Notes from the Cornell Class of 1991 - 2020 September/October

Class Notes, 2020 September/October

September/October 2020

We certainly live in interesting times. As I write this in late June, all in Ithaca are waiting for Cornell to announce its plans for the fall semester and potentially the 2020-21 academic year. There have been adjustments to our lifestyles, and positivity and fun still evolves. Here are some notes from our classmates.

Jennifer Leeds is co-leading the COVID-19 response for Novartis. She also shared the following, “Our son Tjaden Hess ’20 is graduating from Cornell this month, and we are heartbroken that we cannot see him receive his diploma and celebrate in Ithaca. Our younger son Max, is headed off to college in the fall (we hope) and so we will be empty nesters!” At the same time, Jennifer remarks that the most satisfaction in her days comes from “seeing my sons becoming independent adults.”

Jill Weisman Pflaum, MBA ’97 (Wayzata, MN) writes, “Four kids, ages 9-14, keep us round-the-clock busy, so we are mostly in that phase now. Lots of fun and short-lived—so no complaints!” Jill is looking forward to more travel and cultural escapades in the future. “These are somewhat on hold with kids’ activities, camps, school, and visiting aging parents.” She adds that the most satisfaction in her life these days comes from “old friends, new friends, family, accomplishing work milestones (both my hus¬band and me), and seeing my kids accomplish their own milestones.” Becky Remis (Scotia, NY) remarks, “Happily engaging my high school science students in online learning! Also awaiting the arrival of a chocolate lab puppy.” When not doing that, she is happy gardening, hiking, and biking.

Congrats to Renee Exelbert, who has written her first book, Chemo Muscles: Lessons Learned From Being a Psycho-Oncologist and Cancer Patient. In it, she reflects on her experience of confronting her cancer diagnosis, as the doctor becomes the patient. Check it out! Jason Feinsmith and family are doing quite well, given the times. His son, Ari, wrapped up his first year in civil engineering at Mission College, his daughter, Leora, is enjoying theatre in high school, and his wife, Elana (Adleman) ’89, just finished up her certificate in financial life planning, in which she plans to build a private practice. Jason has started a new position at a boutique analytics consulting company and has had a wonderful transition with his colleagues. Although his dad passed away at the end of 2019, he and the family are grateful for so many wonderful memories.

As always, if you are interested in getting involved with any class positions (and we are always seeking), please contact our class president, Jana Pompadur Kierstead, at jkierstead@hbs.edu. Check out our class website for yourself at: cornellclassof1991.com. We’d love to hear from you about anything! Submit your news via the online news form or contact any of us directly at: Tim Vanini, lavanooche@icloud.com; Wendy Milks Coburn, wmilkscoburn@me.com; Lori Woodring, lori.woodring@yahoo.com; Joe Marraccino, Joe.Marraccino@wfafinet.com.