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COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
CLASS NOTES
Class Notes
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Columbia College Today
Columbia Alumni Center
622 W. 113th St., MC 4530
New York, NY 10025
cct@columbia.edu
Sol Fisher ’36 sent a clipping from
the San Francisco Chronicle about
the 35th Awards Dinner of the Exploratorium,
the city’s museum of
science, art and human perception,
which was held in May. Among
other things, the dinner paid tribute
to all 90 honorees in the awards’ history
— including longtime Chronicle
science editor David Perlman ’39,
’40J. The article notes that David
was “perhaps the first reporter
to write about the Exploratorium
before its 1969 premiere.”
The Columbia University Band
Alumni Association is preparing a
history of bands at Columbia and
would love to be in touch with any -
one who played during the mid-’30s.
If this includes you, or if you know
of a classmate who fits the bill,
please contact CCT Managing Editor
Alexis Tonti ’11 Arts: alt2129@
columbia.edu or 212-851-7485.
CCT hopes that you enjoy a
wonderful fall. Send us an update,
whether by email, good old U.S.
Postal Service or via our easy-to-use
webform (college.columbia.edu/
cct/submit_class_note). Your classmates
want to hear how you’re
doing and what you’re up to.
41
Robert Zucker
29 The Birches
Roslyn, NY 11576
rzucker@optonline.net
Louis Cohn-Haft died in June 2011
in Siena, Italy. When he came in
for our 50th reunion, he had been
working as a professor in Chianti;
he eventually retired in Italy.
On May 3 one of our most active
classmates, Jack Beaudouin, passed
away. Jack received permission early
Class Notes are submitted by
alumni and edited by volunteer
class correspondents and the
staff of CCT prior to publication.
Opinions expressed are those of
individual alumni and do not
reflect the opinions of CCT, its
class correspondents, the College
or the University.
in his senior year to leave school
to take a significant position with
Reader’s Digest but still graduated
with our class. For most of his career
he was president of the Reader’s
Digest Condensed Book Club.
A letter from Suzanne Dettmer
’46 SW (wife of the late Bob Dettmer)
bemoaned the fact that her
grandson, who had a 4.0 average in
a community college, was not accepted
to Columbia. Unfortunately
many factors combine to make
Columbia College much more difficult
to enter than it was in our time.
When 450 male students, primarily
from the New York metropolitan
area and almost exclusively white,
were admitted to the Class of 1941,
the population of the United States
was approximately 40 percent of
today’s total. Today’s College has
no borders and is multi-racial —
some 57 percent of the members
of the Class of 2015 self-identified
on the Common Application as
being of color. More than 50 foreign
countries are represented in each
class and the male component generally
is slightly less than one half. A
much larger percentage of the U.S.
population goes to college than in
our day and transportation is easier.
Applicants know that to be considered
today they must be in the top
10 percent of their high school class
and have high college boards. With
all of this, the CC and Engineering
Classes of 2016 received a combined
total of almost 32,000 applications.
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Melvin Hershkowitz
22 Northern Ave.
Northampton, MA 01060
DrMelvin23@gmail.com
On a chilly, rainy morning on April
22, I was pleased to receive a warm,
friendly telephone call from Warren
Lane ’50E, in Huntington, N.Y., on
Long Island. Warren, who had his
92nd birthday on March 18, thanked
me and our Alumni Office for the
invitation to our 70th reunion luncheon,
held June 2. Although he was
unable to attend, Warren said he had
warm memories of his days on campus
and enjoys reading our Class
Notes, which reflect our emotional
attachment to Columbia. Warren
earned a B.S. in civil engineering in
1949 and an M.S. in civil engineering
in 1950, then embarked on a 43-year
career at Grumman Aircraft as an engineer
and operations analyst. Warren,
a member of Tau Beta Pi, earned
numerals and a letter as a member of
the freshman and varsity swimming
teams. On behalf of classmates and
our Alumni Office, I thank Warren
for his thoughtful call.
The San Francisco Chronicle noted David Perlman
’39 was “the first reporter to write about the Exploratorium”
before its 1969 opening.
Leo Reuther sent an email on
April 23, reporting that he had his
90th birthday on March 14 and was
still ambulatory “unaided.” With
regrets, Leo said he would not be
attending our reunion luncheon,
as he now tries to avoid flying as
much as possible. Leo, one of the
many heroes in our Great Class
of 1942, was an ace fighter pilot
in WWII, so he certainly earned
his sabbatical from getting in and
out of airplanes. After WWII, Leo
had a career in the FBI, retiring in
the 1970s. At Columbia, Leo won
numerals for freshman basketball
and was on the varsity swimming
team. He participated in The
Varsity Show and was a member
of Columbia Players, the Rifle
Club, the Newman Club and the
Dolphin Society. We salute Leo as
a loyal Columbia alumnus and
distinguished member of our class.
Professor Morris Grossman ’60
GSAS called on April 24 to report
that he was planning to come to the
reunion luncheon. Morris, a retired
professor of philosophy — he’d
worked at Fairfield University
in Connecticut — had his 90th
birthday on March 11. He sounded
much younger than that on the
phone, though he confessed to
various physical ailments, none of
which prevented his attendance
on June 2. Morris earned an M.A.
from the Graduate Faculties in
1949 and a Ph.D. in 1960. He taught
at Penn State and Portland State
(Oregon) before coming to Fairfield,
and now is seeking a publisher for
his recently completed book, Art
& Morality, a collection of various
papers that he published during his
long career. Morris is an authority
on philosopher George Santayana.
At Columbia, Morris showed his
intellectual prowess as chess team
manager and won a Silver Crown.
On April 24, I received an email
from Arthur E. Smith, sending
regrets about not being able to
come to our reunion. Art, who had
his 91st birthday in October 2011,
was a member of our great crews
in 1940 and 1941 and has kept in
touch with the coxswain of those
crews, Bob Kaufman, who lives in
Scarsdale, N.Y. Art took graduate
courses at the Business School in
1947 and earned an M.B.A. at NYU
in 1948. At the College, Art earned
his Varsity C, was a member of the
Crewsters and was awarded the
Bang’s Cup Medal. I’d previously
heard from Art in 2007, when he
reported attending the graduation
of his grandson, Jeff ’07 SIPA. Art’s
son, Arthur Jr. ’71, also is a Columbian,
which means that Art started
a three-generation legacy when he
joined our Great Class of 1942.
Judge Leonard Garth sent an
email message on April 25 with
regret at his inability to attend the
luncheon on June 2. I have written
about Len’s extraordinarily long
and distinguished career in the Appellate
Judiciary in prior issues of
CCT. He is one of our most famous
classmates (Supreme Court Justice
Samuel Alito was one of Len’s law
clerks), and he remains cognitively
intact, despite impaired mobility.
Len sends his greetings and warm
regards to all classmates.
On April 28, I had a long phone
chat with Donald Seligman, living
in Somers, N.Y. Don called to say
he was sorry to miss our reunion
luncheon; he was unable to travel
because of various physical ailments.
He had his 90th birthday
in July 2011 and remains perfectly
lucid. We had a warm conversation
about Columbia and our mutual
friends. Don played freshman and
varsity football and served in the
Marines in WWII. I last saw Don
several years ago, when we both
spoke at the memorial service
in St. Paul’s Chapel for our dear
friend Jack Arbolino, a Marine
hero in WWII. After the war, Don
had a long career as a leader in the
women’s fashion footwear industry
before retiring to Somers.
Old friend Arthur “Wizzer”
Wellington sent a note on April 30
with family news and regrets that
he would not be able to come from
Elmira, N.Y., for our reunion. Art
(92 on May 17) helped celebrate the
65th birthday of his eldest son with
a family golf outing at their country
club, where Art rode in his golf cart
to follow the proceedings. We had
our annual discussion about handicapping
the Kentucky Derby and
discussed Art’s trifecta choices for
the race. (Art is a charter member
of the Columbia chapter of the Degenerate
Horseplayers Club, along
with this writer, Don Mankiewicz
in Monrovia, Calif., and the late
Don Dickinson, who died several
years ago in Las Vegas.) Art did not
cash any of his derby wagers, but as
Frank Sinatra once sang, “Here’s to
the losers, bless them all.”
On May 2, Immanuel “Manny”
Lichtenstein ’43E sent a cordial
email to say he would be coming
to our reunion. Manny, who had
his 90th birthday in February,
still is active in his long career
as a special expert in metallurgy
and mining engineering, and has
continued to work all over the
world, including in Eastern Turkey
and Southern Idaho. He earned a
B.S from Engineering in 1943 and
an M.S. from Stevens Institute in
1953. At Columbia, Manny rowed
on the freshman lightweight crew.
He now lives in Princeton, N.J.,
with his wife, the former Nancy
Rabi ’52L, daughter of our famous
Columbia physicist, I.I. Rabi ’27
GSAS. (Nancy was a Law School
classmate of Judge Leonard
Garth.) Manny has been a loyal
alumnus for many years, and says
he much prefers our Columbia lion
to the Princeton tiger, which he
sees in profusion in his hometown.
Paul Hauck sent an email on May
5, expressing regret that he could
not attend our reunion luncheon
because of physical infirmities that
preclude travel from his home in
Naples, Fla. Paul, who had his 92nd
birthday on April 16, was a brilliant
student among many in our class
and was a member of Phi Beta
Kappa. He earned an M.B.A. from
The George Washington University
in 1964 and had a long career as an
economist and consultant to the
Navy and Department of Defense
before his retirement. He recalled
coming to the Admissions Office
in 1938 with two other classmates
from Jamaica H.S. in Queens for
his pre-admission interview with
Bernard P. Ireland ’31, ’35 GSAS,
and was happy to be admitted. Paul
enjoys reading our Class Notes in
CCT and sends warm regards to all
classmates.
On May 12, Kenneth von der
Porten sent an email with regrets
that he would not be able to attend
our reunion. Ken, who had his 91st
birthday in November 2011, had
been living in Boynton Beach, Fla.,
where he had a series of unfortunate
falls, leaving him dependent on a
walker for ambulation and support.
He sold his home in Florida and
now resides in an assisted living
facility near his daughter in Connecticut.
Ken was a metallurgist, and
retired as v.p. of Ledoux & Co. in the
1980s. He is a member of Phi Kappa
Phi and the American Institute of
Mining Engineers. Ken sends kind
regards and good wishes to all old
friends and classmates. He can be
reached at kvonderporten@att.net.
As for our 70th reunion luncheon,
it was held June 2 in the handsomely
refurbished Core Conference Room
in Hamilton Hall, where, as incoming
freshmen in 1938, 74 years ago,
we had our first Humanities and
CC classes. Classmates present were
Immanuel Lichtenstein, Morris
Grossman, Arthur Graham, Robert
Kaufman, Dr. Bernard Small and
this correspondent. Morris was accompanied
by his loyal friend, Janet
Jurist. Bob came with his effervescent
and irrepressible wife, Susan. Bernie
came with his lovely spouse, Sheila. I
came with my highly accomplished
designated driver and son-in-law,
Steve Hathaway, who joined us for
the luncheon and discussions. (See
my comments above about Morris
and Manny.)
Arthur lives in White Plains,
N.Y., having retired from his long
career as an engineer/management
consultant. Bob, who is retired in
Scarsdale, N.Y., had a remarkable
career as v.p. and legal counsel at
ABC television network, where
with Roone Arledge ’52, he helped
establish innovative coverage of
the Olympic Games and Monday
Night Football. Bernard, a retired
dentist, lives in Tenafly, N.J., and
Montauk, N.Y., and is a longtime
generous donor to the Columbia
College Fund.
We were delighted to welcome
Dean of Academic Affairs Kathryn
Yatrakis, who joined us for lunch
and gave an excellent talk on the
history of the Core Curriculum
and its prospects. At the end of the
luncheon, we remembered some
of our deceased classmates, whose
friendships meant so much to us at
Columbia and in the years that followed:
Dr. Herbert Mark, Gerald
Green, Jack Arbolino, Donald
Dickinson, Philip Bayer (a Marine
hero, killed at Peleliu in WWII),
Charles F. “Chic” Hoelzer Jr. and
our immediate past president
and intrepid leader, Victor Zaro.
We thank our devoted CCT and
Alumni Office staff members, Lisa
Palladino, CCT executive editor,
and Nick Mider, event coordinator,
for joining us at this luncheon
and for their outstanding efforts in
making this a memorable occasion.
We look forward to meeting
again at Homecoming on Saturday,
October 20. [Editor’s note: See
Around the Quads.]
Warm regards and good wishes
to all.
REUNION WEEKEND
MAY 30–JUNE 2, 2013
ALUMNI OFFICE CONTACTS
ALUMNI AFFAIRS Fatima Yudeh
fy2165@columbia.edu
212-851-7834
DEVELOPMENT Valentina Salkow
vs2441@columbia.edu
212-851-7833
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G.J. D’Angio
Department of Radiation
Oncology
Perelman C. A. M.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
dangio@uphs.upenn.edu
No news from ’43ers. I haven’t had
any takers on my offer. For those
of you who missed it, any 1943
classmate who contacts me at the
above email address is invited to
join me for lunch at a Philadelphia
restaurant of his choosing.
The spring was notable for me
because my granddaughter, Sara,
graduated from the VA Theological
Seminary in May. She and her
husband then left for a parish in
the Rochester, N.Y., area. Two of
their seminarian friends there came
to stay with us in March. They are
a French couple, here because she
wishes to become an Episcopal
priest, and there are no Episcopal
seminaries in France. They were
Bernard Goldman ’46 received the Halstead Memorial
Award from the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.
but two among the welcome parade
of 10 visitors of all ages to our
“B&B” in the spring.
Another trip: went to Covington,
Ky., in June for the installation of
my son, Peter, in his church there.
My wife and other son and his family
also are devout Episcopalians; I
am an island in an ecclesiastic sea.
Another event in the spring was
my 90th birthday. People ask how
it feels to be this age, and I answer,
“About the same as being 89.”
My wife, Audrey, is “horse mad”
and (as of this writing) has made
plans to attend the Olympics in
London this summer. Tickets were
hard to get, and she and a friend
consider themselves fortunate to
have secured tickets to two of the
three events that interest them.
In October, my wife and I will
both be in London for the annual
meeting of the International Society
of Paediatric Oncology (or SIOP,
as its French acronym goes). I have
missed only one of these in the 44
years of its existence.
I’m sad to report that Sidney
Warschausky, a retired educator
who lived in Ann Arbor, Mich.,
died on April 9, 2011.
In just nine months, we will celebrate
the 70th anniversary of our
College graduation by gathering
on campus for Alumni Reunion
Weekend. It’s never too early to
save the date, so mark your calendars
for Thursday, May 30–Sunday,
June 2, 2013.
As always, class members are
encouraged to join the Reunion
Committee to help plan the weekend’s
events. If you’re interested in
participating, contact the appropriate
Alumni Office staff member
noted at the top of the column. You
need not be in the New York area
and can participate in meetings via
conference call.
More about reunion will follow in
this column during the next year as
well as arrive at your home via mail
and email. To ensure that Columbia
has your correct contact information,
update it online (reunion.college.
columbia.edu/alumniupdate) or call
the Alumni Office (212-851-7488).
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Henry Rolf Hecht
11 Evergreen Pl.
Demarest, NJ 07627
hrh15@columbia.edu
What does it take, dear classmates,
to convince you to share some of
your happenings with your fellow
’44ers? We still have some vibrant
members — with vibrant experiences
— so please let your friends
hear of them. You can reach me
by phone (201-750-7770) or by the
email or snail mail addresses at the
top of the column. Please do.
As for this round, the only news
that reached me was the alumni
obituary report, sadly noting the
departure of Mort Lindsey, our
laureate composer and conductor,
and of educator John Brereton.
I can, however, share a bit of
firsthand experience. In June, my
wife, Hattie Parks, and I traveled
to the Washington, D.C., area to
participate in the commemoration
of the 70th anniversary of
the opening of the Camp Ritchie
Army Military Intelligence Training
Center in the Blue Ridge foothills
of Maryland, between Frederick
and Hagerstown. I trained
there in spring and summer 1944
— in fact, I was on a field exercise
that June when, as I learned much
later, Dr. [Nicholas Murray] Butler
(Class of 1882) awarded me my
bachelor’s in absentia.
While in the area, I visited retired
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FALL 2012
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