The Classes

James Celenza ’80 AM writes that he has been active in theater for the last 13 years. His plays have been performed at the Perishable Theater for the Think Tank Festival, the New Ten Minute Plays Festival, the Columbus Theater, Trinity Repertory Company Kickoff, Barplays Festival, Roots Cultural Center, Poetry Loft, Providence Fringe Festival, Ghost Light Stage, and the Wilbury Theatre Group in collaboration with the Climate Change Theater Action. James coproduced Station Nation: National Reflections on the Station Fire, an event featuring the work of 34 playwrights performed at Providence's First Baptist Church in 2013 in collaboration with Soulographie and the department of theatre arts and performance studies at Brown, in remembrance of the 100 people who died in the 2003 Station Nightclub Fire in Warwick, R.I. Additionally, James helped organize the Barplays Festival between 2010 and 2011 in collaboration with the Words Progress Administration Collective. He is a member of the Wilbury Group Playwrights League and the Dramatists Guild of America.

Benjamin Weber’s ’08 MAT new book, American Purgatory: Prison Imperialism and the Rise of Mass Incarceration, will be published in October with the New Press and is available for preorder.

Bruce Whitehouse ’03 AM, ’07 PhD, published Enduring Polygamy: Plural Marriage and Social Change in an African Metropolis in April 2023. This book serves as an ethnographic study that examines marriage, gender, and urbanization through the lens of polygamy in one of Africa’s fastest growing cities: Bamako, Mali, where one in four wives is in a polygamous marriage.

Gerald Smith’s wife of 43 years, Carol, died peacefully on Nov. 28, after a long and courageous battle with ALS. Gerald writes: “She taught kindergarten, adult education, and ESL.” Her students, he adds, were “always of paramount concern to her.”

Seamus Kirst published his second picture book, Dad and Daddy’s Big Big Family, which was released in May 2023.

Samuel Franklin’s ’12 AM, ’16 PhD book, The Cult of Creativity: A Surprisingly Recent History, was published in April 2023. The book is substantially based on his Brown dissertation on American Studies.

Rebekah Bergman writes: “I was a writing fellow and editor for The Indy. I married a fellow 2011 alum and after living in Brooklyn for seven years, we decided to return to Rhode Island to raise our family. I am very happy to have landed back in Providence and to get to know the city, this time as a parent and a novelist. In August Tin House published my debut novel, The Museum of Human History, a futuristic fairy tale that examines the burden of memory. It centers on a young girl who slips into a strange comatose state and stops physically aging and the host of characters who find themselves pulled to her. The very first seed for the book was a short story I wrote as part of my undergraduate thesis at Brown. I’m looking forward to celebrating the launch at a local independent bookstore before I head out on a book tour through the Northeast and West Coast. The book has received early praise from authors Kate Bernheimer, Tiffany Tsao, Allegra Hyde, and Samantha Hunt.”

Lester Stone II independently published The Observations, Rare Occurrences and Interventions by Death in April 2023. The book is available on Amazon.

Kaileigh Callender was selected for the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) 2023 Pathfinder program. The program trains high-performing, early-career attorneys on foundational leadership and relationship building skills. She is an associate in the firm’s litigation group, where she focuses her practice on employment litigation and business and commercial disputes. She also serves on the board of directors of Boston Youth Sanctuary.

Skylar Bayer published Uncharted: How Scientists Navigate Their Own Health, Research, and Experiences of Bias with Columbia University Press on Aug. 8. The anthology is a collection of essays by scientists with disabilities or chronic conditions detailing the many challenges and successes of their careers.

Jenny Gold ’06 and Rebecca Ellis ’18 have both joined the Los Angeles Times as staff writers.  Jenny, who was previously a senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News for 14 years, will focus on their new early childhood education initiative. Rebecca, who worked as a reporter and producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting, will focus on Los Angeles County.

Jeffrey Prystowsky was 2023 valedictorian of Roger Williams University School of Law and started at Morgan, Lewis, & Bockius as an intellectual property litigator.

Jessica Grose published Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood, which will now be released in paperback in September 2023. She writes: “The book traces the historical, medical, and cultural origins of so many of the unrealistic expectations that crush American mothers, and then shows how the pandemic was a moment where all those expectations came crashing down.”

Samuel David Snead was appointed to the board of directors of the Maryland Transportation Authority by Governor Wes Moore. He currently serves as the director of transportation of Anne Arundel County. He actively chairs the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board, serves as a commissioner of the Central Maryland Transit Agency, and is a board member for the Transit Association of Maryland.

Nicholas Beem writes: “I run a small yoga studio in Evanston, Illinois (www.gratefulyoga.com) with my wife Lela, whom I met thanks to Reed Aubin ’02’s crazy play Pez/Pescado. Our studio survived the pandemic thanks to massive community support and the magic of Zoom. I started a Substack where I explore my intersecting interests in yoga, science, ritual, parenting, and ecology: withinwithout.substack.com. I’m also available for private yoga and meditation instruction over Zoom, or in person if you happen to be in Chicagoland!”

Ama Codjoe ’01, a poet whose works include Bluest Nude and Blood of the Air; Mia Chung ’10 MFA, a playwright whose works include Catch as Catch Can, Double Take and This Exquisite Corpse; and Emma Whippermann ’18 MFA, author of Joan of Arkansas and Pleasure as a Series of Objects are recipients of the 2023 Whiting Awards, which are given annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

Rick Jaime-Bettan writes: “My husband, Gabe, and I are thrilled (though very late) to announce the February 13, 2022, arrival of Elton Sterling, our second son through adoption. He goes by Sterling, per his birth parents’ wishes.  Xander, now 4, is thrilled to be a big brother and dotes on Sterling.” Rick can be reached at rickbettan@gmail.com.

Andrew Schwartz published his first book, Investment Crowdfunding. A professor of law at the University of Colorado Boulder, Andrew enjoys skiing the local mountains with his wife and four children, as well as visiting classmates, including Lee Smith.

On January 1, 2023, Rosa Theofanis, daughter of John Theofanis ’71, was sworn in as a Justice of the Third Court of Appeals, an intermediate court of appeals located in Austin, Tex.

Keith Tsz-Kit Chan was promoted to associate professor with tenure at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College CUNY. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the John A. Hartford Foundation, and the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. He continues to serve as a congressional fellow of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means to address issues of health equity and improve healthcare and healthcare access for millions of Americans.   

Cara Anselmo writes: “26 years after Brown and I’m still in New York City, which has truly become home. In addition to my continued work at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center as a registered dietitian nutritionist, I started seeing adult private clients for nutrition in all areas of health care, from oncology to general wellness to women’s health. I’d love to hear from Brown friends and alumni in the New York City area. (And I consult professionally via telehealth for those who are anywhere in the world.) I can be reached at caralanselmo@gmail.com, www.caraanselmo.com, or IG @caracaraliketheorange.”

Selina Mills published  Life Unseen: A Story of Blindness. The book is part memoir and part history book, interweaving her personal journey of coming to terms with sight loss and the history of blindness. Selina is an established award-winning writer and broadcaster, working as a senior reporter and broadcaster for Reuters, the Daily Telegraph, and the BBC.

Siri Lindley published her second book, Finding a Way: Taking the Impossible and Making it Possible. The novel follows her journey as a two-time world champion triathlete, offering guidance, tools, and strategies for triumphing in the face of adversity. Tony Robbins, her mentor, wrote the foreward.

Matthew Grieco writes that he was appointed an N.Y.C.  criminal court judge.

Christopher Donoho writes: “My big news is that I became a grandfather! My daughter, Susannah, and her husband, George Voigt, have welcomed Lydia Voigt into the world. Susannah is a teacher at the Brooks School in North Andover (Mass.) and lives on campus. Exciting!”

Gayle Weiswasser reports: “The class of 1991 has been holding mini-reunions across the country, in part because we missed our 30th due to COVID. So far, we’ve held reunions in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Boston, with others planned for later this year (see photos throughout).”

Elizabeth “Boo” Trundle published her debut novel, The Daughter Ship, in June 2023. She is a writer, artist, and performer whose work has appeared in the Brooklyn Rail, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and NPR’s The Moth. She has also released three albums of original music with Big Deal Records.

Debra Javeline published After Violence: Russia’s Beslan School Massacre and the Peace that Followed, analyzing the aftermath of the terrorist seizure of Russia’s School No. 1 in North Ossetia.She also published an article relating the book topic to the current war in Ukraine.

David DeSimone ’15 EMHL writes: “After 20 plus years serving as in-house counsel and strategic innovator for health and hospital systems throughout New Jersey, I have joined Ohio Living in Westerville, Ohio, as chief counsel responsible for legal strategy and compliance, focused on developing the next generation of senior living, senior healthcare services, and solutions for all things aging. I also maintain a counsel relationship to the Genova Burns law firm in New Jersey consulting with healthcare clients. When in Ohio, I connected with classmate Ken Boyer, a professor at Ohio State, whom I first met at Perkins Hall during our freshman year.”

Jeff Carpenter writes: “David Zuckerman and I first reunited 10 years ago on the tennis courts in Westchester County (N.Y.) at a team match. We discovered that we are both passionate local tennis organizers. David is a cofounder of the Westchester Tennis Ladder, with 150 male and female players registered and 800 matches played each season. I captain two USTA 4.5 tennis teams at the 18+ and 55+ age divisions. David and I are often fiercely competing against each other but we also sometimes team up for doubles.”

Finn-Olaf Jones summited Mount Everest in May of 2022 and Vinson Massif in Antarctica in January 2023, completing his goal of climbing the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents. Finn writes: “All those secret ascents of campus buildings and the Crook Point drawbridge while at Brown proved to be great training. Though I had the advantage of a lot more blood thinners back then.”

Renee Inomata was named a 2023 Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer by Casner and Edwards, LLP for improving client satisfaction, increasing client advocacy, and strengthening the company’s brand.

Ann Arthur-Andrew was appointed Yale School of Medicine’s inaugural director of alumni engagement and started in her new position on June 1. Ann writes: “I will be the primary liaison between the school and the greater community of Yale School of Medicine alumni. In this role, I will be collaborating with alumni as well as working with students and house staff to foster long lasting connections that will strengthen their engagement with the Yale School of Medicine long after graduation.”

Stephen Hill writes: “An amazing day in Mexico (October 22, 2022) with four whale jumps, two ‘swag surfs’ and one spectacular wedding as I married my love Ms. Chanté Moore! There were Bruins galore in attendance, including Brickson Diamond ’93, Patti Galluzzi ’83, Lisa Gelobter ’91, Anne Haley, Gary Hill ’87, Lori Hill ’92, Robe Imbriano ’86, Debra Lee ’76, Nancy Prendergast ’83, ’86 MD and David Salzman.”

Tara Noonan Amaral writes: “I had a chance to relocate to the beach during 2020. Fully enjoying Charleston and Isle of Palms. Still getting used to southern summer humidity. I often travel north for relief.”

Debra Wolf Goldstein was honored with the Woman of Lifetime Achievement in Conservation by the PennFuture environmental conservation group in Pennsylvania.

Barbara Pitkin was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland at the 76th Honor Awards Convocation held in Washington, D.C., for her “outstanding contributions during an eminent career in the department.” Barbara writes: “Founding and leading the International Technical Assistance Program has been the opportunity of a lifetime. I love my work and the positive impact it has had in the world. I also inaugurated a training series at the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partners 11th Meeting in Brisbane, Australia, to help Flyway site managers and policymakers better protect important wetlands and migratory bird habitats.”

Quentin Jay is working as an architect in Hokitika on the South Island of New Zealand. He moved there from Auckland with his wife, Julie. Jay stays in contact with fellow expat Bob Chow ’80.

Mitchell R. Lester ’83 MD writes: “I retired from the private practice of allergy/immunology at the end of 2022. I haven’t completely left it behind as I remain active in various professional organizations, including the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and as vice chair of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. After schlepping it around the country for 40 years, I dusted off my saxophone and am relearning how to play (it is NOT like riding a bicycle). I’m also dabbling in Spanish and American history and plan to learn to construct crossword puzzles. I would love to hear from old friends: mrlester602@gmail.com.”

David Shields cowrote the feature-length film I’ll Show You Mine, which was coproduced by Mark and Jay Duplass, directed by Megan Griffiths, and stars actors Poorna Jagannathan and Casey Thomas Brown.

Jean Follett writes: “A group of us from around the world started a weekly Zoom call during the pandemic. We continue to Zoom monthly and it’s been so interesting. We were initially tied together by our connection to the Brown chorus, but other ties have crept in. We are all in our late 60s and early 70s but the shine is still on the Brown apple.”

Kenneth Warren writes: “I was recently elected president of the American College of Environmental Lawyers. ACOEL is a professional association of experienced lawyers recognized by their peers as preeminent in the field of environmental law. It is rewarding to lead an organization dedicated to confronting our pressing environmental challenges by improving environmental laws and by performing public interest projects to protect vulnerable communities and ecosystems. Those alumni who were fortunate enough to participate in Professor John L. Thomas’s history seminars will recognize his influence in shaping my passion for conserving the
natural world.”

Neil Steinberg was highlighted in Rhode Island Monthly as one of the 45 most influential Rhode Islanders for his philanthropic work. As president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation from 2008 to this May, he brought profound changes to the state’s nonprofit sector. The magazine states: “Since 2008, his contributions to the Foundation’s growth have increased its assets more than three times over and he’s overseen grant awards of more than $700 million. He’s also been at the head of some of RI’s most important initiatives, overseeing the launch of the Foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative and gathering input to advise state leaders on how to spend $1.1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Wherever he spends his time next, you can be sure he’ll have the ear of the state’s biggest power brokers.”

Michael Golrick was promoted to associate state librarian at the State Library of Louisiana, where he had previously served as the head of reference. He also continues to serve as the state data coordinator for public library statistics in Louisiana.

John Bishop retired in January of 2023. Throughout his career, he worked for Intel, HP, General Electric, and Digital Equipment Corporation in compilers and tools.

Marc Silverstein writes: “The 1973 Brown lacrosse team was Brown University’s first-ever undefeated Ivy League lacrosse champions and a quarter finalist in the 1973 NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse tournament. On Saturday, April 22, 2023, a remarkable 20 out of the 30 team members and coaches returned to Stevenson-Pincince Field to celebrate the 50th anniversary of that championship season, where they were honored by the Brown Sports Foundation and the friends and fans of Brown lacrosse at halftime of the Brown-Cornell game. The celebration, which began with cocktails and a reception on Friday night, coincided with the annual Brown lacrosse alumni weekend (held every year since 1975, except during 2021 due to COVID). In addition to the 21 team members and coaches, the weekend also attracted nearly 60 other alumni lacrosse players from the Classes of 1965 through 2022, and numerous other friends of Brown lacrosse.”

Richard Louth has been an English professor for 45 years at Southeastern Louisiana University. He is the founder and director of the Southeastern LA Chapter of the National Writing Project, as well as the founder of the New Orleans Writing Marathon. He and his wife, Doris, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in September 2023.

Scott Harris writes: “We are connecting in new ways with periodic class Zooms titled ‘Life’s Journey after Brown.’  Stuart Symington, Warren Marcus, Dom Starsia, Judith Sanford-Harris, Roscoe Howard, Jeff Mazique, and Charlie Tansey have spoken (or are scheduled to) thus far. In May, Jameson freshman hallmates Alan Gillespie, John Hadeler, Dick Lazaroff, and myself gathered for several days of golf, drinking the legendary restorative spring waters, and spinning tall tales at French Lick, Indiana.”

Hartford Hospital reported that Dr. Andrew Salner ’73, ’76 MD, was recognized at Hartford Hospital’s Black & Red gala with its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as a radiation oncologist and medical director of the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute at Hartford Hospital and its Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center.

Eileen Schwartz Kupersmith and Stephen Kupersmith write: “Our 50th Brown reunion will be celebrated just three weeks before our 50th wedding anniversary. We met almost 54 years ago at Brown—freshman year, first day of class, Bio 1. Thirty-five years later, our daughter Lauren walked through the Gates as part of the class of 2004. In between, we have been back to Providence for a few reunions and various events. This year we were looking forward to marching through the Van Wickle Gates, albeit a bit further back in line than we would have been in 1973, when our own rite of passage was rained out. Stephen retired after 40 years as an ob/gyn physician outside of Philadelphia. I, with a master’s degree in child studies, have been working as a teacher, director, adjunct professor, and consultant focusing on creating nature classrooms. Our grandchildren could potentially be Brown classes of 2032, 2034, 2040 and 2042.”

Paul Gregutt’s band, the DavePaul5, debuted their first studio album. The band, which he cofounded in 2015, plays regularly in Walla Walla, Washington, with Paul playing guitar, singing, and fronting for the band. The album—which has 14 songs, half of which were written by Gregutt, will be available for streaming on Spotify. Paul writes: “After more than half a century of playing music in various groups, this is my first full studio album, so something of a milestone.”

Mark Asquino published his memoir, Spanish Connections: My Diplomatic Journey from Venezuela to Equatorial Guinea. The book follows his 37-year career in Latin America, Europe, Central Asia, and Africa, including his assignment as the U.S. Ambassador to Equatorial Guinea, Spain’s only former colony in sub-Saharan Africa.

The 2023 University of Kentucky Libraries Spring Celebration recognized John Thelin as this year’s recipient of the UK Libraries Medallion for Intellectual Achievement on May 11. He has written several award-winning books, including A History of American Higher Education and Going to College in the Sixties. Following his book on college sports scandals, Games Colleges Play, he contributed to an award-winning amicus brief about the commercial exploitation of college student-athletes, which was influential in the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of college student athletes’ lawsuit against the NCAA in 2021. He is a celebrated teacher, having received both the William B. Sturgill Award for outstanding contribution to Graduate Studies and the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching among other honors throughout his career. Since retiring in July 2022, he continues to write books and journal articles as well as op-eds for the Washington Post and Inside Higher Ed.

Thomas Lindsey married Denise Pickett in February of 2023. Tom met Denise through an online dating service in January 2021 and proposed in June 2022. Thomas is a retired librarian and Denise is a retired registered nurse. They will live in Mesquite, Texas. The couple honeymooned in Fairbanks, Alaska, to see the northern lights.

Jonathan Entin writes: “I am finally retiring after 39 years as a law professor at Case Western Reserve University. The law school held a surprise reception honoring me earlier this month, and I definitely was surprised. You can read more details in the news story that the law school has posted at https://rb.gy/gdbsz.”

Philanthropists and longtime art collectors Cynthia and Thomas Sculco ’65 are in the process of establishing the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism in Westerly, Rhode Island, with an anticipated opening in 2024. More than 250 paintings that the Sculcos have collected over the last four decades will make up the museum’s core permanent collection.

Steve Tice competed in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) in Stamford, Conn. He won the Seniors (80 and over) age group, earning a $1,000 prize. In many years of attending the ACPT, he befriended crossword constructor and tournament judge Jim Page ’56. Steve continues to play his harpsichord with fellow Baroque musicians and enjoys spending the month of August in Watch Hill, R.I., with his wife, Diane. Steve writes: “Although I have slowed down considerably, I still finished in the top one-third. Sixty years of doing New York Times crossword puzzles finally paid off.”

Roger Widmann writes: “Like many of us, I seem to be in the replacement parts business. I have had a shoulder joint and a hip replaced and five arteries bypassed over the past 23 years, and the pace is increasing. My other shoulder is next. However, I’m still enjoying singles tennis, though in our Florida place it’s mostly doubles. I’m very happy to continue to hold occasional seminars based on my work at the Aspen Institute; this winter my tennis pals and Judy’s book club friends participated in a seminar on the Declaration of Independence. Reading it at this age is just not the same as when you were in 5th grade—you can readily see how revolutionary the document was. I also treasure my board membership in the Committee to Protect Journalists, which, sadly, has recorded record numbers of journalists jailed, tortured, or killed last year for doing their basic work of informing people. I could not have imagined back in the heady days of 1961 that this would be a serious concern in the then distant future. But Judy and I will celebrate our 60th anniversary with all our kids and grandkids at a remote wilderness lodge in Alaska, right on Kachemak Bay, with its 30-foot tides and extraordinary wildlife. So all is good, and we are grateful.”

Emily Arnold McCully published two children’s picture books in the past year, Taking Off: Airborne with Mary Wilkins Ellis and Our Little Mushroom: A Story of Franz Schubert and His Friends. Emily can be reached at emilyarnoldmccully.com.

James Botwik writes: “I visited Petra, Jordan recently and roamed all around the Brown University excavation site at the Great Temple.  Absolutely fascinating experience!”

Joseph Gerstein writes: “After a successful pilot of the SMART Recovery Program at Danbury Federal Correctional Institute for Women in 1995, I was asked to train 200 federal prison system treatment personnel as SMART Recovery facilitators in 1998. I then obtained a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to create a SMART Correctional Version: InsideOut. This is now being used in 200 prisons and jails globally. A condensed version is being introduced into 250 sober homes and reentry residences under grants from Health Resources and Services Administration and Elevance Health. As a volunteer, I have facilitated almost 800 SMART Recovery meetings in prisons and jails. I presented information about the remarkable efficacy of this program at the request of the director and leadership staff of NIDA. One of the parolees who has benefited from it was subsequently invited as keynote speaker at the NIH/NIDA annual awards ceremony in February.”

Frank Yanni writes: “For the past 20 years at least, Jack Delhagen and I have had winter reunions in Fort Myers and Naples, Florida. Thanks to a very active Brown Club of Southwest Florida, these reunions usually include a Red Sox–Phillies game at “Fenway South.”  Until his passing, Bill Wescott was part of the reunions, as were our wives. This past winter we were joined by Jack’s son, Edward Delhagen ’83.”

Marshall Cohen reports: “Brown Class Treasurer Frank Wezniak reported that the class of  ’54, at the time of our 50th reunion, set up a fund to support undergraduate scholarships. We are granting scholarships annually, and the principal is invested with the Brown endowment, which has been doing very well, although this year is the first to be showing a loss through the first five months. In any case, the value of our fund is over $1 million as of last June 30, reaching $1,048,235. Last year we awarded a $37,047 scholarship to a student majoring in international affairs.” Also, Marshall writes that he enjoyed another “tour de force” to Scandinavia last summer with stops to all of the coastal high spots in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, seeing the best of Nordic architecture and joining old friends and colleagues and learning more about the excitement of Sweden and Finland’s applications for membership in NATO. “An unexpected bonus was that we both contracted COVID on the last leg of our journey, which resulted in a five-day quarantine and missing our favorite fish sandwiches in Skagen, Denmark.” Marshall returned home to a letter announcing that he was the awardee of the American Scandinavian Association’s  (ASA) Henry Hanson Award (the ASA’s highest honor, named for its founder) for his contributions to the organization as its vice president, president, and board member. ASA promotes cultural and political exchange between the United States and Scandinavia.

Phyllis Papin Godwin writes: “I just received the latest Brown Alumni Magazine. It was a little sad that the Class of ’48 had no news. After all, it was our 75th Reunion this year, an unbelievable milestone. So I decided to write. I live alone in a lovely condo overlooking Hingham harbor. I am sort of retired from my company, Granite City Electric Supply, which I owned and ran for 40 years. I still serve on our board. I am busy with friends and family, especially my five amazing grandchildren. I am in touch with two classmates, Adya Andreevsky Gram and Jean Robertson Finn.  Maybe other members of ’48 will write for the next issue. Congratulations to us on our 75th Reunion.”

Michael Lee ’08 MD has been named medical director of Kent County Memorial Hospital’s at-home program (RI). The program allows patients to receive care in their homes after an emergency visit. Dr. Lee has been an attending physician in the emergency room at Kent Hospital since 2018.

Melvin B. Yoken ’61 MAT published his ninth book, A History of Letters: Memorable Quotes From a Moribund Art. He writes: “It’s an effort spanning 60-plus years and which began during my time at Brown. For more information visit melyoken.com.”

Christian Baur ’19 EMBA has been named cochair of the United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST). He is the founder of Hughes Aerospace, an air navigation service provider and a member of USHST infrastructure working group with expertise in NextGen and global performance-based navigation. A retired military aviator of the U.S. Army, Coast Guard, and Air Force in both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, he is currently a senior captain for a major U.S. air carrier.

UMass Press published Jesse Kohn’s ’18 MFA debut novel, the book of webs, recipient of the 2022 Juniper Prize for Fiction on March 31. The book of webs is constructed out of misremembered fragments, conflicting histories, and secrets whispered in the darkness. Jesse is a writer and musician from Santa Fe and is completing a PhD in creative writing at the University of Utah. His work has appeared in Conjunctions, Sleepingfish, BOMB, The Rumpus, the Brooklyn Rail, and elsewhere.

Brianna Craft ’13 AM is a researcher and author of the climate change memoir, Everything That Rises: A Climate Change Memoir.

Marc Manseau ’05 MPH, writes: “Along with Michael Compton, I have coedited Struggle and Solidarity: Seven Stories of How Americans Fought for Their Mental Health Through Federal Legislation, published by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. In seven chapters, each featuring a major piece of twentieth century legislation, multiple Brown alumni tell stories about how these laws had significant impacts on the social determinants of mental health. Brown alumni among the contributing authors include Flavio Casoy ’03, ’09 MD, Caroline Bersak ’05, Danny Neghassi ’05, and Jake Izenberg ’08. In true Brown spirit, it’s an interdisciplinary, social justice-oriented policy tour-de-force!”

Robert Schwartz writes: “The Class of 1970 lost its 50th reunion to the pandemic and those of us in the hockey crowd hadn’t been together since 2015. We held a mini-reunion in Jupiter, Florida, at the home of Nancy and Bill Gilbane. We gathered on Feb. 14 for food and beverage and the following day we went out on the Gilbanes’ boat for a few hours’ cruise up the Intracoastal Waterway to Stuart, Florida, where we had lunch together, returning to the Gilbanes’ home for more time together into the late hours. Five teammates who were unable to travel to Florida joined us on Zoom that evening: Curt Bennett, Frank Sacheli, John Vukelich, Dave Patterson ’72, and Tom Echeverria ’68. Mike Edwards and Jimmy Bennett ’79 were able to join us on Tuesday only and not for the rest of the reunion. Additional alums in attendance were: Lynne and John Abbott ’68, Gerry Boyle ’67, Mark Burns ’69, Bill Coakley ’72, Tom Coakley ’68, Al Cusick, Kaye Blatman Ferriter ’72 and Rick Ferriter ’72, Bob Gilbane ’71, Larry Heller ’77, Dave McCay ’72, Bonny and Don McGinnis, Rich McLaughlin, and Lou Reycroft ’72.”

Annette Cremata Lopez Day married Michael Robert Day on Feb. 4 at Vizcaya Museum & Gardens in Miami. Annette writes: “We were joined by many of the dear friends I made at Brown, including Chiamaka Anyoku, Chelsea Walters Batcheller ’13, Justin Batcheller ’13, Sophia Diaz, Stephany Foster ’22 PhD, Meralis Lantigua, Justin Lee, Adaeze Nwakobi, Nathan Thomas ’18 MD, and Camila Villa ’16. It threatened to rain all day but somehow the rain held off until right after our ceremony, which took place outdoors beneath the Oak Trees of Vizcaya’s casino mound. They say it’s good luck when it rains on your wedding day, but we just feel lucky to have found each other and to have celebrated our big day surrounded by such dear friends.”

Tara Noble writes: “I live in Brooklyn, New York, where I am opening my first restaurant this year after working in hospitality for almost a decade. I partnered with a chef and sommelier to open my very own mission-driven wine bar in Brooklyn, Cecily, with vegetarian friendly small plates and a profit-sharing model for employees. It’s interesting and a very difficult time to be doing so, between inflation and recession, but we’re scrappy folks who’ve had this dream forever, and are making it happen one step at a time. Check it out or reach out to me at cecilybk.com.”

Cyprian Kibuka and Samantha DeAndrade ’12, ’17 MD were married at the First Unitarian Church in Providence on Oct. 9. The newlyweds recently welcomed their first child, Amélia Nalumu Kibuka.

Dr. Varina Clark and Dr. Chudi Onwunyi celebrated their nuptials on April 2-3 in San Diego, with a beautiful traditional Nigerian Igbo wedding followed by an American wedding ceremony. Alumni gathered to shower the newlyweds with “Ever True” love and were excited for the mini West Coast reunion.

Kelly McWilliams released her latest YA novel Your Plantation Prom is Not Okay in May. The story calls upon recent conversations about plantations and their place in our shared history.

Nicole Poepping Pollock ’08 joined Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a venture philanthropy firm supporting social enterprises, as their chief of staff. She is a leader in the field of system innovation with experience in state, city, and nonprofit organizational leadership, having previously served as chief of staff to Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza for more than six years.

Marlowe Sears Tessmer writes that her mother, Barbara Sears Tessmer ’57, passed away on Nov. 27. See Obituaries.

Praise Shadows Art Gallery in Brookline, Mass., presented “Snapshots,” a solo exhibition by Cambridge-based artist Helena “Lanie” Wurzel from Feb. 17 to Mar. 19. Those familiar with the streetscapes of Cambridge will recognize the many scenes depicted on the sidewalks and around the city’s public spaces.

Katherine Antos ’03 has been named undersecretary of decarbonization & resilience for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. In this position, she will integrate EEA’s climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts in response to the climate crisis. She will also oversee implementation of the Clean Energy and Climate Plan, the Commonwealth’s roadmap to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Alex Lockett will serve as Cate School’s eighth Head of School beginning in the 2023-24 academic year. Alex writes: “There is no question in my mind that my years at Brown played an influential role in shaping me into the leader and thinker I am today. I am very grateful to the institution for all it gave to me.”

In January 2023, Marissa Parker was named Chief Operating Officer of Stradley Ronon, a national financial services law firm headquartered in Philadelphia.

Elizabeth Hoover published her first poetry collection, the archive is all in present tense. It was selected for the 2022 Barrow Street Books Prize by A. Van Jordan and nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. Elizabeth writes: “The book includes poems inspired by my experience in the John Hay Library.”

Gideon Arthurs writes: “After eight years as CEO of the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal, I returned to Toronto to take on the role of executive director of Soulpepper Theatre, one of Canada’s largest nonprofit theatre companies, producing over 300 days of programming a year, and offering a wide range of educational and community programs.” 

Amanda Freeman published Getting Me Cheap: How Low-Wage Work Traps Women and Girls in Poverty in November with the New Press. The book explores how America traps millions of women and their children into lives of stunted opportunity and poverty in service of giving others of us the lives we seek.

Mieka Freund Wick writes: “I live in my hometown of Washington, D.C., with my two children, Annabelle (16) and Sam (13), and my husband, David. I am the executive director of the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. David works in executive search for Spencer Stuart. Annabelle is a high school rower and Sam spends all of his free time on the basketball court. I’m in regular touch with Cynthia Fleming Ingelfinger, who lives with her family in Whitefish, Montana, and Danielle Taylor Holmes , who moved with her family to St. Thomas during the pandemic. I had the chance to visit with Arielle Strem en route to Maine last summer and frequently see Abigail Ross Goodman ’98. I also had a fun evening catching up with Dan Joss in San Francisco while there for work last fall. There are a few classmates in and around D.C., none of whom I see very often, sadly, though Jeff Nussbaum and I keep trying. I will forever be indebted to Ted Sizer ’94 PhD, who turned me on to the numerous social injustices in our country’s public education system while working and studying with him as an undergrad. It is because of him that I do the work that I do and continue to love it every single day.”

Karen Leitner writes that she is living with her husband, three daughters and dog Oscar in Newton, Mass. She’s moved on from practicing medicine to coaching women physicians full-time and speaking on topics such as overcoming imposter syndrome, achieving gender pay equity through negotiation, digging out of chart backlog, and reclaiming free time. She can be reached at karenleitnermd@gmail.com and would enjoy helping any women physician alums who are looking to feel better.

Ewen McEwen writes: “My wife and I are happy to share that our family has a new addition—Deborah McEwen was born in August. Deborah is healthy and doing great and our son Nathaniel, who turned 4, is adapting well to being a big brother.”

Erin Mancuso Hobey writes: “The Derbies’ visit kicked off January in an unforgettable way! Peter Freer ’98 and I continue to have great Brown Club of Spain programming this year, with several events on the calendar in the next few weeks including a meet up for the CASA BCN Brown exchange students, private gallery opening, and library visit. I’m working to organize a Madrid event as well. We have a phenomenal group of alums in España. Many thanks to Zachary Langway ’09 for his introductions. Keep them coming! Ever true! On behalf of the Brown Club of Spain, Jonathan Charnas ’65 hosted a dynamic group of CASA-Granada Brown University exchange students including Michelle Gibble ’24, Dana Herrnstadt ’24, Nia McGregor ’24, and Siri Pierce ’24 at the beautiful Cafetería Hospital Real in Granada.”

Sarah Deming opened a boutique Pilates studio in Gowanus, Brooklyn called Knockout Pilates.

Deborah Archer  writes: “I am in a new phase of life and career. I’m still living in Colorado taking care of my parents, but changing paths in medicine. I have started a micro telehealth practice one day a week specializing in ADHD, autism, and youth mental health. As of this past January, I am also honored to be medical director for a start-up organization called Pediatric Direct Care, an in-home urgent care alternative for kids and families servicing the Denver metro area. However, most importantly, I am the proud mother of a Brown graduate who will start medical school in the fall of 2023 at Brown, Imani McGregor ’22, and her sister Nia McGregor ’24, who is a junior dual concentrator in education and computer science. Ever True runs through our veins, I could not be prouder! I would love to hear from you at deborah_archer@alumni.brown.edu.” 

Suzanne Y. Kao writes, “I moved to Australia and am settling into a new life here in the Gold Coast with my new Australian husband and new family. I would love to connect with alums in Queensland. Please reach me at suzanne.y.kao@gmail.com.”

Alissa Quart’s book, Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream, was published on March 14 with Ecco.

Tamara Gould started a new job as chief content officer at Public Media Group of Southern California, which encompasses KCET, PBS SoCal and LinkTV. She is married to Alex Thier ’92 and they have two children.

Nicole Barrick writes: “I graduated with a double major in visual art and American civilization. In March of 2022, my partner and I opened a restaurant in Philadelphia. He was previously a chef and I am an artist/more front of the house. I painted several large murals in the restaurant and was integral in the design and vibe. The restaurant is called Wilder, check it out www.wilderphilly.com.”

Dr. Reena Karani ’93 and Patricia King ’82 PhD have been elected as chair and member-at-large respectively of the National Board of Medical Examiners. The first woman of color ever elected as chair of the organization, Dr. Karani is director of the Institute for Medical Education and professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. Dr. King is a primary care internal medicine physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center and professor at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont.

Claudia Santurio Volpi writes: “It’s hard to believe that it’s been 30 years; it feels like yesterday that we walked through the gates. I am ever grateful for the adaptability that Brown nurtured in us and am paying it forward. In 2010, my family and I moved to San Francisco. For me, after decades in New York City, it might as well have been Mars. In an effort to build a new network, I joined the board of directors of my children’s preschool, La Piccola Scuola Italiana. This decision would lead me to a deep dive into education and result in the founding of La Scuola International School, San Francisco’s only preschool-8th grade IB World School. What began as a small pre-K program with 60 students, today has three campuses and nearly 400 students. This work led me to dedicate myself to helping other nonprofit organizations and their people fulfill their potential. Get in touch if you’re a teacher interested in Reggio Emilia/early childhood education or even if you’re just passing through SF, I’d love to hear from you.”

Kenya Crumel writes: “I am honored to be working towards food sovereignty and land justice by providing land and non-extractive capital to Black farmers across the country. Black farmers have a long history of racial discrimination and extractive lending practices that have resulted in extreme land loss and limited access to land. Since 1910, Black-owned land acreage decreased from 16 million acres to just 4.7 million with the total loss over the past 100 years estimated to be worth approximately $326 billion. Land and capital donations are welcomed at www.blackfoodjustice.org.”

Lili Haydn writes: “With my beloved Itai and our group Opium Moon, we have released a new anthem “Woman Life Freedom” in solidarity with the women of Iran and everyone who believes in human rights. It features legendary Iranian singer Hengameh, and is coproduced with Supreme Beings of Leisure. I’m also excited to share Ginny & Georgia Season 2 on Netflix. We are still going strong. It’s a very cool show, very binge worthy, and I’m really proud of the music Ben Bromfield and I wrote for it. We even wrote a real musical which runs through the season, culminating in episode 8...look out for the song ‘Marriage is a Dungeon.’ I also scored an exquisite film titled Split at the Root, about the immigrant families separated at the border, directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton, which will be coming out in the next couple of months, in tandem with a very heartfelt soundtrack. I’m also featured on three Grammy nominated albums this year—Cheryl B. Englehart’s  The Passenger, Kitt Wakely’s An Adoption Story, and with Opium Moon on three songs for White Sun’s album Mystic Mirror...all exceptional.”

Evie Ladin presented the world premiere of Water in the Kettle, a full-evening debut from body music moving choir MoToR/dance February 3-4, leading to the International Day of Body Music February 5. After the three sold out performances and rave reviews following 5-plus years of development, Evie is in conversation to restage the performance, as well as offering a limited release of an edited film of the performance. Water in the Kettle illuminates the maddeningly recurrent struggles of modern women, and the country, through the reference of putting water on to boil, with intention, humor, and connective rhythm. Overtly reconnecting Appalachian and related songs with African-diaspora rhythms, the all-female multigenerational ensemble harmonizes over polyrhythmic body music, asking “What you gonna do with the baby-O? You tell me cause I don’t know.” Put some water on to boil, we have a lot to discuss.

David Reinstein was selected to provide questions for the Illinois Elementary School Association Scholastic Bowl Tournament. David plans to retire from teaching in 2027.

Kendall Tessmer Brown writes that her mother, Barbara Sears Tessmer ’57 passed away on Nov. 27. See Obituaries.

Karen R. Brown writes that she has a new job in corporate philanthropy after 20 wonderful years in the community foundation sector. In late October 2022, she became the new executive director of the Tudor Foundation, the corporate foundation connected to Tudor Investment Corporation. She is thrilled to be learning a new field of philanthropy and is incredibly grateful for wonderful new colleagues, including several Brown alums. She also continues to be actively engaged with the fun board of the Brown Club of Fairfield County.

Duke University Press announces the publication of Sovereignty Unhinged: An Illustrated Primer for the Study of Present Intensities, Disavowals, and Temporal Derangements coedited by Deborah A. Thomas. Deborah is the R. Jean Brownlee professor of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Political Life in the Wake of the Plantation: Sovereignty, Witnessing, Repair, also published by Duke University Press.

Jennifer Don Apy writes: “As a parent of a Scripps College student, I was invited to a reading with Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer ’92 at an event hosted by the new Scripps College President Suzanne Keen ’84, ’86 AM. The three of us did not realize we were all Brown alums until we met that night! Excellent event, I am now inspired to read more Pulitzer-Prize winning books celebrating American authors who write about American life.”

Dana Levenberg writes: “I am pleased to report that with the help of some great Class of ’86 friends, including Heather Cady, Christienne Genaro, Jeffrey Plaut, and Alan Stern, who organized the Brown4Dana campaign, I have been seated as a New York State Assembly Member for the 95th Assembly District, representing communities in the lower Hudson Valley for a two-year term. I sit on the environmental conservation, housing, correction, libraries, educational technology, and local government committees. I look forward to using all I learned leading up to this, which included PTA mom and president, Ossining School Board Trustee, cofounder of two not-for-profits, chief of staff to the assembly member who preceded me, and Ossining town supervisor, to continue to build healthy communities—environmentally, economically, physically, and mentally healthy, all through the lens of equity. Thanks again to all those who helped me along the way—you know who you are. Please let me know if you find yourself in Albany, so I can show you around the Capitol.” Contact Dana at Levenbergd@nyassembly.gov.

Nancy Kleppel writes: “In 2016, Kwame Campbell ’92, founder of the Brown Real Estate Group, introduced me to David Fox ’70. Together, David and I roughly bracket the years of the Baby Boom. We share an interest in architecture and real estate development with a particular focus on meeting the needs of our cohort as we consider downsizing in retirement. Fast forward a few years and together, along with Patrick McDarrah (Wesleyan ’88) we have founded Live Give Play, a real estate development company transforming how older Americans live with new buildings in walkable, connected communities. Our first project, 79 King Street in Northampton (Mass.), is a 72 unit, Passive House Certified apartment building in the center of town. We’ve completed design development, have sailed through the approvals process and are nearly ready to begin construction. We are working through financing details and eager to connect with classmates, potential residents, and interested investors. We’d love to do a future project in Providence, if a suitable site becomes available. It’s been a great experience connecting with and working alongside Fox, a fellow alum and now close friend.” 

On January 4, Harry Holt and daughter Nancy Holt ’16 traveled together on a trip organized by Gohagan titled the Expedition to Antarctica. The journey began in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they met with travelers from other colleges and universities. The experience started with two days in Buenos Aires, where one of Harry’s classmates from the Amos Tuck School, Fernan Martinez, met with Harry and his daughter for lunch. They had not seen each other for more than 30 years. Fernan is a native of Buenos Aires, so he explained where to go and what to see during their visit to his city. The next day they flew to Ushuaia, Argentina, and boarded the French ship Le Boréal. The ship entered the Beagle Channel and then the Drake Passage and they visited the following locations on the Antarctica peninsula: Goudier Island and Hidden Bay, Petermann Island, LeMaire Channel, Neko Harbour, Paradise Harbour, Deception Island, South Shetland Islands, and Half Moon Island. Harry writes: “Later we cruised below the 60th parallel south to the outer shores of the Antarctic Peninsula, Earth’s last frontier. We witnessed towering mountains of ice and volcanic rock, a vast array of marine wildlife, including penguins, seabirds, seals, and whales. Finally, we went back across the Drake Passage, which was rougher than our initial crossing and they had to batten down all of the doors. This was a once in a lifetime trip with my daughter who was visiting her seventh continent. We both want to become Antarctica Ambassadors now and will try to see how we can help take a more active role in the fight against climate change. As we learned at Brown, you should be able to do good and still do well.”

After a COVID-induced hiatus, Lisa Amico Kristel has resurrected her New York City reading series, #YeahYouWrite (yeahyouwriteevents.com). The event features custom #LiteraryCocktail/Mocktails designed for each author, dinner/snacks, rapid-fire Q&A, and an open mic. In October, Sara Lippmann ’97 read from her new novel, Lech, along with three other authors to a packed audience at Fahrenheit 451 House in Catskill, N.Y. The next event took place on January 23 at Someday Bar in Brooklyn, N.Y., with authors David Santos Donaldson, Sheila Kohler, and Bushra Rehman. Lisa would love for you to be there for the next event. To reserve a spot, email: yeahyouwritereadings@gmail.com (no cover, no minimum).

Ashley Tessmer writes that her mother, Barbara Sears Tessmer ’57, passed away on Nov. 27. See Obituaries.

Douglas Ray writes: “After a long career in community journalism, which included leading newsrooms in Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida, and sharing in a Pulitzer Prize along the way, the relentless scythe of job eliminations finally reached me late last year. Fortunately, I landed well and I am now leading communications for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Florida. My wife, Julie, and I are also blessed to be surrounded by our children and grandchildren here in Gainesville. I’d love to hear from classmates by email or those traveling through. I can be reached at doug@rayplace.com.”

Pamela Gwyn Kripke’s novel At the Seams was published with Open Books in June.

Warren Demurjian writes: “After helping to grow Pulse8 and sell the company to Allscripts, I am looking to do it all over again with another early-stage growth company, Porter. We combine an AI-driven care and coverage coordination platform with virtual care guides and in-home clinical resources to help recently discharged patients and chronically ill members thrive at home. On the home front, my father passed away in September on his 98th birthday. Our kids are doing great; Aubrey is a sophomore at Bowdoin and Teddy is a junior at Cherry Hill High School East. Reach out if ever in South Jersey: (732) 977-2223.”

Christian McBurney writes: “My latest book is Dark Voyage: An American Privateer’s War on Britain’s African Slave Trade. It focuses on a Rhode Island privateer, the brainchild of merchant John Brown, that attacked a British slave trade fort and British slave trading ships on the coast of West Africa during the American Revolutionary War. I continue to publish and edit a leading Rhode Island history blog at smallstatebighistory.com. In an article, I wrote about four Brown undergrads who became successful popular historians; Edward Ball ’82, Eric Jay Dolin ’83, Nathaniel Philbrick ’78, and the late Tony Horwitz ’80. Find the article at the website by searching for Philbrick.

David Shields’s new book and film, How We Got Here: Melville Plus Nietzsche Divided by the Square Root of (Allan) Bloom Times Zizek (Squared) Equals Bannon has been purchased by Sublation Media for publication and distribution in January 2024.

Adrienne Muller Camesas writes: “We were thrilled to host a mini Brown reunion at the marriage of my daughter Alexandra Camesas ’14 with Daniel Mellynchuk ’14. In addition to all their friends were our classmates, including Ann Prestipino, Debbie Sullivan Fuller, Essie Rolnick Nash ’81 MD, Christina Evangelides Donovan, and Rita Manfredi-Shutler ’81 MD.”

Alan DeClerck writes: “Sending you my first update, I think, in 45 years! After decades in Northern California, I’m relocating to Paris for the next couple of years and focused on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa activities. It would be nice to connect with classmates in Europe, either through alan.declerck@gmail.com or alan@leolabs.space. Turns out Paris is a good place to get a meal, and I’m (too) happy to talk about the exciting changes in the space industry these days. I’m enjoying keeping in touch with some of our classmates and connected in the past year with George Barrett, Jean Follett, not to mention many brothers from Phi Psi. So many interesting outcomes and achievements. Like so many of you, my greatest joy by far is watching my kids build purposeful lives, including my youngest, Hana ’20. Best to all.”

John D. Sheppard ’75, ’78 MD, ’85 MMSc, has been appointed to the medical advisory board of TearSolutions, a privately held biotechnology company focused on treatments for dry eye disease. Dr. Sheppard is a founding partner of Virginia Eye Consultants. He is actively involved in numerous clinical trials and has participated as principal investigator in clinical research trials sponsored by many major pharmaceutical companies and for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition, he has presented at more than 700 invited lectures and visiting professorships worldwide.

Bruce Riedel is retiring from the Brookings Institution after 16 years as a senior fellow. Prior to Brookings, he served 30 years in the Central Intelligence Agency with postings at the White House for eight years, overseas in the Middle East, and in Europe. He is a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies in London and the author of nine books on the Middle East and South Asia. He and his wife Elizabeth live in Chestertown on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Joseph Fieschko announces the marriage of his son Zander Lewis Fieschko to Marissa Bergman ’14 on Nov. 5. Joseph writes: “The marriage took place at the Castle Green in Pasadena, California, and had a pre-Raphaelite theme. Attendees included my sister Dr. Julie Fieschko Keller ’73, my college roommate Dr. Neil Derechin, and our good friend Kathy Buechle Egler ’77. Marissa grew up in Las Vegas and her grandfather was the architect who invented the modern casino. Next time you can’t find the exit, blame him. My wife, Regina, and I continue to work at our little law firm and plan to run in the Pittsburgh half-marathon. We’re not dead yet.”

Scott Newcombe writes: “This winter, for the second time in nearly five decades, John Mathieu, Peter Copeland, and myself found ourselves in the same city (Vancouver, Wash.) at the same time. It was just long enough to share an Italian meal together, reminisce about our own culinary attempts while living off campus, and agree to make a real effort to get to the 50th reunion. We are hoping other friends can get there as well.”

Saxophonist Ken Field led his 80-piece Hoot Band in January in Wollongong, NSW, Australia, for the HONK! Oz and Illawarra Folk Festivals. This is the seventh year that he has traveled from Massachusetts to lead the group, performing his arrangements of Australian music, original compositions, and traditional New Orleans second line repertoire. He is one of the organizers of the Somerville (Mass.) based HONK! Festival of Activist Street Bands, an annual event that began in 2006 and has spawned over 20 independent HONK! festivals around the globe. He is currently working on a commission of original music for Under the Canopy, a dance performance, due to premiere in 2024. This summer he will be performing Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Club in Provincetown, Mass.

Patience Armstrong moved from New Jersey to Virginia to be closer to her daughter and writes that she is enjoying the warmer weather.

Paul Anagnostopoulos met up with Scott Harris in October for a pleasant lunch when Paul was back in St. Louis for a high school reunion. Paul writes: “We hadn’t gotten together for many years, so it was lots of fun.” Paul officially retired on his 70th birthday this past January. That lasted for about two weeks until he got a call from an old client for a new project.

Susan Clark Levine writes: “After graduating from four idyllic years at Brown, I had a short series of jobs that were the norm for liberal arts graduates. Those served as an effective wake-up call, which eventually led me to pursue an MBA from the University of Chicago. Thereafter, I worked on Wall Street, at First Boston, in fixed-income, and then at the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp in D.C., helping to run the mortgage trading operation. Luckily for me, I eventually met another Michigan native with University of Chicago connections, and we married in 1987. The arrival of our daughters, a late blessing, caused us to rethink being on the East Coast and we moved to the small city of East Grand Rapids, Michigan (aka East Great Falls for movie buffs). I retired and had the great satisfaction of being involved in the girls’ activities and their school and also in this pleasant and spirited community.While this is home, we spend summers with family and our giant Leonberger dog at our family’s 100-year-old cottage on an inland lake near Traverse City. We are also back and forth to North Scottsdale during winters for much needed sun, some golf and a little hiking and pickleball. If any of my old friends are in any of these locations or would otherwise enjoy catching up, I’d be quite pleased to hear from you. My email is srclevine@gmail.com.”

Samuel “Skip” Halpern writes that this summer, he’ll teach a “special studies” course at the Chautauqua Institution based on his book, Wellsprings of Work: Surprising Sources of Meaning and Motivation in Work . The draft course description is: This course explores under-unappreciated sources of meaning in work, amidst the pressures and pitfalls of capitalist society. While acknowledging how work can bring you down, the focus is on psychological and spiritual drivers that lift you up. It applies to all types and stages of careers (early, mid, late, after), and spans philosophy, psychology, law, investing, religion and arts.

Michigan Lawyers Weekly named James “Jay” Cunningham to its 2022 class of “Leaders in the Law.” Jay is a partner with Williams, Williams, Rattner & Plunkett, P.C., in Birmingham, Michigan, where he oversees one of the state’s most highly respected family law practices. The honor recognizes attorneys for their significant accomplishments or achievements in the practice of law, outstanding contributions to Michigan’s legal profession, leadership in improving the justice system, seeking improvements to the legal community and the community at large, and setting an example for other lawyers.

John W. Thompson has been enjoying his fourth year as a contributing editor to the National Contest Journal, a publication of the American Radio Relay League, an amateur radio organization. This publication has a circulation of about 170,000.

Daniel Asa Rose’s Truth or Consequences: Improbable Adventures, a Near-Death Experience, and Unexpected Redemption in the New Mexico Desert, was published on May 1. 

Emily Hughes Page writes: “I’m not retired yet because I’m still treasuring the process of doing mental health coaching and energy work with private clients and for Catholic Charities of Massachusetts. My greatest joy these days is facilitating face-to-face, Zoom, and social chat meetings for the 1100 Massachusetts branch of Connecting Consciousness (connectingconsciousness.org), as well as providing some worldwide leadership for the 100,000 member organization. This includes initiating a bereavement support process for myself (who lost my younger son Tim at 51 years old a year ago to a heart attack) as well as folks who’ve lost relationships for a variety of reasons in these challenging times.”

Robert Hall writes: “I am so fortunate to spend several winter months at beautiful Amelia Island, Florida, while maintaining our Barrington, Rhode Island, home. As such, I can continue two among my favorite interests—I’m as active as ever with my investment advisory firm, and I am pleased to continue to be involved with the football program as chairman of the Brown Football Association. I have known Head Coach James Perry for many years and strongly feel his leadership will resurrect Brown football. James has recently introduced me to his nephew, EG Perry, our former All-Ivy quarterback at Brown and now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad. My wife and I have just enjoyed a nice luncheon with EG at Amelia. Pete Fuller ’65 and Michel Bayard ’88 visited us at Amelia Island, two former outstanding lacrosse and hockey players, respectively, and lifelong friends. We played golf and as usual reminisced about our great Brown experience. With respect to golf, I do have mixed feelings about my golfing experience. My two grandsons, 18 and 20, are now hitting shots 50 yards (at least) past me. (I actually am more happy than sad).”

Wayne Carlson and Paris, a 7-year-old Papillon, repeated winning the NADAC Championship held on September 22-25 in Gillette, Wyo. Wayne writes: “She placed first in all six rounds of the competition and was the overall Grand Champion in her height bracket besting the younger handlers and their dogs. She won the championship in 2020 and was second in 2019 and third in 2018. She can perform at distances of 30 to 40 feet away from me on verbal cues and can run nearly six yards a second. This year I have also spent a couple weeks in Italy seeing all the Renaissance art I was introduced to at Brown. I also visited the WWI and WWII exhibits in New Orleans and Kansas City. I finished an extensive rehab of an apartment this summer. This is a long way from managing a farm as a 16-year-old in Northern Minnesota with a house that had no interior plumbing, no running water, and no electricity and having no clue who Napoleon was. I have enjoyed
my life and look to a few more years of training dogs, traveling, and managing my real estate portfolio. It has been quite a trip, I am a much different person than I was in 1961.”

David Parent writes: “We have completed our fourth summer at our condominium in Wallingford (Conn.). Cathy has required a health home aide for the entire year and after a few false starts we had one join us in May, who is an answer to prayer. She’s knowledgeable and professional but with a warm and nurturing personality. We have tried our luck at the local community garden for several years and, other than a handful of small tomatoes, had nothing to show for our efforts. This year I spent much more time in the garden and we had a good crop of tomatoes. While ironing one morning I discovered old Greyhound bus restoration videos streaming on the computer. Many of the old buses were converted into campers when they were taken out of service and the bus restoration hobby is vigorous. Cathy rode Greyhounds back from school in New Haven to her home in Northford and I rode similar buses back and forth to military school in New Jersey and we have a love for the breed. It seems that many of our classmates are starting businesses. As a result, Cathy and I started Jennings and Johnson, LLP. We make small loans to qualified borrowers. Our grandchildren are growing up rapidly. This year we were able to see all ten of them. The older ones can fly out from California to see us and our son David also visited from California. I see that there is a stirring of interest for the 65th reunion. I just got my Brown blazer back from the cleaners where it received reconstructive surgery. Some classmates may not be aware that at our 45th reunion it was determined that all of the blazers fit. We are at the point where our lives are beginning to change and where going to medical appointments seems to be a large part of our lives. I am waiting for someone to write the definitive book on love and marriage in one’s 80s. If done right it will emphasize love and companionship is just as intense in our 80s as it was in our 20s.”

Richard Grant writes: “The journey through life has been interesting. Had to pay for most of my college tuition by working at the St. Lawrence Seaway summers and the John Hay Library. Studying art and performing in studio art under the tutelage of Walter Feldman set a course for the rest of my life. Upon graduation I was hired as a management trainee at the book cloth mill, Arkwright Interlaken. My boss asked me what I wanted to do. My goal of being a national sales agent was curtailed by the sales force being full so he asked me to go to the Brown Library and think of something I would like to do. When he asked me what I came up with, I told him I wanted to be art director of the company. He asked what my plan was and due to not having an answer, I went back to the John Hay. I created the Interlaken Art Program. I would purchase the rights to print book designer’s artwork on the book cloth and send it out to the publishing companies. I also conducted luncheons and conventions nationwide. As the years passed, the art program grew in importance. I continued managing the art program as a consultant because I had purchased a partnership in the cardboard frame producer, the Cambridge Paper Box Company. My responsibility was to create a new market, and selling to elementary school publishers was a natural. I became a leading sales person nationally in the creation of elementary school kits. Circumstance led to my forming R. B. Grant & Associates, representing 10 factories, each manufacturing boxes of a different material. A two-story office was added to our home on the URI campus. As the successful years passed, I eventually joined my son’s company, New Territories, selling complete kits, including the books, educational products, and mailing services. I was awarded top salesman at a San Diego sales meeting. Today, retired, I spend my time as president of Narrow River Preservation Association. I hope that this long monologue stimulates other grads to write a sketch of their life’s journey. In old age there is not much new to write about.” Contact Richard at richardbgrant4796@gmail.com. 

Anne Jones Mills lives in Colorado, having moved there in 1991 after retiring from IBM. She worked until age 75 and has been very active in her Wind Crest community, where she is a longtime resident. She serves on Breckenridge’s National Repertory Orchestra Board and is its treasurer. She is also a Brown trustee emerita and life trustee at Ottawa University. Her husband passed away in March 2022.

Martin S. Kleinman has retired after more than 40 years practicing and teaching gastroenterology at the University of Rochester College of Medicine, where he is now a clinical professor emeritus. He still lives in Rochester, N.Y., and summers on Canandaigua Lake. He and his son, Dr. David Kleinman ’88, and granddaughter, celebrated the graduation of his grandson from Brown.

Peter A. Corning, who is long retired from teaching in the multi-disciplinary human biology program at Stanford University, is still active. He’s currently publishing a new MIT Press book (his seventh) on Evolution “On Purpose”: Teleonomy in Living Systems (coedited with five colleagues). Another new (trade) book, now pending, is Superorganism: A New Social Contract for Our Endangered Species. Peter is also widely recognized for his theory about the causal role of cooperative effects (functional synergy) in evolution (as opposed to the competitive “selfish gene” model), most recently in his 2018 book, Synergistic Selection: How Cooperation Has Shaped Evolution and the Rise of Humankind (World Scientific). He and his wife, Susan, now live near Seattle, close to their three children and two grandchildren (so far).

Donald Jaffin remembers Dr. Richard J. Smith ’51. “I met Dick Smith in September 1947, when we were both assigned rooms in Adams House on George Street. Early in his Brown career, Dick indicated his intention to study medicine. Shortly after receiving his medical degree, Dick decided that he was going to specialize in surgery of the hand. After serving in the military, he received fellowships with famous hand surgeons in California and England. Following years of practice in New York, Dick was appointed chief of the Massachusetts General Hospital department of orthopedic hand surgery. During his entire career, Dick was a strong supporter of training and mentoring young doctors. He wrote many articles and lectured all over the world. In recognition of his achievements, Mass. General created the annual Richard J. Smith memorial lectureship, which was attended by prominent hand surgeons from all over the world. Apart from his medical accomplishments, Dick had a wonderful personality and was very well known and respected. My wife and I were very close friends of Jane and Dick Smith. We have never recovered from his passing at such an early age. Dick Smith was a treasure to medicine and to Brown University. He should be appropriately remembered.”

Gloria Markoff Winston writes: “Was it possible that May was our 75th reunion? I hope you are in good health and were able to return to Providence. Even if you were not able to join us for our BIG 75th, I would like to hear any information about you or your family to share with our classmates. Please email it to me, your class president, at gmwinston@yahoo.com or to the Brown Alumni Magazine. Our Pembroke Archives are anxious for any information about our class, memorabilia, pictures, programs, letters, etc. or anything you may have to share. I am the youngest of three sisters who graduated from Pembroke; Dorothy Markoff Nelson ’35 and Bernice Markoff Gourse ’41. I have 12 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren. I hope some of them will carry on the Markoff sisters’ tradition at Brown University.”

Christine Gray Faust ’99 AM was promoted to executive editor of Cruise Critic. The website part of TripAdvisor, Cruise Critic remains the world’s largest cruise information source, despite the pandemic shutting down the cruise industry for 15 months. Christine is an award-winning travel writer and speaker and has been working at Cruise Critic since 2013. When not on a ship, she lives in Yardley, Pa,. with her husband, Don Faust, and two papillon pups, Monet and Manet. Follow her on social media @ChrisGrayFaust.

Lena Sisco ’97 AM has a third book, Honest Answers: Interview and Negotiation Skills to Get to the Truth, released by HarperCollins Leadership on November 15, 2022. Lena writes: “I was fortunate to be an expert DOD Intelligence panelist at SPYSCAPE’s first annual SPYSCAPE Festival in October in New York City headquarters. I was joined by former CIA, KGB, and FBI agents and we took place in a fun event called Bullseye or Bull***, where Laila Robins, the actress from Homeland and The Walking Dead, made a guest appearance. Maria Comstock, TikTok star, was the MC of the event. We analyzed famous spy movies and told the audience why scenes were either Hollywood fiction or if they portrayed real ‘spy game’ moves. I also finished filming a six-part series in the UK this past September for a show that will air on Reelz in 2023. Finally, I started my second company, Sector Intelligence Group (www.sectorintell.com), which is now global! We are growing and about to hold our first annual intelligence conference next year (Sept.14-15, 2023) in Dallas called SICON 2023. We are bringing human intelligence and human behavior experts in as keynote speakers and trainers, as well as authors and great leaders, to share their experiences using human intelligence skills in the business intelligence arena.”

Japan News reported that Shigeyuki Goto ’84 AM has been named Japan’s new Minister of Economic Revitalization in the wake of the resignation of his predecessor. Goto was formerly Japan’s Minister of Health, Labor, and W

Reyhan Durmaz ’19 PhD is an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She published Stories between Christianity and Islam, in October.

Tengteng Chen ’16 AM, ’20 PhD is a postdoc scholar in Prof. Wei Xiong’s group in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at UC San Diego. Tengteng writes: “I just got a paper accepted for publication in Science Magazine and I am listed as the first author. You can view the paper at science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.add0276.” Contact Tengteng at tengteng_chen@alumni.brown.edu.