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CLASS NOTES
Stuart M.
Berkman After receiving the February 2000 issue of CCT, Christopher Dÿkema sent the following e-mail message: "Thank you for noticing that my younger son, Daniel '03, is a freshman at Columbia College. It's worth noting in addition, that his elder brother, Michael '01, is a junior. Both, I am pleased to say, are graduates of N.Y.C. public schools. If I am not mistaken, I am one of two social workers in our class. I've been at it most of the time since we graduated, and now work in an emergency room in the Bronx - en el sagrado Bronx, as we say." Christopher's e-mail address is crdbronx@erols.com. Steven Handel, now a professor of ecology and evolution at Rutgers University, was featured in The New York Times in early January for his work in restoring degraded land to natural habitats in the metro region. He is trying to apply principles of population biology to restoring meadows and woodland at the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island. At 3,000 acres, it is the largest landfill in the world. His new Center for Urban Restoration Ecology is dealing with many restoration needs in the East, including old coal strip mines in West Virginia. Steven joined Rutgers after several years on the faculty at Yale and a year in Sydney, Australia. He has two children in the Boston area now (one at Brandeis, the other having just completed Wesleyan) as well as a son in high school in New Jersey. Steven reports that he "spends more time on the road than he cares to admit." He studied some botany at Columbia, and "never gave it up." Contact Steve at handle@aesop.rutgers.edu. A press release for The Perfect Storm, the new 12-song CD by John Burrows, mentions that the title cut draws images from John's near-death experience off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., while captaining a large sailboat between Falmouth, Mass., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The 11 original songs (plus one cover of a Bob Dylan song) do not fit into any one musical category, but rather are an eclectic blend of country rock, folk and Caribbean influences. As a mountain climber, boat captain and lover of the outdoors, John finds inspiration for his melodies and lyrics in the mountains, ocean and Southwestern desert. Information about the CD can be found on John's website theperfectstorm.net. John's e-mail address is pks4000@erols.com. "I'm fond of the outdoors, as is my daughter, and this past summer we went hiking in the mountains in the West," Jonathan Sunshine writes. "I've never thought of myself as particularly athletic, but keep in reasonable shape through jogging and bicycling, and in one five-day binge, we climbed to the summits of the three highest mountains in the Rockies. Not bad for middle age - very few climbers high up in these mountains are past their 30s. I'm a lover of Yiddish (and co-founder of the main Yiddish organization in the Greater Washington area). As we were trudging upward, huffing and puffing at about 11,000 feet, we broke into song with some stirring Yiddish labor marches of the early twentieth century - a far cry from the usual 'Happy Wanderer.' These songs, I bet, were never before heard atop these mountains (although some version of them just might have been sung in railway construction camps in the area)." Jonathan's e-mail is jonhelen@boo.net. Roger Sanjek, professor of anthropology at Queens College CUNY, where he has taught since 1972, won three awards at the 1999 American Anthropological Association annual meeting for his book The Future of Us All: Race and Neighborhood Politics in New York City (Cornell University Press 1998, paperback edition 2000). His book, based on a dozen years of research in ethnically and racially diverse Elmhurst-Corona, Queens, has also been featured on national Public Radio programs, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation and The World, on WNYC On the Line, the BBC World Service, Australian Radio National, Bavarian Radio, and in The New York Times, New York Newsday, The Daily News, The Boston Globe, Lingua Franca, a score of regional, national, and Queens newspapers, and the Chinese and Korean language press of New York. Roger resides on the Upper West Side with his wife, Landi Morioka Sanjek, Barnard '65, who is associate executive director of New York Statewide Senior Action Council.
Kenneth L.
Haydock From Bethesda, Md. we learn that classmate and endocrinologist Allen Spiegel has been named Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health. The NIDDK supports research into quite a broad range of diseases, notably diabetes and cystic fibrosis. From further afield - England - comes word that Martin Andrucki, who chairs the theater department at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, spent the winter teaching in London. His wife Judith has a law practice in Lewiston and sings for the Maine Music Society, and his son Max graduated with honors from the College (Class of '99). He stays in touch with classmates Bill Simon, Mark Minton and Rey Buono, all of whom we encourage to write in and update the rest of us! We also hear from clerk of the South Carolina Court of Appeals Ken Richstad that his daughter Jo was admitted to the Class of '04 on early decision. Ken and wife Barbara live in Columbia, (S.C.) and now plan lots of visits to Columbia (U.). Your class correspondent continues to live in suburban Milwaukee, interview applicants to Columbia, publish a small newsletter and seek gainful employment. Further affiants sayeth not - so please let us know what's new and exciting that you are engaged in. (Surely one of us actually is a private investigator.) Finally, CCT suggested we send in "any color photos that might interest your classmates." Kent Hall sent a few to me, but, apart from answering the generic description "color photographs," these were quite inappropriate for the intended use and so parental discretion is advised.
Ken Tomecki,
M.D . Arthur Spector reports that over 60 New York-area classmates, family and friends gathered for Columbia's men's basketball game against Harvard on March 3 at an event he organized with Paul de Bary, with assistance from Ira Goldberg, John Roy (who attended with his son Noah '95), Mas Taketomo (who attended with his whole family, including an infant only months old) and Buzz Zucker. Paul was joined by his son John and Arthur by his daughter Hannah and son Sam. The evening included a pre-game reception and light dinner in Low Library and halftime festivities in the Lou Gehrig Lounge at Levien Gym. Unfortunately, the Lions, who were leading at halftime, fell short and dropped a 61-59 decision to the Crimson. However, several members of the class were on hand the next night as well, as the Lions defeated Dartmouth to finish in a third-place tie with Harvard in the Ivy League standings. Others in attendance included Lorey Pollack and his wife Ann, whose daughter Sonja will enter Columbia next year and whose son Jacob graduated from Columbia Law last year. Another son, David, currently attends Boston College but joined in cheering on the Lions. Mickey Goldstein attended with his son, a junior in the College, and Bruce Levin brought his wife, Betty, a Barnard grad. Others who attended with their wives included Alan Anderson, Buzz Baumgold, Peter Ebenstein, Peter Greene, John Slattery and Henry Welt, while attending sans spouse were Pete Cherneff, Paul Gallagher, Andy Herz and Ray Hughes. Peter Janovsky earned special dispensation for his wife by disclosing that she was expecting twins in September. Numerous friends from other classes also joined in the evening, and dignitaries such as Trustee George Van Amson '74, Dean Kathryn Yatrakis, Gerry Sherwin '55, Derek Wittner '65, Roger Lehecka '67 and Jim McMenamin all paid a visit. Spector especially wanted to thank John Reeves and Michael Griffin of the athletics office for arranging for the use of the Lou Gehrig Lounge as well as reserved seating for the game, and Jodi Buyyounouski and Angela Hoyt of the Visitor's Center for assisting in arranging the pre-game reception. There's talk of a tailgate party at a football game next fall; anyone interested should e-mail Paul de Bary at debary@abnet.org or Arthur Spector at abszzzz@aol.com (or both, just to be sure). Meanwhile, I got mail.... Mark Constantian, M.D., plastic/reconstructive surgeon in Nashua, N.H., reminded me that he's still in private practice, with an adjunct clinical appointment (assistant professor) at Dartmouth, where he's trying to extricate himself from (the boredom of) committee work (good luck). Professional highlights include his regular teaching commitments at the spring and fall surgical meetings - where his usual topic (and area of expertise) is nasal surgery and function (nares excelsior) - and his current stint as associate editor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (the journal of the specialty) - where his "editorials get much more response than my clinical papers." For diversion, "far from my...do-wop days (with) the Kingsmen, I still play guitar (acoustic and electric) regularly, primarily the blues that makes me forget time." During a winter sojourn in Tortola B.V.I., where he gave a lecture on the complications of rhinoplasty (nose jobs) at a surgical conference, Mark crossed paths with Nigel Paneth, who was there for another conference. Nigel's presentation on the universal principles of clinical research was "really wonderful; he's a masterful and dynamic speaker. I thought plastic surgeons and their families never aged," but Nigel "looks the same as he did at Dartmouth (and) he's just as affable and at least as smart." They reminisced about Columbia and their days at Dartmouth medical school and plan to meet again next January in Tortola (why not?). Thanks, Mark, for the update. Rev. Peter Kakos, friend and compadre from the past, is now a poet. He's written Presence, a personal collection of 122 poems (reflections on faith, love, nature and family), published by the Center for Awakening Press in 1998. He kindly sent me an inscribed copy at Christmas - truly a special gift from a special friend. Peter's currently working on his second book while on sabbatical from his full-time day job as pastor of Jonathan Edwards Church, Northampton, Mass. Thanks for the epistle, Peter. Keep the faith and continue to keep in touch. (I promise to do likewise, my friend.) Peter's note contained a P.S.: Tom Russo's in Dallas "doing better than well" in investments. Tom's Christmas card, intentionally delayed because "I knew I'd be seeing Pete over Christmas," brought news that they and their wives, Linda K. and Lynn R., spent a day sightseeing in lower Manhattan (next time, guys, give me a call; Eileen and I would love to join your foursome in New York or wherever). Tom and Lynn are well and life is apparently good. They went hiking in the Alps earlier in the year, "naturally the Italian part." Lynn's been "busy with the Exxon-Mobil merger...working on a new logo." Thanks, Tom; it's always good to hear from you. Ed Siegel, Cleveland attorney and neighbor (of sorts) whom I see occasionally around and about, has joined Seeley, Savidge and Ebert Co., a local legal firm, in the capacity of counsel. He'll continue to work on corporate business transactions and matters of licensing and transfer of intellectual capital globally. Sounds important, but we should still find time for a beer. Peter Van Etten, former president and CEO of UCSF/Stanford Health Care, is now president and CEO of Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, the world's leading non-profit, non-governmental source of funds for diabetes research. Good luck, Peter. And lastly (almost), as promised, the Ross saga (part 11). Steve Ross's work at Deloitte & Touche, often predicated on travel, has led to "quite a few good meals and more than a few bottles of wine," with wine collecting now a hobby. He's "fond of big, booming reds and sticky dessert wines." He also enjoys "working in the kitchen; friends call it gourmet cooking, but [I'm] just a good home cook." Sure. Each year he hosts a black tie New Year's Eve dinner, and the millennium dinner was "the best ever." Regarding his social life... "my first wife was a dancer, so I got dragged to (the) ballet, (which) I began to like; now I (go) regularly." I'm "also an avid theater-goer, though less lately... Broadway is diluting its product." He's currently single, again, and has two grown sons, Jason, 28, a chef in St. Paul, Minn., and Ted, 26, a writer now working on a novel about his experiences living in Vietnam and Cambodia. Regarding Columbia... "I've stayed active in a number of capacities...lead recruiter for my firm... Alumni Outreach Program... committee (work) for the last few reunions (where, ahem, we have failed to see (our) class correspondent), I know, I know. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa...and (most importantly) board member of Project Double Discovery, which (he) helped to found 35 years ago... So, overall, though I've (had) ups and downs, life is sweet right now. I have a great family, a large urban space, a satisfying and rewarding career, and friends and interests keep me hopping." Who could ask for more? Many thanks, Steve. Stay happy and healthy, and keep in touch. That's it folks. All in all, not a bad column. Agreed?
Michael
Oberman Responding to the last column, Jim Weitzman reports that, after 27 years as a communications lawyer (first in his own boutique and later with Kaye Scholer in Washington, D.C.), he is giving up the practice of law. Jim plans to turn his attention full time to running the three radio stations he has in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia, an effort that he began in 1992. For too many years he burned the candle at both ends, and he wants "to cut back before it cuts me down." Jim adds: "Now, instead of just dreaming about lingering at Barnes & Noble over an espresso, I will actually buy one and leisurely browse through some books. Instead of just ferrying out-of-town guests to the museums, I will myself actually enter and otherwise enjoy a few minutes of repose and reflection, just like the rest of the world does." In a word, in cutting back to one vocation, Jim looks forward to "freedom." Eric Witkin is "pleased and privileged" to have become a partner in Roberts & Finger, a New York law firm of 17 attorneys representing management in labor and employment matters, such as claims of discrimination (e.g., race, gender, age, national origin, disability, religion), harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, and breach of employment, non-compete, non-solicitation and confidentiality contracts. His move to Roberts & Finger is "not only a wonderful opportunity to work with great people," it also returns Eric to his geographic roots. He is just across the street from where he began practicing law in 1972, and his firm has an office in New Jersey, where Eric was born and raised and where his parents and sister live. He now looks forward "to passing another bar exam." Steve Steindel shared the news that Vectors/Pittsburgh (which is the local version of Junior Chamber of Commerce, providing volunteer service to the less privileged in the Pittsburgh area) honored him. At the annual Men/Women of the Year event, the group honors several different categories of individuals, based on a vote of about 2,000 interested citizens. Steve, the rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom, was honored as Man of the Year for Religion, "a very special experience for me, my family and the entire Congregation." His daughter, Sara, graduated from the College in 1999. His daughter, Shiri, is in the Penn Class of '01, and his younger children, Sivya and Avi, are in high school. Fred Hulser, "as a way of resurfacing," reports "the unexpected, untimely and sudden death of Frances Karner, B'68, GF '70," his wife of 26 years, in 1995. Fred says that during the "chaos" that followed, he "rediscovered a long dormant interest in painting and sculpture that began in my teens, continued at Columbia and then got sidetracked by the pressures of practicing law and raising children." His daughter, Andrea, graduated from Princeton in '98 and, his son, Eric, expects to graduate from the Lawrenceville School in May. In 1997, Fred married Shay Smith, a Texan from Aspen, and thus added two sons, a daughter-in-law and a grandson to the family, which now also includes a fiancée and a yellow lab. Fred and Shay "recently had the pleasure of spending the evening with President Rupp, Dean Quigley and their wives during a recent trip to Puerto Rico to meet alumni of the University." Fred concludes: "If anyone ever gets to Puerto Rico give us a call." Nicholas Fox Weber, profiled in my Fall '99 column, is writing books as fast as I write columns. His latest, Anni Albers, published by Guggenheim Museum/ Abrams, is a collection of Albers' textiles and prints with essays co-edited by Nick. The New York Times Book Review called Weber's "the best of a handful of essays as succinct as the works they illuminate" and described how Nick became so close to Anni Albers that he drove her to the cemetery to read her mail near her husband's grave. "Weber writes lovingly of this devout modernist." Please follow Jim's example and let this column prompt you to e-mail your news.
Peter N.
Stevens A flurry of pre-reunion news, in alphabetical order: Lester Blair is associate chief of medicine at NYU Downtown Hospital. Jeff Blake is practicing cardiology in Amelia Island, Fla. Tony Ciambrone now lives in Wayne, N.J., and continues a dual career as a social worker/restauranteur. Tony's also mulling over offers to form a senior professional wrestling association. Dan Feldman, currently out of elected office, is now a deputy attorney general in the New York State office. Bob Foster is a v.p. at the Bank of New York. Jeff Gordon, my junior high school pal, still teaches and does research at Ben Gurion U. in Israel. From the Code Blue department - Peter Joseph and Robert Kile are both emergency department M.D. specialists, Peter in Castro Valley, Calif., and Bob in Good Thunder, Minn. Fred Kushner continues to practice medicine as a cardiologist in L.A. His son, Adam, is in the class of '03. Bob Launay is a professor of anthropology at Northwestern. Bill Longa is a lawyer in Woodbridge, Conn. Mike Passow teaches science at the White Plains Middle School, N.Y. Alan Solinger is an M.D. in San Diego. Steve Riskin lives in Brooklyn and is a lawyer with the U.S. Dept. of Labor. Charles Silberman sounds like an old-fashioned businessman and is president of the Parker Hardware Mfg. Group. He lives in Tenafly, N.J. And yes, Sha Na Na still lives, according to Scott Simon, who is the managing partner of that group. I hope Scott remembers that it was about 25 drunken Betas who made Sha Na Na possible. Craftsman Dan Silverman is the owner of Pine Point Woodworking in Wellfleet, Mass. Robert Sperling is a property tax consultant in Mission Viejo, Calif. Paul Starr continues to teach at an overrated Ivy school in Massachusetts. Byron Thomashow is a professor at P&S and lives in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. George Wilcox is a professor of neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. Finally, Dov Zakheim is the CEO of SEC International Corp. - a defense technology company. He was deputy under secretary of defense for planning and resources in the Reagan administration. Dov is not lonesome by any means. He is the first reported grandfather in the class. Gulp! Hope to see you guys in June. When all is said and done, we're a pretty impressive group.
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