Class Notes
River Campus /Undergraduate
1949
Susanne Behrendt Esan ’52 (MA) (see ’76).
1952
Halford Johnson (see ’59).
1957
Bill Anderson writes: “Arriving in Boston during a cruise from Baltimore via Bermuda and Newport, R.I., five Theta Chi brothers from the U of R Class of 1957 met three others from the same Theta Chi class for lunch at the Boston Seaport. It was a total of eight brothers out of a possible 12 still living. Our group also included five wives and a son for a total of 14. Since our 50th reunion at the U of R in 2007, we’ve met annually for a minireunion.” From left to right are Hank Porter, Jim Laing, Don Kreppein, Dave VanDerMeid, Mark Sharnoff, Roy Whitney ’73S (MBA), Garrett Smith ’61, and Bill.
1959
In September, Bob Witmer, a member and chair emeritus of the University’s Board of Trustees, received a Garnish Memorial Citation during the halftime ceremony of the Yellowjackets football game against St. Lawrence University. Named for Lysle (Spike) Garnish, who from 1930 to 1948 was a mentor and coach to many Rochester student-athletes in baseball, football, and basketball, the citation recognized Bob for his “untiring dedication and contributions to the intercollegiate athletic program.” As a senior, Bob was cocaptain of the men’s basketball team, along with Ted Zornow. The halftime ceremony also honored 10 undergraduate seniors with the Garnish Scholar-Athlete award. Pictured at the ceremony are (left to right) President Joel Seligman, athletics director George VanderZwaag, Garnish committee member Halford Johnson ’52, Jackie Walker, Jakob Seidlitz, Lauren Norton, John Menke, Bridget Lang, Shelby Hall, Andres Duany, Claire Crowther, Adam Bossert, Bob, and Garnish committee member Pat Stark. Beni Fischer, the 10th Garnish scholar-athlete, is not pictured.
1960
Roger Silver sends a photo and an update. He writes: “Having retired from teaching English, I am trying to visit 100 countries. Here I am at Machu Picchu.”
1961
Garrett Smith (see ’57).
1962
Sue Shane Aronson writes that she, “a not-quite retired pediatrician,” and her husband, Jerold, a retired pediatrician, live outside of Philadelphia and are active in the American Academy of Pediatrics. “In 2012, I authored the fifth edition of Healthy Young Children: A Manual for Programs (National Association for the Education of Young Children)—a health and safety manual for early education and child care providers—and updated the Child Care Health Advocate curriculum I wrote for a college course. I missed the 50th class reunion because of a life milestone that weekend for one of my five grandchildren.”
1965
Dorothea Sims McArthur has published Defining Moments, Breaking Through Tough Times (Cove Press), a book for people suffering from loss that’s based on insights from her 30-plus years as a psychologist in private practice in Los Angeles. . . . Maria Nagorski, the executive director of Fair Chance, a nonprofit addressing child poverty, has been appointed by President Barack Obama to his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
1966
Howard ’73M (Res) and Joyce Weber Loughlin ’66N (see ’68).
1967
Edmund Rucinski, an artist in Saratoga County, N.Y., participated in an auction to raise funds for the repair of a Saratoga Springs landmark, the Spencer Trask Memorial and Spirit of Life sculpture by Daniel Chester French. Rucinski’s suite of sketches of the French sculpture were among the works of art sold at the auction.
1968
Lawrence Kramer writes that he and Howard Loughlin ’66, ’73M (Res), both members of Theta Chi, met again in Philadelphia, where they both attended different medical schools. Lawrence retired in June after 34 years as a family practice physician in Winter Springs, Fla. He writes that Howard “enjoyed a busy pediatric practice and most recently served as medical director for the Fayetteville, N.C., Child Advocacy Center. After exchanging Christmas cards regularly for 42 years (we last saw each other in 1970), we were able to meet, along with our wives, Cynthia and Joyce Weber Loughlin ’66, ’66N, in Cashiers, N.C., and spend some vacation time together in the mountains. A great time was had by all.” . . . Anne Strozier, cofounder and director of the University of South Florida’s Florida Kinship Center, has been named the 2012 Social Work Educator of the Year for Tampa Bay and for the state of Florida by the Florida chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Anne has taught and published in the areas of kinship care, substance abuse, incarceration, and social work education.
1969
Gary Kinsland ’74 (PhD), the Pioneer Production Endowed Professor of Geology at the University of Louisiana, has joined the editorial board of the Daily Advertiser, the major daily newspaper of Lafayette, as a citizen member.
1970
Nancy Heller Cohen ’70N has released a new book, Warrior Prince (Wild Rose Press), the first novel in her Drift Lords Series. “It’s my first foray into magic and mayhem in a modern world,” she writes. She adds that the second book in the series, Warrior Rogue, is in production.
1973
Nina Ginsberg has been elected to a third term on the board of directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Nina’s practice in Alexandria, Va., is focused on complex criminal litigation such as financial fraud, computer crime, and national security litigation. . . . Bill Savino, a senior partner at the Buffalo law firm Damon Morey, has been named a Top 10 Upstate New York attorney by Super Lawyers Magazine for the second year in a row.
1974
Kevin Feeney ’75S (MBA) has accepted a position as associate professor at the SolBridge International School of Business in Daejeon, South Korea. “I am teaching financial and managerial accounting to students from throughout Asia and elsewhere,” he writes.
1976
David Esan ’82S (MBA) writes that he welcomed his first grandson, Elisha, in August, and that Susanne Behrendt Esan ’49, ’52 (MA), pictured with Elisha, “became a great-grandmother for the second time.”
1977
Andy Gorode (see ’05). . . . Joanne Wigod (see ’05).
1978
Alan Klein (see ’05).
1979
Merrilee McMillen Brown has joined the Texas financial services firm Ellis & Ellis as an office manager. . . . Joseph Kubarek, chairman and managing partner of Jaeckle Fleischmann’s executive committee, has been designated a New York state “super lawyer” in business and corporate law by Super Lawyers Magazine. . . . Earl and Tamara Schanwald Norman ’80 send a photo of their visit to Yellowstone National Park with their “first granddaughter, Olive Norman (18 months).” (See “Where’s Rocky,” page 52.) Tamara adds: “That lucky Yellowjacket got to see the Old Faithful geyser and the Continental Divide.” Earl and Tamara live in Kalamazoo, where Earl is the general surgery residency program director at Western Michigan University’s medical school and has recently been named chairman of the Department of Surgery. . . . Rich Pfisterer ’80 (MS) writes: “My company, Photon Engineering, celebrated its 15th year in business last May. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that we’ve consulted for hundreds of government and industrial customers around the world in such diverse applications as thermal radiometry, partial coherent beam propagation, and stray light analysis. Our FRED optical engineering software (over 650K lines and growing!) has become a standard tool for the design and analysis of optomechanical systems. We don’t get bored. One of the great truths about optics is that there is always something new to do or develop!” Rich has returned to the River Campus several times to teach and give lectures at the Institute of Optics, and adds: “This has perhaps made me a bit nostalgic for my college days. Although the campus has changed over the past 30 years, it still feels remarkably ‘homey.’”
1980
Tamara Schanwald Norman (see ’79).
1981
Jim Zavislan ’88 (PhD) (see ’83).
1982
Franklin Egereonu ’84W (MS) writes that he’s earned an EdD from Columbia and is coordinating a Virtual Enterprise International program—a simulation in which high school and college students create and manage a virtual business—through the New York City Department of Education. . . . Paul Koch has been named dean of the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences at the University of California at Santa Cruz. A paleontologist, ecologist, and geochemist, Paul served previously as the chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. . . . Chris Taggart has retired at the rank of captain from the Navy Reserves after 30 years of active and reserve service. Rear Admiral David Duryea ’83, deputy commander for undersea warfare, spoke at the ceremony last July at Washington Naval Yard and awarded Chris the Legion of Merit. An electrical engineer who earned his PhD from North Carolina State, Chris completed nuclear power training, served aboard the attack submarine USS Atlanta and with Trident Submarine Squadron 17, and earned the submarine warfare pin. Over his career, he served as commanding officer for five Navy Reserve commands and as deputy director for the Office of Naval Research. In civilian life, he’s the senior business development manager for General Dynamics and lives in Greensboro, N.C., with his wife, Elizabeth Pedro Taggart, also a retired Navy captain. Married for 29 years, Chris and Elizabeth have two grown children, Ross and Amy, both students at Duke University. Pictured from left to right are Chris, Ross, Amy, and Elizabeth.
1983
David Duryea (see ’82). . . . Michele Marder-Kennedy ’84W (MS) sends a photo and an update. She’s married to David Kennedy ’84, and she and David and several classmates have been taking an annual camping trip each summer for more than 10 years. “This year we camped at Pawtuckaway State Park in New Hampshire. From left to right are Ken Schechter (son of Cathy DeVoe ’84 and Stuart Schechter), Mary Jones ’84, Lynda Sefton ’84, David, Michele, Cathy, and Jocelyn Schechter (daughter of Cathy and Stuart).” She adds: David completed his PhD in nuclear engineering from MIT in 1988 and currently does medical research at the UMass Medical School in Worcester. I’ve been a high school counselor since getting my master of science degree in counseling at Rochester and my school counseling certification from Northeastern University in 1987. I currently work in Newton. Mary, Lynda, and Cathy are all engineers in the Boston area. Fortunately, we all live close enough in Massachusetts to see each other often.” . . . Jeanette Dabinett Zavislan ’87W (MS) writes: “After hiding in a backpack for seven days, Rocky visited the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico in July.” Jeanette and her daughter, Tessa, are pictured with Rocky atop Baldy Mountain (highest point 12,441 ft.) in the Cimarron Range at the northwestern border of the Boy Scouts of America’s Philmont Scout Ranch. (See “Where’s Rocky,” page 52.) Jeanette adds that Tessa’s father is Jim Zavislan ’81, ’88 (PhD), associate professor of optics, dermatology, ophthalmology, and biomedical engineering at Rochester.
1984
Cathy DeVoe (see ’83). . . . Mary Jones (see ’83). . . . David Kennedy (see ’83). . . . Lynda Sefton (see ’83).
1985
Kevin Birth, professor of anthropology at Queens College, City University of New York, has published Objects of Time: How Things Shape Temporality (Palgrave Macmillan). . . . Claudia Groenevelt ’87S (MBA) sends a photo of herself with her daughter, Kate Groenevelt ’12, and Rocky atop Mt. Kilimanjaro last August. (See “Where’s Rocky,” page 52.) Claudia writes that Kate “has worked each summer with Joe Lanning ’00, ’07 (MA) on his Malawi immersion course after first taking the course herself between her freshman and sophomore years. This year I met her in Kilimanjaro for the climb and a safari.”
1986
Jim Wink writes that he retired from the Navy this past summer after 26 years of service. “I had my retirement ceremony in June in Coronado, Calif., and have begun my second career, as a vice president at RBF Consulting in San Diego.” Pictured from left to right are Kevin Peterson, Jim, and Steve Morien ’88. All three are NROTC graduates. Also at Jim’s retirement ceremony were his wife, Jennifer Kirsh Wink, and Kathy Ramarge Morien ’88.
1987
George Molnar writes that he’s been named Nevada’s interoperability coordinator. “Working in the Department of Public Safety, my job is to represent and support electronic communications and communicators throughout Nevada.”
1988
Steve and Kathy Ramarge Morien (see ’86).
1990
Virginia Borden Maier writes that her textbook, Biology: Science for Life (Pearson Benjamin Cummings), written with Colleen Belk, is now in its fourth edition. The book is designed for college-level biology courses for nonmajors and “presents the science in the context of compelling narratives that help students better understand and evaluate the impact of scientific information and discovery on their lives.” Virginia teaches biology at St. John Fisher College near Rochester. . . . Anthony (Tony) Vengrove has launched the business consulting firm Miles Finch Innovation in Richmond, Va. The firm specializes in identifying and alleviating problems in corporate culture that impede innovation and employee engagement.
1991
Sean McCabe and his wife, Annette, send a photo of their daughter, Sophia, in her U of R sweatshirt.
1992
Philip Nel has written Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature (University Press of Mississippi). Philip teaches children’s and young adult literature and directs the program in children’s literature at Kansas State University.
1993
Kimberly O’Brien Roskiewicz is an assistant to Brown University’s newly named president Christina Paxson. Previously, Kimberly was associate dean for operations at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. . . . Ken Suzan has joined the Minneapolis office of the law firm Barnes & Thornburg as of counsel in the intellectual property department.
1994
Keith Mille (see ’04). . . . Bob Sneider, jazz guitarist and assistant professor of jazz studies and contemporary media at the Eastman School, has released a CD, The Brockton Beat (Sneider Brothers), with his brother, John, a trumpeter. Joining the Sneider Brothers on the Hammond organ is Gary Versace ’93E (MM).
1995
Eric Feinberg has been promoted to corporate managing director at the Chicago office of the commercial real estate services firm Studley. . . . John Johnson received a Pillars of Justice Award from Appleseed, a network of public interest law centers. John is president, CEO, and cofounder of the Washington, D.C., economic consulting firm Edgeworth Economics and an Appleseed board member. At Edgeworth, he’s helped make pro bono work an integral part of the firm’s culture and has facilitated several partnerships between Edgeworth and Appleseed.
1998
Jen LiMarzi has published Perms, Pleats, and Puberty: Adventures in 1980s Suburbia for Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader. It’s a collection of three humor essays drawn from her childhood and adolescence in a Putnam County, N.Y., suburb of New York City. Jen is a professional medical writer and operates an online vintage eyewear shop with her husband, Eric, called jeneric Vintage Eyewear (www.jenericvintage.com). Jen and Eric, who live in Winooski, Vt., also contribute regularly to The Vermodernist (www.Vermodernist.com), a blog they cofounded in 2011. . . . Marci Seamples has been named executive director of the Williston Area Chamber of Commerce in North Dakota. Previously, Marci was vice president of communications for the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce in Naples, Fla.
2000
Joe Lanning ’07 (MA) (see ’85).
2001
Brian Curran writes that he finished his doctorate in engineering, focusing on high frequency conductor modeling, at the Technical University of Berlin last April. He’s now working at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration, and adds that a month after completing his doctorate, he married Mareen Neumann of Bad Muskau, Germany. . . . Michelle Cataldo Hebden writes that she and her husband, Travis ’04, ’05 (MS), welcomed their second daughter, Isadora, last April. Isadora is pictured with her big sister, Arianna. Michelle adds that Travis “finished his postdoc at MIT in the spring and is now working for Intel in Hillsboro, Ore.”
2003
Jim Dunne married Christine Laubenstein in September 2011 in Syracuse. Pictured with Jim and Christine are (left to right) Jonathan Durfey, Rob Kamen, Heather Cornwell Souza ’02, John Chardavoyne ’02, Jeannie Panels Visser (bridesmaid), Letty Laskowski, Bernie Panzarella ’02 (groomsman), Dave Lichter (groomsman), Adam Cook, Beth Wightman Cook ’02, Joan Knihnicki Monin, Adria Fortune, and Jason Berger.
2004
Justine Deutsch writes that she married Chet Myers last July at the Turner Hill Mansion in Ipswich, Mass. Pictured (left to right) are Marisa Antos-Fallon, Kirstin Michel, Chet, Justine, Greg Stein, Sarah Hammer, Kim Silver Stein, and Kim Phillips. . . . Travis Hebden ’05 (MS) (see ’01). . . . Brian Immerman was named assistant rabbi at Temple Emanuel in Denver, Colo., following his ordination from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion last May. Among his roles is coleading the temple’s young professionals programming. . . . Kevin Mille writes that he married Elizabeth Shum at Cline Cellars in Sonoma, Calif. “Liz and I live in San Francisco, where we enjoy frequent trips to Napa and Sonoma.” Pictured are Keith Mille ’94 (the groom’s brother), John Gala ’97, Sharon Mille Gala ’97N (the groom’s sister), Tiffany Siu Woodworth, Colin Woodworth ’05, Liz, Kevin, Brian Metro ’06, Celinda Gebhardt Metro ’06, Alex Voetsch, Katie McKenzie ’05, Mike Anderson, Daniel Duett, and Christopher Voisine ’05S (MBA). . . . Matt Rodano and Elizabeth Fuller were married in Akron, N.Y., in July. Rochester graduates in attendance included (left to right) Dave Polato, Margaret Coit, Miranda Gauvin, Mike Cmar ’05, and Sara DeBellis. Matt and Liz are living in Montclair, N.J., where Matt is a software engineer and Liz is teaching at a yoga and mindfulness-centered preschool in Brooklyn, N.Y.
2005
Kim Gorode married Josh Gottesmann in New Rochelle, N.Y., last May, and the two have moved to Jersey City. Kim writes that many Rochester alumni attended the wedding, including her parents, Andy Gorode ’77 and Joanne Wigod ’77, and that “our photographer, Alan Klein ’78, was even an alumnus.” Pictured (left to right) are Annamarie Zmolek ’05E, Jamie Sokol, Jimmy Trosch ’77, Joanne, Andy, Kim, Josh, Jenna Katz ’07, Alan, Kerri Linden, and Jeff Keesing ’06.
2008
Daniel Gocek has joined the Buffalo law firm Jaeckle Fleischmann as an associate in the tax and employee benefits property practice groups.
2009
Paul Knowlton completed his master of science degree in clinical psychology at Binghamton University and will continue there in the PhD program. . . . Katherine (Katie) Moll writes that she’s a medical student at Rochester and married Brian Reitz in July. “Pictured are my field hockey teammates (left to right) Robin Levy ’08, Erica Gelb ’10 (MS), Rachel Cahan, Katie, Alicia Citro ’08, Maeghan Kirsch Archambault ’10W (MS), Rana Pedram ’08, and Kari Plewniak ’08.” Katie adds that several other Rochester friends were there, including Will Archambault ’10 (MS), Natalie Mroczka, Shoshana Abramowitz Bereskin ’11W (MS), Fred Bereskin ’10 (PhD), Meggie Hickey, Sarah Dobrzynski ’10, and Albert (A. J.) Stolt. . . . Jason Zentz and his wife, Kim, welcomed twins, Parker Jesse and Olivia Ruth, in October 2011. Parker and Olivia join big brother Hudson, 2. They live in New Haven, Conn., where Jason is working toward his doctorate in linguistics at Yale.
2012
Kate Groenevelt (see ’85). . . . Sam Sadtler was awarded first prize in the VSA/Volkswagen Group of America Exhibition Program, a national art competition for emerging artists with disabilities. VSA is an international organization affiliated with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts devoted to helping artists with disabilities win recognition for their work at the start of their careers. As first prize winner, Sam is one of 15 contestants whose work will be exhibited through January 13, 2013, at the Smithsonian’s Dillon Ripley Center. Sam works in digital media.
