July/August 2008
Features
Alumni Reunion Weekend 2008
More than 1,900 alumni and guests celebrated their reunion from May 29-June 1 on campus and in venues across New York City
By Lisa Palladino and Alex Sachare ’71
Alumni Reconnect
Alumni Reunion Weekend 2008 kicked off on May 29 with welcome receptions and cocktail parties, many hosted by alumni. Attendees visited Morningside Heights favorite Havana Central at The West End and also journeyed downtown to Lincoln Center, Times Square, the Columbia Club and beyond to join classmates in getting the party started. Dean Austin Quigley was a welcome guest at many of these receptions.
Meet and Mingle on Campus
The best part of reunion may be the thrill of seeing long-lost friends. Or perhaps it’s seeing Alma Mater in all her glory on Low Steps. Or maybe it’s bringing your family to the place you spent four important, happy years. Whatever the case may be, reunion was a wonderful time to be on campus and to enjoy the beautiful grounds, visit with classmates and hang out on Low Plaza.
Wining and Dining
Lunches and dinners were some of the busiest events during reunion, as alumni and guests took advantage of the opportunity to eat and drink with old friends while making new ones. All classes were offered class-specific meals, with many at elegant campus locations such as Casa Italiana and Low Rotunda, as well as an old stomping ground, John Jay Dining Hall, and a new favorite, Alfred Lerner Hall. Two classes also got to eat in Butler Library, a no-no in their student days. Some classes invited guest speakers such as a beloved professor, while others invited classmates to share undergraduate memories.
Family Fun
Alumni Reunion Weekend was fun for the entire family. Many of the weekend events were family-friendly, especially the barbecues under the big tents on South Field. And while alumni, spouses and guests were attending panel discussions, lectures, a wine-tasting or formal class dinners on Saturday, Camp Columbia kept children entertained with activities, clowns, face-painting, movies, treats and more.
Back to the Classroom
A trip to campus wouldn’t be complete without reliving the days of being in a Hamilton or Schermerhorn classroom. This time around, however, alumni enjoyed Mini-Core Course lectures, led by current College professors, or listened to, learned from and sometimes challenged classmates (just like the old days!) at class-specific panels. Some panels included members of the newest group of alumni, the Class of 2008, who gave a feel for what the College is like today. Meanwhile, at an all-class convocation, Joe Cabrera ’82 received the President’s Cup for service to a reunion class from last year’s recipient, Brian C. Krisberg ’81.
Party into the Night
Two of reunion’s highlights each year are the Young Alumni Casino Royale and the Starlight Reception. On Friday, about 1,000 young alumni gathered at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square for gaming to win Columbia-themed prizes and dancing into the wee hours of the morning. On Saturday, after a full day of panels, lunches, classes, a wine-tasting and dinners, hundreds of alumni, spouses and guests converged for desserts and dancing under the tent on Low Steps.
2008 Dean's Pin Recipients
Dean’s Pins are given to members of each class’ reunion committee who have demonstrated particular dedication to and involvement in their reunion.
Class of 1943Joseph KellyClass of 1948Bob ClaytonGeorge Dermksian Sears Edwards Robert Mellins Jim Nugent Bernard Polak Seth Rubenstein Robert Silbert Class of 1953Joel DanzingerJay Kane George Lowry Stas “Pete” Pellet Lew Robins Jules Ross Jim Steiner Class of 1958James L. BastErnest Brod Peter F. Cohn Barry Dickman Joseph Dorinson Charles R. Feuer Harvey S. Feuerstein Marshall B. Front Paul A. Gomperz Peter Gruenberger Laurence E. Harris Joseph M. Klein Theodore S. Lynn * David J. Londoner Bernard W. Nussbaum Howard J. Orlin Sheldon Raab Stanley A. Rabin Arthur J. Radin Sidney S. Rosdeitcher Allan M. Shine Leo E. Zickler Class of 1963David AlpernDouglas Anderson Stephen Barcan Henry Black Peter Broido Harvey Cantor Stephen Clineburg Gerald Dwyer Doron Gopstein Elliot Greher Robert Heller Sidney Kadish Bruce Kaplan Robert Kraft Michael Lubell Donald Margolis Charles Miller Paul Neshamkin Lawrence Neuman Thomas O’Connor Frank Partel Gary Rachelefsky Barry Jay Reiss Phillip Satow Harvey Schneier Walter Stein Class of 1968Ross David AinPaul de Bary Ira Goldberg Peter Janovsky William Joseph Kenneth Kaufman Ira McCown Paul Migliore Bohdan Oryshkevich Nigel Paneth John Roy Arthur Spector James Shorter Jr. Masahiko Taketomo Kenneth Tomecki Seth Weinstein Henry Welt Gregory Winn Alan Zucker Class of 1973Alan BellErik Bergman Mike Byowitz Richard Canzonetti John Donelan Barry Etra Steve Flanagan Eric Holder Donald Jensen Barry Kelner Nick Lubar Alfred Medioli Bob Musicant James Perez Bob Pruznick Stewart Sterk James Thomashower Ray Vastola Class of 1978Thomas BisdaleChuck Callan Joseph Cirnigliaro Ted Faraone John Flores Chuck Geneslaw Joseph Giovannelli Mitch Halpern Peter Kovalenko John Ohman Joel Levinson Tom Mariam Matthew Nemerson Mark Silverschotz | Class of 1983Andrew BarthGerrard Bushell Kevin Chapman Nathaniel H. Christian III Steven Coleman Robert Davis Jr. Andrew Gershon Edward B. Harris Stephen N. Greenfield Edward Joyce Thomas Francis Marano Mark Momjian Roy Pomerantz Elliot Sloane Class of 1988Sam BloomMónica Byrne-Jiménez Ahmet Can Alexandra Wallace Creed Jeremy Dickstein Leon Friedfeld Leslie Gittess Dan Goldberger Patrick Killackey Ayame Konishi Jonathan Lavine Patrick McMorrow Melissa Mirkin Stanley Nachamie Roger Neustadt Michael Satow Carl Schaerf Steven Silverstein Ravi Singh Steve Statsny Mark Timoney Claire Theobald Doug Wolf Patrick Yu Class of 1993Shira BossPaul Bua Alan Cohn Deborah Cook Matt DeFilippis David Febus Judith Francois Alan Freeman Christine Raker Garcia Addison Golladay Aileen Torres Martin Rachel Mintz Stephen Morfesis Rita Pietropinto-Kitt Jackie Quan Benjamin Sacks Paul Sangillo Don Shillingburg Neil Turitz Ellen Weinstein Chris Wiggins Class of 1998Adria ArmbristerSandra Angulo Chen Jason DeLuca Yelena Dudochkin Julie Feldman Justin Garrett Thomas Gommes Timothy Harrington Amy Kristina Herbert Joo Suck Hong Edline Jacquet Jeannette Jakus Daniel Jean-Baptiste Suehyun Kim Benjamin Kornfeind Ronald Lehman II Kevin Liau Jeffrey Margolin Zubin Mehta Dean Mutovic Americo Nardis Daniello Natoli Christopher Paldino Chaya Slain Liora Spiess Andrew Topkins Julie Yufe Class of 2003Kwamena AidooSamir Arora Nicholas Bender Ruby Bola Mayra Cabrera John Church Monica Conley Eleanor L. Coufos Colleen Cusick Charlotte Evans Michael Foss Tailisha Gonzalez Kimberly Grant Elizabeth Greene Bari Handwerger Lauren Harrison Joseph Hoepp Dana Hopp Claudia Huerta Jonathan Klein Eric Kriegstein James Maclean Anna Maria Mannino Daniel Moss Erik Moss Christopher Motley Nathania Nisonson Michael J. Novielli Jeffrey Peate Johanna Quinn Carter Reum Andrew Shannahan Tamar Simon Jessica Slutsky Nicole Tartak Warner Kendra Webb Geoffrey Williams Preslaysa Williams |