The Classes

Carolyn Whitney-Brown ’86 AM, ’91 PhD, published her fourth book, coauthored with the late Henri Nouwen, Flying, Falling, Catching: An Unlikely Story of Finding Freedom (HarperOne, 2022). The book tells the story of Nouwen’s friendship with the Flying Rodleighs trapeze troupe and why his last manuscript was left unfinished at his death in 1996. Links to reviews, interviews, and events can be seen at writersunion.ca/member/carolyn-whitney-brown.

Planetary geologist and assistant professor in the department of physics at the University of Central Florida Kerri Donaldson Hanna ’10 ScM, ’13 PhD, has been selected to lead a $35M science mission that will land a spacecraft on a part of the moon never visited before—the Gruithuisen Domes. The Gruithuisen Domes are a geologic enigma and we need to visit them in order to truly understand their puzzling features.

Odemi Pessu ’20 MPA writes: “Shortly after completing my Master of Public Affairs in 2020, I published my first book, Force of Nature. Force of Nature is a lyrical compilation of narrative poetry that explores the intersections of African womanhood, emotional vulnerability, and spiritual liberation.This body of work is an ode to the divine feminine energy and power that exists within all African women. I was inspired to write this book because I am an Itsekiri and Ijaw woman whose parents immigrated from the Niger Delta, Nigeria’s oil-rich and impoverished coastal area. I published Force of Nature to inspire young African women globally to honor their divine feminine power through love, creativity, and decolonization of their mind, body, and spirit. I’d love for the Brown community to join me in embracing the complexities of African womanhood, exploring decolonization of the mind, reconciling tradition with growth, rejecting patriarchal oppression, and discovering new ways to love ourselves.”

Dashiel Carrera’s first novel, The Deer, which was his undergraduate thesis at Brown, was published on August 2 through Dalkey Archive Press. Dashiel writes: “In keeping with Brown’s interdisciplinary spirit, I’m also currently a PhD student in Human-Computer Interaction at the University of Toronto.”

Janine Melvin married her high school sweetheart, Nick Quarantillo, on their 11th anniversary, November 16, 2019. The celebration took place at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, PA, and was attended by: Lawrence (Jay) Davis Jr. ’15; Ade Oyalowo ’18 ScM, ’21 PhD; Maegan Sloggett; Erica Kahn ’16 ScM; Meghan Wenzel; Kelsey Hom ’15; Jessica Cherness ’15; and Margot Harris ’15.

Eric Lewin writes: “On July 3, I married the love of my life, Emily Shire, in Mamaroneck (N.Y.)  Although Emily made the grave mistake of turning down Brown to attend a school just outside of Boston and not Tufts, fortunately many, many Brunonians, including numerous Brunonian family members, were in attendance. These included father of the bride Howard Shire ’75, mother of the bride Sharon Eisenstat Shire ’81, best man and brother of the groom Adam Lewin ’09, bridesmaid and sister-in-law of the groom Sara Epstein Lewin ’08, and groomsman and brother of the bride Ethan Shire ’19. Other family and friends attending included faculty and alumni ranging from the class of 1975 to the class of 2022.5. I sincerely thank the Alumni Office for letting me borrow a banner for the photo. Ever True!” (see Howard Shire ’75).

Nick Carter writes: “I moved back to Providence to expand my small business, a clothing project called ASMR Homegoods. In February, my business and I received a $15,000 catalyst grant from the Providence-based nonprofit Design X RI. These funds are helping me design and create a new collection in my studio off Elmwood Ave. in South Providence and market to stores around the country and online. I am in the process of completing the collection and beginning to document it before its release. ASMR Homegoods is inspired by natural camouflage and decorative craft patterning; each piece is a 1-of-1 wearable monoprint, often made using bleach and dye on upcycled or deadstock garments. Each item is designed to create intimacy between the wearer and their own body while simultaneously confounding the eye of a surveiller. ASMR Homegoods can be found at asmrhomegoods.com and on instagram at instagram.com/asmr_homegoods.”

Bruktaweit Addis and Tif Slama celebrated their marriage on May 16 at Awbury Arboretum in Philadelphia, two years after eloping during the early pandemic. They were joined by family and friends, including Tif’s brother-in-law, Bill Seeley ’93, bridesmaids Courtney Baskin, Jenna Harris, Nic Mooney, Michelle Morales, Brice Peterson, Nicole Taykhman, and friends Michael Danna, Kelly Devlin, Lakshmi Madhavan, Brian Mastroianni, Celina Pedrosa, Yaa Sarpong ’10, Felipe Umana, and Randi Siegel Weniger ’05. The couple’s one-year-old daughter, Beza Slama, was a special part of the celebration, serving as a flower girl alongside her cousins.

Nicole Dungca  launched a podcast with another colleague at the Washington Post. Nicole writes: “It’s the second investigative podcast that the Post has ever produced, and it tackles no-knock warrants and raids, the controversial and dangerous policing tactic that was thrust into the spotlight after Breonna Taylor’s death in 2020. We produced a six-part podcast that shows how these warrants are prevalent all over the country and how easy they are to get. It’s a mix of narrative and investigative reporting. It has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times, and we just published two written stories as part of the project.”

Emma Leinhaas Boshi writes: “I am a history graduate but have made my career as a classical music concert producer and program manager. I worked for Itzhak Perlman’s wife, Toby, for a number of years, producing live music and educational programming from New York City to Shelter Island to Tel Aviv, but recently moved on to produce the Peoples’ Symphony Concerts series in New York City for renowned artist manager Frank Salomon. The series was founded in 1900 to present music to the citizens of the New York area with limited incomes; 122 years later the mission thrives and our audience can hear Carnegie-quality artists for less than $10 a concert, and children attend for free. I was fortunate to play in the Brown orchestra as a violinist during my four undergrad years and attended the tour of China around New Years in 2006-07. The thrilling experiences of that tour and some well-timed summer work led me to New York City to work in ‘the industry,’ and I have worked for truly brilliant minds and terrific artists.”

Ross Trudeau (ed. note: BAM’s newsletter crossword creator extraordinaire) writes that he and Jessie Trudeau née Bullock met when she returned from Rio de Janeiro, where she was doing fieldwork for her PhD dissertation at the Harvard government department on how politicians work with organized crime. “We moved in together after a few months of dating to quarantine together in the spring of 2020 and got engaged in the summer of 2021. Since then we’ve authored several New York Times crossword puzzles together. This year I’m finishing my MFA in creative writing at Emerson while Jessie will be doing a one-year post-doc at Brown before beginning her appointment as assistant professor of political science at Syracuse University in August of 2023.”

Shereen Kassam delivered a TEDx talk titled, “Chicken Wings Made Me Unstoppable,” where she shared how to be unstoppable by embracing the lesson of the chicken wing—the ability to resauce yourself. It will have you laughing, thinking, and craving a good chicken wing. Her TEDx talk is available to watch at: funnybrowngirl.com/tedx. How will you re-sauce yourself?

Maggie Barron Biroscak writes: “Greetings from Boston. I’ve spent the years since graduation doing some web content editing, captaining a whaling ship (long story), raising two amazing daughters, and working on my one-woman show, A Map of Mongolia. I would love to hear from anyone in the area to chat about kids, gardening, flensing, or all-things-Gobi-Desert!”

Calvin Ho and Jason Wahlman ’04 traveled to Denver for a reunion with Jared Eddy ’04 this past spring. Calvin writes: “Jared is an infectious diseases physician at National Jewish Health in Denver. Jason continues his human resource consulting practice at Mercer in Minneapolis and I juggle with different change management projects for KPMG in San Francisco. The “hotel Andrews” alums enjoyed spending a weekend hiking the Rocky Mountains and exploring the microbrewery scene in Denver. While I’m living an erratic lifestyle, Jared is still keeping late hours, and Jason remains the most sensible of the bunch. Nevertheless we are all looking forward to our respective in-person reunions in the coming years.”

Rick Jaime-Bettan and his husband, Gabe Jaime-Bettan, welcomed Elton Sterling (“please, call me Sterling”) on February 13.  Rick writes: “Xander, now 3, is extremely excited to be a big brother. We have been extremely proud to grow our family through adoption. We live in Dobbs Ferry (N.Y.).” Contact Rick at Rickbettan@gmail.com.

Cassidy Puckett published Redefining Geek: Bias and the Five Hidden Habits of Tech-Savvy Teens with University of Chicago Press. In Redefining Geek, Cassidy overturns the stereotypes around the digitally savvy and identifies the habits that can help everyone cultivate their inner geek.

Cathryn Cluver Ashbrook writes: “After the long pandemic months, we finally made good on our promises to move closer to family, and in June 2021, we relocated to Berlin, Germany, where our second child, daughter Madeleine, was born in September. I am now executive vice president of the Bertelsmann Foundation leading the Transatlantic Futures Forum that President Biden and former Chancellor Merkel created last year. Looking forward to hearing from friends and classmates passing through Berlin.”

Jennifer L. Martin ’97 became the president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine board of directors during the membership meeting at SLEEP 2022, the 36th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Under Martin’s leadership, the AASM will continue to raise awareness that sleep is essential to health and will supply resources and education for healthcare professionals, patients and the public. One of her priorities as president will be for the AASM to collaborate with other stakeholders to identify and prioritize strategies to increase access to high-quality care for insomnia disorder.

Amy Sohn won the HMH First Amendment Award in the book publishing category for her book, The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship, and Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age.

Eleana Kim published Making Peace with Nature with Duke University Press in July. Eleana is an associate professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, and author of Adopted Territory: Transnational Korean Adoptees and the Politics of Belonging, also published by Duke. Her new book shows how a closer examination of the Demilitarized Zone area in South Korea reveals that the area’s biodiversity is inseparable from scientific practices and geopolitical, capitalist, and ecological dynamics.

Rachel Harper’s third novel, The Other Mother, named a Time Best Book of the Month, was published by Counterpoint Press in May. Much of the story takes place on the Brown campus and follows three generations of a Black family and their unique relationship to the University.

Pat Kelleher writes: “Sam Lafferty ’18 and I attended the men’s hockey world championships in Tampere, Finland. Sam was the first Brown men’s alum to represent Team USA in hockey since 1977 and helped our team to a fourth place finish at the tournament, which concluded on Sunday. I have been the executive director of USA Hockey since 2017.”

Amanda Mei Kim was named a 2022 Marion Weber Healing Arts Fellow and will complete her residency at Mesa Refuge in Point Reyes, Calif., where she will write about rural Californians of color and racial capitalism in our food system.

Greg Galer writes: “After nine years as executive director of the Boston Preservation Alliance, working with residents, developers, and city officials, and engaged with over $5 billion in development, I’ve taken a new role—I’m now the executive director of the Association for Preservation Technology International [apti.org], the premier technical organization for professionals restoring and preserving historic structures around the world. I was recognized as one of five in the nation to receive honorary membership in the American Institute of Architects and by Boston City Council for my impact on the city. Check out this recent interview by the Boston Society for Architects, where I talk about Brown’s importance in my career path. [architects.org/news/greg-galer-hon-aia].”

Peter Lurie’s third book, Black Evanescence: Seeing Racial Difference from the Slave Narrative to Digital Media, will be published by Bloomsbury Academic. In 2018, Peter became editor of the Faulkner Journal. He is associate professor of English and Film Studies at the University of Richmond.

Jennie Jones Hanson attended the reunion this year with her mom, Nancy Dawn Zarker Jones ’56, brother Wes Jones ’87, and son Christian Hanson ’17. All three generations walked through the gates during the parade. “A very special day!”

The Board of Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) has selected Lee Dunst to serve as a magistrate judge for a term of eight years. He will serve on the bench at the Alfonse M. D’Amato United States Courthouse. Prior to his appointment, Judge Dunst was a litigation partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in New York City, where his practice focused on white collar criminal and civil investigations, as well as complex civil litigation. During his tenure of more than 20 years at Gibson Dunn, he represented numerous clients, including Fortune 500 companies, accounting firms, corporate executives, and special board committees in connection with a wide range of civil litigation and government investigations. From 1995 to 2000, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York and was involved in a series of significant criminal investigations and prosecutions. While in government service, Judge Dunst received the director’s award for superior performance from the department of justice and also served as the Deputy Chief of the narcotics section in Brooklyn. Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he worked as a litigation associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP. During his legal career, he has spoken and written extensively on white collar regulatory issues, as well as matters concerning civil commercial litigation. He also serves as an advisor to the American Law Institute’s Principles of the Law of Compliance Enforcement & Risk Management project and as a member of the Federal Bar Council American Inn of Court. He has been recognized for his legal representation over the years. In 2020, the National Law Journal cited him as one of their “Masters of the Courtroom: Our Winning 2020 Litigators” for his role in obtaining a successful civil jury verdict on behalf of a Fortune 250 company, and the Am Law Litigation Daily named him “Litigator of the Week” for that same successful case. He also has been recognized for his white collar defense and investigation work in The Legal 500 US and has been named a “litigation star” and “local litigation star” by Benchmark Litigation.

David Whitacre’s book, The Seven Gifts, argues that all of humanity falls squarely into one of seven motivational gifts and that explains our core behaviors. The work was published by HenschelHaus Publishing, Inc. and has received seven awards, ranging from inspiration to business communications (see Fact, Fiction & Verse, pg. 56).

Tom Mullen writes: “Thirty-eight years after graduating from Brown and moving to the D.C. area for my career job (which I retired from in 2018—it pays to be a federal employee), my wife Christine and I are finally making the big move to our long-intended retirement location, Colorado (specifically, Colorado Springs). Although we once visited the Denver area for a few days back in 2003 (and really enjoyed our time there), Christine decided she’d prefer the Colorado Springs area, which actually is only a little over an hour’s drive away from Denver...why exactly? I’m not sure. Anyway, we’re expecting to totally enjoy living in a new part of the country. Hopefully, we’ll reconnect with some of my old pals from Brown after the move and in the coming years—although we generally all live far apart.”

Ellen Clark Clemot released a new book with Cascade Books, an imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers, titled Discerning Welcome: A Reformed Faith Approach to Refugees.

Jeffrey M. Bloom writes: “Hats off to Newell Maynard Stultz, professor emeritus of political science at Brown, who continues to demonstrate insight into the machinations of divided societies and who, in early February of 2022, explained to me how since 2015 it’s been clear that NATO’s expansion meant that Vladimir Putin would one day exact brutal revenge. One reunion weekend years ago, Newell generously shared insights with my sons, David Bloom ’21 (applied mathematics, economics, & political science) and Aaron Bloom (environmental management at Cornell ’23), and I’m sorry that he’s not yet met my daughters (Julia, Biology, Cal Poly ’24 and Ciera, almost 7th grade). It was wonderful to see many of you at our 35th reunion and I hope to see even more of you at our 40th (i.e., less than two years from now). Hats off as well to our classmate Rhonda Gans, who kindly called me to see whether I was okay after one of our California earthquakes. Thanks, Rhonda.”

Anne Schwartz writes: “After more than 35 years working in the field of health policy, I retired at the end of April 2022.  Since 2012, I had served as executive director of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), which advises Congress, the Secretary of HHS, and the states, on policies affecting Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.”

Garet Lahvis published a moving essay in Aeon magazine that asks whether scientists can ever fully understand mental illness by remaining blind to the mental experiences of their lab animals (tinyurl.com/mv6n3yuh).

Vicky Oliver received her MFA in creative writing from the New School in May. She writes that it helped keep her mind off the pandemic and focused on her writing. On April 28, 2022, otherwise known as Pay-It-Forward Day, along with the Class of 1982, she enjoyed a sumptuous, pre-reunion get-together at The Grill on East 52nd Street in New York City. Much fun was had by all.

Stephen Curtin writes: “Hello old classmates! I was going through BAM and perusing ‘The Classes’ and ‘Obituaries’ sections and thought it would be nice to be able to look up a picture from our glory years. As more and more of the past gets foggier and foggier a picture would speak a thousand words. I can’t find my yearbook (not sure I ever got one!) and the alumni site alludes to class pictures being digitized but are inaccessible. This should be an easy fix in the age of data. I look forward to seeing what we all looked like 41 years ago.”

Reginald Boddie writes: “I am serving as the presiding justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division, in Brooklyn. Class members are welcome to stop in and say hello when in town. In February, my memoir Living Life Against the Odds was published. The book is available online or wherever books are sold.”

Howard Yaruss writes: “After a career in law, I started teaching economics—a subject that has fascinated me since college. This led me to write a book that brings together my best classroom hits/anecdotes/analogies: Understandable Economics (September 2022, Prometheus Books). I still live in New York, serve on my local community board (the Upper West Side), and I am active politically and would love to hear from classmates.”

Dorothy Powe Holinger writes: “My book, The Anatomy of Grief (Yale University Press, 2020), was released in paperback. The color of the cover is different and it has a subtitle: The Anatomy of Grief: How the Brain, Heart, and Body Can Heal after Loss. Here is a link to the website: dorothypholinger.com.” (see Fact, Fiction & Verse, pg. 56)

Classical pianist John Davis ’79 has been awarded the prestigious 2022 Rolland Rome Prize.  His project is titled Keys to the Highwa

Nutter law firm chair Paul J. Ayoub ’78 has been reelected chair of the national Board of Governors of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. As board chair, Ayoub oversees governance of St. Jude, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Previously, he served as chair of the board of directors of American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC), the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude. Since the outbreak of war in the Ukraine, St. Jude, working with its network of partners and ALSAC, helped evacuate over 700 Ukrainian children with cancer and their families to countries across Europe, as well as to St. Jude in Memphis. The far-reaching effort provided urgent help to Ukrainian families suffering through two profound events simultaneously: a cancer diagnosis of a child and a war.

Lisa Solod writes: “My first published novel, Shivah, is now out from Jaded Ibis Press. It’s been a lot of years of book writing and agents and submissions and contests placements and ‘almosts’ and then here it is. Essays and stories, etc. continue apace. Looking toward more novels out in the world before I die. Kids are grown and long flown, husband will retire next year and we shall relocate from Savannah to Asheville, where my daughter lives. You can access my work at lisasolod.com.”

Joy Sheffield Handelman and Marc Swift ’80 were married in Albany, Ga., on June 24, 2021, more than 40 years after meeting in Professor Silverman’s film class in 1977. They live in Albany, where they have been writing songs and recording them together. Marc creates amazing art and Joy teaches English at Albany State University.

Lisa Hall Brownell’s novel, Gallows Road, was published by Elm Grove Press in April. Inspired by true events in 1750s Connecticut, it gives a voice to a young indentured servant who was condemned to death for a crime she swore she did not commit.

Emerson Coleman ’76, retiring senior vice president of programming for Hearst Television, was honored by the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation, in partnership with Hearst Television, with the launch of the Emerson Coleman Fellowship, a new fellowship established to create a more diverse workforce at every level of the broadcast industry.

Howard Shire writes: “My daughter Emily married Eric Lewin ’12 on July 3, at the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club (NY).  There must have been at least 20 Brown alums at the wedding, including our classmates Bob LoBue and Jerry Cohen, my wife Sharon Eisenstat Shire ’81, my cousin Amy Shire ’81, and my son, Ethan Shire ’19. The best man was also a Brown alum, Adam Lewin ’09. The weather was glorious with the bride and groom taking their vows under a tent overlooking Long Island Sound with a view of the north shore of Long Island. When Emily was in 12th grade she made a fateful, and obviously poor, decision to turn down an offer to attend Brown and instead attend a pretentious WASP school named Harvard. Well, karma has paid her back. Not only are her parents, husband, brother, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law Brown alums, but so too are her sister-in-law’s dad, brother, and sister. We had the wedding photographer take a picture of all the Brown alums who were at the wedding with a Brown banner in front of us. In more mundane news, I am a partner at the law firm Troutman Pepper, in the New York office. I practice intellectual property law.”

Frank Morgan writes: “On the advice of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, graciously appointed me as an honorary member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (‘MBE’). This honor is conferred by Her Majesty in recognition of my services to British charities in New York.”

Jacqueline Doyle retired from her job as an English professor at California State University, East Bay, and accepted a position as creative nonfiction editor at CRAFT literary magazine. Ten years ago she shifted her emphasis from literary scholarship to creative writing. She has earned seven notable essay citations in Best American Essays, first place in Black Lawrence Press’s chapbook competition, and numerous other awards. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Find her work and contact information at jacquelinedoyle.com.

Karin Kramer Baldwin and David Baldwin ’75 welcomed in Karin’s 70th birthday skinny-dipping in the Mediterranean Sea on the island of Formentera, Spain. Just prior to that, Karin enjoyed a Dead & Company show with Steve Zieff. And after, she met up with Kit Kinports ’76 for dinner at Balthazar in New York City.  Karin and David plan to cap it all off with a week in Maine with Peter Hetz ’75 and Charlie Weinstein ’75. Thanks to Brown for inspiring everlasting friendships.

Bruce Miller writes: “In June 2022 I was awarded the UBC Killam Research Prize. The prize very kindly includes money. My thanks to them. My tenth book, Witness to the Human Rights Tribunals: How the System Fails Indigenous Peoples (Vancouver: UBC Press), will be published in December 2022. Meanwhile, with Stephen Baines, my Brazilian friend and colleague from the University of Brasilia, we have recently edited a volume, ‘Indigenous Peoples, Tribunals, Prisons, and Legal and Public Processes in Brazil and Canada,’ Vibrant 18, Virtual Brazilian Anthropology. I plan to retire from the anthropology faculty of the University of British Columbia at the end of this year but continue with my research, and especially work with Indigenous communities.”

Paul Espinosa writes: “I’ve been a longtime producer of documentaries for PBS. My latest film, Singing Our Way to Freedom, will be presented nationally on PBS stations around the country as part of National Hispanic Heritage Month beginning September 1.”

Donald Young writes: “I retired in December after practicing family medicine in Cincinnati for 40 years. Many goodbyes were tough since I cared for three or four generations and even delivered some of them. I feel satisfied with my legacy as the first medical director of the family medicine program at the University of Cincinnati and I chaired the ad hoc committee to establish a second program at Bethesda Hospital. I’m now enjoying more reading, swimming, hiking, travel, and classes at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Beth and I enjoy time with our two happily married kids and three grandchildren. My old phrase by Studs Terkel for patients still holds true for my retirement:  ‘Take it easy but take it!’ Brown was a true crossroads for me as I turned from the dream of a Nobel Prize in chemistry to the field of family medicine guided by teachers such as Dr. George Morgan, Dr. Fred Barnes, and Richard Cassill.  Hail to the power of their word. My bucket list is getting longer, not shorter! P.S. To my friends at Brown, my nickname of Yogi still stands with my wife, friends, and family and please note that after marrying, my name is now Donald Nunlist-Young.”

Robert Wells writes: “My son, Joseph Wells, graduated from Hampton University (Va.) on May 8.  He received a BA (with honors) in International Studies and a minor in sociology. Two days prior, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army, having completed four years of ROTC. He will serve in active duty, infantry branch: The career he’s wanted since age 11—sometimes dreams
do come true.”

Kitty Walker Keane is the new president of Greater Naples Leadership. GNL takes 40-50 executive-level retirees who are new to Southwest Florida and puts them through a yearlong experience learning the history and current issues affecting the region. At the end of the program, GNL facilitates introductions for the participants to nonprofits in the community needing board members and volunteers, and through the program the participants have been armed with insights and skills to be effective.

Class officers Joel Bennett, Tom Coakley, Ginger Heinbockel Ignatoff, Jack Keane, Marty Mueller, and Sandra Richards report: “ Our 55th Reunion is May 26-28, 2023, and it won’t be the same without you! Please make sure Brown has your email address so you don’t miss out on class emails and other reunion news. Type myBrown.edu in your browser to log in and update your contact information on your profile page. Helpdesk links can be found if you have trouble logging in or need to set up an account. Your myBrown account gives you access to the Alumni Directory, Rosetta Stone, and more. You will need a myBrown account to register for our 55th Reunion, too. Keep an eye out for emails from us starting this fall. We hope you will join our private, classmate-only Facebook page by searching for “Brown University Class of 1968.” If you are not on Facebook, consider sharing your news with us by emailing classof1968@alumni.brown.edu. We hope to connect with you soon!”

Michael Hutter writes: “Elaine Zimmer Davis passed away in May in Providence. She was the widow of Capt. Jerry Zimmer ’66, a Marine fighter pilot who was killed in action on August 29, 1969, in Vietnam. Since Jerry’s death, Elaine was dedicated to bringing home for a proper burial Jerry’s remains, including a visit to the crash site and keeping his memory alive.  She spent much time at Brown since 1969 and kept in touch with Jerry’s Delta Tau Delta fraternity brothers. She attended the Class of ’66 50th Reunion. Her efforts are chronicled at bringingjerryhome.com. At the May 2022 graduation weekend, her passing was noted and her devotion to Jerry commemorated at the Delta Foundation memorial procession attended by Jerry’s friends, classmates, and DTD fraternity brothers.”

Walter Donway writes: “Back in September, I self-published my sixth novel (15th book), Retaking College Hill. It is dedicated to Brown and its core (perhaps now ‘historic’) standards, but also critical of what I see as contemporary contradictions of those standards. Many themes are inspired by Heather Mac Donald’s The Diversity Delusion: How Race and Gender Pandering Corrupt the University and Undermine Our Culture (2018). Not exactly uncontroversial. The novel takes the form of a thriller and briefly became a #1 Amazon bestseller in political fiction. Among the reviewers on Amazon so far are two Brown men. I could not avoid and did not want to avoid nostalgia about my years at Brown. I spent my career in New York City foundations, including as education program officer at the Dana Foundation, where I became founding editor of Cerebrum: The Dana Forum on Brain Science. I was encouraged and edited by then Chairman William Safire. I freelanced over the years (Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Iowa Review), but only when I retired at 62 did I begin to write books and hundreds of articles, including for a publication I helped to start, Savvy Street. My wife and I live in New York City and East Hampton on Long Island. From the ‘small world department,’ my brother-in-law is also Brown ’66. I enjoyed our 50th reunion and saw a few old friends and made some new ones. My brother-in-law refused to attend, disapproving of current trends at Brown, but, I think, from a different perspective than mine. He did like Retaking College Hill, though.”

Daniel Kurtz writes: “A long overdue note. After a long marriage, my then-spouse and I divorced in 2016. I subsequently married Shveta Kakar, whom I met when working at the Skadden law firm. We now are both partners at a mid-size firm, Pryor Cashman, where we represent exclusively nonprofit clients. In June, our twin girls, Amna and Mia, will be four. And, yes, I have no retirement plans.”

“On Sunday, May 29, Jim Gardner ’68 ScM represented the class in the Commencement procession. On the march down the hill he carried a sign, “Class of 1965,” and was granted a space between the Classes of 1962 and 1967. Like all classes, our class was recognized and cheered during the procession. He writes: ‘It was wonderful to see the traditional Commencement procession happening again.’”

Larry Rand writes: “Yesterday, Tiina and I trekked to Brooklyn where I was inducted into the James Madison High School Wall of Distinction. There I join some other alums you may know: senators Chuck Schumer, Bernie Sanders, Norm Coleman (all served in the Senate at the same time. No other secondary school in America can say that!). A couple of jurists, Judge Judy (Blum) and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a singer-songwriter or two (Carole King) and some writers (Irwin Shaw, Pamela Gray). My class of inductees included two Nobel laureates (Madison boasts of 6…highest number of nonspecialized secondary schools in America), a poet, an artist, a financier, and an NBA All Star whose team (and he) beat up on Brown when he played for Penn. Quite a crowd and I could not hold it totally together in my remarks. But did succeed in bringing the audience to tears. Enjoy life and stay well.”

Cochairpersons of the 60th reunion for the Class of 1963 Glenn Cashion and Mary Lou Levine report that they are hard at work, in concert with Brown’s Alumni Relations Office, to plan for an outstanding reunion in 2023. Monthly email updates on reunion details will be distributed to classmates. If you plan to attend the 60th gala, please let either Glenn (gcashion@comcast.net) or Mary Lou (mllevine@hotmail.com) know. “Looking forward to seeing you next year.”

Gene Kopf writes: “Still enjoying paradise in Jupiter Island, Florida, while several of our golfing neighbors have joined LIV for millions—we’re staying here with Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, etc. We are spending our time with grandkids that include a Navy Seal, a professional dancer, a teacher, a PR person, and a therapist, all sending thank you checks every month. While I don’t buy into everything Brown is doing today, politically correct, I’m impressed that two major publications rated us number two behind Harvard. When I went there we were rated number 5-6. So much for political correctness and diversity today. Apparently it’s a winner. Very impressed with our president.”

Jane Cayford Nylander writes: “I’m pleased to pass along the news that  my new book “The Best Ever!” Parades in New England, 1788-1940 has been published by Bauhan Publishing, Inc. and Old Sturbridge Village. OSV has made parades a major theme of their 75th anniversary celebration and mounted a special exhibition on the topic at four sites within the museum. Digging deep into local historical societies and museum collections to research this topic has been a vastly entertaining retirement project over the last 16 years and I’ve found new material in every corner of New England. The book includes 308 illustrations that reveal an aspect of popular culture that has seldom been studied. I’m hoping the book will bring forth even more when readers begin to wonder what may be squirreled away in attics and archives close to home.”

Bob Sanchez had COVID and attended his granddaughter’s graduation from the College of Charleston in step with the times—he streamed the ’22 graduation, which was very long with two graduation classes marching. Among his numerous activities are: secretary of the weekly men’s coffee speaker program, a group leader of Great Decisions seminars, Naples Daily News opinion contributor, participant in monthly progressive luncheons, a board member of the Reserve Officers Association, the Brown University Club of Southwest Florida, and the Pelican Bay Property Owners Association.

Lois Hodgins Monteiro enjoyed a post-pandemic Fourth of July in downeast Maine with her daughter and son Stephen Monteiro ’90.

Gerald (Jerry) Levine’s granddaughter, Ilana, daughter of Jodi Levine Avergun ’84, is heading up the New York Yankees PR department for all off field events and activities. Jerry writes: “Shades of George Costanza from Seinfeld, she doesn’t have to report to George Steinbrenner. If the Yankees keep playing as well as they are now (July), I may have an inside chance to get some World Series tickets come this October.”

Pete Howard and Jane Loveless Howard write: “We are mostly at home for medical reasons that most of you probably share.We follow events in Arlington, Massachusetts, where we have lived for the last 58 years. It is heartening to see some of the things we have worked on still going strong, such as the Arlington Human Rights Commission’s Vision 2020 (now called Envision Arlington), active garden maintenance in the Town Hall gardens, small repairs to Town Hall furnishings, and various repairs to most of the houses in our neighborhood.” Jane adds that a granddaughter, whose father is David Howard ’89, ’91 ScM, ’95 PhD, is teaching at an elementary school in Providence, her third year.

Class Secretary Jill Hirst Scobie writes: “I repeat what you have, no doubt, read in our class newsletter. Please mark your calendar for Friday through Sunday, May 26-28, 2023, for our 65th reunion. If you are hoping to stay in a nearby hotel or motel, be sure to book your rooms early. With the larger classes at Brown, hotel rooms are more difficult to find and are taken quickly. Or make life easy for yourself, go back 65 years and book a room on campus. Information about how to do this
will be forthcoming.

Joe Gerstein writes: “I was the founding president of SMART Recovery [Self-Management Addiction Recovery Training] in 1994 and I am still on the board. SMART’s handbook was recently published in Haitian Creole and Japanese, its 15th and 16th languages.Recent grants from Health Resources & Services Administration to introduce SMART into 100 rural county sober homes and Anthem Health to introduce SMART into 150 sober homes in 14 states are in progress. Visit smartrecovery.org.”

Barbara and Ron Baker came from Ottawa, Canada, to join the 65th Class reunion with 14 classmates present who included: Patricia Checchia Abbatomarco, Phil Abbatomarco, Sandra Sundquist Durfee,  Jack Giddings, BG Goff, Raya McCully Goff ’58, Barbie Davies Ramsdell,  J. J. (Pete) Roe III, Cliff Slater, Barbara Sears Tessmer, Tom Wiener, Louise Ladd Wiener ’58,  Marilyn Mapes Yeutter, and Bruce Yeutter. Ron writes: “On a bright Sunday morning, a jolly gang of four (Bruce, Pete, Ron, and Tom) carried the 1957 banner, helping lead a group of oldest grads down College Hill. We were met by thunderous applause and loud cheers from a huge crowd: faculty, Class of ’22, and alumni. A grand finale for our Class of ’57, “ever
true to Brown.”

Peter Corning and his wife Susan are now living in Bellevue, Wash., near all three of their children and their grandchildren. Long retired from teaching (in the interdisciplinary human biology program at Stanford University), Peter is still actively writing professional journal articles and books. A groundbreaking new volume, coedited with four other biologists, will be published next year by MIT Press. The title is Evolution ‘On Purpose’: Teleonomy in Living Systems. Many more of his publications can be found at complexsystems.org.

Al Gerstein announces the Oct. 27, 2021 birth of his youngest grandchild, Andromeda (Andie) Web Lichtman. She was welcomed by her parents Hilary Gerstein ’03 and Martin Lichtman ’01 and her older sister Winnie. “The family is doing fine.”

Class Secretary Marshall Cohen writes: “As you may have noticed our number of class notes has been getting thin. But as we approach our 70th reunion in 2024, please send me a few lines about…anything! Keep it positive if possible, but do include contact information and news about your daily life, recommended books, tips on travel and/or restaurants, activities of children and grandchildren, family members, recent paroles, books read or written, ways in which Brown’s education helps one cope with current events…in short, there is no editorial censorship, of course.”

John Kennedy ’92 MD announces his children’s illustrated e-book The Heart & Brain Play Jump Rope. Inspired by his teenage daughters, The Heart & Brain Play Jump Rope highlights the heart-brain connection and teaches kids an effective stress relieving exercise they can use throughout their lives. It is designed to be used together with videos that describe the proven stress-relieving exercises highlighted in the book. Brown alumni and their kids will have access to exercises designed to help them with test taking, study breaks, time management, public speaking, studying, sports, and taking a break. This will all be provided for free to Brown alumni. Contact John at drjkennedybreathe@gmail.com.

Maya Sonenberg ’84 AM writes: “I published Bad Mothers, Bad Daughters on August 1. I cannot remember a time when I didn’t write stories, but receiving my master’s in creative writing from Brown was one of the major turning points in my career as a serious writer. In the intervening years, I have published two collections of stories, two chapbooks of prose and images, and numerous essays in literary journals. Studying with Jack Hawkes, Robert Coover, Meredith Steinbach, and Susan Sontag were truly formative experiences, and their legacies of rich prose and experimentation continue to live in my work. Pulling on fairy tales, conventional realism, and experimental forms, the stories in my newest collection ask the reader to consider whether the common and human emotions women often experience when faced with the stresses and tedium of caregiving are really so ‘bad.’”

Jim Shepard ’80 AM released Phase Six in paperback on May 24 from Vintage Books. More information can be found at tinyurl.com/3u769pce.

Ruth Little ’72 AM released her memoir, The Book of Ruth (Lystra Books), on April 5. In her memoir, Ruth narrates 50 years of adventures, from preservation activist in the 1970s to consultant, author and artist in the 2010s. The Book of Ruth is an engaging recollection and reflection on the life of a girl born into a traditional Southern family, with traditional Southern complications. She then sought and found her own nontraditional path to and through adulthood.

Steven Strang ’71 AM, ’81 PhD, retired from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after 41 years as a teacher of writing and rhetoric (38 of which were also spent as founder and director of MIT’s Writing and Communication Center).

Brian Sweeney ’05 AM, ’10 PhD, chair and associate professor of English at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y., is coeditor of the forthcoming Broadview Press edition of Pauline Hopkins’s Afrofuturist novel Of One Blood. Brian codirects a digital humanities project focused on The Colored American Magazine, the early twentieth century Black magazine that Hopkins edited and in which Of One Blood first appeared (coloredamerican.org). He is review editor for the journal American Periodicals.

Daniel DeCelles ’00 MAT, ’14 AM, earned a PhD in curriculum and instruction from Boston College and is now the director of teacher education and clinical assistant professor at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

Glenn Orton writes: “After 44 years of scrupulously avoiding any management positions, I became the (part-time) supervisor of the Planetary and Exoplanetary Atmospheres Group at Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. I remain active in research, including observations pouring in from the Juno mission, as well as the Hubble Space Telescope and, soon, the James Webb Space Telescope.”

Olivia Katcher, chief of staff at Collaborative Fund and cofounder of Social Good Collective, and Ana Piacentini ’23, coleader of the Brown EP Podcast Team, Dive In, have partnered to create a podcast mini series called Dive In x Social Good Collective. The six-part series was created to introduce and inspire students to take part in entrepreneurship. Ana writes: “The collection of episodes will spotlight and share the diverse stories of passionate, mission-driven entrepreneurs who are actively pushing the world forward by creating tangible social impact. While these entrepreneurs are building in various industries, their overarching goal is the same: to create a venture that enacts positive change upon greater society. In these episodes, you’ll hear from founders about how they’re all working to leave a lasting positive change through the work they’re pursuing.” The podcast mini series can be found on Dive In’s website, www.divein-brownep.com, Spotify, and where other podcasts can be found.

Ally Donahue, former Brown women’s swim and dive Ivy League champion, and Ryan Kopec ’19, former Brown football punter, wed on April 2, in Winter Park, Fla. They celebrated with former classmates and teammates from the women’s swim team and men’s football and basketball teams from the classes of 1989, 2011, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Soumitri Barua ’21 MD writes: “Alyssa Gonzalez ’21 MD and Alex Vidmar ’18 married in a beautiful ceremony on June 4, 2021, in the Roger Williams Botanical Center in Providence. Alex and Alyssa met, developeda close friendship, and eventually fell in love when they both worked for the Brown IT service center as undergrads. Members of the wedding party included myself as maid of honor, Isaac Davis ’18 as best man, Marissa Hudgins ’18, Michael Stanger ’19, James Went ’18, and Lorena Vazquez. Also in attendance were Jesus Aguirre ’21 MD, Adriel Barrios-Anderson ’22 MD, Alice Chu ’21 MD, Kendal Cockrel, Catherine Gannage ’21 MD,Yanabah Jaques, Vishal Khetpal ’20 MD, Meagan Kozhimala ’21 MD, Alison Oliveros, Olabade Omole ’21 ScM, ’21 MD, Karina Rivera ’21 MD, and Adrianna Wenz ’18. It was a real Brunonian party right in Rhode Island! Alex and Alyssa live in Southern California now with their dog Yeti and cat Monster.”

David Scofield writes: “I am living in Indianapolis in an apartment downtown. I saw a lot of movies during COVID. My favorites were Tenet, Eternals, and Uncut Gems. Bob Marley still rocks. I am single!”

Kate Monks Bleicher and Michael Bleicher ’11 were married on August 14, 2021 at Anderson House in Washington, D.C. The wedding party included Kayleigh Butera, Katie Lynch, Rachel Watson Machowsky, Avery Nackman, and Andy Newton ’11. Other alumni in attendance included Emily Atwood ’11, Caroline Bologna ’14, Abby Colella ’12, Dan Davidson ’11, and Tony Thaweethai. The couple met on the first day of law school and quickly bonded over their love of Brown.

Timothy Carey was awarded a 2021 Stewardson Keefe LeBrun grant, a national award which supports the professional development of an architect in early or mid-career through travel and is administered by the Center for Architecture in New York City. He will travel to Reykjavik, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges, Berlin, Vienna, Copenhagen, and Oslo over the course of several months to study 30 performing arts buildings in support of a research and writing project entitled “Some Assembly Required: Performing Arts Architecture and the Idea of Audience.” Timothy is currently a project architect at Selldorf Architects and previously worked on the design of Brown’s new performing arts center for several years while a designer at REX.

Harry Aspinwall joined the ranks of Merlin and Maleficent as the magical lead in the new original Disney+ show The Quest, which premiered on May 11. The Quest, a ground-breaking hybrid scripted and reality competition series, drops eight young people into the fantastical world of Everealm, where they must save a kingdom by fulfilling an ancient prophecy. Harry plays Dravus, the archmage of the kingdom of Sanctum, who must do all in his power to protect Sanctum’s young heirs from the dark magic of sorceress Tavora and her armies. Harry’s no stranger to playing morally gray characters. Last year he made his Netflix debut as the antagonist Baxter in Netflix’s original family action hit The Sleepover, opposite Ken Marino, Joe Manganiello, and Malin Akerman.

Nate Bowling writes that in April 2022, Thalia Beaty, Daniel Dodson, Matthew Novick, William Parker, and Lenson Pellouchoud and Jason H. Portenoy were able to get together to celebrate the self-publication of Anthony Johnson’s first short story: A Tale of Two Crownge.

Jessica Kawamura writes: “I would like to share that I was recommended to be ordained in June as an elder in full connection with the California-Pacific Conference of The United Methodist Church.”

A new movie directed by Alison Klayman, White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch, came out on Netflix. The movie talks about Abercrombie & Fitch, which conquered malls in the late ’90s and early ’00s with gorgeous models, pulsing dance beats, and a fierce scent. But while the brand was running white hot, its popular “all-American” image began burning out as controversy came to light surrounding its exclusionary marketing and discriminatory hiring practices.

Lily Geismer published Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality on March 1 with Hachette. It has received reviews in the New York Times and Washington Post.

Mark Tardi ’01 MFA was awarded a 2022 fellowship in Literary Translation by the National Endowment for the Arts. He also completed a grant funded by the Citizen Diplomacy Action Fund for a project called Variants of Catching Breath, which brought five renowned poets to Poland—Don Mee Choi, E. Tracy Grinnell ’01 MFA, Nathalie Handal, Sarah Mangold, and Tyrone Williams—to participate in a series of events and have their work translated into Polish, which culminated in the publication of Odmiany Łapania Tchu. Mark and his wife Katarzyna also welcomed their second child, Daniel Seweryn Tardi, in November 2021.

Carlos Lejnieks writes that there was a great Brown attendance at the late Vartan Gregorian’s memorial service in New York City in April. In addition to Carlos, several current and past corporation members attended, including Bernicestine McLeod Bailey ’68, Harold Bailey Jr. ’70, Angelique G. Brunner ’94, Thomas G. Catena ’86, Ron Margolin, Russell E. Marlborough ’98, W. Lynn McKinney, Joelle A. Murchison ’95, Alice M. Tisch, and Thomas J. Tisch ’76.

The international law firm of Holland & Knight LLP has expanded its Corporate, M&A and Securities practice with the addition of John Devine as a partner in its Philadelphia office. Prior to joining Holland & Knight, John was a partner with Ballard Spahr LLP, where he served as coleader of the firm’s health care group.

Jeff Nussbaum published Undelivered: The Never-Heard Speeches that Would Have Rewritten History. He writes: “The seed of Undelivered was planted on Election Night, 2000, when I was a 25-year-old speechwriter for Al Gore, and was left holding three drafts of a speech that was never delivered: a victory speech, a concession speech, and a victory speech modified to include a defense of the electoral college (on the assumption that Gore would win the electoral college but lose the popular vote). This sent me on a 20-year quest to find and reconstruct the circumstances around historically significant undelivered speeches. In total, there are 15 chapters covering about 20 speeches. In each chapter, I recreate the moment in history where an alternate outcome was so likely that a speech was drafted to account for it, share the (often unseen) speech, and describe a little bit of what the speech demonstrated about the speechwriting process and leadership more broadly.”

Rebecca Bonanno joined her father Richard Bonanno ’68 on the board of directors of Transitional Services of New York for Long Island and Haven House/Bridges, joint organizations that provide supportive housing to adults and families. Richard has served on the board since 1978. He retired from family medical practice in 2020. Rebecca is an associate professor of human services at SUNY Empire State College and is serving as student mental health faculty fellow.

The Jewish Insider reported that Ludovic Hood ’96, a 16-year Foreign Service official, serves as senior advisor in the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. As a non-Jewish diplomat who has served in the Middle East and on Middle East issues, he is focused on working with Arab countries on education around antisemitism, Judaism, and the Holocaust.

Brian Wilson sends warm greetings to his classmates, along with the news that he and team won the Emmy for Best Documentary Writing for their work on The Story of Plastic, a feature documentary addressing the global plastic crisis, which aired on the Discovery Channel. The film is notable for its focus on the fracking boom as a cause of the plastic crisis, for emphasizing the harmful upstream effects of plastic production along with the more commonly highlighted downstream effects, and for calling for a circular, reuse economy as the solution. Key to Brian’s contribution were the compassion, analytical skills, and writing ability that Brown instilled.

Natasha Warikoo published Race at the Top: Asian Americans and Whites in Pursuit of the American Dream in Suburban Schools in May 2022 with the University of Chicago Press. “The book addresses the impact of Asian American youth’s academic success on ethnic assimilation. The findings are based on research in a well-off suburban community with a large and growing Asian American population.”

Caty Burgess and Anna Joy Springer ’02 MFA were married in Las Vegas on April 3 in a surprise ceremony best described (in the words of the immortal Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick) as “kinda subversive, kinda hegemonic.” The couple splits their time between Los Angeles (where Caty is a television exec) and San Diego (where Anna Joy is an associate professor of creative writing at UCSD).

Jenny Perlin’s feature documentary film Bunker (2021) opened the Museum of Modern Art’s 2022 Doc Fortnight Film Festival. The film has also played at the Museum of the Moving Image’s “First Look/Science on Screen” festival, the Indie Memphis Festival, and others. Bunker investigates the lonely lives of American men who have decided to live in decommissioned military bunkers and nuclear missile silos, and follows the process of building and selling these structures to the wealthy and not-so-wealthy alike. Jenny Perlin makes 16mm films, videos, and animations. Her films incorporate stylistic techniques to emphasize issues of truth, misunderstanding, and personal history, and all her projects look closely at ways in which social machinations are reflected in the fragments of daily life. Her work has been shown in numerous exhibitions and film festivals, including at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, the New York Film Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, and the Rotterdam Film Festival.

Gareth Cook founded the Verto Literary Group, an editorial consulting studio that works with book authors, agents, and publishers. Recent projects include the New York Times bestselling How Civil Wars Start and An Ugly Truth, which is being adapted into an upcoming HBO series, “Doomsday Machine,” starring Claire Foy as Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. You can learn more at www.vertoliterary.com or write to Gareth at gareth@vertoliterary.com.

Rob Kagan writes: “I published my memoir, Noah’s Rejects: A cautionary tale about life on an island paradise. It is the story of trying to live year-round on Chappaquiddick amongst so much beauty and so much dysfunction. The themes discussed in the book include housing (summer people have purchased all the housing so workers are living in the woods in tents to survive), COVID (which pushed summer people to live on the island year round, which changed the vibe and benefits of the off season for locals), bad behavior being normalized on the islands as there is nowhere else to go for a workforce, class struggle, and being an entrepreneur on the island. Here is my website for more information about the book: https://noahsrejects.com/. The book is available on Amazon.”

Paul Heck writes: “My wife and I are moving to Stuttgart, Germany, for her work at Hugo Boss. I’ll be traveling back and forth for my work as a video producer. Give us a shout if you’re in Stuttgart or Baden-Württemberg.”

Veteran data privacy lawyer Dominique Shelton Leipzig has joined Mayer Brown as a partner in the cybersecurity and data privacy practice in Los Angeles, continuing Mayer Brown’s West Coast expansion. Dominique will serve as the lead for Global Data Innovation, as well as Ad Tech Privacy and Data Management. She is one of the country’s top privacy and data lawyers, and her considerable experience helps clients navigate the evolving legal compliance issues related to privacy and data security for their digital data initiatives. She joins from Perkins Coie, where she held several leadership roles. She is the cofounder and co-CEO of NxtWork, a nonprofit dedicated to diversifying the C-suite and the boardroom. She was recently appointed to the Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence’s Risk and Cybersecurity Insights Council and is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals board. Her landmark book on the CCPA is about to publish a new edition, and she pioneered the concept of data as a pre-tangible asset in what she calls “our post-data world.”

Merriam Sarcia Saunders writes: “My fourth book, Mindfulness Meditations for ADHD (Rockridge) was published. This is my first adult nonfiction following three books for young readers: Trouble with a Tiny T (Capstone), My Whirling, Twirling Motor (Magination Press), and My Wandering, Dreaming Mind (Magination Press)—all featuring characters with ADHD, which is my speciality as a psychotherapist. A fifth book, A CBT Workbook for Negative Emotions, releases fall ’22 and I feel so lucky that someone seems to want to read what I write. Between patients and writing, I fit in a side gig as adjunct professor in the graduate counseling psychology program at Dominican University teaching psychopathology and law and ethics, and hope I’m not torturing the students.”

The late Leon Haley ’86 will be honored with the construction of a new state-of-the-art, Level I trauma center at University of Florida Health named in his memory. Dr. Haley, who served as CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and dean of the UF College of Medicine, died in July 2021 in a jet ski accident (see “Healthcare Hero,” in the April-May ’22 issue of BAM).

Michael Justin Lee writes: “Based on their review of my music and my credentials, the Country Music Association has accepted me as a member. The CMA is the home of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the CMA Awards, which for Country music is what the Oscars are for movies. I will have full voting rights for the CMA Awards. I’m sure I can assume that I’m the first ever CMA member who was born in Hong Kong, and my journey to Nashville (not literally) started only two years ago, when I was 55 years old. I also learned that I was accepted for membership in the Gospel Music Association on the basis of my Christmas album last year, just a few weeks after I was accepted for membership in the Country Music Association. After Brown and New York University grad school, I embarked upon a gratifying career in institutional finance, becoming a chartered financial analyst before transitioning to academia. I then taught finance at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins, among other schools, before the University of Maryland, where I won the Distinguished Teaching Award. But when I turned 50, long unfulfilled artistic dreams returned to me. I wrote, produced, and directed modernized cinematic interpretations of the Biblical story of Salomé and the ancient Euripidean tragedy Medea,  as well as the ancient Sophoclean tragedy Antigone and the historical story of Joan of Arc. I subsequently created a country music band: Homeland Hope. Our first album, entitled Christmas Peace, contained 15 original Christmas songs. It commenced streaming on November 1, 2021. Our second album, entitled Life is Tough (But I’m a Whole Lot Tougher) was released on January 1, 2022. Then I was accepted for membership in the Songwriters Guild of America and the Society of Composers and Lyricists, and to the CMA. I now join only a handful of Asian people in the country music scene. But here’s the kicker: I majored in East Asian Studies at Brown and aspired to become a Foreign Service Officer at matriculation.”

Rick Gilmore writes: “This summer I celebrated 25 years of teaching and research at Penn State. The data-sharing repository that I cofounded with a colleague at New York University a decade ago (Databrary.org) now has 2,100 research members from almost 700 institutions across the globe. Databrary provides a resource for scientists who embrace open science practices in their research and seek a home for sharing video, audio, and other sensitive data and materials. I was elected judge of elections for my local precinct. I enjoy a variety of activities in amateur (ham) radio. Fellow or aspiring hams are welcome to say hello (my callsign is K3ROG) as are classmates traveling through Happy Valley.”

Anne Skomorowsky’s book, The Carriers: What the Fragile X Gene Reveals About Family, Heredity, and Scientific Discovery, was published on May 3 with Columbia University Press.

Washington Magazine released its list of Tech Titans 2022, the 225 most important and innovative leaders in Washington’s digital economy. Among the honorees were: David Cicilline ’83, chair of the antitrust subcommittee, U.S. House of Representatives; Catherine Marsh ’82, ’87 PhD, director, Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity; Tobin Moore ’04, cofounder and CEO, Optoro; Stefanie Tompkins ’93 ScM, ’97 PhD director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; and Adam Vitarello ’05, cofounder and president, Optoro.

Kathleen Sullivan and David Shorr met at a professional association conference a few years ago. They have since teamed up on several policy-related projects, including a 2021 evaluation of the Ford Foundation’s immigrant rights portfolio. Having been at Brown at the same time, they were surprised to have only one Brunonian friend in common. They were not surprised that it’s Bob Walsh.

Richard Paik writes: “I am pleased to announce the release of my debut novel, A Thing or Two About the Game (Atmosphere Press). The plot centers around Brad, a smart, idealistic, and unemployed man with a lifelong history of coming up short. When he reluctantly finds himself coaching a Little League girls’ softball team, Brad sets out to accomplish something. But even as he comes to understand and care about his players, the misaligned priorities and politics of rival coaches and intrusive parents echo the issues that he’s failed to deal with in his off-field life and career. Through a season of tears and cringe-worthy errors, of new skills and confidence gained, a man and a group of 11- and 12-year-old girls learn a thing or two about a game. More information is available online at richardpaik.com.”

Susan Mills writes: “My debut novel, On the Wings of a Hummingbird, has been released. The book was inspired by my many years preparing asylum cases as an immigration attorney in South Providence. I was deeply moved, particularly by the Central American youth whose lives had been deeply affected by gangs and other rampant violence in their country.”

Chronicle of Philanthropy founder Stacy Palmer ’82 has announced that the publication, which reports on the American philanthropy sector, will become an independent nonprofit organization and will significantly expand its editorial staff. Chronicle of Philanthropy was founded in 1988 and since that time has been owned by the Chronicle of Higher Education, a private, for-profit company.

On March 23, the New York Times Book Review published David Shields’s “By the Book” column. His new book, The Very Last Interview, was published by New York Review Books on April 12. The book has been adapted by Rachel Kempf and Nick Toti into a film of the same name. David cowrote the feature film I’ll Show You Mine, which was produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, directed by Megan Griffiths, and premiered April 16 at the Seattle International Film Festival.

Bill Marinelli writes: “After a 39-year career with the company, I’ve been appointed president and CEO of Physical Sciences Inc., a 275-person company headquartered in Andover [Mass.], performing advanced technology development in the defense, aerospace, energy, and life sciences fields. In March, I was pleased to be a Brown chemistry distinguished alumni speaker discussing careers in non-academic chemistry for Brown graduates. We continue to support internships in a broad range of fields and invite applicants for positions.”

Richard Brust writes: “I was awarded a PhD in American history from the University of Florida this spring. It’s a nice addition to my work as legal affairs editor at the ABA Journal, where I wrote articles on the Supreme Court and legal history. My classmates who remember me as a struggling pre-med will probably be amused by this. It just shows that you’re never too old to find a new pathway.”

Richard Lazaroff, now retired from pediatric practice for six years, has released his second book, Illumination, this one is a piece of historical fiction taking place in South Haven, Michigan, once the “Catskills of the Midwest.” It is a four-generational story exploring the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of American Jews as they face the lure of assimilation and secular success, the pain of antisemitism, and the search for a spiritual grounding in the modern world.

As Vesuvio has changed from a classic San Francisco beatnik bar to a Bubba Gump-y tourist trap, Tony Lioce has been deemed too old to tend bar there anymore but has relocated successfully to a fabulous dive in the city’s Mission District with the totally appropriate name of Treat Street Cocktails. A shot and a beer costs seven bucks. Come see him and all his new friends at the corner of Treat and 24th; he’s working Saturdays and Sundays.

Sally Kusnitz Horn writes: “It is with the greatest of pleasure that we announce the establishment of the Pembroke Emergency Gap Fund endowment. The fund was established following a series of email and Zoom discussions among a group of Pembroke ’68 members who have met almost weekly since the beginning of the pandemic. With assistance from the Brown Annual Fund and Brown Development offices, the group created an endowment to help current and prospective Brown women and those who identify as female, and provide a lasting legacy named for a piece of Brown history. Specifically, the endowment will help current and prospective Brown women and those who identify as female who might need a helping hand to reach their full potential; recognize Pembroke’s pivotal role in the lives of all the women who matriculated through Pembroke; and be an enduring memorial to Pembrokers in our class and in other classes. The endowment will supplement and complement other Brown endowed funds and the Brown Annual Fund, providing a new vehicle that should increase overall support to students. We urge all members of the Class of 1968—male and female—as well as those from other classes, and friends to join in supporting the Fund. To donate by credit card on the Brown website please list the Fund to which you are donating as Pembroke Emergency Gap Fund or contact Sally (s-horn@msn.com) or Shelley (shelleyfidler@gmail.com). You may also indicate on the online form if your gift is in memory or honor of someone. To donate by check or money order, please write Pembroke Emergency Gap Fund in the memo line and mail to Brown University, Gift Cashier, Box 1877, Providence, RI 02912. To make a gift via an IRA or Qualified Charitable Distribution, please contact Rebecca Zuck at rebecca_zuck@brown.edu. For any additional support on making your gift or ensuring Brown records properly whom the gift is from, please contact the Brown University Gift Accounting Office at gift_accounting@brown.edu or by phone: 401-863-3300.”

Shirley Smith writes: “I have been researching American history the old-fashioned way, through a century of family letters people chose to keep. Our family tree now includes two new grandkids and two new great-grandkids. Until they can be vaccinated for COVID, my husband and I are avoiding large crowds. Regrettably we missed our 55th reunion. Best wishes to all.”

Dean Pineless writes: “After retiring from the Vermont trial bench in 2005, I was actively involved in international rule of law work. A memoir of my experiences titled A Judicial Odyssey: From Vermont to Russia, Kazakhstan and Georgia, Then on to War Crimes and Organ Trafficking in Kosovo, is available from Rootstock Publishers in Montpelier [Vt.] and Amazon. I am also a regular contributor to Balkan Insight, an online media outlet that publishes throughout the Balkans. I live with my wife Kristina in Stowe [Vt.], and—as I’m fortunate to be healthy—I take full advantage of everything Stowe has to offer, including skiing, biking, running, golf, eating, and drinking Vermont’s fabulous craft beers. Our daughter, son-in-law, and 5-year-old granddaughter live nearby. I consider myself a very lucky man.”

Dale Richard Perelman completed his ninth book, Death at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, a true crime history of the serial killers, mysterious happenings and suicides for which the Cecil is famous.

Sally Robbins Bilder writes: “After graduating with an AB as an English Literature major, I went to Washington, D.C., to work as an intern for the U.S. Treasury Department, subsequently working for President Kennedy’s Head Start Program. There I met my husband, Richard Bilder, who was a lawyer with the U.S. State Department. In 1965, we moved to Madison [Wis.], where he has since been a professor of International Law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. We have been married for 57 years. I have been involved in a number of different jobs and activities since then—as an assistant to several Wisconsin governors and their aides; working with the nuclear disarmament movement; working with university faculty organizations; serving on the board of directors of Wisconsin Public Radio and as a member and later chair of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board; and serving on the board of directors of Friends of the University of Wisconsin Gardens. In addition, I have obtained a master’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in art education. I have likewise kept busy with my hobbies of gardening and oil painting, including holding several exhibits of my artwork. Richard and I have four children: Mary, a law professor at Boston College Law School; Anne, a lawyer for the University of Wisconsin-Madison; David, a professor of molecular biology at UC Berkeley; and Deborah, a producer at the Philadelphia Public Broadcasting station. In addition, we have ten grandchildren. I remember my years at Pembroke fondly, particularly my dear friends Dottie Pierce McSweeny and Pattie Percy Koshel, who I still occasionally see. I still treasure a Providence newspaper picture of myself and my two sisters, Kay (Katherine Robbins Frost ’64) and Nancy (Nancy Robbins DeLorenzo ’65), showing the three of us attending Pembroke at the same time. I send my very best wishes to all of my classmates.”

Paul Schaffer writes: “I very much enjoyed seeing old friends at our 60th reunion, and I have been pleased to follow BAM postings of ’58 classmates, old friends and new. Some brought sad news, but most were happy and upbeat, and all reminded me of my Brown years, and the friendships that were made. I am pleased that I am in frequent contact with Bernie Asher, my freshman roommate. As for me, I’m still active in the art business in New York City and my artist wife, Betty, and I, are about to celebrate our 62nd wedding anniversary. Our son Mark, despite his PhD in molecular genetics (Harvard, Berkeley, Weizmann), is active in our business, and our daughter, Cathy Schaffer ’86 (applied math, Columbia MBA), formerly in the financial side of the medical field, is actively raising our grandchildren, while continuing to use her business skills.”

Everett Pizzuti and his wife have five sons and are the grandparents of eight (ages 6 to 27). They are “upsizing,” moving into a 7700 sq. foot home, which includes an in-law apartment for their bachelor son. They are still quite mobile and like to “travel, gamble at casinos, go out to dinner, cook, grill on the deck, and make pizza from scratch in our wood fired Italian pizza oven. And so [we] keep very busy and stay young.”

James Rich Jr. writes that he last contributed to Classes five years ago. Since then he reports that he has given up flying his twin engine Cessna. However, he notes happily that the plane “still resides in the family. My son, James Rich III ’01, is the new owner and the airplane is now based in Boulder, Colorado. He, his wife, and three children ages 8, 6, and 4, now fly to Colorado ski areas.” Jim learned to fly with the Brown Flying Club, as did his son, James, who has had the plane refurbished and flies it to Little Compton (R.I.) each summer to vacation.

In February, Lois Hammersberg Lowry’s newest book, The Windeby Puzzle, was published by HarperCollins. She writes: “It is an anthropological mystery of sorts, set in the first century and written when I was in quarantine and was able to spend my time on research. I also spent my pandemic time talking by Zoom to classrooms around the world: Turkey, Romania, Kathmandu, Iran, Korea, Brazil, Japan….so many others. And it was heartening to find that wherever they are, whatever their culture and language, teenagers care about, worry about— and yearn to fix—the same things in this troubled world.”

Jerry Levine writes: “In February and early March, I underwent cataract removal and new lens implants in each eye leading to amazing improvement. This operation is commonplace for people in our age group, but how many of us can claim that it was done by a Brown alumnus? In this case, Edward Lai ’97, a senior surgeon in the department of ophthalmology at the Weill Cornell Division of NY-Presbyterian Hospital.”

David Clough writes: “As a happy member of the Class of 1958, I hit 90 in November. During the past few years I have self-published a half dozen books featuring my life as a watercolorist. In Maine, where I have lived with Janet, my wife of nearly 40 years, I also walked a sober life for nearly 50 years.”

Class secretary Jill Hirst Scobie reports: “Our copresidents Jim Moody ’65 ScM and Jane Bertram Miluski ask you all to mark your calendars for May 26-28, 2023, for our 65th reunion. Let’s show them ‘Who’s Still Great?….58!!’ And here’s another reminder, how to get to our engaging Class of ’58 Newsletter: contact Brown58newsletter@gmail.com. You’ll be glad you did.”

The Harris County Medical Society and the Houston Academy of Medicine named Augustus White the winner of the John P. McGovern Compleat Physician Award during the groups’ Installation of Officers & Leadership Recognition ceremony held Feb. 25. The annual national award recognizes the physician who embodies the ideals of Sir William Osler: medical excellence, humane and ethical care, commitment to medical humanities and writing, research, and harmony between the academic and medical practitioner. Dr. White’s commitment to excellence is demonstrated by his continued contributions to the field of orthopedics. Throughout his more than 60-year career, he has excelled as a teacher, mentor, and humanitarian caregiver. His focus has been on humanitarian patient care and concern for social justice, including writing several books highlighting disparities in healthcare. In July 2020, Boston’s Augustus A. White III Institute for Healthcare Equity was established with the mission of ensuring “equitable care to minority communities through communicating and mobilizing best practices across the healthcare ecosystem.”

Carol “Cally” Orkin Agate writes: “After 35 years of living in California and 21 of those years working as an administrative law judge, I retired at 74 and moved to Cambridge, Mass., to be near my daughter and live in cohousing. I was sorry we missed our 65th reunion, but did join the virtual one held in 2021. There Leslie Dolby Schwam and I reconnected. We enjoyed the opportunity to get reacquainted after so many years, but were disappointed that no other classmates joined our virtual table in the ‘ballroom’ of the reunion. In March, we got together in person when I spent a month in Florida, where Leslie lives in Boca Raton. She says she would love to hear from classmates in Palm Beach.”