Class Notes

In Memoriam

We are sad to report news of the following deceased Friends alumnus:

Margaret (Carmichael) Paull '56 passed away on  June 12, 2025. Her in memoriam can be found here.

Alfred Chapman '54 passed away on June 14, 2025. His in memoriam can be found here.

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Class of 1955

As reported by Gail Richards Tirana '55

The class of 1955 had its annual reunion, now on Zoom not our previous dinner parties, in May. This marked our 70th graduation anniversary—but of course we've known each other longer than that! Arthur E. Goldschmidt, Jr. '55, Ellen Friendly Simon '55, Jackson R. Bryer '55, Paul Allersmeyer '55, Peter E. Schrag '55, Anthony A. Manheim '55 and Gail Tirana ’55 talked of the state of things in the world, with brief nods toward aging and family. We missed others but were happy to be together, as always—something that impresses us all.

Here most of us were for our 25th reunion back in 1980. Wish you were here.

Class of 1956

As reported by Gretchen (Gretty) Walther Dumler '56

Horrors!!! I had to miss Alumni Day, this year! I was here, but so was my best friend - from Amsterdam... with her kid, whose name is "Kid" (don't ask!).

Hoping all is mostly well with you all, as it is with me. Since my eventual recovery from my long & ghastly Covid a year ago and suivant, I've been blessed with fabulous energy and ambition. My brain has not fully recovered from the crack-open it suffered with the bug, but maybe that would explain the ambitious trip I have planned for mid-July. I'll spend 10 days in the Pantanal, where Jaguars hang out, along with other besties! I'll go with Natural Habitat, the travel arm of Nat Geographic. I've travelled with them 10 times (they've kept count!) in the past. Their trips are as you would expect, exceptional. I'm alternately thrilled & terrified!

Love to all, as ever...

Gretty

Class of 1985

As reported by Willie Perdomo '85

The class of '85 reunited on what might have been the first true day of spring. It was a sunny, cloud-free, 80-degree day in New York City. Michele Browne '85, Willie Perdomo '85, Nicole Shalette '85, Shawn Kaplan '85, Philip Fisher '85, David Hartman '85, Katherine Garrison '85, Liz Arum '85, Win Peniston '85, Julie Raggio '85, Katrina (Yamin) Yolen '85, Nina Christopher '85, and Derek Wiesehahn '85 communed under a newly installed skylight on the rooftop of the main building at 16th street. Later, we met at Little Rebel on 2nd Avenue, where we were joined by Kim Barker '85, Marilyn Selena Davis '85, and Linda Baer '85 and continued the reunion vibe with margaritas, prosecco, seltzer, wings, sliders, and lots of laughter and stories about barbershop quartets, family, children, championship seasons, music concerts, favorite teachers, and advanced degrees. We continued the flow toward a wonderful class dinner at Liz Arum’s apartment in Dumbo where we were joined by Sheafe Walker '85, Eben Levy '85, Annie Kner '85 and a few hours of helicopter drone surveying the damage done by a Mexican naval ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge. It was quite a dinner, and rumor has it that the night ended at 2:00 a.m. the next morning. It might've had something to do with '85's signature cocktail, the "Quaker Shaker" brilliantly concocted by Liz Arum '85.

Here's the recipe:

The Quaker Shaker

“Plain in spirit, but not in spirits — the Quaker Shaker reminds us it’s okay to stir things up after 40 years.”

1 oz The Botanist Gin

1/2 oz Lemon Juice

1/4 oz Raspberry Syrup

1/4 oz Cointreau

Top with Brut Prosecco (dry, crisp style)

Instructions:

1. Shake the Botanist gin, lemon juice, raspberry syrup, and Cointreau with ice.

2. Strain into a coupe or flute.

3. Top gently with Prosecco.

Michele Browne '85 wrote, “For the last 9 years, my family has lived predominantly in Stratton, Vermont. We moved there in order to send both kids to a winter sports academy - which trains aspiring collegiate and professional athletes in sports like snowboarding, and alpine and Nordic skiing. My daughter is now a junior at Brown and my son is about to move to Italy next year to continue on his path to becoming a professional alpine ski racer. He competes in all of the disciplines - Slalom. Giant Slalom, Super-G and Downhill (the really fast one!). Both kids started school at Friends Seminary, so the school has always kept a special place in my heart. As I approach having an empty nest, I am focusing on establishing a portfolio career - one that is composed of both public and private board work. I have been on non-profit boards for nearly 20 years, so now my attention is turning to the corporate boardroom. So, if anyone has any leads for me of companies looking to improve and expand their board of directors... call me!”

Willie Perdomo '85 was appointed State Poet of New York 2021-2023 and is an Instructor in English at Phillips Exeter Academy. He and his family divide their time between New York City, New Hampshire, and Puerto Rico. He is a wannabe playwright, and his basketball shoes are in blacktop exile. He recently had lunch with Rendall Howell '85 at Capital Thai in Exeter and they caught up on Harlem, Friends Seminary, children, hoop dreams, and dream keeping. A cool, Gotham-like, almost Cubist abstract painting gifted to him by Liz Arum on reunion night now hangs in his Brooklyn apartment.

Caught up with Katherine Garrison '85 and she wrote, “After graduating from Friends, I took the classic humanities route: Oberlin → mild panic → film and TV jobs that baffled my parents but paid the rent. Then, an MFA: Columbia University → roles at NBA Entertainment, Sundance Channel, IFC, PBS, AMC (Emmy nom), and eventually head of digital content at AMC Networks during Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead (Webby Award). Now I live in Montclair, NJ, where I work as a documentary film editor on features including the Emmy-nominated United Skates (HBO), Refuge, The Sacrifice Zone, Shaken, Ratified, Sons of Detroit, among others. This really means I spend my days trying to shape hours of footage into something watchable — often while wearing sweatpants and talking to myself. Still answering to "Mom!" multiple times a day from two teens (20 and 17) while continuing to build my tolerance for chaos. Still miraculously laughing with the same guy after all these years (go us!), still trying to get my kids to clean up after themselves and still amazed anyone trusts me to shape real-life stories for a living. Had a great time at the 40th reunion — so many laughs and warm hugs. Grateful to be part of such a talented, beautiful group.”

Annie Kner '85: I lived in Massachusetts for a while after college, but I’m now living in Brooklyn and working as a social worker for NYC Public Schools.

Linda Baer '85: I returned from California to Massachusetts and am living once again in Cambridge. I discovered I’m just not a California girl. I continue to work in the field of continuing education for healthcare professionals. I work at Boston University’s School of Medicine and a few years ago I co-founded the ECHO Diabetes Action Network, an organization created to train primary care professionals working in rural and under-resourced areas on how to best care for their patients with diabetes. I also provide consulting services for Stanford University School of Medicine to help support an innovative fellowship program to train practicing community-based pediatricians in developmental behavioral medicine. My husband and I will be celebrating our 27th anniversary in June and our newly minted college graduate is living with us at home while working and figuring out their world.

After college, Shawn Kaplan '85 returned to New York and briefly worked at Rockefeller University as a molecular biology research assistant. He shifted academic gears and earned a PhD from The New School for Social Research in philosophy. Eventually he landed a faculty position and earned tenure at Adelphi University where his focus is in political philosophy and where he founded their Ethics & Public Policy major. He now lives uptown in Hamilton Heights with his son, Quinn. He has returned to playing his saxophone and has become an avid cyclist.

Liz Arum '85 wrote "I spent 14 amazing years teaching in the Computer Department at Saint Ann's School in Brooklyn Heights. Both my kids graduated from there. One is an Opera singer, composer, and producer living in Los Angeles, California, and the other is a professional 3D animator living in Montpellier, France. I got remarried two years ago. Both step-sons also attended Saint Ann's. The youngest is graduating this June. Fun fact-I actually taught both of them before I even knew their father. During my time at Saint Ann’s, I also worked at MakerBot as its first Education Coordinator. I created MakerBot's first curriculum and ran workshops to help teachers bring 3D printing into their classrooms. In 2016, I moved to Ultimaker and helped launch the Ultimaker Pioneer Program and worked as Ultimaker North America's Education Community Strategist, managing the program, leading workshops, writing lessons and challenges, and helping educators. But, my favorite project with 3D printing and education was, by far, co-founding Construct3D in 2017. This amazing annual conference is where people from across the country (and a few from abroad) - academics, industry folks, artists, and makers – have come together to share ideas about 3D printing, digital fabrication, and education. It's been incredible to see it hosted at universities like Duke, Georgia Tech, Rice, and NYU.

From 2019 to 2023, I worked as the Education Partner Manager at nTop, moving from hardware to software. And now I am developing a math unit that incorporates a robotic arm and working towards becoming a freelance Instructional Designer."

Derek Wiesehahn '85: I’ve been back in NYC since college, currently divorced with 2 kids aged 18 and 13. Still living in Brooklyn but also spending some time in the Catskills. I’ve been working in the film industry as a cinematographer since the early 90’s and mainly shooting documentaries for the last 15 years or so I’ve worked on around a half a dozen Oscar-nominated films as well as Sundance and Tribeca winners in that time. Lots of traveling. Life has been pretty interesting.

Phil Fisher '85 has been sober for 26 years, and got out of finance. He now runs substance abuse treatment companies.

Fred Abrahams '85 was unable to attend but wrote, "Thank you so much for organizing all this, and I’m glad to be in touch. I’m living in Berlin now, since 2012 actually, with my wife and our two rambunctious boys, 15 and 12. I miss home, of course, but also glad to be distant from the political nastiness in the US, though Germany is also not in a great place these days.

I wish I could see you all, talk about this, old times and more, but unfortunately I won’t be able to make it for the reunion. I really regret that, would have liked to re-connect, but the timing for the trip just won’t work. If there are digital ways to take part somehow, live or with photos/messages or something, I’d gladly do that. Thank you for helping to bring everyone together and I hope it’s a meaningful time. With warm regards from afar, Fred"

As many know, Ralph Menapace '85 passed away in 2010. He is survived by his mother (89 years old) and step-father (94 years old) who still reside in their UES apartment, as well as his brother Jamie and sister Nancy. Jamie also lives in NYC with his wife and two young children. Ralph was on an organ donor list and readying for both a heart and lung transplant when he passed. His organs were damaged from receiving radiation treatments as an infant born with Leukemia. The treatments were effective but the damage was substantial. Ralph lived in Boston when he passed and had a successful career in finance. Jamie is very open to connecting with Ralph's friends from Friends and sharing stories of his much beloved and deeply missed brother.

Sally (Rogin) Dreslin '85 sent her regrets for not being able to attend Reunion Weekend.

Cindi Townsend '85 wrote, “I’m deeply bummed about not being able to attend this milestone reunion. My younger son has two music events on Saturday and Sunday that conflict with the reunion activities. I have such good memories of Friends and especially of the people; I really want to go but am prioritizing my son’s schedule. I’m in West Hartford, CT and would love to connect again sometime! For now, please give my love to all our 1985 friends and ENJOY the reunion! And thank you and the committee for organizing it all.”

As reported by David Miller '85

I left my IT career in the retail sector around 2015 to stay home and raise our boys. In 2019, we decided to leave NYC for a change of scenery, and my wife took on the heavy lifting as a CPO in the Bay Area. We landed in Berkeley, CA, and are enjoying the amazing weather. Our two boys, Haakon (15) and Aksel (13), enjoy the West Coast, but we do miss the energy of NYC. We return to New York every summer and for some holidays as we still have my rent apartment on the UWS. I'm sorry I couldn't make this reunion to see everyone in person!

As reported by Rob Longley '85

After more than 30 years as a political journalist, Rob Longley recently embarked on a new -- and considerably less maddening -- career teaching creative writing and new media journalism to high school and college students. In addition to lowering his blood pressure, Rob's new career -- along with his and his wife's status as newly minted empty nesters -- has allowed him to spend more time doing the things he enjoys most: traveling, playing guitar, gardening, coin collecting and bird watching. Yes, as Rob's kids take great pleasure in reminding him, their dad is indeed a nerd.

Class of 2005

Congratulations to Benjie Messinger-Barnes '05 and his wife on the birth of their son. Jude Atlas Messinger was born on May 26th at 3:12 PM, weighing 7 lbs, 5 oz. Benjie and his family are all doing well.

Class of 2017

Rio Hope-Gund was recently featured in an article by his club, Rhode Island FC, highlighting is journey as a professional soccer player. Click here to read more.

Class of 2024

As reported by Morgan Maslanksy '24

James Root-Buttersworth '24 has been taking a gap year. During this year he mentioned a few interesting things he took part in. James did a spoken attic Greek program in the summer and then went to DC and had two internships: one was at the American Bar Association and a nonprofit called a wider circle, then in the spring, he went around Southeast Asia to learn about how buddhism influences daily life. (He mentioned that A wider circle was the thing most important to mention so here is a blurb that he sent me) — “A Wider Circle is a nonprofit that’s currently working on building relationships directly with local pillars of community in the DMV area. I did asset mapping for a few neighborhoods in Western Maryland to help the CEO and Partnerships Manager to understand what people in those communities do and do not have access to, and that basic understanding helps when establishing relationships with those local community leaders.”

Nico Lang '24 will start a new position as Music Operations Intern at Cassette.

Miles Sims '24 has started a new position as VP of Trek Planning with the Vanderbilt Black Business Student Association