Class Note 1984
All the leaves are brown…And the sky is gray…California dreamin’…on such a winter’s day. On a gray day in upstate New York I reached out to our classmates in the great state of California to see what they’re doing.
After living, working, and traveling in nearly 100 countries, Anne Arquit Niederberger finally found the place she feels at home: Healdsburg, California. Anne, who began her career as a climate scientist, laments that our existence is existentially threatened by climate change. She encourages classmates to visit and join her in a glorious bike ride through the vineyards and kick back with an exquisite glass of Sonoma wine—before it’s too late!
Marian Ziske Baldauf and her husband live in San Francisco and love the weather and easy access to the out-of-doors—swimming in the ocean at Thanksgiving, skiing in the winter. They recently bought electric bikes, which makes cruising around the city really fun, with no need to fear steep hills. Marian loves the diversity of California and the openness to difference.
Nora Bianchi says she “has had the joy of solving epic challenges in Silicon Valley while living compassionately among the great unwashed in Santa Cruz. This is a republic with unparalleled natural beauty and brainpower, trying its best to bring solutions to the world. How do I spend my free time? In gratitude.”
Caia Brookes identifies strongly both as a New Englander, where she grew up, and a Californian, where she’s lived in San Francisco for 29 years. Caia loves the weather and natural beauty of the state, and appreciates the diversity, tolerance, and mostly liberal tendencies of the people in the area.
Jim Kreissman moved to San Francisco in 1999 to open the Silicon Valley office of Simpson Thacher and has been there ever since. Jim’s a litigator handling securities litigation and government and internal investigations, with clients in the United States and Asia. Jim believes northern California is the best place in the United States for the combination of weather, food, wine, outdoor activities, interesting people, and economic dynamism. Other than traffic, life is good.
Lauren Woodhouse Mathews recently had one of those rare California experiences: boogie boarded in the Pacific Ocean in Half Moon Bay on a warm, sunny Wednesday and two days later had a bluebird ski day in the Sierra Mountains at Lake Tahoe!
Paul Meijer moved to California in 1989 and loves all the outdoor activities, including road-cycling, camping, hiking, and skiing. Paul’s worked at Apple, security startups and nonprofits, and has worked with really talented people, all of whom were also drawn to California. Paul still sees his freshman roomie, Glen French, and their kids worked together during a summer.
Peter Murphy and his wife have been in L.A. for 32 years. Peter serves on public and private boards and manages his portfolio of early stage tech and media investments. Outside of work Peter maintains an amazing garden at his 1909 house in Pasadena, where he’s busy pruning roses, citrus, vegetables, and natives.
—Juliet Aires Giglio, 4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com; Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net
