Judith Wharton, MFA’70, founder and member of the board of the Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts, was recognized for her longtime dedication to New Jersey’s largest nonprofit community performing-arts organization at the group’s annual gala. Paul Fennelly, MA’71, PhD’72, retired after 45 years at AECOM, where he was senior vice president of environment. He reports he is still active in environmental science and engineering but at a much slower pace. Global Power Equipment Group appointed Nelson Obus, MA’72, president of Wynnefield Capital, to its board of directors. Nancy Falik Cott, MA’73, PhD’74, the Jonathan Trumbull Professor of American History at Harvard, is serving as president of the Organization of American Historians for 2016-17. Longtime University of Wyoming English professor Duncan Harris, PhD’73, who retired in 2014 after 44 years on the faculty, received an Award of Merit from the school’s board of trustees. The award recognizes members of the faculty, staff and student body who have rendered meritorious service or made exemplary contributions to the university. A Shakespearean scholar, Duncan led the school’s honors program for 21 years. Now retired, Carl Schultz, PhD’73, taught Hebrew Bible and Semitic studies for some 40 years, attempting, he says, to emulate Professor Nahum Sarna, P’70, P’75. He now serves as pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Terrence Beasor, MFA’76, has worked in film, TV, theater and commercials for the past 40 years. He recently appeared as the grandpa in a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese campaign. He is proud to still be a working actor at age 81 and a member of all the acting unions. He and his wife, Muriel Minot, have been married for 48 years. Loretta Devine, MFA’76, plays Cynthia on “The Carmichael Show,” a sitcom that airs on NBC. The show centers around the fictitious family of real-life stand-up comedian Jerrod Carmichael. Susan Tarcov, MA’76, PhD’77, who fell in love with writing children’s books as a graduate student in English at Brandeis, had her first children’s book published. “Maya Prays for Rain” is about the prayer for rain on the holiday of Shemini Atzeret. Susan was very sorry to hear about the death of her favorite Brandeis professor, Aileen Ward. Rabbi Rayzel Raphael, MJC’77 (her name was Randy Robinson at Brandeis), published a children’s book, “New Moon,” which tells the story of Rosh Hodesh in Jewish tradition and is also a coloring book. She also released a CD of songs and liturgy for end of life, “May the Angels Carry You.” George “Randy” Ingham, MA’78, recently published two books: “Irish Rebel/American Patriot: William James Macneven, 1763-1841” and “Love of Having: Compulsive Buying, Spending and Hoarding.” Ronald Robert Thomas, MA’78, PhD’83, retired after 12 years as the 13th president of the University of Puget Sound. He was the subject of a lengthy Q&A in The News Tribune of Tacoma, Washington.

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