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CLASS NOTES
Stanley H. Gotliffe In preparation for our 60th reunion, a meeting was held on February 24, 2001. Under the guidance of class historian Jack Beaudouin and honorary vice president-treasurer Helen Abdoo, a committee assisted in the compilation of the replies to the 60th anniversary questionnaire. Additional participants in the project were Fanny and Ted de Bary, Joe Coffee, Cynthia and Arthur Friedman, Lavita and Saul Haskell, Betty and Arthur Weinstock. As you can see, this column is significantly shorter than previous ones owing to a lack of input from most of you out there. PLEASE WRITE! Or telephone (843) 527-8821 - I promise to return all messages left on the machine. Without your input there can be no output.
Herbert Mark Once again planning is under way for our next big reunion, which is only a year away. Your ideas and input are needed now. Call or write about them, to me or to Vic Zaro. The search for "Lost Lions" (see your class directory) goes on. If you have any information about anyone on the list, help us to reach him in time for the reunion. Interest and participation in our informal lunch meetings is high. Art Albohn, Jack Arbolino, Bill Carey, Art Graham, Sy Halpern, Manny Lichtenstein, Don Seligman and I braved the New York winter to meet at the Faculty House last January. Call me if you want to join us in the future. The guest list is the class list; there are no insiders. In a call to Vic Zaro, Len Ingalls, who enjoyed a long and distinguished career on the staff of The New York Times after years with the old Herald Tribune and the United Press, reported that he is well, living in Florida and giving thought to joining us at our reunion. Abe Loft, now emeritus professor at the Eastman School of Music, has retired from concertizing but not from teaching. On his recent teaching visit to Brown, he and Mel Hershkowitz had a chance to exchange ideas. While we were in Arizona this past winter, my wife and I enjoyed dinner twice with Sarah and Len Garth. As you know, Len is still active as a senior judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals. A highlight of our stay in Tucson was our visits to the Desert Museum, a marvel for lovers of nature and the desert. It should be of interest to Columbians of our generation that the late Professor Joseph Wood Krutch, who lectured on the English drama to so many of us, was one of the founding fathers of the museum. Also, many years ago, classmate Gerry Green produced a special show for NBC TV about the Desert Museum with Prof. Krutch's participation. Since our last report, I have heard from old friends Don Dickinson and Art Wellington. Both are well and busy and would like to make it to our 60th. Don Mankiewicz did make a trip east from his California home to visit friends, family and the scenes of his youth. While I was on a visit to the new planetarium at the Museum of Natural History, I ran into Fred Klachit, who sends his greetings and is ready to join us at one of our luncheons. Following recent moves, Sandy Black and Hank McMaster became neighbors in a retirement village in Naples, Fla. Among the luminaries receiving the Mayor's Award for Excellence in Science and Technology at a Gracie Mansion reception in March, we are pleased and proud to have found Dominick Purpura, a neuroscientist and dean of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, in a group that also included three Columbia faculty members. A personal sidelight-my wife was a member of the initial Mayor's Committee appointed by Ed Koch for the purpose of designating awardees, and it was a fascinating responsibility for her while it lasted. We were all sorry to learn of the death of Bill Edge. At Columbia, Bill was involved in many activities, most notably Spectator. Bill, along with Mark Kahn, the late Bud Caulfield and me, served on managing board during the historic year of 1941-42. That was one experience that can't be matched. As you know, Bill was the founding editor of our class newsletter, a job he filled with enthusiasm and skill until his health failed. We miss him. A final note: In a recent CCT, Dottie Seligman's name was misspelled. The error was not mine, but I'm sorry it happened.
Dr. Donald Henne McLean Classmates who have been "non-respondents" are addressed by Joe Kelly from Bronxville: "In this year of 2001 on the Gregorian calendar we of the Class of '43 are nearing our 80th year on this planet. It would be interesting to learn how many of us are left...living where, present activities, interesting trips, in contact with classmates, children or grandchildren sent to Columbia, etc. After almost 60 years, what are your reflections of your experiences and memories while a Columbia student during those fateful years, 1939 to 1943?" The latest book by Charles C. Cole, Jr., A Fragile Capital: Identity and Early Years of Columbus, Ohio was published by the Ohio State University Press in December. Stuart S. Asch M.D., is now semi-retired. The Columbia tradition lives on with his daughter, Laurie, who graduated the Law School in 1979. His son, David, is professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. His son, Joshua, is finishing his Fullbright at the Ravolinski Institute in Sweden-later to the University of California (San Francisco) for a combined M.D./Ph.D. Anthony M. Imparato is former professor of surgery at New York University Medical School. A recent publication, Band of Brothers, pays tribute to 37 vascular surgeons worldwide: Tony's contribution was the understanding of arteriosclerotic disease of the carotid artery. In his interview, he describes "the ivory tower scholars" at Columbia who, after WWI, designed their curriculum with the idea of understanding the causes of that war. Hence, the Core Curriculum, Contemporary Civilization and Humanities. The prolific and talented professor Stanley Wyatt will have his portrait of former Columbia University President William J. McGill finally, after 25 years, placed on public display (in the Faculty House). This painting symbolized the campus unrest from 1970 to 1980. Stan's own style is rooted in "analytic cubism," an early 20th century movement developed by Braque and Picasso and noted for its fragmented imagery.
Walter Wager Dr. David Becker-having responsibly completed his jury duty, the esteemed medical educator and researcher has resumed his investigation of the cancer consequences of the Chernobyl disaster for the U.S. government's National Cancer Institute. Dr. Bruce Mazlish-the sage M.I.T. history professor emeritus and president of The Toynbee Society returned to alma mater on March 8 to light up the seminar of professors Damrosch and Huyysen with an incisive address on "Civilization and Cosmopolitanism: Beyond and In the Nation." Henry Rolf Hecht-this retired Merrill Lynch executive isn't letting coupon bonds grow under his brogues. HRH is helping edit still another financial book to add to his oevre as he basks in the tropical glow of New Jersey. Your class correspondent, who's toiling day and night-well, some afternoons-as the chaise lounge of the public relations committee of the sneaky Mystery Writers of America, has broken toast with a dashing Alumni Office fellow named Chris Long. He respectfully suggested that the '44 horde form a team of leader types to start planning for next reunion. If you want to play and you're certainly an Olympic class player, get in touch with him (212) 870-2288 or in extremis with your dodgy but sincere class correspondent (212) 595-8139. Out extremis is okay, too, if you're tidy. Remember, you're a born leader. No fund raising involved.
Clarence W. Sickles Jack Oliver, a '45er made a '47er by the war, writes about Otto Apel, a freshman roommate, who made a great catch of a long pass from quarterback Paul Governali '43 in the final seconds to defeat Cornell in the '42 football game. Otto went to P&S and became a surgeon in the Korean War at a front-line MASH unit. He developed new surgical techniques, was a consultant to the MASH TV series and a few years ago wrote a book called MASH. While receiving a special honor as an Ohio veteran in November, Otto collapsed and died. As Jack suggested, I referred this information to CCT, and if you remember Otto, you might want to write a note to his wife, Joanne, at 856 Stoker Rroad, Stockdale, OH 45683. Jack also said that Otto was to be in a history channel program about MASH in January 2001. That has passed, but not the important role Otto played as a surgeon in Korea. Thanks to Jack for writing about Otto. Going through my Columbia file, I found an interesting document called "Affinity List for the Class of 1945." The list mentioned members of our class and activities in which they were engaged. I focused on two categories: the Pre-Medical Society and the Pre-Theological Society. Four names were listed under the latter category: Rhys W. Hayes, Feodor S. Kovalchuk, Carl R. Sayers and Clarence W. Sickles. Feodor became a bishop in the Russian Orthodox Church and lives at 727 Miller Ave., Youngstown, OH 44502. Carl became an Episcopal priest and spent most of his ministry in Michigan, where he established a reputation as an outstanding preacher. As a personal friend, I knew Carl died about 10 years ago. I, too, became an Episcopal priest with all of my ministry in New Jersey doing parish work and serving the elderly in a retirement community. Rhys cannot be found on our Columbia list, so I have no report on him. Next time, I'll report on classmates in the Pre-Medical Society with some interesting observations. Did you see Andy Rooney on 60 Minutes on January 21? In his wise and humorous way, he was making his cabinet selections as if he were our president. Of interest to Columbians was his choice of 92-year-old Jacques Barzun, author of the recent From Dawn to Decadence, as his Secretary of Education. This category leads me to think of Dr. Barzun's superb book of years ago called Teacher in America, in which he defined most classroom lecturing as a process whereby information goes from the notebook of the teacher to the notebook of the student without having passed through the mind of either. In response to a request from the Alumni Office, I should notify you that I submitted the names of '45ers who have been active as alumni for the purpose of assisting the office in reaching more alumni to attend reunion functions. If you are contacted, I hope you will respond positively. Bishop Kovalchuk will be our honoree this time, and we shall memorialize Father Sayers, a great preacher and civil rights activist who was voted the outstanding college sophomore at Columbia.
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