Class Notes, March/April 2002

Friday May 10, 2002 Category: Archives Permanent Link

I never knew Jennifer Lynn Tzemis during my years as a Cornell undergrad or as a professional in New York City, but it’s obvious to me that she was deeply loved by her family: Stamatios, Nancy, Sophia, and Nicole Tzemis. In late November I received a few announcements, one of which was an invitation to Jennifer’s Mass service on Staten Island on Oct. 20, ‘01. Family and friends from various stages of her life, including her early childhood in Great Kills, Honors Club at New Dorp High School, her dance school, Cornell, and Merrill Lynch, came together to honor her “unique laughter, kindness to others, passion for life, and other personal qualities.” When the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred, Jennifer was a vice president, financial analyst at Fred Alger Management on the 93rd floor of One World Trade Center. Although most of us were not personally affected by the tragedy, I know we’re all thinking about Jennifer, the other Cornellians who lost their lives, and the families of the victims.

Many of our classmates will also remember 2001 as the birth year of their sons or daughters. If you attended our 5th Reunion in June, you may have spotted a few of these stroller-bound future Cornellians on campus. Melanie Hamill Harmon and husband Andrew welcomed Joshua Adam into the world on Mar. 5, ‘01. She reports that “Mom, Dad, and baby are all doing well” and that she and Andrew “love being parents.” Elyssa and Neal Brinn celebrated the birth of their son Evan Mitchell on Jan. 16, ‘01. Neal, who lives in Newport, RI, has signed on to stay in the Navy as a career. When Eric Helmy wrote to us in May 2001, he was about to graduate from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College and work as an attorney at Blake & Duckler LLP in Portland, OR. Eric also announced that wife Heather had just given birth to their first child, Trevor Patrick, on Mar. 30, ‘01 and that he “enjoyed a wonderful visit from classmates Michael and Amy Carpenter Buckler.” Finally, Phyllis Davis Zames and her husband reported that they were eager to take their newborn daughter Talia Rose to reunion.

The birth of Leif Bengston Saveraid (who’s over 2 years old now) has not slowed his mother Erika Hasler Saveraid down. She moved to Maine in June 2000 and ran the Boston Marathon on Apr. 16, ‘01. Inna Reyfman Yaskin reports that she had daughter Sleeli in 2000 and planned to start her residency in internal medicine in 2001. Michael and Kathy Heppner Trogolo ‘95 are also extremely busy with their daughter Meg, who will probably be 3 by the time this column is published. Mike calls his daughter “one smart, funny, opinionated kid. Being a dad is great, but, of course, challenging.” Kathy is working on a master’s degree online at George Washington U. and Mike is “doing well” as a network engineer for a medical device company. John ‘95 and Holly Hertel Heitzman report that they live in Ithaca, where they are raising their daughter Amanda. Holly works with Cornell alumni as director of the New York/Ontario Regional Office in Alumni Affairs and Development.

In non-infant-related news, Sonya Hand Stover graduated from Columbia Business School in May and now works as a consultant. Possibly inspired by his wife, Matthew ‘95 began Columbia Business School last August. Last May, Carolyn Kelly said that Kenya Mayfield married Matthew Beckmann in Ann Arbor, MI, in July 2000 and that lots of Cornellians were in attendance. Carolyn manages floor presentation for Pottery Barn stores nationwide.

Last August, Michael Odell and Nancy Brensson (Georgetown ‘96) announced their nuptials in the NY Times. Former classmates at the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, the Bronx, the couple did not become romantically involved until he saw his bride-to-be from the window of a bus and decided to get off at the next stop and catch up to her. Michael is a candidate for an MBA at New York U., and Nancy is a senior fashion editor at Cosmopolitan. In September, former Winston-Salem, NC, news reporter Bridget Lowell joined the staff of Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pennsylvania) as press secretary. Before landing her new job, Bridget revealed that she was beginning to lose her Long Island accent and picking up a Southern drawl.

I devoted my last column to our 5th Reunion, so I would like to mention a few people who wrote in recently (well, within the last two years). Arshad Ahmed graduated from the U. of Pennsylvania law school, and Erin Hovanec authored a series of children’s books called The Life Science Wonder Book. Erin has also written a middle school book, Get Involved! A Girl’s Guide to Volunteering. The last time they wrote to us, Vanessa Gubbins Dodson was attending veterinary school at the U. of Georgia, Rob Humphreys had finished his first year of medical school at Memorial U. of Newfoundland in Canada, and Sean Anderson had graduated from Princeton ‘s School of Architecture with an MArch degree.

Please send your news to any one of the following friendly (truly!) correspondents. We look forward to hearing from all of you.

—Allie Cahill, Class Correspondent