July|August 2016
“Life is good, in general.” –Steve Sokolow C’77
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William A. Haviland C’56 G’58 Gr’63 co-edited The Way Things Were: Deer Isle in the Steamboat Era, which was published by the Solon (Maine) Center for Research and Publishing in February.
Irene Sofian Herman CW’56 was recognized recently by WWSB Channel 7, an ABC affiliate in Sarasota, Fla., as one of the “Amazing Women of the Suncoast.” She and her husband, Ken, celebrated their 63rd anniversary in June.
Celebrate Your Reunion: May 12-15, 2017
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Arthur J. Marion W’57 writes that he is enjoying retirement in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., playing golf and doing lots of reading. His son,Dr. Michael J. Marion C’85 M’90 GM’95, is an orthopedic surgeon in Pikesville, Md. His daughter-in-law, Jane F. Marion C’85 GEd’86, is an editor with Baltimore magazine. Arthur’s daughter, Lori Marion Fair GEd’91, is an administrator with the Whitemarsh (Pa.) police department.
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Sandra P. Epstein Ed’60 writes that after 20 years as the administrator of the Jewish Home, a 420-patient skilled-nursing facility in San Francisco, in retirement she has turned to writing. Business at Berkeley: The History of the Haas School of Business, was published in January. It joins her earlier book,Law at Berkeley: The History of Boalt Hall, in chronicling the history of professional schools on the UC Berkeley campus. She and Ed Epstein C’58, her husband of 57 years, have had strong and lifelong associations with the Berkeley campus. She earned her PhD in the School of Education and he, now an emeritus professor, enjoyed a long teaching and administrative career there. They are the parents of two children and have two grandchildren.
Stephen J. Harmelin C’60, a partner in the law firm of Dilworth Paxson LLP, in June received a lifetime-achievement award from The Legal Intelligencer, Philadelphia’s daily legal newspaper, recognizing him as one of those “who have helped to shape the law in Pennsylvania, whether through their work on the bench, assisting those in need of legal services, building a firm, or any other means.”
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Selma Davis CW’61 G’62 and Edgar Davis C’49 write, “Our grandson, Harrison Meyer, has been accepted at Penn for the 2020 class. He will be the fourth generation of Penn graduates; we are very proud.”
Dr. George L. Spaeth GM’61 is the Louis J. Esposito Research Professor of Ophthalmology and director emeritus of the Glaucoma Service at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. He was named first in the “The Power List 2016,” which was published recently by The Ophthalmologist magazine, for his publications and his long service to the field, from when he discovered the disease homocystinuria while a resident.
Celebrate Your Reunion: May 12-15, 2017
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Irwin A. Steinman W’62 was inducted into the Curtis High School Hall of Fame, Staten Island, N.Y., in May.
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Dr. Robert Dubman D’63, after retiring from 49 years of active dental practice, has had his first book, Ain’t We Got Fun, released by Amazon. “The title of the book is a spoof on the serious subject of the book, which is reflected in its subtitle, The Impact of Humankind’s Flawed Evolution.” Bob and his wife, Betty, now live in Florida, where he continues to play the saxophone, while pursuing his passion for flying (he is an FAA-licensed commercial pilot).
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J ohn G. Fairey GFA’64 in June received the Liberty Hyde Bailey Award from the American Horticultural Society; it is “presented annually to individuals … that represent the best in American horticulture.” A professor of architectural design at Texas A&M University, he is known for setting up the 19-acre Peckerwood garden in Hempstead that focused on the conservation of local flora. He also cofounded Yucca Do, a mail-order nursery, to promote the dissemination of plants he had discovered.
Dr. Robert Allyn Goldman C’64, Columbia, S.C., wrote Henry Maurice Goldman: Dental Educator and Pioneer, which was published by Archway Publishing last year.
Michael J. Kearney WG’64 writes that he “provided the content for Clinton Once Upon a Time, a hardcover recently published by The Clinton Herald that covers the history of people, buildings, and other aspects of his Iowa hometown.
Celebrate Your Reunion: May 12-15, 2017
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Alan S. Kaplinsky W’67, a partner and head of the consumer financial services group at the Philadelphia law firm Ballard Spahr LLP, in April received the Senator William Proxmire Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers. He founded the group at Ballard in 1995.
Charles W. Newhall III C’67, an adviser for Greensprings Associates in Owings Mills, Md., wrote Fearful Odds: A Memoir of Vietnam and Its Aftermath, which was published by Bibliotheca Brightside last year.
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Dr. Tom Annos C’68, who specialized in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, retired in 2008. He and his family spend their time between Florida and New Jersey, and enjoy traveling throughout New England and abroad. He notes, “I continue to still read NEJM and JAMA weekly, because I am still strongly interested in medical advances.”
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Dr. Eli Goodman C’69 wrote The White Horse, an illustrated children’s book, which was published by Morgan James in 2014; a paperback edition is coming out this November.
Richard Rivkin W’69 is president and CEO of Saf-T-Gard International, his 80-year-old family business, which is a supplier of industrial safety products and personal protective equipment, based in Northbrook, Ill. He has become the district governor of Rotary International District 6440, encompassing northeastern Illinois (excluding Chicago), with 70 individual clubs and over 2,300 members.
Janet Rudolph CW’69, www.mysteryreaders.org, in April received the Ellery Queen Award from the Mystery Writers of America for “her long-time commitment to the mystery community.” In March she received the 2016 Dove Award for “outstanding contributions to the serious study of mystery, detective, and crime fiction” from the Mystery and Detective Fiction Area of the Popular Culture Association. The founder of Mystery Readers International, she is editor of its quarterly, the Mystery Readers Journal, and maintains two blogs, MysteryFanfare.com and DyingforChocolate.com. Janet serves on the board of Left Coast Crime, an annual convention she founded 26 years ago. She also serves on the board of Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention.
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Mick Howarth G’71 writes, “now living in retirement in the South of France, I have published the first volume of my India memoirs: Sagar Saga: Year 1, a Volunteer in 1960s India, which recounts my time with VSO (the British equivalent of Peace Corps) teaching at a remote university in central India. Available as an e-book on the Kindle Store, it is illustrated with my original photos from the time.”
Ellen Campbell Lockwood CW’71 writes, “I stopped reading Tripadvisor reviews long enough to publish Teach Beginning ESL/EFL and Survive! Clear, Practical Lesson Plans for Teaching Adult Beginners. Available on Amazon and Kindle, it’s a one-semester program for teaching people who speak absolutely no English and aims to help volunteers, teachers without ESL training, and beginning ESL instructors. I hope to begin my next project soon, on a typewriter.”
David F. Phillips L’71, www.radbash.com, is a heraldic scholar in San Francisco. He wrote The Double Eagle, which was published by the Flag Heritage Foundation in 2014.
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Seth Bergmann GEE’73 writes, “On April 17, I finished the Valley Forge five-mile run in 36:11, good for first place among men 65-69.”
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Hon. Dennis J. Curran C’74 G’74, a justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, in May was honored by the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorneys with its President’s Award for Judicial Excellence for “his deep commitment and belief in the civil-justice system, his many contributions to society, and his continued dedication to the law.” As a trial judge, he has presided over 415 civil and criminal trials. He wrote “Abraham Lincoln: A Model for Today’s Trial Lawyer,” which appeared in the Massachusetts Law Review last October.
Vince Kolber W’74, Twitter: @VaKolberVince, writes, “The Republican Party has nominated me to run for the US House of Representatives in Illinois’ 5th Congressional District. I am running to make America really grow again and to block the rise of debt that my generation is immorally loading upon the next. Running for Congress is a privilege that enables my followers and I to engage our communities on the issues of the day. Our message [is] to be framed in reality, the liberating power of truth and optimism, forged in the mental sweat shop of hard work, careful study, clear thinking, straight talk, and personal sacrifice. More to come.”
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Barton Avery Brown W’75 WG’76 and Mary Alice Brown are thrilled to announce the birth of their first grandson and third grandchild, Jacob Andrew Hise, on April 14. “Jacob is named in honor of his great-grandfather, the late Jacob Brown, a combat infantryman at the Battle of the Bulge.”
Faye Harwell GLA’75, president of Rhodeside & Harwell, Inc., in Alexandria, Va., was recently honored by the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation for her multi-phase landscape design work at the US National Arboretum in Washington. Her firm has provided planning and landscape architecture services there for nearly 20 years. She is currently working on the design of its new National China Garden, a 12-acre classical garden and center for cultural study.
James B. Lieber L’75, a Pittsburgh attorney, wrote Killer Care: How Medical Error Became America’s Third Largest Cause of Death, and What Can Be Done About It, which was published last year.
Celebrate Your Reunion: May 12-15, 2017
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Greg Ahlgren L’77, a criminal defense lawyer in Manchester, N.H., wrote a Civil War historical novel Fort Fisher: The Battle for the Gibraltar of the South.
Steve Sokolow C’77 writes, “After 24 years at Novartis (the multinational healthcare group), I have retired and I am beginning my next chapter. This month, I will start as senior managing director at Guidepost Solutions, a company which focuses on investigations, monitorships, compliance, and security issues. I will be drawing on my experience as a prosecutor and at Novartis, and will also be responsible for business development. I’m happy to have this opportunity, and feel great about starting something new at 60. Life is good, in general. My wife, Abby, continues to work in the General Counsel’s Office at City University of New York; my son, Brian, is doing very well in the forensic group at KPMG; and my daughter, Becky Sokolow C’15, having received a Thouron Award, will be at the University of Edinburgh next year to pursue a master’s in international relations.”
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Manuel Macarrulla GFA’78 writes, “I’ve exhibited my paintings extensively and am represented in a number of important collections (El Museo del Barrio, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Museum of Modern Art’s study collection). I also showed my work at Penn’s 100 for 100 exhibition in 1990. My upcoming show, Fantasías y carnavales (Fantasies and Carnivals), which includes paintings and masks, will be on display at the Queens Botanical Garden in New York from Aug. 9 to Nov. 13.”
Gerri Sperling C’78 recently joined the Pittsburgh office of the law firm of Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky. She specializes in employment law, and adoption and surrogacy law.
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Dr. John O’Donnell Gr’79, former CEO of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia and author of four full-length works of history, writes that he recently published his first novel, a work of historical fiction, Revenge at Elsinore. (See www.RevengeAtElsinore.com.) He adds, “Just prior to my hitch at the College of Physicians, I was alumni director at my alma mater, the University of Delaware. They put out a fine mag, but it was and remains comparatively parochial. The Gazette really touches a global audience with relevance, and for years I’ve been scissoring, copying, and mailing Gazette articles all over the world.”
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Allan Rauch C’80 L’83 writes, “My wife, Betsy, and I were so proud to see our twins Carolyn Rauch C’16 and Benjamin Rauch W’16 graduate from Penn in May. Our wonderful relationship with Penn continues, as Carolyn was recently accepted to the Penn Law School Class of 2019. Thank you Penn!”
Dr. David Trautenberg C’80 GEd’80 GrEd’16 is the CFO of Aurora Public Schools, a 41,000-student school district near Denver. He writes that he successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on transitional entrance into K-12 urban education, and graduated from Penn GSE’s Mid-Career Program in Organizational and Educational Leadership in May.
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Caren Levine W’81 welcomed two grandsons within a week of each other earlier this year: Hudson Chase Finn was born to Steven and Meredith Levine Finn C’08 on Feb. 11, and Brody Griffin Levine was born to Lindsay and Matt Levine C’07 on Feb. 18.
Diane Shapiro Richer C’81 has joined the Washington office of the Polsinelli law firm as a shareholder in its national real-estate and finance-practice groups, where she continues to specialize in REITs. “Outside of law and family time, I continue to sing (as I did with Penn Singers), now as a soprano with the Choral Arts Society of Washington, performing regularly at the Kennedy Center and in special appearances, such as A Capitol Fourth, televised each year on PBS.”
Celebrate Your Reunion: May 12-15, 2017
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Patrick Connors CGS’82, Philadelphia, www.connorsfinearts.com, who teaches at the New York Academy of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, recently received a grant from the Franz and Virginia Bader Fund. He writes that he will use the grant to complete a series of oil paintings featuring “Fairmount Park and the light that tumbles through its low hills and flat plains, that shimmers along its blue-brown river and gives a hazy glimmer to its scrubby flora and magnificent plane trees. For nearly 40 years, the park and light are a constant and ever-changing source of inspiration.”
Bryan Lipinski Nu’82 is the new chief executive officer of Lee Medical Inc.; located in Cool Springs, Tenn., it is a nursing-driven, vascular-access insertion and management company. He previously was a division president at SpecialtyCare, and continues to serve on the board of Healthcare Resources of America, based in Dallas. He lives with his wife, Teresa, and her two daughters in Nashville.
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Ron Gold C’83 W’83 writes, “My first career of 25 years was spent on Wall Street, most recently as a managing director at Barclays. But things changed for me on Nov. 26, 2011. I was an avid bicyclist, and while finishing a 50-mile ride, I was hit head on by an out-of-control SUV. The accident left me a paraplegic with a crushed spine and a lifetime need for home health aides to assist me each day. Thus began my unplanned second career. The accident resulted in over two dozen surgeries and five months in hospitals. When I came home, I immediately had a front row seat to the inadequacy and high cost of home care. I quickly realized that we have a broken home-care system, and to address this growing problem, my wife and I founded LeanOnWe, a different kind of home-care service that helps families find hand-picked, highly recommended caregivers that they hire privately and still get all the other services they need, especially back-up and emergency fill-in. By eliminating the middle person and bringing caregivers directly to the consumer, we help families save tens of thousands of dollars each year and take control of their home-care needs. Likewise, caregivers in the network are more invested in their jobs, earning an average of 50% more pay and generating greater job satisfaction. Susan Silberman Liebeskind W’80 and Debbie Starr Rubenstein C’82 WG’86 are making a difference with me on our staff.”
Dr. Stan Savinese C’83 is the chief medical director of the VNA Hospice of Greater Philadelphia, a co-director of the palliative-care service at Temple University Hospital, and an attending physician in palliative care at Hahnemann University Hospital. He was voted a “Top Doc” for hospice and palliative medicine in the May issue of Philadelphia magazine.
Diane Hartz Warsoff W’83 writes that she has left the banking industry and is CEO of the Community Development Corporation of Utah, a nonprofit that “empowers low- and moderate-income families as they work to become successful homeowners. I am thrilled to be back working in the nonprofit sector, as I have the opportunity to professionally make the world a better place. After more than 25 years, my husband, Arthur Warsoff W’83, left American Express last year, and has started his own business brokerage firm through Transworld Business Advisors. He specializes in helping small-business owners confidentially sell their businesses, while assisting aspiring entrepreneurs to buy existing businesses or franchises. We have lived in Salt Lake City for over 20 years, and love being able to see the mountains here every day.”
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Lori Landew C’84, a partner in the Philadelphia office of the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP, was included in Variety magazine’s “Power of Women New York Impact Report 2016,” which “highlights female industry innovators who have made an impact on their profession and had a groundbreaking year.”
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Dr. Julia L. Mayer C’85 is a clinical psychologist who has practiced in the Philadelphia area for 25 years. She wrote, with her husband, Dr. Barry J. Jacobs, AARP Meditations for Caregivers: Practical, Emotional, and Spiritual Support for You and Your Family. It will be published this month by Da Capo Lifelong Books.
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David Blatte W’86 and Sue Dreier Wishnow C’86, co-presidents of the Class of ’86, write, “Greetings to our Amazing Class of ’86! Thank you, all of our fellow classmates who made our 30th Reunion a HUUUUGE success! We had over 400 classmates there and smashed every reunion record conceivable! The great Class of ’86 topped ALL reunion classes in total giving this year! And, our generous 86ers also achieved the HIGHEST level of giving for any 30th Reunion class of ALL-TIME! Special thanks goes out to our Reunion co-chairs, Jennifer Krevitt C’86 L’92, George Graffy W’86, andSteve Wallach C’86; our communications chair, Gary Survis W’86; and, our tremendous gift chairs, Hope Taitz C’86, Andrea Lustig C’86, Josh Harris W’86, and David Blatte! But, the greatest expression of appreciation is extended to every one of our 400-plus Reunion attendees and our 600 class donors. We each made the same brilliant decision, back in 1982, to join each other in Philadelphia and it has proven to be the best decision that we have ever made! So here’s to the Class of ’86! Hurrah! Hurrah!”
Mark Cronin EAS’86 wrote in early May that his new television show, Below Deck Mediterranean, is “now airing and setting ratings records for the Bravo network. It is a spin-off of the original Below Deck, which returns for a fourth season in September. I have also founded a new company, Little Wooden Boat Productions, which produces the game show Idiotest on GSN, now airing its third season.” He noted that he was “driving down from New York with Mona Buchsbaum Bloom C’86 for the 30th Reunion, and looking forward to seeing Dave Polsky C’86 at the Mask & Wig annual meeting.”
Dr. Marc Laufgraben C’86 has been appointed chair of medicine at the Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J., the flagship hospital of the RWJBarnabas Health system.
Ann Goldberg Loeb C’86 and Bruce Loeb W’86 celebrated the bat mitzvah of their daughter, Jennifer, on Oct. 3 in New York. Also celebrating were Jennifer’s grandfather, Roger Loeb W’61, Lauren Greenspoon C’86 L’89, Cindy Kremer Bodker C’86, Jean Freedman W’86, Melanie Kelton Landau C’86, Bonnie Zetlin Harte C’86, Fern Wirth C’86, Lori Rickles C’86, Shinya Akiyama GL’94, Gil Herzberg C’86, Martha Steinman C’86, Andy White W’86, David Landau W’84, John Harte W’85, Elana Weinstein C’92, Suzan Onel Bickel C’86 and Keith Bickel C’86, and Sue Schwendener C’86. In May, Roger was back on campus or his 55th Reunion, and Ann and Bruce for their 30th.
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Sara Egan FA’88 GFA’90 recently received first prize at painting and seeing, a juried show at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. “Also, my plaster and resin outdoor installation, Parcel 24, was installed last fall at One Greenway in Boston; I was interviewed by The Improper Bostonian for this project.”
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Alan Adler C’89 writes, “I recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of my online, high-end AV furniture company, Standout Designs (www.StandoutDesigns.com). I started the company after working with my Dad, Stanley Adler W’54, in his OEM cabinet business for five years; he and my brother, Michael Adler W’85 L’88, are my trusted advisors.”
Clare Kelly Metcalf C’89 has been appointed head of the financial-officer practice for the Americas for Russell Reynolds Associates, the executive-recruitment and leadership-development firm; she is based in its Chicago office.
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Andrea Ferris W’90 WG’95, president of the LUNGevity Foundation, in April received the Daily Point of Light Award for her work as an advocate and pioneer in the field of lung cancer.
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Dr. Eric Britton C’91 M’96 wrote in May, “I send my regrets for not attending my 25th Reunion. The reason is that I was detained in my adopted hometown of London, due to the fact that I was being elected a fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners; this was for my contribution to the education and training of future physicians (specifically, future GPs) in the UK. I am a family physician (known as a GP here), in a six-physician practice in central London; I have been a partner in the practice for eight years, and a GP-training programme director (equivalent to a residency director) for nine years. I am also the lead GP for an innovative cooperative of 12 local practices in the NHS system, dedicated to improving services for patients. I have been living in London for 19 years. My husband, Mark Britton Jones (who is a consultant in the hotel sector), and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary this month. We have been reconnecting with the environs of Pennsylvania, after buying a holiday cabin in the central mountains of the state, the middle of nowhere, last year.”
Larry Bogad C’91 writes, “I recently published two books: the updated second edition of Electoral Guerrilla Theatre: Radical Ridicule and Social Movements, and my new book on creative nonviolent protest, Tactical Performance: The Theory and Practice of Serious Play. My play, Cointelshow: A Patriot Act, was published as well, and produced in the famous San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Studio. I was just promoted to full professor of political performance at the University of California at Davis. I continue to perform, lecture, and lead workshops on creative activism all over the world, most recently in Latvia, Finland, Iceland, Egypt, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and across the US. I have completed a screenplay which was a finalist at Sundance, for which I am seeking creative partners.”
Julie E. Kass C’91 G’91 is a principal in the Washington office of the Ober Kaler law firm and co-chair of its healthcare practice. In April, she was included in the 2016 edition of DC Super Lawyers.
Celebrate Your Reunion: May 12-15, 2017
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Dr. Brian A. Rinehart GD’92 has been re-elected for a second term as president of the Canadian Dental Regulatory Authority Federation. A dual specialist in periodontics and orthodontics, he maintains a practice in Fredericton, N.B.
Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock C’92, Jeffrey.Weinstock@cmich.edu, writes to report three new publications. “2016 has seen the publication of The Age of Lovecraft, which I edited with Carl Sederholm for the University of Minnesota Press; Return to Twin Peaks: New Approaches to Materiality, Theory, and Genre on Television, which I edited with Catherine Spooner for Palgrave; and Goth Music: From Sound to Subculture, which I co-authored with musicologist Isabella van Elferen for Routledge.”
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Kiera Reilly C’93 writes, “Penn’s Class of 1993 is already thinking about our 25th Reunion, May 11—14, 2018. President Lisa Nass Grabelle C’93 L’96 and vice presidents Chrissy Bass Hofbeck C’93 and I welcome interested classmates to join the planning committee. Please email Lisa at lisagrabelle@yahoo.com if you would like to help; join our Facebook group (Penn Class of 1993) and follow us on Twitter @Penn1993. 2018 will be here before we know it, and we hope to see you all back on campus then.”
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Andrea Cancelliere C’94 married Matthew Sheehan C’94 on June 15, 2015, “in a Nuptial Mass at St. Donato Church in Philadelphia; the festivities continued at a reception held at Paxon Hollow Country Club in Broomall. We were joined by family and friends from across the country and around the world. The bridal party included best man Matthew Malozi EAS’94, Patrick Johnson C’94, Wayne Droesser EAS’94, Cheryl Titcombe Greek Nu’94, andDeanna D’Antonio GEd’09. Also attending were close friends Tracy Work Bowen Nu’94 (who gave a reading at the ceremony), Yi-Wen Lai C’94 GAr’98, Kristen Hopkins C’92, and Valerie Belmonte DeAngelis C’94. We didn’t meet during our time at Penn, but were introduced by mutual friends several years ago. We now reside, along with our daughter, Laura, in Drexel Hill, just minutes from campus.”
Robert Maitner GPU’94 writes that, after initially meeting at Penn in 1994, he and Troy Prinkey C’95 finally married in Washington on Oct. 16, after 21 years together. Robert was recently appointed chief of financial policy at the US Citizenship and Immigration Service of the Department of Homeland Security. Troy has joined the faculty of the Landon School in Bethesda, Md. They live in the Brookland neighborhood of Northeast Washington; their house was featured in the Greater Brookland Home and Garden Tour in June.
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Justin Polga C’95, jpolga@miamimedconsult.com, writes, “After more than a decade spent in inpatient medicine, I’ve decided to explore the outpatient side of medicine. I’ve happily joined Miami Medical Consultants, a concierge medical practice in the heart of Coral Gables. And I still love living in Miami.”
Troy Prinkey C’95 see Robert Maitner GPU’94.
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Lawler Kang WG’96 writes that he has published The E Ticket; A Novel. “A thrilling and fact-based ride through the global issues that define our time, [it] heralds the need for an elevated and magnified feminist movement.”
Judith L. O’Grady C’96, of counsel in the health-effects litigation practice group of the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP, has been included in the Washington, D.C. Rising Stars list for 2016.
Celebrate Your Reunion: May 12-15, 2017
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Claudia Giunta GL’97 writes, “I have joined SmartStream Technologies as group general counsel, based in New York.”
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Matt Martino C’98, an attorney who specializes in antitrust and competition in the New York office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, in April was promoted to partner.
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Jeffrey Poirier C’00 writes, “I recently accepted a position as senior research associate within the research, evaluation, and learning unit at the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Based in Baltimore, it is one of the nation’s largest in terms of endowment and staff, working to develop a brighter future for millions of children and youth at risk of poor educational, economic, social, and health outcomes.”
Melanie Redmond Richter C’00 married Cody Richter on April 16 in an intimate ceremony at a Richter family home in Fishing Creek, Md. Joining in the celebration were Lori Taliaferro-Riddick C’00 GEd’01, LeAndra Marcelle Thompson C’00 V’08, and Tony Louie EE’98. Cody is owner-operator of a national trucking company, and Melanie is a vice president and relationship manager of endowments and foundations at Glenmede Trust Company. They, and their sons Charlie and William, have made their home in East Lansdowne, Pa.; friends can contact them at melanie@alumni.upenn.edu.
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Leah Davis Aviram C’01 and Jesse Aviram are “thrilled to announce the birth of our beautiful son, Nathan Davis Aviram, on Oct. 28. We live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and Nathan looks forward to joining Penn’s Class of ’37. I can be reached by old friends at leahbaviram@gmail.com.”
Jennie Salwen Rosenzweig C’01 GEd’04 and Brian Rosenzweig C’01 are thrilled to announce the birth of their daughter, Hannah Drew, on March 15. “Big brothers Benjamin (six) and Noah (three) are so excited to have a sister to play with and take care of. This party of five lives in Woodbury, N.Y. Brian is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP and Jennie is a third-grade teacher.”
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Dr. Corey M. Brooks C’03, an assistant professor of history at York College of Pennsylvania, wrote Liberty Power: Antislavery Third Parties and the Transformation of American Politics, which was published by the University of Chicago Press earlier this year.
Robeson T. Frazier C’03 is an assistant professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. He wrote The East Is Black: Cold War China in the Black Radical Imagination, which was published by the Duke University Press last year.
Dmitri Ivanov WG’03 writes that he and Alessio Baraldi WG’12 “successfully closed a search fund, Albaron Growth Partners. We are looking to acquire a company that we will personally operate.”
E. Thaddeus Pawlowski GAr’03 GFA’03 a senior urban designer in New York’s Department of City Planning, who recently completed a year as a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University, now serves as an assistant adjunct professor of urban design at Columbia University.
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Peter L. Laurence GFA’04 Gr’09 writes, “I’d like to share about my new book, Becoming Jane Jacobs, which was published by the Penn Press. This year is the centennial of her birth, with an opera and a new documentary about her (mosesjacobsopera.com), which I will be part of, and ‘Jane Jacobs walks’ (www.janejacobswalk.org), among other things, worldwide.”
Dr. Robby Sikka C’04 was included in the “Rising Stars in Anesthesiology” group in the “Top Doctors in Minnesota” feature in the April issue of Minneapolis/St. Paul magazine. In private practice, he also serves as a consultant to the Minnesota Vikings, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the NFL, and several other pro sports teams and organizations.
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Lesley Horton Campbell C’05 writes, “I recently received several honors for my work in the legal profession and my community, including being named one of the National Black Lawyers “40 Under 40” in November, receiving Ms. JD’s Woman of Inspiration Award in February, and being named to the Minority Corporate Counsel Associations’ 2016 List of Rising Stars.”
Nava Lundy CGS’05, www.navagallery.com, writes that her painting, Portrait of Mashsa Greenbaum, was recently accepted into the permanent art collection of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Several of her paintings were on exhibit in May in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Anthony Pu W’05 wrote in late March, “I’m excited to announce that I launched a Kickstarter that was successfully funded (www.mighty.audio). Mighty is the first and only device that lets you play your Spotify music on-the-go. Lightweight, durable, and small enough to clip-on to any piece of clothing, it’s the perfect device for your active life. Equipped with Bluetooth and WiFi, Mighty is compatible with iPhones and Androids, and can play 48 hours of music without any internet connection. All for under $80. Our campaign just wrapped up and we raised a total of $300,000!”
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Zack Rosenblum C’06 and Sara Levine Rosenblum C’06 are thrilled to announce the birth of their first child, Micah Drew Rosenblum, on April 3 in Washington. “Micah is already sporting Penn gear from his proud grandparents, Shelley Block C’76 and Lee Levine C’76 G’76, and he was excited to attend his parents’ 10th Reunion in May.” Zack and Sara live in DC, where he is senior banking counsel to Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and she is a senior editor at FoodNetwork.com.
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Ama K. Karikari-Yawson L’08 WG’08 writes, “I made a huge life change last August. After years as a corporate attorney at both Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton and Citigroup Inc., I quit my job to become a full-time author, storyteller, and educator. It was such a tough decision, given the fact that I have two young children to raise with my husband. But I love my new life. I perform my bestselling fable Sunne’s Gift at colleges where I teach career planning, at school assemblies where I teach bullying prevention and college essay writing, and at corporations where I do cultural sensitivity, diversity, and harassment-prevention training sessions. I’d love to visit your organization; email me at milestalespublishing@gmail.com.”
Alexandra Kotsovos Nu’08 GNu’10 married Walker Hawkins W’10 in Houston on Oct. 24. “We were surrounded by family and friends, along with many Penn alumni.” The bridal party included Sarah Casey EAS’08, Andrew Cipolaro C’10, Haidee Wong Dutch C’08, Danielle Friedman EAS’08, Amanda Judelson C’08, Briana Morgan C’08 Nu’12 GNu’15, Michelle Rosenthal EAS’08, and Haitham Said W’10. Alexandra and Walker will be moving to Connecticut this summer, where he will be attending Yale for his MBA and she will continue her work as a nurse practitioner.
Noa Padowitz SPP’08 married Elena Grossman in Chicago on April 3; Hope Axelrod Heller SPP’08 and Kate Walker SPP’08 attended. Noa lives in Chicago and works as a dean of students for Chicago public schools; she writes that May was the fifth anniversary of Chicago GSA Prom, a non-profit she founded, which organizes an annual prom for the city’s LGBTQ high-school students, their friends, and allies.
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Dr. Philip Rocco C’09 has accepted a position as an assistant professor of political science at Marquette University in Milwaukee. He co-wrote Obamacare Wars: Federalism, State Politics, and the Affordable Care Act, which was published by the University Press of Kansas earlier this year.
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Dr. Defne Amado Gr’10 M’11 is a research fellow at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine who specializes in gene-transfer therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. In March she received a two-year fellowship from the Brody Family Medical Trust for medical research on incurable diseases.
Walker Hawkins W’10 see Alexandra Kotsovos Nu’08 GNu’10.
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Dr. Evan K. Bradler C’11 graduated in May from the UNC School of Medicine. He will undertake a three-year residency in emergency medicine in San Antonio, Tex.
Eric Morris W’11 married Naomi Kaplan C’11 on Nov. 21 at Congregation Beth El in Voorhees, N.J. They met as freshmen when they were next-door neighbors in Hill College House. Penn people in the wedding party included her father and mother, Dr. Barnard Kaplan C’70 M’74 andNancy Karr CW’71. The groomsmen included Sam Levine EAS’10 W’10, Nathan Powers W’11, Michael Petegorsky C’11, John Evans C’11, and Matthew Manin W’11. The bridesmaids included Debbie Schub C’11, Brittany Bell C’11, Stephanie Levee C’11, Saraleah Cogan C’11, and Becki Steinberg C’13. Other alumni attending included Eric’s fraternity brothers from Beta Theta Pi, Naomi’s sorority sisters from Alpha Phi, her cousins Dr. Robert Kaplan GM’85 and Dr. Jeremy Kaplan C’08, and family friends Barbara Perman CW’71 and Dr. Sydney Tyson C’82. Naomi recently graduated NYU Law and will be starting as a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in the fall. Eric is an analyst at Caspian Capital.
Celebrate Your Reunion: May 12-15, 2017
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Cille Kissel C’12, Cincinnati, in May was promoted to product manager at 84.51°, which handles data and promotion programs for the Kroger supermarket chain.
Samuel Schwartz C’12, a second-year law student at Northeastern University, was awarded a 10-week summer fellowship from the Peggy Browning Fund to work at the UFCW International Union in Washington.
