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

                

Harry Bunn earned his BA from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, with a major in accounting and worked as a CPA in a St. Louis firm and for a Kansas City CPA firm for about a year, during which time he took 30 hours toward a Fine Arts degree.  Harry spent three years in the military, including one in Vietnam.  He continued in private industry, working as a CPA for a freight company.  From there, he began working for the Federal Government as an internal auditor for the IRS, then on to stints with the US Army at Fort Riley and the US Finance and Accounting Center.  He transferred to US Customs in 1985 and retired from US Customs and Border Protection in May 2007 after 35 years of Federal service—he had been their  Chief of Payroll and then Chief of Travel at the time of his retirement.  When Harry retired, he and his wife, Marsha (U City ’67; sister of our classmate, Helene London), lived in Indianapolis.  They have a son, Brian, a daughter, Jessica, and a miniature Schnauzer, Gus.  Since Harry retired, Marsha and he moved to Sedona, Arizona, where Harry has started his own business as a Medium/Clairvoyant, in which he does readings, numerology charts, and flame messages, as well as providing Vortex tours (www.hari-medium.com).  He has also changed his name to Hari.  Hari became interested in numerology, Astrology, and the I Ching when he was in college.  In the mid-1990s, he began seriously considering becoming a medium/psychic and spiritual advisor when having a conversation with a clairvoyant friend.  In Sedona, Hari continues his hobbies of bowling and oil painting, but has added hiking to his interests list.  He has also applied to be a volunteer policeman with the Sedona Police Department.

Featured Classmate:  Barry Levin

        

Barry Levin currently lives in Virginia, but since leaving University City, he has lived and worked far and wide.  Barry began playing guitar in high school, thanks to Alan Resnick, and spent time in Los Angeles with the goal of becoming a “rock star,” before returning to St. Louis to earn his BA and MA, majoring in British History, at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  Barry also met his wife, Marcia, at UMSL.  Their first date was at Bob Kuban’s nightclub because Kuban had asked Barry to join his band—Barry was one of Kuban’s “In-Men” for two years.  In 1976, Barry took the State Department Foreign Service Exam, moved to Washington DC, and started his career as a diplomat.  He has had assignments in Tokyo, Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia, New Delhi, London, the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, Athens, and Paris.  Along the way, Barry also worked at the Pentagon and is currently the State Department Chair at the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Virginia.  Barry reports that he almost flunked French at U City, but now speaks varying degrees of Japanese, Thai, Serbo-Croatian, French, and Greek.  While in Thailand, Marcia and Barry adopted a baby girl, then a toddler boy in Yugoslavia.  Shortly thereafter, Marcia became pregnant, and they had a red-haired son.  Barry says his family, which now includes a five-year-old grandson, looks like the United Nations.  Barry looks forward to retirement to devote more time to family, friends, and hobbies, which include piano lessons and learning Spanish.  He has continued to play guitar in bands where he has lived throughout the world and is still in close contact with Alan Resnick, with whom he argues regularly about politics and music via the internet.

Featured Classmate:  Rick Patterson

       

Rick Patterson built a life out of a tragedy.  On December 26, 1969, Rick was the co-pilot on a crew in Vietnam delivering ammunition to an army Special Forces camp.  During landing, they took ground fire and the pilot was hit and disabled.  Rick took the yoke and attempted to land the disabled plane, but the engines would not respond.  The crash killed two fellow crewmen and pinned Rick under the plane.  A helicopter, diverted to the scene, lifted the plane—Rick was rescued and taken to a hospital in Vietnam where a top-notch neurosurgeon removed pieces of his skull from his brain.  Rick spent a lot of time in hospitals in both Japan and the US recovering.  Rick had earned his BS in Electrical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy before going on active duty.  He returned to the States, stayed in the Air Force, and earned his MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico.  Rick served in Brunssum, The Netherlands and Wiesbaden, Germany; retiring in 1988.  He worked for a number of firms before starting his own consulting company, RJP Consultants, Ltd to manage the design and installation of commercial and government information systems projects and programs.  Rick and his wife, Antoinette, were married in Amsterdam in 1981, and now live near Winchester, Virginia.   Rick loves to travel, considers himself “almost a computer geek,” and is a fireman for the Stephens City (Virginia) Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company. 

Featured Classmate:  Ed Friedman

        

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

         

Irene Goldschmidt Mescheloff and her husband, David, a university lecturer and rabbi, live in Moshav Hemed, an Israeli community of 120 families (about to almost double) five miles from Tel Aviv.  Irene, David, and their first two children made aliya six weeks before the Yom Kippur War in 1973.  The early years of their moshav life they spent raising rounds of 700 chicks from day one to egg laying, raising a flock of goats, and growing flowers and a variety of vegetables for export.  They lived on a kibbutz in the 1990s.  Irene took advantage of the free time on the kibbutz, made available by community-shared chores, to study for and earn her MSW in clinical-psychiatric social work and later a diploma in analytic psychotherapy.  Irene does her work and lives her life in Hebrew, where they know her as Adina.  She began professionally working in a government health clinic, and then moved on to directing a sheltered housing hostel for women upon their leaving psychiatric hospitalization.  Irene is now in private practice, treating primarily ultra-Orthodox women who work outside the home and have an average of six children—many of whom have 10 or more. On a lighter side, Irene spent several years as a freelance writer for English language Israeli publications.  Irene enjoys volunteering to meet new immigrants from North America at the airport when they arrive to settle in Israel.   In her spare time, Irene tries to figure out how to display the photos of her five children, their spouses, and 22 grandchildren, who live throughout the country and whom she sees as often as she can. 

Featured Classmate:  Judy Mange

        

Judy Mange has spent her adult life dedicated to helping those who are in the midst of a profound transition in their lives.  She does this because she is good at it and because, as childhood playmate, lifelong friend, and classmate, Marsha Klibansky Soshnik, says, “Judy has a heart as big as all outdoors.”  Judy earned a degree in physical therapy from Washington University and a business degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  She began her professional career as a physical therapist at Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, and has stayed close to her physical therapy roots ever since; including being Director of Physical Therapy Services at Washington University and Vice-President of Regional Operations for some national rehab companies.  Along the way, Judy became interested in issues related to death and dying and started the first free-standing Hospice program in St. Louis, which later merged with the Visiting Nurse Association.  Building on her combined physical therapy and Hospice expertise, Judy later started her own business doing Geriatric Care Management.  It has become her passion to help advocate for the elderly and help assure they remain in control over their environment and their lives.  In doing this, Judy has been blessed with helping many families and friends of our class and has enjoyed reconnecting with her classmates.  In addition to working as a Geriatric Care Manager, Judy has been committed to community service and has been on the Boards of many not-for-profit organizations.  She has also been active nationally and locally in the professional organizations for care managers and physical therapy. Judy never tires of making a difference in people’s lives. 

Featured Classmate:  Robin Segal Lent

        

 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