Featured Classmate:  Mark Gants

        

Mark Gants and his wife, Rebecca, currently live in Kansas City, and have called Missouri home for most of their marriage—that is, when Mark has not been operating on a bear at the Baghdad Zoo in Iraq or tending to food safety for US troops, public health, zoonotic disease control, and oversight of tactical veterinary units in Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and other places around the world.  Mark earned his BA in Biology from UMSL and his Master’s in Microbiology and his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Mizzou.  While at Mizzou, he was commissioned via ROTC and later served as a platoon leader in Vietnam.  While in Vet school, Mark joined a veterinary unit of the Army Reserves, which he left after graduating.  Mark opened a private veterinary practice in Blue Springs, Missouri and later re-joined the reserves.  As a reservist, Mark was deployed to Desert Storm; participated in several medical missions to Central and South America; was part of exercises in Germany, Korea, and Egypt; served in Kosovo; was promoted to Colonel; joined an active unit; and was deployed to Iraq twice as the theater veterinary consultant and helped reconstruct the Baghdad Veterinary College.  While in Iraq, Mark’s translator was an Iraqi veterinarian.  Mark initiated the process to get the Iraqi and his family out of Iraq—they now live in Alexandria, VA.  Mark earned a number of medals while in the service before retiring in 2008.  He now has an emergency veterinary practice in North Kansas City and continues to be amazed at the situations animals and their owners get themselves into.  Mark enjoys reading, a good game of chess, fly fishing, staying in shape, and last but not least, “keeping my wife happy after she’s allowed me to go on my various adventures.”  Mark and Rebecca are proud of their three children—Mark (IV) is a software engineer in Hamburg, Germany and recently married a German national, but they expect to return to the US; Megan is completing her Master’s of Social Work degree and was married in 2009; and Kaitlin is beginning her course work for a nursing degree.

Featured Classmate:  Judy Becker Plocker

        

Judy Becker Plocker lives in St. Louis with Stan, her husband of over four decades—as Judy says, “Can you believe it—42 years?”  She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Washington University.  After graduating, Judy taught at the Cerebral Palsy Association until she had her first child, Sara, who was followed two years later by Andy.  When the children were young, Judy taught pre-school part time at the Temple Israel Nursery School.  When they were older, Judy got her real estate license and has worked as a residential real estate agent ever since.  Sara and Andy live in the Chicago area.  In 2005, Andy and his wife, Amy, blessed Judy and Stan with twin grandchildren, Jordan and Gracie.  Judy has been physically active all her life—for many years she was a runner and now loves to walk every day, hike when she can, and take exercise classes at the Jewish Community Center.  Judy also loves movies, plays, reading, and gardening.  She has been active in the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival for many years, and this year is its chairperson.  Judy also makes time to volunteer at the Jewish Food Pantry each week and is on a committee at her synagogue to plan programming about Israel—it is helpful that she has been to Israel twice.  Judy has also traveled to Costa Rica, London, Paris, and Italy as well as having traveled extensively around the United States.  Judy wants all of her classmates to know how much she enjoys getting together with them as frequently as possible—renewing old friendships and making new friends.

Featured Classmate:  Carol Enger Canis

        

Carol Enger Canis and her husband, Bruce, work together, travel together, and grandparent together.  Carol majored in Psychology and earned her Bachelor’s in Education from Mizzou.  She has also earned her Agent and Broker’s licenses for both life and health insurance.  Carol began her work career teaching third and fourth grades, moved to substitute teaching, and did private tutoring with children from all grades.  She began selling insurance 25 years ago, working for the same company as Bruce.  She specializes in long term care insurance and medicare supplements.  Carol and Bruce were fixed up by classmate Helene London Rothman.  They have two children, Rachel and Randy, and Carol loves to babysit for their three grandchildren, Halley, Evan, and Erin, ranging in ages from nine down to two.  Along with working and helping with the grandchildren, Carols stays busy with other activities.  At one time she was a high-level tennis player, but now stays fit by walking or taking water aerobic classes almost every day.  As her friends and family know, Carol also frequently exercises her sense of humor.  She loves art and art museums, and she and Bruce love classical music and attending symphony performances.  They are supporters of both the St. Louis Art Museum and St. Louis Symphony.  Carol and Bruce travel extensively—the list of destinations throughout Europe and North America is long and growing, and they have been on eight cruises.  Her travel dreams are to visit Israel and see the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.  Carol is looking forward to cutting back on her work hours in the near future—it is time to “smell the roses,” but it seems she does a pretty good job of that already.

Featured Classmate:  Susan Dulsky Hammer

        

Susan Dulsky Hammer and her husband, Steve, live in Kansas City, where Susan has been since being based there as a TWA flight attendant in the late 60s.  She attended Florissant Valley Junior College for a year before starting training with TWA and earned her Bachelor’s in Business (Marketing) with a minor in Psychology in 1984 from Avila College.  Between Florissant Valley and Avila, Susan met and married Steve, worked for IBM in their Accounts Receivable Department, and gave birth to and reared Brian, Marc, and Daniel.  When she graduated and the children were older, Susan worked for a couple of Kansas City marketing firms, then worked in her in-laws’ business, where Steve has worked since 1962.  She now enjoys the flexibility of part-time work at Halls, a luxury department store owned by the family that founded Hallmark cards; allowing her to spend time with her many friends, who form a combination of book club and social club.  Susan’s three sons are married and have given her six grandchildren, four girls and two boys, with whom she spends as much time as possible—trips to the library, zoo, puppet shows, the park, and any number of children’s events around town.  She is looking forward to getting involved in her grand-twin’s Hebrew Day School when they start kindergarten next year.  An avid reader, Susan frequently has one book she is reading and one audio book that she is listening to while doing things around the house or driving.  Susan has a passion for cooking and trying new recipes—she has even put together a collection of her favorites in a cookbook titled “Nonnie’s Favorites,” a labor of love that took three years to complete—she is working on a second cookbook.  Over the past year, Susan has been taking classes to learn how to create great memory books for family and friends and has made over 20 books.  Three generations of the Hammer family enjoy their lake house in the Ozarks and the skiing, boating, fishing, and general revelry that come with it.  Susan and Steve love to cruise and have been to the Mediterranean, the Bahamas, Canada, Tahiti, and throughout Asia.  They are looking forward to an Israeli trip next year.  Susan enjoys reaching out to classmates, recognizing that life is precious, and she wants to miss no opportunities to connect with those she cares about.

Featured Classmate:  Gary Fischer

        

Dr. Gary Fischer calls Greensboro, North Carolina home, or does he?  Gary earned his Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and his MD from the University of Missouri.  After a two-year internal medicine residency at Mizzou, Gary spent four years in a Radiology residency at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.  He and his wife, Ellen (Ellen Levey, Clayton), who have now been married more than four decades, fell in love with North Carolina and decided to stay.  Gary joined a small radiology practice that has grown in size, geography, and technology.  He is now semi-retired, working two to three days per week.  Gary and Ellen celebrate their children and grandchildren.  Their daughter, Jeanne, has a doctorate in music and a faculty position at her alma mater, UNC.  She and her husband, Mike, have a one-year old, Will, and live close-by in Chapel Hill.  Their daughter, Liz, practices acupuncture and Chinese medicine and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, David, and their four-year old, Ezra.  Their son, Scott, is in graduate school in psychology in San Francisco.  Gary and Ellen visit their West Coast family often.  While working part-time, Gary is also busy, and has been for 14 years, with his passion—he is a glass artist, specializing in Judaic glass, mainly Mezzuzot and challah and seder plates.  He and Ellen are also passionate Tar Heel basketball fans, having attended virtually every home game and three final four’s over 30 years; one of the tournaments was in St. Louis.  Gary volunteers, especially in the Jewish community and is currently President of the Greensboro Jewish Federation.  Despite being well-established in Greensboro, Gary remains a die-hard Cardinals fan and finds when he gets off of a plane at Lambert Field, he knows he is back “home.”

Featured Classmate:  M. J. Savoy
In Memoriam

David Nemon builds buildings, but more importantly, has built a family and a career.  David started college at Mizzou, before transferring to the University of Kansas for its architectural program.  He earned his Architecture degree in 1971 and worked for several firms in St. Louis before 1974, when two important things happened.  He married Suzie and they moved to Houston, where they still live.  David worked for several architectural firms in Houston until 1997, when he started his own firm that specializes in designing tenant spaces for franchises.  He has designed over 450 Marble Slab Creamery stores around the country and over 60 Quiznos stores around Texas.  At one time, David was registered as an architect in 26 states.  In addition, he is now doing design work for Dunkin Donuts.  David and Suzie, who is a real estate broker who owns her own company, have two children.  Lisa was recently married to Justin, and they live in Chicago.  Jeffrey lives in Los Angeles and is working for an agency and writing a screenplay, having graduated from the film school at USC.  When not building stores, David is building model cars, a boyhood hobby that he rediscovered when introducing it to Jeffrey as he was growing up.  David also “plays” with his larger model car, a fully-restored 1957 2-door Chevy hardtop.  David is an avid Kansas Jayhawk basketball fan and is trying to get tickets to next year’s Final Four, which will be in Houston, hoping Kansas will be there.  But like many who leave St. Louis, David also remains an avid Cardinals fan, rehashing games and stats daily with fellow Houston classmate, Lenny Koblenz, classmate Mark Glickman, and classmate Arleen Bly’s husband, Howard.  David has also reestablished close connections with other classmates through the Yahoo Group, went on the first class cruise, and is grateful that Suzie feels accepted as an honorary classmate.  In his spare time, David volunteers for the University of Kansas prospective student recruitment and loves to listen to and sing along with the oldies—David is not bashful in front of a karaoke microphone.

Featured Classmate:  Rick Golubock

          

Rick Golubock is never too old to play the game.  Rick earned his Bachelor’s in Marketing and his Masters in Business Administration, both from the University of Missouri-Columbia.  He began work with Famous-Barr in St. Louis, then moved to Kansas City to take a job with Wilson Sporting Goods, where he held a number of positions, including national accounts manager for their golf division and national sales manager.  After working for another company after Wilson, Rick started up his own company, a direct mail advertising business, which he sold in the late 90s.  He moved to the commercial floor-covering business and still works in that industry today.  Rick still lives in Kansas City, with his wife, Pam.  His two sons are both computer engineers and live in Northern California.  Scott and his wife, Traci, have given Rick two grandchildren, three-year old Mia and two-year old Caden.  Rick’s second son, Jason, has returned to school to get his PhD in cognitive science.  Rick has been playing baseball since the very beginnings of senior baseball in 1988.  He plays in a local league in Kansas City and travels to Fort Myers, Florida every November to play in a tournament that draws teams from all over the country.  Rick and Pam have a house and boat on Lake Pomme de Terre, about tw0 hours from Kansas City.  They spend summer weekends there relaxing, reading, and listening to the oldies.  Rick visits his grandchildren a couple of times each year and also joins his sons in an annual skiing trip, usually in the Lake Tahoe area.  Playing baseball and enjoying life—Rick will never be too old to play the game.

Featured Classmate:  Barbara Rostenberg Sandmel

        

Barbara Rostenberg Sandmel’s e-mail address, not surprisingly, is FrenchTchr@aol.com.  Barbara earned her Bachelor’s in Education, majoring in English and French, from the University of Missouri-Columbia; graduating in 3-1/2 years.  After a semester of graduate school at Mizzou, she transferred to Washington University, where she earned her Master’s in French.  Barbara taught French for seven years at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and French and English at Hazelwood Central High School for 24 years, before retiring in 2000.  She continues to teach French—for 15 years, she has taught a basic conversational class through the St. Louis Community College Continuing Education program, which, by the way, meets at University City High School.  In 1968, Barbara married Harold Sandmel, twin brother of Sheldon, husband of classmate Michele Leon Sandmel.  Harold passed away in 1998.  Barbara and Harold had two sons.  Jeremy is a senior programming manager for Apple and helped direct the graphic software development for the iPhone and new iPad.  Jonathan, who owns his own software repair and computer sales company, lives in Santa Fe with his wife, Katie, and Barbara’s granddaughter, Ariel.  Barbara visits Ariel and her family frequently.  She has also traveled extensively outside the country—her French teaching resulted in 20 trips to France, many guiding students and adults, with side trips throughout Europe.  She and her companion, Frank Enger, classmate Carol Enger Canis’ cousin, traveled to Israel in 2006.  Barbara has been involved with the St. Louis-Lyon Sister City program, and has hosted visiting adults from Lyon.  For the past several years, she has worked at classmate Allan Feinberg’s gift shop, Ambiance.  In her spare time, Barbara enjoys gardening, reading, and playing mah jongg.  Barbara Sandmel—French Teacher and more.

Featured Classmate:  Mike Fleischmann

        

Many of us see Mike Fleischmann’s work every day.  Mike earned both his Bachelor’s in Journalism and his Master of Arts in Design from the University of Missouri-Columbia.  During graduate school he worked at the Mizzou Medical Center in lieu of being drafted, having been granted conscientious objector status.  He also worked at Mizzou’s University Theater, helping build and paint sets as well as appearing in a few productions.  Mike worked for a short time at a Clayton public relations firm, doing graphic design for ads and animation for promotional films before moving to New York City to work for an animation studio.  When business fell off and Mike was let go, it turned out to be a great opportunity—shortly thereafter, he was hired as a graphic designer for NBC and has been there for 25 years.  Mike started doing graphics on Nightly News, did an animated gag for Conan O’Brien, and has worked on the Today Show ever since (see his recent photo with Ann Curry).  He has developed animated weather graphics for Al Roker and other graphics for the show, including map animations, over-the-shoulder news graphics, and animations for books, CDs, and magazines among other things.  In 1988, Mike met Gaby Katz from Mexico City and they were married a year later.  They have two daughters, Hannah, a sophomore at Macalester College and Laura, a high school senior who will attend Clark University in the fall.  Mike’s hobbies also display his creative side.  He loves photography, especially stereo, and what are called “anaglyphs,” 3D photos viewed through red-green glasses—visit abdownload.free.fr to see his anaglyph work, identified by his nickname, “Flash.”  Mike also enjoys music, collects 78’s, mostly old jazz, and plays the piano, ukulele, guitar, recorder, and mandolin.  He is a member of Mensa, which Gaby thinks is funny, given that “mensa” in Spanish means “stupid.”  Mike has traveled extensively—most recently making frequent trips to Mexico City to visit with his wife’s family.

Featured Classmate:  Harold Sanger

        

Harold Sanger has been active with his family, in the business community, and in local government.  Harold and his wife, Diane, are understandably proud of the family they have built.  Their three children, Whitney, Stefanie, and Bryan share four undergraduate degrees and four post-graduate degrees.  Whitney, who manages construction projects for the U.S. Government, and her husband live in Arlington, Virginia and, last fall, gave Diane and Harold their first grandchild, Toby.  Bryan is an Assistant Circuit Attorney for the City of St. Louis, and Stefanie has built a successful Chiropractic practice in St. Louis.  Stefanie recently became engaged to Bryce Woollen, nephew of our late classmate, Deborah Poore Storch.  After a short time at Mizzou, working for the original McDonnell Aircraft Co., and a stint in the Missouri Air National Guard, Harold earned his Bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State, where he roomed much of the time with classmate, Allan Markovitz. He went from SEMO to Memphis State University for an MBA in Marketing.  Between college and beginning to build a career, Harold lived on a kibbutz and spent a spring and summer backpacking around Israel and motorcycling through Italy.  When he returned to St. Louis, Harold went to work in Sales for the Chrysler Corporation.  After moving several times and marrying Diane in 1976, Harold and she decided that frequent moves and being in Detroit for the long-term was not for them.  They returned to St. Louis, where Harold joined Diane’s father and brother in their flooring business.  When the successful business was sold in 2002, Harold stayed on as the President through 2008, when he semi-retired.  Harold and his family enjoy their second home in Naples, Florida; he enjoys his ’79 Corvette T-Top; and he enjoys government service.  Harold has been active in Clayton City Government since 1988, first as a Committee Member on the Board of Adjustments and then as an Alderman from 1993 to 2002.  Since then, Harold has been Chairman of the Clayton Planning and Zoning Commission.  He has pursued getting involved in Missouri State politics and may do so again.  Harold sums up his life experiences with the Frank Sinatra lyrics, “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.”

Featured Classmate:  Ilene Weinstein Novack

        

Ilene Weinstein Novack has dedicated her life to her family and her community.  She has been married to classmate Steve Novack for 42 years; and, this year, they will be celebrating 50 years of togetherness.  Ilene has been baking Steve the same valentine cookies since they were 14 years old.  Ilene earned her Bachelor’s in Education degree from the University of Missouri at St. Louis before moving on to a six-year teaching career, five of which were in the Chicago area.  She moved to Chicago in 1969 when Steve entered law school and has lived there ever since.  When she had her first of four children, Ilene moved from full-time teaching to full-time child rearing and full-time volunteering.  Most of her extensive volunteer efforts have been focused on the Jewish Community.  As part of her work with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, Ilene served on its board for eight years and was President and Campaign Vice President of the Women’s Division.  Presently, Ilene is a member of the National Women’s Philanthropy Board.  She is also a trans-generational trustee of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Chicago.  Over the years she has participated on many other boards and has served as president of the local PTA.  Ilene has much to be proud of with regards to her philanthropy, but her pride in her family is far greater.  She and Steve have four children and six grandchildren, ages five and under.  She considers herself lucky that all of their children have settled in the Chicago area and are exceptionally close.  Ilene and Steve have a second home in Frisco Colorado – a very casual and laid-back mountain town.  They spend a few weeks there in the winter, but Ilene’s greatest joy is living there in the summer months where they enjoy hiking, biking, and the many summer festivals.  They recently hosted a Novack, Tenzer, Golubock, Spector mini reunion, where these activities were enjoyed by all.  Ilene has traveled extensively; frequently to Israel, but also to Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and many other countries in western and eastern Europe.  Ilene Weinstein Novack, mother, philanthropist, traveler.

Featured Classmate:  Debbie Brownstein Pulley

    

Debbie Brownstein Pulley’s life in St. Louis is one of family, creativity, and friends.  Debbie attended classes at the University of Missouri of St. Louis and Washington University, actually sharing a psychology professor with her daughter, Stephanie, albeit 20-plus years apart.  Debbie comes from a very creative family and applies her creativity to her needle pointing, calligraphy, raising orchids, and cooking, in which she highly values presentation.  Debbie is also an avid gardener, an interest she shares with her husband, Dave.  Despite all of these creative outlets, Debbie is justifiably most proud of the family she built, rearing five exceptional daughters to be fine women.  Her oldest four daughters, Stephanie (43), Jennifer (39), Kimberlie (37), and Emilie (34) have made Debbie a grandmother of 12, ranging in ages from two to 15.  Her youngest daughter, Jessica (29) is studying to be a teacher.  Debbie began a career in banking when she was 50, now working with PNC Bank Wealth Management Group, and is proud to have received a promotion at 63 years young.  Debbie has traveled extensively across America and beyond, including having been on the class cruise to Canada.  She and Dave recently returned from a trip to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.  When at home, Debbie is surrounded and cherished by good friends, many whose friendships have been for a lifetime.  Debbie’s spirit is captured in her belief in the future, “The best is yet to come.”  Debbie Brownstein Pulley—family, creativity, and friends.

Featured Classmate:  Ellen Smith Rich

        

Ellen Smith Rich delayed her education, working as a secretary and executive secretary for many years.  She had lost both of her parents at age 19 and was unable to attend college immediately.  But that did not keep her from eventually earning both graduate and post-graduate degrees.  Ellen met her husband, Bill, when on a date with someone else.  They were married in 1969 and proudly celebrated anniversary 41 in March.  They moved to Minneapolis shortly after being married, where Ellen worked in sales for Texas Instruments.  They moved to Dallas and, with the exception of an 18-month stint in Wichita, Kansas, have been there ever since.  Ellen and Bill have two children, Beth, 31, who is Senior Registered Client Associate for Wells Fargo Advisors in Beverly Hills, and Jason, 27, who is a software engineer in Dallas.  Ellen began college when the children were young, earning her Bachelors in Psychology and Masters in Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas.  She worked as an Early Intervention Specialist with babies 0-3 and their families, and then she taught preschool children with developmental delays and/or health issues.  Ellen also helped start a respite program for children, so their parents could have some time alone without having to worry about the children having competent, loving care.  Ellen is retired, but has not gone far from her working roots—she volunteers at a new organization that works with parents and children of at-risk families.  She also volunteers as the Service Chair of her local decorative painting chapter.  Her painting hobby has helped her make new friends all over the country as she travels for seminars, workshops, and conferences.  Ellen and Bill also travel to the West Coast every couple of months to visit with Beth, who moved to Los Angeles last year.

Featured Classmate:  Judy Elbom Cameron

        

Judy Elbom Cameron describes herself as a “free-spirit,” and has a motto to match her spontaneous personality, “never buy green bananas.”  She values living each day as it were to be her last.  Judy has had too many jobs to list them all—one year her W-2’s “looked like the Yellow Pages.”  She has, for example; waitressed in a sports bar, serving beers to Sybil Shepard and Peter Bogdanovitch; done female birth control pill research work for Masters and Johnson; was a receptionist for Site Oil Company; and was the Assistant Property Manager for several large St. Louis apartment complexes, including Beau Jardin and Canterbury Gardens.  In the previous ten years, Judy sold massage chairs and other innovative health products at trade shows all over the country, a job that was a wonderful and interesting life experience.  Family is vitally important to Judy.  She feels blessed that her parents will celebrate their 65th anniversary this May.  Judy also feels blessed that her children (son Mitch, daughter-in-law Heather, and daughter Jaime) and grandchildren (Kai and Angie) live near her in San Diego.  Judy is an avid photographer, seldom leaving home without her digital camera in her purse.  She also loves movies, gardening, gambling, beach walks, flea markets, traveling, and her dogs (lab Mokie and pug Kobe).  In retirement, Judy also volunteers at a Senior Retirement Residence, where her “good friends are 92 to 96 years young,” and at a thrift shop.  Judy has traveled extensively for both business and pleasure, and she has been a frequenter of U City ’64 mini-reunions in Las Vegas, Dallas, New York, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Dana Point, and St. Louis—and looks forward to many more.  Judy says she has a guest room waiting for any classmate wanting to visit San Diego.

Featured Classmate:  Marc Tenzer

        

Marc Tenzer lives in St. Louis, where he is a business owner and active community member.  Marc earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Missouri-St Louis, where he played college basketball with classmate Steve Novack.  Marc also joined ROTC on campus, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, and joined the Army.  He spent one of his two years in the service in Vietnam, where he procured construction materials, school supplies, and other supplies needed for local development.  Since returning from the service, Marc has owned Leader Manufacturing Company, which manufactures headwear for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Postal Workers, among others.  Marc’s community activities have included being on the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Jewish Community Center and Chairman of the St. Louis Senior Olympics.  He is currently the Chairman of the St. Louis Jewish Sports Hall of Fame event.  Marc is an avid reader and an even more avid sports fan.  He is also active physically, working out virtually every day, either at the JCC or running outdoors.  Marc and his wife, Elaine, enjoy traveling as evidenced by a recent trip to Israel, which followed closely behind a U City ’64 mini-reunion in Colorado with Steve Novack, Ilene Weinstein Novack, Marc Golubock, and Alan Spector with respective spouses.  Marc also enjoys his children, Lindsay and Michael, and his stepchildren, Meredith and Andrew.  One other family connection—Marc is classmate Alan Spector’s stepbrother.

Featured Classmate:  Channah Yaffe Sauer

        

Channah Yaffe Sauer, known as Anna in high school, has had a diverse life with regards to where she has lived, what she has done for a living, and how her family has grown.  Channah attended the University of Missouri-St. Louis before transferring to Brooklyn College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree.  When she married her husband, Moshe, they first lived in Baltimore, where Moshe joined the Army as a chaplain.  The Army stationed the Sauers in Fort Hamilton, New York, Fort Riley, Kansas, Baumholder, Germany, and Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.  After the service, they lived in St. Louis, Cincinnati, St. Louis again, and finally returned to Baltimore, where they have now been for 33 years.  Along the way, Channah worked for the Social Security Administration doing claims authorization, taught Talmud Torah in St. Louis, started a successful construction site cleaning service with a partner, and, most recently helped her son in his alarm business.  She is now retired.  Channah and Moshe traveled the world and built their careers.  They also built a family—a big family—six children (four who live nearby in Baltimore, one in New York and one in Detroit) and 32 grandchildren (the oldest who is 17; the youngest who is seven months).  Channah has also found time to chair many fundraisers at her children’s schools.  Channah and Moshe frequently travel to Israel, and in recent years, have also been to Rome, Venice, Madrid, London, Moscow, and Alaska.

Featured Classmate:  Lynne Marshak Schrum

        

Lynne Marshak Schrum has spent her career making a difference in education.  She earned her BS in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University, her Masters in Special Education (Learning Disabilities) from the University of Evansville, and her PhD in Curriculum & Instruction and Educational Technology from the University of Oregon.  Lynne earned the PhD after teaching special education in California for ten years, during which time she became hooked on educational technology.  Over the last 20 years, she has been a Professor at the University of Georgia, the University of Utah, and now George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where she teaches research classes and is Coordinator of the Elementary and Secondary Education Programs at GMU.  Over the 20 years, Lynne has written a number of books, among them being Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools and Leading 21st Century Schools.  In her rare spare professional time, Lynne edits The Journal of Research on Technology in Education for her professional organization, for which she is also a past-president.  Lynne’s two daughters and their families are as close and as far from her as they can get.  Her daughter, Marcy, and husband live in Saudi Arabia, where they are international teachers.  Daughter Kelly lives nearby and is also a Professor at George Mason.  Happily, Lynne’s two granddaughters, Cassie and Josie, are in Fairfax.  Lynne is no stranger to travel, some for pleasure, some for lecturing and consulting—she has been to all the continents except Antarctica, but still dreams of cruising there.  Her most exciting trips have been to Kathmandu, Abu Dhabi, and the USSR (where she actually accosted Soviet police; but that is a story for another time).  She loves sailing, kayaking, walking, swimming, supporting liberal politics, attending live theater and concerts, and volunteering for social organizations.  Lynne looks forward to a time when she can attend a class reunion, but for now would love to have a mini-reunion with classmates in the D.C. area; just get in touch with her.

Featured Classmate:  Mark Glickman

        

Mark Glickman recently moved to Orlando, Florida to be close to Jeff, who is both Mark’s son and best friend, and Jeff’s family, including grandson, Zack, who like his grandfather, loves baseball and hockey.  Mark earned his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  He went to work for J.C. Penney out of college, but soon left to become a partner with a St. Louis textiles agent.  In 1973, Mark jumped at an opportunity to move to Miami, where he started his own textile and trimming firm.  He has lived in Florida and owned his own business ever since.  Between Miami and Orlando, Mark lived in Davie, Florida, where he hosted a class mini-reunion in January 2009.  Mark loves to travel, especially to Italy, where he and his wife, Jean, go every other year.  Mark also travels on business to Columbia, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic.  He is still an avid sports fan and has taken up swimming to take the pressure off bad knees, which have confined him to being a spectator for most sports.  Mark is an active member of the class Yahoo! Group and can offer insights in Spanish when appropriate.  Although Mark has lived in Florida for so long, he is still a prominent member of the Cardinals nation and would be glad to talk Cardinal baseball with anyone who will join him.

Featured Classmate:  Nina Brewer

        

Nina Brewer lives in St. Louis and has done so several times.  In between, she has lived all over the country, in Brazil, and on a special ship.  While still in high school, Nina began her long history of helping others, participating in numerous service projects through the Girl Scouts.  After taking the one-semester psychology course offered at U City, she volunteered to be a candy-striper at St. Louis State Hospital, convincing the volunteer coordinator to accept her, even though she was not yet the required 16 years old.  Nina earned her degree from St. Louis University, double-majoring in psychology and special education.  While at SLU, she worked part-time as a receptionist at a nearby convent and traveled to rural Mexico to do projects for the American Field Service.  Nina joined the Peace Corps after college, adding Portuguese to her language skills and went to Brazil to teach public health in small communities.  She also worked at a maternity hospital and became a mid-wife and surgical nurse.  When Nina returned to St. Louis, she became a special education teacher in Wentzville.  A Peace Corps friend recruited Nina away from teaching to become a crew member of the hospital ship HOPE, where she returned to Brazil as Director of the Shore Clinic.  Nina returned to St. Louis for a short time before moving to Albuquerque to help a friend who was ill.  While there, she worked for the State, met and married her husband, earned her Master’s degree, and began work on her Doctorate.  She and her husband subsequently moved to Washington, D.C., Alameda, California, and back to Albuquerque.  Through this period, Nina worked as a Project Director at Goodwill Industries, a Clinical Program Manager at a residential brain injury facility, and a training specialist for a rehab business.  In 2001, Nina suffered a minor stroke, retired on disability, and moved back to St. Louis to be closer to a family support system.  Since then, she has struggled with a series of medical issues, but has maintained an indomitable spirit and good humor.  She still spends her time helping others—volunteering at a downtown soup kitchen and at other places where there are people in need.  She also helps classmate Barbara Romero in her picture framing business.

Featured Classmate:  Ron Unell

        

Ron Unell retired in 2008 from a long and successful career as a Certified Public Accountant.  After earning his degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Ron began working with a Big-8 firm, but soon decided corporate politics were not for him.  He moved to a smaller firm, but soon decided working for someone else was not for him.  Ron hung out his own shingle and grew his firm for 30 years; enjoying and nurturing the personal relationships he built with his clients, some of whom were high school classmates.  Ron continues to support the firm’s partners, providing consulting advice, but the bulk of his time is spent in non-business retirement pursuits.  Ron is an avid Cardinals fan, attending as many games each year as he can.  He is a prolific reader; mostly using his Kindle e-book reader.  He has three passions, however, that he pursues most intently.  One is playing golf, which he has done seemingly all of his life, following in his father’s footsteps.  Ron is also passionate about children and has recently joined the Board of Directors of the St. Louis non-profit “Caring for Kids.”  Ron is married to his third and greatest passion, classmate Elaine Levin Unell, who joins him at Cardinals games, on the golf course, and at frequent social activities with friends and family.  Ron’s son, Aaron, lives in St. Louis and with wife, Gwen, has blessed Ron with two grandchildren, Sallie and Lindy.  Ron’s daughter, Amy, lives and works in Chicago.  Ron is also a great father to Elaine’s daughters, Angela and Robin.  Family, friends, golf, children, grandchildren, Cardinals—Ron Unell.

Featured Classmate:  Marsha Weltman Field
In Memoriam

        

When Marsha Weltman Field passed away in February 2009, she had created a legacy of family, friends, and caring.  Marsha earned a Master’s of Arts in Education from Washington University, a second Master’s in Dance/Movement Therapy from the University of California at Los Angeles, and her PhD in Psychology from the University of Southern California.  After working as a dance/movement therapist at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, Marsha opened a private practice.  Former patients attended Marsha’s funeral and could not tell the family enough about how Marsha had helped them through tough times, changing the course of their lives.  Marsha and her husband, Mick, a self-employed computer programmer, have a daughter, Jennifer, who is studying at the University of Michigan and is planning to spend next semester in Perth, Australia.  Jennifer fondly remembers her mom as a completely self-sacrificing mother.  As examples, Marsha initiated a book fair at Jennifer’s elementary school that continues to be an annual event—run just as Marsha had originally organized it.  She also organized a college fair at Jennifer’s high school and grew it to the point it needed to be held in the city’s civic center instead of at the school.  Marsha also meant so much to her classmates, with whom she reconnected, after attending our U City ‘64 class 40th reunion.  Marsha joined high school classmates on the West Coast, who hosted dinners in each others’ homes.  The dinner mates recall how events at her home were a reflection of Marsha herself, elegant, yet relaxed, and full of laughter and great conversation. Although there is a hole in Mick’s, Jennifer’s, her friend’s and classmate’s, and her patient’s lives, Marsha left behind a legacy of family, friends, and caring.

Featured Classmates: Dee Leabman and Lenny Koblenz
A Valentine's Day Love Story

        

Dee Leabman and Lenny Koblenz were early childhood neighbors and classmates at Hawthorne School.  Lenny’s crush on Dee began in the third grade.  They moved on to Brittany, then U. City High together, but shared only a couple of classes.  Dee transferred to Ladue during her junior year, and Dee and Lenny did not see each other again until U City ‘64’s 30-year reunion.  Lenny began college at the University of Missouri at Rolla; served in Korea during the Vietnam era; returned to marry; became a father; finished his degree at the University of Houston; earned his CPA certification; joined Mensa; and founded his own CPA firm.  Dee went to Drake; married; became a mother and avid volunteer; was named one of the Top 10 Young Women in her community; wrote featured stories for the Columbia Daily Tribune; returned to Mizzou to earn her degree as a 35-year-old single mom; became Assistant Director of Alumni Relations; and years later, became the Fairbanks, Alaska Director for a Democratic gubernatorial candidate.  Although Dee and Lenny casually saw each other at high school reunions, it was a Hawthorne school friend who really brought them together.  Johnny Yonker was in Columbia and saw Dee after she had attended the 40-year reunion.  Dee was showing Johnny her reunion booklets.  When he saw Lenny’s photo, Johnny stated that Lenny was his best friend at Hawthorne.  Dee asked Johnny to call Lenny and, with her listening on the extension phone, Johnny asked Lenny if he remembered Dee.  Lenny replied, “The first love of my life!”  Thus, with Lenny in Houston and Dee in Columbia, they began a daily multiple hour phone calls filled with memories, laughter, and new love.  They met in St. Louis exactly two weeks later, June 30, 2005, for their first-ever real date (having shared their first kiss at  Hawthorne), and 12 hours later, while saying goodbye, Lenny suddenly began laughing.  Quite embarrassed, Dee asked him why, and he said, “I’m making out with Dee Leabman!  I wanted to do that 50 years ago!”  Dee visited Lenny in Houston four weeks later for her birthday, and during the visit, Lenny surprised Dee with a drop-to-one-knee proposal.  On December 10, 2005, as his son and her two sons stood with them, these two childhood friends and classmates became husband and wife, married by the Reverend John Yonker!  Dee and Lenny live in Houston and enjoy their sons, daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren—and each other.

Featured Classmate: Hari (Harry) Bunn

                

Ed Friedman is an attorney in Chicago, a Talmudic scholar, an author, and a mensch.  Ed received his undergraduate degree from Washington University and his Law Degree from John Marshall University.  In 1977, Ed and his wife at the time had a child, Jenny.  Twenty-six years later, Jenny died from heart complications, the result of congenital issues.  During those 26 years, Jenny was Ed’s “monumental friend.”  While Jenny’s life was difficult and short, she achieved more than anyone could have predicted, and she lit up the world around her.  Ed wrote a book about his memories of the amazing things Jenny did in her short lifetime—I Can Help You: The Jenny Friedman Story.  He also began the Jenny Friedman Foundation (www.jennyfriedmanfoundation.org).  Ed grew up in an observant Jewish home, then drifted away and became a Reform Jew when he was married.  Even before Jenny died, Ed began to return to his observant roots, searching for something on a spiritual level.  When Jenny died, self-reflection moved him to an even higher spiritual awakening and prompted him to begin studying the Talmud.  He is part of a group called “Daf Yomi,” which means “a page a day.”  Ed studies every evening and will until he has completed “the cycle,” studying each of the 2711 pages of the Talmud.  He then plans to begin again—Ed says, “Every night I can’t wait to learn what the Talmud will say.”  Ed is proud to have been recently officially registered as an "Expert" by the Quickbooks company for their software, "Pro Advisor."  People having issues with the software will be referred to Ed.

Featured Classmate:  Arleen Inger
In Memoriam

                

Arleen Inger earned her Accounting Degree from Xavier University and went on to a career in finance.  She was the Director of Finance at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati and then the Chief Financial Officer for the Association of Quality and Participation.  Through these jobs, Arleen developed a deep expertise in not-for-profit finances and eventually began her own consulting firm, H.I.E Consulting.  H.I.E. stands for Hannah, Isabella, and Evan, her three cherished grandchildren.  She also cherished Bob Nave, her life partner, who was the keyboardist for The Lemon Pipers and, thereby, owner of a gold record for “Green Tambourine.”   When not working or being with her daughter, Lauren, and her grandchildren, Arleen loved and was good at needlepoint, knitting, and crocheting; frequently making clothes for Lauren and for Hannah, Isabella, and Evan.  Arleen also volunteered for her political candidates and was active with Peter Block’s “A Small Group,” committed to creating conversations among disparate groups to help restore and reconcile Cincinnati.  Arleen was dedicated to her family, including her sister Lois and brother Ivan, her friends, and her causes.  On January 11, 2009, the University City High School Class of 1964 lost our classmate, cheerleader, and friend; Lois and Ivan lost their sweet sister; Lauren lost her beloved mother; Hannah, Isabella, and Evan lost their proud “bubbe;” and Bob Nave lost his love.

Featured Classmate:  Kenny Brown

        

Kenny Brown retired as the Director of Information Technology at CH2M HILL, a leading global engineering and construction company, where he was managing a world-wide computer network and global support/ infrastructure activities.  After graduating from Mizzou with a Business degree, Kenny worked for a short time with Procter & Gamble and then owned his own businesses in the Midwest.  When he sold his last business, he and his second wife moved to Seattle.  There he went to work for CH2M HILL and worked there for 23 years, during which time he was transferred to Denver for 11 years.  Kenny then moved back to Seattle four years ago, after he retired for health reasons.  During his tenure at CH2M HILL Kenny met and married Ann, his third wife—they have been married for over 20 years.  Kenny has two stepdaughters and a grandson, Aaron.  In his retirement/disability, Kenny’s major health problems (diabetes and a leg lost to that disease) have caused him to lose neither his identity nor his positive attitude.   As Kenny wrote in the piece he contributed to Hail Hail to U City High, “…although I lost my leg, they did not get either my soul nor spirit.”  Kenny is busy writing, reading, and working on his computer.  He is also busy with the very time-consuming management of his diabetes.  He will forever be thankful to Ann for being his “angel” during his year-long transition of learning to live with only one leg.  Kenny also wrote, “…the human spirit can endure and adjust to almost anything.  You have to laugh at your own situation, as laughter heals the heart as well as the body…you must persevere, even if the journey is long and hard.”  And, Kenny HAS persevered!  Although Kenny is retired from his primary career, it is clear that he is now a teacher from whom we all can learn.

Featured Classmate:  Jim Katzman

        

Jim Katzman may be the earliest classmate retiree (1993), and Jim’s retirement life has been full and fulfilling.  He has served on a number of non-profit Boards and has presided over several: Hospice of the Valley, Congregation Shir Hadash, and University of California-Santa Cruz Dean’s Council.  Jim loves playing the piano and does so every day, plays golf as often as he can, and is into Alpine Skiing, made convenient from his second home at Deer Valley resort in Park City, Utah.  Jim continues a longtime interest in astronomy, has worked with some of the top astrophysicists in the world, and, with his wife, Sylvia (Blitz, U City ’65), has sponsored the Katzman Automated Imaging Telescope atop Mount Hamilton in San Jose.  Sylvia and Jim, who live in Saratoga, California, are also active investors in the production of Broadway plays including In the Heights, The Color Purple and Legally Blonde-The Musical.  Jim earned his diverse retirement life through hard work, innovation, and business sense.  He received his BS-Electrical Engineering from Purdue and his MS-Electrical Engineering from Stanford.  Jim went on to a career in computer design, being one of the principle architects for Hewlett Packard and Amdahl computers.  In 1974, Jim co-founded and became Vice-President of Engineering for Tandem Computers, helping lead Tandem, in only their seventh year, to the Fortune 500.  Jim then moved on to join a venture capital firm, where he focused on investing in high tech companies, sitting on many of their Boards of Directors.  Among the companies Jim was involved with before they went public were Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Google, and TIVO.  Despite Jim’s impressive career and his active retirement, his favorite activity is hanging around with their “kids,” who are both getting their MBA’s at the University of Michigan.

Featured Classmate:  Irene Goldschmidt Mescheloff

         

 Robin Segal Lent lives in Durham, New Hampshire where she teaches Composition and Creative Nonfiction at the University of New Hampshire and, before that, was the Collection Development Librarian at the UNH Library.  Robin’s three children and four stepchildren are spread around North America. She stays in close touch, especially now that she has two grandchildren, one in Savannah and one in Bangor.  Her youngest daughter is in college in Montreal. Robin not only teaches writing; she also has a number of her own writing projects in various stages of completion.  She has published a short story and a number of pieces in scholarly journals and encyclopedias.  She has also written, but not yet completed the editing, of a novel loosely based on life in a small college town—with personal experience having lived in Lewiston, Maine (home of Bates College) for four years.  She has another novel in the works as well as working on a memoir.  Robin has recently discovered the world of contemporary art quilting, has taken some workshops, and now has an enormous (and growing) stash of fabrics. Robin Segal Lent—teacher, writer, grandmother, quilter, not necessarily in that order.

Featured Classmate:  Ron Gould

        

Classmate Ronnie Gould is now Judge Ron Gould, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, appointed by President Clinton.  Ron earned a BA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania before earning his JD from the University of Michigan.  He clerked for Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, then moved to Seattle to join its largest law firm.  In Seattle, Ron has been President of the Washington State Bar Association, Visiting Professor at the University of Washington School of Law, and a Board Member of the Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.  While still in University City, Ronnie became an Eagle Scout and has continued his passion for scouting; serving on the Executive Board of and having held several Vice President positions on the Chief Seattle Council since 1984.  Ron has received the Silver Beaver Award, the highest award a scouting council may give to a volunteer leader, and the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the National Boy Scouts of America.  In recent years, the King County Bar Association gave Ron its Professionalism Award, and the Washington State Bar Association gave him its Outstanding Jurist Award.  Ron’s pride in his awards pales to the pride he has in his children—Daniel is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia Law School and is an attorney in New York City.  Rebecca is a graduate of Hampshire College, lives in Washington, and has an alternative medicine, massage, and Qigong business (www.elementalharmony.info).  While still remaining active on the bench and in his civic pursuits, Ron deals daily with multiple sclerosis, which was diagnosed in the 1990s.  He is confined to a motorized wheelchair, but dedicates himself to maintaining a full case load, continuing to be involved in his community, and enjoying Seattle with his wife, Suzanne.  As classmate and friend Tom Norman said about Ron in Hail Hail to U City High, “…you know that you are an example for any of us who are physically challenged, and in my book, a hero.”

Featured Classmate:  Janice Goldberg White

        

Janice Goldberg White lives in Saranac Lake, New York with her husband, Rabbi Kenneth White.  Jan and her family have lived in a number of locations around the country (Cincinnati, Ohio; Lincoln, Nebraska; Monroe, Louisiana; and several places in New York State), but have also spent two years living in Israel.  Their first year was spent in Kiryat Shemone (3 months) learning Hebrew and then five months in Jerusalem, where Jan volunteered  for the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, an organization for new immigrants to Israel.  The second year they returned to Israel for Kenneth to begin his rabbinic education in Jerusalem, and Jan returned to the Association for Americans and Canadians.  Jan has committed her life to her family and is proud of her two children.  Joshua has a Masters Degree in Philosophy and is hoping to make a difference in the lives of children as an elementary school teacher.  He has also given Jan a granddaughter, Ryan.  Jan’s daughter, Rachel, followed her dream of becoming an actress, moved to LA, had small parts on ER and Heroes, and decided she needed a more solid existence.  Rachel is back in school working toward her Masters in Psychology with a goal of going on to a PhD.  Through all of her travels, volunteering, and attention to her family, Jan has also found time to work as a legal secretary and assistant.  Jan stays closely connected to the class electronically and provided what, perhaps, was the simplest yet most profound statement that was included in Hail Hail to U City High.  Recognizing how our class came together to help a classmate in need, Jan shared, “We are us and we care about each other.”   Perhaps that is why Jan is looking forward to a time when she can return “home” to St. Louis.

Featured Classmate:  Stephen Kowarsky

        

Classmate Stephen Kowarsky and his wife, Jiya, live on Long Island, New York, where Steve is co-founder of and head of worldwide marketing efforts for CosmoCom, a firm that helps companies connect with their customers more efficiently.  Steve has helped CosmoCom grow from a friend’s living room business to a global leader in the field with offices around the world.  Steve is not new to the world of business startups.  After graduating with honors from Harvard, he jumped into a career in software and was the second US employee hired by Comverse Technology, an Israeli/US startup that he helped shepherd to a $300 million a year business.  Despite many hours dedicated to his career, Steve’s heart has remained with his music.  Steve composed our class of 1964 Senior Song; played his bassoon at Carnegie Hall with Brazilian pianist/composer Luiz Simas (CD of that program is available on CD Baby);  and recorded an LP called Knight of the Blue Communion with composer, blues "harp" virtuoso, and late Harvard '68 classmate, Peter Ivers in 1969, soon after their graduation.  Steve contributed to Hail Hail to U City High, albeit 45 years ago, when he wrote a sensitive race-related article for the Tom-Tom.  Steve is appropriately proud of his business career and his music, but he is most quick to share his pride in his son, David, a 2005 Harvard graduate and a freelance video producer.  Beyond his accomplishments, beyond even his music, a theme has run through Steve's life since 1973. He calls it "the journey of my heart" - his "passionate admiration" for peace "activist" Prem Rawat, expressed in Steve’s blog and in his most recent report to his Harvard class.  Steve welcomes further catching up with classmates via his Google Profile.

Featured Classmate:  Harry Ringermacher

        

Classmate Harry Ringermacher, or “Doc Harry” as some of his Mensa (joined  the "high IQ society" in 1981) friends know him, moved to the United States at age two from a displaced persons camp near Ulm, Germany, the birthplace of his hero, Albert Einstein.  Both of Harry’s parents were holocaust survivors.  Ignoring the advice of his U City High School guidance counselor to pursue clerical work, he instead pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Physics at Washington University.  Harry began an internship at Los Alamos National Laboratory, from which he was recruited by West Point faculty, as a U.S. Army draftee, to join a military research team.  After an honorable discharge, Harry resumed his graduate studies at Washington University, where he earned his PhD in physics in 1980. He went on to do a post doctoral fellowship at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia.  In 1981, Harry joined the United Technologies Research Center where he worked until he was recruited away by General Electric in 1997 and continues to work at the GE Research Center in Schenectady, NY, conducting research in laser technology and infrared imaging.  Harry has nearly 100 publications in his area of research as well as in the fields of General Relativity and Astrophysics and a dozen patents.  He speaks frequently at regional and national Mensa events and is the only Mensan (of 55,000 members) to have received two American Mensa “Copper Black Awards” for creative achievement; in 2003 and 2007.  Harry has a son, Jeremy, and daughter, Jennifer.  Contrary to his expectations, his daughter is the computer scientist while his son is the artist.  These days his passions include enjoying life near Schenectady, New York with his wife, Judy, maintaining his observatory where he does astrophotography, playing bluegrass banjo, working on general relativity and astrophysics problems, and sipping an occasional margarita, while their Shiba Inu,  “Uncas” and bobtail cat “Tail“ provide endless entertainment.

Featured Classmate:  Richard Gimpelson

        

Dr. Richard Gimpelson is a respected obstetrician/gynecologist with a curriculum vitae that is 43 pages long, filled with authorship of papers, speaking engagements, professional affiliations, clinical investigations, patents for the invention of medical implements, faculty appointments, book and other professional publications, and even awards for submissions of medical humor, including having collaborated with an artist to publish four medical cartoons.  Richard’s honors include a term as the President of the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists.  Although he has taught on university faculties and in innumerable seminars, perhaps Richard’s greatest lesson was for his classmates.  In 2003, he suffered a life-threatening heart attack.  Richard significantly changed his life habits, lost nearly 100 pounds, began exercising daily, and shared his experience with classmates for our consideration.  Along with his professional accomplishments and his fitness routine, Richard finds time to engage in community service and has even mounted campaigns for the US Senate and House of Representatives.  Richard lives in St. Louis with Nancy, his wife of nearly 35 years.  Richard and Nancy enjoy their children and granddaughter, Charlotte Jane, although she lives far away in Missoula, Montana.

Featured Classmate:  Ted Gest

        

Ted Gest has had a long and respected journalism career.  He received his undergraduate degree from Oberlin College before earning his Masters from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University.  Ted returned to his native St. Louis to begin his career as a reporter and editor for the Post-Dispatch.  He then moved on to a 23-year career at U.S. News & World Report, where he covered the White House, Justice Department, Supreme Court and legal/justice news.  In 1997, Ted co-founded and is now the President of Criminal Justice Journalists, a national organization associated with the University of Pennsylvania and the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.  In 2001, Oxford University Press published Ted’s book, Crime and Politics: Big Government’s Erratic Campaign for Law and Order.  Ted is currently a Distinguished Senior Scholar at the Jerry Lee Center of Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania and a Senior Fellow of the Center for Media, Crime and Justice at John Jay College, where he helps run http://thecrimereport.org.  In his spare time, Ted pursues his passion for Scrabble, competing in experts tournaments around the country and gets to a major league baseball game in Washington and Baltimore as often as possible.  Ted lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Kathy, who is a communications director for the National Democratic Institute, an international democracy-building organization.  Their son, David, a law student at Columbia University, and his wife, Kira, a student at Mt. Sinai Medical School, have given Ted and Kathy a granddaughter, Maya, one year old.

Featured Classmate:  John "Jackie" Mercurio
In Memoriam

               

It is not surprising that John “Jackie” Mercurio’s obituary highlighted him being an avid baseball fan his whole life, nor is it surprising that his children’s fond memories include Jackie taking them to Cardinals games as they were growing up and then them taking him more recently.  Jackie was our shortstop and point guard and his yearbook quip was so appropriate—“There was ease in Jackie’s manner as he stepped into his place.  There was pride in Jackie’s bearing, and a smile lit Jackie’s face.”  Jackie was drafted into the military right after high school and was stationed in Korea, where he taught locals to speak English and Korean children to play baseball.  He also continued to play the game, but did not make the base team, as he was cut from the roster by Coach Lou Piniella.  After his discharge, Jackie spent most of his working career managing warehouses and doing building maintenance.  He had a broad range of interests—he coached his children’s sports teams; was an avid model train enthusiast; fancied himself a gourmet cook (his children agree and fondly remember the Christmas tradition of shrimp scampi over angel hair pasta); was an accomplished, yet informal, artist; loved music and the gadgets that played it; and, most of all, loved his children (Michelle, Melanie, Tiffany, and Jake).  When the new Busch Stadium was being built, Jackie’s children honored him with a father’s day gift of a brick-paver that will forever be on the sidewalk outside the stadium.  It reads, “Father, Coach, Fan and Friend Jack Mercurio.”  The same saying graces the top of Jackie’s cremation urn.  Jack Mercurio died of a heart attack on July 2, 2009.  

Featured Classmate:  Sue Corman Slater

        

Sue Corman Slater, who lives in St. Louis, with her husband, Larry, is one of the classmates who did not actually graduate with us, but we are proud she is still closely connected.  Sue moved to and graduated from a neighboring school district, but her heart has always been with U City ’64.  Sue earned degrees in court reporting, marketing, and social work, before beginning her career.  Sue currently plans destination weddings, working closely with whom she refers to as “my brides.”  Sue also escorts groups of up to 100 visually impaired persons on cruises and Caribbean vacations.  As challenging as her work sounds, add the fact that Sue, herself, is blind.  She was born with a hereditary eye disease, lost her sight over time, and has been totally blind since 35.  Sue not only spends ten hours each day working with her brides; she also has a long list of hobbies and interests, including listening to mystery and suspense books and to music, going to trivia contests, doing recreational travel (Sue has been on 23 cruises, including the class cruise), and visiting old mansions and museums.  Both of her children graduated from U City.  Chelsy is as student in St. Louis, and Sean is an actuary, who lives in San Antonio with his wife and their son, Logan, the love of Sue’s life.

Featured Classmate:  Ronna Katz Levy

        

Ronna Katz Levy and her husband, Gary, live in Deerfield, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, but escape during the winter to be snowbirds in Delray Beach, Florida.  At the time of our 40-year reunion, Ronna described herself as a "professional consumer."  Since then, her life has totally changed.  The lovely young lady gracing the recent photo with Ronna is her daughter, Angie, who tragically lost a nine-year battle with breast cancer in 2008, at age 36.  Ronna, inspired by Angie's courage, has since dedicated herself to making a difference for others.  Ronna actively supports an organization called, "Angie's Spa," which was founded in Angie's memory.  It provides free spa services to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.  The organization goal is to "open Angie's Spa programs at cancer facilities throughout the country to provide a silver lining on an otherwise dark and cloudy chemo day."  (visit www.angiesspa.org)  Ronna has also become membership chairperson for the Cancer Unit organization in her Delray Beach community.  In addition, Ronna dedicates herself to her son, Todd, and his wife, Dana, who have given Ronna two "glorious" granddaughters, the lights of her life.  While Ronna has not attended class reunions because of personal and family conflicts with each one, she has remained interested in the class and looks forward to reconnecting with and hearing from classmates.

Featured Classmate:  Donna Heicher Conom

        

Dr. Donna Heicher Conom is a neonatologist, who has been working 24-hour shifts for 30 years saving the lives of premature infants.  Yet, Donna says her best accomplishment is her family.  She and husband, former Chief of Police and pilot, Tom, live in Monte Sereno, California.  They are proud of their children; Stavros, who is in the computer industry, and Christa, who is working toward her Masters in Nursing and coaching college volleyball teams, having played herself.  Donna always valued education and many classmates remember her mother, who was a fifth-grade teacher at Daniel Boone.  Donna did her premed at Drake, finishing in only three years.  She was one of only four women in her class at the University of Missouri’s School of Medicine, going on to become the Chief Resident in Pediatrics at the Kaukeolani Children’s Hospital in Honolulu.  She has worked for Stanford and other hospitals, but highly values the fulfillment of private practice.  While managing her private neonatology practice, Donna has also found the time to be involved in medical politics.  She was the first woman president in the then 152-year history of the Santa Clara County Medical Association and served on the California Governor’s Task Force on Managed Care.  She is widely published in her field and has become an acknowledged expert in the ethical issues involved.  Classmates knew Donna as an excellent flautist, and she has played with the San Jose Gilbert and Sullivan Society Orchestra.  She and Tom have a condo in Hawaii, near Kona, but do not get there as often as they would like.

Featured Classmate:  Marshall Faintich

        

Marshall Faintich and his wife, Alice, live in the bucolic Wintergreen Resort community in Nellysford, VA, where he takes full advantage of the surrounding nature to pursue his wildlife photography hobby.  Marshall’s new book, A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Wintergreen, will be available in mid-November.  Details are available at his web site www.symbolicmessengers.com, which he created to share another of his passions, ancient and medieval coins—this hobby led to more than 15 years of research for his first book, Astronomical Symbols on Ancient and Medieval Coins.  Marshall earned his undergraduate degree in 3-1/2 years from the University of Missouri-Rolla before moving on to the University of Illinois, where he earned his MS and PhD in Astronomy (orbital mechanics), with minors in math and physics—finishing his PhD work before the age of 24.  Marshall’s career was no less exemplary—he worked on the early stages of GPS development, was Chief of Advanced Technology at the Defense Mapping Agency Aerospace Center, worked with several NASA astronauts, co-founded a company that developed Google Earth-like visuals a decade before Google’s version, and was involved in many other high-technology projects for both private industry and the government.  Marshall’s work led to his publishing a multitude of articles and papers throughout his career.  In retirement, Marshall has pursued his hobbies as well as teaching digital photography, staying closely connected to his three sons as well as his two stepsons, and being a grandfather.

Featured Classmate:  Anne O'Brien

        

Since graduation, Anne O’Brien has traveled and lived far and wide, and, for a time, was a “lost Indian” to the reunion planning committee.  She had, however, never lost contact with best-friend, classmate Arleen Inger.  Anne traveled to Europe in 1970, where she met and married a Scotsman and stayed in Scotland to live and teach.  That was only the beginning of her wanderlust and teaching passion.  Over the years she has traveled extensively and lived in Spain, Greece, Chicago, Las Vegas, Bodega Bay (California), St. Louis, and Sebastopol (California)—developing many close personal relationships along the way.  She has also followed her passion for teaching; leading to Anne, at one time, owning and operating a Montessori Pre-School and Kindergarten in Sebastopol.  She has now settled down to be near her children, David and Julia, who are doing well.  Ann is busy operating her own counseling and educational center (“Insights Learning Center”) for physically and educationally challenged children, pre-school through college; working as the Education Coordinator of The Children’s Village, a new foster care concept; and riding and working her horse, Breezy, on a daily basis.  Anne is not so busy, however, to think of her friend, Arleen Inger, who we lost earlier this year.  We all miss Arleen—perhaps Anne misses her most.

Featured Classmate:  Kelley Moseley

        

Kelley Moseley lives in Houston, Texas, where he says, “It is Hot and Wet and then Wet and Hot.  But you can play golf in January in shorts.”  Kelley not only plays golf—he is also a triathlete.  Kelley went on from University City to attain his Masters in Hospital Administration and his PhD in Public Health.  He then entered a career in Health Care Administration, while also serving as a consultant and educator along the way.  Kelley has worked for the Indian Health Service, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the World Bank.  His work has taken him to Europe, Egypt, South America, and the Caribbean.  Kelley is now Professor and Director of the Texas Woman’s University Health Care Administration Program.  Kelley is thankful for having transferred to U City for his junior year, after previously attending two other high schools.  He is convinced that it was the faculty, fellow students, and culture, along with his parents, that gave him the “right tools and skills to succeed.”  Kelley also believes his sports experience at U City taught him long-lasting lessons—“every person on a team makes a contribution and every member of that team must study and practice hard.”

Featured Classmate:  Mickey Leon Sandmel

        

Mickey Leon Sandmel and her husband, Shelley (U City ’59) live in Chesterfield, Missouri, where Mickey may be one of the busiest people we know.  She goes through life doing what she calls “big things,” with a dedication to family, education, and our class.  Mickey’s valuing of education has shown up in many ways.  She persisted over 11 years, while working full or part time, to earn her Sociology degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  Her education included a stint at Kansas State when Shelley and she moved to Ft. Riley while he was in the service.  She continued to work part time (sometimes three or four part time jobs at a time) over the years while rearing three highly educated and accomplished children, volunteering as an ESL teacher, attaining a teaching certificate so she could be a substitute teacher, studying Hebrew to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah in her 50s, taking every additional class she could find time for, and, by the way, leading the planning of all but our first every-decade class reunions.  While Mickey has faced some serious health challenges over the years, she has managed them the same way she manages the rest of her life—with the philosophy, “Nothing’s stopping me.”  Mickey’s extended personal profile can be found in the “Characters” chapter of Hail Hail to U City High.

Featured Classmate:  Karen Paulsen Bauch

        

While Karen Paulsen Bauch lives over 1000 miles and a country away from St. Louis, she stays very close to our University City High School Class of 1964.  Karen and her husband, Richard, live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where they are each in the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.  Karen plays the violin—Richard the viola.  Together with their two children, Kristina (violin) and Jonathan (cello), they are the Bauch String Quartet, which performs as often as possible. Karen is a thoughtful participant in the class Yahoo! Group and, while it is much more difficult, seeks out ways to connect with classmates.  She learned that classmate Don Platt and his wife and son were passing through Winnipeg, so she invited the Platts for supper and, even though they didn’t even know each other in high school, Karen reported, “We had so much fun.”  Karen and Richard planned a vacation to Florida that included seeing their daughter, Kristina, perform with her group called “Barrage.”  Search “Barrage Violin” on YouTube and look for the blond—that’s Kristina.  On their Florida vacation, Karen made arrangements to connect with classmates at a mini-reunion hosted by Mark Glickman in Davie, Florida.  Karen Paulsen Bauch—accomplished and connected.

Featured Classmate:  Steve Novack

        

Steve Novack’s quip from the yearbook was “U. City’s spirit of cooperation through competitiveness and amiability.”  That phrase has defined Steve’s life.  He was a great competitor and teammate through high school basketball and baseball, then on into playing college basketball at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  He then went on to earn his Law Degree from Northwestern (magna cum laude) and has developed a successful career as an attorney.  He is a founding partner of the Chicago law firm of Novack and Macey, which the Chicago Tribune called, “A high-powered litigation boutique,” and which the National Law Journal described as “a law firm’s law firm.”  Steve lives in Glencoe, Illinois with childhood sweetheart, classmate, and wife, Ilene Weinstein Novack.  Steve and Ilene have four children and six grandchildren.  They have a second home in Frisco, Colorado, where they hosted a class mini-reunion in July 2008, with classmates Marc Golubock, Marc Tenzer, Alan Spector and their spouses.  Steve also showed his continuing connection to U City High when he organized a reunion of the school’s 1963 state championship baseball team, which was held the same weekend as our class 30-year reunion. 

Featured Classmate:  Michele (Shellie) Klevens Ritterman

        

Dr. Michele (Shellie) Klevens Ritterman is an innovative psychotherapist, writer, and lecturer living in Berkeley, California.  As an example of her creativity and the respect she commands within her profession, Shellie pioneered the integration of hypnosis and family therapy and has trained thousands of psychotherapists on her approach to working with couples and families.  Shellie wrote her first book in 1983, Using Hypnosis in Family Therapy, and has gone on to write two more.  Her second book is about human rights, dignity, and social justice—Hope Under Siege:  Terror and Family Support in Chile; foreword written by Isabel Allende.  Her third is The Tao of a Woman, a book Shellie describes as “…helping the reader shift from a troubled to a useful state of mind.”  Her three books were also published in Spanish and Italian, German, and Spanish, respectively.   Shellie is understandably proud of her children, her daughter, Miranda, is a doctoral candidate in Public Health at UC Berkley and her son, Judah, is getting his degree in sound technology while also singing spiritual music in synagogues across the country.  In her spare time, Shellie is pursuing a singing hobby (search Michele Ritterman on YouTube).  Learn more about Shellie and her work at www.micheleritterman.com.  Though longer ago, Shellie co-authored, with classmate Judy Fortus Growe, a poem that graced the final page of the Dial, the yearbook for the University City High School Class of 1964.  Shellie and Judy agreed for the poem, entitled "Care for the World," to also grace the final pages of Hail Hail to U City High.

Featured Classmate:  Jill Friedman Chapin

        

Jill Friedman Chapin lives in Santa Monica, California and is a retired middle school guidance assistant.  Jill is a social observer and writer.  While a guidance assistant, she authored a bilingual book entitled If You Have Kids, Then Be A Parent!   She has also written My Magic Bubble, a children’s book to help young people deal with bullying, and co-authored Fly on the Wall (yet to be published).  Jill regularly applies her skills as social observer and commentator as she writes for The Fog City Journal.  She contributed one of her earlier articles to Hail Hail to U City High.  “A Classic, Classy, Class Reunion” revealed how and why many of our classmates enjoy being so closely connected.  Jill is also happily connected to Terry, her terrific husband of nearly 40 years, her daughter and son-in-law, who are consistently entertaining and just about the nicest people she knows, and her two granddaughters, who light up her life.

Featured Classmate:  Joanna Slotkin Baymiller