The Classes

Bernard Gluckstern ’91 AM established the Center for The Preservation of American Democracy on Sept. 6, with a mission of protecting the American electoral process. He calls on tech CEOs, especially, to devote resources and technology toward the urgent task of updating and protecting voting software before the next presidential election. He writes that tech leaders should hold a summit to “devise a strategic paradigm that is adequate to this task and then to ensure its deployment throughout the United States prior to the 2020 election.” For more information visit preserveamericandemocracy.com.

Christopher Hewitt ’65 AM, ’70 PhD, had his book Catching Terrorists in America: From Martin Luther King Jr.’s Murder to the Boston Marathon Bombing published in 2019. He writes that this will be his last book as he spends most of his free time playing with his four-year-old granddaughter. Contact him at hewitt@umbc.edu.

Julia Gibson’s first collection of poetry, Two Doors, is available for pre-order at claresongbirdspub.com/new-voices. Among other topics, the collection explores the vicissitudes of a long-term relationship started when she and her partner were both at Brown. Also an aerospace engineer, her personal site is at julia-gibson.com.  

Patrick Cox married his Perkins sweetheart, Nicole Peterson, on Aug. 2, in Brooklyn, N.Y. They were delighted to have several classmates attend, including his brother, Alex Cox ’08, and Jimmy “Sprinkles” Besancon ’15 ScM, Brian Drake, Richard Mosesso, Mariana Munera ’16, Jane Park ’15, Lena Parker-Duncan, Elizabeth Ruben ’16 MD, Sylvia Tomayko-Peters, Andrea Wister, and Sabrina Yu ’15.

Laura Curlin and Matt Nichols were married on Sept. 7 in San Francisco. The couple met during orientation at Brown in 2009 and got engaged on campus at their five-year reunion. They celebrated their nuptials with many friends from the class of 2013, exactly ten years after the day they met.

Lily Cohen writes: “After spending four years living in a cabin without running water, I mastered the art of the one pot meal and the one baby wipe shower. I have since completed over a year with indoor plumbing after moving for an employment opportunity to crash robots around the world. Unfortunately, Snuffles, my small corgi, got jealous of my frequent travel with the robotic dogs so I went back to school. You can contact me @lilyofthepingo.”

Andrea B. Korb married Greg Hardes in Maine on August 25. In attendance were Miriam Altman, Clare Barkeley Berman, Doug Berman ’09, Steve Daniels ’09, Jadie DeTolla, Sophie Elgort, Cyprian Kibuka, Richard Korb ’73, Mariana Lee ’06, Jordan Middendorf, Alejandra Piers-Torres, Chloe Southern ’10, Meredith Woodhouse and Yeye Zhang. 

Linnea Anderson Drew has begun her annual campaign to bring awareness and knowledge to her immediate neighbor.

Amy Baxter Bailey continues construction of a division of space against neighbors and unwanted trespassers.

Natalie Hewitt upgraded to 50 more square feet in her apartment and found an unused coffee press.

Megan Denault married Greg Costigan at Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, R.I. on July 6. In attendance were fellow Brunonians Sarina Chernock, Michelle Denault ’01, Lydia Hamilton, Michael Keefrider ’04, Carrie Petri Meatto, Chris Meatto ’06, Dara Mendelsohn, and Matthew Weaver ’02.

Matt Kozar married Noelle Bucellato on Aug. 18 at St. Joseph’s Church in Somers, N.Y., with a reception at Le Chateau in South Salem, N.Y. Matt writes: “We celebrated with friends and family, including our Brown family, Paul Berry ’07, Neil Rajan ’07, Steven Stacey ’07, who were groomsmen; and Saul McDonald flew across the country from California to join the festivities. Noelle and I live in the suburbs of New York City. She works in the compliance department at BNP Paribas, a French bank. I work at the Mount Sinai Health System, where I handle press, communications, and media relations. I’ve also continued news reporting on a part-time basis. I file stories on the weekend for WCBS-TV in New York City. If you’re in the area, let us know. We’d love to catch up.”

Nadiem A. Makarim ’06 was named by Indonesian President Joko Widodo as the country’s new Minister of Education and Culture. Nadiem, cofounder of ride-hailing and payments firm Gojek, stepped down from his CEO position of Gojeck to accept this role.

Alida Kinney McGlone and Patrick McGlone, along with their daughter Marin, announce the Sept. 21 birth of baby brother Thomas. Alida writes: “He surprised the family by arriving five weeks early and while the family was away on vacation at Myrtle Beach, but everyone is doing well now.”

Katy Flynn-O’Brien married Morgan Doocy, whom she met when doing her general surgery residency at the University of Washington. They were married in Seattle, with Caroline Carney Hayes, Jessica Brown Bailey, and Kristina Casadei in attendance. Katy and Morgan live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Katy is completing her pediatric surgery fellowship. Contact Katy at kflynnobrien@gmail.com.

After a 12-year partnership and the birth of their two sons, Brooke Stevens and Till Wirth (’07 NYU, ’12 Oxford) were married in Oxford, England on August 9, where they completed their MBAs together in 2012. In attendance were bridesmaids Frances Betancourt, Erika Faires ’04 and Ellen Goldstein ’04, all former Brown women’s crew teammates. They were also joined by Alex Agloro ’05, Luke Balleny ’06, Eric Heimark ’14, Andrew Keats ’04, Nicole Morris ’04 and Matt Salzler ’02. 

Frank Lesser’s short-form animated series, You’re Not a Monster, premiered on IMDb TV in October. He writes: “It’s 10 episodes, each around four or five minutes long, and it stars Kelsey Grammer, Eric Stonestreet (Cam on Modern Family), and Aparna Nancherla, as well as guest actors Ellie Kemper, Amy Sedaris, Patton Oswalt, Adam Pally, and more.”

Lila Rose Kaplan’s play, We All Fall Down, played at the Huntington Theatre in January, directed by Melia Bensussen ’84.

Kali Wallace’s science fiction thriller Salvation Day is being developed as a movie. Producer Ben Forkner and screenwriter Karl Gajdusek are adapting the novel for Entertainment One. Salvation Day tells the story of a group of people trapped aboard an abandoned spaceship with a dangerous and mysterious virus.

Rick Jaime-Bettan and his husband Gabe Jaime-Bettan announce the Feb. 15, 2019 birth of their son, Xander Noah Jaime-Bettan. The family moved from Manhattan to Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. and would love to connect with Brown alumni, particularly any other LGBT families in Westchester.

Elizabeth Alsop announces the publication of her book, Making Conversation in Modernist Fiction, by Ohio State Univ. Press.

Cindy Limawararut Gunja writes: “My husband, Mushtaq Gunja, appeared as a contestant on Jeopardy! on October 24. I posted to the Brown class of 2000 Facebook group, too. Mushtaq makes this the third Brown ’00 alum to compete on Jeopardy! in the last year, joining Adam F. Watkins and Cristina Somolinos Morales. Exciting times! We’re both looking forward to our 20th reunion this May.”

Rachel Roegman’s first book, Equity Visits: A New Approach to Supporting Equity-Focused School and District Leadership, was published on September 17. She writes: “This book is intended to be a resource for professional learning communities at the school and district level; for district and school level leaders who are engaged in the implementation of an equity-focused agenda; and as a resource for schools of education invested in preparing leaders in traditional and non-traditional preparation programs.”

Sushma Joshi’s exhibition of paintings about the Nepal earthquake in the group exhibit The Art of Resilience opened at the World Bank in October and runs through January.

Catherine Kai-Ping Lin’s book Sports and Foreign Policy in Taiwan: Nationalism in International Politics, was published in September 2019 by Academica Press.

Sarah Abrevaya Stein, professor of history and Maurice Amado Chair at UCLA, announces the publication of her ninth book, Family Papers: a Sephardic Journey Through the Twentieth Century (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2019).  Contact Sarah at sarahastein.com or @sarahastein.

Courtney Wilson writes that Didier Jean-Baptiste, Ruta Brickus, Joan Gelin, Elena Gerli, John Kim, Jeff Snow, and Jonathan Steinberg attended the Reunion Summit during the 2020 Alumni Fall Weekend.

Adam Komisarof was voted the next president of the International Academy for Intercultural Research, a global academic association composed of scholars dedicated to the understanding and improvement of intercultural relations through social science research. Contact him at komisarof.adam@gmail.com. 

“I’m at the Big House! After dropping my oldest daughter Sara off in Nashville to launch her music career, I headed to Ann Arbor to visit my other daughters, Liv ’21 and Mary ’23, at the University of Michigan.”

Ellen Taschioglou Parsons writes: “Get ready to celebrate our 35th reunion on May 22-24, 2020. Find the latest info and updates by logging onto our class website on Brunonia (brunonia.brown.edu) or by joining our Class of ’85 group on Facebook and LinkedIn. If all else fails, just reach out to me directly at ellenparsons@gmail.com.”

We All Fall Down, a play by Lila Rose Kaplan’s ’02, played at the Huntington Theatre in January, directed by Melia Bensussen.

Calastone, a global funds network, appointed Dan Kramer vice chairman to lead their American expansion.

Harry Holt writes: “On Oct. 3, the company I work for, BITHGROUPTechnologies, was recognized as one of the Top 100 Minority Business Enterprises for 2019 by the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council. We also received an award for being the Supplier of the Year in the Class 3 category business with sales between $10-$50 million. I am the vice president of operations. Another alum, Tina Patterson ’85, was also recognized at this event. Her company, Jade Solutions, LLC, was also selected as a Top 100 MBE winner by the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council. Tina is a principal at Jade Solutions, a woman-owned, minority-owned business.”

John J. Sullivan ’81, Deputy Secretary of State, was also nominated by President Donald Trump to be the U.S. Ambassador to Russia.  

Laila Mehdi writes: “We now have two Brown grads in our house. It was a blast marching in the alumni procession for my son Jack Hilfinger’s ’19 graduation in May. Jack concentrated in computer science and economics. I have been living outside Seattle with my family since 1996. I am a member of the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra and teach private violin and viola lessons.”

Brian T. Moynihan ’81, CEO of Bank of America, hosted this year’s Latino Corporate Directors Association Convening in New York. Launched in October 2016, LCDA’s inaugural convening has become the most prominent gathering of U.S. Latinos at the highest levels of corporate leadership.The event brings more than 130 CEOs and C-suite executives to discuss boardroom issues, particularly the business case for board diversity and inclusion. Three corporations that have two or more U.S. Latinos on their boards received awards, including Regional Management Corp., where Peter Knitzer ’80 serves as president and CEO.

David Shields’s film Lynch: A History, a documentary about retired NFL star Marshawn Lynch’s use of silence as a form of protest, appeared in the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam, “the premier documentary film festival in the world.”

Leora R. Levy ’78 was nominated by President Donald Trump to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Chile. She currently serves as the Republican National committeewoman for the State of Connecticut and previously was finance chair of the Connecticut Republican Party.

Rhonda Port Walker reports: “Our 45th reunion is just around the corner! Start planning now to join your 1975 classmates in the festivities May 22-24, 2020. All reunion communications will be electronic so be sure to visit alumni.brown.edu to update your email address. As reunion weekend activities are finalized, information will be posted on our class website and Facebook page (both can be accessed through the alumni website—Community/Classes).”

Mike “Mendy” Sobol writes: “I released my second speculative novel, Virtual Fire, on July 1. The book’s opening chapters take place during the height of the Vietnam War protests on the campus of a fictional university based on Brown. Special thanks and a shout-out to Brown archivist Raymond Butti, who helped with my research and provided me with copies of the BAM from the fateful month of May 1970. My 2015 novel, The Speed of Darkness—A Tale of Space, Time, and Aliens Who LOVE to Party! features a hockey-playing, space-faring Brown University professor. I hope that somewhere in an English department in the sky, my creative writing teacher, author John Hawkes, and my beloved classmate, author, attorney, and thoroughbred racehorse trainer Cary Robertson ’70, are smiling.”

“I hope that somewhere in an English department in the sky, my creative writing teacher, author Jack Hawkes, and my beloved classmate, author, attorney, and thoroughbred racehorse trainer Cary Robertson ’70, are smiling.

 

Class vice president of communications, Geri Williams, writes to remind you that the 50th reunion is coming up May 22-24, 2020. “The Reunion Committee, chaired by Carole Collins and John Salinger, has already been meeting to plan fun and interesting events and ensure that our treasury is able to subsidize costs to make the reunion affordable for all. If you prefer hotel accommodations you should make reservations now, as most Providence hotels are already fully booked. Dorm rooms are guaranteed for all our classmates, but cost and location have not yet been determined. Our class webmaster, Denny Arar ’71 AM, will be posting classmate notes and reunion information updates on our class website sites.google.com/a/brown.edu/brown-class-of-1970 and on our Facebook page, which is only open to classmates. It’s easy to sign up: type ‘Brown University Class of 1970’ into the Facebook search bar, and ask to join the group. You can also send a note about yourself for the next class email newsletter to me at geri3williams@comcast.net. Since reunion registration and all updates and other information will only be communicated by email, it is important that Brown has your correct email address. To make sure you never miss an update about reunion or other activities, take a moment to check that your alumni profile is accurate at brown.edu/go/profile-contact. Need help? Email  alumni_help@brown.edu  or call (401) 863-9662. Hope to see you at Reunion in May.”

Class president Jack Renshaw writes: “On behalf of all of the class of 1970 I want to thank all of our classmates serving on both the Class Reunion Activities Committee and those on the Class Gift Committee for their hard work preparing for our upcoming 50th reunion in May. With all of the energy being put into these preparations I am confident that this reunion will be setting records. One goal we are working hard to ensure is that this reunion will be the most fun ever! Another goal is to set a record for our Class Gift to the Annual Fund, and we can do that if we all try to achieve a personal best in our individual gifts. It is largely because of our giving to the Annual Fund that Brown has become the extraordinary educational institution it is today. Please also be aware that in the near future we will all be receiving an email with instructions about how to participate in our 50th Reunion Yearbook. This document will be a fun way to connect with other classmates both to share what we have been doing, as well as to learn what others have been doing over the past 50 years. Let’s try to get 100 percent participation. I know it has been requested previously, but please be sure that the Alumni Office has your up-to-date email address. Virtually all class communications, including the invitation to register for the reunion, will be coming BY EMAIL ONLY so if Brown does not have your current email address you will unfortunately miss out. Thanks very much…and I will be looking forward to seeing everyone in Providence May 22-24, 2020.”

On October 26, the Brown University Corporation dedicated a memorial to Trustee Ken McDaniel. The memorial is an engraved concrete block lining a brick walkway in the Maddock Alumni Center gardens. Ken died on June 11, 2019, just 16 days after celebrating his 50th class reunion (See Farewell, BAM Obituaries, September/October). Following the dedication, the Class of 1969 presented a 154-page book created and published by his classmate Thelma Austin. The title is A Faithful Servant: Biographical Tribute to Kenneth Harrison McDaniel, 1947-2019. In addition to his biographical summary, the book features 24 tributes. Tributes were from President Christina Paxson and seven current and emeriti trustees, including Bernicestine McLeod Bailey ’68, Harold Bailey ’70, Sheryl Grooms Brissett Chapman ’71, Spencer Crew ’71, Galen V. Henderson ’93 MD, Susan Adler Kaplan ’58, ’65 MAT, and Preston Tisdale ’73. Nine classmates who contributed were Linda Abbott Antonucci, Phyllis Cunningham-Hutson, Gail DeCosta, Ido Jamar ’74 ScM, ’77 PhD, Anderson Kurtz, class president Joseph Petteruti, Theodore Sherrod, Wesley Smith, and Randall Ward. Two other alumni also contributed: Glenn Dixon ’70 and Russell Malbrough ’98. Others who contributed were professor Françoise Hamlin, Reza Clifton, Paul Simas, Stanley Thompson, and Rev. Adam Young. Copies of the book were presented to President Christina Paxson; Ken’s wife, Susan McDaniel; and the John Hay Library. All alumni are encouraged to have their autobiographies and biographies archived in the John Hay Library.

Leo Plante and Richard Verney had a surprise mini-reunion at a reception commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Monadnock Paper Mills in Bennington, N.H. Monadnock is the oldest continuously operated paper mill in the U.S. It has been owned by the Verney family for two generations.

Jack and Kitty Walker Keane, along with Elissa and Bob Bernius; Joni and Bob Cohan; Mary and Richard Grant; and Alan ’67 and Janet McClendon Vaskas were participants on a Brown Travelers cruise in the Greek Islands in September. 

David Brodsky writes: “I am approaching my tenth year as a full-time arbitrator and mediator of complex commercial and financial disputes, acting out of my independent firm of Brodsky ADR LLC. Last May, I was elected as a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators (CCA) and I was inducted in October. See ccarbitrators.org. The CCA is a peer-selected group comprised of nationally and internationally recognized commercial arbitrators. Meanwhile, five members of the class of 1964 still meet monthly for lunch: Richard Fried, Philip Hahn, Jonathan Small, Larry Sorkin, and me.” 

Margaret Smith Skovira and her husband, Joe, enjoyed the Brown Travelers trip to Portugal in July. They live in Lexington, Va. She writes that she is looking forward to the 60th reunion.

James T. Johnson writes: “It’s about time for me to send in a summary update on myself. When I entered Brown in the fall of 1956 as the first of my family to go to college, I had no idea how Brown would open new worlds to me and help to shape the development of my life. Starting out in physics, I eventually got my degree in mathematics/economics and went on to pursue a PhD in religious ethics at Princeton. I embarked on a teaching career at Rutgers University, received several national grants, authored a number of books, and edited two scholarly journals. Mine has been a full, happy, and productive life, and I honor Brown for the experiences that got me started.” Contact James at jtj@scarletmail.rutgers.edu

Aaron Mendelson fully retired from Northwestern Mutual five years ago and has been involved in urban education in Springfield, Mass. In 2011 he was a founding trustee of Veritas Preparatory Charter School, in addition to working with a group of business leaders in Springfield to improve the district schools. Sadly, his wife of 59 years, Cyndy, passed away in early summer 2019, having suffered from Alzeheimer’s for nine years. He is now living in a retirement community in Longmeadow, Mass., where he is very active. He remains close to fellow classmates Jerry Moskowitz and Alan Weber, whom he visits in Mill Valley, Calif. He writes: “Thankfully my health is good and I am able to remain active and happy.”

Bob Sanchez continues to interview Brown applicants and represents Brown at “College Night” at Golden Gate High School. He writes many letters to the editor (Naples Daily News) and articles for the Pelican Bay Post and serves as president of both the Pelican Bay Property Owners Association (14,000 residents) and the Reserve Officers Association. After 10 years, he is turning over the presidency of the Brown Club but remains on the board. He leads Great Decisions seminars for the Council on World Affairs and serves on the Golden Apple Committee for Collier County, which recognizes outstanding teachers and awards grants to worthwhile schoolroom projects. He manages to play tennis and bridge three times a week.

Ellen Lowenstein Boschwitz completed a year-long yoga course and is now a certified yoga instructor and is teaching classes. Her husband of 63 years, former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz, remains deeply involved with his former Senate colleagues.

Class secretary Jill Hirst Scobie reports: “Once again, the old Angell House ‘Angells’ were lucky enough to gather for several days right after Labor Day at the Jersey shore (Beach Haven, Long Beach Island).  Joe and Jane Bertram Miluski were our warm and welcoming hosts. This was the first time that Betty Wolin Baer attended. Hooray for that!  Lois Dean was our photographer and videographer. Hooray for that! Coming from California, Judith Ann Perlin travelled the farthest distance. Hooray for that!  Roz Kennedy Johnson kept us in stitches. Hooray for that! And I write about it in the BAM. Dick Scobie (Dartmouth ’56) became an honorary Angell by entertaining us all with his beachside bagpiping. 

“On Alumni Weekend, Jim Furlong, John Reistrup, and I received the annual Alumni Service Award ‘by developing an exceptional communication strategy and digital plan…[they] have kept their class meaningfully connected.’  You’ll be glad to know that the interactive newsletter developed by John and Jim is ‘so popular, it is being included in the Brown University archive.’ Class co-presidents Sandy McFarland Taylor and Jim Moody, along with Jim’s wife Donna Moody, also attended. Highpoints of the evening were addresses by President Paxson and Spencer R. Crew ’71, a brilliant historian who is currently serving as the interim director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. There were several other ’58s in attendance, including Susan Adler Kaplan ’65 MAT, but, alas, we didn’t meet.”

J. Roy McKechnie ’55 writes: “Our 65th reunion now pends…actual dates are May 22-24, 2020. We hope to have a good turnout so if you plan to attend it’s vital that you make accommodation arrangements pronto! Those charged with reunion plans will confer shortly and you will be informed of their decisions. Also, if you would like to help please contact me at blmckechnie@msn.com. Although classmates requested seating on the hill, it will not be possible for us post filing under the Van Wickle Gates. If the walk down the hill is too strenuous you can return to campus if needed. Barbara and I continue to tend to the grandkids we came out here to help with (they’re doing splendidly, of course), and we have become more deeply involved in local doings than anticipated, and get out of town as frequently as possible. Our Puerto Vallarta hideaway is a blessing. Meanwhile, industrial-strength travel absorbs us. Last year’s key trip was Vietnam and Cambodia and this year’s, sans outright warfare, Israel/Jordan/Egypt. Blessings… and more later.”

Timothy J. Cooley ’99 PhD was elected president of the Society for Ethnomusicology in 2019. He succeeds Gregory Barz ’97 PhD. Cooley is professor of ethnomusicology at UC Santa Barbara and Barz is the director of the School of Music at Boston University. In addition, Cooley’s edited volume Cultural Sustainabilities: Music, Media, Language, Advocacy, was published this past spring by the University of Illinois Press. The volume pays homage to Brown emeritus professor of ethnomusicology, Jeff Todd Titon.

Thomas S. Harrington ’94 PhD has published the following titles over the past five years: A Citizen’s Democracy in Authoritarian Times: An American View on the Catalan Drive for Independence Valencia (University of Valencia Press, 2019); Una democràcia cívica en temps autoritaris: Apunts d’un nord-americà sobre el Procès sobiranista a Catalunya (Barcelona: Gregal, 2018); Public Intellectuals and Nation Building in the Iberian Peninsula 1900-1925: The Alchemy of Identity (Bucknell University Press, 2015); and Livin’ la Vida Barroca: American Culture in an Age of Imperial Orthodoxies (University of Valencia Press, 2014).

Eileen Angelini ’89 AM, ’93 PhD writes: “After an amazing year as the 2018-2019 Whichard Distinguished Visiting Professor in the humanities in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences in the department of foreign languages and literature at East Carolina University, I am thrilled to begin my new position as the associate dean of the School for Graduate Studies at SUNY Empire State College.”

Jane H. Hong ’06 AM published Opening the Gates to Asia: A Transpacific History of How America Repealed Asian Exclusion on Nov. 18 through UNC Press.

Olga Rocha and Peter Vail were married on Aug. 3 at Grace Episcopal Church in downtown Providence. Molly Lao officiated the nuptials with Stephen Albright, Brittany Fidalgo, Anthony Rivera ’14 and Zach Sosa serving in the bridal party. Fellow Brunonians Mahalia Clark ’15; Mariah Lohse ’14; Annam Nguyen ’12,’13 ScM; Grace Palmer; Brian Sokolow; and David Storch were also in attendance.
 

BBC Sports reported that Robert T. Farnham ’12 has been added to the Belfast Giants of Northern Ireland ice hockey roster for the 2019/2020 season. A power forward, he joins the Giants from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds having previously played in the NHL for the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Montreal Canadiens.  

Kevin Koopman and his wife, Devin, celebrated the April 3 birth of their son, Ky Benaldo Koopman. He joins the family with their daughter, Lael.
 

Andy Newton and Michael Bleicher published From the Campaign Trail or Thereabouts on September 12 with Humorist Books, an imprint of the Weekly Humorist.

Mark K. Ramadan ’08 is CEO of Hu Master Holdings, which includes the restaurant Hu Kitchen, as well as its growing chocolate and snack food division, Hu Products. Mark was previously cofounder of Sir Kensington’s, which he started with Scott W.H. Norton ’08, who serves as CEO of the company. Both alums were featured in “Niche Marketers” in the July/August 2008 BAM.

Julia Hazen married Zev Simpser on June 8. In attendance were Michelle Beaulieu, Sally Berman ’81, Kimbie Casten, Hillary Dixler, Dave Eichler ’09, Liz Berman Hazen ’76, Ned Hazen ’73, Lara Henneman ’07, Howell Jackson ’76, Nancy Leopold ’76, John Magladery ’73, Jordan Middendorf, Connie Berman Moore ’85, Nina Mozes, Stuart Schussel, and Jeff Wagner ’73.

To celebrate their clandestine 2014 Copenhagen City Hall wedding, Andrew Shield and Ib Tunby Gulbrandsen enjoyed merrymaking this summer in Copenhagen, Winchester (Mass.), Los Angeles, and Fredrikstad (Norway), with Thomas Bassett ’05, Zinzi Clemmons, Andrew Jacobs ’08, Michelle Joy, Nicholas Kennedy ’10, Madeleine Lipshie-Williams, and Michael Norris ’11.

Jessica Pearce Rotondi married Ravi Mody on May 26 at The Crane Estate in Ipswich, Mass. Jessica is an editor and writer in New York. Her first book about her family’s 36-year search to bring her missing uncle home from the CIA-led “Secret War” in Laos, inspired by Professor Elizabeth Taylor at Brown, will be published in April 2020 by Unnamed Press. What We Inherit chronicles her journey across Southeast Asia in the wake of her mother’s death, following a trail of declassified documents and maps that lead her to family secrets. Ravi is vice president of data at Daily Harvest. Jessica and Ravi met at a startup in Soho, where they decided to test firsthand what happens when you combine marketing and data. Jess thought it was strange but delightful that Ravi was always in the office kitchen when she was. Ravi heard the jingling bells of Jess’s dog, Lola, following her every move, so Ravi knew when it was time to snack. Their wedding was a three-day celebration combining Indian and Western traditions, including a blanket ceremony where they were draped with a quilt Jessica’s mother made her during her freshman year at Brown. In attendance were Lauren Anderson, Erikson Arcaira, Kate Johnston, Rahim Kassam-Adams ’09, David McNamee, Elizabeth Dickson McNamee, Stephanie Minor, Maggie Mustard, and Sam Rotondi ’69.

Evelyn Arana married Mario Chicas on June 21 in Fairview, N.J. Bridesmaids included Frinny Polanco Walters and Linda Paniagua ’12 MD. Guests included Sofia Bengoa ’09, Yu Kan Au, Beatriz Ryan-Lora, and Jose Lora. Evelyn and Mario are living in Hackensack, N.J.

Risa Puno writes: “I am a New York City-based interactive installation/sculpture artist, and I was chosen as the first ever emerging artist to work with Creative Time through their inaugural Open Call. My project, The Privilege of Escape, is an escape-room-inspired public art installation designed to address issues of privilege and social inequity. The write-up was featured on the cover of the New York Times arts section. The project was live in Manhattan until Aug. 18. I wanted to let you know how much my education at Brown helped shape my life and this work in particular. After all, I first learned about privilege when I visited Brown as a prefrosh for the very first time. A first year who lived on the same floor as my host handed me a copy of White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh. I am Filipina and grew up in Kentucky, so that essay exploded my world view in the best way. I started at Brown as part of PLME, but I ended up falling in love with art and it really helped me find my voice. Brown fostered my natural curiosity and instilled in me a sense of social responsibility. I’ll never forget that one of the deans when I was there had a quote in her email signature: ‘Harvard grads rule the world; Brown grads change it.’ I hope to do my small part in keeping that legacy ever true.”

Gregory Cooper was appointed the dean of studies at the Ransom Everglades School in Miami. Gregory writes: “I moved down to Miami about 10 years ago, recruited by a friend who also taught at Ransom Everglades. I thought it would be a nice change of scenery for a year or two before I moved back to the Northeast, but here I still am, enjoying the perpetual sunshine. In addition to heading up the school’s academic program, I also teach U.S. Government, Comparative Government, Criminal Justice, and a class on 9/11—which makes a bit of cosmic sense, given that my first day ever as a teacher was 9/12/01.”

Jesse Rissman married Sara Wilson on May 25 in Topanga, Calif. Jesse continues to teach and direct a memory research lab at UCLA, where he was promoted to associate professor of psychology and psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences. His wife, Sara, is the founder of SW Projects, a content and digital strategy consultancy. They reside in Culver City with Jesse’s two boys Mateo, 11, and Joaquin, 8. Contact Jesse at rissman@gmail.com.

Farooq Ahmed writes: “My novel Kansastan, which was published this fall, has received advance praise from Ben Marcus ’91 MFA who said: ‘Holy shit, we are definitely not in Kansas anymore. And Farooq Ahmed is like no novelist this world has seen. Brutally funny and disruptive, Kansastan is a work of alternative history that finally seems more true, more real, and more painfully strange and sad, than the world it replaces.’”

After serving for 15 years on the faculty at the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Shira Epstein will become the first female dean of the school. Shira writes: “I’m in my 25th year as a New York City dweller and have lived for the past decade with my son in Harlem.”

Mary Lynn “ML” Banchoff is living in Austin, Tex., and works internationally as an independently contracted facilitator and workshop-designer, “all while still dreaming she doesn’t have enough credits to graduate.” Contact Mary at BanchoffML@gmail.com.
 

Katrina Smith Korfmacher published Bridging Silos (MIT Press) in August.

Maxim D. Shrayer published A Russian Immigrant on Sept. 16 with Cherry Orchard Books.

Joe Sadusky published Magic Lessons: Celebratory and Cautionary Tales about Life as a (Single, Gay, Transracially Adoptive) Dad, through Lulu Press. In it he shares stories and reflections about family life as a single, gay, white man with adopted black sons. Joe writes: “It humorously but honestly details my experiences of being amazed, aggravated, exasperated, and awed by my kids and others in the family journey. By revealing lessons learned about being ‘other,’ as well as my own parenting mistakes, Magic Lessons provides a guide for anyone who is part of, or considering, an alternative family structure. It is available in eBook and paperback format from jmswordsmith.com.”

John Tiedemann writes: “After a painful breakup in 2014, I decided it was time for some major changes, so after 18 years I sold my Greenwich Village nightclub and started work for The Ali Forney Center as a residential youth counselor at a group home for homeless LGBTQ youth. Fast forward to May 2018 and I graduated from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College with a master’s in social work. Upon graduation, I have continued working weekends at Ali Forney while also working part-time as a mental health and substance abuse counselor at New Alternatives for LGBT Homeless Youth.

Benjamin Filene edited Tobe: A Critical Edition: New Views on a Children’s Classic, which was published by UNC Press in October.

Mark Koumans ’86, deputy director of U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, delivered congratulatory remarks to new U.S. citizens at a ceremony aboard the USS Constitution in Boston. Between July 1 and July 5, an estimated 7,500 new citizens were welcomed in nearly 110 naturalization ceremonies across the country as reported by the USCIS.

Andrew Blauner writes: “My seventh anthology, which is called The Peanuts Papers: Writers and Cartoonists on Charlie Brown, Snoopy & the Gang, and the Meaning of Life was published by the August Library of America on October 22, and features contributions by many others with school ties, including: Lisa Birnbach ’78, David Kamp ’89, Peter Kramer, and Rick Moody ’83.

Eric J. Gertler ’85 was appointed president and CEO of New York State’s economic development agency, Empire State Development, on Sept. 3. At the time of his nomination he was executive chairman of U.S. News & World Report and had been on the board of ESD since June 2018. He previously worked as copublisher of the New York Daily News from 2015 to 2017.

David Shields’s film Lynch: A History, a kaleidoscopic documentary about Marshawn Lynch’s use of silence as a form of protest, was released on August 1 on Amazon, AppleTV, Google Play, and Vimeo. In his rave review in the New Yorker, Hua Hsu wrote, “The film’s relentless rhythm overwhelms and overpowers you. Random acts of terror, across time and space, reveal a pattern. It’s a gradient of American carnage.”

Elizabeth D. Schrero, a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and national cochair of the Real Estate Litigation Group Inc., was recognized in the 2020 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for real estate litigation.

Stephen Buchwald writes: “2019 was a big year for the Buchwald-Haber household. Our son, Nathan Haber Buchwald ’19, graduated from Brown with a degree in chemistry. I was the recipient of several major awards, including the Roger Adams Award from the American Chemical Society and the Wolf Prize in chemistry.”

Anna Bobiak Nagurney ’80 ScM, ’83 PhD continues as the John F. Smith Memorial Professor of Operations Management in the Department of Operations and Information Management at the Isenberg School of Management at UMass Amherst. This past January she was a keynote speaker at the science festival, Congreso Futuro, in Santiago and Valparaiso, Chile. Also on the program was the Nobel Laureate Brown Professor Michael Kosterlitz. During Anna’s final year in the applied mathematics PhD program, she had an office cubicle in a room in Barus and Holley directly across from the office of Professor Kosterlitz, who had just joined the Brown physics department. In May, Anna became a Fellow of the Network Science Society. In late June and early July, she participated in three weeks of European conferences. At the 30th European Conference on Operational Research in Dublin she presented a tutorial, “Game Theory and Variational Inequalities: From Transportation and Supply Chains to Financial Networks and the Internet,” and spoke on the “Women in Operational Research” and the “Making an Impact” panels. The following week, in Kalamata, Greece, she co-organized the fourth Dynamics of Disasters Conference. Finally, she traveled to Metz, France, where at the 6th World Congress on Global Optimization, she was awarded the Constantin Caratheodory Prize in Global Optimization and delivered the prize lecture, “Tariffs and Quotas in Global Trade: What Networks, Game Theory, and Variational Inequalities Reveal.” She is the first female to receive this prize. The trip ended with two days of vacation in Paris for her and Lad ’74 ScM, ’86 PhD.

Liz Berman Hazen writes that her daughter Julia Hazen ’08 married Zev Simpser on June 8. In attendance were Michelle Beaulieu ’08, Sally Berman ’81, Kimbie Casten ’08, Hillary Dixler ’08, Dave Eichler ’09, Ned Hazen ’73, Lara Henneman ’07, Howell Jackson ’76, Nancy Leopold ’76, John Magladery ’73, Jordan Middendorf ’08, Connie Berman Moore ’85, Nina Mozes ’08, Stuart Schussel ’08, and Jeff Wagner ’73.

John Manchester retired as mayor of Lewisburg, W.Va., on June 30 after 16 years in that position. He served longer than any other mayor since the city’s incorporation in 1782. He plans to travel more with his wife, Connie, and he has started writing about his experiences as a small-town mayor.

Richard Halpern, since retiring last year, has been active in the Franklin (Mass.) Democratic Town Committee. He chaired the development of the first ever public education forum entitled “Franklin 2050: Climate Crisis,” held in October at the Franklin Elks Lodge, in collaboration with Massachusetts Climate Action Network. He also volunteers at UMass Memorial Medical Center’s Cardiac ICU Center and is a kidney coach for an acquaintance in need of a kidney donation. Contact him at halpern2127@comcast.net.

Edward Frongillo continues as professor of global nutrition at the University of South Carolina after ten years as department chair. His research is focused primarily on maternal and child nutrition and family food insecurity. He serves on the board of directors of two nutrition societies and cochairs a technical advisory group on global nutrition monitoring for the World Health Organization and UNICEF. His two sons and two grandchildren live in Freiburg, Germany, and Boulder, Colorado.

Mark Pope is still practicing law in San Diego, although on a part-time basis. He writes: “I was pleased to have been one of the lead counsel on the groundbreaking California Supreme Court case, Dynamex Operations West v Superior Court, which makes it harder for companies to misclassify their workers as independent contractors. I’d love to hear from any of my classmates, especially if you’re heading to San Diego any time soon.”

John O’Reilly Jr. writes: “I finished a great 50th reunion. I am not online and missed the class yearbook deadline. I have copies of my unpublished The Function of Christianity in U.S. History and my unpublished A History of the Christian Church. Best wishes to all classmates.

The class sent out its News and Dues mailing in September. If you have not yet responded, please send your news and your dues check for $69 payable to “Brown University Class of 1969” to Joseph Petteruti, 50 Lloyd Ave., Providence, RI 02906. The $69 covers two years since we did not collect dues during our reunion year.

The Baltimore Sun reported that Rev. Mark E. Brennan ’69 was appointed by Pope Francis as the ninth bishop in the 169-year history of the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia. Bishop Brennan was previously an auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese of Baltimore.

Laurie O. Robinson ’68, former Assistant Attorney General in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, will serve as the chair of the governing board of directors of the new Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ).  CCJ, which launched on July 23, is a nonpartisan membership organization and think tank dedicated to improving criminal justice and public safety in America. Also serving on the CCJ board of trustees is James Forman Jr. ’88, professor at Yale Law School.

Jesse Jupiter was named an International Pioneer in Hand Surgery at the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand meeting in Berlin, Germany.
 

Richard Brodsky writes: “Doting on our two children and their spouses and our three grandchildren...’nuf said. Peggy, my wife of 47 years, besides getting her head examined for that condition, has had some health issues, but she has an amazing spirit, which I try to keep up. I’m still practicing law, now in an office across the street from our apartment … I will continue until my brain runs out of energy or the phone calls stop, whichever comes first. Still a Miami Marlins fan—now on their 76th rebuild in their 26-year history. Red Sox fans are so Yankee-like, feeling so entitled. I’m actively writing and had a law review article published on the constitutionality of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (a thriller) and another soon to be published on Congress’s futile effort to end delays in SEC investigations (ditto), and I have a blog, splendidspitter.blogpost.com (latest post: “Putting AOC on an Equal Footing with Pelosi”). I welcome visitors to Miami.” Contact Richard at rebrodsky@icloud.com.

Richard Arneson writes: “I teach full-time at the University of California, San Diego, where I hold the rank of distinguished professor (not a big deal) and also hold the Valtz Family Chair in philosophy. I am currently president of the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association. My wife Sheila and I have been married since 1979. No children, but magically, two quasi-grandchildren (via Sheila’s previous marriage). My embarrassingly inept career as a rock climber is now in steep decline. I am grateful for the opportunities for scholarship and friendship that my Brown education provided and regretful that while at Brown I did not make better use of these opportunities. I missed the 50th anniversary of graduation sharing of information with classmates in 2017 and want to register the fact that I’m not, so far as I can tell, dead yet.”
 

Nicholas B. Willard writes: “After almost 50 years in the packaging, paper, and printing business, I retired. Within a year I had started a new company that ran successfully for 17 years. I just retired from that. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at our 60th reunion in two years.”

Arthur Solomon writes: “I guess that I’m semi-retired because I now split my time between a real estate development business and the family’s minor league baseball teams (Hartford Yard Goats and New Hampshire Fisher Cats) and two nonprofit boards. I’m really enjoying and learning a great deal from my board work at the Trinity Repertory Company (Providence) and the FAY Lifelong Learning Program (Jupiter, Fla.).”

Edward Rotmer writes: “Lorraine and I spent 15 days cruising the Baltic and St. Petersburg. We visited Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Berlin, Poland, Estonia, and Finland. We are still living in Rhode Island and I serve on the board of directors of the Brown Club of Rhode Island and volunteer at various charitable organizations. We spend winter in Naples, Florida, and I’m playing a lot of golf. I welcome hearing from classmates.” Contact Ed at ERLR@cox.net.

Carolyn Vose Moreland and James A. Moreland write: “We have sold our home of 46 years and moved to Westminster Winter Park CCRC [a continuing care retirement community in Florida]. Getting rid of ‘stuff’ was a difficult job but it made moving easy. We love our new environs. Our next task is to ready our North Carolina home for sale. We enjoyed a mini-reunion with fellow classmates in Holmes Beach this winter.” Contact Carol at cvmoreland@msn.com.

Beth Burwell Griffiths writes: “Although I am spending more time in Florida, I still return to New Hampshire for Christmas and a few months in the summer on Lake Mascoma in Enfield. Last fall, Jane Ufford Bartlett and I took a 26-day cruise to Italy, Greece, and Spain. We visited Rome, Sicily, Malta, three Greek Islands, Athens (enraptured by the Acropolis), Naples, Barcelona, Granada, Malaga, and the Canary Islands, ending up with a transatlantic voyage back to Fort Lauderdale. My vocation in retirement is genealogy research and I belong to five genealogy groups. It’s an addictive hobby!”

Tom Moses and his wife, Judy, are still playing tennis at their local tennis club. Tom writes: “We play with one 86-year-old former food critic from Los Angeles who is still quick, and another who went to the Ohio National Finals. Each summer we venture to the Georgia mountains in Hiawassee on Lake Chatuge. There we join old friends and some former tournament players three times per week at the community center. In our home town of Sarasota, we play in the mornings despite heat indexes reaching 100 or better. Once, the local fire department arrived, thankfully, in a small red truck and used flat dental floss to remove my ring from the swollen finger.”
 

Ulysses S. (Jim) James writes: “Nancy Redden James and I are both fine, she’s busy with the Quaker Meeting (Society of Friends) next to Fort Belvoir and I with the orchestras. I oversee two youth orchestras and conduct an adult orchestra in the D.C. metropolitan area, the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic. The Philharmonic had an interesting 2018-19 season because 14 of the 16 works we performed were composed by women. The music was wonderful and included music from Boulanger and Farrenc to McTee and Higdon. This season we’ll continue performing at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria and at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax. I’d be happy to provide two complimentary tickets to any classmate wishing to attend a concert. Please contact me at least a day prior to the concert at uljames@me.com or 703-799-8229. The concert schedule may be found at www.wmpamusic.org.”

After retiring as an independent educational consultant, Stan Vincent has been able to move ahead with two long-delayed family-related projects: genealogy and the scanning and organizing of slides and prints shot since his days on campus. He continues to play trombone with the seven-piece New Black Eagle Jazz Band, as its only remaining founding member. This year, as the band played concerts and private parties in every New England state, Stan had the pleasure of reconnecting with a number of Brown alums, among them Lee Jacobus.

Marianne Mazen Lazarus writes: “The new old age? After the death of my husband in 2014, I’m selling the house we lived in for 48 years in Lexington, Massachusetts. Four years ago, I bought a ranch-style house nearby to live on one floor. It needed remodeling and I have been working on it ever since—supervising an obliging carpenter/contractor who gutted it to put in totally new insulation (trying to jump on the green train) and of course, everything else. I’ve been playing architect, fulfilling a lifelong wish that Pembroke steered me away from. After I move in I’m expecting to not be satisfied and thinking of trying it again in another year or so, to try to make use of what has been a fine learning experience, maybe a little closer to Providence. And I have a new first grandchild.”

Ron Baker is president-elect of the Rotary Club of Simcoe, Ontario, Canada, and is also active in the Brown Alumni Club of Toronto interviewing Canadian admission candidates. Last May, Ron and his fiancée, Barbara Ann Hill-Holland of Ottawa, attended the club’s meeting at the home of Samara S. Walbohm ’93. Her guest, Dr. Dietrich Neumann, professor of history of art and architecture at Brown, gave what Ron says was “a marvelous illustrated lecture on the many statues and architectural features on the Brown campus.” In June, Ron was invited by the Governor General of Canada to Rideau Hall, her official residence, for the inauguration of the Queen Elizabeth II Equestrian Monument. Ron, who is a Canadian citizen, is a member of the Monarchist League of Canada, whose members support their constitutional monarchy and the royal family.

Nancy Blacher Shuster is still enjoying teaching. She writes: “What fun to work with students who are retired and love to connect writing life stories. Let me hear from others.” Contact Nancy at nshu4@aol.com.

David Kramer writes: “In June, Nancy and I had the pleasure of seeing our grandson graduate magna cum laude with a degree in civil engineering from Florida State University in Tallahassee. Later that same day we watched as he received his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. We planned to travel to the Eastern Townships of Quebec in October—it has become our annual respite from the sound and the fury emanating from Washington for the past few years.”

Paul Lipsitt writes that he and Nancy L. Buc ’65 appeared in the July 4th parade in Marion, Mass. Paul writes: “While other World War II veterans appeared in the procession in olive drab military vehicles, I rode with Nancy in her bright red convertible. Nancy has been a close friend of my wife Brooke Kruger Lipsitt ’63 since their student years at Pembroke.”

Michael Timberlake ’75 AM, ’79 PhD was appointed professor emeritus, department of sociology, University of Utah in 2018, where he had been a professor since 2001, including seven years as chair of the department. He currently lives in Seattle, with his wife, Terri Holland. His latest research is represented in a forthcoming book chapter which examines the integration of China’s key cities into the global network of cities based on headquarter-subsidiary patterns of Fortune 500 corporations.

Alvin Rosenfeld ’62 AM, ’67 PhD, who has served for 30 years as the founding director of IU’s renowned Robert A. and Sandra S. Borns Jewish Studies Program, received the Indiana University President’s Medal for Excellence. He is also founding director of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, one of the only university programs of its kind in the U.S., as reported by Indiana University News.

Ashley Bowen’13 AM, ’17 PhD curated three exhibitions for the Exhibition Program at the National Library of Medicine in 2019. In June 2019, Rashes to Research: Scientists and Parents Confront the 1964 Rubella Epidemic opened to the public. This exhibition highlights the work of researchers and parents to limit the impact of rubella in the years before an effective vaccine nearly eliminated the disease from the United States. The banner exhibition and special display will be available through September 25, 2019 in the History of Medicine Division Reading Room, first floor of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Building 38 on the Bethesda,  Maryland, campus of the National Institutes of Health.

Claudia Moscovici ’95 AM, ’97 PhD had her book Holocaust Memories: A Survey of Holocaust Memoirs, Histories, Novels, and Films published on June 15 by Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Group.

Leslie Shimotakahara ’07 PhD writes: “My second novel, Red Oblivion, was published in September by Dundurn Press. The novel is a literary thriller set in Hong Kong. It deals with a daughter’s investigation into her father’s escape from Guangzhou, China, during the Cultural Revolution and the family secrets she confronts. More about the novel can be found at https://www.dundurn.com/books/Red-Oblivion.

Dylan Morrissey works with The Civics Center, which was founded last fall by Laura Brill ’87, who is a lawyer in Los Angeles and former clerk to Hon. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Dylan writes: “After graduating, I became the nonprofit’s first employee and have been building it from the ground up under the direction of Ms. Brill. We met through Brown alumni networking channels and have had a great relationship starting this nonprofit. I wanted to share my op-ed that was published in the Sacramento Bee (https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/california-forum/article231054688.html). A letter to the editor written by Laura was also published in the New York Times last fall.”

Nancy Holt writes: “At Brown I studied and received a bachelor of arts in biology. After Brown, I joined the Peace Corps and served for two years as an education volunteer in Nampula, Mozambique. I taught eighth and ninth grade chemistry. Since finishing my service last November, I have returned home to Woodstock, Maryland. I have been doing data entry work for a small minority owned business, while applying to graduate school. I am happy to say that I was accepted into the Masters of Education Program at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University. Additionally, I received a Robert Noyce Teachers Scholarship through the National Science Foundation. This fall, I will be teaching eighth grade science at an elementary/middle school in Phoenix, Arizona. I’ll be part of a ten-student cohort, and we will teach at our schools during the day and take classes in the evenings. Our program will be completed in August 2020 and we will receive our master’s degrees along with Arizona state certification. After completing the program, Noyce Scholars are required to teach at a Title I school for two years.” Contact Nancy at (410) 979-3169; holt.nancye@gmail.com.

Joseph Cadabes was appointed organist at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Northridge, Calif. A classics concentrator, he spent his senior year under the tutelage of University Organist Mark Steinbach. He wishes to offer some special thanks to both Dr. Steinbach and to chorus conductor Fred Jodry.

Abby Colella married Dan Davidson ’11 and the following people were in attendance: father of the bride, Jay Colella ’79; man of honor, James Anglin Flynn ’11; aunt of the bride, Kim Colella DeMagistris ’81; Matthew Aks ’11; Michael Bleicher ’11; Skylar Fox ’15; Jenny Gorelick ’14; Natan Last ’12; Kelly Mallahan ’11; Jessie Medofer ’13; Kate Monks ’13; Meredith Mosbacher ’11; Luke Rohde ’11; Sam Schmerler ’11; Christiana Stephenson ’11; Adam Wyron ’13; and Leandro Zaneti ’12.

Eric Swoyer writes: “I recently crossed back into the United States after two years abroad on a motorcycle. I left San Francisco on April Fool’s Day 2017 and have since ridden to the tip of South America and back. My Kawasaki and I covered more than 40,000 miles together through 15 countries, filling one passport and beginning a second. I’ve learned to disappear at night, hidden away in jungles, mountains, and deserts, and to be gone by sunrise. I’ve been invited into the homes of countless strangers, carried on currents of generosity that span the Latin world. I’ve been robbed at machete point. I bought a machete. And I’m home. I hope to unpack the trip now, putting what’s been learned into writing. Please wish me luck.”

Adam Kriesberg joined the full-time faculty at Simmons University as assistant professor in the School of Library and Information Science in Fall 2019. Contact Adam at adam.kriesberg@simmons.edu.

Attorney and partner of the law firm Proskauer Rose, Camille Higonnet ’01, has been named to Private Equity International’s “Future 40” list, a list of 40 leaders under the age of 40 who are shaping the future of private equity.

Shelby Freedman Harris announces the publication of her self-help book The Women’s Guide to Overcoming Insomnia: Get a Good Night’s Sleep Without Relying on Medication (W.W. Norton Books). She continues to see patients in her private psychology practice in Westchester County, N.Y., but is very excited to bring evidence-based insomnia treatment options to people who may not have easy access to sleep specialists. Contact Shelby at drshelbyharris@drshelbyharris.com.

Mike Cohen and his wife, Shira, announce the birth of twins Ida & Zev Cohen. Mike chairs the Department of Jewish Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans, and he recently published Cotton Capitalists: American Jewish Entrepreneurship in the Reconstruction Era. Contact him at mcohen@tulane.edu.

Megan Tracy Benson writes: “I represented my organization, JCA Heyman Interages Center, at the Global Intergenerational Conference in June in Portland, Oregon, presenting on ‘When Older Adults Take the Reins of Community-Based Intergenerational Program Planning’ and ‘Intergenerational Book Groups: Partnerships and Strategies for Success.’ Tom Benson ’98 and I are still living happily in Silver Spring, Maryland, and our kids will soon be 9 and 13 years old.”

UC Berkeley head coach Lindsay Gottlieb ’99 has made history as the first women’s collegiate head coach ever to be recruited to the NBA. The Cleveland Cavaliers announced hiring Lindsay as assistant coach to John Beilein.

Agra Monagan writes that Dale and Kim Hemond Bertrand, who met during sophomore year and now are married with two children, met up with Heather Klemick and Elbert Ventura, who met freshman year and are now married with two children, during reunion weekend at Brown.

Tyler Denmead writes: “In May 2019, I was voted the best lecturer amongst all faculty members at the University of Cambridge. I am a university lecturer in the Faculty of Education and a Fellow of Queens’ College. It was the most rewarding recognition that I have ever received. Since the announcement, I have been reflecting on how grateful I am for the amazing lecturers and teachers that I had in my Brown education twenty years ago—Wilbur Johnson, Ken Miller ’70, Evelyn Lincoln, Maggie Bickford, Sylvie Toux, David Cane, Heather Flewelling, Peter Hocking, Kath Connolly ’89, Kris Hermanns, and Janet Isserlis ’91 AM to name a few. Thank you.”

Lauren Acampora’s debut novel, The Paper Wasp, was published on June 11 by Grove Press.

Anna Russakoff’s book Imagining the Miraculous: Miraculous Images of the Virgin Mary in French Illuminated Manuscripts, ca.1250-ca.1450, was published in March by Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.

KGW, the NBC-affiliated television station in Portland, Oregon, announced that Greg Retsinas has been named news director, effective May 31, 2019. Greg had been regional digital director at TEGNA, which owns local broadcast stations around the country. In that role, he managed digital strategy for stations in the Western U.S., including KGW.

Licity Collins writes: “I am so excited to announce the release of my live album LOVE COURAGE YES, recorded at Ojai’s Underground Exchange. The release was featured on NPR’s Here & Now in a fun 10-minute interview with Lisa Mullins, which meant I got to actually interact with one of my favorite NPR voices. The album is full of rocking band sounds, as well as touching acoustic moments and personal spoken word readings. The Reply was written about a Brown friend I fell in love with long ago, and then again not-so-long ago. It’s wonderful to share the music and stories. Videos from the LOVE COURAGE YES show are up on YouTube and the album is available everywhere and on licitycollins.com.”

The board of directors of the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) is pleased to announce the election of Erbin Crowell, executive director of the Neighboring Food Co-Op Association (NFCA) and first vice chair of NCBA CLUSA’s board of directors, as the association’s new board chair, effective June 19.

Rachel Moore received an honorary doctorate in musical arts from Colburn Conservatory on May 10.

Catherine Harbour writes that Daniel Wilk, David Simons ’90, Michael Natkin ’89, James Acquavella, and David M. Cotter received an Oscar in February for the design and development of the Adobe After Effects software for motion graphics.

Amy Bach ’91, founder, executive director, and president of Measures for Justice (an organization that measures criminal justice performance by collecting, cleaning, and coding county-level criminal justice data), received The Charles Bronfman Prize for her commitment to reforming the criminal justice system.

Robert Harper Jr. ’89 was one of 633 certified scuba divers who came together from around the world and met at Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier to raise awareness about the ocean and plastic pollution while breaking the Guinness World Record for the Largest Underwater Cleanup, as reported in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

The Los Angeles Times reported Janet Yang ’78, producer of such films as The Joy Luck Club and The People vs. Larry Flynt, has been appointed a governor-at-large of the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and will serve a three-year term.

The St. Louis Bridge Center, the seventh largest duplicate bridge club in the United States, has elected Richard Lazaroff ’74 to the board of directors. Lazaroff, a retired pediatrician, is also author of a parenting book entitled Some Assembly Required.