George Koplinka
75 Chelsea Road
White Plains, N.Y. 10603
desiah@aol.com
What would
you do if you had an Ivy League family of children, none of whom
were Columbia College graduates? Alan Wagner solved the
problem by forming his own television production company called
Boardwalk Entertainment with daughters Susan (Princeton) and Liz
(Brown), and some legal advice from son David (Yale). "Ouch!" says
Alan, but the group is doing great with a new series called Hope
Island.
Do you
remember Burt Erickson Nelson? He spent three years with '51
before transferring to the University of Minnesota. Burt continues
to be active with several German-American publications in the
metropolitan New York area.
We know our
e-mail is working. Most recently we got a message, with a bit of
philosophy, from Jay Lefer. He is alive and well and reads
the class notes!
Class
Treasurer Ron Young and his lovely wife Marge participated
in a family athletic outing this summer. It was a reunion in the
Catskill mountains of New York with five grandchildren and five
nieces, ages 6 to 10. The kids played soccer all day, while Ron
(who works out regularly at a Staten Island YMCA) cheered from the
sidelines.
The steering
Committee for our 50th anniversary reunion in 2001 is enlarging.
The USA has been divided into six zones, each with a "zone leader"
accepting responsibility for following up on all '51 grads in his
area. We are pleased that Harold White has accepted
responsibility for the Southeast region, which includes all states
from Virginia south to Florida and west to Mississippi. Harold
retired from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in
Jackson in 1995 but continues to do some consulting for the
institution. Harold and his wife Carolyn have two children and
three grandchildren. They are looking forward to attending the 50th
anniversary and hope to bring along a good group from the
Southeast.
Tom
Powers has agreed to be the zone leader for the Central states,
including the Great Lakes region, Kentucky and west to Iowa and
Minnesota. Tom and Marlene's daughter Tracey is completing her
second year at the School of Social Work, a prestigious institution
that recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. Tom continues to be
very active with the Lima, Ohio Rotary Club, where he has served as
the organization's treasurer for many years. Needless to say, the
'51 anniversary committee will benefit greatly from Tom's
continuing College enthusiasm.
Please
contact your class correspondent if you would like to be a zone
leader. We need help on the West Coast from California to
Washington and Nevada. Do we have a volunteer for the Mountain
states, perhaps a Denver resident? Watch your mail for additional
50th anniversary details!
Robert
Kandel
20 B Mechanic St.
Glen Cove, N.Y. 11542-1738
lednaker@aol.com
Neil
Holbert is living and working in London. Neil is teaching
marketing, and he and his wife, Barbara, would love to hear from
Columbia people either living in or visiting London. Their home
number is 0171-723-3683...give them a call.
Dudley
Ferris says that, despite the years, he feels "as young as
ever. And it's not second childhood!" He makes periodic trips to
Japan and will tour Morocco this fall. He "would like to hear from
anyone out there." E-mail him at DudJean@Juno.com.
Alan
Bomser and his wife Betsy have a new weekend home, which they
love, on a lake north of New York City. Al's daughter Jennifer
recently presented him with his first grandchild, Annabel
Sophy.
Channel 13,
PBS in New York, sent out an announcement celebrating the 20th
anniversary of their Nightly Business Report and thanking Joseph
A. Di Palma for his continued support in underwriting the
program.
Jim
Hoebel has retired in Virginia after years with the Consumer
Product Safety Commission. He plans to keep active and do
consulting. Arlene is progressing well after her second knee
replacement.
Our
daughter-in-law Vivienne had her second son, Spencer Scott Kandel,
in June. Evelyn and I have moved and we are renting a brand new
townhouse in Glen Cove, N.Y. There is a park a few blocks away
where they have concerts (classical and big band) and ballet, so we
are quite pleased. Why don't you let the rest of us know what you
are doing?
Lew
Robins
89 Sturges Highway
Westport, Conn. 06880
lewRobins@aol.com
Howard
Pettebone: There is miraculous news! After Howard needed a
walker for a number of years, his doctors discovered that he had
been infected with Lyme disease almost a decade earlier. Howard
told me on the phone that he's now walking with only a cane, and
his doctors have promised that by next spring, he'll be striding
without help. He and Barbara are approaching their 46th wedding
anniversary and have enjoyed sailing down the Mississippi River on
the Delta Queen. "Better food than an ocean liner, but traveling 10
miles and hour downstream and seven miles an hour upstream makes it
no place for honeymooners. The average age is 65," he told me. New
Years Eve will find the Pettibones on a cruise to South America.
Howard quips, "We'll be out to sea with no need for a designated
driver." Great going, Howard. We're looking forward to hearing the
blast of your trumpet at our 50th reunion.
Paul Plein
II: Sadly, Phi Kappi Psi's Paul passed away on June 25 after a
10-year battle with cancer. Marian told me that she met Paul on a
blind date in 1950. It was love at first sight; they were married
two days after graduation, and lived "happily thereafter." The
Pleins produced four children and nine grandchildren. Paul had a
fulfilling career with the Federal Prisons Corporation, where he
became second in charge and secretary of the board.
Peter
Piecuch: Peter retired two years ago after a fascinating career
helping to clean up America's water as the executive editor of
publications for the Water Environment Federation. The Federation
is a non-profit organization with more than 30,000 members. When I
asked Peter for examples of the Federation's success he found most
satisfying, he quickly pointed out, "PCBs are gone from the Hudson
River. Lake Erie is being rejuvenated. The pollution that was
threatening the water supply in the lower Mississippi has been
removed." Peter married Kathleen in 1956. They have three children
and eight grandchildren. Their two daughters are Barnard graduates,
and their son graduated from the College in 1980. Peter and
Kathleen enjoy the luxury of traveling, especially to Kathleen's
homeland, Ireland.
Arthur
Elkind: "My son, Mitchel, is an attending neurologist at
P&S, Presbyterian Hospital and on the teaching faculty. He
completed his masters degree at the School of Public Health in
1998." Milo Jesel: Milo sent the following short recommendation. "I
enjoyed reading Max Frankel '52's recent book. I recommend it to
all our classmates." Please write or send along an e-mail with your
latest news.
Howard
Falberg
13710 Paseo Bonita
Poway, Calif. 92064
WestmontGR@aol.com
This is going
to be somewhat of an anemic report. The summer doldrums seem to
have settled in (although by the time you read this, things should
be a bit nippy in most parts of the country).
Several
classmates continue to make significant contributions to their
community even though they are "retired." Robert Clark
retired several years ago as planning director of the DuPont-Merck
Pharmaceuticals Company and is pursuing a second successful career
as an "abstract" sculptor. His work can be seen at the Philadelphia
and Delaware Art Museums. Bob Schaefer, who is a great
booster of the Pacific Northwest and is retired from the practice
of diagnostic radiology, is working diligently as a volunteer for
the Seattle Opera and the Seattle Symphony as well as excelling in
woodworking, hiking and painting.
My wife Carol
and I had a wonderful week at Lake Tahoe with two of our children,
their spouses and their children. Len Moche mixed R&R
with intellectual pursuits in Maine during part of this past
summer.
After many
years of owning and building a successful regional sporting goods
company in southern Ohio, Jerry Gordon is now successfully
retired and engaging in some of the activities he formerly sold
others on...namely tennis and boating.
I was in New
York briefly for a meeting and went up to campus, which looked
beautiful, then went to a reception for the opening of the newly
renovated and world famous Swann Galleries, which is owned by my
college roommate George Lowry '53. While there, I ran into Jay
Seeman, our classmate who also represents George as his
attorney.
Please let us
hear from you. You might be amazed by the interest and curiosity
our classmates have about one another.
Gerald
Sherwin
181 East 73rd Street
New York, N.Y. 10021
gsherwin@newyork.bozell.com
We are now
over two months into the 1999/2000 school term. The first-years
don't look or feel like first-years anymore. They've been
experiencing New York to the fullest (even those who were born
here), and have immersed themselves in the Core Curriculum, the
football and soccer season, the advising system, dorm life, labs,
Lerner Hall, the West End, Tom's (without Seinfeld) and more. Some
have even taken the swimming test. There's a rumor going around
that as part of their reunions, alumni will have to validate the
results of the test they took when they were in school. To be on
the safe side, classmates should bring an extra pair of bathing
trunks to our reunion next June.
Did we say
reunion? There has been a huge response to this upcoming event. The
reunion newsletter everyone recently received outlines dates,
events and a list of the committed classmates. We are still waiting
to hear from Ohioans Don Price (of Jester fame), Norm
Robbins, Harlan Hertz, and Lary Faris, the Windy
City's finest, Stu Perlman, Gerry Tikoff in Hines,
Ill., Burnell Stripling in Menominee, Mich., and even
Peter Pressman from New York. (We're hoping to hear a few
"oldies but goodies" from past Varsity shows at the reunion. No
pressure, Peter). Sam Astrachan may join the crowd from
Gordes, France. By the way, if Bill Kronick comes in from
Los Angeles, he might consent, with some pleading, to enthrall us
with some Gilbert & Sullivan ditties.
As many of
you Northern Californians are aware, there will be a special alumni
event in San Francisco just before the millennium. This
get-together will be in conjunction with the men's basketball
team's appearance in the Stanford tournament. The '55ers who are on
the "must invite" list are Bob Teichman from Mill Valley,
Napa's own Bill Mink, Marty Molloy in Palo Alto, the
San Francisco group consisting of Tom Morton, Marty
Salan, Ron Cowan and Jack Stuppin, Berkeley's
Harry Scheiber, Stan Lubman, Marvin Greenberg
and George Kaplan, Bill Cohen in Los Altos, and
Alan Pasternak, who we know will be at the 45th. Guys, it
should be a pretty neat affair.
The "new and
improved" Class Survey must have hit the proverbial "hot button."
Responses have continued to come in, even past the deadline. For
those who have put the survey in a closet out of harm's way, send
it in. No one will know your answers. One thing Columbia recently
has been doing more than ever before is bringing the College to its
alumni. The National Council is involved with events throughout
Florida in February and Kansas City and St. Louis during March.
Special lectures and appearances by the dean, administrators and
faculty will bring everyone up to date on what's happening on 116th
Street and Broadway. For those classmates in our nation's capital,
don't forget Dean's Day on April 15. (There will be one in New York
as well.) Take note Sheldon Bloom, Roland Brown,
Ronald Dubner, Lew Mendelson (if you're not in some
far-off land), Jack Swanson, Stan Zinberg, Wally
Previ, Les Trachtman and the rest of the crew living in
or near the D. C. area.
We've heard
from Marty Dubner, who is still practicing OB/GYN in
Suffern, N.Y. (and is looking forward to the 45th). Jeff
Broido happily reports on his fourth retirement year. He is
running, playing golf, traveling and stays busy as President of the
Columbia University Alumni Club of San Diego. Jeff is managing a
reunion of the Navy guys he served with in the
Philippines.
Ezra
Levin notes that Jesse "Buddy" Roth received an honorary
doctorate from Yeshiva University several months ago. Did you know
that Jesse was a member of the first graduating class of Yeshiva's
Albert Einstein School of Medicine? Joe Vales, still living
just outside of Pittsburgh in Sewickley, Pa., says his golf game
has improved so much that he's ready for the PGA Tour. Hmmm. Maybe
Willy Storz in Hamden, Conn., could test his running skills
in the tryouts for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Flashbacks:
The Dean's Drag with Lester Lanin; the "Ugly Man" contest
orchestrated by Mel Odze, Harold Kundel, and Henry
Nachamie; the Soph/Frosh Rush on grassless South
Field.
Gentlemen of
the Class of Destiny, keep your sunny side up. Avoid the evil
spirits or the Blair Witch will get you. It's about six months to
reunion. If you haven't committed yet, please do so. We'd love to
see you. Love to all. Everywhere!!!
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