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CLASS NOTES
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
CLASS NOTES
hurricane winds of 120 mph and
extreme destruction) devastated
Samoa, including our little canoe
village of Matafa’a.
“I finally was able to contact
them. Nobody was hurt and the
canoes survived, but most of the
houses and gardens were destroyed
and the villagers lost most of their
possessions and clothing. Ten
families are living in the church.
The entire island will be without
electricity for months. [As of this
writing] I will be going to help in
mid-January — bringing a generator,
water purification system,
building tools and donated clothing.
Already, a wonderful company,
LifeSaver USA, has donated one
of its revolutionary water filtration
systems. … If anyone can spare a
financial donation, I will make sure
it goes toward helping the village in
the most efficient and appropriate
manner. Thank you.”
Dr. Larry Herman’s twins, Jonathan
’16E and Daniella ’16 Barnard,
began at Columbia this past fall. His
oldest, Amanda, is at Maryland.
Don Steinberg reports, “I’ve
become a staff writer at The Wall
Street Journal, covering a range of
entertainment — movies, music,
comedy, books and so on — in the
paper’s new ‘Arena’ section on Fridays.
It’s a step up from publishing
the Art Garfunkel Lived Here newsletter
in Carman Hall. I also have a new
book, The Kickstarter Handbook: Real-
Life Success Stories of Artists, Inventors
and Entrepreneurs, which explains
how to take advantage of the online
crowd funding phenomenon.”
The Washington Post announced
that Marcus Brauchli is stepping
down as executive editor but he is
staying on as v.p.
My baby products company, Regent
Baby Products, signed a license
recently with Nickelodeon for the
right to use the Dora the Explorer,
SpongeBob SquarePants and Blue’s
Clues characters on our items. My
pet company, Petking, recently
signed a license with America’s
Vetdogs. A percentage of the proceeds
is donated to this outstanding
charity, which trains dogs to help
disabled veterans.
Though belated, my best goes
out to the Class of ’83 for a happy
and healthy 2013. May your dreams
be fulfilled and your families be
safe. Peace to all.
84
Dennis Klainberg
Berklay Cargo Worldwide
14 Bond St., Ste 233
Great Neck, NY 11021
dennis@berklay.com
With a heavy heart, I am saddened
to advise you of the passing of
Professor Karl-Ludwig Selig on
December 1, 2012.
Despite having suffered a stroke
and being confined to his bed due
to various illnesses these past few
years, he was resolved to fight as
only a devotee of Don Quixote could:
by staying optimistic, fighting to
live another day and keeping in
close touch with all his friends, colleagues
and, especially, his beloved
students.
Having been one of many to
share time with the professor these
last few years — including at his
birthday in August, where 10 of us
from various ’70s and ’80s classes
were on hand to honor him at his
nursing home — I will miss the
Great Professor. But I am heartened
to have made many new friends
who believe, as I do, that he was
a true original and a tour de force
in his own right. We are blessed to
have known him.
For those who would like to share
memories, there is a “Fans of Karl-
Ludwig Selig” group on Facebook.
The professor was thrilled to
know of the group and, because of
his failing eyesight, I read his “fan
mail” to him over the years (and
was honored to do so). Perhaps
some of these memories can be
shared as well at a celebration of
his life, to be scheduled.
As he would surely want us to
shout in his honor, “Love live the
text!”
Above all, it must be noted that
Roy Pomerantz ’83 was as great a
friend and spiritual son as the professor
could have had. Roy invited
him to many a family occasion (or
brought the party to him!), visited
often with his children and gave
the professor much solace and
support. He was called first whenever
the professor was in need or
simply had a question. And if Roy
was unavailable, yours truly got
the call: “Where is Roy” — the
answer usually was “in China”
— “I need him!” Blessings to the
Pomerantz family for their acts of
kindness and love.
Ted Allegaert ’87 and Mike
Schmid tberger ’82, ’85L were
most instrumental in ensuring the
professor’s business and personal
affairs were kept in order. On all
matters legal and financial, these
men showed the greatest degree
of passion, attention, affection and
patience that could be imagined.
Below are some thoughts from
fellow alumni.
Mike Schmidtberger ’82, ’85L:
“He was ready. Profound thanks to
all of you for helping to look after
him when he needed it and for the
good times you shared during his
better and later days.”
Alex Navab ’87: “God bless the
professor and rest his soul. What
a unique and wonderful man! We
are all lucky to have had Professor
Selig in our lives. Our lives are all
the richer for our time as his students
and friends. Gaul and parties
at Saint A’s. He was a fixture at
Columbia.”
Louis Tsiros: “I was acquainted
with Professor Selig during the
last year or two of my studentship
at the College, albeit fleetingly. I
remember him well, though, and I
do so with a smile. May he rest in
peace.”
Adam Belanoff: “I’ll remember
Professor Selig fondly although,
despite many positive interactions
with him through the years, I never
was able to take his Don Quixote
course. I am aware of how much I
missed.”
Michael Ackerman: “I met Karl-
Ludwig Selig in an elevator in Hamilton
Hall when I was a freshman.
Though we’d never met and I had
never seen him, I recognized him
immediately from the descriptions
I’d heard from others. We wound
up chatting for a few minutes and
forever after the Great Professor
remembered my name, where I’d
lived at the time and whom I knew
who knew him. Through him I
discovered Gogol’s ‘The Nose’ (one
of my favorite short stories) and he
told me countless other great tales. A
unique man and a great part of the
Columbia community.”
Dr. P. Langham Gleason: “I
never had a class with Professor
Selig, yet he always treated me and
my brother, Douglas ’83, like celebrities
when he ran into us walking
across the campus. He was a gifted
people-person and a legendary
part of Columbiana. The likes of
him shall not quickly pass our way
again. Thanks for reminding us to
take a moment to remember this
beautiful man.”
[Editor’s note: See obituary in
Around the Quads.]
85
Jon White
16 South Ct.
Port Washington, NY
11050
jw@whitecoffee.com
Joseph Novak is posted with the
U.S. State Department in Montréal.
He writes, “I serve as the deputy
chief of mission and alternate U.S.
representative to the International
Civil Aviation Organization. ICAO
works to ensure the security, safety
and sustainability of international
aviation, a field where the United
States is an important player. After
several postings in South and
Southeast Asia, my wife, Tahmina,
and I are enjoying Montréal and
eastern Canada, including side
visits to New England.”
Mischa Zabotin reports, “Our
oldest son, Sacha, is enjoying his
first year at Bates, where he’s on
the rugby team and taking classes
that make me jealous. Our youngest,
Lucas, was accepted early
decision to the Class of 2017. He’s
very excited (as are we!). My wife,
Nicole ’88 Barnard, is pursuing
a college counseling certificate
through the UCLA Extension
program. Last but not least, I am
at Crédit Agricole by day and the
board chair of the French-American
School of New York by night.
We are working hard to obtain
approval to transform a defunct,
130-acre golf course in White
Plains into the new home for the
FASNY campus as well as for an
84-acre nature conservancy — an
exciting and unique project we’ve
dubbed ‘Greens to Green.’”
Congratulations to Mischa and
all other ’85ers who now get to add
the “P” (for Parent) designation to
their Columbia credentials.
Regarding another class member
with a “P,” David Zapolsky’s
son, Ian ’15, will major in computer
science (my son, Isaac ’14, made
the same choice and has been kneedeep
in problem sets). Ian also may
minor in jazz music; in his high
school days, he made several crosscountry
journeys to New York to
play in jazz festivals/competitions.
Congratulations to John Phelan’s
daughter, Unity, who has been
accepted as an apprentice for the
New York City Ballet.
Tony Pagan left his position at
the Mailman School of Public Health
and has accepted a position at the
Morris Heights Health Center, a
federally qualified health center
in the Central Bronx, as its senior
director of planning and development.
Tony and his team of planners
and fundraisers are responsible
for fund development, strategic
partnerships and implementing the
organization’s strategic plan.
Eric Lanzieri wrote, “After years
of working in law and related
industries, I have been the director
of the paralegal program at Lincoln
College of New England since
2010. I love teaching. This past
November I gave a presentation
at the law school of the University
of Salerno in Italy. This was a
special experience for me, as my
paternal grandparents emigrated
to Connecticut from the city of
Scafati, only 15 miles from the
university, more than 100 years
ago. The student government of
the law school posted two videos
of my presentation on YouTube.
Everyone involved is motivated
to continue some type of cultural
or educational exchange, and I am
looking forward to it.
“My involvement with southern
Italy began nearly 20 years ago,
when I succeeded in finding
relatives after a generation without
contact. I also work with companies
in Southern Italy to commercialize
a patented device, developed at the
University of Connecticut, for the
conversion of waste cooking oil to
biodiesel fuel. My trip to Italy in late
fall was productive with respect to
teaching law and to the commercialization
of the biodiesel reactor.
I would love to hear from former
residents of 7 Jay whom I knew
during our freshman year.”
Major league congratulations go
out to Tom Cornacchia, who was
presented a 2013 John Jay Award
for distinguished professional
achievement on March 6. Tom is
a managing director and head of
sales for fixed income, currencies
and commodities in the Americas
at Goldman Sachs and a member
of the Columbia College Board of
Visitors. [Editor’s note: See Web
Extras at college.columbia.edu/cct
for a photo gallery of the event.]
Finally, congratulations to many
of our classmates celebrating their
(first) half-century this year. Some
of you already have hit this milestone.
Happy birthday to all!
86
Everett Weinberger
50 W. 70th St., Apt. 3B
New York, NY 10023
everett6@gmail.com
Careful readers of the Winter
2012–13 issue of CCT would have
read the Alumni in the News section
and seen a smiling photo of
U.S. Air Force Brigadier General
Scott F. Smith in uniform with a
chest full of medals. That’s right,
brigadier general! Uh-huh! The
Class of ’86 now has a general in
its ranks. Scott was promoted in a
ceremony on September 21 at U.S.
Southern Command headquarters
in Doral, Fla. SOUTHCOM is
responsible for all partner-nation
building and U.S. military activity
in Central and South America and
the Caribbean.
From General Smith himself, we
hear the following about the ceremony:
“I was blown away by the
energy, dedication and generosity
of my Columbia colleagues, Phi
Gamma Delta brothers and dear
friends from as far back as grade
school ... simply incredible. Aside
from ’86ers, there was representation
from Classes of ’84, ’85 and
’87. It was a momentous occasion
for me and my family, made all the
more intense with the presence of
so many friends. Not for College
days alone, my CU pennant flies
proudly in my office!”
Scott adds, “I’m married to Amber
and our twins, Mazie and Marisha,
are 7; we also have Melody
(2½). Fortunately, they all take after
their mother and are beautiful and
bright. Theoretically, having young
kids when you’re in your 40s is supposed
to ‘keep you young.’ Well,
Michael Skrebutenas ’86, COO of New York State Homes and Community Renewal, was honored in
October as the Tim O’Hanlon Unsung Hero of the Year by the Supportive Housing Network of New York.
Alumni at the ceremony included, left to right: Christopher Browne ’88; Ira Gilbert ’84; Richard Froehlich
’85, ’88L; Christopher Betts ’84; Skrebutenas; Ralph Fasano ’85 TC, ’86 TC; and Ted Houghton ’87.
the jury is still out on that one —
but unquestionably it keeps Amber
and I moving! I sure hope in some
lab at CU there are some smart folks
discovering how to tap the insane
energy that three little girls can
produce. It is enormous.
“Of course, all have Columbia
gear in their closets and I believe
Melody shows signs of being a star
soccer player for the Class of ’31.
Yes, that is 2031. Read that year
again. I believe I will be 106 with a
kid in college! At least there will be
air cars and affordable space travel
by then.
“We’ve lived in Miami for the
last two years while I worked at
U.S. Southern Command as the
executive officer for the four-star
general in command, Gen. Doug
Fraser, USAF. It’s been a fascinating
year, including extensive travel
throughout Latin America and
the Caribbean, which offered a
phenomenal education on working
with heads of state, NGOs, private
and public endeavors, and foreign
militaries along with close interaction
with the State Department and
the intelligence community.
“Some other Columbians have
trod the SOUTHCOM area of
responsibility during the last couple
of years, including Ambassador
Hector Morales ’85 and Dan Foote
’86 (deputy chief of mission in the
Dominican Republic following a
tour in Haiti). I also understand that
Col. Chris Riga ’87, Army Special
Forces, will take command of a unit
next summer that works extensively
throughout Latin America.
“In January I moved on to be
deputy commander, Combined Joint
Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-
HOA) in Djibouti. CJTF-HOA’s
mission is similar to SOUTHCOM’s
for the African continent (developing
partner nation capabilities for security
and humanitarian assistance/
disaster relief). Additionally, CJTF-
HOA goes after the bad guys in that
area, so I’m eager to join the mission.
That’s about the size of things from
here. Best to all college mates wherever
they may be.”
Share your news with the class
by getting in touch with me using
my direct email, at the top of the
column, or via CCT’s easy-to-use
webform: college.columbia.edu/
cct/submit_class_note.
87
Sarah A. Kass
PO Box 300808
Brooklyn, NY 11230
ssk43@columbia.edu
To start this short but in many
ways poignant column, I take you
to our roving reporter in Oklahoma
City, Cathy Webster Ph.D.
She writes, “While we have been
living our own little lives, our fearless
class correspondent, the one
and only Sarah Kass, has earned
her Ph.D.! Sarah’s degree in clinical
psychology has been awarded by
Saybrook University in San Francisco.
She also did coursework in
London, which allowed us to enjoy
a wonderful weekend together one
damp Halloween. Now, back to
your regularly scheduled programming
… ”
Thank you so much, Cathy! I
could not have said it better!
For those who don’t know, and
I’m sure this encompasses the majority
of you, my specialization is
in existential psychology, a way of
practicing psychology that focuses
much less on diagnosis and the
medical model and more on how
each unique individual human creates
meaning in his or her world.
Rooted in existential philosophy
— part of that 20th-century stuff
we never seemed to cover in CC
— we try to help our clients see
their choices and possibilities, often
where they previously thought
they had few to none. And this link
both to philosophy and to how one
creates meaning in everyday life is
easy to see once we start looking.
I edit a daily website, The New
Existentialists (newexistentialists.
com), where we publish the work
of existential psychologists from all
over the world relating the practice
of existential psychology to such
topics as baseball, yoga and coffee.
I could go on about this for
hours, but I’d rather let Alissa
Burstein share this story with you.
Alissa, who is earning a Ph.D. in
education at Bar-Ilan University in
Ramat Gan, Israel, has been facing
the realities of daily existence, with
tensions as they have been in the
Middle East. She told me of this
experience while studying:
“I was sitting in the music library
at Bar-Ilan University when an air
raid siren was heard in the center
of the country during the recent Operation
Pillar of Defense (when Israel
acted to stop the missile attacks
on civilians coming from the Gaza
Strip). This took us by surprise, and
we ran to the ‘safe room’ shelter.
I couldn’t imagine being under
attack with a better group of people
— music professors who proceeded
to compare the timbre and rhythm
of the siren to some musical composition
they were just studying! The
whole scenario remains surreal.”
All I could think of was how
amazing it was that such creativity
and learning could take place under
SPRING 2013
82
SPRING 2013
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