Notes from the Cornell Class of 1991 - 2004 May/June

Class Notes, 2004 May/June

May/June 2004

Greetings, everyone. It is once again time for an edition of the Class of '91 Class Notes. We are weathering a very "harsh" winter here in the Carolinas. Of course, the winter is nothing compared to what people in more northern climates are facing, but for those of us whose blood has thinned with prolonged southern exposure, this feels pretty bad all the same. We are running a little light on news this time around. Everyone must be mulling over their selections in the upcoming congressional and presidential elections rather than being out there meeting up with fellow Cornellians or doing what appears to be a popular pastime with our class, adding to the list of potential Cornellians for the Class of '22 and beyond. Make sure to send in your News when the annual Dues mailing comes this spring, or write us any time of year at the e-mail addresses below.

What news we do have kicks off with information from Michelle May Koellermeier. She writes that she left the indentured servitude of the military physician's life in the US Navy and entered a private ob/gyn practice in Neenan, WI. Her son Adam Vance was born on Dec. 14, '02. Michelle, if you find yourself humming the tune of "On Wisconsin," then you know it is time for a trip back home to East Hill. Lucinda Rosenfeld wants us to go out and buy her new novel, Why She Went Home, being published by Random House and available as of March 2004. This is the follow-up to her first work, What She Saw ... , published four years ago. If you want to see her, she will be doing readings and signings of her new book in New York City, Boston, and the Bay Area in March as well. She also says she will be moving into her new home in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, with her significant other, John.

Other literary announcements include one from Nat Jarvis, who writes, "If our 'kinderku' birth announcement left you scratching your head, you can now read one for yourself in my wife Marcy Porter Jarvis '82's latest book, A Broad in Swabia: Memoir from the Black Forest. It's a hilarious, thematic account of the culture shock our family experienced when my California product design company transferred us to Germany in 1998." The book can be obtained from Amazon.com and other online outlets.

Bill Munze gives us the news that he and fiance Janine Dowling eloped in Tuscany on Oct. 5, '03. No mention of whether Diane Lane showed up or whether it was under the Tuscan sun. However, he does note that the small ceremony--attended by a handful of family and friends (I have the wrong friends)--was interrupted by a shotgun-wielding hunter. Thus, Bill can say that he had a shotgun wedding in Italy. Those are a dime a dozen here in rural North Carolina, Bill. The couple then returned to Boston, where on Nov. 8, '03, he and Janine had a reception and met up with Sameer Desai, as well as Karen Schmeidler Sagor and her new husband David.

Lastly, the news ends on a sad note. Classmate Scott Houser died on Oct. 30, '03, at Inova Hospital in Fairfax, VA. With the permission of his wife, Emily Yance-Houser, we note his passing in this column and send our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends. He was co-valedictorian of his 1987 Westminster (MD) High School class and lettered in soccer and track. At Cornell, he was a National Merit Scholar and earned his bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering while on a Cornell Tradition Fellowship. He would later earn a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech and worked for Logistics Management Institute in McLean, VA, where he recently received an award for an analysis of European air traffic management that was presented in Budapest, Hungary. He and Emily married on Nov. 2, '02. A scholarship fund is being established for a graduate of Westminster High School in his honor. Contributions to the Scott A. Houser Scholarship Fund may be sent to WHS at 1225 Washington Road, Westminster, MD 21157.

That is the news for now, everyone. Next time I write, I will be in the beautiful Spanish countryside near Vitoria. Until then, everyone be safe and secure, and of course, keep sending news and notes to your friendly neighborhood class correspondents. News can reach us at the Class of '91 website, http://classof91.alumni.cornell.edu, or by e-mailing us. *Dave Smith, docds30@yahoo.com; Corinne Kuchling, kuccori@hotmail.com; or Nina Rosen Peek, nsr5@cornell.edu.