Welcome to
THE CORNELL CLASS OF 1978
A Message from the Class President
Welcome Cornell classmates of 1978!
I hope 2020 is shaping up to be a great year for you!
Has it really been four decades since we pushed away from the dock of our undergraduate days in Ithaca? It probably comes as no surprise how the years have both sharpened and mellowed our view of our days spent on the Hill. Lifted from the pressure of prelims, the crush of class schedules, and the uncertainty of career choices, we see our Cornell experience through gentler eyes. Recall the newness of those friendships made in freshman year, those moments when words heard in a classroom turned into living ideas, and the enduring comradery we found in labs, student clubs and on the playing fields!
The good news is that the classmates who shared those experiences with you are nearby. And, Cornell stands taller than ever. We are working to reconnect, and keep connected, our ’78 classmates with each other and the university. On this webpage you’ll find features to help you resummon the memories of those earlier years and also sections that tell you about recent class events enjoyed by the class, upcoming events, and events on the drawing board.
Many thanks to Mike Bernard for setting up our Timeline feature that highlights some of the events and trends that formed the backdrop of our undergraduate days. Also, run through our photo gallery for past reunion photos and maybe glimpses of what you or someone you know looked like back in the day. Thanks to all the alumni who have sent in photos. And if you do have pictures from those undergraduate days or our class reunions, we welcome them. Send them to Sharon Simoncini at our email address at cornellclassof78@gmail.com or to our Class Historian Mary Bowler at maryebowler@mail.com. We’ll use them for a future class photo gallery and our next reunion collage.
Recent Class Events:
This past Fall the class organized class activities around both cultural and sporting events. On November 15th, class members gathered for a reception arranged by Mary Bowler Jones at the new Cornell ILR Center in New York City. Then it was off to see the acclaimed off-Broadway production of Einstein’s Dreams, a clever musical ‘what-if’ about how a twilight muse might have inspired the famed scientist. Thanks to Angela DeSilva for organizing this event.
From our block of seats at Madison Square Garden, we cheered the Big Red Hockey team in its 4-2 Frozen Apple win over Boston University during Thanksgiving week. Collaborating with our “nearby” graduating classes, we co-sponsored the Homecoming game tailgate party for the classes of the ‘70s in Ithaca. We also jointly hosted with the Class of ’79 our Frozen Apple pre-hockey game party at the Haymaker in New York.
Upcoming Events:
Las Vegas reception and dinner.
Many of our class stalwarts will be in Las Vegas for the annual Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference, February 20-23. We will be co-hosting a reception and dinner with the Classes of '79, '80 and '91 in Las Vegas February 21 for regional classmates and attendees of Cornell’s Alumni Leadership Conference February 20-23. If you are in the area, we hope to see you. For further information, contact Jeff Berg '79.
On the Drawing Board:
Lectures and panel discussions.
We working on plans for a lecture on leading edge Cornell research in deep brain stimulation and neurological illness. Also on the drawing board is a panel discussion on Cornellians making a mark in the non-profit world.
We welcome your ideas for class events or projects and your support if you want to lead or help with our programming! Please reach us at cornellclassof78@gmail.com.
Dues:.
We hope you continue to support our Class of ’78 with your dues. Paying your dues will bring you the award-winning Cornell Alumni Magazine and access to the Cornell Big Red Marketplace and its discounts on restaurants, movie tickets, and travel. More importantly, it helps support our social, cultural, and educational programming efforts for the class. Click here to pay your dues.
Please stay tuned for details, news and coming features as we move forward.
Kent Sheng
President, Class of ’78
And don’t forget Cornell Giving Day on March 12, 2020 — Your chance to support the class and be part of something BIG!
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Kent Sheng
President, Class of 1978
Class Officers
President
Kent Sheng
Vice President
William Cavanaugh
Immediate Past President/
Class Historian
Mary Bowler Jones
Membership Chair
Lori Wasserman Karbel
Secretary
Pat Reilly
Treasurer
Victoria Hartman
Social Media Chair
Sharon Palatnik Simoncini
Reunion Chairs
Laura Day Ayers
Kathy Morris Duggan
Reunion Registration Chair
Suzanne Bishop Romain
Class Correspondents
Cindy Fuller
Ilene Shub Lefland
Cornell Fund Representative
Cynthia Kubas
Class Council
Roger L. Anderson
Jeanne Arnold Schwetje
Michael H. Bernard
Mary Bowler Jones
Archangela DeSilva
Polly E. Kreisman
Nancy Adler Manket
Susanne Solomon
Libby Waldman Strugatch
Events
March 12, 2020
Cornell Giving Day
September 25-26, 2020
Cornell Homecoming
Ithaca, NY
Future Homecoming dates
September 17-18, 2021
Big Red Hockey
Cornell Men's Hockey
Madison Square Garden, NYC
The eighth edition of Red Hot Hockey returns to MSG Thanksgiving weekend in 2020. The class of '78 will be selling a limited number of tickets. Information will be available closer to the date.
40th Reunion - June 2018
Weren't able to make it to our FABULOUS 40th reunion? Here are some memories of the weekend! (If you have reunion photos you'd like to share, please email them to cornellclassof78@gmail.com and we'll include them on the website!)
And be sure to click on the video shown at our Saturday night cocktail party that highlights our four years on the hill!
Mark your calendars for our 45th reunion - June 8-11, 2023!
Dues
There are several reasons for paying dues.The annual dues are important in supporting our initiatives and enabling us to try new programming. The Cornell Alumni Magazine is another benefit of paying dues. It is a great prism for bending your attention back to the Hill and stories about campus life, faculty research and the accomplishments of fellow Cornell alumni.
Your dues also gains you access to the Cornell Big Red Marketplace and its discounts on restaurants, movie tickets, and travel. But we think the best reason for paying dues is that it demonstrates that plain old Cornell class spirit is not outdated.
When you’ve passed your fortieth reunion, it’s “been-there-done-that” for many of us. But for all of us there’s still, “What’s next?” We hope your ties to Cornell, our class, and your classmates will continue to be part of the answer. As class officers, we will work to strengthen those ties. We hope you continue voicing your suggestions (cornellclassof78@gmail.com) and supporting our Cornell and our Class of ’78 with your dues and avid participation as we shape what comes next together.
Photos
Connections
Useful links to all things related to our Alma Mater!