Class Note 1977
Issue
September-October 2023
Susan Dentzer tipped me off that ’77 dominated at the 2023 Geisel Alumni Awards, with Eric Donnenfeld and Dan Lucey scooping up two of the eight awards. Excerpts from the citations follow: “Eric Donnenfeld ’77, MED’80 [’05 parent], exemplifies a broad range of contributions to the field of ophthalmology, including scholarship, technological advancements, and experienced, empathetic patient care. Eric is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at New York University Medical Center. As an internationally recognized expert and pioneer in the field of eye surgery, Dr. Donnenfeld was among the first five people in the world to perform both laser vision correction and laser cataract surgery.”
“Daniel R. Lucey ’77, MED’81/’82, has spent 40 years fighting epidemics through patient care, research, education, and public health policy. This work began in 1982 with AIDS in San Francisco, before HIV was discovered, and overseas every year from 2003 to 2020 with SARS, MERS, avian and pandemic flu, Ebola (with Doctors Without Borders), Zika, yellow fever, chikungunya, plague (with the World Health Organization), and Covid-19.”
Speaking of Susan Dentzer, no stranger to well-earned recognition, the College named one of the first four Trailblazer scholarships in her honor as the first female chair of the board of trustees. Give a rouse for Eric, Dan, and Susan!
After musing if their August 1978 wedding might hold the marriage marathon record for legalized loving longevity between classmates in a prior DAM column, Libby Leach Maloney and Joseph Maloney ’78 unleashed numerous responses in both the mixed-class category (Lee Ann Disharoon Tolzman and David Tolzman ’76 in June 1975, Kim Rosenau York and Bruce York ’76 September 3, 1977; and Marion McClure and Gene Cartwright ’76 August 4, 1979) as well as in the ’77 pure play category, including but not limited to Marge Landsman and Steve Winer August 6, 1977; Ann Munzer Beams and Mark Beams one week later August 15, 1977; followed by Carol Muller and Al Henning September 4, 1977; Gina Tugwell and Tom Russo June 10, 1978; and finally Maud and Jeff Wells December 15, 1979. We know there are many others to celebrate, so please speak up and take a bow! And blissful snaps and claps to all for long-lasting unions of decades and decades!
Recognizing the great class of 1977 is in that phase of its lifecycle where our numbers are diminishing at a concerning clip, the executive committee has formed a compassion committee, aptly named “Hear7 to Hear7,” a resource to capture information on classmates who have died and to provide class condolences to the bereaved. Class necrologist Gloria Martinez is leading this effort, along with Carol Muller and class ministers Ann Munzer Beams and Nancy Bird Pellegrini. If you have news of a classmate’s death, please share it with Gloria at gloriamartinezsalzle@gmail.com. Class webmaster Peter Mills also maintains an updated list of memorials on dar7mou7h.com in the “In Memoriam” section, as well as many other nifty class resources. Check it out early and often.
That’s it for now, sports fans. Don’t be shy. Send in news and pics for future columns and newsletters.
—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net
“Daniel R. Lucey ’77, MED’81/’82, has spent 40 years fighting epidemics through patient care, research, education, and public health policy. This work began in 1982 with AIDS in San Francisco, before HIV was discovered, and overseas every year from 2003 to 2020 with SARS, MERS, avian and pandemic flu, Ebola (with Doctors Without Borders), Zika, yellow fever, chikungunya, plague (with the World Health Organization), and Covid-19.”
Speaking of Susan Dentzer, no stranger to well-earned recognition, the College named one of the first four Trailblazer scholarships in her honor as the first female chair of the board of trustees. Give a rouse for Eric, Dan, and Susan!
After musing if their August 1978 wedding might hold the marriage marathon record for legalized loving longevity between classmates in a prior DAM column, Libby Leach Maloney and Joseph Maloney ’78 unleashed numerous responses in both the mixed-class category (Lee Ann Disharoon Tolzman and David Tolzman ’76 in June 1975, Kim Rosenau York and Bruce York ’76 September 3, 1977; and Marion McClure and Gene Cartwright ’76 August 4, 1979) as well as in the ’77 pure play category, including but not limited to Marge Landsman and Steve Winer August 6, 1977; Ann Munzer Beams and Mark Beams one week later August 15, 1977; followed by Carol Muller and Al Henning September 4, 1977; Gina Tugwell and Tom Russo June 10, 1978; and finally Maud and Jeff Wells December 15, 1979. We know there are many others to celebrate, so please speak up and take a bow! And blissful snaps and claps to all for long-lasting unions of decades and decades!
Recognizing the great class of 1977 is in that phase of its lifecycle where our numbers are diminishing at a concerning clip, the executive committee has formed a compassion committee, aptly named “Hear7 to Hear7,” a resource to capture information on classmates who have died and to provide class condolences to the bereaved. Class necrologist Gloria Martinez is leading this effort, along with Carol Muller and class ministers Ann Munzer Beams and Nancy Bird Pellegrini. If you have news of a classmate’s death, please share it with Gloria at gloriamartinezsalzle@gmail.com. Class webmaster Peter Mills also maintains an updated list of memorials on dar7mou7h.com in the “In Memoriam” section, as well as many other nifty class resources. Check it out early and often.
That’s it for now, sports fans. Don’t be shy. Send in news and pics for future columns and newsletters.
—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net