Brandeis Magazine

Our ’50s Reunion proved to be a joyous event, a perfect blend of scholarship, entertainment, and the warm rekindling of friendships, old and new. The Class of 1957 had a remarkable turnout, as 24 members of our class (the second highest for the event!) returned to campus: Carole Wolfe Berman, P’80, P’83, G’12; Jules Bernstein; Ruth Porter Bernstein; Carole Mendelson Felz; John Fusco; David Graubard; Marcia Ullian Jackson, P’87; Lawrence Kane; Rabbi David Kline; Rita Roth Levine, P’84; Jeanne Lieberman; Doris Raduziner Marks; Kim Michelson; Deborah and Sy Raboy, P’82; Benjamin Ravid, P’96, P’01; Ann Wertheimer Rich; Tani Sackler Krouse; Bret Harry Schlesinger; Beverly Sachs Silpe, P’83; Ruth Gordon Stavisky, P’84; James Stehlin; Leo Surette; and me.

We particularly showed our talent during the entertainment portion of Saturday night’s gala dinner, for which I became the reluctant producer. David and Carole brought down the house with “We’re Still Here,” under the musical direction of John Haskell ’58. The monologue by Jules provided an amusing look at some of the stories making news in The Justice during the ’50s. A sing-along of Brandeis spoof songs, written primarily by Marge Grodner Housen ’56, had all 130 attendees singing enthusiastically, thanks to the wandering song leaders: David, Carole, Marge, Beverly, my sister Nancy Greenblatt ’55 and Allen Secher ’56. We closed with a rousing rendition of the “Brandeis Drinking Song” and a more reverent singing of our alma mater.

Personally, 2010 was a bountiful year for me: a second granddaughter was born in Seattle, thanks to son Mark and his bride of 10 years, Nancy; and I welcomed a new daughter-in-law, Debra (and enjoyed a beautiful wedding), thanks to son Michael in Phoenix. I am fortunate enough to still be doing work I love: leadership and executive coaching for companies in many different industries (Philips, AMD, Osram Sylvania, Harvard Vanguard Medical). It’s great to still be making a difference in the lives of people at work, those they work with and for, and even their families.

Sy Raboy stepped down from the board of the Boston Center for Adult Education. He had also served as chair until last year.

Kim Michelson, a Jewish geriatric chaplain, last year completed administrative work to help prepare her program for independent accreditation.

Since retiring two years ago, Madelyn Bell has worked with several nonprofits as a fundraising consultant. She writes, “On a personal level, I’m having a wonderful time taking my five grandchildren on ‘Bubbe’s Adventures’ — doing the things I couldn’t do with their fathers because I was working full time. If I had to summarize my life these days, I’d say I’m still making lemonade out of lemons, and there’s much more of the former than of the latter.”

Janet (Cohen) David writes that she is enjoying retirement. She volunteers at the Museum of Natural History, Central Park, and Facing History High School, and teaches and supervises candidates in a training program for psychotherapists who are learning to treat people with eating disorders. Janet has met some Brandeis students through the Hiatt Career Center’s Shadowing Program. She connected with Steve Steinberg on Facebook and met Judy Cohen Adams in a chance encounter at Barnes & Noble.

Robin Brooks recently established a generous charitable gift annuity in memory of his parents, Abraham and Mae. Per his wishes, the gift was credited to the Class of 1957’s Annual Fund.

Benjamin Ravid retired at the end of last year’s fall semester after teaching Jewish history at Brandeis for 37 rewarding years. He’s working on finishing two projects about the history of the Jews of Venice.

Phyllis Glazerman writes, “Professionally, I’m still working on pianos (through Glazerman Piano Service). Family-wise, we’ve achieved great-grandparenthood (two going on two years old). Physically, I’m still playing tennis. Mental stimulation is found in an ongoing Torah study group, Hebrew class, and book group, plus lots of plays and music. Also, I’m constantly learning piano pieces, playing for fun with a trio. One of my greatest satisfactions is that some of my ESL students have remained close friends. Downsizing to a condo two years ago has simplified my life, though I’m still adjusting.”