Hello! This week, we bring you class notes and in memoriam from Westlake, Harvard, and Harvard-Westlake alumni. Check out the news from your classmates—and keep us posted about what you’ve been up to too!
Stay safe and healthy, Ed Hu | Head of External Relations | ehu@hw.com
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Watch alumni congratulate this year’s seniors in our alumni tribute video as the graduates officially join their ranks.
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Class Notes
Class Notes is a regular feature in HW Life. Notes are submitted by alumni; if a decade/class year is not included in the notes, this means alumni from those years did not submit any updates. If you’re an alum and have news you'd like to share with the alumni community, you can submit it via the alumni website in the password-protected Alumni Portal or by emailing alumni@hw.com.
Harvard Class Notes
1960s
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Bob Collins ’60 writes, “The Class of ’60 would have held its 60th reunion on April 3-5. From a graduating class of 54, half of us are still ‘present and accounted for.’ Head of School Rick Commons would have brought us all up to date with a school we barely recognize—no military? no Wednesday chapel? and women on campus? YIKES. No yikes—HW today is our wonderful school. If memory serves us right—and even if it doesn’t—we still boast fielding Harvard’s best ever football and tennis teams in ’59 and ’60. Our banquet festivities plans included an after-dinner show by Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal ’60 performing 'The Way We Were' and a concert led by rock guitarist John Harris ’60 with his Pacemakers: Wayne Behlendorf ’60 on piano, Mike Miller ’60 on banjo, and Larry Marks ’60 on harmonica. FORWARD MARCH!”
Mort Hurt ’63 writes, “Sally and I returned to Seattle in 2019 after living five magical years in Sun Valley, Idaho. We now live in Edmonds, Washington, enjoying the beauty of the Northwest, four of our five daughters, and ten of our eleven grandchildren. Life is good.”
1970s
Alex Laine ’70 writes, “I became involved with Ventura Search and Rescue because it’s an organization that allows me to utilize my outdoor skills to help others in the back country who are in trouble, often in bad situations. To be successful, many skills are required, both physical and mental. The mental skills include map reading, GPS, medical, ropes, setting up rigging for extractions, and the ability to use this knowledge correctly the first time. We do this under stress or in challenging conditions, which requires clear thinking. It’s also physically demanding, as we have to get to the victim(s) wherever they may be, in the desert, snow and ice, rivers, you name it, night or day, rain or shine. We help with fire, floods, mudslides, or any other disaster. From a rescued person, parent, friend, wife, husband, brother, sister, or..., you will never, ever, ever hear a more sincere ‘Thank you.’”
Thomas McCarter ’70 writes, “I will be retiring from my job as Events Planner for the David & Lucile Packard Foundation (www.packard.org) that I have held for 20 years. I got my start by organizing dances at Harvard.”
1980s
Brian Ross ’80 writes, “Two of my children were admitted by audition to A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, a public magnet arts high school in Palm Beach County, Florida. Each year, I put in roughly 400+ hours, year-round, to help many high-need students and their families figure out how to find a pathway into college and life as a fee-free volunteer college advisor. I work with many, years into college, to help them prepare for graduate school, or to open up opportunities in fields where I have worked or I have business contacts. I have also developed the school’s college fair into one of the top fairs in Florida, with more than 125 schools attending each year. This began from my service in the Adelphians and as a student member of the admissions committee at Harvard, working with Art Gibson in 1978-1979 and 1979-1980.”
Jim Glantz ’85 writes, “I left my position as the Vice-President of Leadership Development for the Wonderful Company (FIJI Water, POM Wonderful, etc.) to partner with a few other professionals and launch The Academy For Leadership And Training (TAFLAT). Our team does two things: custom leadership programs (including multi-day programs, offsites...) and leadership coaching (for all levels of leaders, all industries). If you’d like to contact me, I can be reached at Jim@TAFLAT.com.”
Michael Kananack ’85 writes, “Seeing The Who was enjoyable, but the main enjoyment was sharing with Sargon Duman, brother Claude Kananack, Rick Farrell ’89, and my 19-year-old son Joe!”
Alex Reed ’85 writes, “Recently celebrated 25 years of marriage with my beautiful wife Xantipa. Thoroughly enjoying our children, Malcolm, Miles, and Jackie, as they evolve into fine young adults. And happy to be overseeing human resources for the West Coast law offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.”
Chris Tregillis ’85 writes, “My family and I reveled last summer in the great outdoors on Mount Williamson and in Yosemite.”
Ted Weitzman ’85 writes, “I have been on hiking adventures across the Dolomites in Italy and all five national parks in Utah.”
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David Nickoll ’89 writes, “Some old friends from the class of ’89 had a mini reunion on the Lake Tahoe slopes in early February. Pictured from left: Brian Roberts, Jeff Lichtman, Ocean MacAdams (who survived unscathed that weekend but broke his leg two weeks later on the mountain), David Nickoll, Geoff Given, Derek Brown, and Mike Beckwith.”
1990s
Shawn Landres ’90 writes, “I recently wrapped up three years chairing the LA County Quality and Productivity Commission and continue to chair the committee overseeing its local government innovation fund—the nation’s oldest and largest. I’d been hoping to see everyone at our 30th reunion(!)—now I’m looking forward as some of us become Harvard-Westlake seventh grade parents this fall.”
Westlake Class Notes
1950s
Chatty Collier ’55 writes, “Spent some time with Sally Arkush Russ ’55 and her husband Bill in Menlo Park before my 60th Stanford reunion last October.”
1970s
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Kim McCleary Blue ’70 writes, “I serve as President and CEO of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Town Hall, the largest speaker forum in Southern California. We are dedicated to advancing global and civic engagement by facilitating forward-thinking events with leading experts on international and domestic affairs. I am married to Jim Blue and am the proud mother of two adult sons, Chase and Spencer. I also have a wonderful stepdaughter, Katie Blue Gudmundson, who has blessed us with two grandchildren, Jonathan and Addison.”
Lisa Knox Burns ’70 writes, “My city planning career in Santa Barbara has made me a great docent for fourth grade tours at the Old Mission. Happily married 35 years. One son working in LA’s visual effects industry.”
Julie Huber Campeau ’70 writes, “I have three grown children. All doing well and two granddaughters, Hadley and Lennon. I moved from Orange County, California, to Austin, Texas, four years ago. Loving my new home.”
Catherine Grant Mann ’70 writes, “I have been living in Sun Valley, Idaho, for the last 16 years. I have three beautiful daughters and two beautiful grandgirls. Loving life.”
Janis Crouch Nordstrom ’70 writes, “A former Big Law Chief Strategy Officer, Co-Chair of International Law Practice Management, ABA International and McKinsey Executive Leadership Panel Member, I currently live on an island off Florida and am working on a book on Russia and consulting on international affairs. My son Jeff is tour manager for the Offspring, son Greg is a professor of meteorology, and daughter-in-law Taylor works as a broadcast meteorologist for ABC News.”
Sandy Starkweather English ’70 writes, “After 18.5 years of service with the San Dieguito Union High School District, I have finally retired as of December 2019. My husband and I have lived in Encinitas (30 miles north of San Diego) for over 22 years. My son Chris currently lives in Los Angeles and is an IT systems administrator. He also has a side business dealing in collectibles (comics, toys, rare finds), and last but not least, plays in a band randomly (computer/tech displays, etc.). I have concluded that my art will now become my priority. I am so fortunate to be able to explore my passions in life!!”
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Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford ’71 writes, “In 1972 I married my hometown sweetheart and soul mate, Danny. December 2020 we’ll celebrate 48 years of marriage. After 20 years as a bilingual educator, preschool through community college, I became the Spanish-English translator/interpreter for our school district. Graduating with distinction in three years from CSU-Pueblo in 1974 and 44 years later honored by the president of CSU-Pueblo in 2018 as the Distinguished Alumni of the Year, I began my teaching career in my hometown of Nogales, AZ, on the U.S./Mexico border. While teaching, I wrote some nonfiction stories in both languages to capture the hearts and attention of my students by including their language and cultural traditions. The first story came to me in Spanish first and was published years later, in 2002. My Nana’s Remedies/Los remedios de mi nana was the first of three bilingual, nonfiction, award-winning books. National and international awards for My Tata’s Remedies/Los remedios de mi tata caught a Disney children’s book editor’s attention. Thus Miguel and the Amazing Alebrijes was created, and I was given the go-ahead to invite my screenwriter son, Aaron, to be my coauthor. As I travel and give author talks, I tell the story of how I was sent to a private girls’ boarding school in Los Angeles and would wake up in a terror of loneliness and anger at 2 a.m. That’s when I began writing. And today I realize my writing was a remedy to calm my soul and heal my woes in a natural way. That is what two of my bilingual stories are about—natural healing. Mr. David Coombs, my English teacher for two years, was also a compassionate advocate. Presently I am working on three projects: a statewide-binational, bilingual, multicultural literacy project bridging AZ and Sonora; my first YA chapter book—a bilingual biography of a genuine Dreamer born in 1916 in Cananea, Sonora, México, called The Life and Legacy of Raúl H. Castro, about Arizona’s first and only Latino governor and thrice U.S. ambassador; and last but not least, a multiseason TV miniseries spanning four decades on the U.S./Mexico border about two families—one owns the town’s business dynasty, while the other is made up of humble, athletic, salt-of-the-earth blue-collar workers. For decades, power, discrimination, betrayal, and secrets of love, tragedy, and triumph intertwine, involving two families and more than two cultures—AND THIS IS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG, ready for the perfect passionate producer.”
Laura Weinman ’78 writes, “For the past three years I have been the chef instructor for the culinary training program at St. Joseph Center, a nonprofit in Venice, where students with barriers to employment come full-time for eight weeks of classic culinary training, food safety, and soft skill instruction, working toward the goal of jobs in food service. I am most proud of our 85% success rate for hiring in Los Angeles restaurants, institutions, and catering businesses as a means towards self-sufficiency and breaking the cycle of poverty. While much of this important effort has been paused due to the coronavirus outbreak, the mission of St. Joseph’s continues through our food pantry, delivering 220 bags of groceries daily to low-income families, and at Bread and Roses Café, where nearly 300 to-go meals are distributed daily to people experiencing homelessness. This is twice our regular output, which is a real indication of how devastating this pandemic has been to our most vulnerable neighbors. The needs are great and the work has been rewarding. With classes temporarily suspended, I am writing recipes and helping remotely with my whole gang, who are finishing their undergrad and graduate work from home. Anyone interested in supporting the work of St. Joseph Center or learning more can check out social media: sjculinary@instagram, stjosephctr@instagram, facebook.com/stjosephctr.”
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Tracy Berliner Smith ’79 writes, “During this pandemic, when Zoom has become the preferred lifeline of communication, along with providing vitality in work-at-home situations, a group of very close Westlake friends have begun meeting to check in, laugh, cry, share, distract and enjoy ourselves. Surrounded by the comfort of our common bond (attending Westlake from 1973-79), we have strengthened our deep connection. We all met at age 11 or 12 years old, and are now in our late 50s, early 60s. This time visiting via Zoom has become vital and impactful to all of us. In scary, uncertain times, having these women to wrap their virtual arms around each other has been profound. We were already close but today we define that with new meaning. The group (not all pictured), from both near (California) and far (Italy!), includes the class of 1979's Terri Berglass Baird, Jamie Dotson Cipriani, Laurie Sigoloff Doyle, Leslie Knutson, Anita LaRue McAfee, Donna Lisciandro Navarro ’78, Holly Heston Rochell, Tracey Silberling, Jenny Taylor Litzow, Julie Welch and myself, has met often—this week, we shared recently discovered Westlake ’79 graduation pics on our Zoom. We had a ridiculous amount of fun looking at them together and laughing in Westlake-style hysterics! It’s just great to have these unbreakable bonds—solidified since 1973—and to reconnect with each other during a very difficult time for so many of us.”
1980s
Dayna West ’80 writes, “I am still loving life in the San Francisco Bay Area. I returned to school last year and have nearly completed a certificate in psychedelic-assisted therapies and research. I was part of the fourth cohort at CIIS (The California Institute of Integral Studies). I left my position as staff psychologist in the department of psychiatry at Children's Hospital, Oakland, 20 years ago and have not missed the clinical work—until now! I could not be more fascinated by or hopeful about the promise of psychedelic medicine as it experiences this renaissance and am eager to find my place in the field. If you or anyone you know would like to talk about the program, the medicine, and/or its possible applications, please get in touch!”
Karen Bender ’84 writes, “Received Honorary Doctorate of Divinity in 2019. Skirball Director of Spiritual Life and Campus Rabbi of the Los Angeles Jewish Home (for the Aging) since 2014.”
Christine Tung ’84 writes, “Was wonderful to catch up with classmates at our reunion last year! I’ve been managing two apartment rentals in Paris as well as helping foreigners navigate the real estate market to acquire property in France. Very intense, reminiscent of junior year at Westlake! Would love to hear from schoolmates on our FB group and can be reached professionally at Christine@home-hunts.com. (Do we have a HW alum group in Paris?)”
Lisa Niver ’85 writes, “I represented Ms. Magazine at the United Nations Conference (UN GA 74) in NYC earlier this year. I also attended Goalkeepers, the Gates Foundation Conference. I am working on articles on both now.”
Stacey Hine Copeland ’87 writes, “I started my Los Angeles–based interior design studio, Blythe Home, five years ago and have had the pleasure (and fun!) of designing many homes, offices, and restaurants. I just launched my online shop on Chairish, where I sell vintage home decor and art. I’ve been lucky to work with Harvard-Westlake alums and many parents and current students.”
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Laurie Flamholtz ’87 writes, “I married William Vu Tam Anh on February 1 at Il Cielo in Beverly Hills. The ceremony was nondenominational and we were surrounded by our family and closest friends. We live in Westwood with our beloved cat named Coco.”
Debby Glupczynski ’87 writes, “I am making a big change this year and moving to NYC to do a one-year reproductive healthcare and advocacy fellowship (after having been back here in CA for 17 years!). The fellowship is an opportunity for me to get expanded clinical skills in contraception, abortion, and miscarriage management in a primary setting. There is also an advocacy training component, producing physician leaders in the area of reproductive justice. I am very excited for this opportunity! Also, my sister Becky ’90 has lived in New York for years, so it will be nice to spend more time with her.”
Whitney Rosenson ’88 writes, “On May 26, 2019, I married Steve Sincoff. Celebrating with me were lifelong friends and classmates Wendy Recht Nevens, Alex Perkins Furlong, Liz Karatz Faraut, Monica Stagen Jensen, Emily Sikking Milam, Meredith Salenger, Ally Miller, Jane Feldstein Mass ’89, Anissa Banchik Siegel, Cara Familian Natterson, Justine Stamen Arrilaga, Kelly Foster, and Julie Handler Gottlieb.”
1990s
Dana Guerin ’90 writes, “I am still trying to wrap my head around the idea that the class of ’90 would have been having our 30th reunion. There’s no way I’m old enough to be 30 years out of school. Oh wait, that might explain how my twins are actually graduating high school. My youngest is 14. And I’m about to complete another low-budget horror film. Was looking forward to seeing everyone in May and celebrating the extraordinary life of Joannie Parker.”
Harvard-Westlake Class Notes
1992
Carl Gromberg writes, “I turned 45 this year and—now realizing that I will not live forever—have fully embraced middle age. I traded in my car for my first SUV in December, began wearing colorful, cartoonish dress socks to work, gave up trying to understand Bitcoin, and can't be bothered to figure out what Billie Eilish is singing about. But at least I’m not a boomer…. Sending best wishes to the 50% of my graduating class I spent six years with and more best wishes to the 50% I sadly barely got to know during my senior year, and welcoming all to reconnect/connect with me on Facebook (because TikTok scares me).”
1994
Naomi Wallace Asher writes, “I have recently become Vice President of International Neighbouring Rights at Sony/ATV. I am still based in London and am thrilled to be part of the Sony family.”
1995
Celine Khavarani writes, “I’m excited to begin my new job with Giorgio Armani as the Senior Vice President of Entertainment Industry Relations for the Americas.”
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Romy Mehlman writes, “Andrea Levine Firtel ’95 and I currently play together on a USTA 4.5/5.0 tennis team out of Braemar Country Club. We were HW teammates and won the league championship three years out of four and the coveted CIF championships twice in 1992 and 1993. We remain close friends on and off the court!”
1997
Amanda Countner Brown writes, “My husband Sam and I welcomed our third child, Alfred ‘Alfie’ Samuel Brown, on October 2, 2019. Our other children (Clara, who is three, and Nicholas, who is six) love having a new sibling in the family.”
1998
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Mike Crosby writes, “Sky Ellis Clavijo-Crosby was born 6 pounds, 6 ounces and 18 inches long at 18:02 on February 18 in Jackson, Tennessee. Sky experienced her first snow at 1.5 days old when we left the hospital! Dad, dad, birth mom, and baby girl are all happy and healthy.”
Greg Nathan writes, “Through my involvement with Spark, I want to help underserved middle school students in LA see what future possibilities exist for themselves so they can be motivated to work hard in school, graduate from college, and have a meaningful work life.”
David Sun writes, “My wife, Annie, and I got married in November of last year. Annie is a physical therapist and I am an LAPD detective. Fellow Harvard-Westlake class of 1998 alumni Daniel Lai, Geoff Ling, Roger Yao, and Eric Kim (my best man) were in attendance.”
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Alissa Goodman Swedlow writes, “I have recently become a neighbor of the upper school campus! My husband, five-year-old daughter, and I moved to Studio City in November, and we could hear the cheers from the HW football field from our front yard and enjoyed watching students on their daily trek down our street to Starbucks. I work as an illustrator and calligrapher and have even been collaborating with a few classmates on projects. I recently celebrated my 40th birthday with many friends I’ve known since seventh grade (pictured from left to right: Jackie Crystal, Suzanne Meyer Berkman, me, Sara Chieffo, Darrin Revitz, Lauren Fishman Perotti, and Marissa Kase Segal).”
1999
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Evan Horowitz writes, “Gayitri Budhraja ’99 and I just won three major marketing awards together, in a collaboration that started at our 20th reunion last year! Over dinner at reunion, we started talking about our respective work: Gayitri leading marketing at e.l.f. Cosmetics and Evan running an innovative marketing agency, Movers+Shakers. Soon we partnered to launch a TikTok campaign for e.l.f., which became the most successful TikTok campaign in history. We got celebrities from Ellen to Lizzo to join organically and wrote a song that hit #4 on Spotify's global viral chart. So eight months after reunion, we were on stage together receiving multiple industry awards. Go Harvard-Westlake!”
David Soloway writes, “Allison Levin and I got engaged in January, and planned to get married in Cleveland (her hometown) in September. COVID-19 then intervened, and our plans changed. On May 28, after a few false starts and some technical difficulties, and a little more than one year after our first date, we were wed in my parents’ backyard. My parents, my siblings, and my niece were with us, and Allison’s parents and sister joined us remotely.”
2000
Hillary Schwab Ethé writes, “Conservation work has always been important to me, as has serving my community. As an HW student and faculty member, I participated in beach and river cleanups, invasive plant removal projects, and community restoration efforts. My family now lives in Mercer Island, Washington, next to Ellis Pond Park, where we volunteer as forest stewards with the City of Mercer Island Parks and Recreation Department Forest Stewardship Program. We remove invasive plants and plant native species with our neighbors to support forest restoration efforts. I hope to inspire a dedication to environmental stewardship and grassroots activism in my children by continuing this work for years to come. Thank you to Tara Jones Eitner, Wendy Van Norden, and Vicki Goddard for supporting my love of conservation work since 1994.”
Melody Ahdout Godfred writes, “I recently published my second book, The ABCs of Self Love, and had my third child, Theodore (Teddy joins my twin daughters, Stella and Violet, who are almost eight). I continue to manage my two companies, Write In Color Resumes and Fred and Far (a self-love movement powered by the Self Love Pinky Ring).”
Luke Hornblower writes, “In September 2019 I left the New Jersey law firm I had been working for and joined the legal department of ICE Data Services in New York City. Coming into the city allowed me to see more of my father and half sister Natalie, who is turning 13 soon(!!), but also my older brother Sam, his twin girls, and his wife Emily. I was also able to finally attend my first NY area HW alumni event. Since early 2019, I have also been developing a car rental activity, catering mainly to ride-share and food delivery drivers in the area. Strangely, renting a small fleet of cars has been a highly cathartic experience for me. I have greatly enjoyed getting to know some of my customers and dealing with insurance claims from time to time.”
2001
Jamie Goldblatt Manné writes, “I joined Kayne Griffin Corcoran as a new co-director after serving as the Director of the Marciano Foundation in Los Angeles for two years, after having managed the Marciano Collection for seven years. I am charged with expanding Kayne Griffin Corcoran’s community outreach programming, as well as managing the gallery’s growing list of artists.”
Brian Nathanson writes, “My wife Janie and I recently had a baby girl named Fiona.”
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Ashley Peterson writes, “Matthew Siegler ’01 and I welcomed our son Abe on November 26, 2019. We’re learning how to juggle two kids, no sleep, and a very opinionated older sister (Ella, three years)!”
Cortney Cantrell Talan writes, “Alec and I just welcomed our second daughter to the family on February 26.”
Geordana Wagner-Porter writes, “In September, I left Netflix to join Apple in their ATV+ marketing team as a creative director. In May, my husband Will and I had our first child. Nothing like a little condensed life change!”
2002
Ashley Felts writes, “I joined the Caruso team in March 2020 as their VP, Digital and CRM Marketing.”
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Kristin Quinn Canon writes, “My husband Tim and I welcomed our son Teddy on December 30, 2019. Violet is thrilled to be a big sister!”
John Ludden writes, “We moved to Charlotte, NC, in 2019, where I took a product management leadership role at Bank of America. We are also starting a small business. It's a real estate franchise in the beauty industry—My Salon Suite.”
2004
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Lauren Felts Chen writes, “My husband and I are so happy to welcome our second son, Kannan. His older brother, Bodhi, two years old, is looking forward to playing with him, and we couldn’t feel more blessed.”
2008
Amy Shaughnessy writes, “I’m living in London and have written a one-woman show that I was booked to perform in March at the Crazy Coqs in Soho, London!”
2009
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Trini Rios ’09 writes, “A little update—we had to push our July wedding back to probably summer 2022 when Oke [Bamgbose ’10] graduates from UCLA Anderson. Meanwhile, we’re so grateful to the fellow members of the HW community who open up their doors and share their resources with other alumni. Just a couple weeks ago, Oke joined a HW4L call! We are always so inspired by this community and recently had an opportunity to pay it forward in an unconventional way. :) While walking our dog and switching up our route, we came across a home that sported a HW Class of 2020 lawn sign. We got so excited that someone from our neighborhood (which we particularly cherish as first-time homeowners) goes to the same beloved school we went to, that we wanted to introduce ourselves! Since we couldn't do so in person right now, we wrote them a card. If there is any way that we can be a resource to this graduate or their family, we hope that we can continue the positive impact that the HW alumni community has had on us.”
2010
Erin Moy writes, “I first became interested in the foster system when I heard an (incorrect) number quoted on how many foster children end up homeless. What I found out from there was how many foster children are actually in the system in LA County (30,000) and the odds they are up against once they are within the system, and that spurred me to find a way to get involved. CASA finds the foster cases that need the most help (cases that have been left unopened for too long or have special needs) and pairs them with advocates to assist the social workers and lawyers in finding a long-term solution for foster youths.”
2013
Hugo de Castro-Abeger writes, “I began working at Bird Rides Inc. (the e-scooter company) last June. This is my first ‘office’ job, and it was not until month eight or so that I ran into Jason Fieldman ’98. He happens to be an engineer here who has been here for a long time. He told me he was a math teacher while I was at HW 2013-2017. Really cool to run into an HW alum and teacher!”
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In Memoriamphotos from top left
Arlene Director Schnitzer ’47
Robert Brewster ’49
Douglas Fanning ’51
Gary Geronimi ’51Mary Perkins King ’52
Tor Folkedal ’53
Jacque Lindahl Thoms ’53
Kitty Wellman Franciscus ’57
William Mayer ’63
Nicholas Korda ’63John Lynn ’63
Jeffree Gee ’67
William Lockwood ’70John Arulanantham ’88
Lindsey Selan Frumovitz ’88
James Daniels ’92Harry Morton ’99
Charlie Noxon ’17
Harvard-Westlake Rabbi Emily Feigenson
Harvard-Westlake science teacher Don Hanson
Westlake and Harvard-Westlake science teacher Pat Noel
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