Received June 14, 2010
WISCONSIN HIGH 50TH REUNION
After college in Appleton, WI, I completed a Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry at the University of Michigan and met Andrea Savage (joint Ph.D., Sociology & Social Work). We have been married for almost 40 years and raised two children, albeit one at a time. Matt is 38, director of operations and also acting music director at WQXR (New York's now public, classical music station). He and our daughter-in-law Jenn are the proud parents of our first grandchild, Benjamin, now 14 months old. Our daughter Quetzi is entering her second year at Case Western Reserve University, probably majoring in Anthropology and eagerly looking toward a career in pediatric surgery.
We have lived in the greater New York metropolitan area for over thirty years. Andrea is associate dean at the CUNY Hunter College School of Social Work. I taught biochemistry to a generation of medical students before moving into the biotech industry, where I spent many years in vaccine research for viral pathogens.
Two years ago during the swirl of economic crisis and corporate mergers, my position was eliminated. A company buyout has given me the freedom to pursue a career in music, which I had abandoned many decades ago. I am now a free-lance clarinetist and teacher in the New York area and play in various chamber music ensembles and orchestras. This season I took a position on the orchestra roster of the Amore Opera Company, which mounted full productions of La Boheme, The Merry Widow and The Magic Flute. Next season's productions will be Tosca, Die Fledermaus and Carmen. For several years in August, I have been a participant in the Chamber Music Conference and Composers Forum East at Bennington, Vermont. This month I will be performing at Carnegie Hall in the debut concert of a new orchestra. Needless to say, I now wear an indelible smile.