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CLASS NOTES
Michael Hausig For those who saw Sarah Hughes win the gold medal in
women’s figure skating in the recent Winter Olympics and
thought her coach looked familiar, you are right. It was Robin
Wagner, wife of Jerry Grossman. Dave Blicker finished his Peace Corps experience in
Kenya. Dave writes that he learned a great deal about himself and
about others and their culture, their ordinary lives and their
humanity. He has persevered/endured the enormous frustrations that
beset volunteers adjusting to a society and a way of life so
different from our own. Sadly, I learned of the untimely death of our classmate Jim Dana, a practicing
physician of physical rehabilitative medicine, on December 28,
2001. Jim attended the Hill School on a DuPont Scholarship and the
College on an academic scholarship. While in prep school, he won
the American Legion Oratorical Championship of Pennsylvania, and
while at Columbia he won the trophy in original oratory in the
Irish Feis, a cultural festival of the arts held at Fordham. Jim
ran track and rowed lightweight crew. He attended New York Medical
College, and after becoming a physician, served as a commander in
the U.S. Health Service. Later, Jim was appointed the deputy
coroner and narcotics examiner of Suffolk County. After teaching
scores of physical therapists at Touro College, an academic chair
was endowed in his name. He also served as a distinguished forensic
specialist in legal trials. Jim is survived by his wife, Alice;
son, James; daughter, Ali Nicole; daughter, Melissa, and brother,
Thomas ’58. James and Ali Nicole are both physicians.
Ed Pressman Thanks go to our classmates who have been involved in planning
our 40th reunion for May 30–June 2: Paul Alter,
Salim Dallal, Burt Lehman, Stan Lupkin, Ed
Pressman, Loren Ross, Jerry Speyer, Leo
Swergold, David Tucker, Tom Vasell, Stan
Waldbaum and Peter Yatrakis. Paul and Jerry graciously have volunteered to open their homes
for cocktail receptions. Paul will host his at 6 p.m. on Thursday,
May 30, before the night of theater, and Jerry’s will take
place on Friday, May 31, at 6 p.m., before classmates head out to
dinner or a night on the town. Register now for your class dinner
on Saturday evening, which will be held in one of the most
remarkable rooms on campus: Starr East Asian Library, Kent
Hall. For more information, review your Reunion Weekend program or
visit https://www.college.columbia.edu/alumni/reunion
to view the schedule of events and register online.
Sidney P. Kadish As springtime approaches and I have no direct news from
classmates, I thought that a review of our accomplishments as a
class regarding the 2000–01 Columbia College Fund would be
appropriate. Overview: The fund raised $66 million with a 25 percent
participation of all graduates between the classes of 1925 and
2000. Percentage participation: Of the 75 classes, we are ranked No.
26 with a 34.41 percent class participation. Number of donors: At 170 donors, only 10 classes did
better. John Jay donors: We had 36 John Jays. We tied with two other
classes and exceeded 68 other classes. Total giving: $493,740. Only six classes surpassed us, a few of
which had million-dollar-plus bequests. Summary: We have done well as a class of 60-plus-year-old guys.
Let’s keep up the enthusiasm and the support for old alma
mater. I now have everyone’s e-mail address, and you have mine.
Don’t hesitate to send me your latest news, accomplishments
and thoughts.
Norman Olch As of this writing, it has been six months since the attack on
the World Trade Center. The uneasy calm that settled on the city is
broken by occasional news reports that more bodies have been found.
There are some good signs, however. The air in lower Manhattan
seems cleaner, businesses in the area immediately around the WTC
site are returning and local merchants report that business is up.
In yet another sign of the return to normalcy, The New York Times
reported in March that the internecine battle in the Columbia
English department continues. Steve Henick e-mailed from Annecy, France (about 24 miles
from Geneva), where he lives with his wife of 37 years, Bette. They
have four grown children, including Jonathan ’92. After
graduating from Columbia, Steve spent five years in the Marine
Corps and two years at Harvard before starting a career in
international business. He now manages the international branch of
a privately held American fishing tackle company. If you are
traveling near Geneva, he can be reached at 33 (0)4 50 96 77 27.
“English-speaking visitors always are welcome,” he
says. In a previous column, I wrote that Allen Goldberg,
professor of pediatrics at Loyola University in Chicago, has taken
a year off to “give back” for his life’s
blessings and is working with his mentor, former Surgeon General E.
Everett Koop, to return the medical profession to its humanitarian
traditions. In an update, Allen writes that in November, he and
Koop held a town meeting at the College of Physicians in
Philadelphia that was attended by more than 180 participants from
around the world. He welcomes inquiries at www.chestnet.org. Finally, Steve Singer, one of the nation’s foremost
college admissions advisers, gave a talk on the subject at the 92
Street Y in Manhattan. If I have not heard from you in the past five years, now is the
time to write or e-mail.
Leonard B. Pack Steve Biro recently finished serving as the on-scene
officer in charge, New York Naval Militia, for the World Trade
Center disaster recovery effort with the 42nd Division of the New
York National Guard. Steve reports that Navy Seabees, cargo
handlers, other sailors and Marines safeguarded bridges, railroad
stations, tunnels, the NYC Emergency Operations Center,
Governor’s Island, the disaster zone and a supply pier. They
also ran and organized the supply pier, which processed hundreds of
tons of emergency supplies, and provided military liaison to New
York City and State. The New York Naval Militia offered legal and
medical assistance during the mission. It also took
Governor’s Island out of mothballs while it served as housing
for the military. “While the disaster was most tragic, it was
truly a great honor to have the opportunity to be of assistance and
to work with a truly outstanding, dedicated and brave group of men
and women,” notes Steve.
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