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CLASS NOTES
George
Koplinka Tom Withycombe has agreed to be the reunion leader in Zone 6, comprising Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California. Our national 50th reunion leadership is now complete, with Sam Haines, Frank Lewis, Tom Powers, Frank Tupper Smith, and Harold White already on board as zone leaders. Tom Withycombe and Jim Lowe also are developing plans to assemble classmates who were in the NROTC program at Columbia. Jim, a rear admiral in the Naval Reserve, has finally retired from both the military and post-service careers with Westinghouse, United Nuclear and Raytheon. He and his wife Suzette live in Albuquerque, N.M. and are enjoying four grown children and five grandchildren. Some of you NROTC guys should contact Jim at (505) 293-5392 to get the latest information about a pre- or post-1950 reunion get-together at Arden House. One additional interesting note from Tom: "You all remember Ollie Van Den Berg. It was just 48 years ago this past February that Ollie and I were flying to Korea as a part of a replacement draft of second lieutenants. When we reached Pearl Harbor the Navy did not have sufficient aircraft to continue the flight, so we stayed overnight with the provost marshal, Major Franklin Smith, who was our Marine Corps advisor for three years at Columbia College. Ollie survived Korea and severe wounds at Hue during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam only to pass away on vacation in the Caribbean in 1998." Tom is living in Tigard, Ore. and can be reached at (503) 590-5901 or e-mail tkwithycombe@aol.com. Late last fall Donald Holden displayed his watercolors at the Susan Conway Gallery in Washington, D.C. and received a marvelous review from Ferdinand Protzman in The Washington Post. Protzman wrote, "Few can claim mastery of the medium. Don Holden is one of them. What makes Holden an extraordinary watercolorist is his way with light. In style, color and substance, his landscapes are akin to the watercolors produced by such masters as Cezanne or Paul Klee." Don has lived in Irvington, N.Y. for over 30 years with his wife, Willi. They have grown up kids and one grandchild. His next two exhibitions, later this spring, will be at the Stremmel Gallery in Reno, Nev., and the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia in Virginia Beach. By the time this hits the mail, our reunion steering committee will have made major decisions about the time and place for our celebration in 2001. However, we need suggestions for programs, guest speakers, reunion book (with photos and biographies) and campus visits. Please contact your class correspondent with your thoughts. Your ideas are important, so get on the phone (914) 592-9023 or write or e-mail. More importantly, volunteer to play a role in producing this significant event.
Robert
Kandel This will be brief (I don't hear you complaining) as Evelyn and I dash off to see family and friends in the U.K. If I have correctly read between the lines of the essay sent by Herb Max, the following assumptions can be made: Herb has retired to his home in East Hampton, N.Y. He is surrounded by nature (oak trees and birds, especially blue jays). He has had difficulty getting used to the things that nature drops, such as leaves, acorns, etc. Apparently he goes around singing, "Acorns are falling on my head." That's better than having to paraphrase that song for the blue jays! Herb says everything is fine: "three sons, two daughters-in-law, one significant other-in-law, and one mother." I have a plane to catch, why don't you write?
Lew
Robins Stan Sklar: You may have read about Judge Sklar in The New York Times. Twenty three years ago, when Stan was first appointed Civil Court Judge, he ordered the landlord of a building with no heat, no hot water, no electricity and missing stairs to sleep in his building and pay a $1,000 fine. (Stan agreed to abate the fine if the landlord somehow managed to restore heat in 24 hours.) He served 14 months on the Civil Court and six months on Family Court before being appointed an Acting Supreme Court Judge. Interestingly enough, the first criminal case he ever tried involved conspiracy to murder a judge. After serving seven years, he was elected for a 14-year term to the Supreme Court, and last year he was reelected for another 14 years. Stan has tried big cases, including more than 250 civil cases that resulted from the World Trade Center bombing, and has reduced the number of asbestos abatement cases from 16,000 to 40 buildings. Stan's schedule is still brimming. For 18 years he has been teaching at the annual New Judges Seminar. He is currently first vice president of the Citywide and New York County Supreme Court Justices, and in July he will become president. Stan and his wife Margaret have a 17-year-old daughter, and he reports by telephone that he loves all the things he is doing. Keep up the good work! John Wuorinen: John and Susan have been married for 25 years and they have nine children (four are John's, three are Susan's and they had two together). They have 14 grandchildren, with No. 15 on the way. In a telephone conversation, John reported that he already has retired three times. The first was in 1986, when he stopped working for AT&T. He then taught electrical engineering at Columbia and the University of Maine. Currently he's the editor and publisher of the IEEE ISSCC Digest of Technical Papers, which annually publishes papers from around the world concerning solid-state circuitry. This year John was among 35 electrical engineers selected by the Solid State Circuit Society to receive the IEEE Millennium Medal for their contributions to electrical engineering. John and Susan live in historic Castine, Maine, which is just south of Bar Harbor. Historic? You may remember from American History 101 that Plymouth Plantation was settled in 1620. However, Castine was settled several years earlier, in 1612. John and Susan just bought an 1830 farmhouse in LaMoine, Maine, which they are in the process of restoring. As many may recall, John's father taught at Columbia in the history department. His brother Charles won a Pulitzer Prize for music and is among the world's premier avant garde composters. Ben Cappadora: Ben and Phyllis left New York in 1957 for Cleveland, where Ben started his own commercial real estate firm. They have two children and one grandchild. In a recent phone conversation, Ben recalled being fascinated with Professor Jim Shenton '49's class in American history, and sitting on the floor in the crowded classroom. Denis Nicholson: Denis and Eleanor have been married 44 years and have six children. After graduating from P&S, Denis served his residency at the Bronx VA Hospital and has since practiced internal medicine on Long Island. Denis, who refers to himself as an "old country doctor," has been his church organist for the past 50 years and is passionately devoted to his hobby of leading a large church choral group. Arnold Burke: Arnold reports that he and Judy have been married 46 years and have two sons, three grandsons and one granddaughter. Arnold was with United Artists for 10 years before joining a small entertainment law firm that handled some major clients in Hollywood. Eight years ago, Arnold retired from his high-pressure entertainment law practice in California, and four years ago he underwent successful open heart surgery. In 1991, he received the Alumnus of the Year Award from the University Alumni Club. Stanley Maratos: Stan sent a "Hello to All" note from his home in Treasure Island, Fla. He has a 28-foot boat named Zuesbold that sleeps six. Stan retired as chairman of the Aviation Management Department at St. Francis College in Brooklyn after having been inducted into the Distinguished Flying Cross Society. After being commissioned in the Air Force, Stan flew 10 dozen combat missions in Vietnam. Gordon Henderson: Gordon sent along an e-mail indicating he would love to hear from classmates at ghend817@aol.com. He and Mary Ann, who were married the day after graduation, have three daughters and four grandchildren. After earning his Ph.D. at Columbia, Gordon has spent the last 20 years as an expert helping to enforce the Voting Rights Act. Mary Ann and Gordon's retirement hobbies are tending to their herb garden and traveling around the world.
Howard
Falberg Although many classmates are still engaged in their original careers and many others have retired while remaining in their home communities, others, for a variety of reasons, have moved to other areas of the country. I guess I fall into the last category. When making a major move, most people look for opportunities to make connections and put some roots down in their new community. The obvious ways include family connections as well as seeking people who have common interests and/or experiences. The Columbia Connection can be very rewarding. Columbia men (and now women) share a number of similarities. I could enumerate a few that might sound elitist (perish the politically incorrect thought), but I will leave that to your own interpretation. Moving nearly 3,000 miles, I was able to re-establish friendships with Tom O'Reilly and Larry Gartner. I also found Columbia alumni of our era: Roger Breslau '53, Jeff Broido '55 (who heads up the San Diego Columbia Alumni Club), and Dick Capen '56. We have much in common and enjoy our friendship a great deal. So many members of our class are engaged in community projects. One area, which is very enjoyable and helps to both further our relationship with Columbia and maintain a better understanding of bright 17-year-olds, is to volunteer to interview local high school students for Columbia. I haven't heard from many classmates lately, but George Fadok tells me that he had a great reunion with a number of members of the Class of '52 who were on the football team. Ed Cowan has joined the staff of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research as a part-time editor/writer. Via e-mail, Len Moche and I are comparing our differing points of view concerning the upcoming elections. I'm hoping to see Brian Tansey, who will be attending the American Society on Aging's annual meeting. Please let us hear from you and remember that the big 50th reunion is only four years away.
Gerald
Sherwin There are so many good things happening at Columbia nowadays - in addition to the various construction/renovation projects ready to be started (Hamilton Hall), already underway (new dorm on Broadway, River Hall), or close to completion (Lerner Hall, Kraft Center). The neighborhood around the school has become the new "hot" spot in New York: The New York Times ran two articles recently about SOHA (South of Harlem), 110th Street to 125th Street, and another burgeoning area, 96th to 110th Streets. There are many new stores, shops and restaurants. (Prexy's is not coming back, guys!) The streets are always crowded with residents, students, faculty, administrators. (Who has been left out?) The Barnes & Noble bookstore in Lerner Hall is a huge upgrade from Salter's. Students take advantage of the living and learning experience in New York. They're either lolling on the steps of Low Library, playing soccer or ultimate Frisbee on South Field, hanging out at the Quad (or Butler Library) or heading downtown or uptown on the Broadway #1/9 train to the vast reaches of the unexplored parts of the Village, Tribeca, Harlem, Soho, and even to the East Side. For those who want to know the pulse on campus, Spectator is still the probing, investigative newspaper to read, publishing issues of importance to the students and the College. Amid this era of good feeling, we are happy to report that the reunion plans are pretty much set. All classmates have to do is show up and "go with the flow" as they say. The most recent newsletter tells you what's happening and when. The latest list of agreeable brethren who will be on campus June 2-4 includes Bill Cohen and George Stark from Northern California, Don McDonough from either Florida, Ireland, or France, Jerry Plasse from Maryland, Harry Scheiber from Southern California, Harvey Solomon from Colorado, Dan Fuchs from nearby New Jersey, and Sven Johnson from Virginia, among others. The reunion fund drive is on. We're getting closer to our goal in terms of participation and dollars. Our class has always been at the top of all Columbia classes. Let's continue this pattern. Columbia events over the past few months have brought out some classmates. Just before the New Year, at an event held before the men's basketball team's participation in the Stanford Tournament, we ran into Tom Morton, the old Kansan, who is still practicing law in San Francisco. Marty Salan made an appearance to tell us he is in his own business (not advertising), which is taking up all his waking hours. However, despite their time constraints, both Marty and Tom were very positive about the reunion, as was Alan Pasternak, who is living and consulting in Lafayette, Calif. At the annual scholarship reception in Low Library, the Class of 1955 Scholarship awardee, Stephanie Lee '01, was there to meet her benefactors. Stephanie ranks near the head of her class. Everyone should know that our classmates give more scholarships than any other class. In addition to the overall class award, Bob Pearlman, Anthony Viscusi, Stan Lubman, Bob Bernot, Larry Balfus and Jim Berick give scholarships to deserving Columbia undergraduates. As reunion grows closer, we're hearing from more and more classmates. Larry Balfus will be getting his liberal studies M.A. this spring. What's next, Larry? In Bethesda, Md., Laurence Cove is retired from his medical practice and is now doing full-time research for the U.S. government. Our friend in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Bob Fintzy has retired and unfortunately cannot make the reunion. Bob, who continues to improve his tennis game but has stopped playing basketball, sends his regards to all. Dick Knapp, who also has retired, splits his time between his summer home in Laconia, N.H. and his winter home in Melbourne, Fla. If you recall, Dick was managing editor of the Columbian. Unfortunately, Bill Langston will not be at our 45th because he will be spending the month in Provence. He occupies his waking hours with tennis (see Bob Fintzy above), workouts, and classes at Berkeley. Mike Schwartz, leading a quiet (not sedentary) life in White Plains, N.Y. is still a consultant with his own company. He is very deeply involved in community activities. Our academic physician, Gerry Tikoff, is currently professor emeritus of internal medicine at Loyola University's Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Ill. Gerry lives in Chicago and invites everyone to visit him when they're in town. Dan Wakefield's book How Do We Know When It's God? was written up in The Wall Street Journal. Dan is currently living in Miami Beach, Fla. working on other projects. You can't find Paul Frank in N.Y.C. on weekends. Paul spends Saturdays and Sundays (and even Mondays) at his home on Lake Waramaug, in New Preston, Conn. John Helmers, Jack Stuppin's old high school buddy, is living in N.Y.C. John tells us that, among the many positive things he got from his Columbia education, was "the College taught you to think for yourself." Gerry Pomper has announced that he will retire at the end of 2000 after completing the seventh in a quadrennial series on the Presidential elections. Dr. P. is a professor of political science at Rutgers. He and his family live and vote in New Jersey. One of the most fast-moving industries in New York right now is real estate and Roger Stern is in the "eye of the storm." He is a real estate lawyer, working out of his home office, assisting people who want to maximize tax-free cash from sales of commercial properties. Tom Chrystie, who was involved in many activities as an undergrad, spends most of his time now living in New York and traveling. Tom's latest adventures have been to Antarctica and the Taklamakan desert of Western China. He may have pictures to show us at reunion. Beryl Nusbaum will be making the trek from Rochester to attend the 45th. He is far from retiring from his law practice in Upstate New York. We might get his close friend and part of the "Cleveland Connection," Harlan Hertz, to join the festivities. Good souls of the Class of '55. It's time to start getting ready. The 45th is hurtling toward us. We may have gotten a few years older since the last reunion, but we've also grown so much wiser. You guys are the best. Love to all. Everywhere!!!
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