61 Harris Rosen (Orlando, FL), President and COO of Rosen Hotels and Resorts, will be inducted into the Central Florida Hospitality Hall of Fame in April 2009. The Hall of Fame has been established by the Rosen College of Hospitality at the U. of Central Florida , Orlando , to honor outstanding community leaders for their service and commitment to the Central Florida hospitality industry.  Rosen Hotels and Resorts is the largest independently owned hotel chain in Florida and comprises 6,300 Rooms, more than six percent of Orlando ’s hotel inventory.  Harris is a charter member of the UCF Board of Trustees and in 2000 donated a 20-acre site and approximately $10 million to build the Rosen College of Hospitality Management.  He also provided a $2 million scholarship endowment for UCF.  

His community involvement includes spearheading the multi-million-dollar Tangelo Park Pilot Program, which provided 350 high school seniors with full college scholarships. Harris is a member of the Cornell Society of Hotelmen and the Waldorf Astoria Distinguished Alumni Association and is the past President of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau. This information came from the UCF media office, and I thank Jackie Troops for sending me a press release. In the seven years I spent as the International Student Advisor at UCF, I heard praises for the work Harris was doing. Unfortunately, our paths never crossed. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Harris on behalf of the class of ’61. We are very proud of you.

Peggy Monkmeyer Mastrioianni, ( Washington , DC ), has received the Outstanding Service Award from the American Bar Association. Peggy has worked for the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission for more than 30 years as Attorney and Assistant Legal Counsel. The EEOC praises Peggy’s work “as the best of public service, and states that she is an invaluable asset to the Commission”. Peggy says she is happy and is working in a fascinating job. Marlene Alpert Tein, ( Boca Baton , FL ), is a former freshman dorm mate of mine. She has a small private tax preparation office and keeps busy with golf, bridge and especially grandchildren. Her daughter Naomi Tein ’90 moved close by. Marlene is another happy lady. Bobbie Horowitz, (NYC) has two jobs and is in the midst of writing a musical with a “brilliant composer”. Job number one is as an independent associate with Isagenix International, a leading full body cellular cleansing company. Job number two is as an award winning songwriter. Bobbie was commissioned to write a song and perform it for 6,000 guests in Las Vegas . And she is receiving residuals for her as yet unfinished musical. Please let us know when it is finished! Bobbie says she is in her perfect place--she’s happy.

Yuji Yamaguchi ( Tokyo ) is an auditor with the Fujiya Hotel in Tokyo , professor emeritus at Obirin U. , and visiting professor at Waseda U. His expertise includes feasibility and financial analysis, asset and operation management, education and training, and marketing research for hotels, resorts, clubs, and restaurants. Yuji would very much like to hear from classmate, Rudy Munster ‘62. James Baden, MD ‘65 ( Hamilton , OH ) says retirement is great! He’s a “most happy fella” who plays terrible golf. His favorite memory of Cornell was the 1960-61 Glee Club trip to Russia . He enjoys babysitting 13 grandchildren and doing volunteer work in Hilton Head, SC. He would most like to hear from J. Kent Hewitt ‘59. Mary Ann Tower Rolland, ( Youngstown , NY ) is a preservationist restoring a Stanford White - designed house, (1875) in Niagara Falls , NY . Mary Ann’s activities include church and community activities, gardening and traveling. She and husband Bill have traveled extensively including China , Russia , Canada , and Thailand among their ports of call. One of her favorite Cornell memories was being head waitress in Balch dining hall. She would like to hear from her Chi Gamma classmates.

Madeleine Fried Grossman ( Westport , CT ) still practices law part-time. Husband Ed ’59 works a similar schedule. This gives them time to spend in their Manhattan apartment. Madeleine participates in a book discussion group in NYC. Among the classmates who attend are, Rosanna Romelli Frank, Anne Klein Rothman, Judy Silverman Madenberg, Shelly Kramer Busch, Carol Gittlin Franklin, and Sue Wolf Wiener. That’s a lot of Cornell intelligence. Carol Jean Moore Hershey Durell ( Worthington , OH ) is the owner/operator of High Road Gallery, a nonprofit art gallery. She enjoys travel and in 2008 visited the Galapagos Islands , Croatia and Chautauqua , NY . Carol says that Chautauqua is her idea of paradise. It must be special! Her fondest Cornell memories were the beauty of the campus and the fact that she had time to read.

Thank you again for all the mail. It makes writing so much easier so keep the letters coming to Doug and me. Be sure to check our website. Larry Wheeler does us proud as our webmaster (http://www.cornell61.org). Joanna McCully, joannacelticlady@aol.com; Doug Fuss, dougout@attglobal.net .