1948
Durham Caldwell, broadcast and print journalist, Holyoke, Mass., on Sept. 20, 2024. A graduate of Lawrence H.S. in Falmouth, Mass., Caldwell was active at WKCR, where he met Jean Connors BC’47. Their marriage lasted more than 71 years, until her death in January 2019. Caldwell was a venerable radio and TV news director in the Springfield, Mass., area where his duties included street reporting, anchoring newscasts, writing editorials, hosting panel shows and producing documentaries. He was well known for his coverage of complex issues that included civil rights, the Vietnam War and local politics. He was widely described by colleagues as a mentor for the next generation of reporters. Caldwell ended his career as editor and later columnist for a weekly community paper. He was a non-combat Army veteran of WWII and editor of “Remembering World War II,” an oral history of Ludlow, Mass., veterans. Caldwell, who was the CC’48
CCT class correspondent from the May 2003 issue to the May/June 2010 issue, is survived by his son Bill; daughters, Ellen and Mary; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son Joseph.
Robert Silbert, psychiatrist, New York City, on Feb. 15, 2025. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he graduated from Erasmus Hall H.S., Silbert was elected to Phi Beta Kappa during his junior year at the College and was valedictorian of his class. He graduated from VP&S in 1952 and served as a first lieutenant and physician in the Army; he was stationed in Nancy, France. Silbert was a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst with a private practice in NYC who enjoyed reading, cooking, gardening and attending classical music concerts. He was predeceased by his wife, Phyllis; brother, Gerald ’42, LAW’43 (Ramie); and first wife, Betty. He is survived by his daughters, Joanne (Thomas Windas SEAS’81) and Donna (Kevin Foley BUS’87); stepson, Michael Silverstein; and seven grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to Riverside Park Conservancy.
1951
James S. Blundell Jr., New York City, on Jan. 19, 2025. A proud New Yorker and 1947 graduate of Poly Prep Country Day School, Blundell competed in baseball and swimming and diving at Columbia. When asked to describe his profession shortly before passing he said, “Lions’ #1 Fan.” He often walked the city in khakis, a blue shirt and Converse All-Stars, with a Columbia or Poly Prep cap topping it off. Blundell loved telling stories, from hiding out on a golf course as a kid in New Jersey and asking Babe Ruth to sign his baseball, to tales from his time in the service, to experiences traveling to all 50 states with his wife, Pamela. In addition to his wife, Blundell is survived by his children, Suzanne, Stuart and Maude; and seven grandchildren.
David Kettler, research professor, Rhinebeck, N.Y., on Oct. 6, 2024. Kettler was born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1930 to a modest, middle-class Jewish family that fled to America in 1940, settling in New Jersey. A political science major, he earned an M.A. in 1953 and a Ph.D. in 1960, both in political science and from GSAS, during an academic career that spanned seven decades and included faculty appointments at Ohio State, Franconia College in New Hampshire, Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, and Bard College. Throughout his career, Kettler’s abiding interest was the role of the intellectual in society; he particularly admired the work of sociologist Karl Mannheim. His last academic project was the scholarly examination of exile and émigrés. His book First Letters After Exile by Thomas Mann, Hannah Arendt, Ernst Bloch, and Others, was inspired by letters exchanged between scholars who fled Nazi Germany and their friends and colleagues who remained. Kettler is survived by his wife of 63 years, Janet; daughters, Hannah, Katherine and Ruth; and four grandchildren.
1952
Robert S. Reiss, entrepreneur, Delray Beach, Fla., on Dec. 18, 2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Reiss was a proud member of the 1951 basketball team that compiled an undefeated 22–0 regular season record, the only Lions team to do so. Reiss, an ardent basketball supporter his entire life, was named to the all-conference second team in 1951 and again his senior year. He served in the Korean War, earned an M.B.A. from Harvard and launched a career that embodied entrepreneurship. He started, built and sold 16 companies; authored
Low Risk, High Reward: Practical Prescriptions for Starting and Growing Your Business (2000); taught and mentored students at more than 80 schools around the globe; and launched the Rose and Sam Reiss Scholarship Fund at Columbia. Reiss is survived by his wife, Grace Shafir-Reiss; five daughters; and seven grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to
Buckets-N-Biz.
1954
Avrom H. Fleishman, English professor, Portland, Maine, on Feb. 9, 2025. Born in New York City on July 27, 1933, Fleishman was class salutatorian and earned postgraduate degrees with distinction at Johns Hopkins in 1956 and 1963. After teaching at several universities, he returned to Johns Hopkins in 1968 and worked there for more than three decades, retiring in 2000. Fleishman was a widely published scholar of English literature, film theory and cultural criticism whose books include
George Eliot’s Intellectual Life (2010), as well as critical studies of Joseph Conrad, Jane Austen and Virginia Woolf. The recipient of numerous awards in Victorian and modern literature, including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies, he also self-published three volumes of poems and a novel after his retirement. Predeceased by Sophia (née Abraham), his wife of 48 years, Fleishman is survived by his sons, Franz and Ilya; and one grandchild.
Bruce A. King, critic and professor, Paris, on Dec. 2, 2024. King, who is credited with bringing the English language writings of several Indian authors and scholars to a global audience, was an Alpha Epsilon Pi member, played in the band and was on the Class Steering Committee. He earned an M.A. in 1955 and taught at Brooklyn College, the University of Alberta, the University of Ibadan, the University of Bristol, the University of Lagos, the University of Windsor, Ahmadu Bello University, the University of Canterbury and the University of North Alabama, where he was the Albert S. Johnson Professor of Literature. He also held numerous visiting professorships, including at the University of Paris III, the University of Stirling, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, the University of Paris VII, the University of Angers and the University of Beyreuth. King was predeceased by his wife, Adele, and daughter, Nicole.
1955
Jeffrey H. Broido, nuclear engineer, La Jolla, Calif., on June 21, 2024. Broido was a New Yorker by birth, graduating from James Madison H.S. before earning a B.A. from the College in 1955 and a B.S. from Columbia Engineering in 1956. As a naval officer in the Philippines, he helped to build Cubi Point NAB. He went on to earn graduate degrees from Stanford in nuclear engineering. Broido’s career with General Atomics brought him to La Jolla in 1963 and enabled him to work around the world, including two years at Switzerland’s Laboratory for Nuclear Materials. A jazz aficionado, he also interviewed prospective students for Columbia’s Admissions Office. Broido served on and led the San Diego and Imperial District Export Council for many years. In addition to being an avid golfer, he ran many marathons, and was president of the San Diego Track Club and director of the Mission Bay Marathon. Broido was predeceased in 2005 by his wife of 43 years, Beverly Bonebrake. He is survived by his partner, Suzanne Longo; children, Ellen ’87 (Jo Campbell) and Mark (Wendy Dick); and three grandchildren.
writer and editor, Jersey City, N.J, on July 11, 2024. North entered Columbia at 16 on an experimental Ford Foundation Scholarship and nourished his passion for journalism at
Spectator. He was a gifted writer and editor who for many years edited
1199 News, the magazine for New York’s healthcare union. He taught journalism to working adults at the Center for Worker Education, part of The City College of New York. North loved the outdoors and published two books of essays containing observations from his walks in the Hudson Highlands of New York and in northern and western New Jersey. He also was active in the Jersey City community. North is survived by his wife, Tara Levy; sons, David and Samuel; sisters, Susan and Nora; and four grandchildren.
Beryl Nusbaum, attorney, Rochester, N.Y., on Nov. 16, 2024. A proud fourth-generation Rochesterian, Nusbaum graduated from Monroe H.S. in 1951 and Yale Law in 1958. After serving in the Army Reserves for six years, he returned to Rochester and joined the law firm of Woods Oviatt Gilman. He worked there for more than two decades as managing partner and enjoyed it so much that he never retired. Nusbaum was an active and committed member of the Rochester Jewish community, serving as president of Temple Beth El and being a longtime member of the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joan; children, Chad (Piali Sengupta), Mitch (Julie) and Dena (Dave); sister, Mimsie Eisen; sister and brothers-in-law Sondy (Harvey) Burg and Richard Rosenthal; and seven grandchildren.
Howard M. Sussman, gastroenterologist, Houston, on April 13, 2024. Born and raised in NYC, Sussman graduated from Stuyvesant H.S. and SUNY Downstate and was chief resident, internal medicine, at Montefiore Einstein Hospital. He and his wife of 53 years, Pat, settled in Houston in 1972 and he set up his gastroenterology practice in the Spring Branch and Memorial areas, where he cared for countless patients for more than 45 years. At his core, Sussman was a passionate historian who could recite the “Who, What, When, Where and most importantly the Why” of any of his myriad interests. A voracious reader, Sussman devoured four newspapers daily — always in hard copy — and three books a week. Another of his passions was more eclectic: He was a true believer in life beyond Earth, and in the 1970s regularly contributed to a local radio show about UFOs. He also was a regular contributor to Houston’s sports radio call-in shows for more than 30 years and became renowned as “Howard from Memorial.” In addition to his wife, Sussman is survived by his children, Laura (Jason) and John (Kelly); and six grandchildren.
Henry D. “Hank” Wolf, engineer, Falls Church, Va., on Nov. 14, 2024. Wolf earned a B.S. from Columbia Engineering in 1956 in the 3-2 Program and always spoke proudly and fondly of his five years as an undergraduate. He was an engineer with Grumman and NASA and was proud to have worked on the lunar lander, among other critical efforts in aerospace. His name is engraved on a plaque that remains on the moon. Wolf took up sculpture in his 30s and produced extraordinary works in stone and wood.
1957
Felix A. Conte, pediatric endocrinologist and professor, San Rafael, Calif., on Dec. 4, 2024. Born on June 18, 1935, in Pittsburgh and raised in the Bronx, Conte graduated from Stuyvesant H.S., earned an M.D. in 1961 from NYU Medicine and did his internship and residency at Bellevue Hospital. In 1964 he joined Dr. Mel Grumbach VPS’48’s pediatric endocrinology fellowship program at VP&S, beginning their lifelong association. After a year in the Army Medical Corps at Fort Meade, Md., Conte spent one year in New York teaching pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, then returned to work with Grumbach at UCSF in 1970 and never left. Together with Selna L. Kaplan, Grumbach’s fellow at Columbia, they made UCSF the foremost pediatric endocrine group in North America. Conte was a brilliant clinician with encyclopedic recall and an ability to cite almost any paper he had ever read. He was named professor in 1995 and loved to teach. He taught reproductive physiology and endocrinology to undergraduates at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz, taught pre-clinical and clinical courses to UCSF medical students, supervised residents, and directly supervised and taught 87 pediatric endocrine fellows. In 2003, Conte was elected to UCSF’s Gold-Headed Cane Society in recognition of his clinical expertise as a physician and long service as a teacher. He was predeceased in 2017 by his wife of 54 years, Mary Cronemyer, and is survived by his sister, Jackie; five children; and 11 grandchildren.
civil engineer, Annapolis, Md., on Feb. 16, 2025. After earning a B.S. from Columbia Engineering, Lowery earned a master’s in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He attended various Navy schools and was a lifelong supporter of the Alpha Alpha chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Lowery’s 26-year Navy career in the Civil Engineer Corps included tours in Hawaii, Vietnam, England and Scotland, and an assignment teaching at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. He served as the head of construction contract negotiations for the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command and commanded Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 133. After retiring from the Navy, Lowery was deputy director of the North Carolina State Ports Authority in Wilmington, N.C. A lifelong sailor, he fulfilled a dream by sailing the Atlantic Circle on his own 35-foot sailboat. Some of his many creative projects included building his own canvas kayak and a custom-designed two-part wooden dinghy, and painting old grandfather clocks with local themes. Lowery, who was predeceased by his brothers, Frederick and John, is survived by his wife of 67 years, Erica; son, Steven; daughter, Carlyn; sister-in-law, Marilyn; and two grandchildren.
1959
Jerry Wacks, psychiatrist, Lexington, Mass., on Jan. 31, 2025. Wacks practiced in Lexington for more than 50 years. His main goal was to help everyone and anyone who crossed his path, and at least partially as a result, he had a legion of friends. Wacks is survived by his wife, Sue; son, David (Katharine Gallagher); a godson; and four grandchildren.
1960
Avram R. Kraft, surgeon, Boca Raton, Fla., on July 18, 2023. Kraft was a member of Phi Gamma Delta and served in the Navy in Bethesda, Md. He entered academic medicine at the University of Illinois and provided care at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. In the 1980s, he went into the private practice of general surgery in Highland Park, Ill. Kraft taught “Compassion in Medical Care” at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, and upon retiring from surgery in 2000, founded and chaired the Center for Compassion in Medical Care at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare. He was a perennial student of medicine, ethics and ancient texts and an early advocate of hospice and palliative care. In 2017, he published
A Commitment to Compassion: Reflections from a Life of Service (2019). Kraft, who moved to Chicago after 40 years of living in the North Shore, is survived by his wife, Kerana Gladstone Kraft; children, Rachel (Douglas Broside) and Adam (Lois Miller); sister, Elizabeth (Peter Levine); and brother, Robert ’63 (Dr. Dana Blumberg).
1961
Edvins Auzenbergs, business executive, Lakewood, Ohio, on Nov. 1, 2024. Auzenbergs graduated from Columbia Engineering in 1963 with a degree in industrial engineering/operations research and earned a degree from the Business School the following year. He was a member of Beta Theta Pi, Blue Key Society and Sachems, and played baseball and basketball. He also was a Class Agent for the Columbia College Fund and a 50th Reunion Committee member for his College and Business School classes. Auzenbergs is survived by his wife, Biruta; children, Gunar Edvins and Daina Ruta; and three grandchildren.
1962
Robert E. Sobel, chemist, Hendersonville, Tenn., on Dec. 7, 2024. A graduate of Bronx Science, Sobel majored in chemistry and rowed crew. He earned a master’s in biochemistry from Florida State, a Ph.D. from George Washington and a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical chemistry from Florida. Sobel was on the faculty of the Medical College of Georgia and also was a technical and scientific director at clinical laboratories, including National Health Laboratories, LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics. He was active in the American Association for Clinical Chemistry. He had a deep love for rural places and liked to hunt, fish, chop wood and garden. Sobel is survived by his wife, LaDean; son, Jonathan (Kathryn); daughter, Rebekah (David); four grandchildren; and brother, Matthew.
Michael A. Stone, businessman, Boynton Beach, Fla., on Jan. 7, 2025. Born on Sept. 1, 1940, in Cleveland, Stone came to the College with ideas of becoming a professional cartoonist, and was the cartoonist for
Spectator during his undergraduate years. He earned an M.B.A. from the Business School and went on to work for several companies involved in the food industry, including Leaf and the Danish company Dandy. Stone was active in alumni affairs and helped to organize his 25th reunion. He loved classical music, the New York Mets and theater, especially the plays of Eugene O’Neill. Stone is survived by his wife, Shelley; sons, Andrew ’91 (Mindy) and David; and daughter, Nancy Hastings.
1963
Daniel E. Subotnik, attorney and law professor, Huntington Station, N.Y., on March 8, 2024. The son of a European refugee father, Louis, and an Egypt-born French mother, Emma (née Bouskela), Subotnik earned a J.D.-M.B.A. from the Law School in 1966. He was on the faculty of Touro Law Center 1984–2024, teaching courses in income tax, estate and gift taxation, taxation of corporations, trusts and estates, race, gender and the law, and accounting for lawyers. In 1998, Subotnik published one of the earliest critiques of critical race theory. He was a prolific writer who wrote scholarly articles about employment discrimination, taxation, accounting, and gender and race relations. Subotnik is survived by his wife of almost 55 years, Rose; children, Eva and Joseph; and several grandchildren.
1964
Holbrook Williams, broadcaster, North Brooklin, Maine, on Feb. 2, 2025. Born on April 20, 1940, in New York City to parents who were both teachers, Williams was a student at Dalton and Horace Mann and graduated from Teachers College. Freedom was essential to him, so he chose to move around the country and held varied jobs including taxi driver, teacher, carpenter, field survey researcher and organic gardener before settling in his parents’ North Brooklin home in 1988. Williams’ interests included vegetarianism, meditation, jazz, the Morgan Bay Zendo and his WERU jazz show,
Groove Shop, which he hosted for more than 30 years. Williams is survived by his goddaughter, Robin Mendelson.
1965
Stanford N. Sesser, journalist, New York City, Jan. 27, 2015. Sesser was managing editor of Spectator, where he honed his skills for a career in journalism that included positions with The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle and Consumer Reports, among others. Sesser’s subjects ranged from the emergence of fresh-food cuisine in California to land mines in Laos and genocide in Cambodia. At the Chronicle, he covered the emergence of what became known as California cuisine; his focus on seminal restauranteur Alice Waters led to the eventual ubiquity of celebrity chefs. He also highlighted small, immigrant-driven eateries; those features were collected in two books written with Patricia Unterman. After a stint teaching at UC Berkeley, Sesser returned to reporting for The Wall Street Journal, then was the Southeast Asia correspondent for The New Yorker. He was one of the first reporters to enter the closed nation of Laos, interviewed members of the genocidal Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and reported from Myanmar after the nationwide massacres of 1988. He gathered many of those reports in a book, The Lands of Charm and Cruelty: Travels in Southeast Asia (1994). Sesser is survived by his husband of nine years, Yai; and a daughter, Sasha Sesser-Ginzberg, from his previous relationship with Abby Ginzberg.
1966
Harry M. Kresky, civil rights attorney, Shushan, N.Y., on March 11, 2025. Kresky, who grew up in Rockville Centre, N.Y., earned a J.D. in 1971 from the Law School, where he graduated in the top 10 of his class and was an editor of the
Law Review. A dedicated and outspoken activist in the 1960s civil rights and antiwar movements, he became a renowned election law and civil rights attorney who took on cutting-edge cases. Kresky fought for the rights of the poor and dispossessed, prisoners, independent voters, candidates and third parties excluded from full participation in the democratic process, and for community groups protecting their institutions from over-development. He was appointed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in 2002 to the NYC Charter Revision Commission in a failed attempt to shift the city’s governance to a nonpartisan system. Kresky was chair of the Election Law Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association 2008–11, and a longstanding member of the Coalition for Free and Open Elections. A longtime NYC resident, in 2021 Kresky moved to Shushan, where he took to rural life. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Cathy Stewart; sister, Caroline; and first wife, Carolyn.
Robert E. Meyerson, banker, Atwater, Minn., on March 5, 2025. A native New Yorker who grew up in Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale, Meyerson studied under noted 19th-century German history scholar Otto Pflanze at Minnesota, graduating in 1972 with a Ph.D. in modern European intellectual history. After teaching briefly, he began working for his mother-in-law, Ruth Atwater, president of Atwater State Bank, and spent his career growing the family business and promoting the local economy. He enjoyed outdoor activities, clearing walking trails for the family to use at their rural acreage. Meyerson was in the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College’s Virtual Reading Group. He was a member of his Columbia College 45th, 50th and 55th Reunion Committees and spent more than a decade interviewing prospective College students.
John R. “Rand” Sealey, wine merchant and writer, Walla Walla, Wash., on Oct. 17, 2023. Born on Dec. 13, 1943, in Kansas City, Mo., Sealey lived most of his life in the Seattle area after earning a master’s in history from the University of Washington in 1969. That year he founded Esquin Wine Merchants, now Washington’s oldest independent wine store. During the 28 years Sealey owned the store, Esquin had a profound impact on the Seattle area wine scene, importing foreign wines and later cultivating and representing domestic brands. A decade after selling Esquin, Sealey founded Rand Sealey’s Review of Washington Wines, a highly regarded site known for its humorous descriptions of products. Sealey continued writing and reviewing until his death.
1967
Roy A. Nierenberg, software developer, El Cerrito, Calif., on Jan. 24, 2025. Nierenberg, who considered himself a realist, but one who always saw a silver lining, was born in NYC, and earned a law degree from Penn and a master’s in economics from George Washington. He was an attorney for the federal government in Washington, D.C., for 10 years in positions including the White House’s Council on Wage and Price Stability and as an attorney for the U.S. Postal Service and the Federal Power Commission. In 1983, Nierenberg left government service and founded Experience in Software in Berkeley, Calif., to develop interactive project management software. He sang in the Berkeley Community Chorus & Orchestra, was on the board of the Berkeley-Sakai Association and was an active member of the Huntington’s disease community. Nierenberg is survived by his wife, Mimi Sheiner; mother, Juliet; children, Jovia (JohnRey Hassan) and Zeke (Claire); brothers, Roger and George; and two grandchildren.
1969
Simos C. Dimas, attorney, Bronxville, N.Y., on Nov. 29, 2024. After earning a J.D. from Fordham, Dimas began his career in trust and estate planning at Chase Manhattan and Morgan Guaranty. An attorney active in both the United States and Greece, Dimas successfully litigated the first case brought by the Greek government under its antiquities law. He aided in the negotiation of the U.S.-Greek bilateral air treaties as co-counsel representing the Greek national carrier, Olympic Airways; in the U.S. Dimas was also proud to work with the American Jewish lobby on the recognition of Israel by Greece. Following a 1985 Reagan advisory against travel to Greece, Dimas served as director of Greek national tourism, organizing a PR and advertising campaign that was credited with revitalizing Greek tourism at the time. Proud of his Epirotan heritage, Dimas was a past president of the Panepirotic Federation of America and worked with the Greek Foreign Ministry on Albanian refugee policy and issues involving the Greek ethnic minority in Albania. He is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, awarded to “Americans of diverse origins for their outstanding contributions to their own ethnic groups and to American society.” Dimas is survived by a sister; two sons; and a grandson.
journalist, Swarthmore, Pa., on July 20, 2024. Born on March 20, 1947, in Mamaroneck, N.Y., Salisbury earned an M.F.A. in writing from the School of the Arts in 1974. He worked briefly at
The New York Times and other publishing companies in New York City, as well as at the
Daily Variety in Los Angeles, before joining
The Philadelphia Inquirer city desk staff in 1979. He covered the city for a decade and was part of an
Inquirer team that was a 1995 finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. He went on to fashion a 43-year career there
, 33 of them covering the arts. He first covered cultural life for the paper in 1989 and, until he retired in 2022, wrote hundreds of influential stories about Philadelphia’s art and culture and the people who shaped them. The son of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Harrison Salisbury, Salisbury is survived by his wife, Jennifer Baker; daughter, Mollie; son, Nathaniel; and brother, Michael.
Alan B. Senauke, abbot, Berkeley, Calif., on Dec. 22, 2024. As an English major, Senauke was deeply affected by the teaching and poetry of Kenneth Koch. He was co-editor of the
Columbia Review and co-edited (along with Hilton Obenzinger ’69 and Les Gottesman ’68)
A Cinch: Amazing Works from the Columbia Review (1969). Senauke participated in Columbia’s 1968 student rebellion and took part in a nonviolent occupation of President Grayson Kirk’s office in Low Library for a week. After college, Senauke was exposed to Soto Zen practice; he became a priest and ultimately head abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He was executive director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, and he formed the Clear View Project, aiding and connecting Buddhists in North America with movements for social change in Buddhist Asia. Senauke was an accomplished professional musician, favoring Blue Grass, Old Time and Cajun music, and he toured widely and released numerous albums. He also authored several books in which he shared his lived understanding of the Dharma, most recently
Turning Words: Transformative Encounters with Buddhist Teachers. Senauke leaves behind his wife, Laurie Schley Senauke; daughter, Silvie; and son, Alexander.
1970
Robert L. Zussman, sociologist, Northampton, Mass., on Nov. 27, 2024. Zussman, who earned a Ph.D. from GSAS in 1982, was a highly regarded sociologist who taught at Columbia, SUNY Stony Brook, and, since 1997, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. His prize-winning books include
Mechanics of the Middle Class: Work and Politics Among American Engineers (1985), and
Intensive Care: Medical Ethics and the Medical Profession, on ethical decisions and dilemmas in intensive care units. A lifelong Yankees fan, his last book,
Yankelytics, was a combination of memoir, social science and statistics that was published online just before his death. Zussman is survived by his wife, Naomi Gerstel GSAS’78; daughter, Katie (Max Shindler); two grandchildren; and brother, Mark (Barbara).
1971
John P. Icenogle, attorney and judge, Kearney, Neb., on April 12, 2024. Born on Dec. 26, 1948, in Mattoon, Ill., Icenogle earned a law degree from Tulane in 1974 and moved to Kearney to work for the Tye Law Firm. He was appointed to the Buffalo County Court bench in 1976 and served 40 years as a judge in Buffalo County. Icenogle loved golf and could easily spend a day playing 36 holes. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; children, Elizabeth Margot (Matthew), Samuel and John (Mary Rose); two grandchildren; and brothers, Robert and Thomas Edward (Mary).
1980
Walter F. McDonough, attorney, West Roxbury, Mass., on Dec. 14, 2024. A graduate of Boston Latin, McDonough majored in English and comparative literature before graduating from Suffolk Law School. He had a lifelong passion for music that he carried through his personal and professional endeavors. A member of the Democratic State Committee, McDonough took part in many political campaigns and served in the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Office. He was predeceased by his parents and is survived by extended family members and friends.
1981
William P. “Bill/Nick” Nickerson Jr., finance manager, West Roxbury, Mass., on Jan. 24, 2025. Born in Charlestown, Mass., Nickerson played football at Boston Latin School prior to Columbia. He spent his career as senior finance manager for the City of Boston, working with the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Boston Planning & Development Agency. Nickerson is survived by his wife, Patty (née Mullen); stepdaughters, Deirdre Mulkerrins and Karen Mulkerrins; stepson, Kevin Mulkerrins (Deirdre McLaren); and four grandchildren.
1982
William F. Megevick Jr., finance attorney and theater producer, New York City, on Jan. 6, 2025. Born in Washington, D.C., Megevick majored in political science, and earned a law degree from UCSF and a 1995 master’s from the Journalism School. He was a successful project finance lawyer and Broadway and Off-Broadway theater producer; he won a Tony Award in 2014 for
A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder. Megevick is survived by his husband of 18 years, George Calderaro; and sister, Barbara Shelley.
1985
John C. Chong, New York City on Jan. 1, 2025. Born on July 13, 1963, on the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Chong immigrated to the United States with his family and distinguished himself academically, graduating from Stuyvesant H.S. and majoring in computer science at the College. His professional life was dedicated to public service; he was an IT specialist for various New York City agencies. He retired in 2019 as an IT manager for the Office of Labor Relations. Chong is survived by his siblings, Herbert, Margaret, and Patricia; and sister-in-law, Xiaol.
1999
Allan K. Ng, marketer, San Francisco, on Jan. 17, 2025. Ng majored in economics-philosophy and earned an M.B.A. from UC Berkeley in 2007. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon and Student Council, was a Nacom and interviewed prospective students for the College. He was chief marketing officer and an adviser and investor at several companies including Google, Livongo, Freenome and Yahoo! Ng is survived by his wife, Joanne; children, Sophia, Max and Oliver; parents, John and Lily; and brothers, Dan ’94 and Eric.
2007
Havilah A. Giannetta, writer, Palmyra, Va., on Nov. 10, 2024. Born in Atlantic City, N.J., and raised in Charlottesville, Va., Giannetta demonstrated aptitude for the arts at an early age. She began taking dance lessons at 4, wrote and starred in her first play in the third grade, participated in dramatic productions at the Live Arts Theatre in Charlottesville and attended the Governor’s School for the Arts in Richmond. She also loved to paint and draw. A Kluge Scholar, Giannetta majored in English literature and spent a year studying abroad at the University of York in England. After some travel and exploration, she became one of the first Artists in Residence at Epiphany Space in Los Angeles and, most recently, a member of the Columbia Fiction Foundry. She finished writing her memoir shortly before her passing. Giannetta is survived by her mother, Eve; as well as many uncles, aunts and cousins.
— Alex Sachare ’71
