Class Notes
River Campus /Undergraduate
1950
Doris (Jill) Geier Finegan writes: “Widowed for 18 years, I’ve stayed in California where we moved in 1976. In spite of failing vision, I’ve continued with volunteer work at the local senior center and the public library. I was honored to be chosen library volunteer of the year for Los Angeles County back in 2006. I can’t drive anymore (bummer), but my legs still work so I can walk to many of the places where I need to go. One of my three sons still lives in the vicinity (Long Beach). I have four grandchildren all living far away, so I have to travel to spoil them. My two brothers are still in Rochester, and I see them and their families about every two years and look around the U of R campus to see all the changes. I’m still enjoying life and hope you are too.”
1957
Kay Hatton Ryder has been appointed to the University’s Lifelong Learning Advisory Council. The council represents alumni from all units of the University and helps develop programs to be held at Rochester Forums for alumni in Rochester and other parts of the country.
1965
Angela Fenicchia Gerst has written her first mystery novel, A Crack in Everything (Poisoned Pen Press), a story of “politics, money, and love” in which an apparently random series of crimes turns out to be politically driven. Angela lives near Boston, where she has worked over the years for literary journals, as a correspondent for the Boston Globe, as press secretary for the French Cultural Center of Boston, and for Newton Magazine. She organized and ran campaigns for alderman and mayor of Newton, Mass., experiences from which she drew to create her protagonist, the real-estate-lawyer-turned-political-consultant Susan Callisto. . . . Dana Lim vanderHeyden has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt. Dana, who arrived at the college in 1996 when her husband, Marc, was named its president, was credited with “building a lasting legacy of commitment to the arts at St. Michael’s.” Her accomplishments included revitalizing the college’s art committee, resulting in the spread of art in public spaces around campus and an expanding array of concerts, performances, and lectures; playing a key role in the college’s 18-month centennial celebration in 2004; and helping develop a series of trips for faculty, staff, and friends of the college to the historic and religious sites in France and England of the Society of St. Edmund, the missionary group that founded St. Michael’s. In addition, Dana served on the boards of Vermont Public Radio, Burlington City Arts, and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, among other organizations.
1966
Richard Sorrell ’68W (MA) writes: “Thirteen ‘fugitives’ from the U of R of the 1960s had their own mini-45th (or so) reunion during the weekend of last June 9–12. We had a marvelous time reminiscing, drinking Genny Cream Ale, and visiting old haunts on and off campus.” The fugitives included Richard and Sally Nusbaum Sorrell ’67, Bruce and Sue Buckman Lawrence, Bob ’67 and Judy Przybyl Rudolph ’68, Brad Lown, Ned Ferguson, Jim King, Pete Parker, Eric Rasanen ’68, Jack Curzon, and Bob Foss, who was a graduate student in chemistry. . . . Bruce Wilmer has written a collection of poems, Time Cries: A Poet’s Response to 9/11/01, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Bruce has been making his livelihood as the author of what he calls “purposeful poetry”—dealing with themes of love, friendship, and inspiration, and printed on wall scrolls and laminated cards, as well as in books—since 1976, when he established his publishing company, Wilmer Graphics. . . . Linda Chalmer Zemel ’68W (MA) has published a novel, Witch Hunt (Déjà vu Productions). She taught English at Monroe Community College near Rochester as well as at Salem State University in Salem, Mass.
1967
Mariana Marcovici Grinblat sends an update. She’s been living in Toronto and working for the Canadian federal government. She writes: “I have just retired from a senior safety position with an enforcement agency and received a beautiful certificate from Prime Minister Stephen Harper thanking me ‘for the good work done on behalf of Canada and the Canadian people’ and wishing me a happy retirement. Apparently not many people who are public servants get this kind of certificate, which came beautifully framed, and I am quite proud.” She served as safety officer for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada for 21 years. She adds that she earned two master’s degrees after graduating from Rochester, the second in engineering with a specialty in industrial hygiene and occupational health. . . . Bob Rudolph (see ’66). . . . Sally Nusbaum Sorrell (see ’66).
1968
Louise Forsyth writes that she’s written Strive for a 5: Preparing for the AP European History Examination (Bedford/St. Martin’s Press). Chair of the history department at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, N.Y., she adds that she’ll be taking a yearlong leave of absence from the school to research and write in London and to teach in Germany. While in London, she’ll teach her AP European History course to Poly Prep students via Skype. . . . Eric Rasanen (see ’66). . . . Judy Przybyl Rudolph (see ’66).
1969
Barbara Bell Schildkrout, a psychiatrist in private practice and a clinical instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, writes that she’s written a book, Unmasking Psychological Symptoms: How Therapists Can Learn to Recognize the Psychological Presentation of Medical Disorders (Wiley). She adds that the book, which helps psychologists to recognize when patients’ psychological symptoms may derive from treatable physical disorders, “was featured in a health column of the Wall Street Journal on August 9, and also picked up in The Globe and Mail on August 10.”
1971
Ron Thomas, the director of the Journalism and Sports Program at Morehouse College, has won a Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism from the Northeastern University School of Journalism. Ron has covered professional and collegiate sports for the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Chicago Daily News, BlackAmericaWeb.com, among other venues, and is the author of They Cleared the Lane: The NBA’s Black Pioneers (University of Nebraska, 2002).
1972
Robyn Walters Barst has been named the program director for the pulmonary hypertension clinical development program for the Seattle-based company VentriPoint Diagnostics, the creator of a diagnostic ultrasound tool to monitor patients with heart disease. Robyn completed her residency in pediatrics, as well as fellowships in pediatric cardiology and pulmonary medicine, and founded Columbia University’s pediatric and adult hypertension center in 1982. She directed the center until 2008. . . . Ken Cohn writes that he’s coeditor of the book Getting It Done: Experienced Healthcare Leaders Reveal Field-Tested Strategies for Clinical and Financial Success (Health Administration Press). A surgeon who also holds an MBA, Ken brings together authors from 16 health care organizations who address problems in emergency department coverage, supply cost management, getting physicians to speed up adoption of electronic health care records, and other topics. Ken practices general surgery in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, and is CEO of Healthcare Collaboration, a consulting company helping medical professionals collaborate to improve clinical and financial performance. . . . Melinda Gros, a designer of maternity and nursing clothing since 1986, writes that she’s introduced a belly support panty crafted especially for women who have undergone Cesareans. . . . Carl Schwait received a President’s Award of Merit from the Florida Bar Association. A managing partner at the Gainesville firm of Dell Graham, Carl chaired the association’s Board of Governors Review Committee on Professional Ethics, charged with rewriting rules for attorney advertising to respond to the widespread use of the Internet.
1976
Al Power ’80M (MD), ’83M (Res) writes that he’s been awarded a Bellagio Residency by the Rockefeller Foundation for the spring of 2012. The residency provides a month of lodging in Lake Como, Italy, for individuals doing research in fields as diverse as the arts and humanities, science, and public policy. Al is an internist and geriatrician at St. John’s Home in Rochester and a clinical associate professor of medicine at the School of Medicine and Dentistry. He’ll spend his residency working with environmental gerontologist Emi Kiyota to develop guiding principles for socially integrated communities that engage older people with a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities.
1977
Terry Gurnett (see ’87). . . . David Kopitz and Vicki Unger ’79 send an update. Vicki writes: “We celebrated a business milestone—the fifth anniversary of the Kopitz Unger Group, our wealth management group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Beverly Hills, Calif. We also celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary (we met in the reserve reading room in Rush Rhees in 1976). Our oldest son is a senior at the University of California, Santa Cruz, our middle son is a freshman at Syracuse, and our youngest son is in the eighth grade.” Vicki adds that she’s been trained to facilitate and chair a new chapter of the Women Presidents Organization in Los Angeles. The organization of women CEOs and presidents offers confidential peer learning groups.
1979
Sharon Porcellio, a partner at the Rochester law firm of Ward Greenberg Heller & Reidy who specializes in complex commercial litigation and is a noted expert in alternative dispute resolution, has won the 2011 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Second Circuit. The award is given by the American Inns of Court, a national organization of lawyers and judges dedicated to improving skills, professionalism, and ethics in the legal profession. . . . Vicki Unger (see ’77).
1980
Doug Daniels writes: “In my 21st year at American Express, I am now senior vice president and managing counsel, with responsibility for overseeing the legal function for our U.S. consumer, small business, and commercial card issuing businesses, travel, and related areas such as marketing and advertising, insurance and rewards. My wife, Caren, and I have three children (oops—young adults): Ben, 22, Alicia, 19, and Arianna, 15.”
1982
Mariann Edgar Budde was elected in June as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C. She’s the first female diocesan bishop ever elected in the 42,000-member, 89-congregation diocese that includes the District of Columbia as well as Maryland’s Montgomery, Prince George’s, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties. Mariann had served as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Minneapolis since 1993.
1984
Roberta Rosenstein writes that she married Paul Delano in May 2010 at the Inn at Longshore in Westport, Conn. Present at their Argentine Tango–themed wedding were (left to right): Joe DeAngelis, Isabelle Iacobazzi DeAngelis, Robert Glowacky ’85M (MS), Jamie Wood, Roberta, Paul, Meryl Sugar Zweig ’83, David Zweig ’83, ’86 (MS), Linda Warshal Pollack ’83, and David Silon ’85E, ’87. Also attending, but not pictured, was Lisa Hoyer-Dion ’83. Roberta adds: “We were happy that we were able to celebrate with my college friends.”
1985
Jennifer Donnelly has published her fifth novel, The Wild Rose (Hyperion), a work of historical fiction taking place in Britain just before the First World War, and the final book in Jennifer’s Rose trilogy. The first two books in the series were The Tea Rose (St. Martin’s Press, 2002) and The Winter Rose (Hyperion, 2008).
1986
Tony Leone, an orthopaedic surgeon, has joined western New York’s Brain and Spine Center.
1987
Maria Budihas Jensen writes: “Greetings from Bismarck, N.D.! After 22 years in the U.S. Army, I now work with the Bureau of Reclamation as a realty assistant. I have been married to my husband, Jeff, for 22 years, and we have two children: Joanna, 15, and Zachary, 12. I am deeply grateful to Terry Gurnett ’77 for four years of thrilling UR soccer and for a lifetime of wonderful memories. He was an inspiration to everyone: Terry, I will always cherish the days I had under your leadership. Thank you for your continuous positive energy, enthusiasm, and grace. You have impacted so many lives all over the country—mine is one of them. My heart goes out to you and to UR soccer. Now it’s time to work your magic elsewhere! God bless you and thanks for being my coach.” Terry retired as head coach of the women’s soccer team at the end of the fall 2010 season. Coach of the team since its inception in 1977, he guided the Yellowjackets to two national championships and 12 UAA championships. He’s now associate director of Advancement, Friends of Rochester Athletics.
1988
Frederick Epstein has been promoted to chair of the University of Virginia’s department of biomedical engineering.
1991
Shawn King has been promoted from marketing vice president to sales vice president at Wastequip, a manufacturer of waste and recycling equipment based in Charlotte, N.C.
1992
Philip Nel, a professor of English and director of the graduate program in children’s literature at Kansas State University, is coeditor of the collection of essays Keywords for Children’s Literature (New York University Press).
1994
Garrett Browne and Yesenia Yepez write that they’ve welcomed their first child, Mateo. . . . Lisa Engelman writes that she and her husband, Troy, welcomed a son, Aaron, in June.
1996
Rick Saupé ’00M (MD) writes that he’s published a book, Tyler Tiger Has Tonsillitis (Tate Publishing), “geared toward school-aged children who are undergoing anesthesia and surgery for the first time.”
1997
Richard Scigaj ’98S (MBA) and Melissa Naulin welcomed twins, Garrett (8 lbs., 8 oz.) and Natalie (7 lbs., 4 oz.), in September 2010. The family lives in Alexandria, Va. “Evan is very much enjoying being a big brother,” Rich writes. Rich was also promoted in October 2010 to finance director from finance manager at ITT Corp. in Herndon, Va. Rich leads the finance organization for the advanced information systems business area of ITT. Melissa has returned to work as the assistant curator of decorative arts at the White House.
1998
Juliane Thurlow writes that she married Richard Maciejewski in May. Kristina Curro was in attendance.
1999
Erica Fee (see ’00). . . . Jerramy Fine has written a book, Bright Young Royals: Your Guide to the Next Generation of Bluebloods (Berkley Books), a “who’s who of the young and titled” with full-color photographs. . . . Lena Perkins Wilder ’99E, an assistant professor of English at Connecticut College, has published Shakespeare’s Memory Theatre: Recollection, Properties, and Character (Cambridge University Press), an exploration of the use of mnemonic objects in Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Hamlet, and other plays.
2000
Brian Gottesman writes that he, his wife, Rachel, and their two-year-old daughter, Serena, welcomed a new baby, Julia Gabrielle, in June. Erica Fee ’99 was among Julia’s first visitors. The family lives near Wilmington, Del. Brian is a partner and director at the law firm of Berger Harris, where his practice focuses on corporate and business entity governance. He recently became a member of the alternative entities and statutory trust subcommittees of the Delaware State Bar Association.
2001
Joseph and Courtney Meade Jukic welcomed a son, Peter Ivan, last December. Courtney is a middle school English teacher and Joseph is a vice president at the insurance brokerage agency P. I. E. Facilities in New York City.
2002
Jason ’03S (MBA) and Angela Cucci Rice ’03 welcomed a son, Thomas William, in June. He weighed in at seven pounds, 13 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. The family lives in San Diego, where Angela teaches English at MiraCosta College and Jason is director of sales for Nestlé Purina PetCare.
2003
Jason Pisco ’04 (MS) and Sarah Malecki ’04, ’05 (MS) married last May in Washington, D.C. Pictured are (left to right) Jared Weiner ’00, ’04S (MBA), Erica Orange Weiner, Tanya Brittingham Carson ’01, Jenny Leadley ’02, Jenica Schmidt Nuccitelli ’04, ’05W (MS), Betsy Cotton Enriquez ’05, Justin Hughes, Brad Mervis, Jesse Beckstein Albright ’04, Sarah, Jason, Michael Chen ’04 (MS), Hana Fullenbaum Chen ’04, Jeff Sottolano, Alison Collins Antony ’04, Bryan Gross, Stacey Fox ’06, John McMurdy ’02, ’03 (MS), Matt Carson ’02, Liz Morrison ’05, Jamie Stockton, Neil Osuch ’07, ’08M (MS), Trisha Romano Osuch ’04, Jonathan Liss ’04, Adam Kane, Jordan Zinn, and Saira Abbasey McDonald ’01. In attendance but not pictured: Jen Seferiadis Fitzpatrick, Taylor Foy ’02, T. J. Shepard, Matt Morris ’02, Meiling Fu ’02, Sonia Tandon Sethi, Liz Madore, Katie LaClair ’05, and Lindsey Reilly ’05. . . . Angela Cucci Rice (see ’02).
2004
Sarah Malecki ’05 (MS) (see ’03).
2006
Kristen Lopez has been hired as a patient recruitment coordinator at the Buffalo-based marketing communications agency Crowley Webb. . . . Kelly Wawrzyniak writes that she earned a doctor of psychology degree last February from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and took a fellowship with Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston.
2007
Shannon Davids and Steven Bloch married last May in Rochester. The reception was held at the Memorial Art Gallery. Alumni in attendance included Brian Meeker, Jeffrey Klein ’08, Alexa Bodman, Samuel Pitcheralle, Lulu Tsai, Ryan Korsak, Michael Laski ’08 (MS), Ania Gedzior Hornberger, and Christina Dony ’05. . . . Maureen Dudiak ’10N sends a photo and an update. She’s engaged to Jeffrey Morse ’08S (MBA), and they plan a spring 2012 wedding. . . . Ashley Lisiewski earned a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree from the Ohio University of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio.
2009
Sophie Kaiko earned a master of science degree in speech-language pathology from the MGH Institute of Health Professions, an interprofessional graduate school in Boston.
