THE SCIENCE ISSUE - Ethical Culture Fieldston School
THE SCIENCE ISSUE - Ethical Culture Fieldston School
THE SCIENCE ISSUE - Ethical Culture Fieldston School
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ECF ReporterWINTER 2005<strong>THE</strong><strong>SCIENCE</strong><strong>ISSUE</strong>
Oppenheimer and theTradition of Science at <strong>Fieldston</strong><strong>THE</strong> STUDY OF <strong>SCIENCE</strong> is a cornerstone of a liberal education. In a sense the intertwiningstrands of science/mathematics and literature/history form the DNA of learning. <strong>Fieldston</strong>has had a strong program in the sciences from the very beginning, with extraordinary scientistsand teachers among our faculty, and distinguished scientists, engineers, mathematicians, andphysicians among our alumni. Their lives and work have been deeply influenced by the school andits values.This issue of the ECF Reporter follows the lives of some of our alumni who have gone on to distinguishedcareers in science and reports on the current teaching of science at <strong>Fieldston</strong>. Our mainbiology lab and two ancillary labs have recently been transformed into a state-of-the-art biologylab, wet lab and cell culture lab, respectively. These renovations were the dream of our faculty,made possible by contributions from generous alumni and friends. In our campus expansion, thenew buildings will be “green” and reflect the best thinking on sustainable environments; they willbe living laboratories for ideas and programs. The reconstructed outdoor areas will be integratedinto our curriculum as well.One of the great teaching realities of science is that it is an intensely collaborative effort. In schoolsand colleges alike, students are brought immediately into the circle of learning and teaching,experimenting with ideas, and testing theories with their teachers as colleagues and fellow investigators.In science we also encounter the most difficult ethical issues in our culture. Cloning,artificial intelligence, nuclear energy, ecology and sustainability, medical research, the explorationof space, the nature of life are all the stuff of science and ethics as well.It is no accident, I think, that one of the most famous graduates of the school, J. Robert Oppenheimer,was a scientist of global renown. His years at <strong>Fieldston</strong> were marked heavily by the influenceof two teachers, Augustus Klock, who taught physics and chemistry, and Herbert Smith, whotaught him English. In David Cassidy’s very fine new biography, J. Robert Oppenheimer and theAmerican Century, the influence of these teachers, the school, and the ethical culture movementon Oppenheimer and his parents is thoughtfully explored. Oppenheimer embodies exactly thatstruggle for an ethical foundation of a life. He is remembered most for the Manhattan Project, buthis life evolved from there. He had a deep and abiding concern for the moral implications of thework he had done. He wrote and worried at the political underpinnings for the use of a force sopowerful that it could either destroy the entire human enterprise or advance it in marvelous andpowerful ways.As teachers, students, and citizens, we continue to grapple with these issues. The exploration ofscience and its ethical dimensions remains a central conversation at the <strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> <strong>Fieldston</strong><strong>School</strong>.Joseph P. Healey, Ph.D.Head of <strong>School</strong>ECF Reporter 1
ECF REPORTERWinter 2005Published three times during the academic year, theECF Reporter is designed to maintain ties between the<strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> <strong>Fieldston</strong> <strong>School</strong> and its alumni, as wellas between the school and parents, grandparents, andfriends, by sharing news and issues of importance to theECF community.ECF Reporter<strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> <strong>Fieldston</strong> <strong>School</strong>33 Central Park WestNew York, NY 10023-6001(212) 712-6238 PHONE(212) 712-8442 FAXreporterletters@ecfs.orgwww.ecfs.orgEDITORGinger CurwenDirector of Communications & MarketingALUMNI NEWS EDITORToby HimmelDirector of Alumni RelationsCONTRIBUTING WRITER(Alumni Scientists, Class Notes)Melissa RobersonDESIGNNancy Foote/By DesignASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FORENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AND MARKETINGEllen BellASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FORINSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT AND ALUMNIJames Thompson© Copyright 2005 by the<strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> <strong>Fieldston</strong> <strong>School</strong>.LettersThe Importanceof MusicI very much enjoyed the Fall2004 issue of the ECF Reporter,especially the way in which ithighlighted the musical department,a department in which Ihad some great experiences whileat <strong>Fieldston</strong> (1979–1984). I wasmost impressed by your inclusionof Randy Wanless’s name.Randy really was an outstandingteacher, and I’m glad he hasn’tbeen forgotten. I did, however,want to mention another teacherwho, while not as central a playerin the jazz program at <strong>Fieldston</strong>as Randy, played a huge role inmy musical education.Tim Kennedy was the drumteacher while I was a student,and I took classes with him bothat <strong>Fieldston</strong>, and privately, in myhome. He was a terrific teacherand a real character, too. Irasciblewhen he wanted to be, inspirationalat other times, he wasthe real deal, a teacher who hadplayed with Count Basie back inthe day, who transcribed drumparts himself from recordingshe liked so I and other studentscould learn to play along. Whenit was time for me to buy a setof drums, he didn’t tell me togo shopping. He took my fatherand me out and we bought theset together (I still have the sameset).Tim was a real presence in mylife, and though I haven’t spokenwith him in many years, I stillthink of him now and again,with great fondness.Daniel R. Gerson ’84Sherman Oaks, CaliforniaSend us your news, send us yourthoughts. Send updates on yourlife to your class recorders or toToby Himmel (thimmel@ecfs.org). Send suggestions forarticles to Ginger Curwen(gcurwen@ecfs.org) and letters toreporterletters@ecfs.org.Cover: <strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> students visit “The Gates.”Inside Front Cover: ECF graduate as Gates keeper.Back Cover: Watercolor renderings by Michael McCann.Cover photos and contemporary science photosby Stan Schnier.Current parents Robin Bierstedt ’71, Alice Martell, and Peter Mayer ’69were among those attending the P&T winter party, which raised more than$65,000 for the annual fund.The next P&T fundraising initiative will bean online auction in May; watch for details on www.ecfs.org.2 ECF Reporter
Campus GuestbookWe’ve been blessed with anumber of familiar faceswho have returned to campusin the past year to speakat Founder’s Day, <strong>Fieldston</strong>assemblies or MADs (ModifiedAwareness Days), or inclasses in the lower schools.Alumni: Have particularexpertise in a subject orissue? Interested in a publicappearance in the Riverdalesection of the Bronx or onCPW? If you have an interestin sharing your expertiseat <strong>Fieldston</strong>, please sendan email to Toby Himmel(thimmel@ecfs.org), directorof alumni relations, to beadded to her alumni resourcelist.February 2004 David Stone ’84, Howard Wolfson ’85Modified Awareness Day: Elections 2004May 2004 Hilary Baum Stein ‘65Assembly: Sustainable AgricultureJill Abramson ‘72Founder’s Day speakerCarl Howard ’76<strong>Fieldston</strong> Lower first grade: on birdsOctober 2004 Darcy Frey ’79Summer Book Assembly: discussing his book,The Last Shot: City Streets, Basketball DreamsNovember 2004 Paula Lazrus ’76<strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> third grade class: on archeologyJanuary 2005 Steve Blier ‘68. Dee Michel ‘70,Ken Shulman ‘73, and Anna Sochynsky ‘99Assembly: Panel on Growing up Gay/Lesbian at <strong>Fieldston</strong>Keith Davis ‘69<strong>Fieldston</strong> Lower: Martin Luther King, Jr. assemblyFebruary 2005 Douglas Bernstein ’76, Patricia E. Harris ’73<strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> fifth grade:The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979–2005Modified Awareness Day: Progressive EducationDeborah Meier ‘49The Future of Progressive EducationModified Awareness DayKen Barton, Mal Goodman, Barbara RosenPanel: <strong>Fieldston</strong> in the 1970s2004–2005ECF Reporter 3
Science at <strong>Fieldston</strong>by Ginger CurwenThe Mighty Zeppelin, Jet Black,The Liger, Hot Mama, JAC, TheHarry Pottermobile, and theircompetitors were ready to roll . . .So were their 40 young creators. On went the boom box, and sounds fromthe themes from Peter Gunn, then Batman filled the air, courtesy of FM105. About 100 Form II students and their teachers packed the bleachersin the upper gym to cheer their classmates along. You could barely hear thebeginning of the race. This was the First Ever Mousetrap Car Race-stravaganza,the culmination of about a month’s work by 40 Form II physical science studentsin John Baglio’s science class, who built (and sometimes rebuilt) theirbalsa mousetrap-powered cars as a study of the physics of motion: force, friction,velocity, acceleration, torque, inertia, levers. Form II Science introducesstudents to physics and chemistry at an elementary level.Like the Kentucky Derby, the races were over almost before they began. Therewere five heats of three to four cars each, with separate races for speed and distance,and a People’s Choice award for coolest car.An event like this shows off middle school students at their most creative andexuberant. Said Bill Bertsche, middle school principal. “The kids are engaged,they’re having fun – and they’re learning physics.” Their teacher, John Baglio,reflected on the pedagogy behind the project. “The teams are encouraged tobe creative, but within the laws of physics. I have found that middle school4 ECF Reporter
The Mousetrap Car Raceshows off middle schoolscience at its interactivebest. It starts with amonth studying the physicsof motion; homeworkassignments (oppositepage, left) are posted onthe teacher’s website. Here,teams prepare to compete inraces for speed and distance,cheered on by their peers.Like the students themselves,every car is different.ECF Reporter 5
Two seniors in Advanced Topics in Biology present results from a lab using DNA technology on the Smartboard in the thoroughly modernized Kotlar lab.students will dig in to a challenge thatprovides this combination of freedomwithin structure.”“Once a project begins, the students buildmomentum in their work,” Baglio continued.“They come into class not havingto ask, ‘What are we doing today?’ Theyknow, and they are generally chompingat the bit to get started. Project work isfilled with life lessons as well. Studentshave to work in groups over significantperiods of time. They have to work outtheir differences and solve problems together.They have to make a plan andfollow it. My challenge as a teacher isto continually bring the students back tothe bigger concepts and principles. It ismy job to make sure they don’t just builda mousetrap car, but they build theirscientific understanding as well.”<strong>THE</strong>SE DAYS AT FIELDSTON,science is more popular than ever, accordingto department chair ComptonMahase, judging by the number ofclasses and the number of students enrolled.There’s a lot of excitement aboutthe renovations in the 400s building inthe past few years – the advent of thePasco interfaces and probes, the digitalmicroscopes, the Smartboards for everyclassroom, and the renovation of the cellculturelab last summer. This summerafter the roofing on the science buildingis replaced, solar panels will be installed;they were awarded to <strong>Fieldston</strong> and theenvironmental club by NYSERDA twoyears ago. When the new middle schoolbuilding opens in 2007, one of its starfeatures will be a vegetative or “green”roof, and the roof will be partially accessiblefor teaching purposes.In addition to the basics, the course ofstudy includes numerous electives suchas environmental biology, intensivechemistry, astronomy, meteorology, intensivephysics, molecular biology, andscience research. “Our curriculum isdesigned to give kids the opportunityto become scientists or act as a scientistwould,” said Mahase. The science departmentfaculty includes a mix of veteransand newcomers: John Baglio, Susan Biancani,Robert Cairo, Robert Carrano,Robert Chuckrow, Paul Church, DavidGardner, Compton Mahase, Peter Mott,Palma Repole, Cheryl Snyder, KinneStires, Howard Waldman, Kerri Willa,Grace Yun. “Ten years ago maybe threeor four students went on to study sciencein college,” said Mahase, “now it’s a muchgreater number.” He is especially proudof Lev Sviridov ’00, one of 34 to win aRhodes scholarship this year for his workin science.Observe the students, all seniors, in PaulChurch’s Advanced Topics in Biology6 ECF Reporter
elective, and you can easily see the excitementon an advanced level in the upperschool. Church came to <strong>Fieldston</strong> in2001 from Mount Sinai <strong>School</strong> of Medicinewhere, as assistant professor in physiologyand biophysics, he taught graduateand med students. “There’s much moreenergy in the classroom here,” he said.The class has voted on its choice of 25topics or units to study this semester, andthey have ranked their top 12, includinga lot of neurobiology, DNA technology,immune system, genetics, and origin oflife on earth. (Last year, said Church, thestudents wanted to focus more on ecologyand plant structure.) A typical unit runsfor two weeks and covers three or fourchapters in a text, a lab, and a primarypaper, recently published; they meet sixtimes a week.On a day in February, the class is performinga gel electrophoresis lab, utilizingDNA technology. The labs are verymuch student-driven, explained Church.He gave them the concept of a lab onDNA technology; the students came upwith a forensic medicine backstory -- abiology student alive and studying untilhe gets a pizza delivery; not long afterhe is found dead. Was it the disgruntledpizza deliveryman or the neighbor whohated the student’s loud music? The stu-R E M E M B E R T H E S C I E N C E F A I R ?The old Science Fair has now beentransformed into the new Science Expo,and the second annual Science Expo willtake place on the first Tuesday in May.This format provides all students in all labsciences, not just intensive chemistry, withthe opportunity to design and carry outexperiments, and report their conclusionsto the community, explained sciencedepartment chair Compton Mahase.dents review the crime scene, run theDNA found on the victim’s body againstsuspect 1 and suspect 2. The previous daythe students have run the gels, stainedthe gels, rinsed the gels and they are nowmeasuring the lengths of DNA in theirsamples against a standard marker to getthe answer. They do their lab work insmall teams, then a few take to the Smartboardto review their results for the class.The culmination of the lab is a short videomade by four students depicting thehapless biology student. “I have a lot offun every day,” said Church.A word about the Smartboards: Picturea whiteboard you can project onto froma computer, from the Internet, from anything.But there’s more: You can write onthe projection, mark it up (your handwritingwill be converted to text), save it as aPDF, and email it to absent students, oremail next week’s assignment to the wholeclass or post it on the teacher’s website.Church, technology coordinator for thedepartment, is a big enthusiast: “It makesthe class so much more interactive, and thekids are totally into it.” Thanks to a numberof venture grants, Smartboards will bein all the science classrooms by year’s end.HOW ROOMS 410, 410A, AND410B WERE TRANSFORMEDINTO A STATE-OF-<strong>THE</strong>-ARTHIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY LABReaders may be interested in how andwhen these transformations occurred andwere funded, through a mix of grants forfaculty development from endowed funds,gifts from anonymous donors, andbudgeted expenses. The renovations of theannexes even included a makeover for themural done in the ‘40s, shown above.Spring 2002Former science teacher Damien Whelanreceives ECF venture grant for Pasco probes.Summer 2002Room 410 receives 10 student PCsfrom technology budget.Fall 2003Paul Church receives ECF venture grantfor digital microscopes.Spring 2003Compton Mahase receives SouthwindTeaching Foundation grant, used for anumber of things includingprojectors and laptops.Summer 2003Wet lab renovation is funded byanonymous donor.Spring 2004Paul Church receives ECF venture grantfor three Smartboards.Summer 2004Cell culture lab renovation and 410 main labrenovation is funded by anonymous donor.Fall, 2004Paul Church receives ECF venture grantfor four SmartboardsECF Reporter 7
Doing ScienceSix Alumni Talk About Their Life’s WorkFrom nuclear physics to molecular biology,clinical research to meteorology, these graduates onthe frontiers of science have been eyewitness to history,shaping our past, present, and future in the process.<strong>THE</strong> GENE PROFILER: ON <strong>THE</strong> FRONTIERS OF NEURO<strong>SCIENCE</strong>A Conversation withJohn Ngai ’76ECF Reporter: Tell us about your experienceat ECF.JN: I started <strong>Fieldston</strong> in high school(Form III, I think), transferring overfrom public school in Teaneck, New Jersey.I must have spent the first two yearsadjusting – <strong>Fieldston</strong> was such a smallcommunity of students, most of whomstarted in kindergarten together, andwow, the kids were so smart! But the intensityof the academic environment andthe close friendships I made really set meon a good path for my future academicpursuits. I had some great teachers. RayDarby (physics) was a great mentor andmade learning science a joy. Barbara Silbertaught me biology and AP biology – Ithink I learned from her in spite of myyouth! Ken Hubner (English) inspiredme to be a better student, and RenéeSpodheim (French) once told me ruefully,“Jean, Jean, Jean, there is more tolife than just science . . .” How right shewas about that!As for my interest in science, this is probablygenetic. Both my parents were academicphysician-scientists at ColumbiaUniversity’s College of Physicians andSurgeons. Actually the “plan” was to goto medical school, but between my juniorand senior years in college, I caught theresearch bug and decided to go to graduateschool in biology.ECF: Please tell us a bit about your collegeand graduate work.JN: Well, I needed a change from commutingevery day to the Bronx, so I decidedto give California a try. I attendedPomona College in Claremont, California,majoring in chemistry and zoology.By the time I got to college I was a prettygood student, so while the going wasn’talways easy, I did manage to do well there.I graduated from Pomona in 1980 andthen went off to grad school at Caltech(California Institute of Technology) afterspending a year at Harvard. This was atime when recombinant DNA techniqueswere just invented, and many great discoveriesin molecular biology were beingmade using these new tools. In 1987 Ireceived my Ph.D. from Caltech in biologyafter many years of studying in a cellbiology lab.I then left Caltech in 1988 to pursue mypostdoctoral studies at Columbia Universitywith Richard Axel (recipient of the2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine).At Columbia I studied the molecularbiology of the olfactory system – howanimals detect and discriminate the myriadodors in their environments – andbased on my work there I landed my first(and so far only) academic job at the Universityof California at Berkeley. I got toBerkeley in 1993 and have been here eversince. I am now profesor of neurobiology,head up the graduate program, and directthe Functional Genomics Laboratoty.ECF: What is the work you’re doing now?What is its significance for the rest of us?JN: Here at Berkeley my research groupis working in two inter-related fields ofstudy in neuroscience. First, extendingfrom my postdoctoral research, we continueto work on the molecular biology ofthe olfactory system. This is a fascinatingarea in which we are striving to understandprinciples of molecular recognition(how receptors in your nose recognizedifferent odorous chemicals) and neuralencoding (how does the brain sort outRenée Spodheim once told me ruefully, “Jean,Jean, Jean, there is more to life than justscience...” How right she was about that!– MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST JOHN NGAI ’768 ECF Reporter
the information coming from the nervecells in your nose to tell your brain whatyou’re smelling).We are also very interested in developmentalneurobiology, specifically thegenes and molecules that are responsiblefor building the nervous system duringdevelopment – and also repairing it afterinjuries such as stroke or trauma.One of the major approaches we take toneural development employs the use of“large scale gene expression profiling.” Ina nutshell, the human genome containsabout 25,000 genes. What makes thevarious cells of our bodies different fromone another (e.g., a nerve cell, a musclecell, a liver cell, etc.) are the subsets ofgenes that each expresses. So, a “neuron”(nerve cell) will express one subsetof these 25,000 genes, and a muscle cellwill express another subset. This is whatmakes cells different from one another.The challenge with the nervous system isenormous, since the human brain comprisestens of billions of neurons, andthese cells can probably be sorted intothousands of different types.We reason that the best way to identify acell is by the genes it expresses; by measuringthe expression of virtually every genein the genome using “gene chips,” wecan get a gene expression “fingerprint” toidentify distinct types of neurons. Rightnow we are very interested in the geneexpression fingerprints of progenitor cellsin both the developing and adult nervoussystem. We’re hoping that this work willgive us insight into which genes controlthe process of neurogenesis (i.e., the developmentalprocess of making a matureneuron from an immature progenitorcell) and how such genes might be targetedtherapeutically to address developmentaldefects and degenerative diseasessuch as Parkinson’s.ECF: What are the challenges of being inscience today?JN: Perhaps the biggest challenge is believingin oneself and one’s ideas, andthen having the perseverance (and instinct)to follow them through. On alarger scale, it’s important that what wedo as scientists have some benefit to society,so there’s always pressure on us todo what we think is “important” work.Of course, people in science always complainthat there isn’t enough funding,which is true, but in general, I think thatgood ideas and good science usually getsupported.That said, our society is not always supportiveof basic research. But we need torealize that most of the greatest discoveriesin modern biomedical science – andby these, I mean ones with impact onhow diseases are treated – came frombasic or “undirected” research.Enter the Ngai Lab at Berkeleyhttp://mcb.berkeley.edu/labs/ngai/John Ngai directs the Functional Genomics Laboratory, University of California atBerkeley; he is also Coates Family Professor of neuroscience; professor and acting head,division of neurobiology; head, neuroscience graduate program.ECF Reporter 9
<strong>THE</strong> ATOM SMASHER:WORKING ON <strong>THE</strong> FRONTIER OF NUCLEAR <strong>SCIENCE</strong>Ernest D. Courant ’36Winner of the prestigious Enrico FermiAward for his many contributions to thephysics of acceleration of charged particles.IF ERNEST COURANT hadn’t become ascientist by way of genetics, he mighthave done so by osmosis. The son ofthe mathematician, Richard Courant, thegrandson of a mathematician, the greatgrandsonof a physiologist and philosopher,Courant grew up in 1920’s Göttingen,Germany, a neighborhood rife withmathematicians and physicists. “My bigenthusiasm was chemistry,” he wrote ina paper published in The Annual Reviewof Particle Science (2003). “I had a lab athome full of test tubes, Bunsen burnersand chemicals. Once there was a smallfire (easily put out), but I got a sense ofhow things were put together.”The rise of Hitler to power in ’33 ledCourant’s family to pursue a life in theU.S. His father accepted a position atN.Y.U. and in the summer of 1934, thefamily set sail for New York. It was therethat an important <strong>Fieldston</strong> connectionfor the Courants stepped in. J. RobertOppenheimer ’21, who had knownCourant’s father in Göttingen, arrangedfor a full scholarship at <strong>Fieldston</strong> for Ernest.(His brother, Hans, who graduatedfrom <strong>Fieldston</strong> in 1943, also became aphysicist and is now professor emeritus ofphysics at the University of Minnesota.)Courant remembers outstanding teachersat <strong>Fieldston</strong>, especially August Klock’schemistry class and Margaret Koch’sAmerican history class which “taught meabout the structure and meaning of theway this country functions,” he wrote.“My political attitudes and interests werelargely shaped by what I learned fromher.”He majored in physics at SwarthmoreCollege, then went on to the Universityof Rochester in 1940 for graduate work.After earning his Ph.D., Courant joinedthe nascent Montreal Laboratory inCanada, established as part of the Britishatomic energy project. It was there hemet a young technician, Sara Paul, whowould become his wife in 1944.After the war, Courant got academic workat Cornell as a member of the Instituteof Nuclear Studies, where he shared anoffice with celebrated physicist RichardFeynman. It was there he began his firstwork in accelerator physics which led himto join the team at Brookhaven NationalLaboratory in the summer of 1947 whichwould become his professional home. AtBrookhaven in those early years, he participatedin building the first billion-voltaccelerator, the Brookhaven Cosmotron,which sent protons hurtling along at almostthe speed of light and crashing intofixed targets. “The resulting subatomicdebris,” wrote Earl Lane in a Newsdayarticle on Brookhaven this year, “offeredclues about the fundamental structure ofmatter.”Courant’s ongoing work in the physics ofthe acceleration of charged particles ledThe Kotlar Lab, familiar to generations of students, has recently been transformed into amodern biology lab (see page 7 for details).10 ECF Reporter
to his role in the invention of the “strongfocusing” method used in large acceleratorsand colliders today. That workearned him the prestigious Enrico FermiAward in 1986.Officially, Courant retired in 1990, buthe still commutes to Brookhaven fromhis home in Manhattan one day a weekto work as a consultant. He and his wifemoved into the city five years ago to benear the concerts at Lincoln Center.There’s bike riding in Central Park a fewdays a week. And last summer he andhis wife went to Bangkok for his oldestgrandson’s wedding, then on to Cambodiaand Angor Wat for a “very stimulating”trip. – M.R.<strong>THE</strong> PROBLEM-SOLVER:A LIFE AT LOS ALAMOSRoger Lazarus ’42IN SEPTEMBER 2002, physicist RogerLazarus addressed a packed house atthe Los Alamos National Laboratory,where he had worked since 1951. Asthe founder of its computing division in1968, he had a lot to say about the historyof computing at this world-famouslaboratory and how the Manhattan Projectcalculations evolved into supercomputing.Looking back, Lazarus told the ECF Reporterhe was interested in science from ayoung age, but also, he was “pretty muchinterested in everything.” He has a clearrecollection of his years at the Branchschool, then <strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong>, includingmaking Zuni cornmeal bread on a hotrock. “When it was time to do arithmetic,I felt a great relief that you didn’thave to think, you just had to give theanswers – so clearly arithmetic came easilyto me,” he said. At <strong>Fieldston</strong>, Lazarustook all three sciences (Kotlar for biology,Klock for physics and chemistry), a lot of“I have a clear memory of my years at theBranch <strong>School</strong>, then <strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> – includingmaking Zuni cornbread on a hot rock.”– PHYSICIST ROGER LAZARUS’42Renowned science teacher Augustus Klocktaught from 1910 to 1960.Founder of the computing division atLos Alamos National Laboratory.math, and got involved in student government.Some of his classmates then arestill good friends. (In fact, a group fromthe class of 1942 – Rosalind SchoenfeldSinger, Dick Siegel, Sam Florman, ElaineWechsler Slater and a few others – enjoyedtheir 50th reunion so much thatthey get together for a mini-reunion everyfive years.) Deciding a major at Harvardturned out to be driven by world events.“My advisor told me I would never get adraft deferment for math, but might forphysics, so I chose physics. And so wasa life determined. In retrospect it was alucky choice. My talents were more forusing mathematics to solve problemsrather than do research in mathematics.”Landing at Los Alamos was another caseof serendipity. After a stint in the war,mostly in the Pacific Basin, and graduatework at Harvard, Lazarus received hisdoctorate in theoretical physics with aspecialization in quantum electrodynamicsfrom Harvard University in 1951. Hestarted job hunting, interviewing at Kodakin Rochester, Westinghouse in Pittsburgh,and Los Alamos. “Los Alamosjust seemed wonderful to me – gorgeousscenery, relaxed people, and no one waswearing a tie. They were working a sixdayweek and paying a little more becauseof it. My wife and I came and fell in lovewith the place. Once we were here, therewas no reason to go anywhere else.”Since its origins as the lab for the ManhattanProject in 1943, Los Alamos attractedthe best and the brightest. WhenLazarus arrived, although J. Robert Oppenheimerwas no longer there, EdwardTeller was there full time; Nobel Prizewinner Enrico Fermi came out in thesummers. Hans Bethe, who won TheNobel Prize in 1967, assigned Lazarushis first job. “ It was all very informaland social in the early days – there wasshop talk during morning breaks, teatalks once a week, where someone gavea 30-minute talk with questions after. Ifyou wanted to ask something, you justwandered over,”recalled Lazarus. In thosedays most of the work at Los Alamosrevolved around weapon developmentand the first job was to make certain assumptionsabout space and constancy tocontinuedECF Reporter 11
make the problem more easily solved bymathematics; Lazarus became the experton predicting the yield or total energy ofa future explosion.As part of his work, Lazarus ran earlycodes on simple computers from IBMthat used punch cards and worked withothers on the design of MANIAC, thefirst stored memory computer. Most visitors,recalled Lazarus in his speech, wereinterested in the caption on the glass boxnear MANIAC, “In case of emergency,break glass.” Inside the box was an abacus.Lazarus was a prominent member ofteam that designed STRETCH, the firstsolid-state computer, and then headed upthe lab’s first computing division, until hereturned to research work.These days Lazarus, fully retired since1988, lives with his wife in Los Alamos,works on a PC, and is in the process oftrying to relearn quantum field theory, afield that has changed considerably sincehis dissertation. – G. C.<strong>THE</strong> PIONEER AND INVENTOR: COMBATING LEUKEMIAJanice Gabrilove ’69Vice chair for clinical research,Mount Sinai <strong>School</strong> of MedicineFOR A WOMAN who has become aworld-renowned expert on leukemiaand combating the life-threateningside effects of chemotherapy, it is hardto believe that science was not her firstlove. “In fact, I wanted to be an actressand I loved the performing arts, especiallyin high school,” said Janice Gabrilove,M.D., who attended <strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> andthen graduated from <strong>Fieldston</strong> in ’69.But she was not immune to the call ofscience. “At <strong>Ethical</strong>, I loved science. I hadMr. Denslow, who taught us everything… the stars, the planets,” she said. “At<strong>Fieldston</strong>, I had Mr. Kotlar, who definitelyhad an influence on me. He felt thatanything and everything was possible ifyou just applied yourself, and he encouragedme to pursue biology.”After <strong>Fieldston</strong>, she went to GoucherCollege in Maryland, then a small women’scollege. “I did well in high school academically,but did not have a lot of selfconfidence,”she said. She admits that shewas not a good tester and that her SATscores did not allow for admission intosome of the big coed universities that“were the rage” at that time. “Going toa small school where women focused ontheir intellectual capital was terrific forme,” said Gabrilove. “I believe my greatestpersonal growth took place in collegeas a result.”Though she started out as a drama andcreative writing major, it was in collegethat her scientific career began in earnest.“The war in Vietnam, social injustice,and the political scene made me want todo something more constructive with mylife,” she said. “I became fascinated withchemistry and the principles underlyingcell biology. I also enjoyed the process oftinkering and creating new things inherentin scientific pursuits. My father is adoctor and has always been a role modelfor me, and so I ultimately decided topursue medicine.”From there, it was on to the MountSinai <strong>School</strong> of Medicine where shegraduated first in her class. She pursuedan internship and residency in internalmedicine at Columbia Presbyterian Collegefor Physicians and Surgeons andsubsequently went on to a fellowship atMemorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center(MSKCC) in hematology and oncologyin 1980.At MSKCC, Gabrilove began her pioneeringwork in the understanding anddevelopment of proteins that play a keyrole in combating infections and in promotingthe growth and maturation ofnormal white blood cells. And she becamean inventor: Her research withtwo other colleagues led to the discoveryof human granulocyte colony stimulatingfactor (G-CSF), a natural regulatorof special white blood cell production.They found that G-CSF could alleviate“the major life-threatening side effect ofchemotherapy” – low white blood cellcounts – and received a patent for theirwork. G-CSF is now produced commerciallyby Amgen, Inc., the world’s largestbiotechnology company, under the tradename Neupogen/Neulasta and is usedworldwide as a supplement to chemotherapy.“G-CSF has also revolutionizedthe manner and ease by when we performstem cell transplantation for a variety ofdiseases,” she added.In 1998, she was recruited back to MountSinai to be the chief of medical oncology.Today she is the vice chair for clinicalresearch in the department of medicineat Mount Sinai. “My research focuses ondrug discovery and applying new insightsderived from scientific observations inthe lab toward the development of newtreatment strategies for specific malignantand non-malignant conditions,” shesaid. “I continue to build on the successof prior discoveries which have led to thedevelopment of successful therapeutics12 ECF Reporter
for the treatment of different benign andmalignant blood cell conditions … I amalso proud of the fact that I have played akey role in the development of two othercurative treatments for acute promyelocyticleukemia: arsenic trioxide and alltransretinoic acid (ATRA),” she said.Gabrilove is articulate about the challengesof being in science today. Her list:“Balancing work and family; the crisis inhealthcare and the inequities of resourceallocation; the need for a complete overhaulof the insurance industry; the fundingof the research enterprise as it relatesto translational and clinical research; andthe participation in clinical research toadvance the outlook of patients sufferingfrom disease.” – M.R.Mr. Kotlar definitely had an influence on me.He felt that anything and everything waspossible if you just applied yourself, and heencouraged me to pursue biology.– ONCOLOGIST AND INVENTOR, JANICE GABRILOVE ’69Renowned science teacher Philip Kotlartaught from 1937 to 1979.<strong>THE</strong> MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST: SUPPORTING GENETIC RESEARCHJonathan Pollock ’74LOOK AT Jonathan Pollock’s CV, andyou do not see what he calls “theusual straight shot” in a single area ofscience. Pollock’s B.A. was in psychologyfrom Boston University, his M.A. in psychologyfrom University of Pittsburgh,his Ph.D. was in physiology/neurobiologyfrom Columbia, where he becameinterested in memory and worked withEric Kandel, who shared the Nobel Prizein 2000 for his work in neuroscience.From there, Pollock describes himself asan “ itinerant postdoc”; he studied ionchannels as a research scientist at CaliforniaInstitute of Technology, learnedgene targeting in Mario Capecci’s labat the University of Utah, worked on amouse model of a human blood disorder,chronic granulomatous disease, atIndiana University, the prototype of anorphan disease that affects one in a millionchildren. Then came an opportunityto lead a program on the molecular geneticsof addiction and synaptic plasticityat the National Institute on Drug Abuse(NIDA), a division of the National Institutesof Health.These days Pollock is chief, Geneticsand Molecular Neurobiology ResearchBranch at NIDA. GMNRB leads NIDAefforts to support research on the geneticbasis of addiction vulnerability, pharmacogenomics,proteomics, molecular neuroanatomy,and fundamental cellular anddevelopmental mechanisms that underlieaddiction and drug abuse. “Most peopledon’t know that most of the research isnot done at NIH, but through grants tooutside investigators,” Pollock explained.“ I supervise three Ph.D. level programdirectors and oversee a portfolio of 140grants, funded by about $50 million dollars.”Two initiatives are particularly notewor-Chief, Genetics and Molecular NeurobiologyResearch Branch, NIDA, NIHthy these days. The first is the “knockoutmouse” project, an outgrowth of theNIDA human molecular genetics initiative.Explained Pollock, “The goal of theknockout mouse project is to inactivateevery gene in the mouse in mouse embryonicstem cells. This will enable scientiststo create mice from the mouse embryonicmouse stem cells. In this way scientistswill be able to create mouse models ofgenetic diseases and analyze the role thata gene plays in developmental and physiologicalprocesses. This is the next stepin the genome project – to discern thefunction of each and every gene.” Thesecond is research on the genetic basis ofaddiction. “There are interesting resultsalready from Dr. Mary Jeanne Kreek ofRockefeller University, whom we fund,who developed methadone as a treatmentfor opiate dependence; she has identifieda gene variant in the morphine receptorthat is associated with increased vulnerabilityto addiction to opiates and alcoholin a Scandinavian population,” he says.continuedECF Reporter 13
If you had interviewed Pollock as a studentat <strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong>, you probablycould not have predicted his career. Sciencewas an interest, to be sure, but not apassion. “I liked science, and I liked Mr.Denslow’s science class, ” he recalls, ‘ butwhen I went on to <strong>Fieldston</strong>, I becamemore interested in history and politics.”Pollock’s father was a clinical psychologist,his mother a psychiatric social worker,so it was natural that Pollock took apsychology course in Form VI. “But Iwasn’t just interested in changing the en-<strong>THE</strong> FORECASTER: CONNECTING WEA<strong>THE</strong>R AND BUSINESSMichael Schlacter ’92President and chief meteorologist,Weather 2000“Some are weatherwise, but most areotherwise.” – Benjamin FranklinMOST PEOPLE just talk about theweather, but Michael Schlacteractually does something aboutit. As president, chief metereologist, andone of the owners of Weather 2000, a medium-and long-range weather forecastingbusiness, Schlacter provides weatherinformation for the weather derivatives,weather insurance, and trading industries.“We started it full-time around the 97–98winter,” he said. “El Niño triggered companies’interest in longterm forecasting,and services like ours helps them hedge abet – whether they need to do nothing ortake out insurance or hedge themselves inthe financial markets.”vironment; I wanted to know what wenton inside the brain.” In addition to encouraginghis interest in science, ECF wasalso instrumental in Pollock’s later life:When he moved to Washington, he wasintroduced to his future wife, Jean Freedman,by scientist and <strong>Fieldston</strong> classmateSarah Durand. Freedman is a folklorist.Their daughter, Rachel, who is about toturn 5, likes ballet and art and likes to doexperiments – but not listen to facts. Theother weekend she isolated DNA fromcow white cells at the Smithsonian Museumof American History. – G.C.The idea for the business went back toSchlacter’s college days at Cornell, wherehe majored in atmospheric science andtook enough business courses to havequalified as a minor. In a second-semesterfutures and options course, the assignmentwas to pick a commodity in Januaryand sell in May. “All the finance and businessmajors picked a financial paradigm,but I reverted back to agroeconomics,”Schlacter recalled. “ I chose a crop thatwas very sensitive to drought, and basedmy choice on a preliminary forecast thatthere would be a drought in the area thatwould either reduce the crop or fear ofdrought would affect prices.” Schlactercame in second or third in a class of 70.Schlacter was interested in nature andstorms in particular from early days;interest in science didn’t develop untilTeachers and former students inspired me.I was amazed to find out I wasworking in the same physics lab thatJ. Robert Oppenheimer used.– METEOROLOGIST MICHAEL SCHLACTER ‘92around fifth or sixth grade at <strong>Fieldston</strong>Lower. At <strong>Fieldston</strong>, he loved physics,chemistry, biology, but wished the<strong>Fieldston</strong> curriculum at the time hadencouraged strong science students inthe area of earth sciences. Happily, theHeidelberger Science Fair enabled himto do an earth science project on the formationof hurricanes and the elementsthat weaken and strengthen them. Onhis list of memorable teachers: CherylSnyder, Joe Algrant; Peter Mott, and BillBertsche. But it wasn’t just the teacherswho stimulated him. “I was amazed tofind out that I was working in the samephysics lab that J. Robert Oppenheimerhad used. It also inspired me that a Jewish-Americanhad become such a toweringfigure in science.”“To be honest, I started to appreciate<strong>Fieldston</strong>’s impact through my academicsuccess at Cornell. At <strong>Fieldston</strong> there wasalways someone faster, stronger, brighter,and because of that, there was always apursuit of excellence that raised expectations,”he recalled.And, what about the weather these days:Is it more extreme or is that just mediahype? “You need to separate what isweather from what is the geology of theearth,” Schlacter explained. “Humansdon’t affect volcanoes, or tsunamis. Weprefer the term global climate change toglobal warming. It is real, and the consequencesare more frequent and severehurricanes, thunderstorms, rapid swingsfrom drought to flood. The analogy Igive is that of a human consuming alcohol:Your body can put up with a decentamount, but eventually it’s beyond theability of your body to tolerate. The toxinsto the earth are the greenhouse gasesand pollutants.”Looking ahead, Schlacter will also be doingsome short-term forecasting for twobig events: <strong>Fieldston</strong> graduation (June9), which he forecasts every year, for theschool, and his upcoming wedding in thefall. – G.C.14 ECF Reporter
Class NotesPHOTO: TOBY HIMMEL1930Hortense Brill Dreier writes,“My husband Stuart and I werefeted on our 64th wedding anniversaryby the gathering of fourgenerations of our entire familyin Phoenix. Our two greatgrandsons,August and Jacob,were the center of attraction toeach other and to us all.”1931Lawrence I. Field says he is now90 years old, retired, and enjoyingseven grandchildren, thoughslowed down by diabetes.1932Talk about a small world. AndrewKhinoy says, “While visitinga retirement community,Quadrangle, near Philadelphia,I met a charming man, E. KendallLandis, class of 1942, whowas a classmate of my cousin,Ernest Kinoy ’42! What a coincidence!”Louise Beringer Palitz ’40 andher husband Bernard Palitz ’42stand by the mural that Louise didwith another student when shewas at <strong>Fieldston</strong>. The mural is inthe newly renovated art classroom(draw lab).1938Please send your news toEdward D. Gottlieb68830 Victoria Dr.Cathedral City, CA 92234Hazel Maxwell Haines writes:“When I compare my schoolexperiences with those of mygrandchildren, I am immenselygrateful that I lived when I didand that I was given the opportunityto attend the <strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong>schools. It was a wonderfulexperience.”1939Please send your news toAlice Kahn Ladas1020 Bishops Lodge Rd.Santa Fe, NM 87501aladas@aol.com1942Please send your news toElaine Wechsler Slater150 Heath St. WestToronto, ON M4V 2Y4Canadae@slater.net1944Joan Feldman Kron won topjournalism awards from twoplastic surgery societies for articlesin Allure magazine. Thetwo societies were the AmericanSociety of Plastic Surgeonsand the American Society forAesthetic Plastic Surgery.1946Nathan M. Lubow reportsthat his granddaughter, and thedaughter of Susan Lubow Russak’77, was commissioned inthe Israeli Navy at Latrun onJanuary 20, 2005.1954: The 50th reunion class. From left to right: Lois Schwartz Zenkel,Joan Lewis, Elaine Gordon Weiler, Betty Rabkin Taller,Cynthia Friedman Levy.1947Elza Mirsky Burton, a professionaltour guide, has just beenelected to the board of directorsof the San Francisco TourGuides Guild.1948Robert Burton, a former presidentof the San Francisco EstatePlanning Council, has recentlybeen elected to the board ofdirectors of the National Associationof Estate Planners andCouncils. He is also a formermayor of Mill Valley, California.1949Hiller B. Zobel is “enjoyingwhat passes for retirement. Stillfilled with ‘pride o’erwelling’ inour school; delighted to see itkeeping pace with the tide ofhistory.” Dan Isaacson and hiswife, Marie, “spent three monthson the sailing ship Star Flyersailing from Athens, Greece, toPhuket, Thailand (and manyports in between). A wonderfultrip!”1950Roger Meyer is “looking forwardto our 55th reunion. Offto safari in Kenya and Tanzania,then to visit Paris and CharlieSchiff in March.”1956T. J. Weinman has just become afirst-time grandparent. RichardSchlesinger is now the grandfatherof four.1958Eaton Lattman has recently takena new job at Johns HopkinsUniversity as dean of researchand graduate education in the<strong>School</strong> of Arts & Sciences. “Sofar it has been a lot of fun,” hesays. Stephanie HammerschlagBernheim writes that “she spenta lovely evening with NancyMirkin Amiel and Joe Amiel’55. Often see Lynn GelfandDiamond at BAM. Wow! Thereseem to be a lot of classes after usin the alum notes. Happy holidaysto all.”1959Ruth Neubauer has sent in hernew website for photographsfrom various parts of the world– www.liminalspace.com. Enjoy!ECF Reporter 15
1960Peter Heiman has been electedpresident of the Bronx OperaCompany board of directors,succeeding Eva Schulz, formerfaculty member at <strong>Ethical</strong><strong>Culture</strong>. John Pittman Weberwrites, “Delighted to read news[in the spring 2004 ECF Reporter]of Peter Rutkoff, MelanieBrown, and Richard Mandel,my classmates.” He is participatingin a group of artists doingwork about Israel and Palestine.“Our second show in Athens,Georgia, was terrific and we arelooking for other venues. Augustbegan my 36th year at ElmhurstCollege Art Department.”1962Please send your news toJim Kramon2601 Old Court Rd.Baltimore, MD 21208jkramon@kg-law.comMary Fielding Edlow earned aPh.D. from New York Universityin March 2004. Her daughter,Elizabeth, is an actor/writerin Los Angeles. Her son, Brian,is a second-year med student atUniversity of Pennsylvania.1965Erica Schrauer Linthorst returnedfrom 11 years in Asia asof 2001. She has three children,and her Dutch husband, Paul, ispresident of Linthorst Consulting.She is a tae kwon do andtennis enthusiast.1966Sandra Gabrilove Saltzmansays she has been medically disabledwith chronic fatigue syndromeand unable to work since1997. “Prior to that I served for18 years as an assistant districtattorney in the office of RobertMorgenthau, both as deputychief of the special prosecutionsbureau and as assistant deputychief of the investigation division,where I specialized in theinvestigation of complex whitecollar crimes. From 1995 to1997, I was an instructor inthe lawyering program at NYU<strong>School</strong> of Law. Would love tohear from classmates.”1968Please send your news toKatrin Belenky Colamarino8231 Los Osos Rd.Atascadero, CA 94322katrinc@nicholasconsulting.netA ’63 West Coast reunion: Amy Chu Finkel, Kate (Kathy Freidenberg)Kaufman, Fan Eisen Albritton, Rena Sonshine, Joan Bobkoff and AmyDelson met at Fan’s house in Berkeley, shared stories from the 1960s, had awonderful time, and decided to repeat the event annually. They welcomeother classmates to join them for the next one.Natasha Bunzl and Ariel Saul, both students in Form I and daughters ofbreast cancer survivors, organized a fund-raising walk in Van CortlandtPark last fall and raised an amazing $26,000 for SHARE. Their proudmothers: Judy Bunzl and Toby Pilsner ’71.Katrin Belenky Colamarino,your class recorder, is now officiallyliving in California andreports: “Daniel Brown is agrandfather, joining me andSusan Solomon in the ranksof grandparents in our class of1968. Wonder what other folkshave become grandparents in ourclass? They should let us know sowe can all share the joy. The classsends its hearty congratulationsto Dan.” Rick Strong reports: “Ihave moved from Columbia tothe Child Study Center at NYU<strong>School</strong> of Medicine where I amnow project lead, developing anInternet-based software systemfor developing and administeringpsychiatric interviews. Mywife, vocalist Louise Rogers, iswriting a book on jazz educationfor kids, and she and I havereleased a CD as a voice/bassduo: Bass-ically Speaking, whichcan be seen (in short teasingsnippets) and purchased at CDBaby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rogersstrong). It has receivedrave reviews from our almost-10-year-old son Alex, who is in4th grade, studying cello at theSpecial Music <strong>School</strong> in Manhattan.”This past fall Michael Cherkaskywas named presidentand chief executive of Marsh& McLennan Companies, theworld’s biggest insurance broker.He and the company have beenmuch in the news this winter, inthe wake of a lawsuit brought byNew York State attorney generalEliot Spitzer. Cherkasky, whoreplaced Marsh’s former chiefexecutive, was brought in tolead the overhauling of Marsh’spractices and corporate governance.Formerly chief executiveofficer of Marsh Kroll, MMC’srisk consulting subsidiary, Cherkaskyhas a distinguished recordas a manager, prosecutor, investigator,and trial attorney. Priorto joining Kroll, Mr. Cherkaskyspent 16 years in the criminaljustice system, including servingas chief of the investigationsdivision for the New Yorkcounty district attorney’s office.1972Please send your news toRichard Boylanrboylan@yahoo.com“A mini-reunion of sorts on November9 brought eight membersof the class of ’72 togetherfor dinner in Greenwich Village.Paul Wolff and Jon Pillot, theorganizers, were joined by NicoleGordon, Peter Selwyn,Evan Siegel, Daniel Abrams,Cal Holloway, and RichardBoylan. Long-distance traveleraward to Cal, who came in fromColumbus, Ohio, just for thedinner!” reports Boylan.16 ECF Reporter
1973Keith L. T. Wright is one ofnine Democrats in a crowdedfield running for Manhattanborough president, according toThe New York Times (1/16/05).He is currently a New York Stateassemblyman.1974Please send your news toAnn Stuchiner70 E. 96th St., #1ANew York, NY 10128-0747astuchiner@netzero.net1975Please send your news toG. Angela Flemister HenryThe Phillips Oppenheim Group521 Fifth Ave., Suite 1802New York, NY 10175ahenry@phillipsOppenheim.comJane Wang just performed inNew York City at the CherryLane Theatre in Renita Martin’sFive Bottles in a Six Pack. She willbe back in New York this springfor a show with performanceartist Hanne Tierney and wouldlove to hear from classmates. “Imissed <strong>Fieldston</strong> when I movedto Boston.” Richard Tofel hasbeen named president of theInternational Freedom Center,one of a handful of cultural institutionsto be built at GroundZero; he was the former assistantpublisher of The Wall Street Journal.Tofel will steer the developmentand running of the centerwhich will focus on the issuesof tyranny and freedom withexhibits on oppressed peoplearound the world and forumsfor public debate. “Like a lot ofpeople,” said Tofel in a recentprofile in Crain’s New York Business,“I’ve been trying to figureout for the last three years howI can make some contributionto the principal struggle of ourage, the struggle between freedomand fear. This strikes me asa unique opportunity to try anddo that.” The $250 million centerwill open in 2009.1976Please send your news toDebra Bradley Ruder15 Hallron Rd.Newton, MA 02462-1115debra_ruder@dfci.harvard.eduPeter Roberts is teaching at anelementary school in Hartsdale,New York, and is an organist ata church in the Bronx. He is alsoa member of the Miannis RiverMorris Dancers in Greenwich,Connecticut.1977Please send your news toScott Schiller515 West End Ave., Apt. 3BNew York, NY 10024-4345scottyschiller@aol.comRuth Colp-Haber is presidentof Wharton Property Advisors,Inc., a specialty office leasingfirm. She serves on the boards ofSt. Mary’s Foundation for Childrenand The Wharton Business<strong>School</strong> Club of New York, whereeach year she runs its highly acclaimedreal estate panel.1978Please send your news toWilliam E. Beres190 Newtown Ave.Norwalk, CT 06851william.beres@reuters.comorMartha Dorn515 E. 85th St., PHBNew York, NY 10028mdorn1@nyc.rr.com1979Please send your news toCharlie Minton42 Raafenberg Rd.Tarrytown, NY 10591cminton@mammothcapital.com1980Please send your news toEric Berkeley715 Park Ave. #5ANew York, NY 10021ericberkeley@yahoo.com1981Please send your news toJill Graham Klein215 E. 68th St. #2SNew York, NY 10021jillgraham@nyc.rr.com1982Please send your news toKarin J. Bravin74 Fifth Ave., #4CNew York, NY 10011-8006Karin@gblgallery.com1983Please send your news toGreg Astrachanc/o Wilkie Farr & Gallagher787 Seventh Ave.New York, NY 10019-6018gastrachan@wilkie.comDaniel Herron writes, “Thispast year my family and I movedfrom Manhattan to Port Washington,New York. We celebratedthe move by adding two kittensto our family! I’m now ‘enjoying’the commuting life, makingthe daily drive to Mount SinaiHospital where I was recentlyappointed chief of bariatric surgery.”Hilary Hahn Jeffris livesin Mill Valley, California, withhusband Rufus and childrenHannah, 3½, and Isabelle, 2.Ruth Roemer joined the AnimalCare & Control of NewYork City this June as the TeachLove and Compassion ProgramA mini-reunion for eight membersof the class of ’72: from left to right,Paul Wolff, Nicole Gordon, RichardBoylan, Jon Pillot, Peter Selwyn,Daniel Abrams, Cal Holloway, andEvan Siegel.ECF Reporter 17
1987Please send your news toNatalie Ireland-Ward429 Shortridge Dr.Wynnewood, PA 19096nattyi@aol.comGregory Hahn is living in Manhattanand was nominated foran Emmy in 2004. Brooke Loring,now known as Tsui Landau,is happy to report “the birth ofour second daughter on September1. I continue to be a rabbihere in Israel, serving a smallcongregation in the north.”<strong>Fieldston</strong> Boyz bring their children to see the Knicks.Manager. As profiled in the DailyNews (8/24), the program hasbeen designed to help disadvantagedteens work with staff andanimals in the agency’s Manhattanand Brooklyn shelters. Notonly were the teens paid for theirwork, but they were encouragedby Roemer, a former teacher, toexplore the experience of workingwith animals through a dailyjournal. “They left with a verybig sense of how important eachand every adoption was,” Roemertold the News.1984Please send your news toWilliam W. Sahlman40 W. 24th St. #9ENew York, NY 10010wsahlman@lehman.comorFred Moran615 NW 12th St.Delray Beach, FL 33444freddymomania@hotmail.comLaura Radel Cruz and her husbandAlbert are expecting theirfirst baby in February. They willlive in a penthouse apartment inRiverdale overlooking the HudsonRiver. Chris Tejirian is livingin Tokyo with his wife Junkoand enjoying life. They will bein Tokyo for a couple of years.Chris says, “Happy New Yearto all. It was really nice to see somany people at reunion!” MarkForte finds that things are goodin Los Angeles. He’s been therefor 20 years now, can you believeit? He serves as the directorof the Learning Resource Centerat Mount St. Mary’s College (aCatholic women’s institution),where he was voted staff memberof the year for 2003–04. Hehas been at the college six years.His educational career has alsoincluded teaching in the LosAngeles Unified <strong>School</strong> District;running a gang interventionprogram through the BoyScouts of America; and servingas a diversity trainer for A Worldof Difference Institute, an educationdivision of the Anti-DefamationLeague. His professionalfocus has been an outgrowth ofhis high school passions, whichwere community involvement,empowerment and economicand political action. Mark considershimself very fortunate touse his enthusiasm for the communityto spur the youth toachieve at higher levels. Markmaintains a close bond with fellow<strong>Fieldston</strong>ite David Butler,who lives two blocks away. Twoyears ago Mark met a wonderfulwoman to whom he is nowengaged and will be marrying inJuly on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.Martin Lewison is workingon Wall Street. He had luncha few weeks ago with JohannaGorelick who had traveled toHelsinki and St. Petersburg fortwo weeks.1985Please send your news toJennifer Weiss Sobel110 Greensboro Rd.Hanover, NH 03755-3106jsobel@vermontlaw.edu1986Please send your news toLenora Ausbon-OdomDeloitte & Touche, LLP555 12th St. NW, Suite 500Washington, DC 20004lausbon@deloitte.com1988Jon Brandon updates us: “Mywife, Karen Kaufman, and Imoved to Boulder, Colorado,in 2003 and welcomed our firstchild, a son named AlexanderJoseph Brandon, into the worldon April 20, 2004. I would loveto hear from any of my fellow<strong>Fieldston</strong> alums and canbe reached at jbrandon@umich.edu.” Matthew Hochhauser isengaged to be married to JaimeMalor.1989Please send your news toHeather Abrahams-Gitlow153 Gaskill St.Woonsocket, RI 02895drhpa@aol.comMonifa Kelly-Hong, class of 1989, with her son Reed Nathaniel Hong,born May 6, 2004, and Allan Shedlin, class of 1959 and former principalat <strong>Ethical</strong>.18 ECF Reporter
Michael Port continues totravel across the country givingseminars, keynote speeches andcoaching programs for entrepreneurs,free agents and small businessowners. He is working ontwo upcoming book projects: It’sAll About You! Be Brave, Be Bold,Be Yourself for Profit and Fun!and The Think BIG Revolution,A Personal Manifesto to Help YouThink Bigger About Who You Areand What You Offer the World.1990Please send your news toShali Ponti10485 National Blvd.West Los Angeles, CA 90034shaliemory@yahoo.comRenee Raker and her husband,Scott Colee, live in the West Villagewith their daughter, Devon.1991Please send your news toWendi Newman220 E. 63rd St., #5CNew York, NY 10021wendi@nyc.rr.comKristen Claeson is still based inLondon with Goldman Sachsbut spending more and moretime in the Czech Republic,both in Prague and South Bohemia.She would love to knowif there are any alumni livingthere or connected with the region.If so, please get in touch atkclaeson@yahoo.com. MatthewFrank is in his second year ofmedical school at the Universityof Pittsburgh. He has a fiveyear-oldson and a one-year-olddaughter. He is also a lieutenantin the USAF reserve.1992Please send your news toJustin Sher245 E. 19th St. #2MNew York, NY 10003jmsher2000@yahoo.comJames Weinberger writes thathe and his wife Erica welcomedtheir son, Eli, on December 12,2003.1993Please send your news toLauren Porosoff Mitchell5500 Friendship Blvd., #1028Chevy Chase, MD 20815porosoff@yahoo.comJustin Racz, fresh from the successof his book, 50 Jobs WorseThan Yours, has signed a twobookcontract for the sequels– 50 Relatives Worse Than Yours(to come out around Thanksgiving)and 50 Boyfriends WorseThan Yours (to come out aroundValentine’s Day). He is writing asfast as he can! Charles Imohiosenhas returned to the law firmPaul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton& Garrison, after finishing aone-year federal clerkship in theSouthern District of New York.1994Please send your news toDaryl S. Freimark11 President St., #2Brooklyn, NY 11231dfreimark6@hotmail.comDaryl Freimark, your class recorder,writes: “Through what’sbeen a rainy winter (at least that’sthe case as I write these notes),it’s always great to hear goodnews from our classmates. As always,it’d be great to hear frommore and more of you, so if youalways think you’ll let us knowwhat’s going on in the next setof notes, now’s a great time toshoot me an email. I’m happyto report that Gus Ornstein gotmarried to Lindsay Stern (nowLindsay Ornstein) on December11, 2004. Gus reports, ‘Thewedding was great. We had it atPine Hollow Country Club inEast Norwich, New York. RossRosenfelt, Ty Gold, KarenWeinberger, and Jamie Patricofwere all there from <strong>Fieldston</strong>.’Gus is now the director of athleticdevelopment for the ParisiSpeed <strong>School</strong> in Closter, NewJersey, where they train athletesto get faster and stronger. StephanieFagenson is now a real estateagent and working at BrownHarris Stevens. Kara O’Leary isworking at Junior Achievement,an education-based non-profitorganization. Additionally, shejust completed her master’s degreeat Columbia University inorganizational psychology. Karaadds, ‘Please send my regards toeveryone who I saw at the 10threunion and hi to all those whocouldn’t make it.’” Dimitri Willertis heading back to school topursue a career as a paramedicafter serving as assistant technicaldirector in the <strong>Fieldston</strong> PerformingArts Department. Hiswork there included assemblies,the Studio Theatre series, specialevents like Band Day, andeverything in between. BravoDimitri!1995Please send your news toAnn Sharfstein19 Wolf Rd.Lebanon, NH 03766ann.m.sharfstein.99@alum.dartmouth.orgAnn Scharfstein, your class recorder,reports: “On December2, my husband Dan and I welcomedour first child, Sadie EleanorMielcarz. Sadie weighed 7pounds, 7 ounces and was bornafter a fabulous unmedicatedlabor at Dartmouth HitchcockMedical Center. She is healthyand beautiful, and we think sheis just perfect. The three of us arehappily living in Lebanon, NewHampshire, while Dan pursueshis Ph.D. in immunology atDartmouth. I’m currently onmaternity leave from my job asa clinical instructor at the SternCenter for Language and Literacyin White River Junction,Vermont, and having fun spendingmy days with our daughter.”Sarah Varet is clerking in LosAngeles after graduating fromYale Law <strong>School</strong>.GREAT SCHOOLS AREA GIFT FROMONE GENERATION TO<strong>THE</strong> NEXTOngoing excellencedepends on support fromthose who know theschool best.Your contribution to theAnnual Fund supportsvital projects all year long.It bridges the gap ofapproximately 20 percent(or $4,000 per student)between income fromtuition and the actual costof an ECF education. Ithelps boost financial aid,retain talented faculty,and meet ECF’sgreatest needs.To make a gift bytelephone, please callEmily Kasof, director ofannual giving, at (212)712-6286 or email her atekasof@ecfs.org.1996Mana Mann is now at MountSinai <strong>School</strong> of Medicine inNew York City, getting her medicaldegree.1997Please send your news toAmy Sulds240 W. 98th St., #4ANew York, NY 10025amysulds@yahoo.comECF Reporter 19
Two from ’98: Darren Martin and Kevin Chin meet up in Madison.1998Please send your news toDarren Martin318 Island Dr., Apt 7Madison, WI 53705dmmartin@wisc.edu (new email)Darren Martin, your class recorder,writes: “In July 2004,Ali Hargett became the alumnirelations coordinator for theAlbert G. Oliver Program. TheOliver Program places Africanand Latino/Hispanic Americanstudents from throughout NewYork City into selective independentschools in the Northeastand New England, including<strong>Fieldston</strong>. With the 20th anniversaryof the Oliver Programcoming next year, Ali is workingto build and strengthen Oliveralumni participation in the programthrough new ventures aswell as existing ones. Ten yearsago this past September, alongwith Ali, I came to <strong>Fieldston</strong> inthe 9th grade as a product of theOliver Program and can attest tothe importance that AGO andits staff played in various aspectsof my life while at <strong>Fieldston</strong>and outside the classroom. Ifanyone is interested in learningmore about the Oliver Program,please visit: www.theoliverprogram.orgor contact Ali at 212-851-4223.”Darren Martin continues,“Shortly after completing mymaster’s degree in June 2004, Iwas hired by the College of Letters& Science at the Universityof Wisconsin-Madison to coordinatea new program charged withbeing an initial point of contactfor our incoming first-year AfricanAmerican student populationwhile providing primary orsecondary academic support servicesto all African American undergraduatestudents regardlessof major, school or college. Myrole also includes administeringa financial aid grant programfor under-represented minoritystudents in Letters & Science,as well serving as an academicadvisor for all students in ourliberal arts college. In November2004, I met up with three<strong>Fieldston</strong> alumni here in Madisonand on a trip to London. Iran into Katrina Becker on thecampus where she is enrolled ingraduate school at one of the topsociology graduate programs inthe country. Kevin Chin and Ihooked up for dinner and drinksin Madison while he was on oneof his business trips. Over someT.G.I. Fridays, we reminiscedabout <strong>Fieldston</strong>, college and thejoys of playing Marathon in the<strong>Fieldston</strong> computer room. Finally,on a much needed post-electionvacation over to London, Imet up with a number of friendsstudying abroad and also got tohang out with Megan Royle-Jacob ’97, who is a teacher inthe London area. Megan and Iand our significant others gotto spend lots of time togetherover dinner and stuck in variousforms of evening London traffic.Advice from Megan to me andanyone else visiting London forthe first time: Don’t eat an Englishbreakfast...especially out of apub. Unfortunately, I had to findthat lesson out the hard way.”From December 1–12, MeganAuster-Rosen, Ying-Grace Hernandezand Zach McGowanperformed in Confused Circusesat the American Theater of Actorson West 54th Street. ConfusedCircuses by David Tiangais a story set in the circus-likeatmosphere of NYC in the early’90s. Prior to starting this pastfall as an MFA acting candidateat the Yale <strong>School</strong> of Drama, ElliotVillar performed on August24, 28, and 29 in Amor de DonPerlimplin con Belisa en Su Jardin.This was Elliot’s first performancein Spanish.1999Please send your news toAlix Steinfeld1675 York Ave., #31BNew York, NY 10128alix@mail.comMariel Liebman writes, “Aftergraduating from Vassar, I wasaccepted into the New York CityTeaching Fellows program. I amcurrently teaching English asa second language at Louis D.Brandeis High <strong>School</strong>.”2000Please send your news toJenny SharfsteinBox 2582 HinmanDartmouth CollegeHanover, NH 03755jenfs@dartmouth.eduBeau C. Shaw graduated fromNew York University in 2004magna cum laude with a B.A. inphilosophy. Since fall 2004, he isa faculty fellow in the doctoralprogram in philosophy at Columbia.2001Please send your news toPatrick Monahan3638 Oxford Ave.Bronx, NY 10463pm1014@aol.comJillian Lubarsky is working onCapitol Hill for CongressmanSteve Rothman and is lookingforward to her internship withNew York State Attorney GeneralEliot Spitzer this summer.Morgan Arenson is in his secondyear at Harvard, concentratingon intellectual history.Patrick Monahan, your classrecorder, writes: “This time,instead of reporting the newsof our many classmates, I’ve decidedto focus on one happeningthat I think you’ll find entertaining.The place is Chicago, thetime is a month ago, the peopleare Michele Krauthamer, BenSternberg, and me. A whileago, Michele sent me an instantmessage (yes, she’s on my buddylist…are you?) to say that she wascoming to Chicago for a conference.I was thrilled and immediatelyphoned Ben to tell him theexciting news. Our conversationwent something like this:Me: ‘Listen, Suzy’s coming toChicago!’Ben: ‘Who?’Me: ‘Michele.’Ben: ‘You mean Kraut?’Me: ‘Who else?’20 ECF Reporter
2002Please send your news toMaren J. Messing670 West End Ave.New York, NY 10025mmessing@middlebury.eduLee Grodin, Miranda Kimball, and Samatha Steinberg,all from the class of ’01, visit alumni office on spring break.Ben: ‘Cool. Let’s go out to dinnerand order a drink now thatwe’re old, and she can’t stop us.’Me: ‘I’ll make the reservation.’Now, fast forward to two Saturdaysago. I was walking downMichigan Avenue with a friendfrom school on the day that Iwas supposed to meet Michelefor dinner, and was telling a veryvivid story about the party I hadbeen to the night before. Suddenly,I hear an all too familiarvoice behind me, ‘Patrick, whatare you talking about?’ I turnedaround and there was Michele inall her Hermès scarf and pearlcladglory. I jumped into herarms, and it was as if no timehad passed between that day andthe afternoon seven years agowhen I came into her office tocomplain about being sent to thebench for passing notes in class.My friend had things to do, soshe let Michele and me loose inChicago for the afternoon. Michelesaid ‘I need socks; let’s goto Lord and Taylor.’ The Lordand Taylor store in Chicago isvery large, and in no time wewere lost in the lingerie departmentof all places. Surroundedby racks of women’s undergarmentsand Michele at my side,I just broke down and laughedhysterically. When Michele askedme what was wrong, I simplysaid ‘Who knew that four yearslater we’d be stuck in the lingeriedepartment of Lord and Taylortogether!’ Michele replied in thetone that she uses when she’s secretlyamused about somethingbut doesn’t want to admit it (likegiving us a form-wide detentionfor our messy third formcorridor) ‘Patrick, we’re here tobuy SOCKS, now come on!’Well, we bought our socks andthat was that. Later that evening,Ben, Michele, and I metfor dinner and the surreal daycontinued. Ben and I had ourlong-awaited drink in front ofMichele, and we began to catchup on le temps perdu. The bestpart though was that it really feltlike no time at all had passed.Ben and I were still asking Michelefor life advice, alternatelyexasperating and charming her.By the end of the evening, I feltsincerely sorry to get up fromthe table. Life goes on, though,and we reluctantly dropped Micheleoff at her hotel…all threeof us just a bit misty-eyed. I toldMichele that I planned to writeabout our day in Chicago in theECF Reporter…about the meetingher in the street, about thelingerie, and about the nostalgicPHOTO: TOBY HIMMELdinner. Her only response was‘SOCKS, PATRICK, SOCKS—WE WERE <strong>THE</strong>RE TO BUYSOCKS!’ Ok, Suze, socks it is.Details aside, it’s comfortingto know that we all belong toa community that is still presentand accessible for us. Somepeople leave high school and geton with their lives. But not us,kids. Not with me as your classrecorder to remind you quarterlyof how much fun we had! Pleasesend me news about yourselvesfor the next issue, or even sendstories about your meetings withfellow classmates. I promise tofaithfully record them and to exaggerateonly in the direction oftruth…even if you end up in thelingerie department.”Molly Kawachi was profiledin New London, Connecticut’snewspaper, The Day (10/5/04)about not only being a star onthe volleyball court at ConnecticutCollege but off the court aswell. Not only has she worked asa “trendspotter” for Teen Peopleand as a production assistant onthe set of the Bill Clinton interviewfor 60 Minutes, she hastraveled to Kenya as a part of V-Day, a non-profit organizationfighting to end violence againstgirls and women. Classmates willremember her senior project, thefirst high school production everof The Vagina Monologues.2004Reuben Cohen is a member ofthe Pennsylvania College Democrats.He worked in November’spresidential election on thephones and going door-to-doorto get out the vote for Kerry.How many of you were watchingwomen’s college volleyballon ESPN last fall? Stanfordwon its sixth NCAA Division-IWomen’s volleyball championship,with the help of freshmanFranci Girard, who hit .556with five kills in the final victoryover Minnesota.MATCHMAKER, MATCHMAKEREach year nearly 7,500 companies nationwidesupport the philanthropic interests of theiremployees by matching their gifts. Is yours oneof them? Check with your company andobtain a matching gift form. ECF receivesapproximately $30,000 in matching giftsto the Annual Fund each year.ECF Reporter 21
Ralph de Toledano ’34 is havinghis 26th book published.Tentatively titled, Prelude toTerror, it notes the late AnnaGillingham (ECF psychologist)and her contribution to education.He is still working on hisautobiography, Exit, Pursued bya Bear.Norman F. Boas ’39 has authoreda biography of his grandfather,Franz Boas, Franz Boas,1858–1942: An Illustrated Biography.Boas was a noted anthropologistat Columbia.David Black ’49 wrote and performedin Falling Off Broadway,a limited engagement at PlaywrightsHorizons. The play detailshis struggle with his father,Algernon Black ’19 , and hislife as a Broadway producer.Michael Wertheimer ’44 is theauthor of a biography of his father,a founder of Gestalt psychology.The book: Max Wertheimerand Gestalt Theory.Harvard University Press haspublished a new paperback editionby Richard Brown ’57and his wife, Irene QuenzlerBrown. The book, The Hangingof Ephraim Wheeler: A Storyof Rape, Incest, and Justice inEarly America, explores familyviolence, gender, race, class, religionand capital punishment inearly America. Brown is Board ofTrustees Distinguished ProfessorPublic NoticeNew works of art from ECF alumni: a collage from Robin Goodman Dash’72, recently exhibited, and the movie poster from the documentary SunsetStory, co-produced by Eden Wurmfield ‘87.Ellora: a recent photo from Ellora, India, by Jesse Kalisher.©2004 Jesse Kalisherof History at the University ofConnecticut.Robert Jervis ’58 is the authorof American Foreign Policy ina New Era, just published byRoutledge.Nicholas Delbanco ’59 haswritten The Vagabonds: A Novel(Warner Books). According toPublishers Weekly: “Delbanco’ssaga … slips across generationsto examine the bonds of inheritance,fiscal and otherwise, linkingthree siblings.”Peter Rutkoff ’60 has just publisheda new book, The NextHedgerow: A Correspondence, acollaboration of sorts with hislate father, Harry Rutkoff, whodied in 1949 from war wounds.The book includes three storiesof Harry’s from the war and astory of Peter’s.Gil Scott-Heron ’67 was featuredas a part of the grandopening festival at Jazz at LincolnCenter in October 2004.Robin Goodman Dash ’72 exhibitedher work at The BronxRiver Art Center in October2004 as part of a group showcalled “Word.”Kathryn Kaufmann ’76 receiveda New York Dance andPerformance Award for herlighting design for the 2003-2004 season. “It was fun and anhonor – and a surprise, since ILara Fox and Hilary FrankelSmall WorldA few years ago, two students (now seniors) Lara Fox (daughter of Jan Abramson Fox’73) and Hilary Frankel saw a school meeting notice for an expert coming to talk onparent-teen communication. That sparked a discussion about the true experts on the teenagethought process – teens! Their notion of doing a book on the topic was encouragedby their art teacher, Nancy Fried, who referred them to her sister (and current parent)Alice Martell, a literary agent. Fast forward to a finished proposal and a few prospectivepublishers including Tracy Bernstein, an executive editor at New American Library. Whenthe students and their agent came for a meeting with that editor, Bernstein asked curiouslywhere the girls went to school; it wasn’t in the proposal. Answer: <strong>Fieldston</strong>! At that point,the meeting veered way off course as Bernstein – class of ’79 – wanted to know if Lara andHilary had Mr. Werner for English. Fast forward again to March 2005: publication dateof Breaking the Code: Two Teens Reveal the Secrets to Better Parent-Child Communication.Fox and Frankel reveal how parents can deal with hot-button topics like personal privacy,school, or money and eliminate petty fights based on miscommunication. “The goal is tokeep the bloodshed to a minimum,” they say.22 ECF Reporter
was lighting the award show atthe Joyce Theater and was onheadset backstage right,” Kathywrites.Andrew Litton ’77, the DallasSymphony and the Dallas SymphonyChorus will appear atCarnegie Hall on Friday, April8, 2005, to perform RichardStrauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustraand Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana.On April 9 they will performa children’s concert, also atCarnegie Hall.The White Rose, a novel by JeanHanff Korelitz ’79, was publishedin January 2005 by MiramaxBooks.Jesse Kalisher ’80 has traveledacross five continents and 21countries in his work as a photographer.His work is representedby The Stephen CohenGallery in Los Angeles and isin the permanent collections ofboth The Oakland Museum ofCalifornia and The Walters ArtMuseum in Baltimore. You cansee it at www.kalisher.com.Judith Colp Rubin ’80 has coauthoredHating America: A History(Oxford Press) with BarryRubin. The book explores theforce of anti-Americanism sincethe founding of the country.Jacqueline Reich ’83 is the authorof Beyond the Latin Lover:Marcello Mastroianni, Masculinityand Italian Cinema (IndianaUniversity Press). PublishersWeekly calls it a “fascinatingstudy” of the actor’s work.India Hixon Radfar ’85 is theauthor of Breathe, which waspublished in a limited edition inNepal.Eden Wurmfield ’87 is one ofthe producers of the just openeddocumentary drama SunsetStory, just opened in New York.Set against the backdrop of aretirement home for politicalprogressives, it won the TribecaFilm Festival Jury Award amongother honors.Births andAdoptionsDavid Stone ’76 and his wifeRobin Aronson welcomed twins,Helen Zipporah and Elliot Aaron,on October 21, 2004.Jacqueline London ’83 and herhusband Paul Koury announcedthe birth of a son, Jackson, onJune 16, 2004. He is welcomedby big sister Rachel.Paul Schiff Berman ’84 and hiswife Laura Dickinson celebratedthe birth of their son, Julien, onJanuary 15, 2004.Alan Gilbert ’85 and wife Kajsabecame the parents of NoemiSofia on April 10, 2004.MarriagesDavid Denby ’61 married SusanRieger on October 10, 2004.Anya Schiffrin ’80 marriedJoseph Stiglitz on October 29,2004.William Macklowe ’86 marriedJulie Lerner on November 21,2004.Cara Villency ’87 marriedJoshua Sacks on December 12,2004.Two new Philadelphia Democrats– Helen Zipporah and Elliot AaronStoneJonathan Gallin ’86 and hiswife Annie welcomed a daughter,Ruby Leta Gallin, born November10, 2004.Julia Pimsleur Levine ’86 announcesthe birth of a son, EmmettPaul Levine, born September20, 2004.Five from ‘89: Alex Ruttenberg, Alex Wolfman, Jason Barbara, TonyRossabi, and Alec Appelbaum, at the wedding reception for Jason and hisnew wife, Beth.Shersten Killip ’89 married AndrewLeonard in August 2002.Lori Ades ’93 married SethHorowitz on December 18,2004.Mishara Canino Alvarez ’93married William Hussing onFebruary 4, 2005.Joshua Epstein ’94 marriedAbigail Coleman on October 9,2004.Gus Ornstein ’94 marriedLindsay Stern on December 11,2004.Fred Moran ’84 his wife, Julie,and their children, Amelia andbaby Ava.Michael Rauch ’86 and SarahMoore ’89 welcomed the birthof Henry Muir Rauch, November17, 2004.James Weinberger ’92 and hiswife Erica welcomed a son, Eli,on December 12, 2003.DeathsMadeleine R. Samuels ’24; January5, 2005. She is survived byher son, Alan Samuels.Herman Jervis, ’26; November24, 2004. He was 94. A lawyerand educator, Jervis was a formerchair of the board of trustees atECFS. He was predeceased byhis first wife, Dorothy BingJervis ’27, and his second wife,Eleanor Dudley as well as hissister, Helen Jersawit Coles’32. He is survived by his sons,Steven ’55 and Robert ’58, andgranddaughters, Alexa ’89 andLisa ’90.Herman Jervis ’26PHOTO: TOBY HIMMELECF Reporter 23
Bresci Thompson ’26; October2, 2004. He was 96. A painter,storyteller, and lifelong Chelsearesident, he was a former trusteeof the Hudson Guild. He waspredeceased by his wife, MaryFox Thompson and is survivedby a daughter, Nancy Cooper,grandsons Michael and Edward,and great-granddaughter, Sophie.Jeanne Goodman Michael’29; August 14, 2004. She was92. She was a lifelong supporterof <strong>Fieldston</strong>, according to herdaughter, Mary Lou Michael,and “always spoke with deepappreciation of her educationand pride in being a member ofthe first graduating class of thethen ‘new’ campus.” She is alsosurvived by two grandchildren,Dana Anderson and Josh Michael.Rose Susan Hirschhorn Behrend’31; December 9, 2004.She was 91. Predeceased byher husband Bernard, she issurvived her three children,Catherine, Daniel and David;grandchildren, Robert, Andrew,Benjamin, and Sophie; and herbrother Fred Hirschhorn ’37.She was a devoted guide at thePhiladelphia Museum of Artfor over 35 years, specializing inBrancusi and tours of sculpturealong the Schuylkill River. Inher later years she was involvedin creating and conducting toursfor the blind at the museum. Shewas also a docent at the PennsylvaniaAcademy of Fine Arts andone of the original students atThe Barnes Foundation nearPhiladelphia.post-graduate programs, NewYork University <strong>School</strong> of Medicine.He was predeceased byhis wife, Margaret MuhlfelderWessler. He is survived by threesons, John, Steve, and Jim.Jane Schaap Leitzer ’35; January6, 2005. She was 86. She issurvived by her daughters, JoanLeitzer and Ellen Leitzer; grandchildren,Kathryn, William, andLaren Spirer, and Sara Silverstein.Her passion was travel,and she began her own programplacing American teenagerswith French families in Aix-en-Provence. She remained a travelagent for many years. Her otherpassions included cooking, readingand supporting Democraticcandidates.Richard L. Seidman ’35; June20, 2004. He is survived by ason, William Seidman.Rita Brand Friedman ’36; November10, 2004. She is survivedby her husband, Jules, twosons, and five grandchildren aswell as her sister, Evelyn BrandBoxer ’44.Frederic A. Bierhoff ’44; September6, 2004. He was a Navyveteran of World War II. He attendedMIT and was a graduateof New England College asa civil engineer. He is survivedby his wife, Ruth; children, Alanand Alison; and granddaughterRebecca.Gertrude Moore Rosenstein’44; October 6, 2004. She was77. A devotee of theater and opera,she studied with Gian-CarloMenotti in Italy and was an assistantto George Balanchine atthe New York City Ballet. Shebecame a television director bothas an independent and at NBCwhere she was the first womanto direct a network televisionseries, the game show Concentration.She was associate directorof NBC’s Opera CompanyPresentations. She was a governorof the National Academy ofTelevision Arts & Sciences anda member of its Emmy AwardsCommittee.Tim Schmiderer ’57; October22, 2004. He was 65. An architectat Gruzen Samton, his workincluded numerous residentialprojects as well as the Councilon Foreign Relations, LernerHall Student Center and LenfestHall at Columbia University, thenew Stuyvesant High <strong>School</strong>,Kingsborough Community College,Long Dock Beacon and theCooper Union. A great grandsonof Louis Comfort Tiffany, heis survived by his wife, Nancy;his children, Emily Schmiderer-Ford (who teaches at EC) andAnthony Schmiderer; grandchildren,Jason, Brianna, Corinne,and Taylor; and his sister, DorothySchmiderer Baker ’59.Kenneth D. Newborg ’60;December 24, 2004. He is survivedby his wife, Margaret, anddaughter, Julie Vomaska as wellas granddaughter, Emily Vomaska.He was the son of BettyN. Newborg ’27 and the lateDonald L. Newborg; brotherof Constance Kaufmann Berman’48 and Dr. Herbert J.Kaufmann ’51.Carol Bernstein Weinstein,’66; Nov. 3, 2004. She is survivedby her sister, Geri BernsteinFreund ’68.ECF notes with sadness the deathsof former faculty and staff:Keay Arrowsmith; November3, 2004. She worked in the collegeoffice at <strong>Fieldston</strong> for manyyears and is survived by threedaughters, Joan ’76, librarianat <strong>Fieldston</strong> Lower; Anne ’78;Alexandra ’81; and three grandsonsat ECF.Margaret A. Hinkson; November8, 2004. She was 87. Knownas “Magi,” she came to NewYork in the early ’50s where sheworked with Martha Grahamand Merce Cunningham onmusical arrangements. As a vocalcoach and voice teacher, sheworked at <strong>Fieldston</strong> and with anumber of other New York Citycultural institutions. She is survivedby her daughter, SusanHinkson ’76.Frances Field ’33; October 24,2004. She had a 50-year careerin international economics, firstat General Motors Overseas Operationsand then at Citibank.She is survived by her brother,Lawrence Field ’31.From the class of 1944, takenin 2001: Wally Neumann, PaulSantich (a friend from MIT),Fred Bierhoff and Dick “Rosie”Rosenberg.Dr. Stanford Wessler ’34; January14, 2005. He was 87. Dr.Wessler was associate dean for24 ECF Reporter
A L U M N I B U L L E T I N B O A R DThe class of 1980: This year’s 25th reunion class – 25 years ago!<strong>Fieldston</strong> Reunion Weekends 2005—Save the Dates!June 4–5, 2005, at <strong>Fieldston</strong>Classes of 1945, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975,1980, 1985, 1990, 1995June 11, 2005, Lion’s Head TavernClass of 2000■■Check the alumni events section of the website– www.ecfs.org – for reunion news by class.Help us find the “lost” alumni in your class(listed on the website under your class year).Alumni Survey Coming Your WaySometime this month, you’ll be receiving a comprehensivesurvey of alumni. The questionnaire will bedesigned to learn more about your relationship toECF, as a student, and an alumnus/na, now and in thefuture. We want to have as many as alumni participatingin this survey as possible, so the results will give usa true picture and can become an important part of ourlong-range planning process. The survey will be sent byregular mail and by email (for those alumni with emailsin our database).Wanted! <strong>Fieldston</strong> Alumni Class RecordersIf your class does not yet have a Recorder, you could bethe one! Be the first to find out what your classmateshave been up to and report the news. To volunteer,contact Toby Himmel at alumni@ecfs.org.Changed Your Career More Than Once?For an upcoming issue of the ECF Reporter, we wouldlike to talk to career-changers at any stage of life ontheir choices, their changes, and their resulting satisfaction(or not!). If you’re interested, please email GingerCurwen at gcurwen@ecfs.orgSummer Jobs for <strong>Fieldston</strong> Students?Please be part of the <strong>Fieldston</strong> Summer Jobs PlacementExchange – a network of summer job opportunitiesprovided by ECF parents and alumni. The exchangeis being coordinated by the school and the <strong>Fieldston</strong>P&T. Students ages 16 and up are looking for summerjobs – either paying or volunteer. Opportunities shouldbe within a reasonable commuting area, can be forone week up to three months, and should providea worthwhile learning experience for our students.Contact us at summerjobs@ecfs.org for applications orquestions.
Take a Lookat Our FutureImagining the future campusis easier with the help of thesewatercolor renderings byMichael McCann. In 2007the <strong>Fieldston</strong> campus will includea new athletic facility (afieldhouse housing a doublegymnasium and fitness room,linked to a smaller buildingwith a six-lane, competitionlengthpool); a middle schoolacademic building for grades6-8, complete with a “green”or vegetative roof; andrenovations to 34,000 squarefeet in the older buildings,resulting in a new music andperforming arts center, newdining hall, and new studentcommons. These excitingadditions will benefit everystudent and teacher in theschool for years to come. Formore background and details,go to www.ecfs.org/ campusplan.View of the future <strong>Fieldston</strong> campus in 2007.View of the future middle school in 2007.View of the future gymnasium in 2007.<strong>Ethical</strong> <strong>Culture</strong> <strong>Fieldston</strong> <strong>School</strong>33 Central Park WestNew York, NY 10023-6001Non-profit Org.US PostagePAIDNew Haven, CTPermit no. 130CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTEDParents of alumni: If your children are no longerliving with you, please notify the alumni officeof their correct addresses. Thank you.