Class News

What’s the news? We are always eager to receive your news at the Magazine, care of the Class News Editor, University of Chicago Magazine, 1313 East 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637, or by e-mail: uchicago-magazine@uchicago.edu. No engagements, please. Items may be edited for space. As news is published in the order in which it arrives, it may not appear immediately. Please specify the year under which you would like your news to appear. Otherwise, we will list: (1) all former undergraduates (including those who later received graduate degrees) by the year of their undergraduate degree, and (2) all former students who received only graduate degrees by the year of their final degree. .

1980's

80 After six years, Maria C. Bartlett, AM’80, left Saint Louis University to join the faculty of Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA, as an associate professor in the social-work department. She reports that she is settling into her “third age” in a small, rural town in “very” northern California, nestled between the ocean and the ancient coastal redwood forest. L. Gordon Crovitz, AB’80, vice president of planning and development at Dow Jones & Co., was named senior vice president of electronic publishing with responsibility for the company’s Dow Jones Newswires, Dow Jones Interactive Publishing, and Dow Jones Indexes businesses. Joseph W. Farber, AB’80, spent the autumn semester teaching bankruptcy law as an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He says the experience has given him new respect for the struggle of teachers everywhere to convey their learning and experience to others. He writes, “The scariest part: the firm knowledge that the professor learned more than anyone else.” James M. Schiffer, AM’74, PhD’80, the Elliott professor and chair of the English department at Hampden-Sydney College, organized two sessions on the fiction of U of C professor Richard Stern at the 1998 Modern Language Association Convention. The first session, “The Art of Richard Stern,” was the first scholarly session ever devoted to Stern’s work. Panelists included U of C professor emeritus Wayne C. Booth, AM’47, PhD’50, and Stuart J. Sherman, AM’76. The second session was a reading by Stern of his story “Audit,” which is part of his novel-in-progress, Pacific Tremors.

81 College alumni—Lonnie Stonitsch, AB’82, writes: Jeanne C. Koepsell, AB’81, works with Save the Children in the Nampula province of Mozambique. She writes, “If you come to Nacala Porto, drop by. If you’re an epidemiologist and know anything about tetracycline-resistant cholera, please contact me.” You can reach Jeanne by mail at Federacao Save the Children, Caixa Postal 164, Nacala Porto, Nampula, Mozambique. Her e-mail address is jkoepsell@tropical.co.mz. An update from Wendy B. Oliver, AB’81: “In October 1997, I left a law practice to become general counsel for Southern Pacific Funding Corporation, a publicly traded specialty-financing company headquartered near Portland, OR. In October 1998, SPFC filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11. I have the fun job of working on our liquidation, as well as putting three of our subsidiaries into Chapter 11. I hope to be done by this summer, when I plan to take time off and travel and write. I am still one of those lawyers who want to be a writer.” Elene Strates , AB’81, lives in Boulder, CO, with her husband, Tom, and their two daughters. She is practicing in reproductive endocrinology and infertility with Conception Reproductive Associates. She hopes to be in Boulder for many years to come, and welcomes calls from old friends.
On another note: All the media talk this winter about the U of C and its McKinsey-consulted FunQuest had a Chicago Tribune writer calling for the return of the banned-in-’84 Lascivious Costume Ball. In 1980, I decorated the pool area at Ida Noyes with gargantuan Day-Glo body parts and black lights. As the token bald woman, I was an honorary judge for the costume contest in 1982. I remember it as fun because it was the only event where the entire university community focused on sex sex sex in a somewhat tawdry way. I remember it as not fun because even naked—or merely lascivious—people still talked about papers they were writing. But then, for some, perhaps that’s a kind of foreplay. But what about you? What kind of fun did you have that wasn’t micromanaged by a consultant?

College alumni, please send your news to: Lonnie Stonitsch, AB’82, 1821 S. Peoria St., Apt. 2R, Chicago, IL 60608. Phone: 312/226-9712 (h). E-mail: missmaam@bigfoot.com.

82 College alumni—Karen Kapner Hyman, AB’82, AM’88, writes: “Although I’m no longer in academics,” Vivienne J. (“Jane”) Kattapong, AB’82, AM’84, reports, “I do occasionally give lectures on neurobiology to my daughter’s kindergarten class. Last week, we mapped and colored the motor cortex.” Carl R. Tannenbaum, AB’81, MBA’84, and Karen Silvestri Tannenbaum, AB’82, announce the birth of their third child, Veronica Marie. Carl recently passed the 15-year mark at LaSalle Banks/abn amro in Chicago, where he is senior vice president and chief economist. He works in the area of financial-risk management, which has combined with the baby’s arrival to keep him awake at night. After graduating from the College, Eugene Killian Jr., AB’82, survived the University of Michigan Law School. In 1995, he started his own firm, Killian & Salisbury, P.C., in Clark, NJ, specializing in business trial work. Later that year, he won his first million-dollar verdict in Universal-Rundle Corp. v. American Motorists Insurance Co. He has been married to Carolyn J. (“Joni”) Charles, AB’81, for 14 years. Joni is a vice president at J. P. Morgan in New York City. Gene can be reached at ekillian@k-s.com and would love to hear from other alumni.

College alumni, please send your news to: Karen Kapner Hyman, AB’82, AM’88, 2219 Shefflin Court, Baltimore, MD 21209.

Other alumni news includes: On December 11, Walter B. Kulikowski, MBA’82, chair of the board of police commissioners of Woodridge, IL, received the Woodridge Advisory Board’s 1998 commissioner of the year award.

83 College alumni—Nick Varsam, AB’83, writes: Susan L. Brooks, AB’83, AM’84, is an associate clinical professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, specializing in child welfare. While “buttering the majority of [his] bread” as a senior writer in the PR department of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Health System in Pittsburgh, Kenneth B. Chiacchia, AB’83, is living the U of C way to its fullest as a freelance writer. His article on the psychology of killing and the role of video games in youth violence appeared in The Baltimore Sun, and he published a piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on spelunking, or “caving,” in Laurel Caverns. He and his wife, Heather, are also field-team leaders in the Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group, a volunteer organization that assists authorities in locating people lost in the wilderness (not like those of us who are lost in front of our keyboards). Richard E. Ehrlich, AB’83, an attorney in private practice, reports that he is living the “classic suburban Florida lifestyle” with his wife and two children, Solomon, 3, and Margaux, 21 months, in Coral Springs. Keith A. Horvath, AB’83, MD’87, and his wife, Catherine, are pleased to announce the December 4 arrival of their daughter, Hazel. She joins her 2-year-old twin sisters, Hanna and Hallie, who are extreme tic-tac-toe enthusiasts. As a cardiothoracic surgeon at Northwestern, Keith performed the first thoracoscopic transmyocardial laser revascularization in the U.S. and the first combined coronary artery bypass graft and transmyocardial revascularization in Chicago. Hopefully, these procedures will help what Keith calls his “Three Weddings and My Funeral” fund. Lawrence S. Krasner, AB’83, is a civil-rights/criminal-defense attorney in his own firm, Krasner & Restrepo, in Philadelphia. He is married to his Stanford Law School sweetheart, Lisa Rau, and has two boys, Nate, 7, and Caleb, 5.

College alumni, please send your class news to: Nick Varsam, AB’83, 832 Castle Pines Drive, Ballwin, MO 63021. Phone: 314/207-1672 (h). E-mail: VarsamNick@aol.com.

Other alumni news includes: Wendy Nimer Gordon, SM’83, writes freelance articles, including restaurant reviews, for local publications. She also serves on the board of directors for Food Front, a natural-foods store. Her oldest daughter, Rhianna, born during Gordon’s studies at Chicago, is a freshman at Reed College.

84 The Class of 1984 celebrates its 15th reunion June 4–6, 1999.

David L. Bartlett, AM’84, left the faculty of Vanderbilt University to pursue a career as an international development consultant with a focus on eastern Europe and the newly independent states. His book The Political Economy of Dual Transformations: Market Reform and Democratization in Hungary (University of Michigan Press, 1997) won the 1998 Edward A. Hewett Prize. He, wife Susan, and their two children have settled in Monroe, WI, a small town 40 miles south of Madison. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP elected Mark P. Edwards, JD’84, a partner in the firm’s Philadelphia office. Robert Fritz, MBA’84, and Susan B. Gutenberg, AM’84, announce the August 6 birth of their third child, Wyatt. He joins brother Jackson, 4, and sister Sierra, 3. Mine Safety Appliances Co. promoted Gregory D. Hall, AB’84, to product-line manager for airline respirators, mask communications systems, PASS devices, and thermal-imaging cameras. In this position, he is responsible for developing and executing annual product-line strategies as well as new-product development projects. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP elected Clifford J. Peterson, JD’84, as of counsel in the firm’s Philadelphia office. Brian A. MacDonald, AB’84, was named art director at Allen & Gerritsen, a Boston-based advertising agency. He writes, “After majoring in math at Chicago, getting an M.A. in math at Hopkins, and working as a consultant for a large accounting firm, it finally occurred to me that I really dislike numbers. So I enrolled in art school to study graphic design. And now, two years after graduating from the Massachusetts College of Art, I’m still, in many ways, working as a consultant. I’m just being asked to solve more interesting kinds of problems.”

85 David A. Bebbington, MBA’85, is a partner in Andersen Consulting’s strategy practice, specializing in growth strategies for chemical companies. Elements for Orchestra, a symphonic work by Philip A. Fried, PhD’85, was chosen for the Minnesota Orchestra’s “Perfect Pitch” November reading session. As a result of this reading, Elements will be performed in the Orchestra’s 1999–2000 season. His song cycle, Sea Flowers, is set to texts by American poet H. D. (Hilda Dolittle). Daniel R. Gravelyn, JD’85, a partner with Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, was elected treasurer of the antitrust, franchising, and trade-regulation section of the state bar of Michigan. Andrew F. Kolodziej, SB’85, is a biochemist with epix in Cambridge, MA. He, wife Jeanette, and their son, Zach, live in Winchester, MA.

86 College alumni—Martha A. Schulman, AB’86, writes: Mark L. Burtman, AB’86, is now a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist. A lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy, he is stationed at the Navy Hospital on Guam. He’ll be leaving the Navy this spring and starting a job in Hannibal, MO, where he hopes to become more involved in alumni activities, something that’s “hard when you’re halfway around the world.” Julie E. Rechter, AB’86, is “starting a new career, as senior editor for education and reference at the Internet search engine ASKJeeves.com. (Yes, Jeeves, like the butler.) It’s very different from academia—hectic and fun, so far.” Check out the site and its companion site for children, AJKids.com. Francis W. Connolly, AB’86, and his wife, Theresa Mannion Connolly, had a daughter, Delaney Anne Connolly, on November 27. Frank says that “Delaney is perfect and clearly a genius, and will likely be attending college by the time she is 12. Thankfully, she looks nothing like me.” He’s a lawyer with Shawe & Rosenthal in Baltimore doing management-side labor and employment law. He hasn’t ruled out a second career, ideally something with the potential for him to be an overnight success. Sadly, though, he’s found that “a political science degree from the U of C doesn’t carry as much weight in these areas as I thought it would.” Jordana G. Schwartz, AB’86, is an attorney in Washington, DC, where she lives with her husband, Matt Levine. Their daughter, Isabel Levine, was born November 26, Thanksgiving Day. Jordana lives around the corner from her old roommate, Katherine L. Chen, AB’86, AM’87, who reports for the Wall Street Journal and had her first child in August. Kenneth E. Mellendorf, AB’86, still teaches physics at Prairie State Community College. He’s noticed that many of his students don’t seem to make connections between class topics and the real world, with the result that “learning is restricted to memorization.” He’s thinking of ways to facilitate better understanding.

Christopher S. Mullin, AB’86, says that “after surviving a Ph.D. in physics from UC, Berkeley, I am employed at MicroDisplay, a start-up company making computer displays the size of a dime.” Used in conjunction with a magnifying glass built into an eyepiece, he explains, the screens look normal-sized. They can also be used in digital cameras and cell phones. Chris married Dr. Sarah Gaffen this past March and says, “We amuse ourselves by ballroom dancing and scuba diving as often as possible.” On August 18, Michael J. Kotze, AB’86, and his wife, Ann McMann Kotze, had a son, John Michael (“Jack”) Kotze. Ann is happily in residence after long touring stints in The Phantom of the Opera and Showboat. Mike spent the fall directing two operas pertaining to child-rearing, Hansel and Gretel and Turn of the Screw, and is now prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Jack safe from witches and ghosts. They live in Hyde Park and have been visited by alums Martha A. Schulman, AB’86; Eleanor R. Smith, AB’85; William N. Weaver, AB’84; Vincent Freeman, AB’83, MD’87; David P. Currie, AB’57; and Katherine L. San Fratello, AB’85—eager to see the baby and revisit local landmarks like Ribs ’n’ Bibs and Harold’s Chicken Shack. Mike writes, “Jack has no comment, but seems pleased with the blanket knitted for him by Mary K. (“Katy”) O’Brien Weintraub, AB’75, AM’76, PhD’87.” William A. Propst, AB’86, has spent the past 11 years living in New York City with his partner. For much of that time, he was a fund-raiser for the New York Shakespeare Festival. He also worked for Joanne Akalaitis, AB’60, and George C. Wolfe. Having moved into the for-profit sector, he continues to champion nonprofit theater and has developed AmericanTheaterWeb (americantheaterweb.com), which was reviewed favorably by the New York Times. He’s looking for funding to allow him to work on the site full time.

College alumni, please send your news to: Martha A. Schulman, AB’86, 70 W. 95th St., New York, NY 10025. Phone: 212/666-7370 (h). E-mail: nibbs@mindspring.com.

87 College alumni—Alison L. Inafuku, AB’87, writes: Alan S. Cullison, AB’87, was appointed the Russian correspondent for the Wall Street Journal’s Moscow bureau. Alan notes that he will likely be in Moscow for two more years, “so if there are any U of C alumni who need bail money or a place to hide from the caprices of this place, please give a call.” Until recently, Alan was based in the Moscow bureau of the Associated Press. Thomas H. Murray III, AB’87, spent the summer of 1998 as an economic development consultant in Ukraine, assisting local companies with their general management, marketing, and strategic planning. Thomas also spent time in Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldovia. As he awaits his next project overseas, he is teaching international-business courses at San Francisco–area universities as well assisting nonprofit organizations with their general management. E-mail him at thmurray3@worldnet.att.net. In September, Sonya Quijada Edmonds, AB’87, was promoted to major vice captain in the U.S. Army, and in October, moved from Hawaii to Kansas.

Class of 1987 members, keep those cards and letters (and e-mails) coming!

College alumni, please send your news to: Alison L. Inafuku, AB’87, Alliance Capital Management Corporation, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105. E-mail: Alison_Inafuku@acml.com. No job inquiries, please.

Other alumni news includes: Ronald S. Brody, JD’87, formerly a partner of Anderson, Kill & Olick, joined Mayer, Brown & Platt as a partner.

88 College alumni—Matthew Lay, AB’88, writes: Mari Hoashi Franklin, AB’88, graduated from law school and passed the Illinois bar exam. Mari and her husband, Lukass R. Franklin, AB’87, continue to work at Gooitech, a wireless, electronic-commerce technology start-up. Samuel J. Tinaglia, AB’88, and his wife, Suzie, proudly announce the birth of their first child, Samuel J. Tinaglia Jr. They live in Chicago, and Sam Jr. looks forward to his first Cubs game at Wrigley Field.

College alumni, please send your news to: Matthew Lay, AB’88, 1726 Hobart St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009. E-mail: HobartDC@aol.com.

Other alumni news includes: Kenneth A. Barnes, MBA’88, joined CB Richard Ellis. He works out of the company’s Bellevue, WA, office. Jeffrey D. Hamilton, MBA’88, has been admitted as a partner in Andersen Consulting’s financial-services practice. He specializes in customer strategies, distribution strategies, and merger planning and implementation for large banks and insurance companies. Hamilton lives in Wilmette, IL, with his wife, Diane, and their children, Nicole and Jackson. John T. Staton Jr., MBA’88, was admitted as a partner in Andersen Consulting, specializing in enterprise transformation. He lives in Lake Forest, IL, with his wife, Lisa, and daughters Stephanie and Jessica.

89 The Class of 1989 celebrates its 10th reunion June 4–6, 1999.

College alumni, please send your news to: Elizabeth Hughes, AB’89, 80 Wyman St., Apt. 2, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. Phone: 617/983-3328 (h). E-mail: ehughes@bu.edu.

Other alumni news includes: The board of trustees of Hamline University granted tenure to Verne A. (“Van”) Dusenbery, AM’75, PhD’89, an associate professor of anthropology. He also serves as director of the international-studies program and as on-campus coordinator of the Howard W. Alkire chair at Hamline. Dusenbery, who has taught at Hamline since 1992, specializes in the Sikh diaspora and comparative multicultural societies. Brian D. Smith, MFA’89, a full-time faculty member at St. Charles County Community College in suburban St. Louis, recently became chair of the art department. Smith continues to paint, show, and sell his artwork nationally. He is also a contributing art critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. E-mail him at bsmith@chuck.stchas.edu.