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Class Notes

Class of 1960

As reported by Catherine Munnell Smith '60


Bronwen Cunningham '60 shares, “We are still awaiting repairs on our Sanibel condo so we can sell it. That ten feet of water (the joys of “waterfront”) have created havoc! We have bought into a life care facility in Ft. Myers called Shellpoint and will move there for 6-8 months annually at the beginning of the year. My grandchildren, three in college, UC Berkeley freshman, RPI sophomore, and Trinity senior. Amazing. Blessings to you all, Bronwen (aka Bonnie).”


Bronwen Cunningham '60 and husband, Bob Booth



Jane Haskel '60 and Richard Haskel in California



Liz (Lyons) Stone ’60 and Berta (Gordon) Friedland ’60



Dear All,


My husband, John, and I have had two wonderful visits this year with Liz (Lyons) Stone ’60. The first was in February, at her home in Mill Valley. We spent two great days together that included a chamber music concert, a beautiful hike/walk around the top of Mt. Tamalpais, and lots of reminiscing. (note:John and Liz have known each other since they were in “the fours” at The Little Red School House, predating my meeting Liz in seventh grade, eight years later.) In August, Liz came to our weekend house in Sawyer, Michigan, just over a dune from Lake Michigan. We walked the beach, swam, that is, Liz did, and revived her life-saving skills when I lost my footing, and was floundering, trying to regain it. Mostly, though, we hung out and talked, comparing our memories of Friends, filling in details of our lives, and on and on. It was lovely and special being together.

Love to all,

Berta


C. MacNeil Mitchell '60 shares, “Laura and I are now living full-time in Amagansett (between East Hampton and Montauk) in what used to be our summer cottage. We have put in mini-splits (heat pumps) which are economical and provide both heating and air conditioning. I strongly recommend them as quite money-saving, at least after you pay the capital cost of installing them. Living close to the Atlantic Ocean is a breeze (pardon the pun) and refreshes us each day (see below link to photos). We especially like the Winter, when we have the beach to ourselves and our faithful dog, Foxi Ladi. Our daughter Abigail and 3 grandchildren live in Evanston, and our bachelor son Ian lives in NY City (and has a convertible sofa on which we sleep when in town for doctor visits, the Philharmonic and the NYC Ballet). We stay active by exercising at the local East Hampton Rec Center and a lot of walking on the beach. Knocking on wood, our combined infirmities so far are minor and we can enjoy independent living. We hope you are all doing equally well, and definitely invite you to drop in if you find yourself on the way-Eastern Long Island.



Class of 1961

As reported by Jill Newman Iversen '61


Jill Newman Iversen '61 has written, under her maiden name, a novel, LIBRA, or Hanging in the Balance, that was brought out a couple of months ago by a small but selective company out west called Legacy, and Jill maintains that it is, in fact, her own. The book is available through AmazonBarnes & Noble and any other number of local bookstores.



Class of 1964

As reported by Barbara Carey '64


The Class of 1964 lost an “honorary member” on October 25, 2022, when Peter Gabel, founding editor of Tikkun, author, and long-term president of New College of California -- but more importantly, best friend, and roommate at Deerfield and Harvard of Jonathan Cerf '64, elementary school classmate and friend of Barbara Carey, and a great love of Elizabeth (Lizzie) Eames Roebling '64 -- died while he was in treatment for amyloidosis. As Jill Ross Stewart '64 commented, “Peter was very much an honorary member of our class, with whom we shared many experiences during those years growing up,” and as Cornelia Lyons Bonhag '64 wrote, “I remember him as talented, accomplished and great fun.” Jonathan Cerf added, “Peter always envied me for my time at Friends, not because of the education I was receiving there, but because he so much liked my classmates. I was well aware that I was doing him a favor when I helped introduce him into our class’s social circle, but I felt that I was doing all of us a favor, too.” Peter was warm, expansive, and truly a life force. As Jonathan “Jono” Nareff '64 summed it all up, it “makes me so sad. He was such a great friend way back. I have such fond memories of times with him.” He will be missed.



Class of 1971

As reported by Laura Ward '71


“It is hard to believe more than 50 years have passed since we graduated from Friends. Here is a little news: I traveled to Berlin, Budapest and Prague with my sister Carolyn, '74. Three cities we had never visited. My partner Henry met me in Prague after biking there from Salzburg. I am still presiding over criminal cases in the New York Supreme Court. On occasion I enjoy meeting Deborah “Debbie” Hauer Schwartz '71 for walks around the city. When we get together it seems as though no time has passed. Jonathan “Jon” Walsh '71 has been traveling as well. He responded to my call for information from London and is on his way to Sicily and Malta. Margaret Alban '71 wrote that she is still working on sustainable and affordable housing initiatives in her home town of Greenwich Connecticut.”



Class of 1974


Jon Holtzman '74 stopped by 16th Street to pay a visit to Friends.




Class of 1976

As reported by Suzanne Telsey ’76


Capers (Rubin) Kuhnert ’76 reports: “I am still living in Berlin with my husband and practicing as a psychologist. I would be delighted to see anyone who happens to come to Berlin.”

Ed Redlich ’76 writes: “In April I finished seven months as an Executive Producer of the drama “East New York” on CBS. The show was canceled in April, just before the start of the WGA Strike. Picketing for two or three hours every day was exhausting and sometimes tedious, but also super inspiring in a way because of the solidarity within the Guild. That being said, it’s REALLY nice to get back to work! My son, Noah, is starting at Fordham Law School and daughter, Zoe, is a junior at Brown. My wife, Sarah Timberman, produced ‘Fleischman Is In Trouble’ in NYC last year and is looking to get back to work full time now that the strike is over.”

David Oppenheimer ’76 says: “We are retired and do retired-person things merrily. The best part is spending time with our two-year-old grandson, Owen, who lives in Chatham, NJ with our daughter and son-in-law.”

-Suzanne



Class of 1984

As reported by Rebecca Moore ’84


Rebecca Moore and Peter Billow ’84



Schuyler Allen-Kalb '86 and Rebecca Moore '84



Swati Rajmane Warren, Julliet Mallory '84, Rebecca Moore ’84 and Alex Levinsohn '84



On a recent trip to NYC, Rebecca Moore '84 visited Peter Billow '84 in his amazing workshop, https://www.phbfinewoodworking.com/, enjoyed a gorgeous sunset with Schuyler Allen-Kalb '86, and had a mini reunion with Vassar classmates Swati Rajmane Warren, Julliet Mallory '84 and Alex Levinsohn '84. We are looking forward to our reunion this spring and have already heard from several of our classmates that they are planning to attend. Save the dates -- May 17-19, 2024



Class of 1987

As reported by Jessica Green ’87


Dear Friends and Fam,


I am excited to share that I am programming my first film and speaker series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Friday, November 3rd-Thursday, November 9th, titled "Let the Record Show: Archived Cinema." Please come through if anything strikes your fancy.


"New York on Film: Decade by Decade," the year-long film series I programmed for the Museum of the City of New York in celebration of their centennial, also continues through May 2024. Get to MCNY a little early, if you make it, to check out "You Are Here," an immersive 16-screen experience drawn from hundreds of movies about NYC that I was on the curatorial committee for, along with an incredible group of folks, and produced by Radical Media (Summer of Soul), on the 3rd floor of the museum. To learn more click here.


Peace,

Jessica



Class of 1992


On Saturday, October 21, the family of Lila Margulies '92 held a memorial service in The Meetinghouse. Lila’s Celebration of Life video tribute can be found here, password: Lila.



Class of 1996

As reported by Lee Goldberg ’96


My novel ‘THE GREAT GIMMELMANS’ comes out Nov. 14th, and I'll be on an NYC book tour through Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Hope to see you all if you can make any of the events and spread the world to anyone who'd be interested!


Launch Party - Thursday, Nov. 9th from 7-9pm at the Palace w/ Laura Picklesimer 206 Nassau Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn https://www.greenpointpalace.com.


Friday, December 1st at 7pm at Kew & Willow Books with Alex Segura 81-63 Lefferts Blvd, Kew Gardens, Queens https://www.kewandwillow.com. Tuesday, December 12th at 7pm at P&T Knitwear w/ Sara Lippmann 180 Orchard St., Manhattan, NYC https://www.ptknitwear.com Available for pre-order now at Amazon, Bookshop or where books are sold.


Thanks!

Lee



Class of 2000


Matico Josephson '00 stopped by 16th Street for a tour of the Friends campus.




Class of 2006


Amanda Zenker '06 married Kevin Dyer on September 30 in Manchester, Vermont.




Class of 2022 and 2023


Alexandra Flynn ’23, Sana Yamazaki ’22, Zoe Herzog ’23 with Michael Mudho and John Byrne in Boston, MA.



Tenzin Gund-Morrow ’22 with Michael Mudho at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA.




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