Class Correspondent

40th Reunion
June 6-8, 2014

In May, I finally turned the big 6-0, seemingly a rather large number. Happily, it has been a positive transition, and I was eased into it by having a lovely party with some of my closest friends. The celebration is continuing in August with a family trip (husband, two daughters, parents, and sister’s family) to Aruba. I couldn’t ask for a better way to celebrate the start of a new decade. As always, it is wonderful hearing from many of you and finding out your latest news. If you are not receiving email reminders from me about sending in a note, your email address is no longer in Brandeis’ database. So please send me your current email address, and I will make sure you’re back in the loop!

Marian Bass attended the wedding of her cousin Tovah Bass Tripp and Will Rafelson ’05, Heller MBA’09. Many in attendance were Brandeis graduates from the 1970s and 2000s. Karen Bernstein was named one of the 100 most influential women in Silicon Valley by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. She is chair and editor-in-chief of BioCentury Publications and has been writing and publishing on biotechnology since 1987. She has also been inducted into the Biotechnology Hall of Fame for her work. Karen says, “A big hello to Janie, Dale and Marian; they’ve obviously been good at keeping in touch, and I’ve not been so good.” Michael Goldenkranz, who lives in Seattle, happily reports a reunion of “three out of four of the ‘literal’ tree huggers (from our infamous senior ‘grin and bare it all’ yearbook photo.)” The reunion, held in July in the Pacific Northwest, was described as “fun, poignant and gratifying.” He thanks his friends from the photo, Arnie Freedman and Dave Glasser ’75, for visiting, along with their wives, Lori Kahn-Freedman ’76 and Ann Blonston. Michael adds, “Words can’t express my joy at celebrating the wedding of my first-born (Sarah) in September 2012. I prepared by watching both versions of ‘Father of the Bride.’ Also, the gift of sharing my parents’ 60th anniversary, with a family reunion in August 2012, was a treasured simcha.” Jane Goldman Ostrowsky, P’06, P’13, made the Sterling Society in 2012 for selling houses at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Newton Centre, Mass. Her husband, Mark, still enjoys his work at the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services. Their older son, David ’06, and his wife, Lauren Schreider ’04, live in South Natick; David’s tutoring business is thriving. Their daughter, Sharon, 26, has been teaching for three years at Quest to Learn in New York City and earned a fellowship to study in Pittsburgh this summer. Their younger son, Jonathan ’13, graduated summa cum laude from Brandeis in May. At Brandeis, Jonathan was editor of The Brandeis Hoot, a captain of the men’s varsity tennis team, an Eli Segal Fellow and a White House intern in communications. Jane writes, “Last but not least, Sandy, our adorable cockapoo, turned 15 in May.” “Wood Bones,” a play directed by Bob Jaffe, opened in New York City in May. Produced by the Eagle Project, “Wood Bones” was written by Native American playwright William S. Yellow Robe Jr., with whom Bob has been working for the past 10 years. Bob has also been busy as an actor. He recently appeared in “There’s a Light on Yonder Mountain” with the Amios theater company in New York City, as well as in a number of independent films, including “Under Her Skin” and “Scavenger Killers.” Howard Leibowitz is wrapping up his second stint in the administration of longtime Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who is not seeking reelection. Howard first served as press secretary and director of intergovernmental relations from 1993-2004. He then spent six years doing independent consulting. In 2011, he returned to work as chief of projects and partnerships, handling special programs such as food policy and relations with national municipal organizations. Howard writes that he is “looking forward to the next challenge and hoping that some of my former Reitman Hall flag-football teammates will resurface at the next Reunion!” Patty Mayer has been an entertainment labor-relations attorney for the past 30 years. She currently works at Warner Bros. Television after long stints at Columbia Pictures and MGM. She writes, “I still have my passion for travel. Peru and Turkey are my recent favorites, and the list keeps growing.” Patty and her husband, Perry Friedrich, the CFO of a real-estate development company, recently celebrated their 31st anniversary. Their daughter, Lara, 27, is in a PsyD program at Yeshiva University. In May, their son, Joey, 22, graduated from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University with plans to go into the medical field. Patty adds, “I welcome any contacts on LinkedIn or, dare I say it, Facebook, if I can ever figure it out. Sending kind thoughts out to all my Brandeis friends.” Cathy Morris in May attended the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas. Her son, Marc, spent his summer interning for Cirque du Soleil. Trips to Boston, Lenox and Williamstown, Mass., rounded out her summer in preparation for the 2013-14 New York theater season. Gail Shister reports that her daughter, Elizabeth Coleman, is pursuing a PhD in psychology at the University of Virginia. Glenn Wong is a professor in the sport management program at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he has taught since 1979. He has authored books on sports law and careers in sports, and written many sports law articles. Glenn also works with Major League Baseball on salary arbitration cases. In May, he was named president of the Sports Lawyers Association.

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