Dear classmates —
In just a month, we’ll celebrate our 50th Reunion! It’s time to renew your connection to Cornell, reconnect with classmates, and refresh your spirit by returning to Reunion June 8 – 11, 2023. Here is the latest information.
In this Reunion issue of our class newsletter:
- Latest details of the class Reunion programming.
- We’ve held a successful webinar series leading up to Reunion featuring very interesting speakers and topics.
And please don’t forget to update your Cornell contact information to be sure you get all your Reunion mailings. You can do that here.
Reunion welcome letter from our co-chairs
Read our co-chairs’ welcome letter:
Feel free to email Reunion Co-Chair Debra Rothman at Cornellreunionclass1973@gmail.com.
Follow our Reunion postings on our Facebook page CornellClassof1973.
Reunion programming details
Follow this link to see all class activities and selected University events:
Join the digital yearbook!
Our class is having a digital yearbook for the first time. To join this group, simply send mail to CornellReunionClass1973@gmail.com to request access. You’ll be able to see all the people who have already posted, and you can create your own entry with pictures and text to let everyone know what you’ve been doing the last fifty years.
There are a number of classmates whose email addresses are no longer current, and who therefore did not get an invitation to join the digital yearbook. If you are on the list, or recognize the address of anyone on the list, please contact Debbie Rothman at the Reunion email address above.
Help us put the class scholarship over the top
We are very close to achieving our 50th Reunion fundraising goal of getting the book value of our Class of 1973 Scholarship up over the $500,000 level. Help us achieve this goal by donating today. Click on this link, put “Class of 1973” in the search box, and follow the instructions.
Webinar series highlights our class experiences
In addition to being the 50th Reunion Campaign co-chairs, Wayne Merkelson and Susan Murphy created and ran a webinar series on topics that highlighted Class of ’73 experiences and speakers.
First up in September was Corey Earle ’07, beloved historian of Cornelliana, whose talk on The Class of 1973: Cornell Then and Now can be seen here. On October 18 we presented Beyond Flash Points: Aims and Impacts of Ujamaa Residential College at Cornell University.” Moderated by Susan Murphy, this featured a panel discussion by Frank Scruggs ’73, lawyer and corporate board director; Dennis Williams ’73, novelist, playwright, and adjunct professor at Georgetown University; and John Rawlins III ’06, Director of the Black Resource Center and Campus Diversity Officer at the University of California San Diego, and President of the Cornell Black Alumni Association. The recording of that webinar can be seen here. Our third webinar on January 18, 2023 featured classmate Gordon Chang ’73, Law ’76, speaking on China After Ukraine: Conflict in an Era of Deglobalization. The recording can be seen here. Our fourth webinar on April 11 featured University Architect Margaret Carney ’81 speaking on The Power of Place: Shaping our Campus to Inspire and Enable Every Person, Every Study. The recording can be seen here.
In conclusion…
Amid this exciting run-up to Reunion, I have to report some sad news. Danielle Trostorff, one of our Reunion Co-Chairs, passed away suddenly on April 30. In addition to working hard and diligently on Reunion planning, she had just welcomed her first grandson into the world and was helping her daughter plan her wedding. Danielle had been a tireless supporter of Cornell through our class, the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network, and the President’s Council of Cornell Women. Her boundless energy and her laser-like focus on the many tasks she took on made her a peerless volunteer, not just for Cornell, but for the other civic and professional activities to which she devoted time. We will miss her very much.
In case you didn’t know, the old Cornell Alumni Magazine is now part of a free online communication portal called Cornellians. It has all the alumni stories, news from campus, and great photography you were used to from the print edition, plus videography and links made possible by being on the web. You can also find the class notes there. It’s not just for dues payers — it’s free for all, and is updated twice a week. Check it out! And if you miss the old print edition of CAM, you can now subscribe to a quarterly print edition of Cornellians here.
To find Cornell events near you, check out this University events link. I look forward to seeing you at Reunion next month!
best regards —
Paul
Paul M. Cashman
President, Cornell Class of 1973