Brandeis Magazine

David Allon, P’22, has written a biography of his father, Max Allon (born Mordecai Pickholz), who helped found Israel, developed industries that contributed to the country’s economy and became an expressionist painter late in life. The book, “Oranges to Easels,” was published by Oak Tree Press in 2021. David is a member of the Brandeis University Alumni Association board of directors. After a long career in biotechnology, Debra Banville has become a wellness coach, helping others achieve health and wellness by identifying their unique strengths. Laura (Miller) Mann, P’15, reports retirement is filled with board and nonprofit work, and road trips to Washington, D.C., to see her first grandchild, Caleb Weinstein, who arrived in July. Caleb is the son of daughter Rachel and son-in-law Jason. Laura’s daughter Esther ’15 is a third-year resident at Geisinger Health, in Pennsylvania. For his trailblazing work that laid the foundation for messenger RNA vaccines for COVID-19, Drew Weissman, GSAS MA’81, P’15, was awarded the 2021 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award and Columbia University’s 2021 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize. Weissman shares the prizes with research colleague Katalin Karikó. Marjorie (Flacks) Wittner received the 2021 Father Edward F. Boyle Cushing-Gavin Award in recognition of her work as chair of the Commonwealth Employment Relations Board and for other service to the Massachusetts labor relations community.