Alumni News & Notes
1961
Nancy Rubin Bernstein and Sandy spent a few weeks in Florida end enjoyed Broadway shows in New York.
Nancy Wirtz’s home in Paradise, Calif., was destroyed by a recent forest fire. “It truly was cataclysmic. We had just over a half-hour warning…We left everything. But we got out, unburned,” Nancy said. She did not expect to survive and wrote notes to all of her loved ones. Nancy bought another house in Chico, and new and old friends and family members are helping her to adjust. Please contact your class councilor or the Alumni Association for Nancy’s new mailing address.
Mel Horowitz still enjoys traveling with his wife to timeshares in Maine, Florida and Massachusetts; spending time with their granddaughters; and volunteering for Rotary, the US-China Friendship Association, the International Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia Foundation, and UAlbany.
Judy Bleezarde cares for her husband, who has Parkinson’s disease and has lost most of his mobility, limiting their travels. They spent Thanksgiving in New Hampshire with their older son. Their younger son lives in Charleston, S.C. Judy still leads a monthly book group.
Brad Mundy and Margaret are doing well. Margaret enjoys quilting, working with church music activities, and taking guitar lessons. Brad enjoys writing, generating instructional materials, and working on his family tree.
Jim Kelly visited John Sullivan in October and had Thanksgiving dinner with James Clavell.
Please send your current email address and news to Mel at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!
Class notes councilor: Mel Horowitz, [email protected]
1962
Earl “Buzz” Welker volunteers at hospitals, and enjoys biking and walking along the Erie Canal in Newark, N.Y. He celebrated his 60th high school reunion and reports his life filled with contentment.
Elena Rabine Halady celebrated the arrival of her 10th great-nephew with family. She and her fiancee winter in Del Ray, Fla., and enjoy New York summers in Lake George, Saratoga Springs, Cooperstown, and Fort Ticonderoga. Elena stays busy ballroom dancing, traveling the world, and playing golf and tennis.
Alice Orr, a workshop presenter at International Women’s Writing Guild, is living her dream of writing full time. She has published 16 novels, three novellas, and a memoir. Alice has two children and two grandchildren, and lives in New York City with her husband.
Gene Altman is a lifeguard and swimming teacher.
Jean Brody Somlo teaches art to seniors at Oasis Educational Center and exhibits personal works.
Robert Sweeney and wife Phyllis river-cruised Europe and drove to Munich. Their oldest daughter is an ordained Methodist minister and a pastor. Their second grandchild will be a girl. Bob does charity work at food banks and a horse range for challenged youth. He also helps Flagler Beach Historical Museum to secure external funding.
Gene Altman and wife Shelley Levin Altman ’66 celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with family in Oregon. Gene is a lifeguard, swim instructor, and SCORE mentor for small businesses.
Class councilor: Sheril McCormack, [email protected]
1964
Corky Petrick informed us that Carol Eaton passed away last July. Carol was very active in campus life as a member of Psi Gamma Sorority, co-associate editor of the Torch yearbook, and a residence-hall counselor. She earned a Ph.D. at Boston University and served as superintendent of schools in districts in both Massachusetts and New York. Your co-councilors had the pleasure of meeting with Loida Vera Cruz for lunch recently, and we discussed the upcoming 55th reunion. Fifty-fifth reunion committee members include Corky Petrick and Columba DeFrancesco Heinzelman, Paula Dulak, and Edward Reid. Please update your contact information, if necessary, and share your news with us.
Class co-councilors: Alan Minarcik, [email protected]; Bill Robelee, [email protected]
1965
Elissa Gold Laster is still looking for classmates Lana Everett and Joyce Judson. Elissa stays busy scuba diving, traveling, and making jewelry. Harriette Cooperman Sacklow moved to Brookdale Senior Living in Niskayuna, N.Y.
Judy Koblintz Madnick and husband Stu enjoyed another season of UAlbany basketball as season ticket-holders for both the men’s and women’s teams. Judy was recognized as the UAlbany Alum of the Night at a game last season. She and Stu are proud to be 1844 Champion members of the Great Dane Athletic Club (GDAC).
Class councilor: Judy Madnick, [email protected]
1967
Anne Fischer Klingner retired after 27 years as a crisis intervention/family support program coordinator at Mental Health Association in Orange County, N.Y. She is working per diem at MHA, assisting families with Article 17A Guardianship petitions through Orange County Surrogate’s Court. John Klinger retired after 35 years as a school-library media specialist. He is a part-time reference librarian at SUNY Orange in Middletown, N.Y.
Class councilor: Canon Kay Carol Hotaling, FHC, [email protected]
1968
The Class of ’68 celebrated its 50th anniversary during Homecoming Weekend. We kicked off our reunion at a gathering around the main fountain on Friday night and were welcomed by University President Havidán Rodríguez and Alumni Association President Brian Fessler ‘06, ‘07. Saturday’s events included the Half-Century Club Breakfast and Induction; the President’s Showcase; Sorority and Fraternity Coffee Hour; and tours of the Campus Center, the Veterans Wall of Honor, and the University Art Museum. We also enjoyed the Great Dane Game Day pregame event at Casey Stadium and cheered on the football team. Our reunion dinner was held Saturday evening at Treviso Restaurant. We looked at memorabilia from the Class of 1968 archives, leafed through yearbooks, and shared memories. We remembered our deceased classmates with a candle lighting. On Sunday, we toured the downtown campus and got the chance to look at our first-year living quarters. We wrapped up the reunion with brunch at Waterbury/Alden cafeteria.
The Class of ’68 would like to thank all who made the reunion possible. Classmates who assisted with reunion planning including Kitti Eaton Michalowicz, who helped relocate lost members; Michael and Laurel Ginsburg, who led the remembrance of our deceased classmates; David Bopp, who found classmates, did venue tours, helped transport materials, and put up with the ups and downs of making the reunion happen; and the Alumni Association, the student tour guide, and UAlbany dining staff. We were a family – the Class of 1968, the class that was the bridge between the old and the new University at Albany experience.
It has been an honor to serve as your class councilor. I am resigning now that our 50th reunion has come and gone. Please contact the Alumni Association if you’re interested in representing as class councilor.
I wish you all the best for the years we still have left to change the world!
– Linda Stehr Bopp
Dave Spence retired as president emeritus of the Southern Regional Education Board in Atlanta, Ga. During his 50-year career, he served as an administrator, policy innovator, and teacher.
1969
Gary Mattson was appointed to a second two-year term as the non-partisan member of the State Financial Audit Monitoring Board, City of Covington, Ky. He taught for 34 years and currently serves as a part-time economic-development consultant. Gary is a member of the Banklick-Licking River Watershed Council.
1973
Charlotte Biblow was named a 2018 New York Metro Super Lawyer.
1975
Gloria Jean received the New York State School Counselor Association’s Career Achievement Award. She has worked in the Capital District for over 30 years. Gloria was instrumental in securing funding for the Child-Lures abduction-prevention program, coordinating the Drug Free School Grant Advisory Council, and integrating school-counseling program supports into the classroom and school-wide assemblies. Most recently, she helped develop school-counseling program regulations adopted by the New York State Education Department Board of Regents. Gloria retired from the Niskayuna School District in 2009 as director of K-12 Counseling Services. She teaches at The College of Saint Rose and provides consultant and professional development programs for school districts.
Donna Burton retired as a tenured full professor after 33 years at Schaffer Library, Union College.
1976
Nate Salant’s collection of Jerusalem antiquities is available for display by non-profit organizations as a fundraiser. The collection ranges from 4000 BC through the Byzantine Period (630 AD), with an emphasis on the Time of the Patriarchs (1550-1250 BC), Davidic Kingdom (1050-586 BC), Macabbean/Herodian Kingdoms (330 BC - 70 AD), Revolts Against Rome (67-73 and 132-136 AD), and the Early Christian Period (330-630 AD). Highlights include more than 100 ceramic items, rare coins, a silver half-shekel from the Second Temple, and two crucifixes that belonged to the archbishop of Jerusalem in the fourth century. Contact [email protected].
1977
Stu Bondell was named a 2018 top music lawyer by Billboard magazine. He is executive VP, Business and Legal Affairs, International, Sony Music Entertainment.
Samuel Moskowitz was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2018 Massachusetts Super Lawyers. He is a shareholder at Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C., Boston.
1978
William Bosshart retired after a 40-year career in accounting and insurance. His wife of 20 years, Jenette Barrow-Bosshart ’81, retired from practice at Otterbourg, P.C., in New York City. She was one of the first female equity partners to join the century-old law firm. William and Jenette met on State Quad in 1977. They established the Barrow-Bosshart Charitable Fund 10 years ago.
Class councilor: Nancy Benz, [email protected]
1979
Jack Kull received the Special Operations Association’s President’s Award of Excellence. He is the senior Vietnam War Policy Officer; Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency; Washington, D.C.
Paul L. Feldman was named a 2019 Best Lawyer in America. He is a shareholder at Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C., in Boston.
Daniel Lark retired after serving 38 years in the information-technology field.