61 Eight of your classmates met in Boston for the Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference (CALC) this past January.  Fortunately, the weather was a bit milder than a year ago but the program and the enthusiasm were, again, outstanding.  Several of the sessions, including a luncheon presentation by several Deans and Department Heads, emphasized the health and well being of the students.  I found this message refreshing after the experiences long ago living at austere University Halls, and our warm arrival at the College of Engineering ("Look to the right, look to the left, one of you won’t be there at graduation… but Welcome!").  On a lighter note, led by class president Peter Greenberg, we enjoyed an afternoon visit to the Gardner Museum followed by a fine dinner at Lucca Back Bay.  Our meeting the following morning focused on our upcoming 55^th Reunion.  Pauline Sutta Degenfelder and Jay Treadwell, reunion co-chairs, led the discussion along with Katie Freyer from the Alumni Office.  Many innovative events and activities are filling the program.  Save the date, June 2-5, 2016.

Donald Rubbell (Miami, FL; donrubell@rubellhotels.com ) is still active in development, including renovating the Lord Baltimore Hotel and developing a residential site in Washington, DC. Those with sharp memories will remember Don as being the mainstay of the Varsity tennis team, and he lists this as a major activity. Many of us are envious, having moved to less rigorous sports. In addition, he is running the Rubell Family Collection museum in Miami. Ernie Feleppa (feleppa@optonline.net) writes that he is serving as Research Director doing ultrasound studies at Riverside Research in New York City. He also is editor-in-chief of the journal Ultrasonic Imaging. Scuba diving and the Caribbean are high on his list of activities, as well as exploring B&B’s in New England with his wife.

From Deanna Spitzer Nass (dnass@nyc.rr.com): “I’m currently retired from a life-long position as professor in the City U. of New York and am using much of my time to explore some wonderful programs in the arts. Observing the contributions of others to the arts, I plan to enroll in courses that provide a more formal understanding of my interests, hopefully to release my own voice.” A reflection on her Freshman year: “A bit of provincialism thinking NYC represented the American Experience in its entirety. Boy was I wrong.” Gail Gruskin Lehman (Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA; gail.lehman18@gmail.com) writes, "After a successful 30-year career as a space planner and designer for commercial buildings and hospitals, I returned to school to pursue my true passion of painting. I have loved every minute of it, and last fall I was asked to show at Art Basel Miami Beach 2013. This is indeed a big step forward for me. I have had several solo shows and tons of group shows, but nothing on the magnitude that is generated by Art Basel."

I received a lengthy email update from Jon Greenleaf, who created the logo (visit our website) for our upcoming 55^th. “We’re fortunate that Barbara and I are both healthy, living in Santa Barbara, CA. I keep busy managing our small real estate investment company, with properties in Charlotte, NC. It keeps me hopping and my brain active. I also counsel small businesses and start-ups here in Santa Barbara and serve on the board of the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra. Barbara (Vassar '63) runs a PR company that serves the non-profit community. As a result, she has taken me on some great trips, the most recent a three-week cruise down the eastern coast of South America. Recently, we had dinner with my fraternity brother/roommate Dave Klein and his wife Gayle (Levinson) '62 when they were visiting their grand kids in Ventura. I speak to Ed Furtick often, another brother/roommate and our freshman class president. Ed's now living in North Carolina and doing great.”

Lee Forker (Hingham, MA) is engaged in pro bono investment advising, interspersed with golf, skiing, travel and spoiling the grandkids…an honest pursuit. He recently returned from ten days in Normandy sponsored by a UVA group, followed by a vacation and wedding trip to Park City, UT. Adele Case Picking (adellep@earthlink.net ) and husband Howard ’60, MBA '62, still reside in Johnstown, PA. “My time is taken up with gardening, musical events and dancing while ‘giving back’ to the community through nonprofits and the Presbyterian Church. We are engaged in fundraising for the Westmont Family Counseling Ministries, which provide counseling for people with emotional and relational problems giving them hope and help for a better life. As a diversion, we still take a three-month skiing break in Vail, CO.” An interesting note from Gordon Seward: “I still own the large farm and rent it out to make believe I still farm! I make dry hay and firewood and work with my sons-in-law rebuilding old homes. I live in the house I was born in here in Bergen, NY. Recently we traveled to Saguenay, Quebec, by train and bus to celebrate our 57^th anniversary.”

Finally, on a somber note, our former class president, Diane Baillet Meakem sent the news of the passing of her husband Jack Meakem, BS ’58, MBA’61 after a long battle with cancer. Both Diane and Jack have served Cornell tirelessly over many years in many capacities including the endowment of both the directorship of the Cornell Early Childhood Center and, with Scott M.Smith '79, MBA '80, Cornell’s Director of Athletics position. As a team, they established a standard of support for Cornell that we may all strive to achieve.

We are encouraged by the recent influx of class news forms, emails, and Facebook postings that will keep our column lively for several issues. Please continue to update us with your activities though -- we are always looking for content. Drop us a note. Doug Fuss, dougout@attglobal.net; Susan Williams Stevens, sastevens61@gmail.com .