Notes from the Cornell Class of 1991 - 2000 March/April

Class Notes, 2000 March/April

I want to start out with a salute to Elsie McMillan '55. Elsie was the person I relied on to be my contact at Cornell Magazine. She was always there to help me out, whether it be sending me news when none of you did or sympathetically extending a deadline. All the while, unbeknownst to me, she was fighting a serious illness. I never knew Elsie was sick until I received the dreadful news that she had passed away. I didn't know Elsie personally, but my contact by phone and computer were enough to tell me that Cornell should be proud to call her an alumna. You are missed, Elsie.

My last article was too long, so a part had to be cut out by the editors. Therefore, I include it here. If anything has changed, be sure to let me know. Jeannette Perez-Rossello is in her final year of a radiology residency at Mt. Auburn Hospital. Dora L. Jih, ME I '92, MBA '93, is a senior manager with Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Susan R. Rosenblatt is now a veterinarian from Tufts U. She writes that Dr. Katherine Grundmann had her second baby in April, a daughter named Caroline.

More e-mails have come in. I love them, so I include them next. Kevin H. Mills '93 and wife Jody (Judith E.) Kraft '92 now have a son, Joey McKecknie Mills. He was born last April 13. Kevin is the co-author, with his mother Nancy Dunhoff Mills '64, of a second book, Help! My Apartment Has A Dining Room. Their first book, Help! My Apartment Has A Kitchen, has sold over 80,000 copies. Kevin and Nancy are working on a third book, so keep an eye out for Help! I'm Addicted to Chocolate. The family lives in Playa del Rey, CA. Jason Feinsmith wrote to me about the wedding of Mike Gimbel. He married Allison Morris in Providence, RI, last April 17. The couple met at Duke Medical School and are living in San Francisco. Kathy L. Kraus wrote to me some time ago with the following: "I have relocated to Chicago to work for Northwestern U. I keep in touch with many classmates, including Victoria Scotto Balacek, Keara A. Bergin, Melissa A. Franklin, Gloria J. Godsell, JoAnn Longo Laurentino, and Deborah L. Wengel." She made it clear that she realizes she is leaving out many people she has seen at various events, but encourages them to write in, too. Edgar Francis IV sent word that he is now working on his PhD dissertation at U. of California, Los Angeles, after passing his written and oral qualifying exams for the graduate programs in Islamic Studies. Steve Rosenblum wrote, "I recently got married to Tracie Anne Keel. We have moved to Wilmington, NC, where I am working as a process development engineer for Corning Inc. Cornellians at the wedding included best man Marcus Scholz, Melisa Levitt, Paula (Jernigan) and Geoff Gordon, Greg Garrett '92, Erica L. Calderas, and Eileen Bowden." Nicole M. Luecke wrote, "My husband, Chris Selley, our daughter, Kate, and I recently moved to Annapolis, MD. I just finished my residency in ob/gyn at George Washington U. I took a job in private practice in Glen Burnie, MD. Chris is working for Potomac Photonics, a laser microfabrication company. He manufactures cardiac stents and other medical devices, and is also working on his MBA at Johns Hopkins. One of his Cornell housemates, Brian Schilling, is also taking MBA classes with him at Hopkins. Mark C. McClintock recently moved to Bethesda, MD. He works for an engineering firm in Washington, DC." Navy Lt. Michelle M. Koellermeier reported for duty at the Naval Hospital, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, CA.

From here on, much of the information is at least six months old, so be sure to send updates if things have changed. Randall Singer is working as a human resources manager with T. Rowe Price in Baltimore. Betsy K. Starkman is brand manager for Hellman's mayonnaise at Best Foods in Englewood, NJ. Chiara Puffer Shah is trying hard to be published as a science fiction writer. Let us know if it happens! Karen M. Schmeidler graduated from New York U. with a master's in social work last May. This, after getting an electrical engineering degree and working as an investment banker for six years. She writes that it took her eight years to find her calling and the change has been worth it. There is a lesson to be learned there. Dave Schmier and wife Cindy Potter '90 had a son, Andrew, last March. Dave also writes that the promotion company he co-owns won its second Reggie Award, the Oscars of the promotion business, just two days before the birth. The family lives in Norwalk, CT. Lauren Schmerl opened a private psychotherapy practice last May in New York City. Dr. Todd R. Schlifstein finished his residency at NYU Medical Center last June. Monisha Mehra is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Dorine Colabella Scher is director of special ed at the Jewish Federation of Greater San Jose. She is already planning for our 10th Reunion in 2001! Joan (Kochan) and Mike Schade live in the Chicago area with daughter Sarah. Mike is human resources director at Tivoli Systems, an IBM subsidiary. Joan is a product developer in ready-to-eat cereals at Quaker Oats. Marcy S. Sacks is assistant professor in the history department at Albion College.

Abby F. Rudzin is associate attorney at Sidley & Austin in Chicago. Philip Rothman joined NASD Regulation Inc. as regional attorney in the enforcement division. He lives in Milford, CT. Chris Reynolds finished his MBA at Columbia U. Cathy J. Reese finished a surgical residency at Cornell and is now a staff surgeon at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston. Marc Polymeropoulos, MPA '92, is a diplomat with the Department of State at the United Nations in NYC. Roman Pallone is in planning and development at Ashland Chemical. He finished his MBA at Ohio State last June. Lucy Tidd Olcott, DVM '95, and her husband bought a veterinary practice in Germantown, MD. Sandra Coester Kudrak, DVM '95, built and opened her own veterinary hospital in Maine. Christine O'Connor, BS ILR '92, is director of marketing at HIP Health Plan of NY. Laura M. North, BS Hotel '92, is vice president at Meringoff Equities Inc. Srinivas Lingareddy, BS Eng '92, ME C '93, started veterinary school at U. of Pennsylvania. This is a change of career from being an environmental engineer! Alan Lehto married Tracy Strickland last April. Rick Hammerstone, ME E '92, was at the celebration. Judy Ng Lee is manager at American Express in New York. She finished her MBA at NYU. Kirsten Blau Krohn is an actress in New York. She does voice-overs, too. Her husband Douglas is a doctor at Montefiore Medical Center in pediatrics. Robert Koenig is vice president in asset management at Goldman Sachs in NYC. Wayne Hickey decided to move to Seattle and switch careers from federal lobbying to corporate communications. Amy Hillsberg Herzog is marketing communications director at the Monterey Peninsula Visitors and Convention Bureau.

The mother of James Hawk filed this report, "Jamie is serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia, working with farmers to build ponds and raise fish. His town, Musofu, suffers from famine and drought half the year. All the cattle died of hoof and mouth disease last year. HIV is a problem. Jamie rides his bike 60 miles round trip on a mud road for his mail and provisions and has never been passed by a motorized vehicle. The people are wonderful, hard-working, and friendly. Jamie writes to remind us that we all have so much." I think that is a good way to end this edition. Keep sending updates, especially by e-mail.--Kevin Lemanowicz, 3 Byron's Way, Franklin, MA 02038; e-mail, kpl6@cornell.edu.