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CLASS NOTES
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
CLASS NOTES
City. Patrice manages a program for
Russian orphans to visit the United
States and possibly themselves be
adopted.
“One of the benefits of spending
part of my time in NYC has been
a renewal, after many years, of my
friendship with Peter Janovsky. We
meet every few weeks for lunch in
Rock Center (in honor of Columbia’s
previous real estate ties and
the annual band Christmas eviction)
to discuss politics, education,
family and children, careers and the
meaning of life. All of these subjects
look different from our earlier
viewpoint in Carman Hall except,
of course, the meaning of life.”
Randy, make sure George comes
up from New Orleans for reunion,
please. And how old are your
sons Maybe we can recruit for
Columbia.
Jeff Kurnit is ebullient over having
free time and still singing. He
writes, “My wife, Abby ’68 Barnard,
and I enjoy retirement. After 60
years of having to adhere to school
calendars — Abby as a high school
science teacher and me as a college
English professor — we love being
able to do things when we please.
In October 2011, we spent nearly
two weeks in Italy and, in October
2012, we spent another two weeks
in Arizona and New Mexico, part of
that time visiting family. These are
trips we would have had to make in
the summer before we retired. How
nice it was to travel at a different
time of year!
“Shortly after we returned
from the Southwest, our daughter,
Miriam Kurnit-Katz ’00 Barnard,
had our first grandchild, Charlotte
Beatrice Katz. Naturally, we are
thrilled. When Miriam goes back to
work, we will be taking care of the
baby one day a week, another opportunity
afforded by retirement.
We also deliver Meals on Wheels
one day a week and are active in
synagogue choir and with The Village
Light Opera Group.
“We look forward to seeing old
friends at the Barnard and Columbia
reunions in June. And speaking
of reunion, Columbia Alumni
Singers is holding an event on
the Saturday of Alumni Reunion
Weekend, June 1, and we hope that
everyone will either attend or participate.
We will celebrate the 140th
anniversary of the founding of the
Columbia Glee Club. Anyone who
sang with any campus organization
at Columbia or Barnard is welcome
to participate. There will be
a rehearsal on Saturday morning
and a concert in the afternoon. We
did similar events during reunion
in 2010 and 2011, and the concerts
were extraordinary. Both were
recorded, and CDs are available.
If you want to sing, there will be
information in your reunion registration
materials. If you are not
a singer, please attend the concert;
you will have a great time.”
Jeff, thanks for the invite. It
sounds like fun. Maybe we can do
Roar, Lion, Roar
Larry Susskind wrote, “My latest
book is called Water Diplomacy:
A Negotiated Approach to Managing
Complex Water Networks, written
with Shafiqul Islam. I teach environmental
policy and planning fulltime
at MIT (42 years on the faculty)
and help run the Program on Negotiation
at Harvard Law. I’ve passed
the management of the Consensus
Building Institute, the not-for-profit
that my wife, Leslie Tuttle, and I
started almost 20 years ago, on to
the next generation, although I am
chief knowledge officer.
“I’ve been married for 30 years
to Leslie, a photographer who has
spent most of her professional life
documenting the status of women
in developing countries. Our
son, Noah, a mediator in NYC,
recently started at NYU Law. He’ll
be married this summer to Dafna
Alsheh, who helps to manage the
amazingly sustainable IceStone
company in the Brooklyn Navy
Yard. My daughter, Lily, runs a
dance company in Baltimore, Effervescent
Collective, and is a force
for arts collaboration in B’More.
“I have teams of MIT, Harvard
and Tufts students working on 1)
Middle East water negotiations,
2) efforts to protect the interests of
indigenous people (Mapuche) in
Chile from the adverse effects of
hydro-development, 3) sustainable
city development in Malaysia and
4) helping coastal New England
communities anticipate and respond
to the impacts of climate change.
From freshmen to postdocs, my
students are amazing. I recently
returned from the Salzburg Global
Seminar in Austria. We are working
with the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development to
implement multinational corporate
social responsibility guidelines in
44 countries. I try to reflect on all
these ongoing efforts in my blog
(theconsensusbuildingapproach.
blogspot.com).
“I hope to make it to at least part
of our 45th reunion. There are a
great many classmates I’d really like
to see. As far as retiring No. I’m going
to keep teaching until someone
tells me that I’m not following the
conversation.”
Larry, sounds like a good plan if
you have the energy for the students.
I saw Ted de Bary ’41, ’53 GSAS at a
recent Columbia event, so you have
another 30 years for sure!
We have and have had a distinguished
group of professors through
the years. I wonder if our class
may have some national record (it
wouldn’t surprise me): professors of
philosophy, English, law, business,
medicine, art history, international
affairs, history, statistics, public
health, urban affairs, music, real
estate, mathematics, physics, astronomy,
astrophysics, chemistry —
and others whom we might call
professors of entertainment such as
Jon Bauman (Sha Na Na, still going
strong), and for those who may recall
Paul Spitzberg from Little Rock,
Ark., I believe he is a renowned star
of television poker. I remember playing
with him — I was pretty good,
he was very good — at the end of
the hallway in New Hall.
Well, that’s it from here. I really
do hope to see all of you at reunion.
I have discovered that the Class of
1968 is a class that College students
have heard about. When you say
you are ’68, the response is a
curious, knowing look. My guess
is they have seen David Shapiro
sitting in the President’s Chair in
Low Library. And by the way, David,
a female colleague of mine’s
son is a young, aspiring poet living
in Chicago. I told his mom I knew
you and could arrange a meeting
between her son and you — he
can’t wait, says you’re great!
See you in a few months, I hope.
69
Michael Oberman
Kramer Levin Naftalis &
Frankel
1177 Avenue of the
Americas
New York, NY 10036
moberman@
kramerlevin.com
Congratulations to Jerry Nadler,
who has been reelected to an 11th
full term in Congress.
Bill Stadiem’s latest book, Moneywood:
Hollywood in Its Last Age of
Excess, was published in January.
(See Bookshelf.)
From Woody Lewis: “I’m writing
this from the fourth floor of Butler
Library. Since relocating from the
Bay Area back to New York City in
mid-2010, I’ve probably spent more
time here, or in the Business School
library at Uris, than I did when I was
in the College or B-School. I work
mostly from my home office these
days, running my Web software
consulting business. After a second
stint with Cisco Systems as a solutions
architect, and working with
a couple of startups, I’m enjoying
being independent. Five years ago,
while still in Cali fornia, I earned an
M.F.A. in fiction from Bennington
through its low-residency program.
I’m editing the draft of a novel in my
spare time and also working on a
series of personal essays.
“It’s great to be back in New
York, particularly when I run into
classmates like Robert Friedman
on the subway. My wife, Cathryn,
and I initially were in a high-rise
apartment on 110th and Morningside,
a great location because of
the proximity to Columbia. Now,
we’re in another high-rise on the
edge of Fort Greene in Brooklyn.
My son, Woody III, also lives in
Brooklyn and is a junior at the
School of Visual Arts in Manhattan,
where he studies film and video.
The contrast between our idyllic
life in San Carlos, a small town just
north of Palo Alto, Calif., and our
renewed urban adventure is great,
and that’s part of the enjoyment.
I’m even a member of the Columbia
University Club of New York,
so will meet classmates for a drink
with little prompting.”
Jim Gagné writes, “After graduating
from Albert Einstein College
of Medicine in 1973, I did two years
of internal medicine residency at the
old Lincoln Hospital in the South
Bronx. During the middle 1970s, it
seemed to me that NYC was falling
into decaying little pieces, and I
couldn’t wait to move to California.
I settled in Los Angeles shortly after
finishing my training and have
been here ever since. In 1989, I
married Vassar alumna and fellow
internist Mary Hardy.
“In addition to general internal
medicine, I’ve developed some
expertise in treating addiction and
chronic pain. I’m somewhat of a
computer geek and have developed
my own website, jamesgagne.com,
for patients who want to know
more about who I am and how I
approach medical care.
“I remember my years at Columbia
fondly. I learned a lot and
grew intellectually. But the experiences
that stand out are playing
in and composing music for the
Marching Band (the cleverest band
in the world), Tau Epsilon Phi and,
of course, the 1968 rebellion. My
brother, David ’71, still lives in
Morningside Heights. He’s a professor
of music at Queens College.
Alas, I haven’t had time to pursue
music since leaving Columbia, and
I miss it.”
John Bernson reports, “I’m in
the Middle East, based in Beirut,
doing bank advisory and corporate
finance projects. In September, my
wife and I attended the wedding
in New York of David Parshall’s
daughter, Lily ’01, ’10 SIPA, who
has a Ph.D. in sustainable development.
Both of Lily’s siblings (Jane
’06 and Anthony, who entered with
the Class of 2002 and completed
his B.A. at the University of Vermont)
attended the College.”
David — who joined the email
chain between John and me —
noted that Lily and her husband
met in Beirut in 2001 under John’s
“oversight as Lily’s godfather,”
leading John to add, “I am her very
proud godfather.”
David further reports, “I continue
to work at our firm, PEI Funds,
which invests in private equity
secondaries, in venture capital and
other private equity funds and private
companies. This is a firm that
I co-founded 20 years ago. I expect
to be doing this forever, subject to
ultimate mortality constraints. I love
my work, and the longer I work, the
more I can give to Columbia, which
has been fundamental to my formative,
marital and parental years. I
met my wife, Jane ’76 Business, at
the Business School.”
From Houston, Gary Mason
offers reflections on one day in his
life, writing: “Today is Sunday. I
slept alone on the floor last night,
favoring it over my mattress. My
spine — particularly L5 to S1
[vertebrae] — seems to need more
firmness these days. [As I write],
my wife is in New York visiting her
90-year-old mother who, though
suffering dementia, lives by herself
in Astoria. My companion today
was The New York Times. The bluewrapped
Sunday paper was in its
spot on the driveway waiting for
me to retrieve it with my freshly
brewed Gevalia coffee and mug
in hand.
“Later, the temperature reached
the glorious 70s, so after cleaning
the pool of a plague of acorns, I
settled on my sunlit patio to read
about the immortality of a little
jellyfish being studied in Japan for
its ability to clone itself seemingly
forever. This made me reflect on
what exactly I have been up to.
So I thought I would chronicle a
single, relaxed day as a way of
sharing news. Watered the indoor
Rafus palms, picked the last of
the now-ripe Satsuma oranges
from my yard, disconnected the
17-year-old KitchenAid dishwasher
and moved it to the garage
in anticipation of the delivery
of its replacement. Checked my
daughter’s latest Facebook photo
posting. Put in a brokerage order to
sell naked puts on the S&P weekly
index. RSVP’d to a friend’s annual
Christmas party. Bought tickets online
for the Memorial H.S. Theatre
production of Almost, Maine.
“Next, I’ll move on to Rodney
Yee’s yoga tape ‘Back Care Yoga for
Beginners,’ to help me stretch after
sitting and thinking at this laptop. I
want to be limber tomorrow when
I bend over an operating microscope
to perform a half-day of cataract
extractions scheduled for my
patients. In the afternoon, it will be
my turn to be a patient when I visit
the doctor for my cholesterol and
muscle enzyme assay.
“Yup, the Class of 1969 sure feels
a long distance away, but those
were the best days, when Morningside
Heights was the center of
our universe. Time passes but so
far those incredible memories of
growing up as an undergrad at
Broadway and 116th are indelible
keepers.”
From Doran Twer: “Much to
my surprise and delight, a svelte
and gray-bearded Ron Tarrington
showed up unannounced (as he
had threatened in a phone conversation
a year ago) at my son Aden’s
Gettysburg vs. Dickinson football
game on the evening of November
2 in Carlisle, Pa. (think Jim Thorpe).
It was our first face-to-face since
graduation. Happy to say that he
got to see Aden score on a 59-yard
TD reception for his Gettysburg
team. Ron had driven seven or
eight hours from Raleigh directly
to the game and then turned right
around after the contest. He’s still
dancing (a reference for those who
remember the Martha and the Vandellas/Dionne
Warwick campus
concert) to his own drummer.”
Dick Menaker writes, “I’m in
active practice [Menaker & Herrmann].
Our settlement of the Lehman
Brothers liquidation issues
with Citibank is on the front page
of today’s [November 19, 2012]
Wall Street Journal. No retirement
plans for the moment; our firm
recently re-upped on our lease for
another 10 years. Still playing tennis
and the cornet, the latter in the
Bronxville Pops outdoor concerts
during the summers. Can’t hit the
high Es with the same power as
singer Johnny Amoroso, however,
who also plays in the Pops. Of
course he’s almost 80, so there’s
still time to catch up with him.”
From Larry Wolfson: “After a
40-year career in advertising, sports
and marketing, and helping Times
Square make a comeback, I retired
in September 2011 after working
for a few firms through the years.
The best was a nine-year run with
Katz Communications, where I sold
television time for 25–30 stations
in the Midwest. I followed that
with four years at Madison Square
Garden’s fledgling cable network
… all sports. I left to become a v.p.
for Dorna USA and introduced
the now-common rotating signage
that runs the length of basketball
courts — first the pros, then we
added colleges and Major League
Baseball. Got to know and become
real friends with some awesome
athletes and executives. I stayed for
nine terrific years before I was lured
to Spectacolor to sell permanent
and then digital signage, which
Times Square has always showed
off. Eventually we were acquired
by Clear Channel and not much
fun was happening anymore. From
the late ’90s through 2011, I was
v.p. and district manager, calling
on clients and ad agencies in the
Midwest and Southeast.
“Then, last August, I decided
to say goodbye to 42nd Street and
retire. What truly accounted for my
leaving when I did was that, while
I was still the best at what I did in
Times Square and Las Vegas, the
airport scenes were really getting
to me and I wanted to be involved
with my grandsons and daughters.
Some days I miss the action; other
times I get a grip on reality (which
was never my forte).
“My wife of 43 years, Robin, and
I are blessed with two daughters
and three grandchildren, two great
boys and [as of mid-November]
a three-week-old granddaughter.
Life has been good — never perfect
— but still a privilege to be here.
“Biggest bummer is our sports
teams, i.e., Columbia football and
basketball, a real travesty that
should once and for all be acknowledged
and addressed. We simply
are a non-contender and should
stop playing in the Ivies if we continue
to lose in 69–0 games to John
Harvard. I need to stop writing
about this because I really get crazy
from the scene.
“Anyway, still love rock and
Sinatra, read a ton and pray for Israel.
That’s a pretty quick summary,
but there it is. Just one more thing:
My ‘big brother,’ Joe Cody ’66,
passed away too young, at only 57,
in 2001. I miss him constantly and
never would have gotten through
the College without him. A terrific,
wonderful human being.”
Rick Winston writes: “Vermont
History, the journal of the Vermont
Historical Society, has published
my article, A Sinister Poison: The Red
Scare Comes to Bethel. It examines
a forgotten episode from 1950, in
which two nationally known summer
residents of Vermont came
under suspicion of aiding the Communist
Party. One was East Asia
scholar Owen Lattimore, who had
been named by Sen. Joseph Mc-
Carthy as the ‘No. 1 spy’ in the State
Department, and the other was Arctic
explorer and scholar Vilhjalmur
Stefansson. It’s a fascinating story,
and the entire article can be read at
vermonthistory.org/journal/80/
VHS8001SinisterPoison.pdf. I’m
doing more research on this period,
and I hope to write a book about
other events that unfolded during
the McCarthy era in my adopted
state.”
The about-the-author line that
accompanies the article says that
Rick “was co-owner of Montpelier’s
Savoy Theater for 29 years, and is
currently programming director for
the Green Mountain Film Festival.”
Please see the Obituaries’
Other Deaths Reported box for
information on the passing of
George Eisenbarth.
To get news, I sent a blast email
to all classmates for whom we have
email addresses, and a letter to the
balance of the class. This yielded
about 15 responses (some will
appear next issue), but I hope more
classmates will send in news soon.
70
Leo G. Kailas
Reitler Kailas &
Rosenblatt
885 Third Ave., 20th Fl.
New York, NY 10022
lkailas@reitlerlaw.com
My friend Phil Russotti gave me
this good news: “I’m leaving for
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic,
for a destination wedding for
Dennis Graham’s oldest son, Scott.
[Also attending will be] Terry
Sweeney. This follows Dennis’ and
Terry’s trip to London earlier this
year for my youngest son Peter’s
wedding. So that’s what we’re doing:
globetrotting and following our
kids all over the world.”
News arrives from David
Lehman, editor of The Oxford Book of
American Poetry, series editor of The
Best American Poetry and poetry coordinator
of The New School’s Writing
Program: “Classmates might
like to know that in April we will
observe the 25th anniversary of The
Best American Poetry — the annual
anthology that I initiated in 1988
— with a special volume, The Best
of the Best American Poetry. Former
U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky is
choosing the poems from the first
25 volumes in the series. Scribner
will publish. I remain the general
editor. The year’s regular volume,
The Best American Poetry 2013, will
come out in September.
“Meanwhile, I am working on a
manuscript of my New and Selected
Poems to be published by Scribner
in April 2014. My last nonfiction
book, A Fine Romance: Jewish Songwriters,
American Songs, won the
Deems Taylor Award from ASCAP
in 2010.”
Richard Smolev writes, “My
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SPRING 2013
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SPRING 2013
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