CLASS NOTES | SPRING 2026 | 49 to continue this run! The first person I saw within moments of arriving was Gregg Paster, who immediately shared that he just had a colonoscopy (like two days prior to the game!) and was feeling many pounds lighter. He laughed when he told me he was good to eat anything and everything. I promised Gregg that I would lead this update with his unique news. Tailgates were pulled together quickly. The football alumni one held at Rust Pavilion drew many of our former pigskin players, including Marty Horn ’86, Joe Uliana ’87, Rich Curtis ’89, Sean Pitzer, Bill McCarthy ’90, Jim Stone, Mark McGowan ’89 and Mike Beattie. (I called out to him a few times, but he didn’t hear me. When I finally shouted Beaker, he turned and smiled!) I did get to say hello to Laurel (Casten) Beattie, Sheri (Bevan) Comisac, Karin (Verkooyen) Curtis ’90, Janet (Pickens) Cole and Bob Cole. Kevin Rife, Andy Horning, Keith Curtis and Donny Ferrell were also in attendance. Heard that Fred Salerno, Dan Ezring and Doug Ezring were also back. Had a minute to talk with Brian Jalazo, who told me that he and Aimee (Politziner) Jalazo’s son, Alex, got married September 2025. Turns out that Alex, who went to Cornell, met his future wife, Jessica, freshman year—she was in the same dorm, same hall and on the same floor! Déjà vu all over again! Brian reminded me that is exactly how he and Aimee met— freshman year, same dorm. Love the tradition! While I didn’t witness this, Kellie (Fisher) Marino, who helped me collect names and stories of those at the game, shared this hot news: while she was at the Rust pavilion, part of her coat melted while she was standing too close to one of those space heaters. Thank goodness Kellie was not harmed! After what must be more than 30 years since we last saw him, Sean and I ran into Craig Rust. Craig couldn’t immediately remember me, and to his valid point, I was wearing a huge furry headband hiding much of my face. He introduced us to his son Ryan Rust, now a sophomore at Lehigh. At the Alpha Sig tailgate, I got to catch up with Laura D’Orsi Bauman ’87 and husband Dave. Also heard that Dave DiBrigida and Griff Welton were back for the game. And I quickly passed by Bill Tillinghast ’87, one of the few folks I know who majored in electrical engineering, who was at the game with his daughter Morgan, a junior at Lehigh. ATO’s tailgate was well attended by Jim Harris, Steve Banco, Jeff Bosland, Jeff Enslin, Jack Gill, Chris Pappas (in a very stylish hat), Barry Smith, Chris Hite ’89, Andrew Schantz and many more. Heading into the game, Rob Lubin ’89 couldn’t get his phone to scan his ticket, and Sean had an extra one … Rob, remember you said you owe us! We can meet up for a great steak dinner somewhere in north N.J.—lol— just let us know the place. Chris Greco, I know you were there, but we didn’t cross paths. I did bump into Rob Kossar ’89 heading to the stadium and had a chance to talk with Van Shell ’91 in the stands. So good to see Mike Rinaldi and wife Val. They have three girls at Villanova, but they knew better than to head over to the wrong side of the stadium! Always wonderful to see my third-floor roomie from Webster, Kerry Loughman O’Hearen. Thank you for the big hug! Didn’t see you, Roger Tashjian, but I am sure we will meet up at another Lehigh event. There were lots of folks who I was hoping to hang with, but somehow missed: Sandy Hume-Whelan ’90, Jill (Seibert) Shelling ’89 and Lisi (Moody) Rutledge. Great to watch some of the first half of the game with Tom Grossman, who was reminiscing with Sean about old times on the gridiron. And enjoyed hanging a bit with my own personal color commentator, NFL scout Todd Brunner ’90, during the last minutes of the game where we had our hopes up but were ready to accept the harsh reality of the season coming to an end. Heard many times—before, during and after the game— were these sentiments: Time stood still for a day. It was phenomenal, so comfortable to see everyone. We got to be 20 again. Please drop me a note any time with news you’d like to share. And join our Facebook page (facebook.com/ groups/207772439289693) to keep up with the latest events, notes and musings! ’89 Jocelyn (Gitlin) Deutsch, 9 Vincent Lane, Armonk, NY 10504; jocelyn deutsch@hotmail.com Let me start by providing some personal news … I am officially a snowbird and have moved to Pompano Beach, Fla., for at least six months and a day or more. Looking to connect with alumni in the area and would be happy to organize a Lehigh event here in the Sunshine State. Send me a DM and let’s get together! I heard from David Accurso. He reports he and Kathy celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last July. They have four children, and their oldest daughter gave birth to their first grandchild on December 3. Two of their other daughters live in the Lehigh Valley—one in Bethlehem and the other in Allentown—so they spent a weekend with them and attended the Lehigh University Choral Arts Performance in late October. Their son, who will be graduating from Benedictine College in May, will be getting married in June, and is relocating to Vancouver, Wash. David recently surpassed 26 years with WSP, where he is the vice president of project controls leading multiple teams of estimators, schedulers and project controls specialists supporting the management of large transportation infrastructure programs (greater than $1 billion) here in my home state of Connecticut. News has been pretty much nonexistent, so please reach out and let me know all the good things that are happening in your life. ’90 Michael Lewis, mpl1968@yahoo. com and Dave Tratner, dctsports@gmail.com Thrilled to share news about a classmate who lived just up the road on The Hill from David Tratner and Michael Lewis during our sophomore and junior years. Ted Geltner, a journalism professor at Valdosta State University (in Georgia), published his second book on November 11, 2025, with the University of Iowa Press. Ted wrote a biography about the adventurous, sometimes wayward life of novelist, poet and short story writer Denis Johnson. The title is “Flagrant, Self-Destructive Gestures: A Biography of Denis Johnson.” Reviews are already in! “Ted Geltner definitively illuminates the tirelessly questing life of one of the most gifted, mysterious and lyrical writers of our time.” – T.C. Boyle, author, “Blue Skies.” “Ted Geltner makes the legend and the man behind it come alive.” – Jenny Offill, author, “Weather.” Congratulations, Professor Ted! Thank you to Maribel Cabrera for another update on her work as the facilities director of the Anne Arundel County Public Library headquartered in Annapolis, Md. Her most recent project was the expansion of the “Discoveries: Library” at the … mall?! That’s right! It’s a library situated in the Annapolis Mall. Users love the convenience of being able to browse a full-service library while out shopping. The new space includes an expanded programming space, an enlarged children’s area and a quiet workspace. Maribel is currently working with her design colleagues on the highly anticipated Glen Burnie Library, which will be a two-story, 40,000-square-foot library, which would be the largest in the system, slated for 2027. Heading south on the I-95 to northern Florida, Alisa (Edelson) Friedman hosted a mini-gathering earlier this fall with some of her AOPi sorority sisters. Joining Alisa on a weekend-long jaunt into and around
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