Notes from the Cornell Class of 1991 - 2005 January/February

Class Notes, 2005 January/February

January/February 2005

The past few months have been busy for the Class of '91. Classmates have been celebrating births, weddings, and new jobs, and in our spare time, we travel! We trust that as we ring in the New Year our fellow Cornellians will find much peace and happiness in 2005. However, before we become too entrenched in our New Year's resolutions, let's take a moment to reflect on the joyful events that befell our class over the past year.

For many, the New Year symbolizes rebirth, so it seems fitting to begin our recap by announcing the future generation of Cornellians! Jacqueline Zar Varona and husband Hector happily announce the birth of their second child, Jake, who was born last August. Big sister Isabella, who turned 2 in July, is happy to have a little brother. Michael Babcock and wife Amy, who reside in Brewster, NY, also have a new family member, as their son Jack was born in November 2003. Steve Goodweather of Houston, TX, writes that baby daughter Ella, born in December 2003, never ceases to delight and amaze her parents.

Rebecca Donovan Brown married husband James in June 2003 on Nantucket Island. Several Cornellians were in attendance to toast their nuptials, including Susie Skoglund Young and husband Brian, and Val and Cathy McKee Sribar with their newborn Ryan. Judy Zuidema also joins the new parent club as she announces the arrival of Anna. Judy and her husband Marco live in Italy, where Judy works for Diesel Spa Jeans & Fashion Retailer as the interiors architect for all US projects.

Several other classmates have been trotting 'round the globe. Andrea Belusko Hertzendorf, husband Michael, and family Caitlin, Cassidy, and Cade are stationed in Taegu, South Korea, for the next two years. Ina Kurcz writes that 2004 has been a very exciting year. She got engaged, quit her job, sold her apartment, and moved to Australia for seven months in order to travel extensively. Prior to leaving for the Down Under, she stopped by Scottsdale, AZ, to join her travel buddy Liz Rosenfeld for some quality time on the hiking trails and in the spa.

Kim Jordon Stone adds that she and husband RC are wrapping up an extended three-year European honeymoon courtesy of the US Navy. Both Kim and RC are stationed in Italy, where Kim serves as a family physician. She mentions that she bumps into classmates wherever she goes. In Bahrain, she ran into Mollie Finch Hunter, who lives there with her husband John, also in the US Navy. Kim and her husband also met Loretta Dougherty and Fred Gallo '90 in Ireland last July for a wonderful week of companionship.

Sharyn Talman married husband Robert last Labor Day weekend. Present at her wedding were classmates Amy Salman Meese with husband David, and Traci Kissel Helton with husband John. Sharyn lives in Wayne, NJ, where she is the vice president for human resources for Saint Barnabas Health Care System at Irvington General Hospital. But wait . . . there's more! Sharyn wasn't the only Cornellian to celebrate the end of summer with a plunge. Class officer Eric Bluman married Trimble Auger in Maine. The many and merry celebrants included fellow officers Paul Hayre and wife Jeannette Perez-Rossello. Paul noted that Eric was resplendent in his Nantucket Reds--apparently a New England tradition!

Class officer Corinne Kuchling recently accepted a marketing position at TransACT Communications, an educational software firm in Greater Seattle. In the vein of "having her cake and eating it too," she also was able to proceed with her plans for a three-week vacation during which she visited friends in Oxford and Paris, and then attended the wedding of fellow Cornellians Jay Cammermeyer '93 and Kendall Fisher, JD '96, at Martha's Vineyard last September. Over a dozen Cornellians were in attendance, and a great time was had by all despite the storms brought on by Hurricane Ivan.

Congratulations are due to Kimberly Schleman Selzman, who wrote to tell us that she completed her electrophysiology fellowship and took an assistant professor position at the U. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she lives with husband Craig. Shannon Bessette has also pursued a career in academia. She recently received tenure and was promoted to assistant professor of anthropology at Jamestown Community College in New York. Beyond her career, she keeps busy as the vice president of the Board of Directors for the Chautaugua County Humane Society.

David Berman issues an update from New York City, where he has been teaching English as a Second Language for the NYC Board of Education. Currently, he is teaching middle school students who hail from China, Hungary, Honduras, and Peru (to name a few). He and his wife Diane have been married for five years and have sons Ilon and Aaron. He reports that he is still in touch with Ben Goody, Nora Endlich '93, and Elliot Austin '92. Mike Baudendistel recently joined XOS Technologies, a sports technology firm located in Sanford, FL. Mike has taken the position of regional sales manager for the West Coast, PAC 10, and NFL--a great fit for a former Big Red football star whose team won the Ivy League championship twice during his college career!

Melisa Levitt recently became employed at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts after working with them for three years as a freelance consultant on healthcare and technology projects. She manages cross-functional initiatives in the arenas of preventive health, support for chronic disease management, and new technology implementation. She adds that last year's Boston-area Cornell Women's Brunch was wonderful and presented her with a great chance to connect with old friends and meet current students. She remarks, "It's amazing that the Class of 1991's 'Cornell Experience' has been going on for 17 years! It has been great to continue meeting fabulous Cornellians of all ages in the years since graduation."

From regional alumni clubs to Zinck's Night to Reunion--there are many ways to reconnect with your former classmates. Maybe you've found a nugget of interest within this column.We hope that you are inspired to write to us and share your news as well! *Corinne Kuchling, kuccori@hotmail.com; Dave Smith, docds30@yahoo.com; and Nina Rosen Peek, nsr5@cornell.edu.