Japan Storm - Columbia College - Columbia University

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CLASS NOTES COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY humanities and French literature discussions (all of the French lit courses considered an extension of Humanities A); I continue that practice for five weeks each summer. During the autumn, winter and spring months I also devote a full academic year to a single major project, such as the Proust novel (again!) and Hugo’s incomparable Les Misérables (for the first time). I recently completed a painfully slow and happily most rewarding reading, with the help of two excellent dictionaries, of Doctor Zhivago. As for September … Something will turn up. The Janáček operas? You never know.” Bill Tanenbaum and Ira Jaffrey spent several weekends together hiking and enjoying the Colorado outdoors in Aspen, Glenwood Springs and Beaver Creek. Bill continues his mountain conquests, gaining an altitude of 10,200 ft. on Beaver Creek Mountain; then white water rafting on the Arkansas River, a nine-mile ride in category 4–5 rapids, water at 55 degrees breaking over the bow. Bill attended a wedding in Arkansas and met a friend for lunch in Tulsa, Okla., and that now closes the ring, visiting every state. At the memorial service for Joe Coffee ’41 held at the campus on April 28, three members of the class were in attendance: Bob Berne, Richard Friedlander and Art Delmhorst. “Joe,” Art writes, “was the first or nearly the first director of alumni relations and founded the Columbia College Fund, the Alexander Hamilton Medal, the John Jay Awards for distinguished professional achievement and CCT. I thought it was neat that he had touched three members of our class in different ways. In my case, he was a fellow trustee of the Columbia University Club Foundation.” We mourn the passing of Dr. Robert J. Capone and Ronald Kane. Robert, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2008, died peacefully on June 29 at St. Peter’s Hospice Inn in Albany, N.Y. He earned his M.D. at Cornell, did his internship at Vanderbilt and completed his residency at the University of Vermont in Burlington. Robert served in the Navy as a lieutenant commander and practiced at the Oakland Naval Hospital from 1968–70. Thereafter, he spent two years at UC Davis, 19 years as a professor of medicine at Brown and a cardiologist at Rhode Island Hospital, and four years as a cardiologist at Strong Memorial Hospital and a professor at Rochester University. In 1994, he became a cardiologist at Albany Medical Center Hospital and was a professor at Albany College of Medicine until 2008, when he retired due to his diagnosis. Robert is survived by his wife, Emilie, whom he married in 1964 and with whom he celebrated more than 46 years of marriage, two sons and four grandchildren. Ronald was a certified appraiser of antiques and real estate. He was a generous benefactor of museums, to which he donated antiques. He died on May 30 and is survived by his sister, Louise Trotman, and nephews Adrian and Julian. The class sends its sincerest con- dolences to the families and friends of Robert and Ronald. Please forward your recollections of our late classmates for inclusion in Class Notes. 61 Michael Hausig 19418 Encino Summi San Antonio, TX 78259 mhausig@yahoo.com Dr. Jeffrey Rudell’s book was published in August: Exercise Physiology for Swimmers & Divers: Understanding Limitations. It is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Rich Mace’s granddaughter Ahrielle Felicity Mace is appearing as a principal dancer in Footloose, the 1980s movie remake that came out this fall. She also appeared at halftime at the Atlanta Falcons’ September 17 game. Parents Richard Riurik Mace and his wife, Jen, are rather proud, as is Rich. Rich spends his time playing piano ensemble music with a fine bunch of pros, playing bridge twice a week under the tutelage of a grandmaster and tending to every wish his still–hard-working United Nations International School teacher wife, Ingeborg, requires to be fulfilled. Of such pleasures is the stuff of retirement made. The couple recently returned from a two-week vacation to Norway’s four major cities, where the people are still in shock from their own particular brush with tragedy. The scenery was magnificent. Joyce and Stuart Newman celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June. They married weeks after their respective graduations from Barnard and Columbia. Joyce maintains her ob/gyn practice in Manhattan, and Stuart is as busy as ever practicing corporate law, also in Manhattan. Gerry Brodeur’s wife, Judy, died on April 1 after a long illness. A memorial service was held at St. Jude Parish, Londonderry, N.H. Gerry visited with Sue and Jack Kirik in Moline, Ill., on the drive from Las Vegas to New Hampshire with Judy’s ashes. Bob McCool and Wayne Hatfield attended the service with their wives, Pat and Fran. Wayne and Gerry developed a close friendship while playing football at Columbia. Wayne flew to Las Vegas to provide company on the drive to New Hampshire, a great act of friendship. He also rode back to Las Vegas with Gerry and his dog and then flew back to Leominster, Mass., via a side flight to Denver to see his brother. Harold Cohen was a regular attendee at class reunions but missed our 50th. Stuart Newman attempted to track Harold down after the reunion but couldn’t reach him by phone or email. In July, he received a letter from Harold’s wife, Karen, informing him that Harold passed away on March 12. Harold was an All-State basketball player in high school, an active member of AEPi and one of the most enthusiastic scholars in our class. He sought out the best lecturers, inhaled their courses and was transformed by professors such as C. Wright Mills. REUNION MAY 31–JUNE 3 ALUMNI OFFICE CONTACTS ALUMNI AFFAIRS Robin Vanderputten robinv@columbia.edu 212-851-7399 DEVELOPMENT Allen Rosso ar3152@columbia.edu 212-851-7947 62 WINTER 2011–12 68 John Freidin 1020 Town Line Rd. Charlotte, VT 05445 jf@bicyclevt.com You will receive this in December. But as I write on September 20, the late summer sun is glowing on Vermont. A week ago, my sweetheart, Kathryn, and I returned from a sensational bicycle tour in Hungary with my old firm, VBT. The highlight of the trip was being infused with the sad history of Hungary, especially the recent history of Hungarian Jews. Time and again I stumbled onto local citizens and places that impelled me to see and feel more about those heartwrenching times. During the trip I read Joseph Kertes’ fine novel, Gratitude, about the Hungarian Shoah. I am still filled with visions of that horrendous time. The most important news is that our 50th Alumni Reunion Weekend — Wednesday, May 30–Sunday, June 3 — is only a few months away. Your classmates are working to create a wonderful experience. But the key to the occasion is your participation. The more of us who attend, the more each of us will enjoy it. Take a look at the reunion website (reunion.college.columbia. edu) and mark your calendars now. More information will start to arrive during the spring, so be sure Columbia has your correct postal and email addresses. I have an idea about our reunion I’d like to ask you about. To me it is most important that the reunion provide uninterrupted opportunities to talk and laugh with classmates. But I worry that the enticing attractions of Morningside Heights and NYC will tempt us to scatter. (The usual events, such as formal dinners, lectures and campus tours, often do not lend themselves to casual interaction.) So it occurred to me that we could have a wonderful time together by chartering a boat and taking a cruise for two or three hours, during which time we could mix and mingle and also enjoy unique views of Manhattan. Other classes have done this. Does this idea appeal to you? Hal Watson (halprof39@aol.com), Horace Spaulding, Carl Rauh and Richard (Dick) Evans had a oneday reunion in 2008 in Denver and resolved then to attend our 50th. In 1961–62 they lived together on Riverside Drive. Hal advises us to wear our reunion nametags. “None of us look like we did in 1962,” he says. [Editor’s note: All reunion attendees and guests are provided with lanyards and nametags.] Hal has retired from Southern Methodist University, where he was a professor of mechanical engineering. He consults on cases involving patent disputes. Horace is a retired investor in TV cable programming and lives in California. Carl practices law in Washington, D.C. Dick is a retired Air Force colonel and aerospace engineer; he now works in private military contracting and lives in Denver. Howard Felperin (hfelperin@ live.co.uk) is “keen to attend our 50th class reunion.” He recently moved to the Isle of Wight. From 1977–95, Howard taught English literature (mainly Shakespeare) at two Australian universities, the University of Melbourne and Macquarie University. In 1996 he retired to England, where he’s lived ever since. He’s published several books on Shakespeare and literary theory and now spends much of his time walking the beach and writing poetry — both his own and translations from Latin, most notably the Aeneid. Barry Leeds (bhleeds01@snet.net) writes that he, too, is “looking forward to seeing many old friends” at our 50th. Anthony Valerio’s new e-books include Lefty and Her Gangsters: A Novel of Sex and Power; The Little Sailor; Toni Cade Bambara’s One Sicilian Night; and BART: A Life of A. Bartlett Giamatti. In early August, John Boatner wrote, “Here in Tennessee we are living in hell after hell with recordbreaking temperatures.” John recently produced five new CDs of his compositions: a concerto for cello and orchestra, two choral works,
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY CLASS NOTES a children’s choir performance of his original settings of three poems from Alice in Wonderland and his solo piano performance of several popular tunes. John muses: “It seems that, somehow, the older I get to be, the more I actually am able to accomplish. Is there a moral in that realization?” Have you experienced such recent spurts of accomplishment? From Red Hook, N.Y., Frank Stoppenbach (frankst@attglobal. net) writes: “In a career as a strategist at IBM, several times what seemed like ‘Mission Impossible’ jobs came my way. “After retiring, I worked on several advocacy efforts, not realizing at the time that they, too, had a bit of ‘Mission Impossible’ about them. “More than one actually got done. In 1994, the government approved the use of an artificial growth hormone, rBGH, in milk and also approved rules permitting manufacturers to sue dairies that labeled their products with language saying they were made without the use of that technology. “That seemed unfair, and led to a 10,000-signature petition. The labeling law we sought never came about, but thanks to many similar efforts nationwide, and informed consumers who voted with their feet and dollars, the manufacturer eventually sold the business, and major grocery chains now carry rBGH-free milk. “That advocacy led me to a run for Congress on a platform of renewable energy jobs (non-nuclear) and single-payer/Medicare for All health care. My borrowed $15,000 versus $1 million for the incumbent took ‘Mission Impossible’ to even higher levels. “Indirectly, it also led to one more effort, surely the gold standard for impossibility — seeking an open review of AIDS policy and the questions surrounding it. That didn’t sound so difficult, because most policies get reviewed and science normally resolves concerns through debate and experimentation. But HIV/AIDS has transcended science and is now almost beyond questioning. This is due to HIV/ AIDS’ dual role: 1) as an explanation for certain illnesses and 2) as a cautionary tale to promote sexual responsibility. Questioning the first undermines the second, so we are caught in what might be termed a policy trap, doomed to continue spending, in New York state alone, $500 yearly for each resident on HIV/AIDS alone. “Two years ago, I put what I had learned about HIV/AIDS into a presentation and took it to policymakers. It seemed to get a good reception. Those interested can check a brief published letter that nets things out, and has links to the presentation and correspondence with officials: aidspetition. org/letter. A documentary, House of Numbers, also may be helpful. “On the fun side, we live in a great area in a partially passive solar house, with a large garden that I enjoy. We have three great grown children, a wonderful granddaughter in Australia and an upcoming wedding.” After graduation, John Phillips (jop@me.com) remained on Morningside Heights to earn an M.Arch from the Architecture School. He then spent two years in the Peace Corps in Micronesia. After that and three years of apprenticeship, John became a licensed architect. However, his Peace Corps experience led him to realize that he was not as interested in designing buildings as in designing the fabric of the city. As a senior urban designer — first with the Mayor’s Office of Midtown Planning and Development and then with the New York City Department of City Planning — John, in his own words, “was actively involved in the plan to save 45 landmark Broadway theaters while allowing development that preserves the vibrant character of Times Square and the theatre district. When I retired as director of the Bronx office, I was proud to have been part of the borough’s rebirth.” He continues: “My work provided a framework upon which I’ve built a full life: one part a love of public service and another a passion for food. On a couple of occasions, work coincided with passion as when I co-founded the 9th Avenue International Festival, which brings millions of foodies to the city’s annual, mile-long movable feast. Also, almost on a lark, I earned a degree in hotel and restaurant management, which led to my creating and teaching a course in hospitality planning and design at CUNY. I love to share the joys of cooking, whether through private lessons or in crowds on the National Mall as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.” John has been featured in several cookbooks, including two by Joan Nathan. Through the years he has traveled widely in the Pacific, Asia, Central America, the Caribbean and the United States, but mostly in Europe. While on a trip to France in February, he joined Algernon Phillips ’64 and his family to visit Algernon’s daughter (John’s goddaughter), who lives in Lyon. John continues: “On a personal note, after New York state passed its Marriage Equality Act, my partner, John Green, and I decided that we would formalize our 36-year WINTER 2011–12 69 relationship. So, around noon on July 29, we went downtown to get a license with the intent of getting married in September. However, when the clerk told us we could do it the same day if we got a waiver of the one-day waiting period from the judge, we said, ‘Why not?’ So, as of 2:55 p.m. July 29, John and I are spouses in the state of New York. Until recently, we spent most weekends away from the city at our home in Millbrook, N.Y. However, as part of a long-range retirement plan, we decided to sell that home and expand our Manhattan apartment. To our minds, Gotham is still the best.” Bernie Oxman spent the summer at his newly built vacation home overlooking the Oregon coast. He is a chaired professor of law at the University of Miami and is halfway through his second fiveyear term as co–editor-in-chief of the American Journal of International Law, widely regarded as the leading professionally juried journal in its field. Recently the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea appointed Bernie as judge ad hoc on a maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Hearings were scheduled for September at the tribunal’s headquarters in Hamburg. This is the second time Bernie has been appointed to this tribunal. Previously he served as judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, in a maritime boundary dispute in the Black Sea between Romania and Ukraine. He is the only American to have served on both courts. Armando Favazza reported that Sylvain Fribourg passed away suddenly on April 24 in California. Armando wrote: “Sylvain was my closest college friend, and we spent many happy hours putting out issues of Jester. He had a long and successful career as an ob/gyn at Kaiser Permanente in Los Angeles and was an avid writer of letters to the Los Angeles Times. Through the years we shared long, monthly telephone conversations during which we solved many world problems. In our last call we discovered that each of us was reading a new translation of Herodotus! Sylvain was a kind and brilliant person. After retiring he was a docent at several museums and was president of his Kiwanis club. More than a decade ago he was fortunate enough to meet his soul-mate, a lovely woman named Michelle Rodrigues, with whom he shared his life and traveled the world. We all shall miss him greatly.” I must also report the sad news of the deaths of two other classmates. Robert Maddox passed away on April 2. While at Columbia he played football, ran track, was a member of Delta Phi and met Helen Warwick, whom he married on June 9, 1962. Robert was first in his class at the Fort Knox Armor School and then pursued a career in the Marine Corps. In 1967–68 he served in Vietnam, where he commanded A Company, 3rd Tank Battalion, 3rd Marines in Que Son Valley. Stateside he was an instructor at The Basic School for Marine Corps officers in Quantico, Va. He retired from military service in 1982. After that Robert and his family settled on the eastern shore of Maryland. An avid bicyclist, he medaled in the Maryland Senior Olympics and rode regularly with a local cycling group. Helen, his wife of 48 years, daughter Leigh, and sons, Robert and Michael, survive him. Brian O’Gorman, a retired attorney and past president of the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, died in San Diego on May 24. Please make your plans to come to our reunion and let me know your suggestions for it. 63 Paul Neshamkin 1015 Washington St., Apt. 50 Hoboken, NJ 07030 pauln@helpauthors.com Tons of news this issue! I’ve had to brutally edit to get it into this space, so go to cc63ers.com to read full copy (and see pictures). You’ll also find notes from Howard Spodek, Paul Lehrer, Harley Frankel, Ezra Cohen and Jerry Kessler, which, because of space, I’ve had to hold for the next issue. David Alpern won a $25,000 grant from the Nathan Cummings Foundation, matching a $25,000 challenge grant from the Carnegie Corp. of New York, to continue and expand the hour-long For Your Ears Only weekend radio and podcast program that he has produced and hosted since 1982 and which up until last year was known as Newsweek On Air. The new funding, along with promised support from The Paley Center for Media in New York and the Council on Hemispheric Affairs in Washington, will permit efforts to continue operations for at least another six months. But more donations and grants are required to add new stations, more college interns and new presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Zev bar-Lev (né Rob Lefkowitz) writes, “My challenging year, too good to keep private: In December of last year, after a difficult openheart operation — complicated by my asthma, a long-standing chronic cough and my corpulence (225
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Columbia College TODAY Winter 2011-
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