Class Notes

Class of 1960

As reported by Cathie Munnell Smith '60 from Bronwen (Bonnie) Cunningham '60

Well it certainly is a year to remember. I’ll leave it at that! Our reunion last May was very sparsely attended. Where were all the New York, New Englanders? I came up from Florida, Jane Rosenbloom '60 from Arizona, Liz Peale Allen '60 from Pauling, Jenny Roper '60 and Mackey Arnstein '60 from uptown. We missed the rest of you! It was fun to catch up! Bob and I are fully moved into Shellpoint, our retirement community in Ft Myers although we have retained our home on the water in Marion, MA- at least for now.

Most exciting now is that 4 of my 5 grandchildren are in college this year with one studying abroad in  Hong Kong and his sister planning on spending the summer in Ghana.

Travel has not been on our agenda for a few years now but hoping that a mellow trip might be in the future. Be well all of you.

Class of 1964

As reported by Barbara Carey '64

Two bits of good news, from Jill Ross Stewart '64 and Christine (Tina) Hehmeyer Rosso '64. Jill reports that she is keeping busy with her singing group, volunteering at a local shelter, book club, HS Swim meets, and, of course, their granddaughter (junior at Hamilton) and grandsons (14, and 18). Tina’s happy news is that her son, Mark and his wife, Larissa, had a baby boy January 9 in Chicago. She writes, “Nicolo joins big (3 years old) sister Cassidy. As soon as the baby and his mom were cleared to travel (2 weeks) they packed up, dog and all, and headed to Florida, where David and I spend the winter months at our house in Sailfish Point, at the tip of one of the barrier islands off Florida's east coast.  They outraced the dreadful weather and are contentedly enjoying their maternity/paternity leaves with us.  Once they head back to the real world, my brother, Alex (Friends'60), and one of his sons (with wife and daughter) head here for a week. Once they leave, my daughter, Christine, and her husband Rob travel down our way for spring break with their two kids, Arden, 8, and Alex, 5. . . . at a time of life when friends are leaving us forever, I feel quite blessed to have family around so often.”

I agree. Tim and I have been going through some major health issues but we are forging ahead and even planning a Norway fjord cruise at the end of May, following up on plans to do more traveling (wish I had started earlier in life) that got de-railed by COVID.

Class of 1972

As reported by Pam Perkins '72

Lynda Godkin '72’s granddaughter, Genevieve, 6 as Maribel in Encanto. Genevieve wants to be a veterinarian. 

Lynda Godkin '72 in New Zealand in February, 2026.

Jay Bronner '72 reports, “My wife Anne and I split our time between Florida (yes we hold our nose sometimes) and New York. My Son Scott and daughter Emily and their better halves live around NYC so we try to spend most of the summer and fall there. I have failed retirement-  I’m still working a day or 2 a week but no longer actively practicing medicine. I’m  involved in AI companies which are dedicated to improving clinical care. A wonderful added gift and dimension to our lives have been our grandchildren (each child has a 7 year old and 3 year old) which we can’t get enough of. Anne and I have also enjoyed the chance to spend time with my Friends friends- Jay, Emily, Lynda, Derrick, Nancy, Cindy, Pam and Ronnie on occasion. We are looking forward to visiting Tom in Lausanne this September and would welcome the chance to reconnect with others.”

Scott Miller '72 shares, “My wife Mariah and I became Great-Grandparents last year. Twin boys Bodevin and Cedar. Both healthy and thriving. We got to visit them last summer in Chico, California. They live in the middle of where the Park Fires were two years ago. Here are some pictures. Four generations….”

Class of 1974

Jonathan Kaufman '74 is one of the interviewees in Henry Louis Gates’s new series on “Black and Jewish America.” https://www.pbs.org/show/black-and-jewish-america-an-interwoven-history/.

Class of 1975

As reported by Fran Bruno '75 and Adam Owett '75

Building off the momentum of our wonderful 50th reunion last May, Sara (Johns) Griffen '75 and Rhonda Orin '75 started up a class book group and sent in this update for anyone who might be interested in joining:

The Class of '75 Friends Seminary Book Group Takes Shape

The vision for our Class of '75 book group is to relive the wonderful high school memories of discussing and debating important works of literature, but this time with a few decades of maturity and life experience under our belts. Thanks to Rhonda, we’ve been joined by her friend Wayne Millan, a professor of classics from Swarthmore, who has generously agreed to facilitate our sessions via Zoom. We have met twice so far; our first gathering was a brainstorming session to figure out the best way to structure our conversations, and our second was a deep dive into The Trial of Socrates by I.F. Stone.

Our discussion of Socrates connected ancient Athenian politics to modern democratic challenges, exploring how Socrates' alignment with "aristocratic forces" and the eventual collapse of the Athenian economy after less than a century parallel contemporary concerns. Wayne’s expertise helped us navigate the nuances of the "secular saint" legacy built around Socrates, contrasting it with the actual social and political context of his trial.

We are now preparing to take on the Odyssey. We are highly recommending the translation by Emily Wilson – so much more lyrical and understandable than the version we read in high school! You can get the book from Bookshop.org (an alternative to Amazon) here. There is also an Audible version, available here.  Aside from being beautifully narrated by Clare Danes, this modern-day technology actually recreates the way this epic poem was intended to be experienced: recited, rather than read.

Our next meeting will be held on March 14 from 11:00 – 12:00 EST. Everyone is welcome to attend—whether you want to jump into the debate or simply listen in and enjoy the company. And it doesn’t matter if you have read much (or any) of the book – all are welcome! Just let Rhonda or Sara know and they will send you the zoom link.   

Adam’s son Jonah will be graduating from Friends in the spring and attending Haverford in the fall. Meanwhile, his daughter, Lola Owett '21, who is also a Friends alum is finishing her first year at RISD pursuing her MFA in Photography and working as faculty. 

Fran and her husband Dan spent a blissful 12 days on the west coast visiting family and hiking in Joshua Tree National Park. Sadly, they returned to Saratoga Springs NY just in time for mountains of snow and frigid temps but were glad of the opportunity to snow and cross country ski. Our big adventure this winter is taking ballroom dance lessons so we don’t embarrass ourselves at our niece’s wedding in August. It’s challenging but lots of fun!

MaryAnn Rich (Mrs. Gordie) writes: All is good with the family of Gordon A. Rich '75, although we still miss him. It's hard to believe that it has been 25 years since our life shattering car crash.  

Our biggest news is that Gordon's 92 year old mother has written a memoir of her action packed life which is being published this March. If you remember Gordon's smarts and unbridled energy - this book will reveal how the apple didn't fall far from this tree. Evie recounts her struggles being among the very first African American students admitted to Bryn Mawr College; and her creativity getting American teachers safely out of Uganda when Idi Amin was killing foreigners and white people. She brings to life her tireless efforts as a principal trying to turn around an out of control NYC public high school. Also included is her work as the Dean and Director of Admissions at Hunter Campus Schools (she was instrumental in admitting Lin Manuel Miranda). There is a chapter about Gordon which includes his complaining about a certain Friends teacher - so Evie made a voodoo doll of Mrs. FN! Civil Rights Warrior by Evelyn Jones Rich can be pre-ordered on Amazon, Walmart and Barnes and Noble. Enjoy!

David Hirst '75 reports, “My “class record” number of grandchildren is growing, as my seventh grandchild (second granddaughter) is due in April. Meanwhile, back home in Hong Kong, we have finally moved into our new apartment. We have enough room and would be happy to host any Friends classmates willing to make the long trip.”

Delice Donchian Bolotin '75 shared this news and photo: “My daughter, Regan, got married in November in Hudson NY. It was a fun and very happy weekend. My daughter, Madison, moved from Steamboat Springs to Portland, ME so we are all in the same time zone now. We also attended my Armenian Family Reunion late December in Pasadena, CA which occurs every 5 years. It was fantastic to see 140 of my relatives in one place! I continue to play a lot of tennis, paddle (platform tennis), and work at a horse rescue.”

Class of 1984

We are sad to report that Sande Jones '84 passed away on February 10, 2026. Sande's obituary can be found here: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/worthington-oh/sande-jones-12747256.

We are holding the Jones family in the Light.

Class of 1992

As reported by Jessica Wapner '92

Daniel Isenberg '92 is still living in Dallas, Texas. His older son, Lucas, is about to finish an MA in accounting and his younger son, Zev, is a high school junior. His wife, Shilyh, teaches film studies and is an associate dean at the University of Texas at Dallas. Daniel teaches Spanish and karate in middle school, which he says is “pretty fun most of the time.” He sends his best wishes to all his fellow Class of '92ers. 

In November 2024, Jessica Wapner '92 and Lloyd Sherman '92 opened a boutique in Delhi, NY, called Ninth of June. Stop in and say hi if you’re ever in the area. Jessica is also still writing, editing and producing various work, mostly focused on science and health. Her son (another Lukas) is a sophomore at Stony Brook and her daughter, Daphne, will graduate high school this June. Lloyd’s son, Luke (sensing a theme in this update) will also graduate high school this June. 

Class of 2009

Neo Sora '09 recently released his first film, ‘Happyend ’. The film is set in Tokyo, Japan in a high school sometime in the near future. Here, two best friends since childhood, Kou (Yukito Hidaka) and Yuta (Hayato Kurihara), run afoul of their disciplinarian principal (Shiro Sano), who has installed a draconian surveillance system after being the target of an elaborate prank. As the boys try to figure out how to align themselves within the increasingly oppressive education system, larger external forces summon further threats, including constant looming natural disasters. Click here to read more.

Class of 2013

Ross Mechanic '13 and his company Maybern were made Forbes Magazine’s Fintech 50 List. Click here to read more.

Class of 2018

Lucas Ansel '18 was recently featured on Rhode Island School of Design’s website. Click here to read more.