howard howards@warwick.net
1960
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1961
Lawrence Rosenbluth rosenbluth342@yahoo.com
1962
Joseph Pickard jpickard@oristanocapital.com
1963
Stephen R. Blank stephen.blank@att.net
Peter W. Philip petersells@aol.com
Paul K. Safer pksmd@msn.com
1964
John H. Jiler johnjiler@earthlink.net
1965 Gail Hart York86@aol.com
Melissa Gordon melmelg48@aol.com
1966 Be a QUAD Class Correspondent*
1967
Mary Lou Scott marylou.scott@gmail.com
changed my life. This fall, I’ll be going back to Fuerstenfeld — for about the 20th time — for the 75th birthday of my Austrian “brother,” Guenter. What a remarkable experience, which began just a few days after that long-ago June night.”
1961
Jonathan Burrows, living in Los Angeles and a film producer for many years (Fletch, etc.), has returned to Broadway producing, his original profession. After producing a successful workshop staging of Cole Porter’s Can-Can starring Megan Hilty (see photo below) and Aaron Lazar at a Manhattan studio, Can-Can had its pre-Broadway tryout at Paper Mill Playhouse in October 2014 starring Kate Baldwin and Jason Danielly (www.cancanbroadway. com). Jonathan modestly called this four-week run a “triumph” and he reports that his production is now waiting for a Broadway theater to become available. Former schoolmates Patrick Terrail ’60 and Donald Ross ’60 were among the attendees. Watch this space!
1962
From Paul Geiger: “The Summer QUAD entry by Richard Spatz brought back memories of my extra help sessions with Mrs. Guiney in her math class. So many times I sat there and wondered how would I ever get through this. I know that Mrs. Guiney was frustrated with my lack of progress
and she would say, ‘You’re not worth the powder to blow you to Jericho’. I guess that I might have met Ricky Spatz and other classmates in Jericho, if I got there. I was reminded that, ‘The wages of sin is death’ and others. And as with Ricky, she asked me, ‘Are you an only child?’ I thought she said, ‘Are you a lonely child?’ to which I replied, ‘Sometimes,’ which must have sounded strange. Thanks Ricky, I remember you well. God bless Mrs. Guiney.”
1963
From George deWalder: “My submission is a ‘small world’ story. Last December at a pre-holiday party hosted by friends at their home in Asheville, NC, I struck up a conversation with another male who was also unaccompanied.
“The usual questions followed that applied to both of us: Where did you grow up? NYC. Where in NYC? The Bronx. Where in the Bronx? Riverdale. Oh my gosh (simultaneously)! What school? PS 24. What school after PS 24? Riverdale Country School. More OMGs!
“We were separated by 12 years at RCS. My new friend, Michael Fields, graduated in 1975. He lived at 231st Street and Henry Hudson Parkway, and I lived on Arlington Ave., just a walk away.
“What a truly small world. Michael and I are also members of the Country Club of Asheville, where we meet monthly for lunch, and the conversation is always interesting.
“Michael and I have also gotten to know Mark Weinstein in North Carolina. He grew up on Johnson Ave and attended PS 24 with Michael. He has been CEO of the Brevard Music Center since 2013 and has become a good friend, even though he graduated from that archrival, Horace Mann School.
Here’s to making more friends!”
1964
Class Correspondent John Jiler writes, “We all proudly followed Eric Kingson’s campaign for Congress this year. Running on a very progressive agenda, Eric finished a strong second in a primary field of three, despite no support from the state Democratic organization. A highlight was Bernie Sanders’ speech on his behalf, and Eric’s subsequent service on the national platform committee, where his strong voice helped shape the narrative of the presidential election.”
1965
From William “Bill” Theodore: “I was a Visiting Professor for a month (my third trip) at the University of Zambia in Lusaka at the time of the Reunion; sorry to miss it. Recently I saw Peter Hayward in London.”
John Wohlstetter says, “Days before Thanksgiving 2015 I relocated to Charleston, SC. I am finding my new city of residence most charming, rich in culture, cuisine, scenery and conviviality.”
Rachel Hadas’s poem, Roosevelt Hospital Blues, was shortlisted for a prize by the Forward Arts Foundation. You can read the poem at http://www. forwardartsfoundation.org/poetry/ roosevelt-hospital-blues/.
1967
From Hillary Brown: “I left Manhattan and now live in Riverdale. A full professor at City College of NY, I run an interdisciplinary graduate program (architecture, engineering, science and social science) called Sustainability in the Urban Environment. My two books, Next Generation Infrastructure (Island Press, 2014) and Infrastructural Ecologies (MIT Press, 2017) address how urban systems can better address carbon constraints, climate change impacts and quality of life.”
Megan Hilty and Jonathan Burrows ’61 during a workshop staging of Cole Porter’s Can-Can.
John Boneparth writes, “We are selling our home in Marin County, CA, to spend six winter months golfing in the CA desert, and the other six months in Scarborough, ME, to be near our two granddaughters in Portland, ME. Pictured with me (below, top row) is Rose Boneparth. Would love to hear from any classmates passing through those locations. Cell: 415-310-9196; www.corinthiancove.com.”
Peter Brest says, “I retired two years ago and am enjoying my newfound free time more than I ever could have imagined, keeping busy with multiple not-for-profit boards, classes, piano lessons, traveling and lots of NYC culture. My oldest son was married last year and the other two are thriving as well.”
Ross Madden reports, “I have a new grandson, Arlo, who was born on June 8, 2016. He likes to wear watermelons as hats (below, bottom row).”
Dale List Kaplan recently spent time with Carol McKegney as
well as her son, Scott, who lives in Brooklyn (see photo right). Her other son and two grandchildren live in Santa Monica, CA. She is still skiing and playing lots of golf in Jackson, WY, and Scottsdale, AZ.
Nick Tortorello writes, “I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia and enjoy the Brandywine River Valley a lot. After 11 years of bachelorhood I married Ann McNally, who is a professor in the St. Joseph’s Hobbs School of Business. We also have a consulting business to companies and non-profits. We honeymooned in Italy, spending most of our time in Tuscany.”
Tina Zerdin Fleishman is a “long-time resident of Vail, CO, with my husband Frank Johnson. I am a clinical psychologist in private practice. I have two children and one grandchild.
From Mary Lou Scott: “In February 2016 I moved to Charleston, SC, and am enjoying the sailing, great restaurants and weather. I’m playing fiddle in a bluegrass band with my brother. My online business, Solardogz.com, makes SPF50+ rashguard shirts for dogs.”
Pamela Duff Killen is “moving back to the States after 15 years in Belize teaching social work and nursing at the University of Belize. I was also working for the government of Belize, implementing programs for youth at risk. Owen Hanify Killen, born June 9, calls me back to Boston, where I will be a granny nanny this winter.”
From Debbie Herman Shank: “After practicing for 40 years as a clinical specialist in psychiatric nursing, I moved from Pennsylvania and retired to Norfolk , VA, in 2014 with my husband, John. We have made many new friends with whom we have gone traveling, and have had numerous impromptu good times. Our oldest son, Ben, and his wife, Jen, live in Orlando with our three grandchildren: Hunter (8), Brooks (7) and Avalon (5). My
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1968
John M. Davis
johnmdavis3@gmail.com
second son, Dan, was married to Megan on December 12, 2015. They recently moved from DC to Baltimore to both take job promotions.”
In John Jaeger’s words: “I’m just a humble aging former teacher working in finance.” His wife, Ines, is a truly talented custom window seamstress.
From Polly Demuth Steenhagen: “My Civil War reenacting group went up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire for an event. While there, since I teach meteorology in college, I decided, fully dressed in my Civil War garb, to visit the weather station (below, top row). In the group photo (below, bottom row), taken on top of the foggy, windy mountain, I’m in the back with the big light gray cape; my husband is next to me (yep, I got him into reenacting, too).”
Polly
the
Arlo, grandson of Ross Madden ’67.
John Boneparth ’67 with granddaughter Rose Boneparth.
Carol McKegney ’67 (left) with Dale List Kaplan ’67 (center) and Dale’s son, Scott.
Demuth Steenhagen ’67 visiting
Mt. Washington weather station in New Hampshire and with her Civil War reenacting group.
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1969
Nancy Duff-Boehm nduff611@aol.com
Susan Tembeck Riccardi Plookie51@gmail.com
1970
David Asencio david102251@msn.com
Robert Kahn bob@kahnconsulting.com
1971
Jerry J. Fall fall.jerry@gmail.com
Charlotte Jones McCormick shamimccormick@gmail.com
1969
Dear Class of ’69: It’s terrific to hear from so many of you. Our 45th Reunion was a real hit, and we are looking forward to meeting up with hopefully even more of you at our 50th. Hard to believe it has been that long since graduation. We’re all senior citizens now—but clearly, our correspondences demonstrate that we are still young at heart, with a long way to go.
It was great to hear from Steve Scholle, who writes: “Was so nice to see all the folks who attended the 45th. I look forward to the 50th! Wow. As Bob D. said, 65 is more like 50 was when we were 18… at least, if we are lucky enough to have good health. I’ll be seeing my good friends Matthew Simpson and David Eden next weekend (September 16, 2016). David will lead us on some sea kayaking on the Massachusetts north shore (photo below left)
“Saw Richard Brown at his home last fall, which was a treat. And, of course, my dear old friend Doug Booth the weekend of our 45th.
“Some new music out on my website, stephenscholle.bandcamp. com. Look forward to teaching some songwriting classes and workshops this year.”
From our past Class Correspondent Tom Elkind: “I have decided to ‘retire’ from practicing law as of January 31. My plan is to spend about half my time being a mediator/arbitrator, resolving both complex commercial disputes and providing pro bono mediation services for the courts. I am currently transitioning into retirement, which leaves me more time for travel, golf and other things that I have never had time to do as much of as I would like. I am inspired by my wife, Lise, who retired from teaching three years ago and is busier now than ever.
“I have always loved mountains, ever since my Riverdale sixth
grade teacher, Ernest McAneny, introduced me to hiking in the Adirondacks. In November, I went on a four-week Himalayan trek to Everest Base Camp and surrounding areas. I posted photos on Facebook during the trek so anyone who was interested could follow along. I have been training for this as best as I can by climbing mountains in New England, but nothing around here can really prepare one for the 18,000 feet of altitude there.”
Also heard from Vicki Rogers, whom we haven’t seen since graduation: “I’ve been in Santa Fe (New Mexico) since 1979, so 10 years after graduating from RCS until my Medicare birthday last April – a welcome graduation! I’ve had a lot of careers in that time period, starting with Colorado licensed Realtor in Steamboat Springs, to various editor positions, teaching the visually impaired (following a master’s degree in that field), registered nurse, massage therapist, and, for the past decade, remodeling historic properties; starting, managing, developing and selling successful vacation rentals downtown near the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum. Currently I have narrowed down to one luxury couple’s casita three blocks to the Plaza (VRBO 757438) and have returned to my first career as Realtor, but now in Santa Fe. In the midst of this period, I lived for 11 years on a private part of the Rancho de Las Golondrinas, a 208-acre estate 19 miles south of town, where my museum-collected landscape photography portfolio came into being. My work is part of the Jane Reese Williams Collection of Historic Women’s Photography. I also had a little book about our historic neighborhood published by Sunstone Press a few years back. For Riverdalians planning to visit the Southwest, my contact and other information is at victoriarogers.com. I’ve been out-of-touch pretty much since leaving for my first college experience, but it is interesting to read about the amazing lives of former classmates in the e-mail exchanges!”
And Linda Koebner, who moved to Sacramento to be close to her family, says: “Enso, my grandson, turned two in early November and since a few days after his birth I have lived in Sacramento—right next door! I have the indescribable joy of watching him grow while sharing daily life with my son, Ian, and amazing daughter-in-law. Life is good! I’m settling into this new community, amazed at the immense harvests from my veggie garden, and enjoying the California lifestyle (though sometimes miss NYC energy and, definitely, friends).
“In the spring, Tigress Productions invited me to share the story of my relationship with the chimpanzees I took from the lab, as part of their new series, Wild Animal Reunions, on the BBC. (The program will air in the States on Nature some time in the new year.) We used images that date back to senior year at Riverdale when I cared for an infant chimpanzee! I went to England for the interview and on to Zurich, where Ian was on a three-month residency. While there, I went hang gliding over the Alps. If not now, when?!
“Later in the summer, my husband Ron Feldman, his brother Rick Feldman ’70, their mom, and I went to Poland with people from all around the world who all have roots in the Zaglembie region. We toured towns, graveyards and AuschwitzBirkenau with individuals who had lived and survived the crushing of their homeland and culture. We mourned, sang and celebrated life together. It was a powerful and moving journey.
“Over the past couple of years PULSE: Voices from the Heart of Medicine, a wonderful online journal, has published a few of my stories.
“I look forward to the next reunion with Riverdale friends...over a cup of coffee or on campus.”
From Co-Class Correspondent Nancy Duff-Boehm: “Kathy Valyi
From left: Class of 1969 friends Matthew Simpson, Steve Scholle, and David Eden at Inner Crane’s Beach in Ipswich, MA.
was right: In July, Greg and I had the distinct pleasure of a personal tour by Judith Cohen and her husband Malcolm through the museum of Modern California Art, which is their home. We then had a lovely dinner together and talked all evening about things lofty and mundane, including funny Riverdale memories and visions for our futures. Judith’s work is inspiring. She has created and is CEO of a nonprofit that uses drama training to engage innercity youth in socializing, learning, entertaining, politics and personal growth. It is amazing work, and you should look it up on YouTube: The Handful Players.
“Our one-year-old granddaughter Maggie is still the light of our lives. She and her parents live in San Francisco, but we have been fortunate enough to see them about every six weeks this year.
“And Greg and I are still working, bushwhacking our way through this opiate epidemic, trying to stave off the multiple overdose deaths (averaging two a day now in northeast Ohio), as the manufacturers release ever-stronger formulations of the stuff. It can be grueling work, but also very rewarding because treatment does work!
“We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in 2019, if not before. If you are in Cleveland, give us a shout!”
From Cissie Jensen, who mentions our famous “make-out parties”: “I am happy to have rejoined the Class of ’69 at Riverdale, a class I was part of for 10 years and then departed for Chapin in the ninth grade. I missed some—but not all—of the make-out parties. I wasn’t aware until the Reunion last year how much I missed you all and the great spirit of Riverdale and hours of blissfully misspent youth. At the Reunion I felt a huge bond and closeness with the friends I had made in my childhood and early adolescent years. Maybe there is just something about this time of
life that starts bringing it all back together again. In any event, I look forward to seeing you all again next time around, I guess at the 50th (yikes!), if not sooner, I hope.”
From Peter Bernstein: “A few things to report since I unfortunately was unable to attend the Reunion. Like my good friend Tom Elkind, reaching 65 has occasioned my turning the page professionally. I, too, am semi-retired after 40 years in the communications and technology industries.
“It has been an extraordinary journey. It has covered stints as a lobbyist in Washington, DC, internationally recognized (by press and peers) industry analyst, business strategy consultant to C-levels of companies large and small, featured speaker at tech events around the world, marketing executive, featured columnist, editor and editor-in-chief of newsletters and magazines, advisory board member of successful and not-so-successful startups, speech writer to some household names, and most recently as senior editor of one of the world’s largest technology websites. I have had the privilege of occupying a catbird’s seat on how technology has and will transform our personal and professional lives at an everincreasing pace, and high visibility platforms for providing commentary on my experiences and views. In short, to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, oh the people I have met and the places I have gone.
“Now it is time to stop and smell the roses. I plan to work on selective projects for special companies and people, and be an advisor to a few startups. That said, the real goal is to get my golf game respectable, learn PhotoShop, pursue my passion for politics by working on political campaigns until this November, finally get to write fiction and non-fiction for myself rather than for someone else, lend a hand with the charities we support, and enjoy the freedom to spend time with family and friends. The latter would include my incredible wife of 32
years, Karen; my daughter Rebecca (getting married in September 2017 to a wonderful young man and enjoying her career at AMEX); and my son Ben, who is a sales executive at Southern Wine & Spirits.
“Looking forward to hearing how everyone else is doing. We certainly are an eclectic group with amazing talents and great individual journeys to relate.”
From me (Susan Tembeck Riccardi): “For starters, I met up with Jessie Woeltz during my last visit to NYC. As always, she was as energetic and fun as she was when we were in Riverdale. It was a real treat to spend time with her!
“As for me, my life has taken quite a few career turns, starting as an advertising account executive in NYC, then to a director of various clothing store chains and ending up running our not-for-profit Fellowship Living Facilities recovery residences for over 11 years. Today, we house more than 160 individuals with substance use disorders in two locations—men in Margate and women in Ft. Lauderdale (www. fellowshipliving.com). This is our labor of love—as we both are in recovery. Back in April we opened our Fellowship Foundation Recovery Community Center in Margate (www. ffrco.org). It’s the first in Florida, yet there are 87 throughout the country. It is a peer-based recovery support service center designed to channel the expertise of those with similar life experiences. We offer things like support groups, 12-step and other meetings, life skills workshops, job search and resume writing, nutritional counseling, music therapy, rock and roll acoustic café—along with so much more. We are also involved with regulating the operation of recovery residences – to make sure they are run in the most ethical manner with the right intentions (so many are open for all the “wrong” reasons). We have been involved with the Florida legislator who recently passed a law requiring treatment centers and detoxes to refer clients to recovery residences
that are certified by the Florida Association (FARR) and National Association (NARR) of Recovery Residences. I’m proud to say that many of the standards that are now required are a result of adapting the standards we use in our houses. It is now against the law to refer a client to a house that is not certified.
“Finally, my son Curtis, who lives in Berlin, Germany, is a musician and performs on a regular basis. I’m so proud of him for pursuing his passion and equally proud of the music he composes and performs. Check out Curtis Tembeck on YouTube.
“Needless to say, if you are ever in this part of the country, please get in touch. I love meeting my old friends!
“I hope more of our class decides to correspond so we can all enjoy each other’s lives.”
Until the next issue, Susan & Nancy
1970
Mitch Alfus says, “It’s all about the next generation (see photos below).”
Mitch Alfus ’70 with “the next generation.”
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1972
Elizabeth S. Lasdon eslasdon@gmail.com
1973
Tony Melchior melchprod@aol.com
1974
Donnamarie Barnes donnamariebarnes@gmail.com
Roger Sherman rsherman@cyruscapital.com
1975
Jonathan J. Beitler jjbeitl@emory.edu
Lisa Turgell Friedland lisa.friedland09@gmail.com
Jeffrey J. Russell jjrussell@clearbridgeadvisors.com
1976
Daniel Easton mashfly007@aol.com
1977 Be a QUAD Class Correspondent*
1978
William McGowan bill@claritymediagroup.com
1979
Lori Tarnopol Moore dlmoore4@aol.com
1980
Dana Swinsky Cantelmo danaswinsky@me.com
1972
QUAD extends condolences to the family and friends of Clyde Eliot Gumbs, who died October 18, 2016, at JFK Medical Center in Edison, NJ. Clyde was a retired business consultant, lawyer, poet and author of The Seven Seeds and Without Apology. He was the first African-American vice president at the Bank of New York. Clyde also was founder of The Chrysalis Experience L.L.C. and co-founder of The Integral Group.
1974
From Laurence Jarvik: “In June and July I accompanied my mother through France, Spain and Portugal on a pilgrimage tour in honor of Aristedes de Sousa Mendes, the Portugese Consul who saved thousands of lives. In an incredible coincidence, Leah Sills, Riverdale Lower School librarian, was on the tour with her father, Stephen Rozenfeld, and we were also joined by her brother, who himself went to Riverdale and also taught at Riverdale!”
From David Friendly: “After a long career producing movies (including the best picture nominee Little Miss Sunshine) I am executive producing my first TV series for USA Network. It’s called Queen of the South and the one-hour drama just got renewed for season two. Also, I have two kids, Maddie and Andrew, both attending USC.”
1975
Class Correspondent Jonathan J. Beitler writes, “Special congratulations to the very dedicated Susan Kohlmann Most Valuable Alumna; Gerard Koeppel for his book, City on a Grid; and to Jeannie Strauss, who rang the bell for the New York Stock Exchange in honor of NY Cares. Our thanks to John Kurzman, who is the administrator for the Riverdale Country School Class of 1975 Facebook Page, and to Lisa
Turgell Friedland, who is our most reliable source of birthday wishes and good cheer. On a personal note, we have purchased a house in Camden, ME, and hope to have heat in it very soon. Love to have another casual dinner at Tom Finnegan’s pizza restaurant.”
1980
Class Correspondent Dana Swinsky Cantelmo submitted the following Class Notes:
From Théo Spilka: “I’ve been working 31 years in the beauty industry and am about to cross my 25th year at my current company. I’m still developing licensing deals for celebrities in perfume as well as fashion and lifestyle brands. Also, once an athlete; always an athlete—I am still actively competing in road cycling and participated in the National Gran Fondo Championships this past weekend in Frederick, MD. I received a bronze medal in my age group for that race and a gold for the series in FL, NJ, CO, and MD combined. I feel great!”
Kathy Hertz writes: “I am a life coach and live with my 13-yearold son, Sam, in Clifton, VA. Last winter, after seeing all the images of refugees in the news and hearing the anti-Muslim rhetoric, I was horrified and went to Lesvos, Greece, to volunteer to help the refugees arriving there.
When I got back, I founded and began work on DCRally4Refugees (DCRally4Refugees.org), a rally to raise awareness and provide tools to those who wanted to help refugees. The rally was held on August 28th at the Washington Monument and Heather Karaman and Laurie Grobman were there with me. It was an amazing day! I continue to be involved in the refugee crises and am currently putting together a house party campaign where people can plan a party and educate and provide tools to their friends and communities.”
Kathy shared amazing photos from Greece and I encourage you all to get in touch with her and donate –amazing work Kathy, wow.
Steven Bram wrote that his daughter, Zoe Bram, just started Riverdale. “She’s in 8th grade. I’m glad to keep the Bram tradition at RCS continuous.”
And check out kabbalahme.com to find the next screening and perhaps a Q&A with Steven!
Last April a bunch of us managed a dinner in NYC (below): Dean Shapiro, Jeff Suchman, Leslie Karkus, Elyn Alper Shoen, Robert Goldrich, Dana Swinsky Cantelmo, Andrew Obstler, Ken Fisher, and Tony Asnes
Members of the Class of 1980 at a dinner in NYC: Dean Shapiro, Jeff Suchman. Leslie Karkus, Elyn Alper Shoen, Robert Goldrich, Dana Swinsky Cantelmo, Andrew Obstler, Ken Fisher, and Tony Asnes.
Speaking of RCS traditions and continuity, Niki Vorhaus, Robert Goldrich and I went to Burning Man together last month (below); the laughing, riding bicycles and dancing certainly made the days since RCS feel continuous. I also was lucky to have a visit from Jill Solomon on Fire Island this summer while she was in from Tokyo.
It has been great seeing and hearing from all of you; please keep writing, and of course, if you have e-mail addresses of classmates that I don’t, please send them to me!”
1981
We are saddened to report Nicholas Sprayregen passed away on July 13, 2016 from melanoma. He was the owner and president of Tuck-It-Away Self-Storage and a founder and managing member of Rising Development.
QUAD extends condolences to Nick’s family and friends, including his sister, Pamela Sprayregen Weissman ’87, who notes, “He will be missed by the many whose lives he touched and enriched. He is known for fighting the good fight and there is one that even made the history books, and is explored currently at RCS in Grade 6 History: Tuck-It-Away’s legal battle against the wrongful use of eminent domain by New York State for
Columbia University’s expansion into West Harlem.”
1984
From Class Correspondent Eve Reppen Rogers: “We are all turning 50 this year! Happy birthday, everyone!”
Lars Kry says, “I’m overdue for an update. I’m living in Portland, OR, with my son, Charlie. It’s just the two of us. He’s 10 years old, loves sports, is a good student, and keeps me out of trouble. I’m in the middle of launching my own brand, called Uncle Lars...good taste. It’s initially focused on salad dressings, with more to come. I’m sold in New Seasons Market in the Portland metro area. I’m currently searching for other retail partners to team up with. So that’s my life in a nutshell. If you hear of anyone coming out west, tell them to give me a shout.”
From Tony Barkan: “Still living in Williamsburg. My daughter, Sammie, graduated from Friends Seminary and is now attending Macalester College in Minneapolis, where she plays softball and is pre-med. My daughter, Julia, is a sophomore at Friends, where she was named all-conference basketball as a freshman.
“In March 2015 I left my job (was a founding partner of Seer Capital and ran various parts of the
investment portfolio and business over 7+ years there) to take a little time off and then start my own asset management firm, Allagash Partners, focusing on commercial real estate debt opportunities. I’ve just started raising both operating capital for the business and investment capital for the fund. As an aside – I’d be remiss not to mention it - if you know of anyone, either in or out of the RCS network, who does VC or angel investing or is interested in helping fund a hedge fund start-up with a successful and experienced manager, or anyone who wants to invest in commercial real estate, feel free to throw them my way.
“I also used the time to focus on some of my outside interests; I’m a partner in Fleisher’s Craft Butcher and we just opened our fifth store on the Upper East Side. I helped start Bronzeye, a new cybersecurity firm for asset management companies, and I’m helping start a video production company, Liner Notes, creating content focused on musicians, concerts and the music industry.
“I also started teaching a weekly economic and financial literacy course at Cristo Rey Brooklyn, a high school serving lower income and immigrant families around NYC. The school graduates over 95% of its students and sends almost 100% of those graduates on to college, making many of those kids the first in their family to graduate high school, much less attend college. Also, as part of their curriculum, each student gets a job at a local company and gets to go to work once a week, both getting experience and defraying part of the cost of their schooling.
“As part of my first few months off, I spent about a month in Italy (Rome, Amalfi and Umbria, mostly) with my girlfriend (see next paragraph) and my girls and my parents all joining in for various parts of the trip. It was great! I also
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
1981
Elizabeth A. Holoubek-Sebok eholoubek@aol.com
Lisa Burge Swotes lswotes@gmail.com
1982
Meryl Poster meryl.poster@ superbentertainment.net
1983 Eric Yamin eric.yamin@ubs.com
1984
Eve Reppen Rogers evejewels@earthlink.net
Niki Vorhaus, Dana Swinsky Cantelmo and Robert Goldrich, all Class of 1980, went to Burning Man recently.
Jessica Endelson Baum hosted a Class of 1998 gathering at her house in the spring (photo below). Catered by Elisabeth Weinberg of Miss Elisabeth’s Catering, it was a terrific evening with a stellar turnout, including: Adam M. Agress; Ashley Antler; Lauren Antler, Alexander Barnes; Jessica Endelson Baum; Julene Beckford; Ethan Binder; Gaynor Cunningham; Anthony Gonzalez; Jan Greenfield; Javi Hairston; Maxine Goldstein Hynes; Alana Yavers Krug; Nicole Lawrence; Brooke Pullman; Elyssa Goldberg Ruzal; Andrew Saltoun; Timothy Schneider; Catherine Silver Smith; Matthew Stine; Esther Tejeda; and Elisabeth Weinberg.
Keith Grossman is pleased to report that the rebuilding of the media division of Bloomberg has introduced a few Riverdalians into leadership positions. In addition to Keith serving as the Global Chief Revenue Officer, board member David Westin P’20 is an on-air talent and Lucy McWhorterRosen ’07 has recently been added as General Manager, Revenue Strategy. Go Falcons!
1999
Congratulations to Tim Sacks and Tracy Dansker ’06, who were married on September 24th surrounded by several Riverdalians (see photo on next page).
2001
Jeff Deutchman is producing a documentary film, 11/8/16, which was being filmed on Election Day by 30+ filmmakers who will be collectively unveiling a day-inthe-life of American citizens of all backgrounds and ideological perspectives. Jeff is partnering with The Orchard, which will distribute the film in early 2017. For more, see www.11-8-16.com.
This is Jeff’s second Election Day documentary film; the first, 11/4/08 (http://11-4-08.com/), was filmed on the day President Obama was first elected and was screened at film festivals and later exhibited in theaters around the country. It was recognized as the first crowdsourced film.
But these are not Jeff’s first documentary films; as a tenth grader at Riverdale, he produced/
wrote/directed/edited his first feature-length documentary film, Blend This Way, which went on to win a Gold Key in the National Scholastic Art & Writing Award competition.
2004
Janne Matzner-Gore and Scott Alfano are tying the knot in April in Orlando, FL.
Philip Braddock recently earned his master's in information management and systems from the School of Information at UC Berkeley.
Stephanie Charpentier Muñoz and her husband welcomed their son, Mateo David Muñoz, into this world on April 5, 2016. They’re all enjoying life together in Nashville, TN.
Caxton Kaback is a commercial real estate broker at Byrnam Wood, the last high-end boutique firm that is completely independent and only represents tenants (businesses and philanthropies) in commercial lease negotiations. The firm actually completed the largest lease transaction in New York City last year.
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
2002
Samara J. Fetto samara.fetto@gmail.com
Benjamin Z. Koblentz bkoblentz@gmail.com
2003
Adam R. Heller adamheller1@gmail.com
Ariel C. Schneider schneider.ariel@gmail.com
2004
Brandon Cohen brandon.adam.cohen@gmail.com
Cristina E. Haley crissy.haley@gmail.com
2005
Daniel A. Perelstein dperelstein@gmail.com
Amy R. Schneiderman amy.r.schneiderman@gmail.com
Jessica Endelson Baum ’98 hosted a Class of 1998 gathering at her home this spring.
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS TO YOUR CLASS CORRESPONDENT(S) BEFORE MAY 1, 2017.
2006
Tracy Dansker tdansker@gmail.com
Eric B. Nusbaum ericnusbaume@gmail.com
2007 Kate Lehrhaupt kate.lehrhaupt@gmail.com
2008
Michael Roberts michael.roberts@law.nyu.edu
Andrew J. Taub andrew.james.taub@gmail.com
Zoe Zetlin-Fishbein zzetlin@gmail.com
2009
Daisy Hackett hackett.daisy@gmail.com
Josh A. Howard jh1003@gmail.com
Joshua S. Pearl josh@joshpearl.com
Gracie Phillips egphilli@gmail.com
Ashley M. Rainford ashley.rainford@gmail.com
Alyssa J. Smith alyssajaclyn@gmail.com
Danielle Suchman danielle.suchman@gmail.com
2010
Ethan Gracer edagracer@gmail.com
Ali Kokot alikokot@gmail.com
Michael Shelton michael.e.shelton@gmail.com
2011
Laura Berman laura.e.berman@gmail.com
2012
Jay Dessy jbdessy@gmail.com
Chloe Getrajdman cgetrajdman@gmail.com
2013 Khari Dawkins Kd4@williams.edu
George Niedermayer george.s.niedermayer.17@dartmouth. edu
2014
Travis Brady travis.brady@yale.edu
Saranya Vijayakumar svijayakumar@college.harvard.edu
2015
Corey Morrison dactadeo@gmail.com
Robert Proner robertproner@gmail.com
2016
Christian Eggers jackbollda@gmail.com
Jake Fallek jakefallek@gmail.com
* TO BECOME A CLASS CORRESPONDENT, CONTACT
ROBIN GOTTLIEB
Director of Alumni Affairs (718) 519-2703 alumni@riverdale.edu
Congratulations to Jason Schulweis, who married fellow RCS alum Caroline Rubin ’06, this August at Tribeca Rooftop in New York City.
Justin Cohan-Shapiro recently hiked 2,650 miles from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail with his wife. They got married midway through the hike in the Sierra Buttes with family and friends. They are now back in San Francisco, where Justin is a manager with McKinsey & Company.
2006
Serena Pomerantz was married on September 24th and invites everyone to come check out her new show, Tony ‘N’ Tina’s Wedding, which recently opened in Chicago. Coincidentally, on that
same day Abbey Kesten was married, and so was Class Correspondent Tracy Dansker, to fellow Riverdale alum Tim Sacks ’99 (photo below). Summer weddings included those of Jordan Marin and Caroline Rubin, who married Jason Schulweis ’04 this August at Tribeca Rooftop in New York City. Rachel Pauker was married in November and her wedding party included fellow 2006 grads Kirsten Turnbull and Jenna Langel. Jenna is recently engaged, as is Eric Cohen
2007
Lucy McWhorter-Rosen recently joined Bloomberg as General Manager, Revenue Strategy.
IN MEMORIUM
ALUMNI
John H. “Jack” Ripperger ’48
Barbara Rearden Farnham ’56
Rona Kaplan Roob ’56
Randy Colman ’57
Clyde Eliot Gumbs ’72
Nicholas Sprayregen ’81
Eileen Jurist ’85
Riverdalians at the September wedding of Tracy Dansker ’06 and Tim Sacks ’99 (from left): Lois Kim ’99, Matt Baldwin ’99, Blake Zakarin ’99, Lindsay Sable ’06, Ryan Giesen ’06, Maddy Glennon ’06, Tracy and Tim, Kaila Pearlman ’05, Sam Smith ’06, Charlie Davidson ’00, and Michael Zakarin ’99.
Classes ending in 2's and 7's will have their reunion in the 2017-2018 school year, beginning the weekend of October 13-15. Please save the date!
