“We continue to be in good health for the most part, for which we are grateful,” writes Don Juran from his home in Rockville, MD. “I completed ‘Two Loops of Ribbon,’ a poem I set to music, and am looking for another text to also set to music. My wife Carol continues singing with her two choirs: Kolot HaLev and Encore. She is also engaged in a book group, a mahjongg game, and a few volunteer activities. We did a good amount of traveling, including to Colorado and Sint Maarten, attended the 30th reunion of our son Adam ’94 (our first off-year reunion), and celebrated our 55th anniversary in 2024!”
Adam, Carol, and Don in Ithaca in June.
From Stephen Adler: “My wife and I lived in Jerusalem’s Old City Jewish Quarter for about 40 years. About 5 years ago we moved to a retirement village in Shoresh, just outside Jerusalem. After retiring from the court, I did arbitrations and mediations until a few years ago. I am still an appeals judge for Holocaust survivors and Chief Judge of the Zionist Supreme Court (a tribunal deciding disputes between various Zionist organizations). For about 8 years, until 2015, I taught a half-semester course at ILR, comparing American labor law and labor relations to those in Israel and Europe. 2024 was a difficult year, beginning with missiles from Gaza, lately missiles from Yemen, and three grandchildren in the army. However, our normal life continued. We took grandchildren on a cruise in the Mediterranean, vacationed in Israel and try to keep healthy. I wrote two articles about antisemitism at Cornell in the Jerusalem Post and keep in touch with events there. I meet with Cornell classmates and students when they visit Israel. Two grandchildren began studying law at Hebrew University, one studies computers at Ariel University and one studies teaching at David Yellen college.”
Nancy Schlegel Meinig (Tulsa, OK) must be one very proud mom these days. Daughter Anne Meinig Smalling ’87 (a third-generation Cornellian!) was elected 18th chair of the Cornell’s Board of Trustees in February! Through the years, the Meinigs have been generous donors with a long tradition of service to the University. Anne’s father Peter’61 (who died in 2017) served two terms as chair of the Board. In 2015, a $50 million gift from the family endowed the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, expanding and elevating what had been a department into a school within Cornell Engineering. Additional endowed positions and programs include the Meinig Family Professor of Engineering, Nancy Schlegel Meinig Professor of Maternal and Child Nutrition, Meinig Family Investigatorships in the Life Sciences, Carl H. Meinig ’31 Head Coach of Women’s Tennis, and Meinig Family Cornell National Scholars. Last fall, the university broke ground on the Meinig Fieldhouse, named in Peter’s memory.
Frank (Mickey) Robbins (Signal Mountain, TN) writes that he and wife Eloise took a short trip to Cuba this year. Frank has coordinated the local history column for the Chattanooga Times Free Press for the past decade. He’s president of McCoy Farm and Gardens (historic gardens and event venue), serves on the Board of National Park Partners, and is exercising more and playing more tennis than before!
Marianne Mattucci Escaron and husband Pierre live in San Diego, CA where, despite the usual aches and pains, she still enjoys her walks along the Pacific Ocean and getting in an outdoor swim even when it is cold. Her first grandchild, she proudly notes, is studying to be a mechanical engineer like his grandfather Pierre.
Barry Proner (London, UK) is a Jungian psychoanalyst with adults, children and adolescents. “I trained first as a psychiatrist and a child psychiatrist in Boston. I came to London for my psychoanalytic training in 1972 and just stayed. My two sons and my granddaughter were born here. It continues to be a rewarding and fulfilling life.”
“The Contemplative View,” eight recent paintings (oil on linen) by Alice Dalton Brown (Peekskill, NY), were on view at Harper’s Chelsea 534 gallery in NYC from January 16-March 1. Check out this link to see the paintings.
Small Silent Nocturne, oil on linen.
John Abel, Professor Emeritus in Cornell’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, sends word that he and son Bill “continue to live together in Ithaca. Our life consists of watching movies, shows and sports; attending Cornell hockey and lacrosse games; and each having other interests. I regularly meet with retired colleagues for weekly coffee and monthly poker and attend an occasional lecture on campus. Bill remains active in NA meetings a few times a week, serves as treasurer of his group and helps to bring NA meetings to the jail and hospital twice/month. A highlight of our year was a 2-week trip to Switzerland to attend the annual IASS Symposium in Zurich where we each caught up with friends. After the symposium, we visited 4 other cities by train – Lucerne, Interlaken, Lausanne and Bern. We explored the old cities by foot and took a boat trip on a nearby lake. We all are eagerly looking forward to my granddaughter Natasha’s May graduation from Cornell. She already has a job with a software company for their training systems.
“Daughter Britt Abel ‘91’s new position at Macalester College entails directing the writing program & advising students applying for fellowships. She is currently president of the Coalition of Women in German. Son-in-law Scott Burglechner ’91 continues at US Bank & is about to finish a 2-year national program in banking school. Grandson Will continues at least 3 jobs – substitute teaching in high schools, teaching theater arts & doing some dog daycare. We all are eagerly looking forward to granddaughter Natasha Burglechner’s May graduation from Cornell. She already has a job with a software company for their training systems.”
Here’s the link to the second edition of Judith Shulman Weis‘ book Marine Pollution: What Everyone Needs to Know (Oxford University Press) which was incorrectly noted in the January/February column of Cornellians.
The Johnson Museum of Art is currently hosting a special exhibition on the works of deceased classmate Susan (Suzi) Nudelman Ferrer on view through June 8.This exhibition traces Suzi’s career, influences, and artistic evolution—from her time as a Cornell BFA student to her emergence as a critical avant-garde artist in Puerto Rico. It features newly discovered works alongside archival materials—including articles from The Cornell Daily Sun and Cornell Alumni News, exhibition catalogues, photographs, and personal annotations—offering insight into her conceptual concerns and creative processes. In connection with the exhibition, the Museum will also be hosting A Conversation on Suzi Ferrer (in person & online), Thursday, April 17, 2025 | 5:15–7:30 PM | Robinson Lecture Hall. Art historian Melissa M. Ramos Borges and Miguel Ferrer ’91 (Suzi’s son) will share their research and personal insights of the accompanying exhibition and artist.
It’s official!! The Class of 1962 Baseball Scoreboard has been permanently planted in the new Booth Field, located about a mile and a half east southeast of the former Hoy Field, which now has a computer science building under construction. An article on the players accompanied by a photo of the scoreboard (both by Zeinab Faraj, Sun staff writer) appeared in The Cornell Daily Sun (February 17, 2025).
Photo credit: Zeinab Faraj
It appears that the generosity of the Class of 1962 knows no bounds. Giving Update: Yearend totals for 2024: $20,561,135; Lifetime Giving: $318, 808, 279. Wow!