GS Class of 1981
Jim Wolper ’81 PhD writes: “After teaching and doing mathematics for a century (if you round to the nearest century), I have turned my attention to poetry. My first chapbook, Misdirections, appeared from Finishing Line Press in October.” Contact Jim at [email protected].
Andrew Chaikin writes: “In June I returned to campus for ‘Brown in Orbit,’ a reunion symposium of the Brown planetary geology group organized by professor Jack Mustard. More than 100 former grad students and undergrads, including my freshman year Olney House dormmate Jim Garvin ’81 ScM, ’84 PhD, now chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, filled MacMillan 115, along with professors Jim Head ’69 PhD, Carle Pieters, and Marc Parmentier. Almost half a century after taking Jim Head’s course on the geology of Mars as a sophomore, I had the pleasure of leading him through a reminiscence about the planetary group’s remarkable history and accomplishments. Especially poignant were his memories of my concentration advisor and the group’s visionary founder Tim Mutch, a pioneering planetary geology researcher and inspirational professor who lost his life climbing in the Himalayas in 1980. Then came a day-long series of presentations about fascinating new discoveries from across the solar system, mixed with passionate and often humorous personal recollections. Again and again, the presenters voiced gratitude for the mentoring and life-changing wisdom they received at Brown, and for the profound impact on our life trajectories (in my case, leading to a career as a science journalist and space historian). ‘Brown in Orbit’ turned out to be one of the most heartwarming and inspiring celebrations I’ve ever experienced.”
Joel Scheraga ’79 AM, ’81 PhD writes: “I was honored on December 17, 2024, to receive a Distinguished Career Service Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (see pg. 51). It has been a privilege to work with so many talented and dedicated colleagues across the federal government for over 37 years to serve the American people and to protect human health and our precious environment.”
Alice Goldberg Lemos ’81 PhD writes: “I was made a director of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation and have published in CNS News and American Thinker.”
Joel Scheraga ’79 AM, ’81 PhD (see ’76).
Joel Scheraga ’79 AM, ’81 PhD, led the team that produced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new Climate Adaptation Action Plan. The plan was released by the White House, along with others from across the federal government, on Oct. 7. It describes how EPA will work with its partners in states, tribes, territories, local governments, and businesses to promote a healthy and prosperous nation that is more resilient to a changing climate with a particular focus on advancing environmental justice.
Drew Rubin ’81 ScM, writes: “I was a professional systems engineering analyst (now retired). I analyzed the federal government’s ‘best data’ on their website a few years ago. It suggested, but did not prove, climate change. It seemed to disprove man-made climate change. Interestingly, the data was removed within a year. If climate change exists but is not man-made, trying to stop it is either fruitless or extremely dangerous. We should not try to stop a natural ‘warm spell’ or the next ice age. If climate change exists and is man-made, what we are doing (and not doing) to stop it is poorly planned, poorly executed, and will not work.”
Obituaries
David A. Crombie ’81 AM, of Lake Oswego, Ore.; Jun. 22. He was a reporter for the Evening News of Newark, N.J. from 1969 to 1971 and for 22 years at the Providence Journal. In 1993 he moved to New Haven, Conn. and switched careers, becoming an English as a Second Language teacher. He taught in the West Haven School District for 15 years. He settled in Lake Oswego in 2022.
Margot Blum Schevill ’72, ’81 AM, of Berkeley, Calif.; Jan. 17. She was an opera singer in San Francisco during the 1950s and 1960s. In the 1980s, she transitioned to anthropology focused on curating exhibitions. She is survived by children and grandchildren.
Kathleen Bragdon-Brown ’77 AM, ’81 PhD, of Williamsburg, Va.; Jun. 29. Following adjunct appointments at MIT and George Washington University, she joined the faculty at the College of William & Mary in 1990 and subsequently chaired the department of anthropology from 2010 to 2015. She was a scholar of the history and culture of Indigenous peoples in New England and a leading expert on the written form of Algonquian languages in the region. Her published works include Native People of Southern New England, 1500-1650, which won the American Society for Ethnohistory’s Erminie Wheeler-Voegelin Prize for best book of the year; Native People of Southern New England, 1650-1775; The Columbia Guide to American Indians of the Northeast; and Native Writings in Massachusetts. She enjoyed decorating, gardening, and reading crime novels. She is survived by her husband, Marley R. Brown III ’69, ’87 PhD; a son; and two brothers.
James P. Bolan ’81 MAT, of Madison, Conn.; Oct. 16. He was diagnosed as a young child with a rare form of muscular dystrophy but persevered until the disease eventually forced him to be bedridden. From 1984 to 2014 he was a social studies teacher at Daniel Hand High School in Madison. He loved modern history and political science and was an inspiration to his students and colleagues alike. His passion for learning and knowledge were his most effective teaching tools. He married his wife in 1992 after meeting as jazz announcers at WWUH FM in Hartford, Conn. Their love of music kept them involved in the Hartford jazz scene for decades. He was also a dedicated sports enthusiast and a lifelong Red Sox, Green Bay Packers, and Hartford Whalers fan. He is survived by his wife, Donna; a sister and brother-in-law; a brother; and nieces and nephews.
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