40th Reunion Class of 1977

Reunion Recap 

To the Great Class of 1977—

Thanks to all who returned to campus for the 40th reunion celebration. There were so many at Wesleyan that the class has SET A NEW 40th REUNION ATTENDANCE RECORD! Watch out 1978!


Highlights:
• The class participated in some great programs: Vanessa Burgess and Madelyn Colon were featured in the Future is Female WESeminar; Sue Guiney, Jane Klemmer, Michele Roberts and Alan Steele headlined the Life Transitions and Transformation WESeminar; and Jane Eisner and Alex Kotlowitz were highlighted in the Fake News and Real News: Journalism Today WESeminar.
• Michele Roberts received the Distinguished Alumna Award.
• Bonnie Katz designed the class t-shirt.
• Don Ryan was recognized with the Wesleyan University Service Award.


There were lots of photos and even more laughs.

From Jane Klemmer:  “When I reflect on the weekend, I am overwhelmed by the number of meaningful and substantive conversations I had with so many classmates: old friends, acquaintances and even a handful of people I met for the first time this past weekend.  What an amazing and accomplished crew!  Perhaps I have drunk the Wesleyan Kool-Aid, but my love for the place is a natural high inspired by the remarkable people who continue to make my Wes experience memorable!”
Fundraising update:

$228,000 is committed to the Wesleyan Fund. Goal is $350,000 by June 30, 2017.

$3.5 million is committed to the 40th Reunion Class Gift which includes all that has been given or pledged since the last reunion through 2021. Goal is $3.8 million by June 30, 2017.

Gifts can be made here. All contributions will be matched with $500 to financial aid by the Board of Trustees.


For information, contact Theresa Kidd at (860) 685-4878. GO WES!

Reunion Committee Members

  • Peter Bickford
  • Vanessa Burgess
  • Madelyn Colon
  • Rick Dennett
  • Jane Eisner
  • Gerry Frank
  • John Gaebe
  • Bob Glasspiegel
  • Doug Green
  • Bonnie Katz
  • Sarah Kendall
  • Jane Klemmer
  • Deenah Loeb
  • Hope Neiman
  • Francis Rath
  • Don Ryan
  • Jeff Shames
  • Lenny Stamm
  • Jerry Stouck
  • Richard Swanson
  • Jim Udelson
  • Susan Webster

Events

Thursday, May 25, 2017

2:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)

Friday, May 26, 2017

9:00 AM to 11:30 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Welcome Picnic Lunch
Join friends, classmates, and family members for lunch when you arrive on campus for the weekend.
TICKETS: This lunch requires advance purchase/registration. Lunch is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th Reunion classes). Lunch is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1940 through 1966) and their guests. To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this lunch.  Please click on the Friday lunch option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes and parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following for lunch:
$20 per person for all other adults and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Russell House Lawn 
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR The Future is Female: Wesleyan Women in the Workplace

Celebrate Wesleyan women in the workplace! Wesleyan women from across the decades will come together to talk about their career paths, the struggles they've faced and the successes they've achieved, and share their perspectives on what it means to be a woman in the workplace. Bring your own stories and add your voice to the conversation; interactive audience participation is encouraged for a robust, engaging group dialogue. Want to join the conversation, but aren’t on campus? This seminar will be live streamed and can be viewed online.
Speakers: Vanessa Burgess ’77, P’13, ’18 is a Trustee Emerita, a member of the volunteer leadership committee, a class agent and resides in New York City. She was a psychology major and her senior thesis was "A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Autism" in Ghana and the U.S. Her career in finance began at OPIC in D.C. where she traveled extensively throughout Latin America and the Caribbean while earning an MBA in International Finance.  From OPIC she went to Wall Street where she spent sixteen years in the Health Care Investment Banking Group at DLJ/Credit/Suisse. She currently manages a portfolio of publicly traded securities and advises early stage health care companies; Madelyn Colon ’77 was CT Assistant State Treasurer from 1999 to 2005 and a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of the State Treasurer. During her career in public service, she also served as Executive Director of the City of Hartford Redevelopment Agency, leading the city’s redevelopment program during the 1990s. Madelyn has collaborated with City Managers, Mayors, public officials, local residents and community stakeholders to advance mission driven programs throughout her career, and has a M.P.A and M.B.A from the University of Hartford, Barney School of Business. She is currently a consultant in public policy and community development and lives in Farmington, CT. Kimberly King ’97 is the Director, Ad Sales Marketing for Travel Channel and Great American Country at Scripps Networks, where she is responsible for increasing advertising revenues and sponsorship sales by developing marketing programs to support advertising products and services for their lifestyle brands. Kim was previously the Senior Manager of Brand Solutions at Viacom Media Networks' brand BET Networks. Also an accomplished writer,  her byline has appeared in Essence, Playbill, The Source and more. Kim holds a Master of Science degree in Integrated Marketing and a Professional Certificate in Digital Media Marketing from New York University and her BA in Government from Wesleyan University. She continues in her service efforts as a volunteer member of the Wesleyan Alumni of Color Network, the Wesleyan Fund and on the Board of the Oliver Scholars Program. Betti Packman ’07 is a case team leader with Parthenon-EY, specializing in deep consumer research. In addition to project work, Betti manages MBA recruiting and diversity and inclusion efforts for Parthenon-EY. Prior to working in management consulting, Betti spent a number of years working on political campaigns. Betti holds her M.B.A. from The Wharton School and majored in Government at Wesleyan. Gabrielle Sellei ’87 is the founder of Sellei Law, LLC, a business and entertainment law firm in the Philadelphia area, and a co-founder of Women Owned Law, a national organization devoted to women entrepreneurs in the legal services sector.  She received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in 1995. Meng-Ju (Renee) Sher ’07 is an assistant professor in the physics department. She received her bachelor’s degree in physics from Wesleyan in 2007 and PhD degree from Harvard in 2013. She then spent three years at Stanford for postdoctoral research and teaching training before coming back to Wesleyan in fall 2016. 
Sponsored by the Wesleyan Women's Network.
Class of 1965 Classroom (002), Public Affairs Center (PAC)

3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR A Conversation with Wesleyan Writers

Join us at the new Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore as celebrated authors, Robin Cook ’62 and Carolyn Parkhurst ’92 share how Wesleyan shaped their writing. Book signing to follow.
Speakers: Doctor and author Robin Cook ’62 is widely credited with introducing the word "medical" to the thriller genre, and thirty-four years after publication of his breakthrough novel, Coma, he continues to dominate the category he created. He has written 34 international bestsellers and is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His latest novel, Host, was published in October 2015. Carolyn Parkhurst ’92 holds an MFA in fiction from American University. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels, The Dogs of Babel, Lost and Found and The Nobodies Album, as well as a children’s book, Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly. She lives in Washington, D. C., with her husband, Evan Rosser '92, and their two children. Her latest novel, Harmony, was published in August 2016.

Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore, 413 Main Street, near the intersection of Washington Street

5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
President’s Reception Honoring Leadership Donors and Volunteers

Please join President Michael Roth '78 and the Wesleyan Board of Trustees at a reception celebrating members of the Wesleyan Leadership Societies. Wesleyan Leadership Societies—the Wesleyan Circle, the 1831 Society, the Olin Associates—recognize the extraordinary commitment and support of Wesleyan leadership donors and volunteers. By invitation only.
President’s House Lawn

5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Red, Black, and Green! All-College Dinner
Join friends, classmates, and family members for an informal, eco-friendly buffet dinner in the Marketplace at the Usdan University Center.
TICKETS: This event requires advance purchase/registration. Dinner is included in the registration fee for WESeniors (Classes of 1942-1966) and members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes). To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this dinner.  Please click on the Friday Red, Black, and Green Dinner option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes, parents and families of graduating seniors will be charged the following when they register:
$20 per person for adults and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Usdan University Center
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
Shabbat Services
Please join Wesleyan’s Jewish chaplain, Rabbi David Leipziger Teva, and the Wesleyan Jewish community for Shabbat services. All are welcome. No reservations necessary.
The Bayit, 157 Church Street
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM
40th Reunion Reception for the Class of 1977
Olson Commons, Gordon Career Center, Boger Hall 
7:45 PM to 10:00 PM
Shabbat Dinner
At this special dinner for returning alumni, graduating seniors, and their families, we will welcome Shabbat with song, food, and joyful fellowship.
TICKETS: This dinner requires advance purchase/registration.
$20 per person for all and children over age 12 (including graduates)
$10 per person for children 12 and under
Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center
9:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Stargazing
View some celestial wonders through the renovated 20-inch Clark refractor.  Weather permitting.
Van Vleck Observatory
10:00 PM to 1:00 AM
Friday Night Annual Reunion Party
All are welcome! Come dance the night away and mingle with classmates, fellow alumni and graduates. Featuring alumni bands The Straw Dogs and Balloon.
10  p.m.-11:30 p.m.: The Racquets with band members Sam Beck '17; Jared Feinberg '17; Ryan Breen '17; Jeremy Freeman '17
11:30 p.m. - 1 a.m.: Balloon with band members Nick Earhart '07; Nick Nauman '07; Michael Hurder '07; Owen Roberts '07
Eclectic

Saturday, May 27, 2017

8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Registration
Everyone—alumni, parents, students, and families—please check in for a final weekend schedule (with updates and event locations), meal tickets, a welcome packet, campus maps, and more.
Usdan University Center (show in map)
8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Annual Family Swim
Enjoy a morning swim in the Freeman Athletic Center pool. Towels will be provided.
Freeman Athletic Center (show in map)
8:30 AM to 10:00 AM
Cardinal Loop Fun Run (2.1, 3.2, 4.3 Mile Courses)
Start the day off with an exhilarating run through campus.
Meet at the base of Foss Hill (show in map)
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Education and Ideas in Dark Times: A Conversation with President Michael S. Roth ’78 and Leon Wieseltier

Speakers: Michael S. Roth '78 became the 16th president of Wesleyan University on July 1, 2007. Formerly president of California College of the Arts (CCA), Roth is known as a historian, curator, author and public advocate for liberal education. A professor in history and the humanities since 1983, Roth was the founding director of the Scripps College Humanities Institute in Claremont, Calif., a center for intellectual exchange across disciplines. He developed a reputation as a leader in the arts community through his accomplishments as associate director of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles and his success as President of the California College of the Arts in enhancing that institution’s academic quality, national reputation and financial strength. Roth describes his scholarly interests as centered on "how people make sense of the past." He has authored six books, most recently, Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters (Yale University Press, 2014). Leon Wieseltier is the Isaiah Berlin Senior Fellow in Culture and Policy at the Brookings Institution. He has had a long and distinguished career as a writer, editor, and social and political commentator. From 1983 to 2014, he was the literary editor of The New Republic and currently serves as a contributing editor and critic at The Atlantic. Wieseltier holds a bachelor's from Columbia University and was a member of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. At Oxford University, he studied under Isaiah Berlin. He holds honorary doctorates from Brandeis University and the Jewish Theological Seminary, and was awarded the Dan David Prize in 2013. He is the author of several books, including the widely acclaimed Kaddish (Knopf, 1998).
Commons, Fries Center for Global Studies, Fisk Hall

9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
WESEMINAR How Do We Get There From Here? Embracing Life Transitions and Transformation

Members of the class of ’77 share stories about making mid-life/mid-career changes on a curving road. What have we done, why have we done it, and how did we do it.
Speakers: Susan Guiney’s ’77 work life has taken her from a PhD program in Classics, to professional fundraising in New York and Boston, to a long-term expat life in London. There, she began her writing career, publishing novels and poetry. Since 2010, her focus and inspiration, both in her writing and teaching, is Cambodia and SE Asia where she founded, in 2015, the educational NGO, Writing Through www.writingthrough.org, which uses the writing of poems and stories in English to develop conceptual thinking, self-esteem and language fluency in at-risk populations. After a pursuing a career in music performance followed by 25 years working in corporate finance, Jane Klemmer ’77, P’13, did something she never envisioned for herself; she became an entrepreneur. Now in her tenth year as the owner of Klemmer Educational Consulting, she continually draws from her corporate and life experiences, and has turned her focus to higher education, advising students and families on college admission and affordability. Michele Roberts ’77 is the first woman to head a major professional sports union in North America. In her role as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Ms. Roberts serves as the primary advocate for all players, ensuring the protection of the organization and its membership, including serving as the lead negotiator in all collective bargaining activities. Prior to her role with the NBPA, Ms. Roberts was a renowned trial lawyer and member of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom’s Litigation Group, a practice that focuses on complex civil and white collar criminal litigation before state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings. Alan Steele ’77, P’14 considers himself extremely fortunate to have worked intensively in three diverse areas over his career: physical chemistry, academic medicine, and intellectual property law. His transitions from one area to the next were driven by combinations of internal and external factors and a hunger for knowledge and connection with others. These various disciplines have required him to view and approach the world in fascinatingly different ways.
Hansel Lecture Hall (001), Public Affairs Center (PAC)

10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Memorial Service
The service remembers all alumni who have passed away. Individuals are invited to offer personal remembrances.
Memorial Chapel (show in map)
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Crew Reception and Alumni Row
Relive good times on the water.  All former oarsmen, oarswomen, and friends are invited to gather at the boathouse for an afternoon row and refreshments.
Macomber Boathouse, 35 Harbor Drive
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
WESEMINAR Celebration of Wesleyan Writing: Fake News and Real News: Journalism Today

Join us for a lively panel discussion featuring award-winning Wesleyan alumni journalists including Jane Eisner ’77, P’06, ’12, editor of The Forward; Alex Kotlowitz ’77, author of three books including There Are No Children Here; Miriam Berger ’12, freelance journalist in Jerusalem; and Jamie Novogrod ’02, coordinating producer at MSNBC during the 2016 presidential race, now Los Angeles Bureau Chief for VICE News Tonight on HBO. Panel moderator, Jenifer McKim ’88, has been business and social issues reporter at the Boston Globe and is senior investigative reporter at The New England Center for Investigative Reporting. 
Panel host: Anne Greene, University Professor in the Dept. of English; Director, Wesleyan Writing Certificate and Wesleyan Writers Conference.
Taylor Meeting Room (108), Usdan University Center

11:15 AM to 12:00 PM
Assemble for the Annual Parade of Classes
Seniors and their families are invited to join alumni for this traditional Wesleyan festivity featuring a live Dixieland band. The parade is scheduled to begin promptly at 11:30 a.m. rain or shine, and is followed immediately by the Assembly and Annual Meeting. Look for the class year signs and line-up beside the sign with the year you graduated.  The parade begins on Huss Courtyard (behind the Usdan University Center) and parades around the Memorial Chapel onto McKelvey Green.  All parade participants are encouraged to parade into the Memorial Chapel for the Wesleyan Assembly and Alumni Association Meeting.
Huss Courtyard, Usdan University Center (show in map)
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Wesleyan Assembly and Alumni Association Meeting

This year's featured speaker is distinguished alumnus award recipient, Nicholas J. Rasmussen '87, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center who will speak on "The Pursuit of Public Service in a Politically Divided America: Reflections of a Career Civil Servant." 

The 2017 Distinguished Alumni, McConaughy, and Outstanding Service Awards are presented at this time.

Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented to alumni in recognition of achievement in their professions.
Michele A. Roberts '77
Amy Schulman '82, P'11
Tos Chirathivat '85, P'14,'17
Nicholas J. Rasmussen '87
Isaac O. Shongwe '87
Santi White '97
Robert Lewis Allbritton '92

The James L. McConaughy Jr. Award was established in 1959 by the class of 1936 in memory of James L. McConaughy Jr. '36, the James L. McConaughy Jr. Memorial Award recognizes a member of the Wesleyan family (including students, faculty, alumni, parents, and members of their respective families) whose writing, or other creative achievement, conveys unusual insight and understanding of current and past events.
Matthew H. Weiner '87, P'18

The Outstanding Service Award is presented to alumni, parents, or other members of the Wesleyan community in recognition of outstanding volunteer service to Wesleyan, their community, or the nation.
Rick Nicita '67
Memorial Chapel

1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Strolling Magician and Magic Show
For children of all ages!
Andrus Field (show in map)
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Picnic and Festival on Foss Hill
This lively festival of entertainment and games is a great place to connect with friends and family members between WESeminars and other weekend programs. Don’t miss the magic show, tattoos, and more. Lunches are portable and can be picked up on your way to Foss Hill, afternoon WESeminars, or other events and destinations.
TICKETS: This lunch requires advance purchase/registration. Lunch is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes). Lunch is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1942 through 1966) and their guests. To make sure that we have an accurate number of meals, we'd like to know if reunion alumni who have the flat rate fee and who are WESeniors plan to attend this lunch.  Please click on the Saturday Festival on Foss Hill lunch option when registering if you plan to attend. All other reunion classes, graduates, and parents and families of the graduates will be charged the following for lunch:
$15 per person for adults and children (including graduates)
Tent, Andrus Field and Foss Hill (show in map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Alumni of Color (AOC)/ Students of Color (SOC) Reception
Please join us at a reception honoring Alumni and Students of Color. All are welcome.
Tent adjacent to the Center for African American Studies
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Alumni Reception
Please join members of the LGBTQ Alumni Network, parents and friends as we welcome graduating seniors to the alumni community.
McKelvey Room, Stewart M. Reid House, Office of Admission (show in map)
4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Annual Reception Honoring Retiring Faculty

All are welcome to honor members of the faculty who retire this year.
Retiring Faculty 2017:

  • David Beveridge, Joshua Boger University Professor of the Sciences and Mathematics and Professor of Chemistry (attending)
  • John Finn, Professor of Government
  • Albert Fry, E.B. Nye Professor of Chemistry (attending)
  • Peter Patton, Alan M. Dachs Professor of Science and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences (attending)
  • Rex Pratt, Beach Professor of Chemistry
  • Michael Roberts, Robert Rich Professor of Latin and Professor of Classical Studies (attending)
  • Ruth Striegel Weissman, Walter A. Crowell University Professor of the Social Sciences

In addition, we will honor faculty who retired in 2016:

  • Abraham Adzenyah, Adjunct Professor of Music, Emeritus
  • Philip Bolton, Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus
  • Alex Dupuy, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus (attending)
  • Mark Slobin, Winslow-Kaplan Professor of Music, Emeritus

Susan B. and William K. Wasch Center for Retired Faculty, 51 Lawn Avenue

5:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Reunion Class Receptions and Dinners
WESeniors (Classes of 1942–1966) and the Classes of 1957, 1962, 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012 gather for their Class Dinners and special programs.

WESeniors: Andersen Meeting Room (110), Usdan University Center
1952: Andersen Meeting Room (110), Usdan University Center
1957: Taylor Meeting Room (108), Usdan University Center
1962: Olson Commons, Gordon Career Center
1967: Campbell Reference Center, Olin Memorial Library
1972: Patricelli '92 Theater
1977: Mink Dining Wing, Usdan University Center
1982: Daniel Family Commons, Usdan University Center 
1987: President's House Lawn
1992: Beckham Hall, Fayerweather
1997: Tent with red flag, McKelvey Green (lawn in front of College Row)
2002: Tent with black flag, McKelvey Green (lawn in front of College Row)
2007: The West Wing, Usdan University Center
2012: Russell House Lawn

TICKETS: Each dinner requires advance purchase/registration. Dinner is included for members of reunion classes with a flat rate fee (5th, 10th, and 50th reunion classes) and is complimentary for WESeniors (Classes of 1942 through 1966) and their guests. All other reunion classes will be charged the following for dinner:
$55 per person
9:30 PM to 10:00 PM
Traditional All-College Sing
Steps of North College; Rainsite: Memorial Chapel
10:00 PM to 1:00 AM
All-Campus Party featuring The Rooks
All are welcome to attend this year's annual All-Campus Party with The Rooks. Open to all. Don't miss it. Cash bar. ID required. Bar closes at 12:45 a.m. No outside alcohol permitted. 

The Rooks, formed at Wesleyan in the fall of 2011, are equal parts kick-back, head-knock, and get-down; the music you rock to at the party, and the perfect soundtrack for the ride home.

Hard-hitting performances at NYC's Irving Plaza, Mercury Lounge and Brooklyn Bowl, as well as highly successful residencies at Arlene's Grocery and Pianos NYC (second highest grossing residency in venue history) have earned them further acclaim, including Deli Magazine's Artist of the Month award (Feb 2014) and win of the 14th Annual Independent Music Awards in the R&B/Soul category.

After their 2013 EP "Something You Can Take," their 2015 follow-up "Wires," several tours, and more hours watching Beyoncé videos on YouTube than they care to admit, The Rooks are getting into the studio to work on their first full-length album.

Band members: Graham Richman '11, Guitar; Spencer Hattendorf '12, Sax, Vox; Garth Taylor '12, Lead Vox; Connor Schultze, Bass (Manhattan School of Music 2016); Donnie Spackman, Drums; Daniel Papson, Keys (Skidmore College 2012)
Tent, Andrus Field

Sunday, May 28, 2017

8:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Registration and Information
Usdan University Center
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Roman Catholic Mass
Memorial Chapel

Accommodations

Hilton Garden Inn, Glastonbury
860-659-5003
Rate: $149/night
Block cutoff date: 4/10/17

Class Notes

[Read Class Notes]

Please send new notes to the Class Secretary:

Gerry Frank
Gfrank@bfearc.com

Your contact information

[Update Contact Information]

Be sure to update your contact information on Wesconnect so that your classmates can get in touch. For fast signup help contact the Wesconnect staff.

Staff Contact

Theresa Kidd
Associate Director
(860) 685-4878
tkidd@wesleyan.edu