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CLASS NOTES
Clyde A. Moneyhun First, apologies to Kevin Berry, whose name was misspelled in the last column. Bryan Alix, an ocean shipping sales manager in Westport, Conn., reports that he has now been married to wife, Jane, for 20 years. They have two sons, Daniel, 17, and Andrew, 14, who both play on the same high school ice hockey team and occasionally allow dad to practice with them. Recent trips to Haiti and Brazil impressed Bryan with the relative affluence back home. He reminds classmates that this column is not only for reading about each other's momentous personal achievements, but also for hearing that "some of my classmates are enjoying their families and purchasing a larger TV with more channels while managing to avoid lawsuits and make some progress on the mortgage." With the Class of '76 reunion coming up fast (May 31-June 3, 2001), I've established a Reunion Message Board on our Class of '76 class notes website. Go to the main site at www.english.udel.edu/moneyhun/college76.htm and follow the link to Reunion Message Board, or go directly to the Message Board at www.english.udel.edu/moneyhun/ messageboard.html. Speaking of reunions, I'll be pestering all '76ers who attend to give me copy for this column, so if you see me coming and don't want to contribute, you might want to cross your arms over your name tag and turn the other way.
David Gorman You may ask: What has Walter Simson been doing the last 24 years? He has been living in the Boston area with wife, Valerie. He has worked in banking and in consulting. He has been CFO of one biotech company and CEO of another. Now Walter, Valerie and their three boys (currently 4, 7, and 10) are off to Madison, Wis., where he has become CEO of another biotech firm. "The boys are excited about the move to Wisconsin because they understand that ice hockey is a 12-month sport there. The irony is that we moved to Boston, and now to Madison, after I made Val promise me on our wedding day that we would never leave Brooklyn." Walter reports that Gil Kuperman lives in nearby Brookline and frequently rides over on his bike. Walter further speculates, "Gil is accomplished enough as a cyclist to continue the practice even as we move 1,090 miles way." Or, you may wonder: What is up with Mark Ligorski? Look for him in Danbury, Conn., where he runs the North Court Psychotherapy Center; he is also clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at New York Medical College. Mark is married with a son and daughter. He is also assistant scoutmaster-I'm trying to picture him in the shorts-of Lewisboro Troop 1. "We're a high-adventure troop doing a lot of backpacking, climbing, skiing and other stuff like that." Mark reminds us of something that we were told at graduation. "Our dean said that 25 percent of us would be in jobs that didn't even exist at the time. I thought that this was wildly inflated, but have come to accept it as accurate." Echoing Simson, he adds, "Certainly in my own life I have gotten involved in doing things I never could have predicted." Hey, you people in the back, pipe down! I have an announcement. Reunion weekend is coming up in 2002-May 30 through June 2. Yes, that is our 25th Reunion (audible gasps). Among other things, the weekend will include museum tours, Broadway shows followed by cocktails, an all-class dinner and a starlight reception. If you would like to attend or to help in planning the reunion, contact me.
Matthew Nemerson David Beazer writes that last fall he left the dot.com world of MSNBC in Secaucus, N.J., where he was a producer/editor, to accept a post as managing editor, electronic communications, at Texaco Inc. in Harrison, N.Y. "I lead the content team for Texaco's Internet and Intranet Web sites. My wife, Jackie Bonesi, who has her master's degree from the School of Public Health Class of 1983, is a senior agent at GE Capital Insurance in Tarrytown, N.Y. I had a nice visit with a classmate, Joseph Giovannelli, his wife, Roberta Koenigsburg, B'78, and their two sons at a Christmas party on the Upper West Side in December." Proof, once again, that Columbia men are able to stay one step ahead of both the tenor of Wall Street and the sweep of national politics. But, lest you think that he isn't still open to some non-Texas centric points of view, he does note, "I'm not surprised that you find New Haven to be a nice town. Jackie lived in New Haven before attending Columbia's Public Health School and we have a godchild living there now, and other relatives living nearby. Tough break for your Senator Joe Lieberman. I interviewed him a couple of years ago while on a tryout at Channel 3 in Hartford and he impressed me as a thoughtful and astute politician." What you don't know, David, is that Joe actually wrote a college recommendation letter for me in 1973, when he was a young State Senator I happened to know! Our class's Broadway credentials have always been deep, and Henry Aronson reminds us Columbia men are never more than a phone call away from getting a front row seat, as he writes, "Having already conducted the Broadway productions of Tommy and Saturday Night Fever, I continue my '70s retrospective as music director of The Rocky Horror Show live on Broadway. The cast is mind-boggling (Dick Cavett, Joan Jett, Lea de Laria, Daphne Rubin-Vega, et al.), the band rocks hard and, yes, the audience throws toilet paper nightly. We expect to record the cast album soon." Frank Collini has put his College learning to good use and clearly is creating a modest dynasty in his neck of the woods. "I am probably in the same lot as most of the guys in our class-here we are finally making some dough, entering the prime of life, busy as can be at work and just enjoying a piece of the proverbial American pie. Most of us have kids-I have two-we are watching them grow and participating in their lives as much as possible. I am a plastic surgeon in a successful solo practice and I enjoy my work tremendously-I now know what I can and cannot do with my hands. I have learned how and when to operate, but I am still learning when not to operate. My wife runs an all-purpose beauty/skin care salon and a clothing boutique, both of which are attached to my office. She has also written a book called Two Girlfriends Get Real About Cosmetic Surgery, which is doing well and can be purchased at almost any neighborhood bookstore. "We are putting a huge addition onto our house (hope the market turns around in 2001) and we own two horses-my daughter won the district equestrian championship this year. My son is a typical 10 year-old-into sports more than bookwork, but with my guidance he is somehow balancing the two. I still often think of Columbia and those crazy days of frivolity. I think we all took a piece of that great school to wherever we ended up." (It is letters like that one that keeps your humble scribe young.) Timothy Burnett and his wife, Susan, were in town over the winter holidays. They are former active New Haveners who have enjoyed the last nine years or so in sunny Los Angeles. Tim has launched a successful architecture office and has an eclectic roster of clients. Life in the computer world is still exciting. But remember, if you plan to install Web kiosks any time soon, you have a college brother who wants to sell you some software. For all of the Orthodox guys from Jersey and Brooklyn who let this very Reform kid convince you to have your first lobsters and ballpark franks, here is something you won't believe. In a sincere (but probably misguided) attempt to recognize me for my past efforts in community development, I will be honored in a few months at a fund-raising dinner for our very successful regional Yeshiva High School. Now that is something that even my frequently honored friend Stephen Gruhin will no doubt be surprised to hear about! Finally, here's a scary thought. Now that we are all in our mid-40s, I expect you can begin turning over more of your business to your junior associates, which means only one thing... more time to write to the class secretary. I hope to hear from you all soon.
Lyle Steele Two old Furnald roommates unite. Steven Porcelli and Robert Darnell used to laugh at one another's biases in studying the sciences. Steve used to swear by immunology while Bob swore by the power of molecular biology. Now they've come together professionally when Bob, an M.D. and professor of molecular neuro-oncology at Rockefeller University, invited Steve, an M.D. and professor of medicine in the microbiology and immunology department at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, to present his work. Ironically, Steve has made a major discovery of a new class of immune signaling molecules particularly important to such diseases as tuberculosis, using in part the tools of molecular biology, while Bob has used the tools of molecular biology to bring new insights into immunity, autoimmunity and brain function. Apparently, Furnald's reputation solely as the home of a folk fest and a general beer drinking destination is undeserved.
Craig Lesser
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