Classes ending in 2's and 7's will have their reunion in the 2017-2018 school year, beginning the weekend of October 13-15. Please save the date!
CLASS NOTES was right: In July, Greg and I had the distinct pleasure of a personal tour by Judith Cohen and her husband Malcolm through the museum of Modern California Art, which is their home. We then had a lovely dinner together and talked all evening about things lofty and mundane, including funny Riverdale memories and visions for our futures. Judith’s work is inspiring. She has created and is CEO of a nonprofit that uses drama training to engage innercity youth in socializing, learning, entertaining, politics and personal growth. It is amazing work, and you should look it up on YouTube: The Handful Players. “Our one-year-old granddaughter Maggie is still the light of our lives. She and her parents live in San Francisco, but we have been fortunate enough to see them about every six weeks this year. “And Greg and I are still working, bushwhacking our way through this opiate epidemic, trying to stave off the multiple overdose deaths (averaging two a day now in northeast Ohio), as the manufacturers release ever-stronger formulations of the stuff. It can be grueling work, but also very rewarding because treatment does work! “We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in 2019, if not before. If you are in Cleveland, give us a shout!” From Cissie Jensen, who mentions our famous “make-out parties”: “I am happy to have rejoined the Class of ’69 at Riverdale, a class I was part of for 10 years and then departed for Chapin in the ninth grade. I missed some—but not all—of the make-out parties. I wasn’t aware until the Reunion last year how much I missed you all and the great spirit of Riverdale and hours of blissfully misspent youth. At the Reunion I felt a huge bond and closeness with the friends I had made in my childhood and early adolescent years. Maybe there is just something about this time of
life that starts bringing it all back together again. In any event, I look forward to seeing you all again next time around, I guess at the 50th (yikes!), if not sooner, I hope.” From Peter Bernstein: “A few things to report since I unfortunately was unable to attend the Reunion. Like my good friend Tom Elkind, reaching 65 has occasioned my turning the page professionally. I, too, am semi-retired after 40 years in the communications and technology industries. “It has been an extraordinary journey. It has covered stints as a lobbyist in Washington, DC, internationally recognized (by press and peers) industry analyst, business strategy consultant to C-levels of companies large and small, featured speaker at tech events around the world, marketing executive, featured columnist, editor and editor-in-chief of newsletters and magazines, advisory board member of successful and not-so-successful startups, speech writer to some household names, and most recently as senior editor of one of the world’s largest technology websites. I have had the privilege of occupying a catbird’s seat on how technology has and will transform our personal and professional lives at an everincreasing pace, and high visibility platforms for providing commentary on my experiences and views. In short, to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, oh the people I have met and the places I have gone. “Now it is time to stop and smell the roses. I plan to work on selective projects for special companies and people, and be an advisor to a few startups. That said, the real goal is to get my golf game respectable, learn PhotoShop, pursue my passion for politics by working on political campaigns until this November, finally get to write fiction and non-fiction for myself rather than for someone else, lend a hand with the charities we support, and enjoy the freedom to spend time with family and friends. The latter would include my incredible wife of 32
years, Karen; my daughter Rebecca (getting married in September 2017 to a wonderful young man and enjoying her career at AMEX); and my son Ben, who is a sales executive at Southern Wine & Spirits. “Looking forward to hearing how everyone else is doing. We certainly are an eclectic group with amazing talents and great individual journeys to relate.” From me (Susan Tembeck Riccardi): “For starters, I met up with Jessie Woeltz during my last visit to NYC. As always, she was as energetic and fun as she was when we were in Riverdale. It was a real treat to spend time with her! “As for me, my life has taken quite a few career turns, starting as an advertising account executive in NYC, then to a director of various clothing store chains and ending up running our not-for-profit Fellowship Living Facilities recovery residences for over 11 years. Today, we house more than 160 individuals with substance use disorders in two locations—men in Margate and women in Ft. Lauderdale (www. fellowshipliving.com). This is our labor of love—as we both are in recovery. Back in April we opened our Fellowship Foundation Recovery Community Center in Margate (www. ffrco.org). It’s the first in Florida, yet there are 87 throughout the country. It is a peer-based recovery support service center designed to channel the expertise of those with similar life experiences. We offer things like support groups, 12-step and other meetings, life skills workshops, job search and resume writing, nutritional counseling, music therapy, rock and roll acoustic café—along with so much more. We are also involved with regulating the operation of recovery residences – to make sure they are run in the most ethical manner with the right intentions (so many are open for all the “wrong” reasons). We have been involved with the Florida legislator who recently passed a law requiring treatment centers and detoxes to refer clients to recovery residences
that are certified by the Florida Association (FARR) and National Association (NARR) of Recovery Residences. I’m proud to say that many of the standards that are now required are a result of adapting the standards we use in our houses. It is now against the law to refer a client to a house that is not certified. “Finally, my son Curtis, who lives in Berlin, Germany, is a musician and performs on a regular basis. I’m so proud of him for pursuing his passion and equally proud of the music he composes and performs. Check out Curtis Tembeck on YouTube. “Needless to say, if you are ever in this part of the country, please get in touch. I love meeting my old friends! “I hope more of our class decides to correspond so we can all enjoy each other’s lives.” Until the next issue, Susan & Nancy
1970
Mitch Alfus says, “It’s all about the next generation (see photos below).”
Mitch Alfus ’70 with “the next generation.” WWW.RIVERDALE.EDU | 25