A Passion for Science - Columbia College - Columbia University

Columbia CollEgE Today CLASS NOTES
suggest anything you think would
be of interest, and if you would like
to organize or produce the event
by yourself or selves, or want assistance,
just say so and move ahead
with it at some mutually convenient
date that does not conflict with any
University or College event.
“Wishing all the best, and thanking
all who attended and expressed
interest and support.”
58
barry dickman
25 Main St.
Court Plaza North, Ste 104
Hackensack, NJ 07601
bdickmanesq@gmail.com
Congratulations to steve Jonas on
his marriage to Chezna Newman.
Steve and Chezna “were very happily
married with a rabbi, a reception
and a honeymoon in Sweden.
We really rushed into it; we’ve been
together only 12 years. Our class
was represented at the wedding by
my dear friend Joe dorinson.”
Not exactly breaking news, but
better any old time than never. Your
reporter noticed an obit in The New
York Times headlined, “Jack Oliver
[’45, ’53 GSAS], Who Proved Continental
Drift, Dies at 87,” and read
on. Although the theory had been
put forth in 1912, it had generally
been regarded as a crackpot idea
until the 1960s, when Oliver, who
was working at Columbia’s Lamont
Geological Observatory, together
with his former graduate student
bryan isacks found proof of the
theory. In 1968 they published a paper
making a convincing case that
what had become known as plate
tectonics was real (and important;
it’s now the basis for offshore oil
exploration, among other things).
Bryan has retired as the William
and Katherine Snell Professor of
Geological Sciences at Cornell.
Here’s a letter from barry lutender:
“Your column in the January/
February Columbia College Today
was appreciated and very meaningful
to me. I was saddened to
learn that asher rubin had passed
away but was pleased you clearly
remembered him well, as I have.
“Asher and al shine were good
friends of David Davis ’56E and
mine during those wonderful years
at Columbia in Livingston Hall.
Asher was literally one of a kind. His
sense of humor is unforgettable, and
his close friendship with Al was very
similar to mine with David.
“Thanks for rekindling the wonderful
memories of Asher. Please
keep up the good work with the
magazine.”
Barry, we appreciate your kind
words.
Barry retired from teaching math
in the Framingham, Mass., school
system. As many of you will remem-
ber, Dave died not long after graduation.
According to the Amherst alumni
magazine, Mort halperin’s youngest
son, Gary, was voted by readers
of Natural Awakenings magazine as a
2010 Natural Choice Award winner
for “favorite yoga instructor in Sarasota,
Fla.” The note added, “Gary
remains a stay-at-home dad to three
girls under 7; 17,000 diapers changed
and counting.” And why, you may
be asking, is your reporter reading
the Amherst alumni magazine?
Because his daughter, Sue Dickman,
was Gary’s classmate at Amherst.
The class lunch is held on the
second Wednesday of every month,
in the Grill Room of the Princeton/
Columbia University Club, 15 W.
43rd St. ($31 per person). E-mail art
radin if you plan to attend, up to
the day before: aradin@radinglass.
com.
59
norman gelfand
c/o CCT
Columbia Alumni Center
622 W. 113th St., MC 4530
New York, NY 10025
nmgc59@gmail.com
Thanks to all of you who have submitted
your doings to Class Notes.
I encourage those members of the
class who have not done so recently
to please do so. This is the only way
some of us can keep in touch.
I am sorry to report that stephen
M. remen, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst,
of New York City, died
on January 20, and federal judge
david g. trager, of Brooklyn, N.Y.,
died on January 5. [Editor’s note:
Obituaries will appear in a future
issue.]
bernie pucker writes, “During
the past three years, our son Jon
has been working alongside us in
our gallery in an effort to continue
the commitments of the gallery
that go back to 1967. It is reassuring
to all who visit the gallery —
clients, friends and artists — that
there will be a sense of continuity
in what we have begun.
“I am recently back from an
extraordinary trip to Germany,
where I met with Jan Kollwitz, the
great-grandson of Kathe Kollwitz.
Jan is a potter who studied in
Japan 25 years ago and has been
creating pots in the Japanese tradition
for the past 20 years. We are in
the process of preparing to exhibit
his work here in Boston.
“Additionally, I came across a
Korean potter, Young-Jae Lee, and
at the same time, I have added the
works of another Japanese potter,
Yoshinori Hagiwara, to our collection
based upon our May 2010
journey to Japan.
“I must say that the universe
MAY/JUNE 2011
51
continues to broaden and also
get smaller. Many old Columbia
friends continue to wander in. It
is a joy and delight remaining in
touch with them through art.”
From arthur M. louis: “I recently
published a book of mostly
journalistic memoirs, Journalism
and Other Atrocities: An Irreverent
Memoir. I spent more than 40
years as a professional journalist,
about half of that as a writer on the
staff of Fortune. There also is a fair
amount in the book about Columbia
College, the Journalism School
and Spectator, where I was editorials
editor in my senior year.
“If anyone wants to buy the
book (hint, hint), the easiest way
is to go to the following link: createspace.com/3483153.
Another
way is to go to Amazon.com.”
From alvin halpern we hear,
“My wife and I have moved to
sunny San Diego. We love and
miss New York, but the weather,
and our two grandchildren living
close by, proved irresistible. We
moved in August, and it has taken
months of hectic activity to fully
settle into our new condo. While
not New York, San Diego is filled
with museums, theaters and good
restaurants that keep us busy and
entertained.”
pat Mullins has been busy of
late. The last issue of CCT contained
news of his wife Jackie’s death. He
continues his report, “Fortunately,
16 months previously, I had been
asked to run for the position of
chairman of the Republican Party
of Virginia, a position that I had not
sought nor really wanted.
“After several conversations
with our Republican Governor
nominee, Bob McDonnell, and my
congressman (now House Majority
Leader) Eric Cantor, I agreed to
have my named placed in nomination.
Looking back, I am certainly
glad that Jackie and I made this
decision, as the position has kept
me campaigning nonstop for our
candidates throughout Virginia
and given me something to occupy
my time following her loss.
“Six months after I was elected
party chair at a May 2009 convention
attended by 12,000 Virginia
Republicans, Republicans swept the
Virginia governor, lieutenant governor
and attorney general races by 20
percent, only the second time in our
Commonwealth’s history that we
have held all three of the top positions.
We also picked up eight seats
in the Virginia House of Delegates. I
was given major credit for the victories,
for reuniting and reenergizing
the party and for reaching out and
bringing home the business community
and our conservative base
after eight years of defeats, accolades
which I felt were undeserved
but ones I humbly accepted.
“Then this past November we
followed up those victories by taking
back three Democrat congressional
seats.
“During this period, I visited
and spoke in more than 60 Virginia
counties and cities and had a driver
who took me on these campaign
trips.
“The week before the November
elections, I joined with Rep. Cantor
on a five-city swing with rallies
throughout his congressional district;
spent a day in Virginia Beach
with our congressional candidate
there who picked up a Democrat
seat; and was driven on a four-day,
1,500-mile swing for rallies and
Columbia School designations
In Class Notes, these designations indicate Columbia
degrees from schools other than the College.
Arch. School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Arts School of the Arts
Barnard Barnard College
Business Graduate School of Business
CE School of Continuing Education
dental College of Dental Medicine
E The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and
Applied Science
gS School of General Studies
gSAS Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
J Graduate School of Journalism
L School of Law
Nursing School of Nursing
P&S College of Physicians and Surgeons
Ph Mailman School of Public Health
SIPA School of International and Public Affairs
Sw School of Social Work
TC Teachers College