61 Countdown to number 50. In just a few months, we will collectively arrive back in Ithaca. Everyone will soon be registered, assigned, and, most importantly, paid in full. See you June 9-12!
Meanwhile we have a full column of news
from our classmates starting with Edmund
Fantino. “I
continue to conduct research with my colleague and wife Stephanie Stolarz-Fantino in the Department of Psychology at the University
of
California
, San Diego (UCSD).
We study decision making, especially altruism and also the factors giving rise
to impulsive, non-optimal, and illogical choices. We just returned from a
two-week trip to
Brazil
where we presented
our more recent findings. I have been slowed down somewhat by prostate cancer
for which I have been undergoing treatment for 22 years. This phase of my life is described in my
short book ”Behaving
Well” which came out two years ago. The
essentials are covered in a radio interview from December 2007 available on
this link: http://drrobertepstein.com/downloads/Psyched-show111-EDMUND-AND-STEPHANIE-FANTINO-3_segs_edit-3510-air-12-29-07.mp3 Our daughters
Ramona, 30, a social worker, and Marin, 26, a high school teacher, are a great
source of joy especially as they live and work in the area. Despite the distance, we keep in close touch
with Loomis ("Jay") Grossman 61 who continues to have a
productive and enriching life in the
New York City
area. “
Howard and Ellen
Auslander Reitkopp report: “We've sold our home in the DC area and now only have to lose
clothes between two homes. We have
retired to work at golf and tennis. Eight grandchildren also keep us
busy. We are now in
Lake Worth
,
FL
and
Selbyville
,
DE
. The
Florida
location has brought us closer to many of our classmates. We would love
to have a pre-reunion get-together in that area.”
Several times in the past few years I’ve heard from Daniel Reisman. This time the message is a bit different. “OK Doug--I am retired, and enjoying it--I volunteer three times a week at a nearby nursing home, and play scrabble
with some of the residents. Also enjoy gardening and dancing and keeping
physically fit--walk one or two miles a day, and work out with 30-pound
dumbbells. I’m now living in
Niverville
,
NY
(Columbia County) and would love to hear from any of my
classmates.”
Charlene
Jackson Beck chimes in, appropriately, “Hi Doug...you have a tough job if no
one contributes (amen!), so I'll try.
Facebook has helped me find several classmates which is
always fun. I continue to do corporate
meeting planning which has become more challenging as the budgets get
tighter. I am awaiting my third
grandchild...a boy. It's my son's first
and we are thrilled. I continue to work
on my golf game, which is a masterpiece in progress. I know it will all come together before I am
ninety. Life is good and I remember my
time and my friends at Cornell fondly. I try to take advantage of the alumni
activities in the
Philadelphia
area as much as possible. Our class of
'61 and our officers have been doing a great job of communication and I
appreciate their efforts. Best wishes to
all.” I don’t think I’ve mentioned Bob Herdt, MS
’63, in the five years I’ve been your
correspondent. He writes “Hi
Doug. During the past 49 years we have
lived and worked on agriculture in
India
,
Illinois
, The
Philippines,
Washington
D.C.
, and
Westchester
County
,
NY.
Now Lorna (Lamb) ‘62 and I live just
outside
Ithaca
. I am an
adjunct professor of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell, where I do a
little teaching, advise on international agricultural
matters and enjoy interacting with students and faculty. I am pleased to have been invited by our
class reunion committee to share some thoughts about world food issues at our
50th reunion. See you all
soon.”
And another “Hi Doug”, this time from Gerrit White. “Nothing too much has changed with me since
retiring 9 years ago. We now have four
grandchildren; and, traveling, hobbies, and some real estate consulting work
have kept Elizabeth and me on the go. This
year will have taken us on several different and interesting trips including
Africa
for a safari,
Dubai
,
Egypt
,
Jordan
, and
India
. Next year
we have already booked a trip to
Japan
. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at
our upcoming 50th reunion.” Finally,
from Hal Binyon,
“
This will be brief, but
I suppose that it beats a blank! I have just returned from a wonderful
three weeks in
Thailand
,
Vietnam
and
China
, the majority of which was on the "Seabourne Pride".
In closing, and on a
somber note, Jim Moore,
LLB
’64, wrote that he lost his wife Shirley after
a lengthy illness.
“Although
she never received a Cornell degree she more than earned one through her efforts
to put me through law school and helping to send three of our children to the
alma mater. She loved the university as much as we do.” In a similar vein, my closest of friends and
roommate Dave Shanks’ lost his wife Cynthia when she passed away
suddenly. They enjoyed a terrific 48
year partnership together. (Note: This
is not the way I would choose to end a column.)
Please keep the news (hopefully happy) flowing to me for future columns. See you in June!
Doug Fuss
dougout@attglobal.net