No. 20
November 2, 2006

Welcome to the twentieth issue of the Columbia College Class of 1963 eNewsletter.

I hope that you have had a good fall so far, and plan on making the last remaining Home football game against Cornell on November 11. I'll look for you in the stands.

As I mentioned last month, I have posted this issue of our eNewsletter on our new web site, www.cc63ers.com. As the College and University work out their plans for the future of the Columbia online alumni presence, I thought it prudent to start up an independent, easily controllable environment. Over the next few years I hope that it will grow into a rich resource for our class. I am hoping that a few of you will join me on working on this site (knowing the talent in this class, I'm counting on it). I'll be sending out a separate email to all of you in week or with more information. In the meantime, let me know if what I have moved there so far (I'm slowly migrating the archives of this eNewsletter over) seems to be working correctly. The next step is a nicely designed home page (which I haven't had a chance to work on this month), and sections for all sorts of goodies. Let me know what you think. You can always email me at pauln@helpauthors.com.

If this is your first visit here, I've added a link to an archives page, which in turn, will link you to the past issues of the Class of 1963 eNewsletter.

Next Lunch - Thursday, November 9

Columbia University Club of New York

Every Second Thursday of the Month, 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Columbia College Club - 15 West 43rd Street, NYC

Please join your classmates for an informal lunch at the Columbia Club every second Thursday of the month. It is our hope that these gatherings will renew old friendships and foster improved relationship with our class and the College. I hope you can all join us at the next lunch on Thursday, November 9. Let me know if you will attend so that we can reserve a big enough table; RSVP to Paul Neshamkin (pauln@helpauthors.com).

October Lunch Attended By Eight Entertaining 63ers

We continued to have a great turnout for the Class on luncheon on October 12. The 8 who attended included returnees: David Alpern, Larry Apple, Gil Einstein, Bob Heller, Paul Neshamkin, Tom O'Connor, Frank Partel, and first-timer John Adler. Join us next time! We all seem to be enjoying each other's company.

(From left to right) Bob Heller, Paul Neshamkin, Frank Partel, John Adler, David Alpern, Larry Apple, Tom O'Connor, and Gil Einstein.

Click here for some candid shots

Lunch Archives

If you like to see our previous lunches, click on the dates below:

December 9, 2004

January 13, 2005

February 10, 2005

March 10. 2005

For information and inquiries call Paul Neshamkin at 201-714-4881 or email at pauln@helpauthors.com.

Latest News from the Class of 63

I met Bill Burley at the Homecoming game and included a note in last month's eNewsletter. Howard Freese '63E then wrote to ask me to put him in touch with Bill Burley in order to invite him to the North Carolina Highland Games in the Linville NC area. “Principally populated by Scots, but a lot of Irish, non-Irish, and all of the rest of us occasionally come to the ‘Highland Games’ in mid-summer. If Bill (or anybody else in the Class of `63) comes down to this event, we are situated on the Blue Ridge Parkway about three miles from Grandfather Mountain. The name of our place is, of course, Sans Souci . . . so you cannot miss it.”

Bill Burley wrote a note in response to Howard, “Thank you for your long letter containing your e-mails back and forth to Paul Neshamkin and the article about your home. We have debated for these past two years what to call our little Cape Cod house. The most popular name has been Sans Souci.” (A quick class poll – how many of you have called your home “Sans Souci?”)

Bill continued on a personal note, “I am neither Scottish nor Irish, mostly English and Welsh, with multiple other nationalities thrown in. Suzanne and I hiked in Great Britain (the first time) in 1990. We covered over 300 miles and ended in Scotland. That fall I saw an ad in the local paper offering piping lessons, and the rest is history. I've stayed in touch with several classmates, such as Gerry Dwyer, with whom I attended Columbia's homecoming, but most of my friends were Sigma Chi's. I roomed for one year with Frank Lorenzo. Being in engineering, perhaps you remember Russ Jelenek. He and I became friends years ago when he first recognized me running along the road ways and then seeing me in my role as school principal in New Milford, CT. His first wife was a teacher in my school. More to come another day. A piping student should be arriving at any moment.”

I then asked Bill to fill us in on his life after Columbia, and he later wrote, "Thanks for all the free advertising re: my piping services. If I get any gigs in the NYC area, I’ll send you an agent’s fee. As you requested, here’s a rundown on my post-college life:

My post-college life has to be viewed as a huge improvement over my dismal Columbia experience. In retrospect I was too immature and distracted to appreciate or take advantage of the University’s wealth. But, nevertheless, I somehow muddled through and, much to my amazement, learned at this past homecoming that I may not have been the anchorman of the class of ’63. Imagine! Forty-three years thinking I was dead last. Now I can relax knowing that I was only near the bottom.

After kicking around in a variety of dead-end jobs after graduation, I decided to become a physical education teacher. This desire was sparked by experiences I had while an undergraduate. I worked afternoons in the sports programs at a few NYC private schools to help pay the rent. I especially enjoyed working with young children. The net result was I returned to Columbia’s Teachers College to morph a political science degree into a phys ed degree … lots of science: physiology, kinesiology, anatomy and, oh yes, how to teach courses such as gymnastics, volleyball, and swimming. After an MA from TC I began teaching at the Dalton School.

I eventually moved to CT where I taught in the Westport public schools and met my wife of thirty-seven years, darling Suzanne. She, too, was a phys. ed. teacher. We have one son, Bill, who lives in the Gramercy Park area of NYC and develops web-sites for NYC art galleries. He, too, is married to a Suzanne. As of this letter, I have no known grandchildren.

I eventually received three degrees in school administration; a Professional Diploma from Fairfield University, and a MEd and EdD from TC. I subsequently worked for twenty-six years as a school principal in New Milford, CT, before retiring as an educator ten years ago. Along the way I had some adventures:

I ran in the first two NYC Marathons, finishing 15th in the first, and 25th in the second (2:47:30).
I qualified for the 1972 Olympic Trials in the 20 K racewalk. Eventually I won a National Junior Championships in the 40K walk and placed among the top six finishers in races ranging from 20K to 50K.
When my son was fifteen, he and I climbed Mt. Rainier (14,000+ ft).
Our family journeyed to Mexico to climb Pico de Orizaba (18,700 + ft) and hiked in Peru, crossing the Andes to rest our feet at Machu Picchu.
In Great Britain Suzanne and I trekked the Pennine Way, The Coast-to-Coast walk, and the West Highland Way.
I had an article published in the Sunday “Times” on how to teach children about population growth and the resulting consequences.
In retirement I built dry-stone walls (no mortar) for wealthy metropolitanites, who wanted “instant” New England quaintness for their trophy homes.
I play and teach the great highland bagpipes. I am the official piper for the NYC Univ. Penn Club.

I would be happy to offer my services to Columbia, if the University was interested and offered lodging when I piped in NYC for them (as does the Penn Club). And I would be pleased to pipe for the Class of ‘63 at our 45th and 50th anniversaries, if I’m still alive."

Charley Goldsmith was overly kind when he wrote, “Hi Paul, I disagree. I think that your photos from homecoming were quite good. The enclosed shot is my family: wife Marian, Barnard '63, son Andrew, and daughter Suzy who just graduated from Smith School of Social Work. Sorry I cannot make the monthly luncheons. I live in Santa Monica, California. I am off shortly for a hiking trip in Northern Italy (Sud Tirol). Hiking has become a passion since my retirement from the practice of pathology.”

Congratulations, Charley, and I hope you are enjoying your hiking trip. Send us some pictures.

Gary Rachelefsky writes from L.A. that he also wishes that he “could attend the luncheons but never seem to get to NYC on your scheduled days. Nice to see the pictures of the not so old ‘old’ classmates.” He is still practicing allergy immunology, writing, speaking, and doing clinical research. He has also just published a book for parents of children with asthma: Free Your Child from Asthma; a four week plan to eliminate asthma, published by McGraw Hill. He continues, “I enjoyed doing it; it was the best way to translate my practice approach. I tore my achilles tendon Fathers Day 2005 doing a ‘Julius Irving’ for my grandchildren – all five of them. That gave me some free time to write. My youngest daughter Lindsay. `01 just became engaged. She and Cara, `97 are now in charge of L.A. county interviews of high school seniors. I am now emeritus of the project.” Gary, I hope you are fully recovered and perhaps you and I could organize a class lunch in LA for all the Left Coast deprived.

When you send your notes in, please indicate if you would like to share your email address(or web site) with your classmates. Always great to hear from you all.

Share your news and views with your classmates. Contact your Class Correspondent, and let him know what you would like posted here or in Columbia College Today (CCT).