for seven

Good organization, no complications, and very fine drugs. I was walking a bit the day after, the family rotated in and out for the next three weeks, and I was driving my VW by week four. All in all, a good experience. The veil of COVID slightly lifted beginning in March. I attended a concert by Bruce Hornsby. It felt like a trip back into time—even with a mask on, it was delightful to dance with strangers in the aisles of the Carolina Theatre. In May, I lost a wonderful woman who reconciled with her ex. Much soul searching, yard work, and bicycle riding followed. I traveled back to western Illinois in July for the 106th Tinken-Porter family reunion. Afterwards, I visited the campus with my dog Delilah and had a picnic outside the Gizmo. She was bored by my stories. It was a little distressing to see how much Galesburg has been changed by the prison southwest of the city. The fall was mostly about vaccinations, routine medical visits, and the election.

Glad that the red wave did not emerge, but my home state sent election denier Ted Budd as the junior senator. Sigh … Bonenkai, my friends.”

❯ Richard Heitman: “Heidi and I built a ceramics studio in Maine for her sculpture work. I began to use the potter’s wheel and made great progress. This nicely supplements my intellectual pursuits and makes a happy combination. I feel a bit as though I am on the Knox campus again, and this time, I should get more than four years!”

❯ Len and Jim—the lawyer and the scientist— had a clarifying moment with our class notes: ❯ Leonard Berg: “I believe Jim and Jan Rybka should confirm that several of us from the Class of 1974 have recently visited with them since they moved to Flagstaff, Arizona. This includes a recent visit with my wife, Fran, and I, Kent and Marcia Sezer, and Beth Kasai Collins and her husband.” ❯ Jim Rybka: “Len is mostly correct. I’ll clarify and add a bit. Len, thanks for the notso-subtle prod! Jan and I moved to Flagstaff in 2018 and have really enjoyed the change. To us, Flagstaff has a very Knox-y vibe that we appreciate and enjoy. We have had a few Knox alumni visitors. Kent and Marcia Sezer came to town and visited in the fall of 2018. Keith and Beth Kasai Collins visited and stayed overnight with us last November. We were able to connect with Len and Fran Berg when they were in town visiting their family last December. We would enjoy seeing more Knox friends, so please contact us if anyone is visiting the northern Arizona area, maybe the Grand Canyon is on your bucket list?

Best Regards, Jim (and Jan)” ❯ Jerry Borchers: “I actually have something that I feel good about sharing. The program with which I was involved (simulated patient), “Skills Assessment and Training Center” at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, received the President’s Award for Excellence. The award recognizes the work and dedication for the first years of the pandemic. It was a challenging time, training the medical students while keeping everyone safe. Anyway, it was an appreciated recognition, and was quite unexpected because I had retired and was no longer employed (except I do volunteer my time from time to time). It was a nice way to end my career of 38 years. The Simulated Patient Program continues and is doing great.” ❯ Kathy Brennan: “I have been doing standup comedy now for seven years and love it. I found that writing jokes was much easier for me than learning how to crochet, and it’s something I can do with a bad knee. I perform in the Central Illinois and St. Louis area just enough to avoid blowing up my marriage of 45 years. I was a finalist this year in the Peoria Jukebox Amateur Comedy Contest and was voted Best Local Comedian in the Illinois Times 2022 Best of Springfield Reader’s Poll.” ❯ Monta Lee Dakin: “I decided to make my 70th year a travel year. I went to the Big Island before Mauna Loa erupted, then to remote Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska, on to Idaho for a reunion, before stopping in Yellowstone to be a guide to high school friends. I spent five weeks in Great Britain, staying first in Iceland, then landed in Scotland the day the queen died. Interesting to see the flag on the ferry to the Isle of Lewis at half-mast. Since I had done research on 12th-century chess pieces called the Lewis chessmen (now national icons), I went to see where they were found in 1830 on Uig Bay. Then I saw the largest collection of these beautifully carved pieces at the British Museum. I watched the queen’s funeral in the Cotswold’s, then saw her new crypt in Windsor Castle. My travels ended in the Yorkshire Dales, staying in Grassington where All Creatures Great & Small is being filmed. It was a fun birthday all year!” ❯ Rest In Peace: Robert Anthony Sypniewski, “The Crusher.” February 8, 1952 - May 17, 2022. Laura Kohl Dare, October 12, 2022, Downers Grove, Illinois. ( Husband Jack Dare, ’75.) Class Correspondent: Monta Lee Dakin 303-979-9307, mld780@aol.com

1975

I’ve had a fun run as your Class Correspondent and am passing the baton to Dave Langston! We all know Dave as a good, kind man and clever contributor to past 1975 Class Notes. Thanks for stepping up, Dave! Let’s all make his job easy by sending updates whenever he asks. And thanks for these first five updates coming from first-time contributors! ❯ Steve Kaufmann recently retired after 44 years practicing law in Springfield, Illinois. He will live on a golf course in Anthem, Arizona, during winter months, play as much golf as possible to achieve his coveted single-digit handicap status, visit the national parks, and finally, travel internationally. ❯ Catherine Cox writes, “Big news. After living in Los Angeles for like, forever, I got married and we moved to South Atlanta near all the film studios. I’m still a proud card holder for SAG/Aftra and AEA and have a SAG pension now. Georgia is a booming peach for the entertainment business and music—which I’ve also been making in classical and jazz. So I moved from one side of the United

States to the other, and Knox remains in the middle. I’m also closer to Julie Crisman-McNabb my sophomore roommate—so we can sip juleps together. I have been working on my ‘y’all’ … no more Valleygirl.” ❯ Michael Stutman is still practicing law in Manhattan, 44 years after law school graduation, as managing partner of his family law firm, Stutman, Stutman & Lichtenstein, LLP (www.sslllp.com). “My wife and partner, Dana, and I have two children, one a freshman at SCAD and one a freshman at Bronx High School of Science. I have two children from a prior marriage; the eldest is a physician practicing rural medicine in Kotzebue, Alaska, and the younger lives in Ogden, Utah, and is still looking for his calling.” ❯ Mary Ann (Mae) Esler passed along the sad news that David R. Dobkin died on April 3, 2022, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. “David retired to San Miguel a few years ago and was enjoying a creative and artistic life there. His death was sudden, unexpected, and a big shock for us all. David and I were married until 1995, and we have a daughter, Rachel. David subsequently remarried and had two more daughters whom he raised in Utah. We hope to create a Facebook memorial page for David in the future; contact me maesler@gmail.com to share comments and remembrances.” ❯ Jeffrey Cagan writes, “Jeanne, after ignoring your entreaties for all these years, your pending retirement as Class Correspondent finally pushed me over the edge! Marcy (Norman-Cagan) ’77 and I lived 44 years in New Jersey but have moved to Rancho Mirage, California, and are loving the desert. One son and his family (including our three-year-old grandson!) live in Los Angeles—a two-hour drive—and our other son and daughter-in-law live in London. I led a wealth management team at Morgan Stanley for 26 years, then relocated to UBS with my group for the past 15. I have a year of phasing-out left to go before I officially retire. Marcy is an accomplished artist with a focus on collage and photography. She had one-woman shows in New Jersey and has already become active in shows in the vibrant art scene here. Our retirements will focus on playing lousy golf (me) and really good tennis (Marcy), desert hikes, social gathering, concerts, reading, and lots of travel, with mid-summer visits to London. Our Knox-rearing keeps us involved in community projects and speaking out for political decency when appropriate. We regularly spend time with our Knox housemates Dan and Barbara (Carrava) ’76 Interlandi, Phil Thomason, and Dean Hawthorne ’77. Isn’t it amazing how Knox bred these life-long friends, and you just pick up right where you left off each time you get together?” ❯ Sheri Morrison is enjoying being a grandmother (“Bubbie”), and is ever more appreciative of deepening relationships with her son, Evan, daughter-in-law, Stephanie, and husband, Jerry. In addition to her creative pursuits, Sheri is still very involved with her synagogue community, and “… fights racism and antisemitism in whatever ways I can.” She also asked me to in-