The Class of 1972 was well-represented at our 45th reunion, with 21 classmates and 10 spouses attending. We seem to appreciate the friendship of our classmates and the benefits of the Yale system more and more with each passing reunion. The Friday evening reunion dinner was once again graciously hosted by Jerry and Roz Meyer at their waterfront home in Guilford. This has become a highlight of our reunion weekend, as we are able to reconnect with classmates and spouses in the warm setting of Roz and Jerry’s home. We cannot thank them enough for their hospitality. The Saturday reunion dinner was held at the Quinnipiack Club in New Haven, with a visit and comments from Dean Alpern. With the benefit of two reunion dinners, we were able to maximize opportunities to meet with classmates and spouses, which was especially helpful for those who could not attend both evenings. The Distinguished Alumni Service Award was given posthumously to Felix Freshwater on Saturday morning in Harkness Auditorium for his many contributions to Yale Medical School over the years. Phil Rothfeld graciously accepted the award on behalf of Felix’ family. Many classmates were in the audience and rose for a standing ovation in honor and memory of Felix.
Lenny Cohen proudly showed everyone pictures of his and Linda’s first grandchild, Sadie Cohen Beagle, born three days before the reunion.
Phil Cohen is looking towards retirement, having led an NIH-funded research team for more than 40 years, whose findings on the mechanisms of systemic autoimmune disease led the way to new therapies. Phil trained 70 students and fellows over the course of his career, many now leaders in rheumatology. Most of all, he takes pride in having helped rheumatic disease patients over the past four decades.
Tom Converse and his wife, Diane Larson, live in Minnesota and plan to work for five more years and then retire to Silver City, N.M., and get out of the cold. Tom is a child and adolescent psychiatrist and Diane is a biologist working for the U.S. Geological Survey.
Bob and Louise Glassman are contemplating moving from Indianapolis to Charlotte, N.C., after he retires from full-time cardiology practice in the near future. This will allow them to be near their youngest son and his family, including their two grandsons. Bob is also actively involved in one of the two cardiology fellowship programs in Indiana, teaching med students and cardiology fellows.
Bob Goodman is fully retired from the practice of orthopaedics, but remains interested in global health. He spent one year in Uganda in 2014-2015 as a professor of orthopaedics and staff surgeon. He has also joined in briefer missions in various countries around the world dating back to 1993, including Somalia, Croatia, Rwanda, Peru, and post-earthquake Haiti.
Fred Henretig was thrilled to join with his real classmates again (Class of 1972), even though he missed graduation. He and his wife Marnie live in Philadelphia, where Fred remains at Children’s Hospital after 37 years. Though struggling with retirement issues, he hopes to have figured it out by our 50th reunion. Fred would love to correspond at henretig@email.chop.edu.
Tom Horn maintains a home in the woods of northeastern Connecticut for his bread-winner wife Sue and himself, having retired from a varied practice of psychiatry two years ago. When not cleaning and cooking, Tom finds time for gardening, reading, and traveling. He gets together often with Peter Panzarino, who everyone was glad to see at the reunion. Tom also keeps in touch with classmate Ruth Lasell.
Frank Kahr is practicing hospital psychiatry part-time in Providence, allowing more time off to visit children and grandchildren. He remains a very active rower.
Philip Lebowitz is a professor of clinical anesthesiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and does anesthesiology three days a week at Montefiore Medical Center. He and his wife Susan of 20 years have four children and five grandchildren and divide their time between New York City, the Berkshires, and Wellington, Fla. Phil also works on his golf game and 19 handicap.
Marc and Lesley Osias have lived in Ambler, Penn., since 1980 and have two sons, 40 and 37, and three granddaughters. Marc is retiring in December after almost 39 years of practicing urology, with two years in the Air Force in Albuquerque, N.M. He is looking forward to many new medical activities and wishes good health to our class and seeing everyone at our 50th reunion.
Dick and Helen Robbins are looking forward to spending time in their house in the mountains near Ashville, NC. Dick retired two days before our reunion after 39 years of practice in GI in Columbus, Ga., where he grew up. Helen and Dick express many thanks to Jerry and Roz for the lovely Friday night reunion dinner. Dick plans to work on his golf game.
Phil Rothfeld retired in 2011 after 35 years of radiology practice in Waterbury, Conn. He and his wife Barb still live in Connecticut, splitting their time between Woodbridge and Bantam Lake in Litchfield.
Charles and Susan Scholhamer are adjusting to being home, traveling, and visiting children and grandchildren after Charles’ retirement two years ago. He practiced gastroenterology in New Haven and eventually earned his M.B.A. and managed his group.
Gary and Meda Strauss have three children and five grandchildren and plan to travel more after Gary cuts back “somewhat” from his still enjoyable full-time practice. They have a two-family house with their daughter and three of their grandchildren, ages one, five, and eight.
Steve Zeldis and his wife Roberta live on Long Island, where Steve remains on the cardiology faculty at Winthrop University Hospital teaching, but no longer seeing patients.
Joining in the festivities on Friday night were Jesse Jupiter, Don and Ellen Kent, Mike Charney, and John and Lynn Fulkerson. John was up at the crack of dawn on Saturday, to give a long-planned talk on the patella to an orthopaedics meeting.
We look forward to an even bigger turnout at our landmark 50th reunion in 2022 and wish everyone good health, until then.
- Lenny Cohen