No.2
March 1, 2005
Welcome to the second issue of the Columbia College Class of 1963 eNewsletter.
Thanks to your response to the first edition (sure to become
a collector's item) we've got lots of news to pass on. As an
experiment, I am including a sampling of news that I have received
during the last month, just as I received it. Because of space
restraints in Columbia College Today, I will be unable to include
all of these in the next (May) issue, and they will be skillfully
edited down.
But first, congratulations go to Bob Kraft and the birth of
the Patriot Dynasty. I'm sure your classmates, even us die-hard
Giants fans join in offering you three cheers on your team's
victory. It is truly an outstanding accomplishment. You must
be understandably proud of your fine New England Patriots organization.
Table of Contents:
Every Second Thursday, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Columbia College Club - 15 West 43rd Street, NYC
Please join your classmates for an informal lunch
at the Columbia Club every second Thursday of the month. It
is our hope that these gatherings will renew old friendships
and foster improved relationship with our class and the College.
The next lunch will be on March 10, 2005.
February Lunch Great Success
The third Second Saturday Class of 1963 lunch brought
9 of our classmates back together on February 10. The group
had a terrific time exchanging brief descriptions of where life
has taken them. You will read it here and in Columbia College
Today (CCT) as soon as I have time to confirm some of the fascinating
details. We also got into interesting discussions about:
- the latest stories about the Middle East
Institute, and our reactions
- faculty members/courses that have made a
lasting impression on us
- about how young and handsome we all looked
In attendance were:
Steve Barcan
Gil Einstein
Bill Goebel
Doron Gopstein
Paul Neshamkin
Larry Neuman
Phil Satow
Frank Sypher
Jeff Thompson
(From left to right) Phil Satow, Doron Gopstein,
Paul Neshamkin, Steve Barcan, L. Neuman, Bill Goebel, Frank
Sypher, Jeff Thompson, Gil Einstein
Please add your presence at the next lunch on Thursday,
March 10, so that we can again see some new faces.
Please let me know if you will attend so that we can reserve
a big enough table; RSVP to Paul Neshamkin (pauln@helpauthors.com).
For information
and inquiries call Paul Neshamkin at 201-714-4881 or email at
pauln@helpauthors.com.
The initial eNewsletter received responses from
over 40 of our classmates (it also bounced at about 150 bad
email addresses). Here are a selection of notes that were included.
In addition, I received a 21 page curriculum vitae, which the
author promises to summarize in a paragraph (actually he has
led such an interesting life that I think several paragraphs
might be in order).
Sherwood R. Spelke
I am still practicing law in my home town of Stamford, CT. I
was an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City for a number
of years. I have five grandchildren which is mind boggling for
an only child. My two children live in New Hampshire and Maine
so I don't get to see them as much as I would like to. I hope
to see you soon.
Andrew Lewin
OK you finally shamed me into writing. I'm really impressed
with the effort you've made to keep our class together. Being
here on the left coast it's just not the same as being in NYC.
I keep in touch regularly with about six classmates (thank God
for e-mail) and I just finished writing-up eight ARC interviews.
I am full time independent clinical investigator. I did this
part time until I retired from my private practice ~10 years
ago. This means I do research with new drugs. I work with large
pharmaceutical companies but are not employed by them. My areas
of expertise are in high blood pressure, diabetes and lipids.
There are really some exciting products in the pipeline now.
Maybe they will be out in time for us to take advantage of them.
On the home front, I have a 33 year old son by my first marriage,
and a 15 year old son and a 11 year old daughter in my second
marriage. We went to Israel two years ago for my son's Bar Mitzvah
and are looking forward to going again in June for my daughter's
Bat Mitzvah (also my wife's).
I am working long hours and enjoying it very much (thank God).
I have no desire/ability/interest in retiring. If I'm ever in
NYC on the second Thursday of the month I'll try to make your
luncheon.
Mark Koppel
After 36 years of teaching Psychology at Montclair State University
(including 4 years as Chair), I have retired. My plan for the
Spring includes several visits to Florida to enjoy the warmth
and sunshine.
My Domestic Partner of 32 years, Barry Brandes is a singer
in the Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera. After his retirement,
we plan to spend each winter in some warm place .Currently,
we're living on West 79th St and have a weekend place in Northern
Westchester.Over all, it's been a great life since Columbia.
Harley Frankel
I am running a non-profit organization called College Match
that helps high achieving, low-income minority students (from
Watts and East Los Angeles) to get into great colleges like
Columbia. We provide 100 hours of SAT Prep, take them to visit
20-25 schools around the country, help them with their applications,
essays, and financial aid forms, mentor them for two years,
train them to take college admissions interviews, and help them
select the colleges to which they will apply.
In short, we do for them what most of us did for our kids AND
what the best private high schools do for their students. We
also help them get full financial aid packages.
We recently helped a young Latino girl get into Yale. She is
probably the first kid ever from her high school to go to Yale.
We currently are serving 90 students on an individualized basis.
If you want to learn more, go to www.collegematchla.org
Alexis Levitin
Were you on the rowing team back in '62 and '63? I certainly
remember your name. I was a lousy rower who didn't make the
first boat, but I had a lot of fun.
Anyway, I rarely send news, but I am always interested in the
fate of my former classmates. It is a pity I have allowed that
whole world to drift almost out of sight.
For class notes, I am edging toward semi-retirement as an English
Professor after 38 years of teaching.But as a translator of
Portuguese poetry, I am still going strong. My most recent books
are: Forbidden Words: Selected Poetry of Eugenio de Andrade
(New Directions, 2003), Guernica and Other Poems by Carlos de
Oliveira (Guernica Editions, 2004), and Whence Cometh the Name
Portugal (ASA Editores, Portugal, 2004). I am presently working
on collections by two other contemporary Portuguese poets under
an NEA Translation fellowship. My son, Michael, is 28 and lives
in Berlin. My daughter, Christine, is 18 and applying to colleges
in New York City.
Though my body is slowly breaking down, I did manage to become
a 46er (climber of all 46 high peaks over 4000 feet in the Adirondacks)
quite some time ago. I still do downhill skiing and cross-country
as often as possible. Living up here in the Northern Tier (Plattsburgh,
N.Y.) makes it relatively easy.
Ira Epstein
Nice to hear from you. Does anybody want to part with a 1963
class ring?
Frank Sommer
SearchStars is a recruiting, or "executive search"
firm. I've been a headhunter since 1980. After 2 years active
duty in the Navy (63-65) I went back to Columbia business school,
got my MBA, and in 67 was hired by GE and sent to a place called
Binghamton, where they had a large aerospace business (3300
employees at peak). I progressed thru HR Director and left in
1979 to start my own business and escape the corporate grind
and politics. I'm still in Binghamton. (Now I have a different
kind of grind, called survival....but it's fun). I have three
daughters and one step-daughter who are all in different parts
of the country, and three grandchildren....in Atlanta and Wisconsin.
I remember Geoff Thompson well. Please say hello to him for
me! The lunches sound like a great idea and I'd like to make
one someday. We're about 4 hours from the big city. (I used
to drive in NYC like a maniacal taxi driver. Now the traffic
scares me).
By the way, Phil Satow and I overlapped for a short period in
the Navy, we were both junior officers on the carrier USS Wasp
in Boston. He certainly has done great things. If you ever bump
into him, say hi for me.
John Ake
Thanks for the eNewsletter and your efforts on it. Unfortunately,
I'm generally unable to get to NYC for the Class lunches. I
am currently a Partner in the Philadelphia law firm of Ballard
Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, and primarily engaged in
representing mutual funds, institutional investment advisers
and hedge funds. I've been here over 15 years, after having
previously worked at the SEC, been a lobbyist in Washington
DC and a corporate executive in Houston, TX; so you can see
that I gotten around after my years on Morningside Heights.
I edit/author a couple of legal books on the mutual fund industry
along with chairing/speaking at various industry conferences.
Because of my Columbia experience I'm in a reading group with
other College alumni in classical Greek literature, and I'm
an active member of the Philadelphia Shakespeare Society (the
world's second oldest Shakespeare Society). Living in Philadelphia,
the Home of the "Iggles", I watched with mixed emotions
Bob Kraft celebrate the Patriots' Superbowl victory.
Share your news and views with your classmates. Contact your
Class Correspondent, and let him know what you would like posted
here or in Columbia College Today (CCT).
For information
and inquiries call Paul Neshamkin at 201-714-4881 or email at
pauln@helpauthors.com.
.
Why wait 5 years? Let's get together in New York City in October!
Although several of you thought a Class of 1963 mini-reunion
would be perfect on April 1, we felt we didn't have enough time
to pull it off. How about centering events around the Homecoming
Game on October 15? Perhaps lunch with your classmates on Friday,
the 14th, some socializing in the eevneing. Then on Saturday,
we can get together at the Homecoming tent in the morning at
Baker Field, and then watch Columbia beat Penn at the Homecoming
game that afternoon. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?
For information
and inquiries call Paul Neshamkin at 201-714-4881 or email at
pauln@helpauthors.com.
.
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