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CLASS NOTES
Alan N. Miller Dear gentlemen of my favorite class, their companions, and any others not accounted for: Our 45th reunion (a shocking number) is coming up, and before we know it we'll be working toward the half-century mark (even more astounding). I expect to have a great time with friends and committee members I see often as well as those I only see at reunion. We expect a great turnout, but I wonder, now that we are all 65+/- and have our Medicare cards, possibly Social Security and the other perks associated with this number, even though we look and certainly feel much younger, why everyone doesn't come to reunion? We show photos of children and grandchildren with great pride, tell war stories, relive old memories and just have a ball. This reunion I am going to lead the singing of Columbia songs around a piano; I was second bass Columbia Glee Club, and after the lubrication of several drinks, we should all sound marvelous to each other. What the better halves think, and usually vocalize without restraint, is difficult to say, but some lubrication should help them also. We are planning to send a reunion book to every member of the class; class dues of $45, which some of you sent (late payers will not be turned down) will defray the costs. Hopefully, this will get all of you ready for the 50th and do keep in touch with me. One non-reunion note received from our friend and Salt Lake City desperado, Max Eliason, concerns our classmate, Ranch Kimball. Ranch has spent the last four years as director of construction for the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee. Among other projects are a bobsled and luge run, ski jumps, cross-country skiing course and speedskating ovals. Maybe classmates will get some special invites, but even if not, it sounds good to me. In any event I wish you all health, happiness, some wealth, great grandchildren and whatever else you and yours desire. Hope to see many of you at reunion. Keep in touch and love to all. (212) 712-2369, fax (212) 875-0955, email OLDOCAL@aol.com (I look at this occasionally.)
Herman Levy On January 6, the East Midwood Jewish Center honored Daniel Kass '94 on his marriage to Deborah Anne Gillman. Danny's father is Alvin Kass, senior rabbi of the Center. Ed Weinstein and his wife, Sandra, were guests of the Kass family and report that it was a warm, inspiring ceremony and that Alvin described it as the pinnacle of his career. The wedding took place January 14 at the Center. Our congratulations go out to Miryom and Alvin on this special occasion. Dick Kleefield reports that he recently retired from his orthodontic practice (Westwalk Orthodontic Group), which he founded in 1979. He is teaching graduate orthodontic students half time at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Conn. After having resided in Westport for 30 years, he and Mickey, his wife of 40 years, recently moved one inch across the town line to a new home in Norwalk, where they have been very happy. They now have three grandchildren with daughter, Jane, and her husband, Jeff Dyment, who live in Westport a mile away. His son, Jim, is a news anchor at WFAS in Hartsdale, N.Y. Dick has taken up golf again, is still flying as a commercial pilot, and generally is having a great time. He also works as a retirement consultant with New Directions in Wilton, Conn.; if any of you are at loggerheads as to how to plan a fun and productive retirement, you may call him at (203) 834-7700. He just might be able to help you figure out what you're going to do with your new-found free time. He hopes to see everyone at the 2002 (45th) reunion. John Norton became full-time chief of urology at Alameda County (Calif.) Medical Center in April. He had been associated with West Oakland Health Council, a community-based primary-care clinic in Oakland; he served as a consulting urologist, president of the physician group, member of the board of directors, and as assistant director for health services. Previously he practiced urology in Oakland and Berkeley (1969-90); he has been an assistant clinical professor of urology at UC-San Francisco. John also serves as secretary-treasurer, Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association; trustee, California Medical Association; and member, board of directors, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science, Los Angeles. He occasionally attends alumni events in Northern California and has done admissions interviews. Classmates whom he has seen include Richard (Dick) Cohen, Felix Conte and William (Billy) Schwartzman (formerly a child psychiatrist at his clinic); he has spoken to William (Billy) Friedman in Los Angeles. John plans to attend our 2002 (45th) class reunion. He has three children: Angela, Wellesley '88, a teacher married with two children (Kendall and John Calvin Tyler); Meredith, '92, presently working toward an aeronautical engineering degree; and Douglas, Morehouse '95, UC Davis Law '98, a recently-married Sacramento-based employment and labor attorney. Ed Weinstein reports on the first meeting of our reunion committee. Joining Ed were Alvin Kass (chairman), Dave Kinne, Steve Fybish, Marty Fisher, Phil Olick and Carlos Muñoz. The committee discussed event planning, a common hotel site for those from out of town, marketing the reunion and programming the event. They concluded that we will have mostly '57-only events and begin a newsletter. Carlos volunteered to do the newsletter; it will publicize our activity, probably by e-mail as we gather addresses, as well as to those who have committed to attend (about 25 at this early date). The next meeting will be sometime in April; there will be a conference call hook-up for those who would like to participate but are unable to be physically present. The committee welcomes any of our class who would like to serve, as well as any comments or suggestions. The committee also plans to have some small social gatherings in NYC over the course of the next 16 months to increase class connections. Our class now has a Web page, accessible at: www.college.columbia.edu/alumni. Among other things, the page has a list of classmates committed to or considering attending our 2002 (45th) reunion. We would like e-mail addresses; please e-mail them to Ed Weinstein at EAW1958@aol.com. Editor's note: In a note about Paul Zola that appeared last issue, the word autodydactism was garbled, for which we apologize.
Barry Dickman Securities analyst Dave Londoner has moved, lock, stock and Disney expertise, from Wertheim Schroeder & Co., to ABN Amro, where he heads their media group. Poet John Giornno was in the news again recently, but in the real estate section of The New York Times, rather than the arts pages. A couple of years ago, John succeeded in obtaining landmark status for his loft building at 222 Broadway, which was built in 1885 as a YMCA and has been home to artists Fernand Lèger and Mark Rothko and writer William S. Burroughs, among others. The article traced the building's history and said John's apartment recalled "the picturesque artists' studios of the late 19th century." John is the secretary-treasurer of the building's co-op board and unofficial curator of its history. It's not clear whether he takes down the minutes of board meetings in verse. We are sorry to report the death of Ed Agnello on January 25. After graduating from the College, Ed received his law degree from Fordham. He lived in Little Falls, N.J., but practiced law in nearby Passaic, his hometown, where he was also a community activist, organizing the Second Ward Educational and Charitable Foundation, which provides scholarships to graduates of Ed's grade school, and three Second Ward reunions, which were attended by hundreds of former Passaic residents from around the world. Ed is survived by his wife, Virginia, his son, Glenn, and two grandchildren. Here's our reminder about the class lunch Scott Shukat hosts on the second Tuesday of every month in the Grill Room of the Princeton/Columbia Club, 15 West 43rd Street. ($31 per person.) You can let Scott know if you plan to attend up to the day before, by phone at (212) 582-7614; by fax at (212) 315-3752; or by e-mail at scott@shukat.com. Your reporter can now confirm, based on personal experience, that the lunches are nice, low-key get-togethers, and we hope more classmates will attend.
Ed Mendrzycki
J. David Farmer Going back to last May, we note that Rabbi Stephen C. Lerner had a splendid opportunity to deliver closing remarks at the University-wide commencement. The nice connection is that his daughter Rahel Adina '00 received her BA magna cum laude. Steve's son David '93, also a rabbi, serves in Highland Park, Ill. Steve provides your correspondent with some good updates. His doctor is Andy Milano, and he reports seeing Ernest Grunebaum at a recent community function. Avram Kraft was at a Sabbath dinner at his son's house, the first time Steve had seen him in 40 years. Paul Nagano sent along one of his regular newsletters, wishing us all Happy New Year of the Snake. Paul still travels quite a bit between Boston, Bali and Hawaii. He had an exhibition in Honolulu and notes a number of possible future venues. His studio in Boston is almost ready for re-entry after some serious renovation. Leonard Berkman describes a very busy sabbatical year from Smith College. Heinemann is publishing a piece called "Harry," which may have some Columbia references, in a collection Monologues by Men About Men. He is working on two plays, revising I'm Not the Star of My Own Life and drafting The Undoing. Look for work by him in Conducting a Life, Theatre in Crisis? and the next issue of Parnassus. He'll be guest dramaturg again at the University of Iowa Festival of New Plays and then on to San Jose Rep in June, both prior to returns to the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and the New York Stage and Film Co. for new play development. He was involved in the development of More Lies About Jerzy, which did not get good reviews (he thinks it is superb, however) and will soon be published. This is written after a fine lunch with Bob Berne, Bob Machleder, Larry Rubenstein and Richard Friedlander. The occasion was the first-Thursday monthly meeting of '60 classmates at the Columbia Club on W. 43rd Street, beginning at noon, no reservations required. Often more show up, but the quality of the conversation never depends on the quantity - it is always exceptional.
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