Notes from the Cornell Class of 1991 - 2013 November/December

Class Notes, 2013 November/December

November/December 2013

Greetings from Maine, and happy holidays to all of you. As usual, we've heard exciting news and announcements from you, and we hope you keep them coming!

Wendy Fuhr lives in Philadelphia, PA, with husband Eric Allen, daughter Iris, 8, and son Duncan, 4. She is on the faculty at Bryn Mawr Family Medicine Residency. "I teach med students and residents, and run the office surgical curriculum. I also play in a country/western/bluegrass band called Rock Salt & Nails." Wendy would love to hear from Keith Simmel '90, Denise Mandel Emer, and Regina Toomey Bueno '83. Eva Jean-Jerome Desrosiers lives in Windermere, FL, with husband Effel. She would love to hear from Tammie Ridges.

When Sara Weaver (San Mateo, CA) wrote over the summer, she was about to start a new job running US marketing for InSound Medical. In her free time, she enjoys biking with her two children, Jane, 9, and Jack, 6. Chris Cripps sends this big news from Greenwich, NY: "In September 2012, I stopped practicing veterinary medicine and bought a beekeeping supply company called Betterbee with two other veterinarians. We are working hard to teach people about beekeeping and having a lot of fun. It's a big change from large animals (cows) to small animals (bees)!" Andy Peters writes from Kew Gardens, NY, that he has published his first book in the paranormal adventure series "Werecat," from Vagabondage Press. "The books are coming out in e-novelette form. They're quick reads that chronicle the journey of a college senior from the fictional upstate New York Calverton U. who drops out of school and takes a free fall into the violent world of feline shifters."

Ruth Ann Keene, JD '98, lives in San Anselmo, CA, with her husband, Charles Ehm, and their two daughters, Annie, 4, and Elizabeth, 2. She works as VP and assistant general counsel at the design software company Autodesk. She loves Marin County, but adds, "I would love to see my East Coast friends more often." Ruth remembers bringing her boombox to Cornell and that she and her roommate, Kim Rugala LaFontana, had a couch that was usually occupied by Jeremy Schaap, who liked to "borrow" their cable. Sharlyn Carter Heslam (Weston, MA) writes that she hosted a mini-reunion with Delta Gamma sisters. Jenny Harris, Kari Ginsberg Nesbit, Kris Hurley Van Riper, Cynthia Lee Dow, Kristen Sciacca, and Hilary Nagler were all there. They had a lot of laughs over a box of Cornell photos of Date Nights and Fun in the Sun.

JoAnn McDermott (Cape Coral, FL) has an active personal yoga practice and would love to hear from Ally McKersie. Beth Huizenga Shaz writes that the second edition of her textbook, Transfusion Medicine and Hemostasis: Clinical and Laboratory Aspects, was scheduled to come out in summer 2013. Ben Stewart (Windsor, CA) works in financial services, plays guitar and golf, and is also dad to Payton, 11. In addition, Ben is very involved in his church (including singing in the church choir) and participates in a weekly program called Open Table, which ministers to people living on the streets in Santa Rosa. He'd love to hear from Paul Gascoigne, MRP '92. Like others who wrote in (and myself), Ben remembers bringing a boombox to school back in 1987. Sumaya El-Ashry Ali sees her dear friend and sorority sister Tammy Blum Ross regularly since they both live in Boca Raton, FL. Sumaya has three kids--Zane, 15, Jaden, 12, and Sofia, 7--and is busy running them around to all their sports and activities. My good friend Maria Tillis Connor is doing well in Katy, TX, running the business of her family: two beautiful girls and her great husband, Eric '90. They relocated there a year ago and are thriving.

Sadly, we lost a classmate this year: Patrick Farrell (Eagle, WI) succumbed to brain cancer in July after a two-year battle fought bravely and without complaint. He leaves behind his wife, Charity Lynn, three daughters, and his mother, Jane. His full obituary is available in the Wisconsin State Journal, July 22, 2013. Thanks to all who wrote in--we appreciate it! Hope your holiday season brings you joy. *Wendy Milks Coburn, wmilkscoburn@me.com; Tom Greenberg, twg22@cornell.edu; Charles Wu, ccwu@mac.com