Dear Classmate,

It seems like only twelve years ago that we were seniors at Penn, relaxing on – wait, that doesn’t sound right. Behold, fellow classmates, for I bring thee tidings of joy. Yea – a new technology hath sprung forth to – no, no, try again. Apparently, there’s this new thing that everyone’s talking about, called the IN-TER-NET. Boy, it’s tough to herald a new technology that’s been around for years. Anyway, Penn has moved boldly online, and we finally have a web site with space dedicated specifically for the Class of 1990. Once you have joined Penn’s On-Line Community, you can use this site to keep your contact information up-to-date, find other classmates, or submit a newsnote to be published on-line in the next newsletter.

To say that a lot has happened over the last twelve years is a significant understatement. It is our hope that you will use this site to keep fellow alumni up to date, and rekindle relationships that may have suffered because of the overwhelmingly tedious task of writing in longhand and licking stamps. We are all part of the Penn family, and those connections are worth keeping. To that end, I encourage all of you to take a little time to stay in touch. If you or a classmate you know has recently done something exciting, traveled, or just has news to share, please let us know. It is so easy, and the effects are long-lasting. With your help, these newsletters will become an integral part of our ongoing communications.

Finally, if you haven’t been back to Penn lately, you should. Much has changed since the days of Reagan/Bush (sounds weird to say, doesn’t it?), and it is worth seeing. This year Penn will play Brown during Homecoming Weekend on November 2nd. For any additional information, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (215) 898-7811 or alumni@ben.dev.upenn.edu.

Best regards,

Kyle Kozloff, W’90
Class President

A-E | F-J | K-O | P-Z

John Allen, C’90, writes, “Mary and I have recently moved to Tewksbury, N.J. where we love the more rural feel of that part of the state. I am still working for a technology consultanting firm in NYC while Mary works full time at home raising our three and a half year old twins, Winston and Charles.”

Michael Andretti, C’90, e-mails, “never sent an update to The Gazette before but figure there are old friends of mine out there somewhere who would want to know what I have been doing for the last 11 years. Not much of a story: after graduating, spent two years traveling in Europe and Asia, and doing odd jobs to pick up spare cash to live and travel some more. The only memorable occasion (other than traveling itself) was working as a tour guide for a whitewater-rafting company in Australia in the summer of 1991: pretty exciting. Anyway, came back to my native Chicago in 1992 and, for lack of anything better to do, took a job at a coffeehouse-bakery. To shorten the story down, I opened my own place doing the same thing, called The Double Cross Bun, in Orland Park (Chicago suburbs) in 1995; we opened a second location in Schaumburg in 1999. I got married to Annaliese Burkhardt in 1999 also, and we’re living in Chicago with two cats and a ridiculously huge collection of CDs and LPs, the product of both of us being incorrigible music lovers. Old friends can contact me at m7andret@yahoo.com.”

Zoee Astrachan, C’90, GLA’93, and Andrew Dunbar GAr’94 are principals of the San Francisco-based firm Interstice; founded in 2000, it focuses on urban architecture and landscape, and material research. Built works include site-specific installations, and residential and commercial projects in San Francisco, Montreal, and New England. And their work has recently been featured in the SFAIA’s Small Firms, Great Projects, and in Zyzzyva, a publication that highlights emerging San Francisco architects. Both Zoee and Andrew are faculty members at the California College of Arts and Crafts, teaching art and architecture, and may be contacted at zaad@mindspring.com.

Dr. Melissa P. Barnes, C’90, GEd’91, <happycappy30@hotmail.com> e-mails, “I recently completed my Ph.D. in clinical psychology. I also completed requirements for New York state school-psychologist certification. I accomplished all of this at Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y. I am currently employed as a counselor at Polytechnic University’s Farmingdale and Brooklyn campuses.”

Howard Berman, C’90, writes “my Ode to the Psychotic Episode, poetic rendition of my to date three psychotic episodes since graduating from college appears in Volume Six Issue One of Constructivism in the Human Sciences. It is my first, though not last work. I welcome feedback especially from Psychology and English majors, and assure everyone I'm doing well in life.”

Connie Blumenthal, C'90, writes, “My husband (Alan Rissberger) and I have been living in North Carolina for the past 6 years, and this past June (2001), our beautiful boy Eli was born. I have started a new job in public health at UNC, which I am enjoying a lot.”

Meeka Jun Bondy, C’90 has recently joined the AOL Time Warner Interactive Video Group as their VP, Legal Affairs. The group is starting up a new cable television service. She continues to live in New York City, with her husband, Joseph Aaron Bondy, a criminal defense lawyer, and two year old daughter, Rachel Soo Kee Bondy. They are expecting their second child in June.

Carrie Alesawski Brodwater, W'90, and Brian K. Brodwater, MD, ENG'89, proudly announce the birth of their son... Brandon Reece Brodwater - born on his mother's birthday August 24, 2001! Brandon and his two year old sister Kasey Madison are doing well. Brian Brodwater, MD continues to work as a Vascular-Interventional Radiologist for Delaney Radiologists, Pa. - a group of 20 sub-specialized radiologists practicing in Wilmington, N.C.

Todd Brody, C'90, Ellen Seiler Brody W '91, and Benjamin Brody (class of 2021?) are pleased to announce the birth of Casey Melissa, on January 3, 2002 (class of 2024?). Ellen and Todd are both attorneys in New York, Ellen works at Roberts & Holland LLP and Todd works at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

John Boschetti, EAS’90, is with First New York Securities, L.L.C., a proprietary-securities-trading and money-management firm based in New York.

Dr. Nancy Davis Brener, C’90 and Jason Brener, C’90, are delighted to announce the birth of their son, Adam Eli, on Sept. 17. He joins big sister Samantha who just turned three; the family lives in Marietta, Ga. Nancy is a research psychologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Jason is a supervisory staff attorney at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

David Brous, C’90, <dbrousjr@bellatlantic.net> e-mails, “ My wife, Catherine Rothman-Brous, and I are proud to announce the birth of our twin girls: Rachel Lauren and Julia Rose were born on Oct. 27 in New York.”

Edwin F. Chociey Jr., C’90, became a partner of the Morristown, N.J., law firm of Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti LLP in March. He concentrates his practice on commercial, employment, and health-care litigation.

Dr. Mark J. Drozdowski, C’90, received his doctorate in higher education from Harvard University in June. He is director of foundation, corporate, and government relations at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire, and lives in Massachusetts with his wife, Kristen, and his beautiful baby daughter, Julia <Penn90@yahoo.com>.

Dr. Adam Dunsby, W’90, G’92, GrW’95, and his wife, Cathy, welcomed a son, John Barriger Dunsby, on June 23 in New York; he weighed 9lbs, 5oz. His three-year-old big sister Caroline is delighted.

Amy Egger, C’90, married James Kaplan WG’96 at the Newark Club in Newark, N.J., on Oct. 28. A number of alumni joined in their celebration, including Amy’s brother and groomsman Brian Egger W’87, bridesmaid Dr. Carrie Kazinoff Brookner EAS’91 and Ted Katramados W’90, Stephanie Kontrim-Baumann C’90, Chris Sullivan Bolinger C’90, Carole Chinn WG’93, Dai Vu GEng’97, WG’00, and Tom Weber GEng’00. Amy and James live in Manhattan where she is an associate in the real estate department of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker and he is a consultant with McKinsey & Company.

Sonia Lorraine Elliott, C’90, GEd’01, <quakerfalcon@yahoo.com> e-mails, “I have just received my M.S.Ed. here at Penn’s Graduate School of Education, and after a long and wonderful career at Penn, am currently applying to doctoral programs. As the former dean of W.E.B. DuBois College House, I would like to thank everyone for their generous contributions to the endowed scholarship.”

Elizabeth Canna Fabrizi, NU'90, GNU'94, and Mark Fabrizi, GED'95, are pleased to announce the birth of their second daughter, Juliana Marie on March 16, 2002. She was welcomed home by her two-year-old sister, Olivia Rose. Elizabeth is enjoying spending some time off before returning to her position as a nurse practitioner at Planned Parenthood of Connecticut. Mark continues to love his work as a high school English teacher.

Michael Feuerman, C’90, <michaelfeuerman@attbi.com> is happy to announce that he married Marni Weiner on April 13 in Boca Raton, Fla. Alumni present were Brad Meier W’90, Reed Slogoff C’90, Jon Belmonte W’90, and Ari Horowitz C’90.

Dr. Reiko Maki Fitzsimonds, C’90, GR’95, and Patrick Fitzsimonds C’95 wish to announce the birth of their second child, Sophia Katherine, on January 11. Reiko is an assistant professor of Physiology in the Yale Medical School; Patrick will join Deutsche Bank this summer in New York City after completing a dual degree in Statistics and Management at Yale.

Sandra Ehrenpreis Flaster, C’90, e-mails, “My husband, Michael, and I are pleased to announce the birth of our son, Jason Pearce, on Nov. 20; he weighed 8lbs. 8oz. His big sister Ariel Dayna (two), is also pleased with the prospect of having ’a partner in crime.’ They are living crime-free in Tenafly, N.J. <sflaster@yahoo.com>.”

Jared Freedberg, C’90, <jfreedberg@yahoo.com> e-mails, “I wanted to announce that my wife, Rachel, and I had boy and girl twins, Matthew and Alexandra on Nov. 29, and both are doing well. Just to make my life a little more complicated, I recently joined Covance, a pharmaceutical-research firm in Princeton, N.J., as corporate counsel.”

Neil Gever, C’90, and Laura Kies Gever, C’90, e-mail, “We have left Philadelphia for Basking Ridge, N.J., and are proud to report that our daughter, Rebecca Paige (five), is learning how to swim, and our son, Gabriel Phillip, is learning how to take turns.”

Dr. David J. Glass, C’90, an associate in the family-law department with the Philadelphia law firm of Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis LLP, in June was elected to the board of the Jewish Family and Children Service of Southern New Jersey, based in Cherry Hill. He also serves on the board of the Katz Jewish Community Center of Southern New Jersey, and the ethics board at Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia. And he is a board member of Penn’s Mask and Wig Club.

Malcolm H. Glover II, C’90, married Jenean M. Palmer in Hollywood, California, on June 30.

Jen Goldstein, WEv’90, opened Bladin Action, Philadelphia’s first in-line skate shop soon after graduating. It has expanded to bike and skate rental and service centers, sports shops, and indoor and outdoor rollerblade schools (bladinaction.com). She recently unveiled her latest enterprise, Drive Sports, located across from the Art Museum on Kelly Drive. According to Jen, “if you can walk, you can roll.” She has hosted the Sportschannel’s Kidsports, Go For It, and was featured in Working Woman, Inside magazine, Philadelphia magazine, Business Philadelphia, Philadelphia Business Journal, and in the book In-Line Skating: The Ultimate How-to Guide, by Albert Fried-Cassorla.

Beth Michelman Griston, C’90, e-mails, “I have thoroughly enjoyed living in England for the last four years with my husband, Phil, and our daughter Molly, who was born on Sept. 21, 2000. Following an extended maternity leave, I decided to remain ‘a stay-at-home-mum,’ which I find extremely rewarding but more challenging than my paid work was. We will probably move back to the U.S. (Denver or California) in the spring. I would love to hear from Penn friends that I’ve lost touch with; please e-mail me at bgriston@hotmail.com.”

Michael Gruber, C’90, is a director of Taproot Ventures, an early-stage seed-investment firm that specializes in commercializing technology from both individual and institutional inventors <michael@taprootventures.com>.

Laurie Price Hasson, C’90, <runninduo@socal.rr.com> e-mails, “After leaving Penn, I got my master’s in organizational psychology from Columbia, and have been working in human resources ever since. I lived on the Upper West Side for eight years before moving to Los Angeles. My husband, Paul, a native Los Angelean, and I were married on Nov. 1, 1998. On Nov. 20, 2001, I gave birth to our first child, Jeremy Evan. I’m currently on maternity leave from my position as staffing manager with Deloitte Consulting’s West Coast practice. I’d love to hear from other alumni.”

Jeff Hellman, W’90, L’94, married Andrea Platner on Oct. 21. Alumni were well represented, including best man Marc Katz C/W’90 and maid of honor Karen Kantor C’92; also attending (and singing the “Red and the Blue”) were Gary Heller C’88, Keith Wasserstrom W’89, L’92, Anurag Bhargava EAS/W’89, Anthony Diana C/W’90, Marc Lipiner C/W’90, John Montag C’90 and Erika Miller Montag C’90, Alan Schwarz C’90, Jodi Farkas Slade C’90, Ashis Tayal C’90, Ben Wilner C’90, Julie Abraham C’91, Renee Berman W’91, Dr. Jessica Jacobson C’91, Sue Moss C/W’91, Heather Hersh C’92, and Eliza Feuerstein Schleifstein C’93. Jeff is an attorney at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York.

Dr. Pamela Freilich Hjelle, C’90, GEd’91, Gr’01, and Mark Hjelle W’91, GPU’95 announce the birth of their daughter Erica Elizabeth on May 14; she joins her two-year-old sister, Jessica. One week after delivering Erica, Hjelle received her Ph.D. in educational leadership from the Graduate School of Education.

David Kekst, C’90, e-mails, “I don’t have much to say other than that I am living happily in Los Angeles, where I am a vice president of administrative affairs at the William Morris Agency, and that my daughter, Hannah Brooke, just turned two.”

Gordon Kessler, EAS’90, his wife, Katie, and three-year-old son, Noah, are proud to announce the birth of Zachary Daniel on May 10. Gordon is a partner at the intellectual-property law firm Frommer, Lawrence and Haug in New York, and the family lives in Chappaqua <kesslergk@netscape.net>.

Heerak Christian Kim, C’90, <hck23@cam.ac.uk> was invited by the Cambridge University Korean Society (CUKS) to give a lecture for its members, so he delivered a paper, entitled New Testament Theology in the Context of the Korean Past as a Colonized People: An Examination of the Past Experience and Present Ethical Responsibility, at Darwin College in Cambridge on January 29, 2002. The paper is being revised for publication. He was also elected to the student government (for the whole University of Cambridge community, including undergraduate and graduate students) position of CUSU International Committee Academic Officer. The position will be held during the 2002-2003 academic year. In addition, he had a collection of poems, Changing Seasons: A Poetic Journey over Three Continents, published. This compilation chronicles an artistic and poetic journey over three continents, Europe (Cambridge), the Middle East (Jerusalem), and America (Providence). The poems focus on themes of love, freedom, social justice, and nature. It may be purchased at Barnes and Noble bookstores and other local bookstores. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Hebrew, Jewish, and Early Christian Studies at the University of Cambridge and resident at Jesus College, Cambridge.

Robert Kipness, C’90, and his wife, Elise, proudly announce the birth of their first child, Justin Louis Kipness, on December 7.

Frederick Kostecki, W’90, e-mails, “My wife, Kristin, and I would like to announce the birth of our second child, Katherine Elizabeth Kostecki, on Oct. 24—Katie, unless we are mad at her, then it’s Katherine Elizabeth! Mommy, Daddy, and big sister Abigail are doing fine. I’m a senior manager at Arthur Andersen LLP in St. Louis. I keep in touch with Andy Peskin W’90, Mishell Kneeland W’90, Ryan Marshall W’90, and Bryan Burdick W’90. Please e-mail me at frkostecki@aol.com.”

D. Brian Krier EAS’90, W’90, <pnbkrier@nb.net> and his wife, Patricia, announce the birth of their first child, Rachel Swan Krier, on March 30, 2001.

Helene Schwartz Landesberg, C’90, W’90, WG’95, <helene.landesberg.wg95@wharton.upenn.edu> e-mails, “My husband, Len, and I are pleased to announce the birth of our second daughter, Melanie Beth, on April 21, 2001. She and her big sister Erica are enjoying life in our new home in Roslyn, N.Y. I have decided to leave McKinsey and Company to stay at home full-time with them.”

Dr. Emmanuel Lazaridis, C’90, G’90, writes, “I have left the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center at the University of South Florida to accept a position, chief of the cancer and biostatistics unit, with the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a division of the World Health Organization. My family and I are in the process of moving to Lyon, France; we are looking forward to entering this new phase of our lives.”

Iris Lior, C’90, married Gary J. Posternack on Shelter Island in New York on July 19. “Many Penn family and friends joined us in the celebration that followed. We live in New York, where I am the senior development officer for individual gifts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Gary is a managing director in mergers and acquisitions at Lehman Brothers.”

Kelly Chock-Mao, W’90, and Francis Mao C’87 e-mail, “We are happy to announce the birth of our first son, Evan Francis Lo’ihi Mao, on Nov. 18; he was 8lbs., 15oz., 21in.—and already holding a drawing pen in his hand when born. Francis has been promoted to senior vice president for IDG Games Media Group, publisher of GamePro magazine, the world’s largest multiplatform video-gaming magazine. He has also launched the GamePro Presents line of action figures and vehicles, on sale nationwide this summer.”

Fabio E. Marino, ENG’90, joined the law firm of McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen, LLP in its Silicon Valley office as a partner in its Intellectual Property Practice Group. Mr. Marino represents domestic and foreign clients in all aspects of intellectual property law, including intellectual property litigation and patent prosecution. He has extensive technical expertise in the areas of e-commerce and Internet-related technologies; computer networks; software engineering; computer architecture; digital circuit design; parallel computing; 3-D graphics and animation; medical imaging; and artificial intelligence. He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Before entering the legal profession, Marino worked as software consultant and system architect in the area of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Graphical User Interface (GUI) design and development for several clients including American Express and Pacific Bell.

Aaron Marks, C’90, W’90, <aejmarks@aol.com> and Elaine Brichta Marks, C’91, are proud to announce the birth of their son, Benjamin Howard, on Nov. 29; he was welcomed home by big brother Jared (three). The family lives in Scarsdale, N.Y.

Dr. Michelle L. Mayer, Nu’90, <michelle_ mayer@unc.edu> and her husband, Dr. Bill Steinbach, welcomed their son, Aidan William, on Dec. 16, 2000. “He got an early start (five weeks early) and weighed 4lbs., 7oz. He’s done very well and holds his own with big sister, Amelia Grace (two).” The family moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Durham, N.C., in June. Michelle is a research associate at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC.

Christine Messina, C’90, worked for 11 years in advertising as a media account manager on the Taco Bell account. She received an MBA from Fordham University in 1996. Currently married with an 18 month old daughter and another on the way. Also currently in school for a Master’s in Secondary Education/Mathematics.

Lara Simmons Nichols, C'90, and husband Steve Nichols are pleased to announce the birth of Isabel Simmons Nichols on April 25, 2002 weighing 8lbs., 14oz., and 20.5in. Isabel joins big sister Caroline who turned two on June 15, 2002. Lara is assistant general counsel for Duke Energy Corporation.

Raymond M. Phillips, W'90, and his wife Lyenochka M. Djakov, C’91 are happy to announce the birth of their first child, Anya Marguerite Djakov Phillips, in September, 2001. Becoming parents has been a miraculous experience for both! September also marked the start of Ray's company, Phillips Renovation, a dream he has had since being in the Navy. Lyen continues her work as the Director of the local rape crisis center in Columbus, Ohio.

Steven Powell, EAS’90, <smpowell@parker.com> e-mails, “Nora and I are happy to announce the birth of our daughter, Grace Kathyrn; she arrived Nov. 7 and weighed in at 8lbs. 2oz. Her brothers Morgan (four) and Evan (two) welcome the new arrival and competition for attention. I hope all is well with my East Coast friends and classmates.”

Jonathan Press, C’90, was promoted in June to vice president of marketing partnerships for the National Basketball Association in New York. He joined the NBA from SFX, where he served as senior account director in the corporate-consulting division.

Dr. Joy Pretcher, C’90, G’91, M’97, e-mails, “In the last 10 years I rebelliously changed my name (from Eiseman), finished my MSc. in anthropology at Penn, graduated from Penn Med, and just finished a long, but fantastic ob-gyn residency at Chicago Lying-In/University of Chicago Hospitals. I am now about to start my career back in Philadelphia, on the faculty at MCP Hahnemann’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. I will miss Chicago very much, but I am really excited about my new job, coming home—and simply being out of training. For anyone interested in catching up, please e-mail me <jpretcher@hotmail.com>.”

Rafi Reguer, C’90, <Rafi_Reguer@trackdata.com> and his wife, Lori, proudly announce the birth of their first child, Jeremy William Reguer, on March 26.

Donald Sabino, C’90, in October was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame of the Pennington School, in Pennington, N.J. At Penn he played lightweight football.

Dr. George Shanno, C’90, <georgeshanno@hotmail.com> e-mails, “My wife, Lucy C. Minett Shanno, C’97, and I just had our first child, Hugh James Minett Shanno, in April. Last year I completed a residency in neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University, and finished a neurovascular surgery fellowship there in June. Lucy is pursuing a Ph.D. in music theory at Penn, and is currently working on her dissertation. This summer we will move to Portland, Ore., where I will join Northwest Surgical Specialists.”

Adam Sherr, C’90, GEd’98, and his wife, Sarah Jayne Walters Sherr, Nu’98, GNu’01, are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Alexa Faith Sherr, on April 2 at 2:16 p.m. at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania; she weighed 8lbs., 3.8oz. “Mother, baby, and father are all doing fine, and Alexa will fill out her application to Penn for the Class of 2024 shortly. Pictures of her can be found at pobox.upenn.edu/~sherr.baby and the Sherr family can be reached at sherr@pobox.upenn.edu.”

Elaine F. Stein, C’90, W’90, was promoted in January to partner in the New York office of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP; her practice focuses on corporate finance and mergers & acquisitions <efstein@orrick.com>.

Erin Striff, C’90, writes, “The Penn English program at King’s College, London, has a lot to answer for: I went on the exchange in 1990 and, 11 years later, I’m still in Britain. I moved to Wales, married an Englishman, got my Ph.D. in English, and have been teaching drama at the University of Glamorgan. I’ve been directing, writing, and adapting plays, and took one to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1999. My most exciting production, however, is the birth of our daughter, Megan Elisabeth Striff-Cave, on July 22. In early January the family is moving to Connecticut, where I’ve got a job as an assistant professor of English at the University of Hartford, Alex will begin an MBA, and Megan will enter daycare. I would love to hear from any old friends at estriff@yahoo.com.”

Allison Cannady-Smith, W’90, and husband Greg (University of Illinois), announce the arrival of their newest blessing, Gregory Robert Smith, III. Weighing in at 8lbs., 9oz., Gregory already has begun preparing for his future role as starring Quaker quarterback, Class of 2024. Gregory joins big sister Amanda Nicole, Class of 2020.

Lee Spiegler, W’90, e-mails, “I recently joined eCollege, a provider of distance and on-campus online learning, as general counsel. I live in Colorado with my wife, Susie, our two boys, Jake and Hayden, and our 100lb. golden retriever, Dillon.”

Gil Vogel, EE’90, W’90, and Joanne Vogel are proud to announce the birth of their son, Jordan Benjamin, on Dec. 8. Gil is a partner with Accenture and lives near St. Louis.

Jeff Wolf, EAS’90, was appointed vice president of worldwide sales for Ubicom, Inc., a Mountain View, Calif., provider of Internet processors and networking software. Previously he was vice president of consumer product marketing for LSI Logic Corp.

Jennifer Zosa, C’90, GEd’91, <Zos222@aol.com> e-mails, “I am a proud five-time Ironman Triathlon finisher, most recently competing in Ironman Florida in November and Ironman Lake Placid in July. I am also very excited about my acceptance into medical school: in the fall, I will embark upon my journey towards becoming a physician at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. In the meantime, I plan to test my skills as an adventure racer—and hopefully remain in one piece to write about it.”