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CLASS NOTES
Clyde A. Moneyhun Gordon Bock forwarded a picture of Hadarah Eleanor
Bock, taken a few days before her first birthday, warming up on
the sidelines as father Gordon was preparing to play a game for
the Northfield (Vt.) North Stars baseball team. Gordon is the starting
first baseman for the North Stars, “an expansion team in a
20-year-old league with the unfortunate moniker of the Northern
Vermont Old-Timers Baseball Association.” They play hardball
— not softball — with 90-foot baselines, 60 feet from
plate to mound, and pitchers such as former Boston Red Sox player
Bill Lee hurling 70- to 80-mph fastballs. Gordon also claims that
the big bat depicted in the background of the photo is the one he
uses. If you’re interested, maybe you can get a copy of the
photo from Gordon: ketchum@sover.net.
You can see a recent picture of Gordon (the guy in the back with
the flip-up sunglasses) and the team at www.neknetwork.com/ Donald Goldblatt says, “Everything in life that I need, I have. Twenty months ago, I became a daddy to the most precious little girl in the entire world.” He says that being a father to Peri (from the Hebrew word for fruit) is “simply the most enjoyable, rewarding, exciting feeling I have ever experienced. Had I known how much fun it is, I probably would have done this earlier.” If Peri chooses Columbia, she’ll be the fourth generation of Goldblatts to wander Morningside Heights, though Donald’s financial planner estimates that by then it will cost $75,000 a year. Donald still remembers when “roast beef heroes were $1.75 at Mama Joy’s.” John Lauer lives in Morgantown, Pa., and has just celebrated 25 years of marriage with his wife, Bonnie. They have six children: Mark (12), Colin (11), Luke (9), Eve (5), Maggie (5) and Mary (3). Maggie and Eve are “non-identical twins” one month apart, Maggie having been born into the Lauer house and Eve having been adopted in from China. It’s “one big happy family in a log home in the Pennsylvania woods.” John and Bonnie keep busy with their children’s many activities and their church, where John is president of the Congregational Council. John is an associate director of sales training after 25 years with Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, while Bonnie homeschools the children. I’m proud to report a bit of my own news: the addition of Gabriel James Moneyhun, born on July 17, joining brother Jesse (almost 8 years old), who just started second grade. Baby Gabe and mother Nancy Buffington, who helps direct the honors program at the University of Delaware, are doing fine. I’ve become the director of writing at UD, responsible for all writing courses taught in the English department as well as the University Writing Center. We’ve bought a house in our little college town and have finally, after years of the gypsy scholar life, put down some roots. Finally, I’ve been sent a list from the College of members
of the Class of 2006 who are sons or daughters of members of the
Class of 1976: Anissa Bazari (daughter of Hasan Bazari),
Danielle Bergman (daughter of Dale Bergman), Allison
and Jessica Cohen (daughters of Randolph Cohen),
Ansel Lurio (son of Joseph Lurio), Lawrence Mumm
(son of Lawrence Mumm) and Henry Sackler (son of
Michael Sackler).
David Gorman The promised reunion report follows. The good folks at the Alumni Office inform me that 41 classmates — along with two spouses — were registered for the event (held over the May 30–June 2 weekend), making the group too numerous to list, happily. Jon Lukomnik, who still lives in the neighborhood, reported that about 25 people showed up for the cocktail party he was generous enough to host. “The other highlight,” Jon reports, “was a chat attended by about 15 of us with Jim Shapiro (my ex-suitemate and English professor at Columbia). Shap told us about the current state of Columbia, the economic pressures on departments, college/university relations, and so forth. No holds barred and quite fascinating.” Charlie Knapp noted that still too many classmates missed this “perfect weekend.” He reminds us that the next reunion will be held in 2007 — only five years away! — and that fund raising, as well as participation, will be important during the run-up period. “I thought that our fund-raising slogan should be ‘Give Until You’re Blue,’ which is probably why I’m not in advertising.” (I dunno, kind of liked it.) “Hope to see more faces in 2007,” he concludes; he will certainly see mine. Echoing Lukomnik, Jim Mullen not only attended the reunion but enjoyed himself. His news: “I left Citibank and Wall Street after 13 years and am now a certified financial planner with Waddell & Reed in Morristown, N.J. I expect every classmate to eventually become a client — expect my call.” As if this were not enough, Jim has a daughter, Jessica, in the Class of 2006. “I was amazed at how complicated things are now for an entering student: cards, accounts, and so forth. I don’t think I even signed up for the meal plan as a freshman; then again, that was last century.” Not to be denied the full CC experience, she lives in Carman. Good luck, Jess. Michael Horn’s daughter, Gabriella, also is a first-year, so our class has two second-generation Columbians this year. More news next time. I would be happy to receive reports from any of the other 38 reunionists.
Matthew Nemerson Of the more than 60 children of Columbia parents in the Class of 2006, two hail from our cohorts: John Alvino, who attended the Hackley School in Yorktown, N.Y., is the son of Timothy J. Alvino, and Alan Kravitz, who graduated from Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., is the son of Philip Kravitz. Alan Jalon, whom I met the very first moments of our freshman experience and who has remained a friend, was recently in touch. “I applaud your tenacity as keeper of the record for the not very communicative Class of 1978. Are you desperate enough for material to run an update about yours truly, a Proustian chapter that could be titled ‘Columbian Past Regained,’ along with a Columbian future, or at least a year of one? I will be back on Morningside Heights for the 2002–03 academic year as a fellow with the National Arts Journalism Program. The NAJP is based at the J-School and is run in association with the School of the Arts. It is funded by the PEW Charitable Trusts. I’ve been writing a lot these past several years as a literary journalist, doing stuff on poets and other kinds of writers, mostly for the L.A. Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. I live in Los Angeles with my wife, Mary, and a very talkative white cat, Milquetoast.” Sounds like time for beer at the West End with an old friend. A fellow who spent some time in New Haven after the Heights, Amittai Aviram, commented, “Your gentle harangue in the July 2002 CCT has shamed me into dropping you an e-mail. I am (still) a tenured associate professor of English and comparative literature at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where I’ve been teaching things like poetics and, lately, Chaucer, since I received my English Ph.D. in from Yale 1984. But I’m changing careers. For the past two years, I’ve been teaching myself computer programming and hope to enter that field soon. Lucky me, I made this decision in perfect time for a major recession and bad job market. “Still, I managed to get a summer job at a software firm and [at press time] hope soon to be working part-time at another firm using a Linux platform and open-source technology, even while I still try to keep up my day job as professor. “I spent last year in Germany on a Fulbright at the University of Bamberg, which was totally fabelhaft.” Peter Honig gave us two updates for the price of one. “Since you now are actively complaining about the dearth of information on the Class of 1978, I have risen to the challenge and overcome inertia to report on two long-lost classmates. “John Ohman went on to Columbia Law and recently was elected equity partner at the firm of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner in New York City. John has been married for eons to his charming wife, Liz, and has two lovely daughters. “I went on to P&S along with a host of other classmates and have recently joined Merck as v.p. in clinical sciences and product development after a long career at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. I am board certified in internal medicine and clinical pharmacology.” Jonathan Haft spent the summer traveling through Norway with his 10-year-old son (Class of 2018 ski team?) and will return this fall to his partnership in a Beverly Hills boutique entertainment law firm. Speaking of partners, I hope to visit Nick Serwer this fall when I travel to Singapore to catch up with my wife, Marian Chertow ’77 Barnard, who is teaching environment policy for a month at the National University of Singapore. Nick is a partner at the tropical offices of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood. My kids report that it is a very clean, “cool” place, though very hot and humid. As always, get ready for the reunion, now in just seven short months.
Lyle Steele Bohdan M. Sosiak: Victor V. Kaminski III passed away on July 7, 2001, after an extended illness. Vic was a true scholar-athlete and gentleman. A chemistry whiz with multiple patents and an All-Ivy football player, he was an inspiration to many and well-liked by all. Although his life was cut short, we can honor him best by assisting future scholar-athletes with similar aspirations in the natural sciences. We have established the Victor V. Kaminski III Memorial Scholarship Fund. If you wish to contribute, please contact Bohdan at (954) 349-0096 or bsosiak@riskprotection.com. Carl W. Forsythe: “After five moves in the past 11 years, our family now firmly resides in Dallas. I graduated from Cornell’s business school in 1982 and became involved in helping turn around large financial institutions. After selling our last bank in 1998, I began a small venture capital firm specializing in distressed situations. Earlier this year, I decided to get a real job, so I purchased a controlling interest in a company that developed a new high-performance composite polymer, Brandonite 6689, which can be used to replace parts made of steel or other composites. The company, now named Kalm-Forsythe Global Innovations (www.kfgi.com), is based in Dallas. It is really neat to be involved in the joys and headaches of a being manufacturer. I am getting to use some of my biochemistry education from Columbia, too! “My wife, Sandy, and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary recently, and we have three children: Andrew (17), Emily (16) and AJ (14). The boys are following in their father’s footsteps as wrestlers: Andrew took second in the high school state championships as a sophomore. Maybe he, too, can wrestle at Columbia. Our daughter plays tennis and volunteers at the Dallas aquarium. My wife and I are active in several Christian-based organizations where we have felt a deep calling to serve. We love to travel with the kids. Our most recent trip was to Paris during spring break to tour the museums. Our kids are developing an appreciation for the arts much earlier in life. Fortunately, I still retain a fair bit of knowledge from art history despite the fact that it was an 8 a.m. class. “We live a few minutes from downtown Dallas and would encourage any alums to call us (214-522-9062) when they’re in town.” Richard Lo: “My wife and I moved back from Europe a year and a half ago, after ending my stint at WorldCom (yes, I left before they started cooking the books) and subsequently joined The Management Network Group. I still am in the telecom world, one that seems smaller by the day. While the overall market has declined to ’71–’72-like crash levels, the telecom market has imploded to the crash of ’29-like state. Nevertheless, things are going well and I am working with people I know well and like, and that’s the most important thing.”
Craig Lesser Three children of Class of 1980 members are part of the Class of 2006, and all hail from New Jersey: Michael Brown, from Paramus and the Peddie School, son of Mike Brown; Patrick Hilsman, from Haworth’s Northern Valley Regional H.S., son of Ashby Hilsman; and Tessa Rogers, from Summit and the Kent Place School, daughter of Mike Rogers. Welcome to the new members of the Class of 2006, and congratulations to them and their Class of 1980 parents. Dr. Dennis Costakos and his family have lived in LaCrosse, Wis., for 13 years. Dennis is a neonatologist for the Mayo Health System. Dennis, his wife, Anne, and their daughter, Chloe, recently were in Toronto, where Dennis and Chloe made an infomercial about his practice. Hope you have a good fall. Please keep in touch.
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