Notes from the Cornell Class of 1991 - 2008 September/October

Class Notes, 2008 September/October

September/October 2008

We received so much news in recent months! No space to waste. It was great to hear from friends with whom I had lost touch, including Jill Kerber Aldous. Jill is married to Steve '90 and lives on a farm in Iowa with children Kiersten, 10, and Levi, 6. Jill keeps busy working with her father Edgar Kerber '54 and brother in a feed manufacturing and livestock management services company that has been in the Kerber family since 1922. Jill's nephew Justin Kerber '10 is studying business in the Ag college and wrestling for the Big Red. Jill and her son had the opportunity to meet the Cornell wrestling team at the Team Duals in Cedar Falls, IA, last winter. Luisa Santiago-Jones is living in Miami, FL, where she works as an assistant chief counsel in the Dept. of Homeland Security. She is also a member of the US Army Reserves.

Making up for lost time, Andy Burrows sent us a quick review of his life since he left Cornell. Following graduation, he moved to New York City to attend NYU law school. After finishing there in 1994, Andy moved to San Francisco, where he practiced law for six years. In 2000 he became a legal recruiter with Major, Lindsey & Africa. In this role, he has had the pleasure of working with many Cornell graduates over the years. On the personal side, Andy has been married to wife Rachel since 1997 and welcomed son Parker to the family in 2004.

Sharing news from overseas, Betsy Alley, who lives in London, divides her time between family (husband Derek and daughter Carmen, 1), a part-time business development role at London Business School, and her e-commerce start-up, ModernAntiquity.com. She also serves as a board member for a small local museum called the Ragged School Museum, which allows visitors to experience the life of the Victorian poor and to have lessons in a Victorian classroom. Betsy also runs a chapter of her business school alumni club, based within Canary Wharf, London's new financial hub. "I don't really see any Cornell friends over here, as I've found the local alumni events here don't attract Cornellians of our generation, but I'd always love to hear from anyone who might be in town! Feel free to drop me a line at betsyalley1@yahoo.com."

Another busy classmate is Philip Rothman, executive director of the Regulatory Inquiries Group at Morgan Stanley in New York City. He leads a group of six people who respond to inquiries from the SEC and other securities regulators. With the recent turbulence in the current markets, 10- to 12-hour workdays have become the norm (not including the reach of his dreaded Blackberry). Philip and wife Dena Blum-Rothman '90, MS '96, have three children, Sydney, 9, Matthew, 7, and Ethan, almost 1, as well as three dogs. He writes that it is interesting to see the older kids with the baby: "like built-in junior nannies!"

Cattle rancher Alarik Myrin lives in Duchesne, UT, with wife Staci. He is working to implement a holistic management system on his ranch, increasing biodiversity and decreasing machinery and fuel use. He has also been occupied with calving, including tending to any problems with newborn calves. In his free time, Alarik enjoys sailing and fine-tuning hand-loaded rifle ammunition. Alarik and Staci enjoyed connecting with Cornellians recently at an event in Salt Lake City featuring Nutrition professor Patrick Stover. Classmate Tareq Harb and his wife Mariam Nassif also attended the event, which was organized by Kathy Kraus Bolks.

The success of men's lightweight rowing coach Todd Kennett was shared with the Cornell community at Reunion. On June 7, a full house at the newly renovated Bailey Hall applauded enthusiastically when it was announced that Todd and his lightweight crew won the national championship for the third year in a row. The Cornelliana Night crowd joined the Alumni Chorus and Glee Club to sing the "Crew Song" in their honor. Todd was also tapped for honorary membership in Quill and Dagger on June 3. He is married to Jessica (Funk) '97. They have two daughters, Emma and Sophie.

Rounding up the latest professional news, Rebecca Darien Yodzio lives in Pembroke Pines, FL, with husband Wayne and children Tyler, 3, and Dylan, 1. She describes her present job as full-time mom and part-time home-based consultant for her own company, Darien Consulting. When she sent her news, Rebecca was preparing to spend the summer at her summer home in Michigan near family. Michelle May Koellermeier is a physician specializing in ob/gyn. She lives with husband Jacob in Neenah, WI.

Reinforcing my belief that 39 is the new 29, our classmates continue to share baby news. On August 15, 2007, Karen Schmeidler Sagor and her husband David welcomed son Yoni to their family. Yoni loves to laugh at big sister Ariela, 3, and she laughs right back. Karen's roles as wife and mother, and her full-time work as a psychiatric social worker, keep her quite busy, explaining the long delay between Yoni's birth and Karen's sharing of the news. In January 2008, Rachel Przybyla welcomed son Lance Cassidy Hayahsi. Rachel's daughter Sloane is now 7 years old. As of last spring, Rachel was enjoying an extended maternity leave by working from home. Scott Benson and his wife welcomed twin boys Samuel and Julian on March 17, 2008. Scott writes that the boys are doing well and growing quickly, and he is anxiously awaiting word on their admission to the Class of 2030. Scott and his family live in Santa Clara, CA. When not taking care of babies, Scott works as a software engineer at Google.

On June 8, 2007, Stephen Shimony, his wife Stacy, and their daughter Rebecca welcomed second daughter Amanda to the world. "Needless to say, we don't sleep much," writes Stephen. Dan Harrison and his wife have also added a second daughter to their family. Hannah Gili Harrison was born on April 30, 2008. Big sister Stephanie is 2 years old. Among Hannah's proud grandparents are Helen and Harlan Harrison '59. Dan lives in Los Angeles and works for NBC Universal in their cable division.

Just before my deadline for this column, I had the great honor of attending the wedding of Kim Epstein and Peg Martin on June 14, 2008, at the spectacular Union Ballrooms at Union Theological Seminary on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Thunderstorms mercifully held off long enough to allow for an outdoor ceremony in a peaceful courtyard. The skies opened up after we moved inside the magnificent gothic building (which resembles many of the older buildings at Cornell) for dinner and dancing. Among the many Cornellians in attendance were classmates Liza Jones Hards, Susan Lipetz Brown, Rebecca Leibowitz, and Julie Nelson, as well as Marcela Hahn '90, Eileen McPeake '90, and David Manson '92. (My apologies if I missed anyone--I had no time to check with Kim before my deadline.)

When you receive this issue, summer will be nearly over, and most of us will be staring down our 40th birthdays. Take the opportunity to reflect and share with us your thoughts about your life at this milestone. Drop us a line at any of the addresses listed below, and we will add your musings to an upcoming column. Ariane Schreiber Horn, ams14@cornell.edu; Kathryn Kraus Bolks, klk22@cornell.edu; Sharlyn Carter Heslam, sheslam@berkshirepartners.com.