The Classes

M.B. Bennett McLatchey ’83 MAT published Beginner’s Mind, an educational memoir that celebrates the teaching methods and philosophy of a remarkable teacher she had in a shipyard town in New England. The book was birthed during her graduate years at Brown while engaging with the scholarship of her professors in the MAT program. She is a widely published poet and author and has received numerous awards for her poetry, including the 2011 American Poet Prize from the American Poetry Journal and the 2012 Robert Frost Award. She is also an award-winning teacher at the college level, both from Harvard and Brown, as well as at her current university, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. 

Ned Polan ’75 PhD coauthored a chapter in the book Animal-Assisted Crisis Response, published in 2020 by NASW Press, a department of the National Association of Social Workers. His golden retrievers, Brinkley and Meg, have received national exposure for their work providing comfort and encouragement to people affected by crises and disasters. 

Philip Falcone ’19 EMHL writes: “I completed preliminary general surgery training, a surgical research fellowship, and finished my plastic surgery residency in 1990 at the Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University Program in Medicine. I subsequently was in plastic surgery private practice in Syracuse, New York, retiring in 2018 after a 28-year career. Prior to finishing my clinical practice, I enrolled in the Brown University Executive Master of Healthcare Leadership program and graduated in 2019. After graduation I became the medical director of quality at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. During that time, I was presented with the Excellence in Healthcare-Innovator Award for my work using hydrogen peroxide vapor to reprocess and thus extend our scarce supply of N95 masks. I was appointed as chief medical officer of St. Joseph’s in October 2020. As part of my duties, I am asked to give press interviews to provide commentary and expert opinion on health related issues including the current pandemic. I still wear my Brown University tie. In many ways I owe the success of my professional careers to Brown and wanted to thank all those who trained and taught me over the years.

Olivia Mansion ’16 AM is one of the founding team and the director of communications and artist relations of Fairgrounds St. Pete, a 15,000 square-foot immersive arts exhibit based in St. Petersburg, Fla. Through a range of exhibits, events, and workshops, Fairgrounds St. Pete showcases the creative innovations of artists and makers working in all mediums.

Rebecca Fundis ’04 AM writes: “My husband and I purchased an independent cinema in Newburyport, Massachusetts, to help it survive the pandemic and we got a wonderful write-up in the Boston Globe. We’re excited to be back in New England and a bit closer to Providence, where we can pop down for an occasional nostalgic visit.”

Troy Baker ’04 MAT (see Bobby Kaufman ’08).

Jessica Levai ’03 AM, ’07 PhD writes: “My first novella was published in April 2021 from Lanternfish Press. It’s called The Night Library of Sternendach: A Vampire Opera in Verse, and it’s what it says on the tin: a story of family, first love, and vampires told in 253 Pushkin sonnets. Here’s a link for more information: https://lanternfishpress.com/catalog/sternendach.” 

Jack Brook moved to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to work as a Henry Luce Scholar at the Bophana Audiovisual Resources Center, which trains Cambodian youth to be filmmakers. The Center’s focus on conservation filmmaking led him to the forests of the Mondulkiri province where he got to spend some time with rescue elephants in a nature preserve managed by the local Bunong community. When out of the jungle, he’s been slowly learning to read, write, and speak the Khmer language.

Anant Ambani ’17 and the Ambani family are planning to build a zoo and animal sanctuary called Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Kingdom in Jamnagar city in the western Indian state of Gujarat, the Week Magazine reported. The zoo will house nearly 100 species of animals, birds, and reptiles from India and around the world and is scheduled to open in 2023.

Ariana Gunderson will begin her PhD in anthropology at Indiana University Bloomington in the fall of 2021. She will be studying food, performance, and inequality in San Francisco and spending quite a bit of time in the library.

Edward Tremel writes: “Despite the incredible disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 my wife and I both finished our PhDs at Cornell, hers in English and mine in computer science. In an interesting coincidence, my friend Matthew Milano finished his computer science PhD at Cornell at the same time, making us once again members of the same graduating class (although none of us got to celebrate with a graduation ceremony). In August, I moved to Augusta, Georgia, to start a job as assistant professor of computer science at Augusta University and since then I have been hard at work trying to keep up my research program while designing ways to teach computer science classes with a hybrid of in-person and online instruction. Although I’m happy to have finished my PhD, I will miss the friendly community in the Cornell computer science department, especially the group of other Brown alumni and our monthly Brunonian lunches.”

Graciela Kincaid and Jeremy Jacob married on Oct. 20. They met on their first day at Brown while moving into the Wayland dorm. Their backyard ceremony was officiated by Andrew Nizamian and included two Brown grads in the groom’s family, Thomas Jacob ’73 and Timothy Jacob ’15. They hope to celebrate with many more Brown grads in the near future.

Blair Station Hirst launched a new age wellness marketplace called Digital Health Review (www.digitalhealthreview.com). The platform is an all-in-one place to shop for healthcare and helps consumers discover key information about digital health products that can improve their health and wellness. It also helps small to large size businesses augment their wellness offerings by providing a way for their employees to shop for health tech covered by their health plans. The site offers snapshots of a wide range of apps, wearables, and subscription services related to health and wellness—everything from Peloton to an ovulation-tracking bracelet to mental health to pediatric care telehealth. Digital Health Review’s mission is to break down the barriers of access to quality healthcare through the use of technology, and the company has been accepted into a Black & Latinx Founders program that supports women founders of color. Contact Blair at: blair.hirst@digitalhealthreview.com.

Eric Johnson, a podcast consultant in San Francisco, is hosting a new podcast called Follow Friday. The podcast is a weekly interview show about the Internet creators he admires and why you should follow them. Guests include comedians, writers, musicians, and other digital creators. Details at FollowFridayPodcast.com.  

Kaileigh Callender, an associate in the Litigation Group at Goulston & Storrs in Boston, has been named to the National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40. The list recognizes Black attorneys from each state who are rising stars in their respective areas of the law. Kaileigh handles disputes related to the firm’s employment, business, and retail clients. She is also deeply committed to pro bono work, handling projects for many of the firm’s pro bono clients, including Haley House, International Refugee Assistance Project, Kids in Need of Defense, and the Lawyers Clearing House. She serves on the board of directors of Boston Youth Sanctuary, which is an innovative after-school support program in Dorchester, Mass., for youth who have experienced trauma. She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 2016, where she was a Martin Luther King Jr. Fellow.

Bobby Kaufman and Michael Fu ’25 co-organized and hosted the inaugural TEDx event at Pace Academy in Atlanta. Five students and three professionals delivered speeches addressing the theme “Challenging the Status Quo.” Speeches included Kristina Smith-Newton advocating for STEM careers for women of color; Carlos Andrés Gómez’s eight lessons from fatherhood; Troy Baker ’04 MAT unpacking the intersection of athletics, academics, and race; a student discussing coming out in the heteronormative hallways of high school; and a video presentation by two students on gender inequity featuring Pace Academy history teacher Arminda Smith Lawrence ’07. 

Jen Silverman published her debut novel We Play Ourselves (Random House). The book is about a New York City based playwright who suffers a humiliating public scandal and goes to Los Angeles to reinvent herself; she starts work with an ambitious yet monstrous filmmaker on a documentary about a group of young girls in an all-girl fight club. 

George Schwartz published Collecting the Globe: The Salem East India Marine Society Museum with University of Massachusetts Press. The book is an in-depth look at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass., America’s oldest continually operating museum. 

Rajiv Raman is happy to announce the publication of his second children’s book The Last Stop: A Story of Transit Equality. It serves as an opportunity for parents to talk about prejudice with their young readers through the lens of transit equality and equity. You can learn more at: https://arrtworks.com/laststop/.

Meredith Ainbinder has been promoted to vice president and general counsel of Emerson College in Boston. 

Muffy Morris Marracco appears on the Game Show Network’s TV program Master Minds regularly as a trivia expert. She also wrote the Lifetime movie Girl’s Best Friend and tutors test prep in Los Angeles and online. 

Tyler Denmead launched a virtual book tour for his book The Creative Underclass: Youth, Race, and the Gentrifying City. It critically examines how arts and humanities programs can become enmeshed in circumstances where young people, including himself, become visible once the city can leverage their creativity to benefit urban economic revitalization and gentrification. 

Julia Zarankin writes: “I have published a book about my (mis)adventures in birdwatching called Field Notes From an Unintentional Birder. It was favorably reviewed by the Minneapolis Star Tribune and Kirkus and was enthusiastically recommended by Margaret Atwood on Twitter. Here in Canada, the book was a bestseller and was recommended by the Globe and Mail as one of their Top 100 books of 2020. Birdwatching is very much in the news these days as one of the few activities that we can practice safely during the pandemic. I wrote a piece for Audubon about how birds make us happier (and there’s now science to prove the main thesis of my book).”

Jon Fasman published We See It All: Liberty and Justice in an Age of Perpetual Surveillance with PublicAffairs. Currently U.S. digital editor of the Economist, Jon examines the legal, political, and moral issues surrounding how the police and justice system use surveillance technology. 

Gillian Epstein Baudo and her 10-person book club set up a fully volunteer COVID-19 vaccine clinic in rural New Mexico. Together they vaccinated approximately 2,000 residents in 10 days with the goal of reaching 70 percent immunity in their hard-hit county. This feel-good story grabbed the attention of national and state news, including the Washington Post and CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell. 

Betsy Gilliland coedited Empowering the Community College First-Year Composition Teacher: Pedagogies and Policies with University of Michigan Press. The book brings together 16 chapters of research and practice in American community college writing classrooms and programs, giving voice to teachers whose work is often taken for granted. 

Isheeta Ganguly writes: “One of my Mumbai-born theatrical productions (Shakuntala Awaits) has just gone off-Broadway in New York City, which has been covered by a number of prestigious publications in India. The HERE theatre in New York City ran the play virtually until April 3. My two brilliant and widely known actors, Purva Bedi and Samrat Chakrabarty, both Hollywood and theatrical talents, showcased in diasporic American mainstream shows and films, give the show its power. I have rewritten the play to include a COVID thread in one of the lead character’s narratives and audiences in New York City thus far have found that very moving. The piece is a dram-com love story set within the backdrop of love and loss all too present for all of us in varied shades amidst this pandemic.”

Naomi Sachs coauthored Dior in Bloom, a dive into the influence of gardens and flowers on designer Christian Dior, with Alain Stella and Justine Picardie. She is an assistant professor in the department of plant science and landscape architecture at the University of Maryland. 

Sangeeta Bhatia ’90, professor of health sciences and technology and electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, and Susan Hockfield, MIT president emerita, along with members of the MIT faculty, launched the Future Founders Initiative in 2020 to increase the number of female MIT faculty members who start biotechnology companies. The initiative will kick off with the Future Founders Boot Camp series, with interviewers and speakers including Theresia Gouw ’90, founder of Acrew Capital.

Nick Jones writes: “I am working as legal counsel for the Fairtrade Foundation, based in London. I’m still involved with my passion to play tennis (when my left ankle permits) and managed to play on Wimbledon Centre Court last year, as the Championships in 2020 got cancelled for the first time since World War II.”

Robin Lenhardt ’89 has joined Georgetown Law to colead its new interdisciplinary Racial Justice Institute. Robin recently served as faculty director of Fordham Law’s Center on Race, Law, and Justice. The Racial Justice Institute will serve as a hub where scholars, activists, and thought leaders may work across the academic, policy, and advocacy spaces as well as a place to seed the next generation of scholars and leaders addressing the vestiges of enslavement and the well-being of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people(s) of color).

Ian Todreas is among the first transportation professionals in the nation to be recognized as a “Transportation Demand Management Certified Professional” by the U.S. Association for Commuter Transportation. The registered trademark may only be used by professionals who pass a rigorous national exam developed to recognize experts in the field and incentivize individuals to continually improve their knowledge of industry concepts, policies, and practices. Ian also won a grant to undertake his first public art project. His project “Dogs of Belmont” depicts local canines on a utility box, delighting many four-year-olds who can view it at eye level.

Lisa Krohn was interviewed by USC Iovine and Young Academy for her work as a designer and creative director and strategist. She currently teaches at the academy as an assistant professor of practice and product design.

Joe King writes: “I started as chief product officer at TuneIn building a next generation of radio and audio experiences everywhere people want to listen. My wife, Andrea Linsky, and I live in Berkeley Hills, our empty nest now mussed by a pandemic-puppy Lab. We still keep a toehold in Seattle as well. Please do reach out anytime. I welcome the chance to say hi.” 

Jodi Levine Avergun (see Jerry Levine ’58). 

Thomas Hatch published The Education We Need for a Future We Can’t Predict with Corwin. The book draws on 30 years of work learning from school reform efforts in the U.S. and in education systems around the world. It also describes the work of a number of organizations that are creating powerful educational experiences inside and outside schools. Thomas is a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as director of Columbia’s National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching. He welcomes hearing from Brown alums, particularly the many working in education. 

Carolyn Davis published her book Eban and the Dolphins on Blurb.com. The young adult environmental fantasy centers on a boy genius who feels alienated from humans. With permission from a dolphin community, he elects to live in their pod. 

Amanda Freeman Jonas writes: “I’ve retired from teaching upper school history at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. My Brown history degree was certainly handy in my career. I’m helping to take care of my mom, who has dementia. I’m also reading and doing some antiracism work. I’d love to hear from classmates. Come to D.C. once we can all travel again. I can be reached at afreeman@mfreeman.info.”

Amanda Freeman Jonas writes: “I’ve retired from teaching upper school history at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School. My Brown history degree was certainly handy in my career. I’m helping to take care of my mom, who has dementia. I’m also reading and doing some antiracism work. I’d love to hear from classmates. Come to D.C. once we can all travel again. I can be reached at afreeman@mfreeman.info.”

Stephen Beck writes: “I recently left Oracle Customer Success to become FinancialForce’s new VP of Global Professional Services. We provide the fastest growing ERP and PSA solution on the Salesforce.com platform. If you know anyone who is interested in a rewarding role at an exciting, growth company in high tech, or if you’d just like to write and say ‘hello,’ please contact me at sbeck@financialforce.com.” 

Doug Riley writes: “I continue to practice intellectual property and community association law at Lisman Leckerling PC in Burlington, Vermont. Side Hustle #1 is teaching sailing and skippering sailing cruises on Lake Champlain, Chesapeake Bay, and the Atlantic coast.Side Hustle #2 is playing Celtic music. In January I released a solo CD, Nostalgia Café, reuniting with musical friends from the last 30 years. Brown acquaintances are most welcome to get in touch at driley@lisman.com.” 

Richard Gagnon writes: “I have retired from active orthopaedic practice in Saint Johnsbury, Vermont. I have practiced in rural Vermont for 39 years. I expect to do more golfing and when the pandemic abates, more traveling. I still play basketball and can’t wait to start playing again when COVID restrictions are lifted. My wife and I plan to celebrate our 46th wedding anniversary in July. Our three children reside in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Vermont, respectively, with two grandchildren in Massachusetts. So, we have no plans to leave Vermont in the foreseeable future. If you’re passing through Saint Johnsbury, stop by to reminisce.” 

Barry Heller is the principal investigator at Long Beach Clinical Trials in Long Beach, Calif. He administered the first-in-the-U.S. doses of monoclonal antibodies to patients with COVID-19 infections. He was a lead author in the October 28, 2020 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine article “SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody LY-CoV555 in Outpatients with Covid-19.”  

Lawrence Moss is representing Amnesty International at the United Nations, returning to active advocacy there after previous roles representing Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights, and the NYC Bar Association at the UN, and five years in academia directing the human rights program at Roosevelt House, Hunter College CUNY. He continues to live in Manhattan and the upstate village of Ancramdale, and hopes to soon resume international travels.

Thomas Jacob (see Graciela Kincaid ’12 and Jeremy Jacob ’12).

Henry Farah writes: “I’ve had an exciting couple of years with a new approach to painting. If interested, go to artworkhenryfarah.com or henryscottfarahart on Instagram. Best wishes to all.” 

Mary Bennett of Charlottesville, Va., retired from the Virginia Department of Transportation’s research division last October. She writes that she and her partner, Andrew Hershey, celebrated her 70th birthday in January with a Zoom birthday gathering complete with candle blowing-out and shared by longtime friends that included former residents of 382 Brook Street in Providence: Dr. Joel Betesh, whose medical career in Philadelphia has included internal medicine, geriatrics, informatics, online medical records rollout, and lately Zoom appointments with people just after they test positive for COVID-19; his wife, Joan Katz Betesh, poked her head in but was busy with one of her many retirement activities; Jane Desmond, poet and professor of anthropology at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, whose specializations include animal-human studies; Susan Hansen-Flaschen, who retired a few years ago from a career in Philadelphia as a high level nurse managing treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in very vulnerable populations; her 382-visiting husband, Dr. John Hansen-Flaschen ’72, a pulmonologist and emergency medicine specialist, was not present, probably being on a frontline for COVID-19 treatment planning; Lucy Harris, who retired not long ago from a career in hospital management with Kaiser Permanente in the San Francisco/Oakland area; M. Carol Millican ’72 of Los Angeles, who has retired from a prolific career in animation; and Barbara Streeter, a child therapist and education manager who is starting to wind down her career at the Hanna Perkins Center for Child Development. Lucy Winner was not able to attend as she’s super busy as a professor and mentor in arts and media at Empire State College in New York City. For my birthday, I bought six dozen cupcakes (70 plus 2 to grow on) and passed them out to friends around Charlottesville, including Robert Hueckstedt ’77 (started as class of ’73, finished later due to a trip to India where he learned to play the tabla), Sanskrit professor at the University of Virginia, and his wife Nazen Merjiam, who was a librarian at the Rock when he met her in the ’70s. I was inspired by Joan Katz Betesh, who brought cupcakes to Joel’s local friends pre-Zoom party when he turned 69 in October 2020.”

Lise Pothin O’Farrell writes: “Dear classmates, my novels Happiness is a Lost Island and The Tears of God draw on my pre-Brown/Pembroke life in Seychelles, my years in the U.S., and my subsequent experience in Ireland. See https://www.logicpress.ie/authors/liseofarrell/.”

Roy Pedersen writes: “I have been an art dealer for 35 years, first in New Hope, Pennsylvania, where I wrote and curated The New Hope Modernists for the Michener Museum in Doylestown. Although I was born at the Jersey Shore, I had never been aware until 15 years ago that everyone from Winslow Homer to Thomas Eakins had produced important art there. In 2014, I put my attention on an uncelebrated group of wonderful New Jersey artists which culminated in the groundbreaking exhibition, Jersey Shore Impressionists at Morven Museum in Princeton. It attracted over 10,000 visitors. The accompanying book was awarded the Benjamin Franklin Prize by the Independent Publishers Association. On May 1, my new exhibition, Thomas Eakins in New Jersey and The Boys, opened at the Peto Museum in Island Heights, New Jersey. It focuses upon the mostly overlooked camera and brush works done by Eakins at the Jersey Shore.”

Bob Gaudreau was elected to the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame. As last year’s class inductions were postponed due to the pandemic, he was inducted alongside the 2020 class. 

Gene Kopf and his wife Linda have been residents of Jupiter Island, Fla., for almost 30 years, while also having a residence in the North Carolina mountains until 2020. He writes: “Enjoying 26 years of retirement with five grandkids, four in college, fifth a Navy Seal. This is paradise. Magnificent weather, gym, outdoors every day.” 

John Andes signed a 10-book contract with Danish publisher Mellemgaard. 

Caryl-Ann Miller Nieforth reports: “Our current Class of 1959 National Scholar is Ulysses Chevez ’23, an engineering major. Remember to help keep our class scholarship funded.”

Copresident Sandy McFarland Taylor has left her Manhattan co-op for the quieter joys of Tuxedo Park, N.Y., living with one of her daughters. Since Sandy had visited there for many summers and throughout the year, she was already well acquainted with Tuxedo Park. She remains very engaged with the local Episcopal parish, having at one time served on its vestry.

Hays Rockwell has put the quieter time caused by the pandemic to good use. He has written two memoirs. One is focused upon persons who influenced his life and the second recounts all the places he and his wife lived throughout their lives. He’s also written about the year of the pandemic so that future generations may have a “real time” accounting of what it was like. The father of four and the grandfather of eight, his family is far flung: from California to Switzerland, from Boston to London, and various spots in between. Each summer the Rockwell clan normally has a grand reunion at their coastal Rhode Island home; although this was an impossibility during 2020, he does look forward to a time when they can all reassemble.

Jerry Levine’s daughter, Jodi Levine Avergun ’84, has been named one of the 500 leading lawyers in America by Lawdragon. She is the chair of White Collar Defense and Investigations at Cadwalader, Wickersham and Taft LLP, where she is a partner.

Peter Hornbostel published his second book, Come On In, I’ll Tell You A Story. He writes: “You can get it from Amazon for about $16. Classmates can get it from me at a $1 discount. So far, it’s pretty successful and lots of fun.”

Since 2005, Adrienne Arabian Baksa and her husband Richard have been running a free Buddhist correspondence course for prison inmates. Each student inmate is provided with course books, assignments, and an experienced mentor. The curriculum is designed to acquaint students not only with Buddhist theory but, more importantly, with the practices of meditation and mindfulness. These practices are considered essential in changing “unskillful” mind states (greed, anger, ignorance) into “skillful” ones (generosity, compassion, wisdom). The program has grown significantly and they now have nearly 600 students from 46 states and several foreign countries. If you are interested in learning more about their work, contact Adrienne at adriennebaksa@me.com.

Joe Gerstein writes: “Although well on the way to my 85th birthday, I have enough energy to remain deeply involved with my favorite charity: SMART (Self-Management and Recovery Training). At the onslaught of the pandemic we had to move rapidly from 27 online meetings to 800 in order to provide forums for the participants in our 3,500 global free, weekly mutual-aid meetings. In the course of this development, we added Zoom meetings in Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. The SMART Recovery Handbook has been published in 16 languages with four more in preparation (Japanese, Haitian Creole, Punjabi, and Hebrew, with a grant from the Israeli Government). Smartrecovery.org receives almost 2,000,000 unique visitors annually.”

Jenifer Morgan Massey writes: “I will look forward to seeing you all at our 70th when we’ll all be only 91! We should have a prize for who guesses the correct number of attendees. You can submit your guess for this at our Zoom 65th reunion. Winners to be announced May 2026. Love you ALL!”

Joan Bliss Wilson writes: “As everyone else is doing, we are essentially confined to our campus here at Kendal at Hanover in New Hampshire. Only recently have we had any virus cases and they are in the dementia section. But life goes on. This past year we had two great-granddaughters born and one granddaughter got married. Our son had the virus early on, but is entirely well now and never stopped working. He’s an employment lawyer. Stay well and wear a mask.

Mary O’Neil Ward writes: “In order to escape the unbearable summer heat in Florida, my daughter and I have ordered a camping trailer and plan to revisit favorite spots in New England, especially my son’s gallery of his copper sculptures in Georgetown, Maine (Ledge Island Gallery, mainecoppersmith@yahoo.com, interesting work from scrap copper salvaged from his construction jobs). I also have 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren to visit. I am on oxygen 24/7 to assist my compromised heart and lungs—all those cigarettes had an impact!”

Bruce Mansfield was the grand marshal at the annual Veterans Day Parade in Wellesley, Mass., which honored veterans of the Korean War. Bruce, who lives in Wellesley, heads the Americans For Action nonprofit foundation. Bruce adds that he is the author of the fictional novella The Chameleon and the nonfictional Sides of Life. He expresses his gratitude to Brown for lifelong memories and insights that enabled him to survive all the cycles of life that he and his classmates faced since graduation.

Devra Miller Breslow writes: “Living in Los Angeles has meant serious shutdowns more than once. I keep busy chiefly by Netflix, Acorn, online concerts, opera, and a good deal of reading. My trainer comes twice a week and I have family Zoom calls twice a week.” Contact Devra at breslow@ucla.edu. 

Roger Smith’s book Guppy Pilot was first published privately in 1998 and then published again through Authorhouse in 2011. It is now available on Alibris, American Book Exchange (AbeBooks), and Amazon.

Richard Grout recounted his experiences on D-Day for the International Affairs Forum, the World Affairs Councils of America affiliate in Traverse City, Michigan (https://youtu.be/av7f6uVQtv0).

Linda Shiue ’98 MD (see ’93).

Peter Chin-Hong ’97 MD (see Linda Shiue ’93).

Emily Shaw ’10 MD (see ’05).

Christine Shin Yin ’92 MAT (see Justine Stamen Arrillaga ’92).

Kang Sun ’88 PhD was elected as Asia’s Most Influential Entrepreneur 2020 by Fortune Times for his accomplishments in the renewable energy industry. He is currently the chief executive officer of Amprius, Inc., an advanced lithium ion battery business. He also built two successful solar companies: RayTracker, acquired by First Solar; and JA Solar, which launched an IPO on NASDAQ. He can be reached at kangsun@alumni.brown.edu or (408) 887-1937.

Ian Malcolm Taplin ’86 PhD published The Evolution of Luxury with Routledge and is currently writing a book on Napa Valley wines to be published in 2021. He continues to be a professor at Wake Forest University and can be reached at taplin@wfu.edu.

Lloyd Kaplan ’62 MAT, professor emeritus at the Community College of Rhode Island and member of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame, coauthored In Harmony: Early Vocal Groups Remembered & Celebrated. The book was published by Consortium Publishing of West Greenwich, R.I.

Willa Tracy ’19 AM (see Eleanor Walsh ’17).

Viraj Gandhi ’19 MFA writes: “I’m reaching out with some major career updates. My debut animated short, When Planets Mate, competed in two Oscar qualifying film festivals this year, Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival and the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival. Additionally, the film debuted on Rolling Stone India on November 11. I executive produced, wrote the music and story for this film, and then collaborated with an animation team to bring it to life. Additionally, I earned my master’s in music from Berklee College of Music in 2020. I’m currently seeking investors for my next film, which involves the craft of around 25 POC international artists from a variety of innovative crafts.” 

Samantha Jackson ’13 AM, a U.S. diplomat, coauthored an article published in the Foreign Service Journal, a foreign affairs journal from the perspective of American Foreign Service personnel. The article is a reflection on race and service from six Black women working at the State Department.

Anna Watkins Fisher ’09 AM, ’12 PhD, an assistant professor of American culture at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and coeditor of the second edition of New Media, Old Media: A History and Theory Reader, published The Play in the System: The Art of Parasitical Resistance. Acknowledging the difficulty for artists in the twenty-first century to effectively critique systems of power, she theorizes parasitism—a form of resistance in which artists comply with dominant structures as a tool for practicing resistance from within. 

Bruce G. Weniger was interviewed on the Rachel Maddow Show for his polemical essay about the undermining of the CDC’s role and the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Glenn Orton writes: “In the photo, I’m observing a nearly 14,000-foot summit of Maunakea, Hawaii. Shown in the background are the white domes of the Keck I and II telescopes and the silver dome of the Subaru Telescope operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. I’ve made solar-system observations at both.”

Arya Okten published her first book, The Mathematical Investigations of Dr. O and Arya, with Tumblehome Inc. She and her father, Giray, cowrote the book based on workshops they used to present together to middle school students. The book aims to make advanced mathematical topics accessible and enjoyable to kids and uses a combination of games, history, and cartoons to explain topics from number theory to probability. 

Nick Sarazen writes: “I’m a record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. It feels odd to send an email about myself but I thought Brown Alumni Magazine might want to know a member of the Brown community is nominated for a Grammy Award this year. BAM is really the only way I stay connected to Brown since graduation, so I figured I would send an update of my own. I produced D Smoke and Snoop Dogg’s single ‘Gaspar Yanga,’ the lead single from D Smoke’s album Black Habits, which is nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. D Smoke is also nominated for Best New Artist.”

Eleanor Walsh and Blake Wilcox ’16 were married on June 13 at Eleanor’s parents’ house in her hometown of Lancaster, Pa. The ceremony was very small, with fellow Brunonians Spencer Caplan ’15, Jenna Frerichs ’16, and Willa Tracy ’18, ’19 AM, included in the wedding party. A larger first anniversary celebration is planned for June 2022.

Jennifer Steger serves as chief scientific officer of Nanodropper, Inc., a medical device company that she cofounded as a PhD student in pharmacology at the Univ. of Washington. She and her cofounders were named to the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in healthcare.

Eric Johnson, a podcast producer based in San Francisco, launched BumbleCast, an independent podcasting company that will help individuals and organizations start podcasts or improve the shows they already run. Before BumbleCast, he worked at Vox Media, where he produced the popular technology podcast Recode Decode with Kara Swisher. 

Nat Seelen and Amy Seibel ’09 announce the Aug.12  birth of their son, Benjamin Tony Seibel Seelen, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. They can’t wait to introduce him to all of you at the next Campus Dance.

Liat Berdugo published The Weaponized Camera in the Middle East: Videography, Aesthetics, and Politics in Israel and Palestine with Bloomsbury. It uses citizen-recorded video as its core material to take a visual studies approach to conflict. The book traces how Palestinians originally filmed to “shoot back” at Israelis, who were armed with weapons as the occupying army, but then Israeli private citizens began filming back at Palestinians with their own cameras, creating a simultaneous, echoing countersurveillance.

Karina Ikezoe and Ibrahim Diane ’06 celebrated a Brown family Thanksgiving with their newest addition, Kenzo Mori Ikezoe Diane, born Sept. 8. Uncle Paolo Ikezoe ’07 and Karina and Paolo’s dad, Ikezoe Yoshikazu, were also present.

Emily Shaw ’10 MD is a certified life coach for community-minded physicians who want more out of life, who are sick and tired of the tug-a-war between their work life and the rest of life, and who are ready for change now. She is her own first patient and is now truly living her passions with her wife and kids in Sonoma County, Calif. Connect with her at emilyshawmd.com.

Lauren Kupersmith announces the birth of her daughter Kaycen Dalia. She is the fourth grandchild of Stephen ’73 and Eileen Schwartz Kupersmith ’73. Lauren  lives in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and works as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. 

Chaney Kwak is a New York Times and Travel & Leisure writer who is publishing his debut book, The Passenger: How a Travel Writer Learned to Love Cruises & Other Lies from a Sinking Ship, in June 2021. 

Whitney Fellberg Reichel has been named to the 2020 “Top Women of Law” list by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. A principal at Fish & Richardson, Whitney is an accomplished patent trial lawyer with more than 15 years of experience representing some of the world’s largest companies in their highest stakes IP litigation. She has litigated complex patent cases in federal courts around the country, across a broad spectrum of technologies, in a wide range of industries. Her practice also extends to trade-secret litigation and general commercial litigation. In addition to her client work, she also manages the Boston office chapter of the firm’s EMPOWER Women’s Initiative, which promotes the recruitment, retention, and advancement of the firm’s female legal staff. She has an active pro bono practice and has handled cases for the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) program for more than 12 years and received PAIR’s “Outstanding Pro Bono Service” Award in 2014. She also regularly takes on pro bono cases through Immigration Equality, which is the country’s leading LGBTQ+ immigrant rights organization. 

Luke Cunningham published his first novel, LEO, Inventor Extraordinaire, a children’s book about a genius kid inventor at a school for gifted orphans. He calls the novel “a direct result of his humanities education at Brown.” 

Michael Rubin writes: “In May, I was formally presented with the 2020 Massachusetts High School Principal of the Year award, given annually by the Massachusetts School Administrators Association. I humbly accepted the award with my parents and family and our incredible faculty in attendance. I also had the privilege of presenting on the topic of school redesign through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) integration, specifically looking at how our Innovation Pathway programs have improved overall metrics for learning across the school. While the pandemic continues to provide new challenges every day, the work remains exciting. We are always looking for new partners to bolster our students’ connections to the ‘real-world,’ so reach out if you have any interest in working with our staff!”

Stiliana Milkova published Elena Ferrante as World Literature with Bloomsbury Academic. The book is the first English language monograph on contemporary Italian writer Elena Ferrante, whose four Neapolitan Novels became a global phenomenon.  

Anna Lenaker ’20 MPA published her memoir Able to Be Otherwise with New Degree Press. The book is an intimate exploration of her experiences and encounters with poverty, addiction, and climate change. 

Jessica Meir ’99 has been tapped for NASA’s Artemis Team, a racially and ethnically diverse group of 18 astronauts, nine women and nine men. The lunar exploration program plans to land the first woman and next man on the moon in 2024. Meir, an astronaut since 2013, has spent 205 days in space and completed three spacewalks, including the first all-female spacewalk. She was named to Time Magazine’s list of the world’s most influential people for 2020 and will receive an honorary degree from Bowdoin College in May.

Mahesh Madhav writes: “I recently directed a short arts documentary, How to Bend Concrete in 108 Easy Steps, which plays upon themes of artistic vulnerability and impostor syndrome. After completing a successful run on the film festival circuit, we signed a distribution deal for the educational market. If you are an educator in engineering/art/design, please look us up. A shorter edition of the film is also available on Amazon Prime Video.”

Jennifer Dupee published her debut novel The Little French Bridal Shop with St. Martin’s Press. A story about finding love in very unexpected places, the novel addresses the experience of loss of identity, disorientation, and confusion that comes with becoming the caretaker of an ailing parent. Find out more at jenniferdupee.com. 

Shani Mahiri King published Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter, a boldly designed book that celebrates Black role models in music, law, medicine, entertainment, and more. Illustrated by award-winning graphic designer Bobby C. Martin Jr., the book is geared towards children ages 10 and up and features quotes by prominent Black leaders. King is a law professor at the Univ. of Florida, where he also serves as the director of the Center on Children and Families and an associate director of the Center on Race and Race Relations. 

At press time, these alums were appointed or awaiting appointment to the Biden administration: Jennifer Daskal ’94, deputy general counsel (cyber & technology), Department of Homeland Security; Elisabeth Donahue ’86, chief of staff, Council of Economic Advisers;  Marc Etkind ’87, associate administrator for communications, NASA; Ruby Goldberg ’17, special assistant, Office of Land and Emergency Management,  Environmental Protection Agency; Suzanne Goldberg ’85, deputy assistant secretary for strategic operation, U.S. Dept. of Education ; Roberta Jacobson ’82, coordinator, U.S. Southern Border, National Security Council; Jennifer Klein ’87, cochair, White House Gender Policy Council; Daniel Kohl ’87, director of government relations, AmeriCorps; Letise Houser LaFeir ’00, senior advisor, NOAA, U.S. Dept. of Commerce ; Emma Leheny ’92, principal deputy general council, U.S. Dept. of Education; Suzan Davidson LeVine ’93, interim political head, Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Dept. of Labor; Sean Manning ’18, press assistant, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Dept. of Commerce ; Ben Miller ’07, senior advisor to the chief of staff, U.S. Dept. of Education; Melanie Nakagawa ’02, senior director, climate and energy, National Security Council; Victoria Nuland ’83, undersecretary of state for political affairs, State Dept.; Daniel Parnes ’10, special assistant to the ASD for energy environment & installations, Office of the Secretary of Defense; Tanya Sehgal ’06, special advisor and senior counsel,  U.S. Dept. of Personnel Management; Stefanie Tompkins ’93 ScM, ’97 PhD, director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; Christina Tsafoulias ’04, supervisory congressional liaison specialist, Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs, USAID; Janet Yellen ’67, Secretary of the Treasury; Todd Zabatkin ’10 MPP,  deputy director for research (White House Communications Dept.) ; and Maria Zuber ’83 ScM, ’86 PhD, cochair, President Biden’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Mark Marino published Critical Code Studies with MIT Press. The book lays a foundation for a field of study that invites people to use the critical methods of the humanities to interpret computer source code, an idea that Marino first proposed in 2006. He credits his course in hypertext theory with George Landow as an undergrad for inspiring him to see the links between the lessons of the humanities and the domain of computers. The book won the N. Katherine Hayles Prize for Criticism of Electronic Literature. 

Linda Shiue ’98 MD is excited to share her debut cookbook Spicebox Kitchen: Eat Well and Be Healthy with Globally Inspired, Vegetable-Forward Recipes, which was published by Hachette Go in March (bit.ly/SpiceboxKitchen). Linda is the first director of culinary medicine at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, where she practices internal medicine, and in 2017 she founded Thrive Kitchen, which provides healthy cooking classes for patients. Linda lives with Peter Chin-Hong ’92, ’97 MD, and their two daughters in San Francisco. Peter is associate dean of regional campuses at UCSF, overseeing the UCSF-UC Berkeley Joint Medical Program and the UCSF-San Joaquin Valley PRIME program at UCSF Fresno. Peter is a professor at UCSF School of Medicine and director of the Transplant Infectious Disease Service and has been a frequent media commentator on the COVID-19 pandemic. Contact Linda at linda_shiue@hotmail.com and Peter can be contacted at Peter.Chin-Hong@ucsf.edu.

Justine Stamen Arrillaga had a fun gathering with Christine Shin Yin ’92 MAT visiting (from San Francisco) her sister Jodi Shin Yamamoto ’93 in Honolulu, where both Justine and Jodi live.

New York City based CDR Studio Architects, led by Jon Dreyfous and RISD alums Lea Cloud and Victoria Rospond, was named one of 10 finalists in the Movers & Shakers Small Business Competition sponsored by Investors Bank. Entries were judged on the firm’s creativity in the marketplace, competitiveness as a small business, and contribution to the community. Find CDR Studio Architects at cdrstudio.com. 

Didier Jean-Baptiste ’90, dean of seniors and college placement at St. Benedict’s Prep, has been named to the advisory board of UChicago Stand Together, an initiative launched to further educational access and career success for students of color and groups underrepresented in higher education. In this position he will provide input and guidance to assist Stand Together in producing resources and programming aimed at benefiting the college admissions community.

Paul Greenberg published two books, Goodbye Phone, Hello World and The Climate Diet. Goodbye Phone, Hello World features 60 bite-size, device-free activities scientifically proven to promote happiness while The Climate Diet offers 50 straightforward, impactful rules for climate-friendly living.

Markham Roberts published his second book, Notes on Decorating (Vendome Press). In the book, he addresses his working method and thought process when interior decorating for a client. Photographs of his projects are also included throughout. 

Amanda Mei Kim published her essay “Living That Van Life Before It Was a Hashtag” in Brick Literary Journal and LitHub. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize, the story is about an Asian American farming family in California and the ways that mental health, racism, climate change, music, and vans intersect in their lives. 

R.J. Harper executive produced a virtual six-concert musical awards and performance show for the 2020 Black Music Association, which brought out top music and entertainment talent, including original members of the legendary Temptations and Mary Wilson of the Supremes.

Danny Givertz released his first album of original indie folk rock music Night into Day. Danny wrote the lyrics, cowrote the music and performs as lead singer. He collaborated with a talented band, including Bay Area jazz guitar luminary Terrence Brewer and Grammy Award winning violinist Mads Tolling. The album explores themes of aging, spirituality, nature, healing and community. Night into Day is on all major streaming sites under the name Danny Givertz (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, et al). Givertz’s debut album, Dolores Park, released in 2013, was a cover album reinterpreting indie rock and world music. He can be reached at danny@dannygivertz.com. He is a psychotherapist in private practice in San Francisco.

Scott Krigsman and his wife Brooke Pinkham, along with their seven-year-old son Abraham Albie Krigsman, welcomed their second son, Joachim Antone Krigsman, on Simchat Torah, Oct. 11. They live happily in Seattle. 

John Crespi published Manhua Modernity: Chinese Culture and the Pictorial Turn with the Univ. of California Press. The book delves into how the polymorphic cartoon-style art known as manhua helped define China’s modern experience. 

Amy Hummerstone Israelsson is an architect practicing in northern New Jersey, where she also lives with her family. 

Chip Sternbergh is the 2020 president of the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery. His presidential address, “Triumph, Tragedy, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Journey of Self-Awareness,” can be accessed on YouTube. 

Laurie Sherman writes: “In these strangest of times, there have been many changes and joys. I got married to Jim Doscher in a Zoom wedding in June with my three young adult kids in the room and 105 friends and family on the screen from around the world. That same month, my first book came out. Chasing Social Justice: How Do We Advance the Work That Matters Most? features personal stories, plus leadership and management lessons, garnered across organizations and movements over the past 30 years. We’re living in the Boston area and I’ve begun a practice to provide executive coaching, as well as strategy consulting, with a focus on nonprofits and the public sector. I would love to hear from friends at LS45@comcast.net.”

Paula Clark ’84, an Episcopal priest, made history by becoming the first Black person and the first woman ever elected to be the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Bishop-elect Clark came to Chicago from Washington, D.C., where she served as canon to the ordinary and chief of staff to the bishop. She was to be consecrated in April.

Pamela Wiseman writes: “I moved to Heath, Texas, four years ago with my husband, David Farley, to take on a new role at Baylor Scott & White in Dallas as vice president of supply chain. I am finding myself reinventing our approach right in the midst of the PPE challenges of COVID-19. Baylor Scott & White was named in Gartner’s Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 for 2020. We live overlooking Lake Ray Hubbard and spend time boating out of Rush Creek. We’ve essentially recreated New England within 25 miles of the city. We meet up during summers on Seneca Lake in the Finger Lakes Region with Mary Griffin Perna and Chris Perna and see Karen Sadler as often as possible.”

Sara Low (see David Kramer ’53).

Roger W. Kaufman Jr. writes: “I’ve been an enthusiastic L.A. resident for 30 years but recently surprised myself by falling madly in love with Sedona, Arizona, and have now moved there permanently. I am happily rediscovering that I’ve always been a nature boy at heart. I am still seeing my California psychotherapy clients remotely and I am also now licensed for seeing clients in Arizona. I look forward to meeting other Brown alumni in the area.”

Celia Imrey, principal architect and founder of Imrey Studio, writes: “Our latest project at the Harlem School of Arts was featured in the New York Times. It’s a story of welcoming, inclusion, and amplification of an important mission, one that is not dissimilar to Brown’s with respect to the creation of a community. The HSA community is suffering now from the disastrous effects of the pandemic. I truly hope this project can be a beacon to those families—better times are ahead and their kids will be back in the studios and dance halls making art again soon.” 

Lisa Miller Autry self-published her first book Holy Borrowers: Equipping Church Leaders for Building Finance. After retiring from a 32-year banking career, she wrote this book to help church leaders better understand the complexities of financing their largest tangible asset: their church building. 

Lawrence Douglas published Will He Go?: Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020 in May before the 2020 election. A professor at Amherst College, Douglas has received national and international attention for his book, which outlined the prospect of an electoral meltdown and a less-than-peaceful transition of power from Trump.

Mary K. Miluski (see Joe and Jane Bertram Miluski ’58).

Jeri Aitken Larson writes: “After almost 20 years of desk jockeying, I could have further irritated my spinal curvature, but instead I retired. I remain an inactive but grateful and healthy partner with Edward Jones. I credit my family, the U.S. Navy, and my chiropractor for my current state of health—fabulous for almost 62. I was never going to marry, never going to have children, etc. I now have one son (30), two daughters (24 and 32), and three granddaughters (12, 6, and less than 1 year). I live large and love large.”

Michael Canton writes: “Upon matriculation to Brown, I became an instant fan of the 360 Degree Black Experience in Sound on WBRU. Decades later, I joined the public radio station WYEP as a volunteer host and 360 was my template for presenting a broad swath of Black music. I host The Soul Show (TSS), which is popular and well respected in the Pittsburgh market. In 2020, TSS achieved syndication in the African American Public Radio Consortium and it was really gratifying to be picked up by Rhode Island Public Radio, ThePublicsRadio.org, Saturdays 10 p.m. Eastern. Maybe you’ll hear the 360 legacy.”

Jon Land (see Augustus White III ’57).

Oceanside, California’s first female and first Latinx mayor, Esther Sanchez ’78, took office on December 15. Prior to the election, Esther served as a member of the Oceanside City Council. She has worked as an attorney for more than 30 years, in both the public and private sector. She retired from the public defender’s office in 2008, after 20 years, and started her law office/business in Oceanside.

David Hahn writes: “I continue to work on music at this difficult time. Could we be nearing the point when our children and students ask: Did ordinary Americans know that the leader of the free world allowed a virus to kill his people? About the mass persecution of Black and brown people? Of the brutal internment of children? Of the tightening grip of authoritarianism? Here’s wishing for a peaceful transition before my next newsletter. I am working on a new collection of pieces to be included in a CD. Despite the fact that now rehearsing and studio recording are impossible, I am working remotely with musicians who contribute their parts online.” 

Russell Heath’s thriller novel Rinn’s Crossing was included on the Kirkus Reviews list of best indie mysteries, crime stories, and thrillers of 2020.

Richard Gordon created the Airgami respirator, an origami N95 respirator mask that self-conforms to the user’s face and is 95% efficient in filtering PM0.3, the hardest particle size to capture. The mask won the Reimagining Respiratory Protection QuickFire Challenge sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS, in October 2019. Gordon’s company, Air99, won a trophy and a $100,000 grant for the Airgami concept. The mask is available on www.airgami.life. 

Donna Gordon writes: “At the ripe old age of 65, my debut novel What Ben Franklin Would Have Told Me will be published with Regal House in early 2022. My photo essay ‘Putting Faces on the Unimaginable’ was published in BAM, October 1989. The work I did back then with former prisoners of conscience helped fuel the writing of the novel.” 

Steve Owens writes: “I have been appointed by President Christina Paxson to a three-year term on the Brown University Community Council (BUCC). The BUCC is chaired by President Paxson and consists of representatives of the Brown administration, faculty, and staff; undergraduate, graduate, and medical students; and alumni. The BUCC serves as a ‘university-wide forum for discussion, debate, and advisory recommendations on a wide spectrum of issues and concerns’ and makes recommendations on ‘issues relating to University community policy, the governing of the University, and the overall welfare of the University.’”

Steven Willensky announces that Hudson Theatre Works streamed the world premiere of his musical Elliot and Me. The musical is a funny, heartfelt story of brotherly love featuring music written by his late brother Elliot, who penned hit records like Michael Jackson’s “Got To Be There.” 

Meredith Miller Post writes: “My rom-com feature Tick will be produced as soon as it is safe to shoot on set. It’s about a woman on the brink of getting all she ever wanted until a doctor she trusts misdiagnoses her, causing her to lose everything including her clothes/iPhone/purse. She kidnaps the doctor to get revenge only to find love instead. The film will be accompanied by a documentary by award-winning filmmaker John Dempsey. It is about my real-life experience with a misdiagnosis at the height of my career. I was in and out of hospitals, fighting for my life for almost 20 years, but I always kept on writing and started teaching and mentoring aspiring TV/film writers. I am currently writing another feature, In An Instant, for producer Mark Lipsky (Beverly Hills Cop III/Coming to America), based on the true story of a college senior who had to find a way to give his life new meaning after suffering a traumatic brain injury.” 

David Shapiro is serving the second year of his two-year term as secretary/treasurer for the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) board of directors. The board advocates for patient safety, provides strategic guidance on program development and administration, and shares innovative ideas to ensure the continuous success of the organization. David is an anesthesiologist who has had extensive experience serving as a department chair, medical director, and board member of several ambulatory surgery centers.

Crawford Bunkley III narrated Scars: The Trials of Mental Illness and the Farthest Reach for God, an audiobook by Sandra Rains DeBusk. The audiobook is available on Audible. 

David Denekas writes: “Mike Sansing and I got married in 2015 after a successful 36-year trial period. I have retired from family medicine (medical records clerk, ha ha) but continue to work as assistant medical director for Calvert Hospice in Maryland. We are still sailing the Chesapeake Bay, working (too much) in the yard, and traveling. Our scheduled trip to Scotland was scuttled and replaced with a road trip to Maine this fall in Harvey the RV, a.k.a. ‘Shake, rattle, and roll.’ Holidays, sadly, as for many of us, were just the two of us and family only by Zoom. We look forward to a more sociable 2021. (Jackie Hess: I can still recite the story of Prinderella and the Cince.)”

Steven Small writes: “I marked 42 years in the entertainment business in Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Munich, Zurich, and Nashville. After cleaning out my desk on Nashville’s Music Row, I traveled four miles south to start my retirement, as a member of Teach for America’s cohort of 2015. Two months of education boot camp ensued and on August 1 I was an English teacher at Cane Ridge High School, a fabulous, urban public school with a diverse, international school body. This past May, at the conclusion of my fifth year of teaching, I earned my M.Ed. from Lipscomb University and the faculty voted me Cane Ridge Teacher of the Year. What a ride! Looking forward to the 50th, hopefully with the Wet Dwarfs and the Egg Bros!”

Jeff Paine writes: “After 40 years in high tech marketing, I decided it was finally time to embrace irrelevance and retire so we sold our Noe Valley view home in San Francisco in November and moved to our forever house in the resort town of Hossegor on the southwest Atlantic coast of France in December. Once easy travel is back, visitors are absolutely welcome (Biarritz Airport is not far away). Just write or email me at: 1276 Avenue du Touring Club de France, 40150, France or jeffreytpaine@gmail.com.”

Paul Backalenick published his second novel, Carrie’s Secret, a dark psychological mystery praised as “surprising” and “compelling” by Kirkus Reviews. See more at PaulBackalenick.com. 

Jesse Jupiter writes that he retired in late 2020 after 45 years as an orthopedic hand surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He will continue teaching and writing while he and his wife live in Telluride, Colo., in the winter and near an ocean for the rest of the year. He is also the Hansjorg Wyss/AO Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and the past president of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and of the American Association of Hand Surgeons. 

John Andes published Scruffs with Havah Publishing and it’s available on Amazon. In Scruffs, the mother of a murdered teen enlists her brother’s help to find answers explaining the girl’s death. Together they review the surveillance tapes from the crime scene, sift through news stories and analyze chat room postings all while an election year brings forth grassroots populism under the banner of S.A.F.E. (Secure America For Everyone) and war in the Middle East temporarily diverts the attention of American citizens. 

Janet Woodley Koch moved from Rehoboth Beach, Del., to the Templeton of Cary, a continuing care retirement community in North Carolina, to be near her daughter Barbara and granddaughters Nicole, Katie, and Emily. 

Joseph M. Kusmiss published his second book of haiku, Spring Visitors, with Red Moon Press. His first haiku book, end of summer, was published in 2015. 

Shirley Sanderson Avery is caring for an ailing spouse. She continues to be engaged with St. Andrew’s, her church in New London, N.H. She is delighted that her daughter and son-in-law have moved next door and is grateful for her son, daughter, in-laws and two grandchildren as well.

Abbe Robinson Young moved from her home in Newton, Mass., to NewBridge on the Charles in Dedham, Mass. She is enjoying herself by continuing to participate in her exercise class (at first virtually and now socially distanced but in person). She’s also learning new things and taking up new interests such as playing poker and setting up a bird feeder. She is developing a new passion, opera, with a virtual course. Her classmate, Dr. Dorothy Cotton-Pemstein, also lives at NewBridge.

Joe and Jane Bertram Miluski are staying home and keeping well, and managed a tiny Christmas socially distancing with two of their five children: Hank and Mary K. Miluski ’81. Jane is filling the days with reading, knitting, and walking but was gleefully anticipating reaching a three-day, distanced-but-live watercolor workshop in February. She remains grateful that in 2019 she realized a dream of getting most of their large family together for two weeks in a Tuscan vineyard.

Nancy Redden James volunteers with Ventures in Community, which includes various houses of worship, nonprofits, and social agencies that work together. Nancy works for its hypothermia outreach program that provides shelter for homeless people each night from December through March. Prior to the pandemic she served as an overnight chaperone and she still contributes by providing meals.

Ulysses S. (Jim) James is the conductor and music director of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the artistic director of the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association. Some of his classmates went to a concert given by the WMP in Washington, D.C. The orchestra has not been able to perform since April due to COVID-19, but they have presented a weekly chamber music series (performed on a Friday, edited on Saturday, broadcast on Sunday at 3 p.m. and available on YouTube). James is hoping that the full orchestra will be able to begin rehearsing again in July, dependent, of course, upon the distribution of the vaccines.

Class newsletter editors John Reistrup and Jim Furlong report: “the Brown Class of 1958 website is up and running successfully, thanks to the staff at alumni relations. Simply search “Brown Class of 1958” or click on the link: https:// sites.google.com/brown.edu/brown.edu/class-of-1958. It is readable on home computers, tablets, Androids, and iPhones. However, if you are using a personal computer, not all features (like the page index) are immediately visible. In that case, items that you can’t find can be located by clicking on a “hamburger” icon (trio of lines arranged like an equal sign plus one or a side view of a hamburger). The website features many sources of information that were previously scattered. On the home page, immediately above a letter of greeting from presidents Sandy McFarland Taylor and Jim Moody, you may find out how to update your profiles, which will allow you to be in touch with other alumni in the database. It also offers news and notes about classmates (including a tribute to contemporaries who made lasting contributions to race relations as well as some light-hearted recollections about Rhode Island dining), a photo gallery immortalizing years of reunions and mini-reunions and clickable links to our Class of 1958 Newsletter, the Brown Alumni website, the Brown Insider newsletter and Brown Daily Herald, as well as the Brown Alumni Magazine.” 

John Selig (see David Kramer ’53).

John G. R. Wolfe writes: “I’ve started a major, five-year, grassroots campaign to help a small nonprofit rescue and restore a derelict tall ship, Falls of Clyde of Honolulu. 2021 is a critical year; she’s threatened with destruction if not soon moved. Scotland will restore her when she’s moved to Glasgow. No space here for details; more at friendsoffallsofclyde.org.”

Ronald E. Baker writes from Port Rowan, Ontario, on the North Shore of Lake Erie: “We continue to ‘survive and thrive’ here in Canada, safe from COVID-19 since March 2020. As president of the Rotary Club of Simcoe, I’m very active, meeting every week on Zoom. Projects to help the poor and disadvantaged, end polio, and clean the environment around the world continue. We seek reliable partners in Mexico and Haiti for schools and water well development. Our next big effort is on Earth Day, April 24, 2021: We join with hundreds of Rotary partners and volunteers to clean up the shores of plastic waste on all the Great Lakes in the U.S. and Canada. Please, classmates, join us. Let me know at ferris.baker@amtelecom.net or (519)-586-2176 if you can partner with us in this major effort. I also hope to hear more from Marilyn Mapes Yeutter about our reunion plans for 2022.”

Augustus White III coauthored Overcoming: Lessons in Triumphing over Adversity and the Power of Our Common Humanity with Jon Land ’79 and David Chanoff. Overcoming follows White’s journey pursuing his dream of becoming a surgeon and breaking several “color barriers” in the process. (see Beyond the Gates pg. 38) 

Janet Rowden Mergenthaler moved to a senior living residence in Southport, Conn. She has five married children and 12 grandchildren. Her husband, Francis, passed away in 2019. Contact Janet at 917 Mill Hill Terrace, Southport, CT 06890. 

Sid Baumgarten writes: “I think this year will stand out because everyone has been impacted by COVID-19. I have finally retired, but that is misleading. I am still active in numerous organizations, still taking my hunting trips, and am even thinking about leaving New York City. Several of my clients were restaurants and small businesses, many of which closed or went completely out of business. The rest have been operating at a huge loss. I cannot recall ever seeing New York City with so many boarded-up locations, deserted streets, and minimal traffic. All of us, Brown-grad kids included, have dodged the bullet and have been healthy.”

Frank Wezniak, class treasurer, reports: “Our Class of 1954 Scholarship Fund has increased its value to $709,572 and provided $26,554 in scholarship aid in 2020. Our gifts to the fund total only $462,974 but good endowment management with limited annual distributions has led to the increased value.”

Al Gerstein writes: “This pandemic has placed significant restrictions on our way of life and has offered other challenges as well. For the past 10 months we have severely limited all social contacts, shopping experiences, or entertainment. Naomi has been able to maintain her practice courtesy of Zoom or Skype. We have managed to turn our house into a modified gym with stretch bands hanging from a variety of doors and we take daily walks for exercise. Home movies have been our main source of entertainment. We just finished a run of Mel Brooks movies (humor is in short supply these days). And we’re seeing some real oldies…Top Hat starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The plot was weak but the dancing was great. In order to get to Maine and maintain our bubble we rented a recreation vehicle and drove to our cabin which is quite isolated. I must say driving a 26-foot vehicle is not for the faint of heart. Our yearly three months in Florida is canceled due to the amount of physical exposure that would be required in making the trip to our condo. We have registered for our vaccinations and await the time when we can return to a more normal way of life. In closing I should mention that we’re both in good health and are looking forward to a better and safer world.”

David Kramer was honored on Nov. 18 with the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers Founders Fund Award, which was “presented to an individual whose excellence in and outstanding dedication to environmental and water conservation serve as a model for future generations.” David writes: “I started fly-fishing at age 12 and continued for the next 70 years. In 1963, I was a founder of the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers. Over the years there have been many members who were Brown alumni, including Sara Low ’83 (one of the first women fly-fishing guides in America), John Selig ’58, and the late J. James Gordon ’52.”

Norman B. Silk writes: “I’m semi-retired living in Clearwater, Florida, with my wife Martha. I’m playing senior softball and I am the only switch hitter. I’m also providing programs on the Big Band Era (based on my columns in the Daily Herald).” 

Walter N. Kaufman writes: “After service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, I attended Brown and was elected Phi Beta Kappa in my junior year. In 1952, I graduated from Harvard Law School and was a legal assistant to a member of the National Labor Relations Board. For many years I was a member of the Chicago Bar and was self-employed as a labor arbitrator in southern California and Las Vegas. I was a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and didn’t retire until August 2018, following a heart attack. My wife, Nancy, predeceased me and I have a son, Dr. Paul Kaufman, a daughter Amy, and two grandchildren. I reside in San Diego.”      

Robert Glenn Walker is living at 18 South Lane, South Dartmouth, Mass. 02748 with his wife of 71-plus years.  

Jeanne Spiehler Leinen would like alumni to know that she still resides in Pittsford, N.Y., and has eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.