Meeting Minutes: February 24, 2024
From: Judie Pink Gorra, Class Secretary
Location: Baltimore Marriott
Waterfront Hotel, Baltimore, MD
Attending:
| Name | Role |
| Nancy Taylor Butler | Affinity Chair |
| Lauren Coffey | CU Alumni Affairs |
| Elliot Gordon | Newsletter Designer |
| Judie Pink Gorra | Secretary |
| Susan Mair Holden | Newsletter Editor |
| Ken Kupchak | President |
| Susan Schifter Labarthe | Historian Committee |
| Linda Cohen Meltzer | Membership Chair & Treasurer |
| Stan Morgenstein | Class Council |
| Carolyn Chauncey Neuman | Class Council |
| Michael Troner* | Annual Fund Rep |
| Bruce Wagner | Immediate Past Pres. & Webmaster |
| Carolyn Stewart Whitman | Reunion Chair |
| Steve Whitman | Class Council |
| Cynthia Wolloch* | JFK Award Chair |
| * Joined by phone | |
This year’s Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference (CALC) was held in Baltimore, MD at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel on February 23-24, 2024.
1. Introduction (Ken)
President Ken Kupchak called the meeting to order at 3:00 pm. He welcomed our large group, among the largest class representations at CALC.
Because our time in the meeting room was limited, reports were transmitted via email before the meeting from Cindy (JFK Award), Bruce (Campus Climate, Class History, Nominations), Linda (Treasurer, Membership), and Michael (Fundraising).
The minutes of our last meeting on May 17, 2023 were approved.
2. Membership & Treasury (Linda)
Reunion Costs: The class treasury will be providing $12,000 towards defraying reunion expenses.
Class Newsletter: There will not be a four-page newsletter this Spring. In its place will be a two-sided sheet with 60th Reunion information and a letter from Cindy Wolloch regarding the JFK Award and its transition to the new alumni-led Board. Linda thanked Elliot and Susie for their work on recent newsletters.
Tradition Fellowship: Nancy thanked Linda for her work on the Tradition Fellowship, with two awards provided this year. Nancy asked that there be information on the winners as well as giving more publicity generally for the Fellowship.
Class Membership: Linda reported that the number of dues-paying classmates has declined from 500 to about 250 over the past few years. Linda was thanked for her good push for membership. There is no intention to raise the dues, which could discourage membership.
Class Accounts
In a document circulated before the meeting, Linda reported on our general class accounts and three scholarship accounts. All are well funded.
3. JFK Award (Cindy)
Here are highlights from the written report Cindy submitted before the meeting. (A faulty Internet connection prevented Cindy from reporting live at the meeting.)
2024 Competition and Awardee
The new Alumni Board, led by Chair Katie Dealy ’00, considered 21 well-qualified applicants for this year’s JFK Award. Our 69th JFK Award winner is Sarah Jane McMorrow ’24, of Concord, MA. Sarah is a Computer Science major and anthropology minor. She is planning to get an MD degree and specialize in forensic pathology. Among her accomplishments: outstanding local volunteer firefighter and EMT in Varna since 2022; Student Ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences; served on the executive board of the Cornell Center for Health Equity for three years. Sarah hopes to join us at Reunion to receive her award.
The Alumni Board
Over the past year we continued transition of oversight of the JFK Award to the Alumni Board. The current hybrid Board includes classmates Judie Pink Gorra, Stan Morgenstein and Cynthia Wolloch, and JFK Alumni Katie Dealy ’00, Itai Dinour ’01, Karl Hausker ’79, Jared Genser ’95 and Philip Caruso ’08. The Board is considering changes including multiple awardees each year and/or increasing the value of the award. We are also reconsidering our relationship with the Einhorn Center where all campus awards are overseen.
Board composition will change after Reunion, with officers named, some alumni additions and a step back by Cindy from Review Committee Chair to Liaison with the Class of ’64.
Michael and Phyllis are launching a JFK Award fundraising effort focused around Reunion.
Nancy reported that the Class of ’73 hopes to set up an award similar to our JFK Award, further increasing the influence of our Class Legacy.
JFK Award at Reunion
Several JFK Award-related activities are planned for Reunion:
· Run three videos on monitors. Two are short interviews with recent awardees; the third is a video about the Award shown at our 45th Reunion.
· Presentation of the 2024 JFK Award
· Conversations with two JFK Award Board members in attendance.
4. Fundraising (Michael)
Michael reported on fundraising for the Annual Fund and the JFK Award. Phone calls have been made to past donors. He reported the need for 5-10 more people needed to help with calls during March and April. He said that classmates have been more responsive to emails than to phone calls. Half of the goal that Cornell set for the class has been met. Personal thank-you emails are sent to those who give $500 or more. Michael and Phyllis Rivkin Goldman lead this effort.
5. Communications
Facebook/Affinity (Nancy) - Nancy asked that members comment on class Facebook postings. She reported that ten years ago the affinity effort was amazing but participation has dropped. Any classmate joining our Facebook group can post on our Facebook page. Bruce reported that as Facebook site administrator, he has had to deny access to several people who wished to post but were not class members.
Class Website (Bruce) – Our class website is current. Bruce said he has links for obituaries of recently-deceased classmates but he does not think those links should be on the class website. After reunion there will a lot of photos posted.
Bruce plans to work with Susan Labarthe about some class history aspects for the website. He reminded the Council that the Class Constitution is out of date; some wondered whether updating the Constitution was worth the effort. (After the meeting, CACO leaders announced that they were updating a model constitution that could adapted for use by all classes. We’ll take a look.)
6. 60th Reunion (Carolyn W.)
Our class headquarters will be in a new dorm on North Campus — Barbara McClintock Hall. University bus routes to events and scheduled handicapped transportation will be available. Breakfasts will be served in the dorm. Carolyn expects between 55 and 100 classmates at this Reunion.
A 1,000-piece puzzle designed by classmate Alice Friedenson with photos taken by Bob Friedenson at previous reunions will be available for entertainment when relaxing at headquarters. Posters will be put up to help with solving the puzzle. Classmates can order puzzles costing $40 each.
Reunion kicks off on Thursday with a casual reception and dinner in nearby Appel Commons followed by an ice cream social at headquarters. On Friday, the reception and dinner will be at Duffield Hall, and Saturday we will enjoy dinner in the ballroom at the Statler Hotel with the Sherwoods performing during the reception. Lunches are on your own, or you can do CU for Lunch at the Terrace Restaurant in the Statler.
Friday morning, we will be at Mann Library for a 20-minute film introducing a handblown glass exhibit based on the book “A Sea of Glass: Searching for the Blaschkas' Fragile Legacy in an Ocean at Risk” written by Drew Harvell, retired Cornell Professor of Ecology. The delicate glass sea creatures are on exhibit in Mann Library and Corson Mudd Hall. A father and son created the glass sea creatures during the late 1800s. The video was produced by an Ithaca resident; we hope the producer will be available to speak to the class about the film. Most of the pieces pictured in the book are in Mann Library. Corning Glass is restoring the pieces.
On Saturday afternoon, a JFK Award Forum will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 in Statler 196.
Several emails encouraging attendance will go out periodically March-May.
Susie Holden is helping with Reunion meal planning, working with two different food vendors. Class members are encouraged to contact Carolyn to volunteer to help at reunion.
7. Nominations (Bruce)
Class officers are elected to five-year terms at a general class meeting at each Reunion. By class tradition, the Immediate Past President, currently Bruce, forms a Nominating Committee to select a slate of officers and class council members for election at Reunion. Those elected will start their terms on 7/1/24. Aside from Bruce, the Nominating Committee includes Ken, Linda and Nancy. Nominations are due to Alumni Affairs by May 3.
Most of our current officers are expected to continue on for another term. (Ken has already announced that he is stepping down from the Presidency, following the pattern of the past six class presidents.) Those who are not officers but are interested in an officer position should contact Bruce.
The question of sunsetting the Class Council was brought up and the group was told that the University wants the Council to be involved as long as possible. But at some point there will be a sunset. The class will be assigned a “Keeper” until the 75th reunion. This year there is also an 80th reunion.
8. Class History (Bruce)
Established at our 55th Reunion, the Class History Committee was intended to provide a focus for gathering and making available to classmates, mementos, physical and virtual, of our years on campus and as alumni. The class website currently includes photos from our Freshman Orientation, key Sun articles from our first two years as students and countless photos from our Reunions. Our 50th Reunion Yearbook has several articles recalling various aspects of our class history and one-page bios of hundreds of classmates. The History Committee, currently Bruce and Susan Labarthe, will identify additional items to include that are now in the University Archives, possessed by classmates, etc. to be included.
9. Campus Climate (Bruce)
A singular event in the Middle East last October 7 reverberated across many US college campuses, including Cornell’s. Initially, fear permeated the campus, especially among Jewish and Muslim students. Two early events on campus involving a bomb threat and an ill-considered statement by a faculty member heightened the level of fear. CU’s initial, official statements did little to calm the mood. Since then, University leaders have developed plans and processes that reduce students’ safety concerns and allow them to focus on their academics. The DEI program has been reimagined to reflect new realities. CU is now communicating broadly with many stakeholders: students, faculty, alumni, parents, staff, media, etc. The mood on campus generally has cooled as students have returned for the Spring semester.
We understand that some classmates have indicated that they may not attend reunion because of this situation. Ken reminded us that we’re all responsible to participate in the resolution.
10. Adjournment
The business of the Class having been addressed, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Judie Pink Gorra
Secretary
Cornell Class of 1964
Back row: Stan Morgenstein, Bruce Wagner, Elliot Gordon, Ken
Kupchak, Linda Cohen Meltzer, Susan Mair Holden, Susan Schifter Labarthe.
Front row: Carolyn Chauncey Neuman, Nancy Taylor Butler, Steve
Whitman, Carolyn Stewart Whitman, Judie Pink Gorra.
