48 | LEHIGH ALUMNI BULLETIN | CLASS NOTES caring for both our aging parents and our children simultaneously. So, with that, our column reflects the spectrum of happy to sad moments we are experiencing and everything in between. Condolences: My predecessor, Dave Best, who wrote our class column until recently, passed away in January, after a long illness. Husband and father, he was the founder and president of Best College Consulting, which he launched in 2017. Thank you to Dave for his contribution as class correspondent. I know there are a growing number of us who have had losses over the last few months. My father, who passed away last January, took me to all my college visits and interviews. It was a lot of time on the road. When it came time to choose—I couldn’t decide. He gave me the push I needed to go with Lehigh, and I am forever grateful. For those who have also recently faced this tough rite of passage—losing a parent, spouse, sibling, family member, friend, even a beloved pet—thoughts and prayers are with you. Congrats: David Cohen has joined Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi (CSG Law) in Roseland, N.J., as a member in the firm’s employment and labor law group! Welcome to the empty nesters club—and they may be the last of our classmates to join! Carmine Venezia and Linda (Bellantoni) Venezia will have the house to themselves when youngest Emily heads off to Harvard in the fall. All the best to this young lady! More celebrations: Well, 2026, the year of turning 60, continues to bring on the gatherings, celebrations, bucket list trips and big moments. Shout-outs to Mariana Gonzalez-Gilbert (a birthday party and Scrabblethon?), Karen (Kornheiser) Farber, Liza Kahn-Garber, Gioia (Ligos) Macey, Todd Ferber, Jillian (Spitalnik) Winoker and many others, who have all marked this milestone. If you’ve got something fun planned for your 60th, drop me a note so we can share in a future update. Back to Beth-lum: Kellie Fisher was at Lehigh for the Kenner Lecture last March to hear Pete Buttigieg, former United States secretary of transportation, deliver the annual Kenner Lecture on Cultural Understanding, held at the Zoellner Arts Center’s Baker Hall. She connected with Amy (Sugarman) Zuckerman, Maria (Rappoccio) Brennan and Roger Tashjian (all three Lehigh parents) to see Buttigieg speak to a packed house. Meet-Ups: Jim Stone enjoyed a guys’ skiing trip to Stratton with fellow Fijis last winter. Ralph Shields, Michael Lewis ’90, Allen “Big Al” Brian and Scott MacMillan were along for the adventure. Then, Ralph, Paul Knollmeyer ’87 and Jim hosted the Sixth Annual Fiji-Saucon Valley Country Club Invitational for 35 Fiji brothers from the classes of 1985 to 1991. The June event included playing all three courses, topshelf wine and whiskey, and lots of laughs, according to Jim. Back in Jersey, Sharon Siegel Voelzke hosted a pickleball event for alums at her MBPC (Mercer Bucks Pickleball Club), which included Kerry (Loughman) O’Hearen and Robin (Shatto) Labiak, along with folks from many other years. Dave Jacey hosted a men’s basketball watch party during March Madness at his Black Bear Bar & Grill in Hoboken. At the gathering were Sean Pitzer, Bill McCarthy ’90, Tom Marron ’89 and many more hoops fans cheering on Lehigh in the First Four. Kathy (Gilligan) Mannherz, who winters in Vero Beach, Fla., with husband Dave Mannherz ’86, was surprised to bump into Linda (Harkrader) Powers a few months back at The Tides. It was a brief catch-up, but there is a photo on our FB page. “Our boys are grown, but it’s nice to lure them down here for the holidays with a plane ticket and some good meals,” Kathy told me. During the summer, Kathy and Dave can be found in Duxbury, Mass. Will I See You: And speaking of summer, is anyone coming to the Jersey Shore? Jeff Enslin, if you happen to get in line at the Scone Pony before me, please get me two monkey muffins. Jeff Bosland, aren’t you just down the parkway from us? Come up a few exits and say hi … same for you, Jill (Seibert) Schelling ’89. What about you, Lisa (Kouveliotes) Washburn? You won’t believe what’s happened to Monmouth Mall, our old stomping grounds when we had our summer jobs! Anyone who gets to the Spring Lake area, please let us know. Maybe we plan to meet up at Charlie’s since the Bluffs is no more? If I don’t see you this summer, let’s get a tailgate together for Lehigh-Lafayette! ’89 Jocelyn (Gitlin) Deutsch, 9 Vincent Lane, Armonk, NY 10504; jocelyn deutsch@hotmail.com After nearly 30 years in Summit, N.J., Amanda (Stone) Greenblatt and Steve Greenblatt have made an exciting move to Inman Park in Atlanta. They’re loving retirement, filling their days with travel and fun, and are looking forward to putting down roots and enjoying some Southern hospitality. If any Lehigh friends are passing through, they would love to see you. Congratulations to Julie (Shumofsky) Chivo, who was recently installed as Pacific Northwest region president of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America. The region spans Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska, supporting two hospitals and two youth villages in Israel. In her professional life, Julie is the development manager at the Seattle Waldorf School. She and her husband, David, live on Mercer Island. Chris Covington and her husband, Tim, are thrilled to share that their oldest daughter, Kendall, married the love of her life, Jake, in a small, beautiful ceremony among the redwoods near San Francisco. Chris and Tim are enjoying retirement in Houston and make frequent trips to visit their daughters in San Francisco and Atlanta. Most recently, they spent time in Nashville with Pete Smith and Regina (Whealan) Smith ’91— Pete and Chris were freshman hallmates in Palmer. Jen (McElwreath) Hardie continues to do incredible work making a real difference. As executive corporate relations officer at MAP International, she helps grow partnerships that provide essential medicines and health care supplies to communities around the world affected by poverty and disaster. In May, Jen and her husband, Simon, hosted a beautiful wedding in Hilton Head for their son, Tommy Hardie, and Liza Rackley. It was such a special weekend, bringing together Lehigh roommates Julie (Kime) Traina, Marisa Calabrese Moore, Jill (Seibert) Schelling and yours truly, Jocelyn (Gitlin) Deutsch. On a personal note, I’m happy to share that my husband, Michael, and I have officially become Florida residents and have moved to Pompano Beach. We’ll still be spending summers in New York, but we’re really enjoying the warm weather, endless outdoor activities and the more relaxed South Florida lifestyle. ’90 Michael Lewis, mpl1968@yahoo. com and Dave Tratner, dctsports@gmail.com Happy to report that our call-out for notes is working. Please keep them coming! During the height of the COVID pandemic, Missy (Katz) Kreinces reconnected virtually with Lehigh friends after many years, and met up with them IRL once the world opened back up. In the fall of 2025, Missy, Beth Herling and Ellen (Jacobi) Peifer visited Wendy (Suter) Branche, husband Keith, and their family at the home they built in Manchester, Vt. The weekend was filled with lots of laughs and an amazing dinner prepared by Keith, a professional chef. Missy lives on Long Island, about 15 minutes from where she grew up. She and husband Matt, who celebrated 34 years of marriage in June 2026, have two daughters: Lauren, a third-generation Brooklyn Law School grad working in the special education division of the NYC Department of Education, and Pam, who earned both
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