Congratulations, Class of 2010! - Columbia College - Columbia ...

Joseph P. Rumage, our class eye
physician and surgeon, wrote to us
from Gretna, La., his home base:
“I had hoped to visit with you and
perhaps catch the Columbia crew
after my Class of 1950 NYU Medical
School reunion breakfast on April 10.
“However, they race now at 10
a.m. somewhere on Long Island. In
the old days, it was at 2 p.m. on the
Harlem River across from the old
Polo Grounds.
“Anyway, enjoy your news
items , and I’ll try again soon. Keep
up your good work!”
In early February, my wife,
Shirley, and I flew to Hawaii for
our oldest grandson’s wedding. He
had requested I act as officiate. He
lives in a lovely home on Maui, one
of Hawaii’s principal islands. The
wedding took place on the lawn.
Of course, in my brief address to
the couple I urged them to stand
together forever to withstand “the
slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”
as well as enjoying the “Joy
of the World.” Flying 11 hours each
way was made even more onerous
on our return trip by an all-night
layover in Los Angeles requiring a
fresh hobble through security. The
wedding and attendant parties had
already proved exhausting enough.
But such age-related complaints
are really asides. The weather was
perfect. The 6-foot-4 groom was
incredibly handsome, the bride,
Hollywood beautiful. So what more
can you ask
Since returning at the end of
February and continuing until
now, physical problems have been
huge time guzzlers. I know that
other classmates have struggled
with as much and more. They have
told me it would be impossible to
find space in their minds or the
time to compose a note, however
simple.
In my case, the next months promise
renewed energies, and I look
forward to hearing from classmates.
While we are still around —
though sadly in dwindling numclass
notes
columbia college today
Members of the Class of ’46 and their wives gathered for lunch in Manhattan
in May, followed by a guided tour of the High Line public park by
Kevin Baker ’80. Taking in the beautiful surroundings were (seated, left
to right) Helen Aronson, Marvin Aronson ’46, Don Summa ’46, George
Levinson ’46, Mike Pincus ’46 and Aihud Pevsner ’46; and (standing, left
to right) Irwin Nydick ’46, Baker, Marge Sunshine, Josephine Hendin and
Herb Hendin ’46.
PHOTO: Bernie Sunshine ’46
Albert Rothman chimed in
be fore reunion: “I hope many of us
’45ers are still above the ground,
and maybe I simply can’t find
them. How I would love to hear
from others who linger here and
remember me, whether positively
or the reverse. Hal Samelson, Ron
Graham and Johnny O’Connor
are gone. I miss them deeply, as
well as others [whose names] don’t
come to my aging mind.
“In many ways, it is the happiest
time in my life. Am I nuts No. I
feel fully alive and active, grateful
for surviving heart bypass, cancer,
hip replacement and so on, and
especially clinical depression a few
years ago. Oh, and I’m four inches
shorter with severe spine issues
that hardly bother me and go into
abeyance when I hike.
“No longer interested in my former
studies and career in chemical
engineering and chemistry. B.S.
Ch.E. at Columbia, Ph.D. in chem-
Ch.E. at UC Berkeley and both
industrial and university positions.
After retiring in 1986, I became
a published and prize-winning
writer, poet and author: A Brooklyn
Odyssey: Travails and Joys of a Boy’s
Early Life. Working on two more
books, including Travels Without
Charley, about a 10-week trip in my
truck, hiking all the National Parks
in the West.
“Writing is much more to my
liking than anything before it.
Another passion is regular hiking
(I am a trails patrol volunteer in the
various parks in the SF Bay Area).
And, of course, my loving children:
entrepreneur Denise, teacher Lynn
and son Joel, professor and head
of the Department of Molecular
Biology at UC Santa Barbara. Also,
four grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren
of various ethnicities,
which delight me: Mexican,
Japanese, Caucasian (what an odd
name to avoid ‘white’!).
“But I must add: My first two
years at Columbia, thanks to a
Pulitzer Scholarship, mean more
to me than all the subsequent studies,
including engineering at the
College, which I didn’t care for. I
wish I had been able to study more
humanities. But to an offspring of
poor immigrants, a good job was
the primary need. My family considered
themselves deprived, but
the word ‘poor’ was never their
identification. And the draft board
had me in its sight at the elbow of
WWII.”
The Class of ’45 is still looking
for a class correspondent to write
a bimonthly column for Columbia
College Today. If you want an open
platform and a chance to reconnect
with classmates, please contact
Associate Editor Ethan Rouen at
ecr2102@columbia.edu. Until then,
please send notes about your life,
thoughts, travel, family and experiences
at Columbia to the postal
or e-mail address at the top of the
column.
46
Bernard Sunshine
20 W. 86th St.
New York, NY 10024
bsuns1@gmail.com
Our class luncheon in New York
on May 6 brought us together for
an enjoyable afternoon of good
fellowship, reminiscences and personal
anecdotes. Wives were invited,
and four brave women added
beauty and grace to the event.
Present were Helen and Marvin
Aronson, Josephine and Herb
Hendin, George Levinger, Irwin
Nydick, Aihud Pevsner, Mike
Pincus, Paula and Mal Ruderman,
Don Summa, Marge and Bernie
Sunshine, and special guest Kevin
Baker ’80. [See photo.]
We lunched at Moran’s Restaurant,
a 19th-century throwback,
which boasts a large collection of
sparkling Waterford crystal acquired
by the proprietor across many years.
It is adjacent to the High Line public
park, which opened less than a year
ago to rave reviews and already is a
featured New York attraction. After
lunch, we had the very special treat
of a guided High Line tour by Kevin,
a widely acclaimed writer, many of
whose novels focus on life in New
York, set in historic context. His insights
and information, delivered in
delightful fashion, added immeasurably
to the experience.
George Levinger, professor of
psychology (retired) at the University
of Massachusetts in Amherst,
traveled the furthest. He is writing
a memoir that includes a recounting
of the Frosh-Soph Rush. George
reported that as v.p. of the sophomores,
at the last minute he was
thrust into the leadership of the class
at the rush when it was discovered
that freshmen had kidnapped the
president the night before.
John McConnell responded
from Idaho to the class luncheon
announcement, saying Idaho was
a bit of a distance from midtown
Manhattan, and he would not be
with us. John writes: “We are in
a house on the Rathdrum Prairie,
sandwiched between Coeur
d’Alene, Post Falls and Hayden,
a 45-minute drive from Spokane,
Wash. Weather here is beautiful.
Last year at this time, we had six
feet of snow. This year, we have
had a total of less than five inches,
leaving concerns about water
levels throughout the region. Skiing
is still great at elevations above
4,000–5,000 feet.”
John, from this and previous correspondence
about your surroundings,
you probably could write
Paradise Found.
My wife and I recently moved
house (back to New York City, after
55 years in New Rochelle), and
some things that turn up catch the
eye. Like a note from Mike Pincus.
Some years back, he wrote in part:
“A good deal of my openness of
mind and attitude derived from
those wonderful men at Columbia
who inculcated, in most of us I
think, the sense that what is true is
what you have examined closely
with an open mind. But, it may not
be true forever. In a sense, truth
changes as we grow older and
experience the world and other
people’s truths.”
Send me your thoughts about
Mike’s statement. It can bring an
interesting exchange of views.
I also came across the first CC
’46 Newsletter (December 1954).
I had been elected class president
and reported: “I am frankly sorry
that one of the first official acts of
our group (the officers) has to be a
request for class dues, but as you
can understand, it is not possible for
one or two individuals to continue
to finance class mailings and other
functions. I hope you will respond
to this one request for dues and
will do so immediately. I realize the
expenses of Christmas and other
holidays, and income taxes cloud
the horizon at this time of year,
but the $2 you give to the class
now may well mean the success or
failure of our attempts to put 1946
back on its feet.”
Fifty-six years later, CC ’46 is going
strong, so I suppose the appeal
was successful.
47
Bert Sussman
155 W. 68th St., Apt. 27D
New York, NY 10023
shirbrt@nyc.rr.com
july/august 2010
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