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CLASS NOTES
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
CLASS NOTES
my email address, at the top of
the column, or CCT’s easy-to-use
webform: college.columbia.edu/
cct/submit_class_note.
’Til next time.
REUNION WEEKEND
MAY 30–JUNE 2, 2013
ALUMNI OFFICE CONTACTS
ALUMNI AFFAIRS Patricia Carchi
pc2389@columbia.edu
212-851-7807
DEVELOPMENT Harrison Kobb
kh2468@columbia.edu
212-851-7444
93
Betsy Gomperz
41 Day St.
Newton, MA 02466
Betsy.Gomperz@
gmail.com
Our 20th Alumni Reunion Weekend
is only a few months away and
we hope to have a great turnout.
If you haven’t marked your calendars,
please do so and try to come
see your classmates; the dates are
Thursday, May 30–Sunday, June 2.
Saturday, June 1, also is Dean’s Day.
We have a great Reunion Committee
that has been meeting since
October and is well on its way to
planning a dynamic weekend for all
of us. Our class-specific dinner will
take place on Saturday, followed by
drinks and dancing under the stars
at the Starlight Reception. Please
also consider contributing to our
Class Gift in honor of this milestone:
college.columbia.edu/giveonline.
For more information on reunion,
go to reunion.college.col
umbia.edu and, while you’re there,
make a pledge to attend and also
update your contact information so
you don’t miss any news about the
big event. Consider, too, joining the
“Columbia College Class of 1993 --
20th Reunion” Facebook group!
Kenneth Ehrenberg ’05 GSAS is
an assistant professor of philosophy
and research associate professor of
law at Buffalo. He earned a law degree
at Yale before earning a Ph.D.
at Columbia. Ken recently married
Hanako Sakanushi of Yokohama,
Japan, and “had a wedding reception
in Faculty House on November
20 (although the wedding itself
took place July 31 in Buffalo). In
attendance were many Columbians,
including Addison Golladay;
Peter Hovde; David Mantell ’92;
Prudence Soobrattie; Jennifer
(Weiner) Rosenthal ’93 Barnard;
Milind Shah; Patti Ybarra ’94; Jay
Michaelson; Thomas Vinciguerra
’85, ’86J, ’90 GSAS; Guy Tower ’12
GS; Anne Wei, who did a post-bac
at the Architecture School in 2012;
Adam Fields ’96; Anne Sutherland
’96; Andrew Shiner ’96; Ashley
Normand ’97 Barnard; James Wetterau
’05 GS; Ruth Mason ’97; Ihsan
Dogramaci ’02 GSAS, ’05L; Alex
Cohen ’99L; Perry Metzger ’87E;
Calista Brill ’02; and Aaron Seeskin
’95 GSAS.”
Congratulations, Ken.
94
Leyla Kokmen
440 Thomas Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55405
lak6@columbia.edu
Alison Gang sent a lovely update
on all she’s been doing since graduation,
saying she was motivated
to write after looking through the
Spectator archives: spectatorarchive.
library.columbia.edu. She started by
working as a photographer in New
York for a few years, then moved
back to California, where she grew
up. She put her film studies major
to use in Los Angeles as a page at
the Studios at Paramount in Hollywood.
From there, Alison worked
in script development for a TV
production company, then moved
to the TV channel AMC, where, as a
publicist, she worked with legendary
stars such as Eva Marie Saint
and Roddy McDowall. After that,
Alison shifted into a more academic
setting at the UCLA Film & Television
Archive, where she was in
charge of research and licensing of
UCLA’s Hearst Metrotone News
Collection to TV and film productions.
In 2000 she moved to San
Diego to pursue a master’s in mass
communication/media studies at
San Diego State.
For the past decade Alison has
been the communications director
for University of California Television,
the UC San Diego-based TV
channel for the 10-campus UC
system. She writes, “While UCTV
can still be seen on TV in major
California markets, our primary
focus is now online and we’ve had
great success with sharing our vast
collection of lectures, documentaries,
concerts and more with
millions of viewers on our website
(uctv.tv), YouTube channels and
iTunes. While I thought I had put
my film studies major to rest, that
turned out not to be the case when,
in 2010, I was brought on as the
film critic for San Diego’s only daily
newspaper, now called U-T San
Diego. Balancing a full-time job and
a heavy freelance writing load isn’t
always easy, but it’s hard to complain
when you’re lucky enough to
have two jobs you love.”
Not only does Alison write
reviews but she also contributes
features on local film festivals and
interviews with actors and directors,
including Ang Lee (Life of Pi).
“I couldn’t resist telling Lee that I
studied under his frequent producing
partner, the Professor of Professional
Practice in Film in the Faculty
of the Arts James Schamus, while
at Columbia, and even worked on
marketing his first film, The Wedding
Banquet, during my senior year
internship. I’m hoping that 2013
will be the year that I expand my
writing career to full-time, covering
film, TV and media, as well as
writing a humorous memoir about
dating, love and life.”
Alison also is on the board of
directors for the Columbia Alumni
Association of San Diego. Classmates
can keep up with her at
alisongang.com or @alisongang or
email her at alison@alisongang.
com.
Jennifer Goldstone ’95 is COO of the Birthright
Israel Foundation, a nonprofit that funds educational
trips to Israel for young Jewish adults.
Janet Balis Allen lives in New
York City with her family, including
three kids, who are doing well
and enjoying school, friends and
many activities. Janet rejoined AOL
a little more than a year ago to lead
sales strategy for the company, but
last May she took on a new role as
publisher of The Huffington Post.
“I’m very much enjoying the new
challenge, as we’ve launched new
experiences around the world,
built new partnerships with
incredible brands like TED and
Oprah, and moved into original
video with HuffPost Live,” Janet
writes. “It’s a very different scale
newsroom than the one I remember
at WKCR!”
Also taking on a new challenge
is Paul Bollyky, who has accepted
a position as an assistant professor
at Stanford with a joint appointment
in immunology and infectious
diseases. He and his family
have moved to Palo Alto, Calif.
Also on the move is Ayanna
(Parish) Thompson, who plans to
move with her family from Scottsdale,
Ariz., to Washington, D.C., this
summer to join the faculty at The
George Washington University.
Thanks to everyone for the great
updates! Until next time.
95
Janet Lorin
730 Columbus Ave.,
Apt. 14C
New York, NY 10025
jrf10@columbia.edu
I hope this finds everyone doing
well as we begin to celebrate our
40th birthdays.
Congratulations to Jennifer
Goldstone, who is joining Birthright
Israel Foundation as COO.
The nonprofit funds educational
trips to Israel for young Jewish
adults. Her responsibilities include
fundraising, communications and
marketing.
Michael Kingsley also is in a
new job. After seven years as a television
producer — and a decade
of media experience before that
— he began as a media specialist
at PR firm Emanate in October. He
counsels on media strategy and
helps place stories and guests on
TV, radio, in print and online. His
clients include Bank of America
and The Hartford, and he also does
work with KFC, National Geographic
and more. Michael’s wife, Harra,
started this fall as an assistant
principal at P.S. 83 in the Bronx,
and their son, Aaron, is 2.
I am happy to be back in touch
with Laura Margolis, a fellow Chicago
native. She and her husband,
Brian Frank, live in Los Angeles
with their rescued dog and two
cats. Laura, an actress, a few years
ago appeared in the ABC series
Dirty Sexy Money with Donald
Sutherland, Lucy Liu and Blair
Underwood. It was very cool to
see her in ads for the show on the
NYC subways! She also starred in
the horror film The Strangers, and a
sequel to the flick is rumored.
Brian, whom I often sat next to in
history classes, is e.v.p. and global
head of content at Beats Electronics.
In his spare time, he manages rock
legends Fu Manchu and up-andcoming
punkers FIDLAR.
Thanks for the news and please
keep the updates coming.
96
Ana S. Salper
24 Monroe Pl., Apt. MA
Brooklyn, NY 11201
asalper@bakerlaw.com
Classmates, we’re light on mail —
a state of affairs that must be remedied.
Write me with your news,
whether about yourself or your
family, career, travels or plans. You
can use the above email address or
CCT’s webform: college.columbia.
edu/cct/submit_class_note. This
column is a terrific way to stay
connected; let’s use it!
97
Sarah Katz
1935 Parrish St.
Philadelphia, PA 19130
srk12@columbia.edu
Ruth Mason and her husband,
James Wetterau ’05 GS, welcomed
their second son, Wiley Wetterau
Mason, in October. Wiley joins
brother Felix (2).
Matthew Morningstar is vice
chair of the Gay Men’s Health
Crisis Board of Directors.
Maggie Lewis was married in
July 2011 in Tanzania (fantastic
elopement)! She and her husband,
John Kikoski ’93 Business, had a
son, Armas Said, in September.
Maggie is an associate professor at
Seton Hall Law in Newark, N.J.,
and lives in NYC.
Joshua Ross finished his first
semester of the M.A. program in
East Asian languages and cultures
at GSAS.
Edward Wladis recently won the
annual ASOPRS Research Award
from the American Society of
Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery for his research into the
molecular biology of ocular rosacea.
At the same meeting, he also won
the Bartley Frueh Award for the
best presentation. A few days later,
his work on possible new therapies
for thyroid eye disease was chosen
as one of the best presentations at
the American Academy of Ophthalmology
annual meeting. Ted is
in private practice in Albany, N.Y.,
and recently was promoted to associate
professor at Albany Medical
College. His wife, Lianne ’00L, also
works in Albany. They have two
daughters, Molly (5) and Becca (2).
Travis Ketner opened a law
office in his hometown of San
Antonio. The Law Office of Travis
Ketner (1423 W. Martin St., San
Antonio, TX 78207) will focus on
criminal defense as well as the
pro bono representation of autistic
children vis-à-vis the public school
system.
It is with great sadness that I
report that Laura Tatum died on
October 13, 2012, of ovarian cancer.
Laura grew up in Portland, Ore.,
and, after graduating from Tigard
H.S. in 1993 headed east to Columbia
and NYC, where she discovered
her personal and professional
callings: the professional via work
at Columbia’s Avery Architectural
Fine Arts Library, and the personal
through her delight in the vibrancy
of life in the city. Upon graduation,
Laura took a position in the library
of the Museum of Modern Art
before returning to school to earn
an M.S.I. in library and information
services from Michigan in 2002.
Laura spent much of her career in
Manuscripts and Archives at Yale
University, starting as a 2002 Kress
Fellow in Art Librarianship.
Laura shared her erudite passion
and inquisitive zest with her
longtime partner and husband,
Andrew Benner. Married on January
16, 2009, they made a home in
a mid-century, modern, wood-andglass
cabin on a pond in Guilford,
Conn., with their two beloved cats,
Blini and Nutkin.
Deepest condolences to Laura’s
family and friends. Contributions
John Kim ’00 and Sarah Farkas were married in Pittsburgh on September 22. Left to right (all CC ’00
unless noted): Michael Marks, Reza Vahid, Jesse Leff, Robert Hoffman, Sami Mesrour, Charles Saliba,
Nathan Shafroth, the bride, Evan Hutchison, the groom, Ejike Uzoigwe ’01 and Stephen Miller.
may be directed to The Center for
Land Use Interpretation (clui.org)
or Connecticut Food Bank (ctfood
bank.org).
REUNION WEEKEND
MAY 30–JUNE 2, 2013
ALUMNI OFFICE CONTACTS
ALUMNI AFFAIRS Patricia Carchi
pc2389@columbia.edu
212-851-7807
DEVELOPMENT Harrison Kobb
kh2468@columbia.edu
212-851-7444
98
Sandie Angulo Chen
10209 Day Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910
sandie.chen@gmail.com
I hope all of you will consider returning
to Morningside Heights for
our 15th Alumni Reunion Weekend,
Thursday, May 30–Sunday, June 2.
It’s a great way to reconnect with
classmates and/or to show your
kids where you went to college. For
those who reside in the area, just
hop in a cab or on the subway for
a ride back to 116th Street. There’s
still time to register. Go to reunion.
college.columbia.edu for more information
and also to update your
contact information, if needed, so
the Alumni Office can be in touch
about the weekend.
You also can join our class Facebook
page, “Columbia College
Class of ’98.”
One highlight of our class’
reunion events is the Friday night
reception, which this year will
be held at the STK Rooftop at 26
Little West 12th St. from 6–8 p.m. It
looks like a gorgeous venue. Then,
of course, there’s our main class
dinner on Saturday, followed by
drinks and dancing at the Starlight
Reception.
As of December 17, our class
had raised $40,705 for our Class
Gift from 44 donors, up from
$39,000 from 32 donors at that time
last year. I’m sure by the time you
receive this CCT, our numbers will
be closer to $50,000, thanks to the
hard work of our Gift Committee.
Hope to see you all in June!
Aviva Sufian has moved to
Washington, D.C., where she now
is director of regional operations
for the Administration for Community
Living. ACL is a new agency
within the Department of Health
& Human Services that focuses on
increasing access to communitybased
supports for older adults
and people with disabilities.
Best wishes to Lori Meeks, who
married Jason Webb on December
8 in a beachside wedding in St.
Petersburg, Fla. Lori and Jason are
professors of East Asian studies;
she is an associate professor of
religion and East Asian languages
at Southern Cal. Lori’s 2010 book,
Hokkeji and the Reemergence of Female
Monastic Orders in Premodern
Japan, won the 2012 John Whitney
Hall Prize from the Association for
Asian Studies.
Congratulations on all of the wonderful
personal and professional
news, Lori!
If you can’t make it to New York
this June, be sure to send an update
in honor of our 15th reunion. We
want to know how you are doing!
99
Laurent Vasilescu
127 W. 81st St., Apt. 4B
New York, NY 10024
laurent.vasilescu@
gmail.com
Greetings, Class of ’99. By the time,
you receive this update, we will be
a bit more than a year shy of our
15-year Alumni Reunion Weekend
(save the date: Thursday, May 29–
Sunday, June 1, 2014). That’s correct.
Fifteen years. … I hope you’ll come
out for it!
In the meantime, a few of us met
in October over drinks and dinner
at Rosa Mexicano (Union Square)
to catch up informally. Andrew
Park, Dominique Sasson, David
Evans ’99E, Wendy Liu, Ben Freeman,
Sameer Shamsi and myself
were in attendance; unfortunately,
Charlie Leykum was stuck at the
airport. We are hoping to have
a few more informal gatherings
during the next year running up to
reunion, so please reach out to us if
you want to meet.
I also heard from Jason Scherer,
a software engineer at Google in
New York. He is happily married
and has a child.
Josh Shaevitz is a professor of
physics and genomics at Princeton.
(Yes, he confessed that he moved
to rural central Jersey.) This little
SPRING 2013
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SPRING 2013
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