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CLASS NOTES
Joe Cody [Editor’s note: Due to a heavy workload, including his service to Columbia with the Alumni Recruitment Committee, Stuart Berkman has asked for a brief respite from his responsibilities as class correspondent. Joe Cody has stepped up and agreed to fill in on an interim basis. CCT thanks Stuart for his loyal service over the years and thanks Joe for taking over for the next few issues. Classmates should send notes to Joe at the address above.] I am delighted to be able to serve as correspondent for the 1966 Class Notes until Stuart Berkman is ready to resume his fine stewardship of this column. I had dinner in NYC recently with Tony Helfet. Many will remember Tony as a South African economics major and member of Alpha Chi Rho fraternity. After a stint in the Marine Corps, Tony entered business, moved to San Francisco and raised a family, one of whom currently attends the College (Katherine ’05). Nice job, Tony. I also had dinner with Fran Furey from San Francisco. Fran and his wife, Jane, were en route to Barcelona. Under the direction (prodding?) of Mark Amsterdam, Rich Forzani writes that a number of fellow ’66ers met for what is hoped to be a monthly informal luncheon in NYC, this time at the Peking Park Restaurant at 40th and Park on October 25. Joining Mark and Rich were Rick Reder, Harvey Kurzweil, Gene Martin-Leff, Paul Ehrlich, Ed Kabak, Robert Gurland and Mike Garrett. The agenda was informal, devoted mostly to who got to turn the lazy Susan and when. Those in attendance had lots of fun engaging in idle gossip and catching up. Most amazing, given the preponderance of lawyers and doctors present, was that there was no argument over the check. Please e-mail Mark at mamsterdam@aol.com for info on future lunches. “Hold fast to the spirit of youth. Let the years come and do what they may.” Tom Chorba writes that he and Bob Klingensmith were masters of ceremony at an October tribute to yours truly. A luncheon was served to approximately 80 of my friends at Lerner Hall. I thank Tom for submitting the following: “Joe was named the first recipient of the Old Blue Rugby Football Club Spirit of Old Blue Award. Testimonials were read from many classmates including Fran Furey, Klinger, Bob Patton, Rich Forzani and myself. Many Columbia football and rugby alumni attended, including Roger Dennis, Bill Smith, Joe Tuths ’67, Mike Sherlock ’70, Ed Malmstrom ’65, Dick Donelli ’59, Al Butts ’64, Rich Coppo ’69, Richie Brown ’68, Bill Campbell ’62 and Lew Fischbein ’72. Joe was the recipient of roses and arrows and often spoke in rebuttal to outright lies that were being told about him, his undergraduate days and his life after as a rugby player and general bon vivant. The stated principles behind the spirit award are courage, persistence and a will to win. Those classmates who know Joe also know that these honors are simply an extension of his daily approach to life. ‘Tomorrow’s the future still. This is today.’ Cheers, Joe.” I thank all those who attended, and I urge the class to stay in touch. I have some data collected during the 35th reunion last spring that I’ll publish in the next issue. Thanks again for giving me this opportunity.
Kenneth L. Haydock
Ken Tomecki, M.D. I got e-mail and the regular stuff... Howie Scher kindly (and finally) provided an update. He’s an attorney (Columbia Law ’71) with the appellate staff of the civil division of the Justice Department in D.C., a position he’s held since 1979. He and his wife live in Frederick, Md., where his wife’s a (early) childhood education specialist for Frederick County. His offspring are thriving. His daughter’s a Wesleyan graduate (’90) with a graduate degree in international business from South Carolina (’96); she’s married, lives in Brooklyn and works in the financial district. His older son, a Brown graduate (’00), works in D.C., and his younger son graduates from Cornell in the spring. Howie “couldn’t convince” any of them “to consider Columbia.” Oh, well. Thanks for the update, Howie; do it again soon. And... I do remember you, so keep in touch. Tom Russo has “moved again, back to the D.C. area” — a job-related move and hopefully “the last. We saw Linda and Peter Kakos in late August,” while “they were moving youngest son Aaron into a D.C. apartment for his second year at Corcoran School of Art. We had a great visit.” Steve Steindel, senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Pittsburgh, wrote to me asking for Tom Russo’s address, which I had and provided (OK, Tom?). They were roommates in Carman during sophomore year. Glad I could help. Steve, in turn, provided an update for the column. Though several members of the class live and/or work in lower Manhattan, none, as far as I know, were involved in the WTC disaster. Best wishes to all for the New Year.
Michael Oberman Jonathan Souweine was appointed to the Connecticut River Study Advisory Committee. He notes: “The beautiful Connecticut River bisects Hampshire County and cuts off the University of Massachusetts at Amherst from Northampton, Route 91 and the Berkshires. In our county, there is only one bridge crossing, and it is no longer adequate for the demands being made on it. We also are dealing with the mall-sprawl so common on state highways near dense population centers such as created by the 25,000 students at the university. This committee will help study and implement an integrated transportation upgrade that will facilitate the crossing and access to the university, hopefully in a manner that will reduce or at least slow the mall-sprawl problem. The process and result should be most interesting.” Jonathan is a partner in the law firm of Lesser Newman Souweine & Nasser, with a practice in real estate law and civil litigation. His younger son, Isaac, is in the Class of ’02. Jonathan and his family continue to live in the “House,” which was the subject of the Tracy Kidder book of that name. It’s an e-mail world: News comes into my computer, gets edited for the column and is then forwarded to CCT, which lifts the text from my e-mail. It works so well — provided classmates perform the first step. While you have the issue in hand, log on.
Peter N. Stevens The most dramatic news was the sighting of Al Boff at the Brown football game. According to Al, this was his first sojourn back to Baker Field in 30 years. Despite the game’s outcome, Al enjoyed the experience and promised to return next year. Al is now retired. He enjoyed a very successful career in the rock industry, which included managing several well known groups. Also at the Brown game was Bernie Josefsberg, who is now the assistant superintendent of the Wayne N.J. School District after several years as principal of New Canaan HS in Connecticut. It was also great to see Jim Miller again. Jim, who is one of WKCR’s all-time great sportscasters, was back on campus to attend festivities at the station’s new studios. Finally, in the new “I’m now a grandpa department” is news from Norman Greene. Norm, a Manhattan based lawyer, gleefully reports that he is a new grandpa. His oldest daughter just gave birth to a healthy girl. Congrats! In sharp contrast is Art Kokot, a NY real estate mogul. Art frequently can be spotted squatting in a Riverside Park sandbox with his toddler daughter. Way to go, Art. As for the rest of you, I remain desperate for class news. Please let CCT know what you’ve been up to.
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