60th Reunion - 202460th Reunion - June 2024
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The phrase “A grand time was had by all” is an
appropriate description of our delightful four days and three nights on
the Hill, June 6–9. Our Reunion was beautifully planned and executed by
Carolyn Stewart Whitman. There were enough class activities for us to
enjoy being together, and just enough free time to take advantage of the
lectures, open houses, and experiences that Cornell planned for anyone
who cared to attend.
Thursday afternoon was registration and check-in at one of Cornell’s new
dorms: Barbara McClintock Hall, located east of Balch and Clara Dickson.
McClintock is adjacent to the North Campus Appel Commons, where our
Thursday evening cold buffet dinner was held. Following dinner, there
was an ice cream social back at headquarters, where a selection of
Cornell Dairy’s famous ice creams were enjoyed by all.
The continental breakfasts on Friday and Saturday and the brunch on
Sunday that preceded our class meeting engendered many compliments for
Cornell catering. They served a lovely dinner at Duffield Hall on Friday
evening, which was our first sit-down dinner with nearly all our 118
attendees. Many of us attended the traditional Chorus and Glee Club
concert that night in Bailey Hall.
This year, we reached the magic Reunion plateau for us to have our
banquet in the Statler Hotel Ballroom on Saturday night. Again, it was a
terrific meal with great spirit and nostalgia as the Sherwoods sang,
joked, and serenaded Cynthia Wolloch, the outgoing chairman of our JFK
Memorial Award.
Cindy organized a very special event for our class: the JFK Award Forum,
which many university administrators and deans attended to congratulate
and hear from this year’s award winner, Sarah McMorrow ’24. They also
got to learn more about the work done by our officers to ensure the
award continues in perpetuity.
It was a passing of the mantle for Katie Dealy ’00, our JFK Award winner
in 2000. As she accepted the first chairmanship of the newly organized
JFK Alumni Board, she said that the award “changed my life.” She
explained movingly that the award allowed her to accept and live on a
public policy salary, which directly led to her career in public
service.
Ken Kupchak JD ’71, gave many class officers beautifully carved cheese
boards handmade from a koaia tree that had to be removed from their
yard.
Two of our classmates who have been application readers for years, Judie
Pink Gorra and Stan Morgenstein, will also sit on this board. Cindy and
Ken Kupchak, JD ’71, worked tirelessly with the University to ensure our
award is legally protected and will continue to be funded and awarded
each year.
The JFK Forum featured four conversations, each between one classmate
and one award-winning alum. Eileen Corwin Mason, Mike Smith, PhD ’73,
Bill Lacy, and Stan Morgenstein, all of whom have pursued careers in
public service, spoke with four of our award-winning alumni.
An event just for our class, planned by Carolyn, was a movie, exhibit,
and guided tour of Cornell’s collection of Blaschka Invertebrate Models,
which are gorgeous crystal works of art that are such accurate models of
invertebrates, they are used for research.
Notable events the University hosted were the yearly Olin Lecture,
especially enjoyed by CNBC viewers, with Andrew Ross Sorkin ’99; and
Cornelliana Night on Saturday, which was a wonderfully spirited
evening—but this year especially for ’64s. Ours was the only class
recognized for our class project and gift to the University! There was a
beautiful collage of photos from the day’s JFK Forum, highlighted on the
jumbotron by the University, while the Alumni Affairs
speaker/cheerleader shared the story of our award with the assembled
classes. Such pride we felt, and gratitude to Cindy and Ken!
Back at class headquarters on Sunday morning, for brunch and our class
meeting, we were able to check on the progress of the huge jigsaw puzzle
that Bob, PhD ’69, and Alice Dannett Friedenson, MA ’71, created for our
Reunion. Over the years, Bob has taken countless photos of our Reunions;
Alice was able to assemble them into a wonderful collage from which she
produced a huge puzzle. Thank you to both of them.
Our class meeting included our election of officers. Congratulations to
Elliot Gordon, our new class president! Having worked closely with him
for four years, I heartily approve his election. There is no more
patient, talented, and pleasant man on Earth.
We’re delighted that Carolyn and her 60th Reunion committee member,
Linda Cohen Meltzer, will be our 65th Reunion co-chairs. This will be
the third Reunion that each of them will have chaired … so far! They
work seamlessly together, as this Reunion surely showed. Ken announced
that the other officers will remain the same, including our outstanding
Cornell Fund representatives, Phyllis Rivkin Goldman, MS ’67, and
Michael Troner, who did a stellar job garnering Tower Club members for
our class.
Ken said farewell as our president, giving many of his key officers
beautifully carved cheese boards handmade from a koaia tree that had to
be removed from their yard; he carried these boards all the way from
Hawaii. And we also had a representative from the other non-contiguous
state, Alaska: Mike “Tree” Smith with his wife, Linda (Dryer), MPS ’04.
Also from afar: Rodrigo Ong, MS ’64, came from the Philippines with his
grandson. It truly was a memorable event. Do try to make our 65th!
