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CLASS NOTES
Kevin Fay As we approach our 20th reunion, letters from classmates are beginning to pour in. Thomas Kelliher is the principal of Kingswood Academy, a private Catholic school in Darien, Ill. In addition to being principal, Tom teaches two classes, works in the admissions office, and does light maintenance around the school. Tom finished his doctoral dissertation in American history at Notre Dame four years ago (so call him doctor, but don't see him about a pulled groin muscle). His e-mail address is TomKelli45@aol.com for classmates wanting to contact him. Congratulations to Jeffrey Gracer, who recently joined Torys, an international law firm, as a partner in its Environmental and Latin American practice groups based in NYC. Jeffrey is married to Ellen Archer, a publishing executive. They have two sons, ages 8 and 5, and reside on the Upper West Side. Further congrats to John Siegal, who has joined Proskauer Rose LLP as senior counsel. John is a business and intellectual property litigator, and also serves as counsel to the 2001 Mayoral campaign of Mark Green. John served as an assistant to former Mayor David N. Dinkins, so he has combined public service and private practice in his career. I hope you read the New York Times article on Christopher Radko (November 23), which featured his incredible 3,000-square-foot penthouse roof garden. Christopher has built an empire on molded glass Christmas ornaments, which has extended into other products such as Thanksgiving trinkets, Halloween candles, Celtic harp ornaments (for St. Patrick's Day), etc. I have been traveling (to Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom) on business, which is why I failed to produce notes for the last issue of CCT. Please accept my apology. I hope to see many of you at our reunion this spring. For those of you who have not been to campus since graduating, you will be pleasantly surprised. All the best.
Robert W. Passloff Andrew E. Mulberg has left clinical medicine to become director of drug development and clinical research, gastroenterology division at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. He and his wife, Elyse, reside in Cherry Hill, N.J. with their children, Nathaniel and Rebecca. Conrad Ramos and his wife, Nicole, report the birth of their son, Alexander, on March 10, 2000. Conrad is director of finance and operations for Allegiant Media Inc., an Internet publishing company.
Andrew Botti
Dennis Klainberg Congratulations and Mazel Tov to my dear friend Michael Ackerman on his wedding in Los Angeles. Michael is an attorney specializing in class action litigation, as well as music industry and entertainment matters. A former CU Marching Band drummer and active rock 'n' roller at frat parties, Michael combines his life-long passion for music with the law on behalf of many celebrities, including recording artists Mojo Nixon and Courtney Love. David Stafford, tennis player extraordinaire, writes, "After college, I went to Cornell Law School (Class of '87) and, after spending a few years in law firm practice, went in-house to The McGraw-Hill Companies in New York City, the educational, business and financial publisher that owns Business Week and Standard & Poor's, where I am now associate general counsel. I have fond and happy memories of my time at Columbia. " He lives in Scarsdale with his wife, Caryn Tager Stafford, Barnard '85, and three children, Daniel (7), Andrew (4) and Allison (born October 2000). David also reported that he works closely with classmate Jim Satloff, managing director of Standard & Poor's institutional market services. Jim is living in Manhattan with his wife, Emily, and two young sons. Steve Waldman was featured in The New York Times for his very special Web site on religion, www.beliefnet.com (inspired no doubt by CHER). Previous to this incarnation, Steven was the national editor of U.S. News & World Report, and before that the national correspondent for Newsweek, as well as the author of an acclaimed book titled The Bill, about the passage of the AmeriCorps law. And on the "change is good" front, Ronald E. Thompson III, my Carman Hall suitemate, writes: "We've had an addition to our family-a baby boy. Joshua Mitchell Thompson was born on March 1, 2000. We've been adjusting to the change in lifestyle, to say the least!" His friend and classmate, Matthew Cooper, he of little political faith (and former "SDS" politico), now with Newsweek, is also seen regularly on CNN and elsewhere on the tube. But as noted in a recent Times article, Matt aspires to do stand-up, and had the good fortune of sharing the stage with Jerry Seinfeld at a NYC comedy club. (Actually, Jerry unexpectedly showed up, but in the article, Matt got the last word.) Gary Ansel, raised on the fabled powdered biscuits of Lake Wobegon, has finally come to his senses and left his home state of Minnesota - which he describes as "the iceberg with which the Titanic collided" (everyone's a comedian in this column) - and moved his family to the warmer climes of Arizona. "I'm practicing law at Snell & Wilmer, which I enjoy very much. My practice focuses on commercial, antitrust, product liability and class action litigation. I have taken two cases involving First Amendment religion questions to the U.S. Supreme Court (and succeeded each time). I miss the gem of the ocean and each year find myself more grateful for having attended." He also (painfully) reminds (and taunts) us that he married Barnard '84 bombshell, Yvette Hellman, and he notes that she's "even more pretty now than she was in college. She gave up her law practice to be with our children - Nick, 10; Sam, 8; and Joe, 5." Speaking of children, one little correction. Yossi Rabin has seven children, not five, as erroneously reported last year, meaning he is probably the class leader. Having done our part, my wife and I are calling it quits at four. So, your move, Donahue! Last minute entry: Minutes before New Year's, Mark D. Siegel, M.D. e-mailed the following: "I'm living in Connecticut now with Heide Lang, Barnard '84, and our two daughters, Gabrielle (8) and Isabella (4). I'm director of the medical intensive care unit at Yale New Haven Hospital and an assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine." As now THREE Band alumni grace this column, we bid you civilians a hearty G(tb)2!
Kevin G. Kelly Rob Ripin is a partner in the New York office of the international law firm Lovells, where he practices U.S. securities and corporate law. Joseph S. DeGaetano is pleased to announce the formation of the law firm of DeGaetano and Mavrides, with offices in Lake Success, N.Y. The firm specializes in real estate and mortgage banking. I received a missive from Brooks Tomb, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife (a lovely Dartmouth grad) and his 17-month-old daughter. Brooks is an actor (he booked three nationals before the SAG strike hit - the Icehouse Beer "Rain Delay" commercial is still running on ESPN). Brooks also does set lighting and is currently working on "Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles." He writes that he keeps in touch with several Columbia alumni, including Ron Schwartz (M.D.), Alexander Spiro (attorney), Robert LaPalme (attorney), Peter Strunsky (comedian), John Adelman (entrepreneur) and Alexa Junge (former story editor/producer of Friends, Barnard '85). Thanks for writing, Brooks, and continued success! Glenn Alper, a fellow 11th floor John Jay Hall freshman year survivor, went to medical school at the University of Southern California and did his anesthesia residency at UCLA. He moved back to northern California, his home, in 1993 to begin practice at Alta Bates Medical Center in Berkeley. Glenn practices obstetric anesthesia and is now director of obstetric anesthesia, helping to deliver over 7,500 babies a year! Glenn married Lynne Staley Alper, his classmate at medical school, in 1989. They live in Orinda, Calif., with their children, Teddy (9), Evelyn (7), and Elliot (4 1/2 ) and their dog Rosie. The Alpers do not permit knuckle-cracking in their home. I encourage one and all to either mail or e-mail me updates, news, requests for information, etc. for inclusion in the CC '85 class notes. Happy Holidays to all and a great New Year!
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