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CLASS NOTES
George Koplinka Thanks to everyone who sent me a biography and photograph to be included in the Class of 1951 50th Anniversary Reunion Yearbook and Directory. Those attending the reunion weekend will receive a copy at the sign-in desk. All others will get one through the mail. Meanwhile, here are some excerpts from the biographical information that I received: Robert Allgaier: "The most important eight years of my life began with four years in the Merchant Marine, where my views on many aspects of life were vastly enlarged and altered. From Columbia College came a more formal education in science, music, art, literature and history, which enriched and greatly influenced the course of my life over the next 50 years." Joe Ambrose: "I have satisfied my desire to travel with trips to New Zealand and Australia in 1996 (with my wife, Dorothy), Kenya and Tanzania in 1997, and have planned a trip to Antarctica this November." Barry Barrington: "All our clan, including eight grandchildren, come to our island summer home for their vacations, which is about a mile as the crow flies from our year-round home in East Orleans, but is 25 minutes by boat or SUV down the Nauset dunes and over a small bridge." Ernest Bergel: "I am profoundly grateful to Columbia for the education I received. I believe it was the best available anywhere at that time. The curriculum was inspired." Walter Berhahn, after receiving his commission in the United States Navy, spent three years attacking the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, the Navy's training site that has been a focus of recent protests. Bill Billingham retired from the practice of general dentistry in 1995, but still lives in the home part of his home-office in Syracuse. He enjoys singing with a barbershop quartet, and has also done short-term mission trips providing dental care to the needy in Central America. Richard Bowe completed a tour of duty in Korea with the Marine Corps, then earned an MBA from Cornell before joining IBM. He subsequently had a career in consulting. Dick Boyle also joined the Navy after Columbia, and spent three years as an operations officer in the North Atlantic. He is now retired after a medical career in Pennsylvania, and has time to travel and visit five children and 12 grandchildren scattered throughout the country. Phil Brooks fell in love with a student nurse in medical school; he and Jane married, and have four children and seven grandchildren. Joe Brouillard had a career in marketing, and now lives in Vermont. Skiing is an important part of his retired life. Carroll Brown earned a master's degree, and a Navy commission in 1953. He retired from the State Department in 1988 to become president of the American Council on Germany in New York, a position that provided a ringside seat on the collapse of the Berlin Wall and Communism. Joe Buda attended Cornell University Medical College, did an internship at the Presbyterian Hospital, and spent three years in the Air Force as a flight surgeon. He has remained a teacher and vascular surgeon at Presbyterian. Al Byra said, "I have many fond memories of my four years at Columbia, probably the most arduous, yet most stimulating and rewarding of my life. They are surpassed only by those of a happy marriage of 37 years to a wondrous lady from which came a beautiful daughter (who now trains horses for a living) and is my main concern." Warren Campbell attended the famous Army-Columbia football game in 1947, which Columbia won 21-20! "I also saw the Holy Cross-Columbia basketball game in 1948 when Columbia unexpectedly beat one of the top teams of the time." Maybe these victories provided the inspiration for his long and successful career in the computer industry. Michael Colne reminisced about his years as a member of the varsity fencing team, the time when Columbia became a national power in this sport. He is now living in England with his wife, Miki. After graduation and some training in the United States Army, David Crosson wound up as a special agent in Germany. Later on, he became the executive vice president of a large retail sales and service rug and carpet organization, and retired in 1994. Sherwin Day has finally settled down to a retirement career composing music and teaching piano. Frank Durkan had two famous uncles, William and Paul O'Dwyer. He is still a partner with a law firm that bears their name. Otto Dykstra was elected a fellow of the American Statistical Association in 1980 and ordained a deacon in the Southern Baptist Church the same year. John Easter spent some time in the Marine Corps, made a living in the air-conditioning industry, has been married 49 years and spends a lot of time fishing. Charles Emich retired from the United States Navy and joined a group of orthopedic surgeons in the metropolitan D.C. area, where he continues to practice. Gerald Evans lives in Cooperstown, N.Y. and is now retired from a practice in ophthalmology. Sam Fortunato spent time as the insurance commissioner in the State of New Jersey, and reported that he salvaged a two-foot section of the goal post through which Ventan Yablonski kicked the winning extra point in the "glorious game against Army." Unfortunately during the course of a number of moves, it disappeared. He suspects the CIA. Glenn Friedman joined a group pediatric practice in Scottsdale, Ariz., after a couple of years in the Air Force. He is currently involved in the non-profit H.E.L.P. Foundation. Al Gomez is now retired from his obstetrics and gynecology practice in Yonkers, N.Y., does some traveling and plays what he calls "golf." Richard Griffin went to MIT after a short Navy career, and got his Ph.D. in chemistry. John Handley, now retired, enjoys introducing high school applicants to the value of a Columbia education. Columbia needs more people like John! More than 40 museums (on both sides of the Atlantic) now collect Don Holden's paintings, drawings and sculpture. Bob Kaemmerlen went on to the School of Architecture and specialized in the design of hospitals and medical facilities. Nathan Kase has been at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York since his graduation from Yale University Medical School. Fred Kinsey, an anthropology Ph.D., had a 27-year career with Franklin and Marshall College. However, his daughter, Amy, is his proudest accomplishment. Roland Kuniholm has spent the major portion of his life since graduating from Columbia as a marketing/fund-raising consultant for non-profit organizations. Jay Lefer continued the tradition of editors of the Jester by living the good life in Switzerland, some clinical training at the Radcliff Infirmary, service in the Korean War, a residency at Yale Medical School and a career teaching students the interface of psychiatry and medicine. George Leach is enjoying retirement on the banks of the Intercoastal Waterway within shouting distance of historic Beaufort, N.C. Admiral Jim Lowe, rescued from submarines and nuclear reactors, is now retired in Albuquerque, N.M., enjoying the "Land of Enchantment" with his lovely wife, Suzette. Mike Mangino worked on the Apollo lunar module and attributed his scientific career to technical training received at Columbia. Alton Martin devoted his post-Morningside Heights days to Aetna Life and Casuality. Jim "Tex" McNallen is still wondering how an Irish Catholic from rural west Texas could find Columbia life in New York so invigorating. Must have been the West End Bar and Grill and Ekim's! Would you believe Warren Nadel combined a career in dentistry with song writing and appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand show five times? Bob Osnos only recently learned he missed the Holocaust by the skin of his teeth. Al Petrick, professor emeritus, Colorado School of Mines, is ready to pitch a tent on Navajo Lake and raft the Colorado River. Ernest Petrulio misses his pediatric patients but volunteers with a seven-county coalition devoted to improving the immunization levels of children. To quote Tom Powers, "Our world would seem faceless and spiritless were it not for line and color, music and competitive athletics." Tom, an all-star in basketball, an Air Force veteran and successful business executive, has taken a special pride in Columbia and provided your editor with wonderful memorabilia for the reunion yearbook. George Prozan, after medical school, Army duty and research in hypertension, settled outside San Francisco in private practice, but found time to be the vice president of the Columbia Alumni Club of Northern California. Mervin Ross, recently retired from the practice of law, still remembers Professor Nagel, his philosophy teacher, as a modern day Socrates. How many careers has Frank Raimondo had? Teacher, coach, principal, curriculum director, school superintendent and finally executive v.p. of one of the 200 largest construction firms in the country. Don Rapson went on to Columbia Law, had a long career in private practice and retired as the assistant general counsel of the CIT Group. Stan Schachter, often called by your class notes editor as his legal CIA in action, continues to have a great sense of humor and a wondrous love of family and grandchildren. Peter Schiff, a Harvard Law graduate, called his military experience "forgettable," but enjoyed his government employment with the Justice Department, the Federal Power Commission and as counsel to the New York Public Service Commission. John Schleef reviews his life as a series of "revolutions." To name a few: the industrial, the air travel, the sexual and the computer. If that wasn't enough, four major wars and he is still here! Arnold Schwartz recalls lugging around a 60-pound Burroughs adding machine while he canvassed New York office buildings looking for sales. He saved enough money to celebrate his 50th wedding anniversary to Phyllis! Bob Silver had six years as a Navy pilot, earned a Harvard law degree, became interested in social services and got a Ph.D. in medical sociology. How many of us remember the piano playing of Henry Simonds? He could have made a career in music but chose the education world and became a school headmaster as well as a radar observer on F-94 jet interceptors. Who can forget that strong, craggy face, full of character and often seen on television, screen and stage? It belongs to Joe Sirola, often called the "King of Voice-Overs." And always with a rose! Class President Robert Snyder completed Columbia Law School and took the path of Federal service in labor law. No longer sitting on the bench, he now devotes his time to playing clarinet in the Lawyers Orchestra and is active in the College's alumni affairs. Don't challenge him to a game of croquet or you will lose your shirt! After completing his medical education at Syracuse and Harvard, Robert Spiro did research at the Joslin Diabetic Center and continues to be active there consulting and writing. Fred Stark, upon completion of his years with the Social Security Administration, said, "It gave me great satisfaction to have been involved in helping 40 million or so people to attain a good measure of economic security." Thanks Fred, from all of us who are getting our monthly check! Len Stoehr had a 20+-year retirement from the Navy, compliments of NROTC. He had several later careers in patent law, but now enjoys a lakefront home in Charlottesville, Va., with his family. Charles Streightiff is another NROTC veteran with interesting staff assignments all over the world. He lives in Imperial City, Calif., the most southwesterly city in the United States. As a young person Peter Suzuki experienced life in an internment camp for Americans of Japanese decent. Following his Columbia education he went on to a distinguished career in anthropology and expects to retire from the faculty of the University of Nebraska in June 2002. Frank Tillman got his Ph.D. from Columbia's philosophy department and taught at the College of Wooster, Vassar and in Hawaii before retiring. He is now writing full time and completing several books. Peter Vignoli is another Navy veteran who subsequently completed careers in quality assurance management in commercial and government oriented businesses. Alan Wagner did stand-up comedy on the Ed Sullivan Show. Later he nurtured such shows as M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore, The Waltons and Kojak, to name a few. He was the first CEO of the Disney Channel and now produces for HBO, networks and cable. Paul Wallace still practices law in Chappaqua, N.Y., and we all know who lives there! Warren Wanamaker lives contentedly with his wife, Katie, in the foothills of the Sierras in California, having lived well as a businessman, Naval Reserve Captain and opera singer. Harold White retired as a professor of biochemistry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He remembers Jaques Barzun, Moses Hadas and the sliding chalkboard of Havemeyer Hall with varying degrees of fondness. Mickey Winick, an M.D. with substantial credentials, focused his career on the problem of malnutrition and its effect on brain growth. He is the author of several books on the subject. Finally, we come to the end of this journalistic endeavor with a word about Dave Zinman. His School of Journalism education led to a 27-year career with Newsday as its medical writer. Dave recently authored a book The Day Huey Long Was Shot.
Robert Kandel Joe Di Palma received a special commendation from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for the success of the television program The Di Palma Forum at UNLV. Dr. Carol C. Harter, president of UNLV, cited the program for the excellent ratings it attains and the "superior selection of topics and the many celebrities appearing on the show as panelists." Joe also provides support for the Nightly Business Report on PBS in New York and Las Vegas. Larry Grossman and Newton Minow (former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission) co-authored a recent Op-Ed piece in The New York Times suggesting that the funds derived from the auction of broadcast frequencies be used to establish a Digital Opportunity Investment Trust that would provide assistance across a broad spectrum for the Internet and digital communications. There were two weddings to announce: In May, Arlene and Jim Hoebel's older son, Mike, got married, and in June, Eileen and Dick Pittenger's daughter, Susan, was wed. Congratulations to both families! No one else has sent in any material, so I assume you are all conserving your energy for our approaching 50th reunion. Mark your calendar now: the reunion will start on Thursday, May 30 and run to Sunday, June 2, 2002. The program will feature a wide variety of events and activities designed for diverse interests. Obviously, some of us may not wish to make it a four-day affair. Others may feel that if they are going to make the effort (and the trip), they might as well make the most of it and take in a Broadway show (or something of that nature). So when you get your schedule you can decide how much (or how little) you want to do. As the date gets closer, you will receive more detailed information upon which to base your decision. But please make one important decision — decide to be there!
Lew Robins Bob Prendergast, our former captain of the 1953 heavyweight crew, has become emeritus professor of ophthalmology and pathology at Johns Hopkins. Bob writes that he has moved from Baltimore to Woods Hole, Mass. where he works at the Marine Biology Laboratory. He still "commutes" to Hopkins for ongoing studies. Ralph DePalma is currently the national director of surgery for the Department of Veteran Affairs in its central office in Washington, D.C. Ralph's had a fascinating career. He left Columbia in 1952 to go to NYU Medical School. He trained in surgery in New York and then went to Seville, Spain with the U.S. Air Force as a flight surgeon. Ralph and his wife, Eve, lived in Cleveland for almost 20 years where he became professor of surgery and specialized in vascular surgery and did research. His laboratory was among the first to show that arterial plaques could be made to stabilize or regress in response to lowered cholesterol. In 1979, he went to the University of Nevada and later to Washington, D.C. Currently, Ralph is working on research which may be especially interesting to his "aging" classmates. He is working on a project called "Beyond Cholesterol" which is looking at the inflammatory component of atherosclerosis with regard to iron metabolism. Ralph and Eve have four children. Keep up the great work! Gordon Henderson is looking forward to attending our 50th reunion in 2003. It turns out that he and Mary Ann were married the day after graduation, and although they have great affection for the College and have supported it financially, they have never attended a reunion. Welcome home, Gordon. Everyone is looking forward to seeing you both at a great 50th reunion celebration. Rolon Reed, in his inimitable style, writes, "Have you hit 70 yet? Most of our classmates soon will. You might consider a column just on that — comments on the milestone. For starters, my position is that I am too young to be 70, so I handle it the best I can by buying older whiskey and ogling younger women. I find this form of therapy helps a lot. Would be glad to receive similarly constructive suggestions from my peers." Keep going, Rolon! We're all looking forward to hearing your comments when you turn 80!
Howard Falberg Members of The Bicentennial Class of Destiny are working hard, retiring, traveling, and sadly, passing on. Bob Falise has been serving as chairman of The Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust since 1991. The Trust had been created to compensate employees of The Johns-Manville Corporation who had been exposed to asbestos that resulted in illnesses. As of this past March, the Trust had paid more than $2.5 billion to more than 350,000 beneficiaries. Perhaps we can persuade Bob to tell us more at our 50th reunion. I was happy to hear from Jim King, who, as you may recall, was captain and pitcher for Columbia's baseball team. Although retired for 11 years from Verizon, Jim has been kept very busy with tennis, boating and volunteer work. Jim and Pat live in Garden City, N.Y., and spend their winters in Sanibel Island, Fla. Those in our Class who were members of Columbia's baseball team should expect to hear from Jim in the near future so that we can all get updates. Ed Cowan is making real progress in his quest to visit all major league baseball parks. I'm trying to convince him (and anyone else from our class) to include Qualcomm Stadium here in San Diego. BTW, Ed and Ann Louise's daughter Rachel is now the CCT Class Correspondent for the Class of '90. Phil Bonnano, having retired a few years ago from the construction company in Boston that he managed for over 30 years, is now spending, with his wife, Maureen, summers at their home on Cape Cod and winters in Naples, Fla. Phil reports that he and his wife are in good health as are their five children and they can pursue their love of travel. They just returned from an around the world trip run by National Geographic. Burton Cooper retired in 1998 as a professor of philosophy/theology at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary to an old farmhouse in the Vermont hills (South Corinth) "fulfilling a childhood wish." We wish you many happy years and moderate snowfalls. Peter Ehrenhaft continues to practice law in Washington, D.C., concentrating on international trade and transnational transactions. He is also actively involved in trade negotiations in the World Trade Organization. Peter writes, "Someone has to be willing to stand up to those guys in the turtle costumes shattering store windows in the name of environmental protection." Jim Burger and his wife, Connie, bought a condo on Marco Island, Fla., and are planning to spend their winters there while maintaining their home in Cincinnati. They are also planning to take a Smithsonian Tour to China in September. Sometimes someone passes away whom we remember from college days with great respect and admiration, although our paths did not cross since then. Such a person for me was John Casella. John and I served on the Student Board together. John, as you may recall, was one of the "Iron Men" of Columbia's football team, playing 16 of 18 60-minute games on all the offensive, defensive and special teams. He made the All-Ivy, All-East, All-Scholastic and All-Italian/American football teams. John came to Columbia after his military service and I was always grateful for his sage counsel and maturity. In later life he was active in teaching youngsters with emotional and learning disabilities as well as teaching social studies. He retired from teaching in 1992 and wrote weekly columns for his local newspaper (Athol, Mass.) and published two books. He traveled extensively. His wife, Ginny, wrote, "John lost an intense but short fight with cancer on the 4th of April when he died peacefully in his sleep." Ginny can be reached by e-mail at GinJoni@GLS.Net. As we approach our 50th reunion, I hope that each of us will remember the contributions that Columbia College made to our lives... educationally, emotionally and otherwise. Please remember to support the Columbia College Fund. Now, be well, enjoy life, family and friends — and let us hear from you.
Gerald Sherwin Class Day and Commencement 2001 are recent memories. In fact, this past May was the next to last Commencement to be presided over by outgoing President George Rupp. Over the summer the campus becomes somewhat quieter and less bustling, with fewer students around. There is even room on Low Library steps to bathe in the sunlight and let your mind wander about Columbia past — even about Deans Harry Carman, Lawrence Chamberlain and Nicholas McKnight. However, don't be deceived by the tranquility. Columbia is the campus that never sleeps. Preparations have been moving forward for orientation of the Class of 2005 (and you, my fellow classmates, know what that year represents — the big 5-oh, guys.) Admissions has been gearing up for the onslaught of applications for the Class of 2006. There are many construction projects moving forward. In Hamilton Hall, there's been work going on involving new classrooms, a refurbished lobby and new office space for Dean Austin Quigley, administrators and admissions. Other areas being renovated are in Avery, Chandler and Low, while in Lerner, space for the Black Box Theatre, WKCR and more meeting rooms is being finalized. Of course, there's the new crew facility and tennis center at Baker Field. Also underway is the faculty residence/K-8 school at 110th Street and Broadway. And best of all, there are the lovely weddings held at St. Paul's Chapel practically every weekend (and sometimes during the week as well). There are few constants in the world. One is news from one of the most active classes in Columbia College history. Our classmates do a lot, are involved, and have a good time. Since Steve Viederman retired, he has been doing more than ever. Living in Manhattan, he has been writing and giving talks on topics like socially responsible investment. Steve is a member of several non-profit boards and has begun a photo project that might end up as a book. Whew! Bob Loring of Staten Island has retired, finally. He and his wife have planned several trips as they begin the next steps in their life. The venerable Ezra Levin has become president of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. The JCRC is the umbrella for over 60 member organizations. Our own Richard Ravitch is a former president of the JCRC. Dick Kuhn, living in Princeton and practicing law in Staten Island, reminded us of the famous vocal group, the Vagabonds featuring Dick, Tony Palladino (our left-handed Mark McGuire), Nick Tavuchis (teaching at the University of Manitoba) and the late Jack Orcutt. Call Dick for a copy of their album. Harold Kushner, our man in Natick, has two major publications coming out shortly. One, a collaborative effort with several colleagues, is a new commentary on the Torah for synagogue use. The other is a book, Living a Life that Matters. Its theme is that people are not so much afraid of dying as of never having lived. Arthur Liberman, who we ran into at the Alumni Association's annual luncheon, is now working "of counsel" at a firm in New Jersey in the field of intellectual property law. Arthur enjoys the easy commute from Highlands, N.J. Not only was Stu Kaback's back surgery a big success, he also was the recipient of the coveted International Patent Information Award 2001. Stu was recognized for 40 years of dedicated service and achievement in his field. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new boathouse at Baker Field, representing the class crew team was Bob Hanson. Harry Scheiber, Terry Doremus and Bob Banz couldn't make it. Fellows, Bob did us proud. The John Jay Awards Dinner was held for the first time at the Plaza Hotel back in March. Among the overflow crowd was Joe Vales, who flew up from Pittsburgh, Roland Plottel and Don Laufer, coming over from Manhattan's fashionable Upper East Side, and Allen Hyman, who has moved from Northern New Jersey to Manhattan. One of the best-attended Dean's Days in history featured a huge turnout from our class, with the usual and unusual suspects. From New Jersey came Bob Pearlman, Marv Winell, Howard Lieberman, and for the first time in a long while, Elliot Gross, among others. Herb Finkelstein, living in Ossining, made it along with Long Islanders Larry Balfus, Jay Joseph and Julius Brown. Taking the No. 1 train to campus were Donn Coffee, Paul Frank, Don Kresge, Nick Moore and Anthony Viscusi. Alfred Gollomp had a little farther to come, all the way from Brooklyn. We thought we saw Bob Kushner from Westchester, and Jack Stuppin, living and painting in the San Francisco area. Jim Berick was on campus from Cleveland for a Board of Visitors meeting and caught up with his many good friends before heading back to the Midwest. Al Momjian of Philadelphia was listed in The Best Lawyers in America, 2001/2002 in the field of Family Law. The publication is regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence in the U.S. Charlie Sergis sent us some kind words of wisdom from Los Angeles. He can't wait for the men's basketball team to play UCLA in late December. As part of the trip to a tournament in Hawaii, the team will also play in San Diego. We know Jeff Broido, president of the San Diego Columbia Club, will be there cheering the guys on. News about Al Ginepra's grand-daughter has reached us. Al is confident she'll go to the College. In a recent New York newspaper article, George Segal discussed life in Hollywood and said the secret is that he "keeps coming back to the table." He just steps up. George feels like he is always just starting even though he's been around awhile. George, we need to talk. One minor correction to report. In the movie New York in the '50s, involving Dan Wakefield, we reported that there were no classmates in the film. Not true — if you look closely, you will see Sam Astrachan. (Thanks to Isaac-David Astrachan '90.) On a sad note: Our dear classmate Bob Friedheim passed away earlier this year in Playa Del Rey, Calif. Bob will be missed. Gentlemen. As we near our 50th reunion, I implore you to take care of yourselves; eat your vegetables; take long (or short ) walks; keep out of drafts; and most of all — enjoy yourself. You guys continue to be the best. Love to all!!! Everywhere!!!
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