Brandeis Magazine

Students and alumni mixed it up at Reunion 2010, when more than 1,000 alumni from 10 classes and their families celebrated with old friends and classmates during the weekend of June 11-13. The classes made a combined Reunion gift of nearly $3 million.

To view slideshows and see class photos, visit alumni.brandeis.edu/web/reunions/2010.

Volunteers with the Brandeis mission worked closely with medical professionals from Haiti. Among the workers were Lisa Fishman ’91, Michele Mandel ’93, Wendy Boucher-Holman, Michael Forman ’76, Steven “Shani” Freilich ’84 and Mark Horowitz ’79, P’13.

United by their concern for the people of Haiti and their allegiance to Brandeis, five alumni volunteered for a medical mission to the earthquake-ravaged island nation last month.

The mission was organized by Nate Rosenblum ’10, a co-director with the student-led Brandeis Haiti Relief Effort (BHRE), and coordinated by Hope for Haiti.

“It was a fabulous experience for all of us,” says Mark 
Horowitz ’79, P’13, who has a family practice in New York. “It was a tremendous opportunity to take care of people who really need medical care.”

The group — four physicians, a dentist, and a dental assistant who is not a Brandeis alumna — split their time between the city of Les Cayes, a seaport four hours south of Port-au-Prince, and two villages in the mountains.

Horowitz treated patients with ailments that included malaria, intestinal parasites, malnutrition, uncontrolled hypertension and diabetes, and advanced cancer. “There is no such thing as a CAT scan in Haiti,” he says. “We had to practice medicine without the technology that we have today.”

Horowitz says the group grew close during the six-day mission and some participants plan to return to Haiti. “When we returned to Miami to make our connections home, we took one look at each other and did a group hug, and more than one tear flowed,” Horowitz says.

BHRE, which was established by students in the days after the earthquake, raised more than $30,000 through a variety of events and other initiatives during spring semester.

Tani Sackler Krouse ’57 enjoys a laugh with fellow ’50s alumni.

The self-styled “pioneers” of Brandeis’ earliest years returned to campus in June for the first-ever 1950s Reunion, connecting with classmates and friends, reminiscing about their time together and collectively contemplating their unique place in Brandeis history.

Part extended social hour and part history lesson, the three-day gathering brought together about 130 graduates — some of whom hadn’t seen each other in more than a half-century  —  from as far away as California and Florida. Every ’50s class was represented.

“The ’50s Reunion was wonderful — so filled with spirit, friendship and interesting programs,” says Beverly (Sachs) Silpe ’57. “While we are all similar in our affection and gratitude to Brandeis for opening so many intellectual and spiritual doors to us, we are also a very diverse group with a wide range of life choices, inclinations and experiences.”

The Reunion was the brainchild of several members of the Class of 1955 who decided to expand on the traditional 55th Reunion by inviting all alumni from the 1950s. Susan Mandel Prusky ’55 served as event chair with assistance from Judy Paull Aronson ’55 and Evi Buckler Sheffres ’55.

“I loved seeing so many ’50s alums,” Jules Bernstein ’57 observes. “For many of us, Brandeis represented a major turning point in our lives, and to visit with many who shared that experience made it a special weekend.”

Weekend activities included gala dinners on Friday and Saturday nights sandwiched around Saturday afternoon programming that touched on the historical significance of the university’s first classes. Alumni-led panel discussions covered everything from the decision to screen the then controversial documentary “Birth of a Nation” to sex, love, and marriage at Brandeis during their student decade. The Saturday night entertainment, produced by Wynne Wolkenberg Miller ’57, ranged from the irreverent “Brandeis Drinking Song” to a respectful singing of the alma mater.

“The Reunion was a nostalgic, stimulating and wonderful event,” says Marcia Ullian Jackson ’57. “Having the early classes together to reminisce, learn, and add to the historical experience deepened my appreciation of Brandeis’ roots and its unprecedented growth. It was a very special time.”

Brandeis Alumni Association President Allen Alter ’71 announced recently that four alumni have been elected to the organization’s board of directors, effective July 1. Each is serving a two-year term and is eligible for re-election to a second two-year term.

“These four alumni bring a range of expertise, perspective and talent to the board,” noted Alter. “We look forward to working with them as we continue to bring our alumni expanded services, benefits and ways to stay actively engaged with Brandeis.”

The new members are:

Theodore R. Bigman ’83, managing director/portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and head of the firm’s Global Real Estate securities investment management business. He holds a B.A. in economics from Brandeis and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Karen, have two children.
Michael D. Chartock ’85, principal and managing director at Gordon Brothers Group. He also is a member of the board and strategic planning committee of Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Chartock has a B.A. in politics from Brandeis and a J.D. from Cornell University Law School. He is married to Ada Amy Kolko-Chartock ’86, and they have two children.
Dan A. Lustig ’02, M.A.’03, vice president at SR Capital, LLC, a real estate private equity firm based in New York City. He earned a B.A. from Brandeis, with a double major in economics and sociology, as well as an M.A. from the International Business School. A member of the Alumni Admissions Council and the Hiatt Career Network, Lustig is the nephew of former Brandeis trustee Samuel Stroum and Brandeis Fellow Althea Stroum.
Gary M. Wingens ’85, P ’14, managing partner of Lowenstein Sandler PC. He holds a B.A. in economics from Brandeis and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Besides serving on his 15th and 25th Reunion committees, Wingens has hosted the Northern New Jersey New Student Sendoff. He is married to Helene Hirsch Wingens ’85 and they have three children. Their son, Andrew, is a Brandeis first-year student.

Classmates Tim Morehouse ’00 and Devika Mahadevan ’00 at Reunion.

Tim Morehouse ’00, who earned a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Games as the university’s first Olympic athlete, and Devika Mahadevan ’00, a community activist who leads a large social-service organization in her native India, received the 2010 Brandeis Alumni Achievement Awards.

Presented annually since 1988, the Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni who have made distinguished contributions to their professions or chosen fields of endeavor. It represents the highest form of university recognition bestowed exclusively on alumni.

Morehouse and Mahadevan, the youngest alumni ever to win the award, were honored during their 10th Reunion on June 6.

Morehouse helped the United States win the silver medal in the team saber competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing two years ago.

Front row (left to right): Huy Le ’07, Henry Schleifer ’10, Adam Greenblatt ’10, Gustavo Pardo ’10, Jacob Bockelmann ’09,  Alex Goldstein ’06, Tae Youn Kim ’06, and Eben Light ’92. Back row (left to right): Nate Goldstein ’09, Bobby Bitton ’88, Harry Shipps ’12, Edgar Ndjatou ’06, Joe Bellantuoni ’03, Jordan Goodnough ’09, Nick Lata ’05, Ahron Lerman ’05, 
Ben Greenfield ’08, Jake Hartnett, Matt Rebesco ’09, and Justin Hopson.

For the third straight year, the Brandeis alumni rugby team competed in the 2010 New England 10s rugby tournament in Acton, Mass. 
The team reached the semifinals.