expression fall 2009

FA L L 2 0 0 9 T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F E M E R S O N C O L L E G E

Extremely Visible and Incredibly Complex Characters with autism abound in television, movies, and books

The Great CommunicatorsEmerson’s forensics program is as old as the College itself, and today’s debate team is a force to be reckoned with

His Name in LightsJoseph Leo Bwarie ’99 headlines in the hit musical Jersey Boys

Making Light WorkThe Semel Theater at Emerson features a state-of-the-art grid system for lighting the stage below.

ExpressionT H E M A G A Z I N E F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F E M E R S O N C O L L E G EFA L L 2 0 0 9

2

4

10

14

24

25

33

The College wins an important architecture award; an executive director for the arts is appointed Emerson’s forensics program is as old as the College itself, and today’s debate team is a force to be reckoned with

Joseph Leo Bwarie ’99 headlines in the touring company of the hit musical Jersey Boys

Characters with autism abound in television, movies, and books

A compendium of alumni accomplishments

Alumni happenings from all over the country

Read the news about your classmates

Campus Digest The Great Communicators

His Name in Lights

Extremely Visible and Incredibly Complex

Notable Expressions

Alumni Digest

Class Notes

In This Issue

New reports on autism reveal that the disorder is much more prevalent than previously thought. In fact, the U.S. Cen-ters for Disease Control and Prevention and Harvard Medical School now believe that autism affects closer to 1 in 91 than the previously stated statistic of 1 in 150.

Emerson College’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders helps prepare those who will one day work with children and adults on the autism spectrum, who often have communication challenges. In this issue of Expression, we take a look at how popular culture has reflected this increase in diagnoses. Books, films, reality television shows, and other media now feature characters with autism.

Also in this issue, we profile Joseph Leo Bwarie ’99, an extraordinarily talented actor and singer who stars as Frankie Valli in the touring company of Jersey Boys. Bwarie visited the Expression offices and sat down for a lengthy interview, the results of which appear in this magazine.

Emerson has a long history in forensics, and we don’t mean the kind of forensics made popular by CSI. Forensics—the art of debate and other forms of public speaking—is as old as the College itself. Today forensics is enjoying a renaissance, with an enthusiastic student team that’s winning tournaments against much larger rivals. Read about the past and future of Emerson forensics.

Enjoy!

Rhea Becker, editor

Expression

Executive Editor Andrew Tiedemann

Editor Rhea Becker

Writer Christopher Hennessy

Design Director Charles Dunham

Production CoordinatorCatherine Sheffield

Editorial Assistant Allison Teixeira

Expression is published threetimes a year (fall, winter and summer) for alumni and friends of Emerson College by the Office of Public Affairs (Andrew Tiedemann, vice president) in conjunction with the Department of Institutional Advancement (Robert Ashton, vice president) and the Office of Alumni Relations (Barbara Rutberg ’68, associatevice president; director).

Office of Public [email protected] 617-824-8916

Office of Alumni [email protected] 617-824-7807

Copyright © 2009Emerson College120 Boylston StreetBoston, MA 02116-4624

10 144

Cover photo courtesy of Charlie Beck

4 Expression Fall 2009

By Christopher Hennessy

Communicators The Great

Emerson students are embroiled in a debate: Should the city allow a streetcar to traverse Boston Common? Should the United States annex a chain of islands called Hawaii? Should women have the right to vote? The year is 1892, and it is the dawn of the age of public speaking and debate at the College.

Oratory at Emerson goes back to the College’s founding as the Boston Conservatory of Elocution, Oratory, and Dramatic Art. Throughout the school’s 129-year history, Emersonians have won national recognition while performing and debating across the country and around the world. During one period, students even regularly debated inmates at a local prison as part of an outreach program. Many alumni of these programs have gone on to use the skills they honed at Emerson to forge distinguished careers in fields ranging from broadcast journalism to law.

These days, forensics is enjoying a renaissance at Emerson. Students have been putting in late-night research sessions and weekend travel to tournaments—and it’s paying off. The team took first place in the Overall Team Sweeps this October, the first tournament of the academic year, beating competitors such as Ithaca College and Harvard University.

In the spring semester, Emerson students placed in the top six in their events at the regional competition, qualifying 13 students for the National Forensic Association championship tournament, held in Springfield, Missouri. The national competition is a grueling five-day event involving about 300 student participants. Emerson placed 11th out of 26 schools this year in the Presidents I Division. “We’re thrilled with the progress the team is

making on a national scale,” says Heather Erickson, director of forensics, who has been instrumental in breathing new life into the program.

Although vibrant eras are followed by fallow periods, the program today is soaring, with a dozen new student members and Erickson at the helm.

“We’ve had a leap in numbers from 3 competitors going to Nationals our first year to 15 now. It’s exciting,” says Erickson, who has been a lecturer in the communication studies department since 2006. “Each year, the students aren’t just returning to the team but they are bringing friends and spreading the word, and to me this says that they love the activity and value the team. It also shows that they are determined to improve themselves and to compete at the highest levels of national competition. They have talent—and heart.” In fact, Erickson says, they have so much heart that this past summer, thanks in large part to funds provided by the Helen and Cecil Rose Oral Interpretation Award, three Emerson debaters attended a weeklong camp in Ohio co-hosted by Otterbein College in Ohio and Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. At the camp, they began preparations for the 2009–2010 debate topic concerning U.S. transportation policy and how it is central to policies on energy, land use, the economy, and the environment.

“Effective public speaking skills are a highly valued personal and professional asset,” says School of Communication Dean Janis Andersen.

“They provide individuals with the ability to more effectively accomplish their communication goals, and lead to greater professional success. Public speaking classes teach the skill, but like any other skill, it has to be practiced again and again. Competing in forensics provides the opportunity for high-level practice.”

Here, Expression takes a look at selected moments in Emerson’s long oratorical record.

The long

Emerson

tradition of

speech

and debate

waxes

and wanes;

today

it’s waxing


Charles Wesley Emerson

An early Emerson classroom

fraternity’s national secretary in 1917 and was responsible for founding several new chapters of the fraternity. “It is said that Joseph Connor whetted the spirit of competition by continually telling the juniors that the seniors were better than they and the seniors that the juniors were better than their superiors.” (The fraternity has given the Joseph E. Connor Award to communication luminaries since 1952, Connor being the first to receive it.)

From 1918 to 1919, Emerson debating began “an era of enthusiasm and success,” according to der Marderosian’s history. “A young sophomore, Miss Bernice Caswell, gathered a group of her classmates and, without the aid of faculty sponsorship, organized a new Emerson College Debating Society,” he writes. “By nature, Miss Caswell was the epitome of the club motto: ‘There is nothing impossible to him who will try.’ Pins crusted with a pearl emblem and inscribed with the Greek motto ‘Well Spoken’ were worn by Society members. This token of honor was effective in cementing loyalty....”

In 1919, Emerson was granted the right to award a bachelor of literary interpretation (BLI) degree.

By 1920, the debates were, again, quite the events. Between speeches, audience members could listen to a violin solo with piano accompaniment. Two women debaters even received fan mail after a debate.

The wave of excitement concerning debate would fade, however. In 1928, just one person in the graduating class was listed in the yearbook as a member of the Debate Council. The program was “virtually at a standstill,” according to der Marderosian. That year a “Forensics Union” replaced the Debate Council and rejuvenated the activity, setting up debates with colleges like American University and Northeastern.

Communication Studies Chair Richard West. “When our students compete in forensics, they are, in a way, revisiting the essence of what it means to get an Emerson education.”

The Southwick Literary Society, an 1890s-era Emerson organization, held debates on campus, according to A Partial History of Debate at Emerson College by late Emerson faculty member Haig der Marderosian ’54, MA ’57. The meeting of the Society on December 16, 1892, for instance, saw the assembled students debate the topic, “Resolved: That a lady’s highest ambition is man.” The women students were also asked to provide subjects for extemporaneous speeches they might practice. Later debates would ask questions about national policy as well as whether colleges and universities should be co-educational and even if “the single life is more

conducive to happiness than married life.”

The College held its first intercollegiate debate, according to The Boston Globe, against Boston University on March 30, 1893. Held in Sleeper Hall on B.U.’s campus, the topic of the debate was “Resolved: That a street railway should be allowed to cross the Boston Common.” An audience vote determined the winner. Emerson lost 63 to 83. But better things lay ahead.

A Lady’s Debating Society appeared to be on the horizon in the fall of 1892. “Stimulated by the worthy example of the young men,” said the December 1892 issue of Emerson College Magazine, “a number of the ladies determined to form a society [ for] cultivating the power of extemporaneous speaking and debating and for the practice of parliamentary law. They meet every Friday evening and report their sessions as full of interest and profit.”

From 1902 to 1917, the College experienced what der Marderosian called “a diminishing curve” of student involvement in debate and forensics, while “faculty interest in debate was unimpaired…and recognition of its values in the education process, particularly in a college like Emerson, led to renewed emphasis….Formalized study of debating becomes a course in the curriculum.”

Der Marderosian’s history devotes an entire chapter to the communication fraternity Phi Alpha Tau, which is still in existence at Emerson. The Tau brothers held debates in the early 1900s, and some also gave lectures on technique. A 1908 issue of Emerson College Magazine reads, “Brother Johnson, now of Harvard, gave a most interesting talk on debating at one of the March 1908 meetings.” In the same issue the debates were described as “a royal battle” where “the sparks flew.” Joseph Connor ’21 was elected the

Emerson’s earliest curriculum included courses such as Articulation, Dramatic Reading and Recitation, Bible and Hymn Reading, and Delivery of Orations and Sermons. “At the very foundation of Emerson College is the ability to communicate effectively and persuasively to others,” says

Talking history


Henry Southwick, one of the College’s earliest professors of speech

Haig der Marderosian’s name comes up repeatedly in forensics reminiscences at Emerson. Described as a “character,” adored by his students, and surrounded by mystique, der Marderosian was known not only for leading his debaters to success but for spearheading a debate outreach program at the Norfolk State Prison that lasted from the mid-1950s into the mid-1970s. Vito Silvestri, MS ’59, recalls, “The prisoners who were trustees debated at least once a semester with the Emerson debate team.” Silvestri, a Emerson communications professor emeritus, was a graduate student at Emerson in the late 1950s when he was asked to coach Suffolk University students for a special debate the prisoners requested on California sentencing laws they thought should be adopted by Massachusetts. “Haig coached me on how to help these students prepare for the debate. We also debated, in 1958, ‘Resolved: That nuclear weapons should be banned by international agreement.’”

Alumnus and longtime Emerson faculty member Phillip Amato ’60, MA ’61, also recalls the debate program at Norfolk State Prison. He notes that it was co-directed by Coleman Bender, head of the speech department from 1952 to 1969 and “a mentor to many of us who went on to advanced degrees and teaching, including John Zacharis.” (Zacharis would go on to become president of Emerson College.) “But Haig was a major factor in the success of the program. Both he and Bender would take a group of students (some from their classes or the debate team) once a week to the prison,” Amato recalls. “At least once or twice a year,

some years even more often, there would be a public debate in an auditorium with a large audience of prisoners and guests. I recall debates between the prisoners and teams from Harvard, Notre Dame, Oxford, Cambridge University, and many others. These debates were always spirited and entertaining.”

Amato himself was a debater during his undergraduate years at the College. “I recall my introduction to debate and the first tournament I attended back in 1959. It was spring semester. I was on my way to a literature class when Haig, my former public speaking teacher, asked if I were free the coming Saturday.” Amato answered in the affirmative, and before he knew it der Marderosian had conscripted him for the Emerson debate team, which was traveling to American International College in western Massachusetts that weekend. “When I objected that I had never debated before, he assured me that there was ‘nothing to it,’ that John Zacharis, a graduate assistant and assistant debate coach, ‘would explain it all to me.’” Amato was on the negative team. He won Best Negative Speaker. “Go figure,” he laughs.

Bruce Dean ’69 also has fond memories of der Marderosian. “He guided us to victory in a number of interscholastic debates throughout New England,” he says. “I have applied my forensic skills throughout my career, most recently as an assistant district attorney and chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit for Suffolk County, Massachusetts.”

Silvestri adds it was not uncommon for debaters to pursue advanced degrees. One outstanding student who der Marderosian coached in the late 1950s had a severe stutter, he

recalls. “He became much more fluent because of debating and later went on to get a doctorate in speech therapy.”

Other students—Ellie Cypher ’80 and Cindy White ’79—went far. Cypher is an associate justice on the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, and White earned a doctorate and is now a professor of communication at Central Connecticut State University.

The era of Haig


June Hamblin Mitchell, a longtime Emerson speech professor, was a talented platform artist. BELOW: Accepting a team award in the 1950s.


Memories from the 1980s and ’90s

Susan McNamara ’82 was a member of the Forensics Society her freshman through senior years, and was ultimately named president. “My first week at Emerson, I went to a presentation and was so captivated that I signed up right away,” she remembers. “Debate was enticing, but once I saw a dramatic interpretation of prose, I was hooked.”

The Society thrived during her years, she says. “We were always practicing, refining, rewriting, working through the drama. We lived and breathed forensics, and spent almost every weekend packed into a van traveling all over New England, as well as to Ohio, the Carolinas, even Kentucky and Texas. We worked and lived together and made each other better.”

McNamara says she did best in Poetry and Dramatic Duo and went to Nationals in both categories. “Our Society was almost always placing first and second as a team. Our debate team was number one in New England and many went on to law school,” she says.

Emerson forensics changed her life. “I went from being a shy and nervous speaker with a heavy Boston accent, to winning over 40 awards in forensics.”

During J. Gregory Payne’s 10 years as chair of Emerson’s Communication Studies Department (1988–1998), Emerson hosted a Japanese debate team as well as squads from Russia, Great Britain, and Australia for campus-wide debates that were attended by hundreds of students. Students also traveled to Europe, where they debated in Maastricht on the topic of the formation of the European Union and in Brussels and Paris on other issues.

In the 1990s, a historic moment for the College occurred when competitor Joel Schwartzberg ’90 became the first Emerson student to be named a national champion at the National Forensic Association Nationals, in 1990. He won in the category of After Dinner Speaking with the topic of “The Two-Dimensional-

ization of Society,” which Schwartzberg explains was about how “we tend to view everything, from products to people, in two dimensions via stereotyping, and how that harms society.”

Schwartzberg was inducted into the National Forensic Association Hall of Fame in 2002. He is now director of new media for PBS’s news program NOW and has written a book, The 40-Year-Old Version: Humoirs of a Divorced Dad (Wyatt-MacKenzie).

Schwartzberg’s debate partner was Brett Winterble ’93. They competed at the World Debating Championships in 1989 and 1990. “In 1989, we ended up going to Glasgow and on to Edinburgh to compete for about 10 days,” he says. John Anderson, currently an Emerson associate professor of communication studies, accompanied the team. “Debating Scottish style in 1989—which was like cross-examination on steroids— the heckling could be merciless both from the other side, your side, and occasionally the audience,” says Schwartzberg. “Talk

“Debating Scottish style in 1989—which was like cross-examination on steroids— the heckling could be merciless both from the other side, your side, and occasionally the audience. Talk about trial by fire.” Joel Schwartzberg ’90


about trial by fire. We did well, for a couple of newbies.”

When they returned to Boston, they competed in the “Bean Pot” debate held between Harvard-Wellesley, Boston College, Boston University, and Emerson. And they won. “We are now able to go through life claiming a defeat of Hahvahd.” Schwartzberg adds that “the chance to see some new places and to interact with some of the best and brightest on the world stage” was something he values.

Around the same time, Heather Sullivan ’93 was making her mark as a persuasive speaker. “Forensics was a huge part of my life,” she says. “It was my best experience at Emerson and had a huge impact.” She anchors the morning news at WYCW, the CBS affiliate in Asheville, North Carolina. During her time at Emerson, she competed for three years and was president of the team in 1992–1993. She was a national champion in Persuasive Speaking at the Delta Sigma

Rho-Tau Kappa Alpha National Honorary Forensic Society in 1991 and placed fourth in Persuasive Speaking at the National Forensic League National Tournament that same year. She also placed seventh at Nationals in Persuasive Speaking in 1993. “I loved working a room as a public speaker and meeting students from all over the country,” Sullivan says. She recalls that Emerson’s team “usually had one or two standout speakers each year.” Sullivan said she chose to attend Emerson because she would be able to continue competing in forensics, something she had done in high school. “It definitely paid off for me. I landed a job as a television news anchor right out of school and my first news director said it was my speaking skills that set me apart.”

Much has changed in debate and forensics, but one thing hasn’t. “We do it because it’s fun,” explains competitor Corey Efron ’11. “We give up Saturdays and Sundays and wear suits and spend 5 to 15 hours a week practicing and researching, but we do it because we

love it.” Debater Brittany Jones ’11 agrees. “The people you meet, the traveling, the amazing coaches—I love it all.”

The students say teamwork and camaraderie make the activity special. “More than other teams in New England, I think we’re big on ‘team,’” says Efron. Before each round of competition, the students greet each other with a kind of team motto—“Talk pretty!”—something Erickson handed down to the team from her days competing at debating powerhouse University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

The students admit a lot of hard work is involved, but they say the experience is invaluable. “I’ve learned how to be persuasive, how much of an argument is not what is said but how it is said,” says Efron, who last spring took five events to Nationals, the maximum a competitor can. E

Coach Heather Erickson with assistant coaches Allen Vietzke and Patrick Johnson

Shawna Wright ’11

Tiernan Cahill ’11

Nina Dineen ’11

10 Expression Spring 2007

His Name in

Each evening, actor Joseph Leo Bwarie ’99 arrives at the theater at about 6:45, fills his water bottle with Propel and ice (“the way I like it”), stretches his muscles and warms up his voice, applies his makeup, and fixes his hair. When he steps onto the stage, his perfect diction gives way to a Jersey accent that’s as authentic as the streets of Newark. When he starts to sing, cheers from the capacity house raise the roof.

ph

oto

by

J K

ay B

rad

ford

Ph

oto

gra

ph

y

ph

oto

by

Joan

Mar

cus


For the past two years, Bwarie, 32, has captivated audiences with his portrayal of the iconic Frankie Valli in the hit musical Jersey Boys, which chronicles the life and times of one of the most successful singing groups of the 1960s—Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Bwarie opened in the Las Vegas edition of Jersey Boys and now stars in the first national tour, which has made stops in Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, Las Vegas, and a host of other cities. (In addition, Bwarie performed at the 2009 Tony Awards with the four other actors playing Frankie in North America.)

When Bwarie learned the show would hunker down for a 10-week stint this fall in Boston, he couldn’t contain his excitement: Bwarie would be working at the Shubert Theatre, just a block from his beloved alma mater. After all, he credits a good deal of his success to the faculty at the College: “I use so much of what I learned at Emerson in Jersey Boys,” he says. “I really loved it here.”

Reliving his college daysAttending Emerson is one of the very brightest moments of Bwarie’s life.

“Those four years were a highlight of my life. I would never trade them, and I would love to do them over again,” he

by Rhea Becker

says with a charming smile. “Coming back it’s so neat to see how the school has grown. I made a lot of lifelong friends here.”

In the Performing Arts department, Bwarie recalls “everyone was on board with the same philosophy of honesty and truth in the work that you’re doing. It was a Dream Team of faculty, and all of them had such a vested interest in the students and what we were doing, they imparted so much knowledge, and were so available to us.”

During the Boston leg of the Jersey Boys tour, Bwarie spent free time visiting campus and reconnecting with former teachers. “I think I created relationships that were professional as well as personal. We weren’t a number at this school. Everyone has a name and a face.”

Bwarie has kept in close touch with teachers and classmates over the years.

“I can email the faculty with a random question. Like, ‘I have this audition, what would you suggest…’ The great thing with Emerson is you find ways to work with each other even though the years are going by. You run into tons of people who are Emerson grads. Here in Boston I will come out of the stage door and people will say, ‘I went to Emerson!’”

Well before his college days, Bwarie had amassed a lengthy acting résumé. Growing up in Sherman Oaks, California, with two siblings, his mom and his dad, Bwarie first performed professionally at age 9 on Michael Landon’s TV series Highway to Heaven. He continued to work as an actor and studio singer through his high school years, lending his voice to feature films such as Radio Flyer, The Last of the Mohicans, and Alien 3.

Actor Joseph Leo Bwarie ’99 headlines the hit musical Jersey Boys


ph

oto

by

Joan

Mar

cus

Emerson People


When it came time to choose a college, Emerson was high on Bwarie’s list because “Emerson was not a conservatory and I didn’t want to go to a conservatory. I wanted to be well-rounded.” During college Bwarie spent spare time performing as a singing waiter aboard the Spirit of Boston harbor cruises. “There was a live band, so you’re dropping off salads and then you’re singing ‘It’s Not Unusual.’”

After graduation, Bwarie returned to the West Coast and created a theater company in Los Angeles that he called Red Banister Productions, paying homage to the fire-engine-red banisters at the College’s erstwhile Brimmer Street building.

Becoming FrankieThree years ago, Bwarie was busy in Los Angeles playing “Chachi,” Fonzie’s cousin, in the world premiere of Happy Days: A New Musical. “Because it was the first production, there was a lot of development and workshopping going into it. So one day I said to the com-poser, Paul Williams, ‘I think I can sing

this up an octave. It would give you that sort of doo-woppy sound.’ So I tried it, we worked on it, and he loved it. It stayed in the show.” In the meantime, an early incarnation of Jersey Boys was being workshopped at the La Jolla Playhouse. Audience members (including singer/songwriter Carole King) who saw Bwarie in Happy Days insisted he would be perfect for Jersey Boys. “I would get phone call after phone call and emails. People were saying, ‘Your name’s written all over Jersey Boys.’ And I would say, yeah, yeah. Then the show goes to Broadway and it wins the Tony.” One day Bwarie’s agent calls to say that the producers of Jersey Boys want Bwarie to audition for the Frankie Valli role. After several auditions around the country and over many months, he finally received the news: He got the part. His first call was to his parents: “They know me standing in the living room singing to the relatives. They’ve been the biggest support system the whole time.” Bwarie’s mother has now seen Jersey Boys “maybe 15 times.”

Merri Sugarman ’84, casting director at Tara Rubin Casting in New York City, has worked on Jersey Boys casting for years, so she’s seen and

heard “hundreds of Frankies” and Frankie contenders. She’s enthusiastic about Bwarie’s performance: “He’s fantastic. He gets the subtlety of what it is to really have an edge without being a caricature from The Sopranos. He is such a good actor that he really feels like a street kid. Joe is somebody who has it all naturally.”

The physical demands of the Frankie Valli role are formidable, says Sugarman. “This is a very difficult gig; the actor has to age 40 years.” Not only that, but “it’s not just about the falsetto. It’s about phrasing, acting, stamina. There are people who can sing [the part,] but don’t have the stamina to do it six times a week.”

If Bwarie ever tires of wowing musical-theater audiences, he has other skills to draw on: he has directed theater and written 8-10 short musicals.

“It all kind of gets under my skin. I love all of it and I love that I can wear different hats. I haven’t decided yet that this is the one path.”

Until then, Bwarie must content himself with being part of “Club Frankie” and bringing down the house night after night. E


ph

oto

s b

y Jo

an M

arcu

s

13 Expression Spring 200713 Expression Fall 2009


Autism is widely depicted in pop culture these days, with mixed results, say experts

VisibleExtremely

By Rhea Becker

Before the premiere of Rain Man in 1988, mainstream movie audiences had never viewed a film featuring a main character with autism. Played by Dustin Hoffman, Raymond Babbitt is the autistic savant brother of self-centered yuppie Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise). When Charlie learns that their wealthy father has left his entire estate to his brother, he doggedly pursues Raymond.

Twenty years later, Raymond Babbitt has been joined by a host of other characters with autism from hit television shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order, and Boston Legal; in best-selling novels such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; and films such as 2009’s Adam, starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne (see pages 16–17 for a list of other characters).

Why the surge in popularity? For one thing, the diagnosis is becoming more common. Nancy Polow ’68, director of the Suburban Speech Center in Short Hills, New Jersey, has noted a significant increase in the number of autistic children in her practice and “it’s substantiated by national statistics.” In fact, 1 in 150 American children today has some form of autism—10 times higher than in the 1980s, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And people with autism are simply more visible. “They are more integrated into the community, whether they are in school programs or work-related settings,” says Emily Rubin, MSSp ’97, founder and director of Communication Crossroads, a speech and language private practice in Carmel, California. “Prior to the 1980s children with autism and even Asperger’s were often institutionalized and kept separate.”

Autism as a fictional device opens entirely new storytelling opportunities because the disorder affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others, leading to all sorts of narrative twists and turns. “Rain Man helped lift the stigma because it showed the interesting strengths and savant skills that the highest functioning individuals with Asperger’s and autism have,” says Rubin. “It piqued our curiosity in a positive way.” Barry Prizant, a recognized expert on autism who taught for years in Emerson’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, adds, “It was Rain Man that got the word ‘autism’ out there.”

Emerson’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders operates a Program for Developmental Communication Disorders, which is dedicated to

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Fox

Sea

rchl

ight

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Uni

ted

Art

ists


The highly rated America’s Next Top Model (the CW) recently featured a contestant with Asperger’s syndrome, Heather Kuzmich.

“Having a young woman with Asperger’s syndrome achieve her dream in such a public way was great,” says clinician Ruth Arnold.

“She is beautiful, smart, and open about her Asperger’s, which I think was handled well in terms

tasking, and language processing within a prescribed period of time—abilities she did not have. This guaranteed her a runner-up position.”

Kuzmich, however, was a runaway hit with viewers, winning nine CoverGirl of the Week awards and even setting Top Model history by winning the award the week after she was eliminated.

—R.B.

Model with Asperger’s charms TV viewers

of her being self-effacing—her not understanding the jokes, and people expressing understanding and kindness toward her, for the most part.” But near the end of the series, Kuzmich was expected to follow “very complex directions” to get to a photo shoot in Shanghai. “That would be next to impossible for anyone—particularly with time constraints—but especially for someone with Asperger’s. This required an ability to incorporate visual-spatial abilities, multi-

Left: A young Leonardo DiCaprio starred in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) as a young boy with autistic qualities. Below: Heather Kuzmich, who has Asperger’s syndrome, was one of the most popular contestants ever on the hit TV show America’s Next Top Model.


the treatment of disorders such as language delay, articulation problems, and autism. For the past 20 years, faculty and graduate students from Emerson’s Department of Communica-tion Sciences and Disorders have worked at the on-campus clinic, the Robbins Speech, Language, and Hearing Center, with children who have social-communication and language challenges. “When the client population of children with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum disorder began to increase dramatically, the depart-ment added academic coursework that included a focused on the special needs of this population,” said Betsy Micucci,

director of clinical programs for the department.

The “autism spectrum,” as it is called, includes a variety of diagnoses ranging from severe autism, in which the individuals are dependent on others for their care, to those with Asperger’s syndrome, which is marked by high functioning and high intelligence—sometimes even genius in certain subjects—but extreme social awkward-ness. Autism typically appears during the first three years of life and it affects boys more frequently than girls, according to the Autism Society of America. There is no known cause for autism.

Asperger’s syndrome has narrative appealOf all the autism spectrum disorders, Asperger’s syndrome has become the most popular pop-culture diagnosis perhaps because it can serve as a metaphor for the difficulty of human connections. Those with Asperger’s, for example, often have a hard time picking up the meaning of body language, facial expression, tones or gestures, and sometimes the person’s own behavior can appear strange and inappropriate. Hans Asperger, an Austrian pediatrician, first described the syndrome in 1944; it was recognized in the United States in 1994.continued on page 18

Phot

os c

ourt

esy

of C

W T

elev

ision


Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f O. R

ufus

Lov

ett

More than ever, characters with autism have taken central roles in popular films and television series as well as in best-selling books. On television, for instance, autistic characters have appeared on Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Closer, The Shield, Scrubs, and Without a Trace, among many other programs. The following is a selected, annotated list of characters or other persons with autism in popular culture:

Rain Man (1988) This film features the most widely recognized character with autism. Written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson, Rain Man tells the story of self-centered Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his father has left his multimillion-dollar estate to a brother he didn’t know he had. Brother Raymond (played by Dustin Hoffman) is an autistic savant.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2004) Mark Haddon’s best-selling debut novel is a murder mystery told by an autistic 15-year-old, Christopher John Francis Boone. He is mathematically gifted and socially awkward. The book won

9. At the beginning of the competition, some of the other contestants bullied Kuzmich, making fun of her “awkward” behavior, but Kuzmich later reported that the show’s producers chose not to broadcast the more “civilized” exchanges. Kuzmich was voted the fan favorite nine weeks in a row and made the final five in the competition.

Louder than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism (2007) This book offers entertainer Jenny McCarthy’s nonfiction account of her journey as a parent of a boy with autism. The best-selling book is controversial because she claims to have “healed” her son’s autism using a gluten-free diet among other unorthodox treatments.

The Big Bang Theory (CBS) This sitcom, which premiered in 2007, is about two Caltech prodigies in their twenties, one an experimental physicist and the other a theoretical physicist. Many viewers regard the characters’ extreme geekiness and intellect as signs of Asperger’s syndrome.

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) Dr. Virginia Dixon, a cardiac surgeon played by Mary McDonnell, appeared on several episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. Dixon, who has Asperger’s syndrome, is both a brilliant surgeon and socially awkward.

Snow Cake (2006) This feature film stars Sigourney Weaver as a high-functioning autistic woman who forges a friendship with a man who is traumatized after a car accident.

The Horse Boy: A Father’s Quest to Heal His Son (2009) This book and documentary film by Rupert Isaacson tell the story of the Isaacson family as they travel through Mongolia in search of a mysterious shaman who they believe can heal their autistic son.

Young Wizards series A popular book series for young adults by Diane Duane includes A Wizard Alone (2003), which features Darryl McAllister, whose autism gives him unique abilities as a wizard.

the Whitbread Literary Award (2004) among other honors.

Adam (2009) This feature film starring Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy tells the story of an intelligent, well-educated man with Asperger’s who works as an electronics engineer and awkwardly romances a woman. From a Salon review: “He eats nothing but Amy’s frozen macaroni-and-cheese, day after day….He can’t make reliable guesses about other people’s body language or subjective emotional states.”

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2008) This bestselling crime novel is about a 24-year-old computer hacker sporting an assortment of tattoos and body piercings who has Asperger’s syndrome. This book, by the late Stieg Larsson, has been adapted into a 2009 film of the same name.

America’s Next Top Model (the CW) Heather Kuzmich, a 21-year-old art student with Asperger’s syndrome from Valparaiso, Indiana, competed on America’s Next Top Model, Cycle

Autism in our culture



What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993) In this popular small-town drama, young Arnie Grape, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, displays autistic qualities.

All My Children (2004–2008) This popular soap opera featured the character of Lily Montgomery, who has autism. The portrayal sparked some controversy when Lily displayed violent behavior.

Mozart and the Whale (2005) A memoir and film about a love story between two savants with Asperger’s syndrome, whose conditions sabotage their budding relationship. Starring Josh Hartnett, directed by Petter Naess, and written by Ron Bass, Mozart and the Whale is inspired by the true story of Jerry and Mary Newport, who both have Asperger’s syndrome. They had married, divorced, then reunited and married again.

Beautiful Son: A Documentary About Healing Autism (2007) Filmmakers Julianne and Don King realized their son, age 2, was losing his ability to speak, his coordination, and was becoming disconnected

from the outside world. Receiving a diagnosis of autism, the Kings set out on a journey to help their son, and stumble upon a community of doctors and parents who are experimenting with alternative treatments and who are, they believe, successfully recovering some children from autism.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2003) An episode featured actor Mark Linn-Baker playing insurance fraud expert Wally Stevens, who has Asperger’s syndrome.

The Regulators (1996) A novel by Stephen King (published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) tells the story of an autistic boy named Seth who has gained the power to control reality through the help of a being known as Tak.

Her Name Is Sabine (2007) An award-winning documentary by actress-turned-filmmaker Sandrine Bonnaire, Her Name Is Sabine offers an intimate portrait of the filmmaker’s autistic sister, a 38-year-old woman who has

struggled with autism since childhood. However, the filmmaker believes it was an inadequate health care system—not her lifelong affliction—that has wreaked the most devastating consequences on Sabine’s life. The film is composed of footage filmed over a 25-year period.

Boston Legal (ABC) A character on this popular TV series, Jerry Espensen, is a brilliant lawyer who has Asperger’s syndrome, which interferes with his ability to interact socially with other people, but also helps make him an expert in financial law.

Autism: The Musical (2007) An award-winning HBO documentary about a group of children with autism and the woman who directs them in a musical.

The Second Opinion (2009) A mystery novel by Michael Palmer features Dr. Thea Sperelakis, a woman who was diagnosed as a teen with Asperger’s syndrome and has always been an outsider. She has a brilliant medical mind and a remarkable recall of details, but her difficulty in

dealing with interpersonal conflicts have led her to leave the complex, money-driven dynamics of the hospital, and to embrace working with the poor, embattled patients of Doctors Without Borders.

Today’s Man (2006) This documentary tells the story of Nicky Gottlieb, a former child genius who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at age 21. The film follows Nicky as he struggles to leave his family’s home in order to live independently.

Billy the Kid (2007) A documentary by Jennifer Venditti, this South by Southwest award-winning film follows the life of Billy, a 15-year-old from Maine who was often the butt of his classmates’ jokes. “The title character emerges as a bright, likable, decidedly awkward oddball, as apt to quote Robert Frost as he is to mimic Gene Simmons,” wrote The New York Times. He was not diagnosed with Asperger’s until after the film was produced.


continued from page 14Children and adults with

Asperger’s may display a variety of characteristics that experts say include: a failure to develop friendships that are appropriate to their developmental level; an impaired use of nonverbal behavior such as eye gaze, facial expression, and body language; an impaired ability to identify social cues and conventions; difficulties with conversation skills; a tendency to be pedantic and to make literal interpretations; the development of special interests that is unusual in their intensity; and a preference for routine and consistency.

Asperger’s syndrome does indeed make for intriguing characters because

“Asperger’s comes with certain underlying gifts as well as challenges,” says Ruth Levine Arnold, an expert in autism, a former clinical instructor at Emerson, and an Emerson graduate-student supervisor from 1993 to 2007. The gifts, she says, “are that they are very bright, committed, loyal; they like to work independently; they work on projects that they’re devoted to; and don’t need the social connections at work. These are enormous gifts. On the other hand, there are the challenges in terms of the social communication pieces.”

Does pop culture reflect reality?As more characters with autism appear, audience members are forming ideas about the disorder. But how accurate are the depictions? “These films and books sometimes generate stereotypes,” says Polow. Rain Man, for example, has long been the public’s model of autism, but “it’s important for parents to realize that the severity of autism varies a great deal and there is a wide range of strengths and weaknesses in the autism population.” Many of Polow’s clients mention the film and “feel that their autistic child is just like Rain Man.” But the savant (genius) aspect of Raymond Babbitt occurs infrequently. “In Rain Man, Raymond is portrayed as an autistic adult whose mind works like a super-

Left and Below Right: Beau, in scenes from Beautiful Son, a documentary about “healing from autism”; Below Left: A scene from The Horse Boy, a documentary about an autistic boy who travels with his family to Mongolia to find a healer. Facing Page: Hugh Dancy stars in Adam, a feature film about a young engineer who has autism.

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Jus

tin Ji

n

Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Dan

a Ed

mun

ds

Photo courtesy of Don King

computer,” says Polow. “He has an expressionless face and repeats words, phrases, and sentences incessantly. He can remember obscure facts about airplane crashes and can calculate square roots. He cannot relate to the real world and is emotionally isolated.”

Arnold concurs: “Each person with Asperger’s presents very differently,” and she quotes renowned Asperger’s expert Tony Attwood,

“You’ve seen one person with Asperger’s syndrome, you’ve seen one person with Asperger’s syndrome.” The treatment and prognosis for each child with autism is “varied and individual,” adds Polow.

Still, clinician Rubin rates Rain Man highly for accuracy. “The producers made sure that they truly depicted why the behaviors were happening, when they would happen, and how individuals would react, in a very accurate way.”

Adam, a 2009 feature film, tells the story of a brilliant, young engineer who has Asperger’s and his awkward attempt to begin a romance with a woman.

While Rubin appreciates that the film piques viewers’ interest in Asperger’s, it also has a downside: “It perpetuates a myth that individuals with very high functioning autism and Asperger’s do fine as adults and don’t need very much intervention or support as adults. We actually don’t

have very much research to show that this is, indeed, true. Unfortunately, a lot of adults with autism and Asperger’s lead a very solitary existence. We have research that shows there are quite a few adults with Asperger’s and high-functioning autism who have significant mental health issues, have issues with depression or anxiety, have a very difficult time holding down jobs, and have a high divorce rate, when they do marry. A movie like Adam may actually make our job harder. We might have a team working with a [parent] who will say, ‘Oh, [my child will] be fine. Didn’t you see the movie Adam?’”


Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Fox

Sea

rchl

ight

Arnold appreciates “the very nuanced, sensitive ways the film shows Adam’s amazing strengths and endearing qualities as well as some of the challenges he faces, such as the routines he needs: he has the same thing for breakfast every day. His cabinets are filled with the cereal. You see this, but you’re not hit over the head with it.”

The popular novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time features Christopher John Francis Boone, a teenager with autism who is determined to solve the mysterious death of a neighborhood dog. Rubin gives the book high marks for accuracy,

led to “a lot of discussion and deeper understanding of differences in behavior that the students even saw in their own classmates.”

Barry Prizant, an internationally recognized autism expert who taught at Emerson for eight years, was contacted early on by the producers of the 2006 film Snow Cake to get his feedback on the script. Sigourney Weaver, who played the main character, “modeled her character after Roz Blackburn [an autistic woman who is a well-known speaker on the topic] and met a number of people with autism,” says Prizant.

“She was really studying Roz, but in a very respectful way. Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal in Snow Cake was magnificent.”

When Kevin Larkin ’80 was studying directing for theater at Emerson in the late 1970s, he had a passing familiarity with the College’s Communication Sciences and Disorders Department. Little did he suspect that one day he would become an expert of sorts on one of the topics that occupies the department: autism.

Kevin lives with his wife, Jill, in Studio City, California, with their two sons, and has worked for decades directing theater and writing for television, learning from the likes of producers Hal Prince and Garry Marshall.

All that stopped four years ago when Kevin quit his job to care for his then-14-year-old son, Ryan, who is severely autistic. In the following story, Kevin speaks about his experiences raising a child with autism.

First signsWhen Kevin and Jill married in 1983, they weren’t thinking about having children. But after eight years of marriage they decided it was time. Kevin, who describes himself as very family-oriented, welcomed their first son, Ryan, who was “the perfect child, except for

one thing: he never spoke.” The Larkins never had trouble understanding Ryan, but he never made an effort to say anything, “not even Mama or Dada.” But Ryan was “a happy guy,” developing normally in every other way. “He did everything right, except when he wanted something, he would just take your hand and point to it. If he wanted milk from the refrigerator he’d take you to the refrigerator and point to it. We’d say to him, Ryan, just ask for the milk.” But he never did.

When Ryan was about 13 months old, Jill suspected something was seriously wrong.

So the couple visited the first of many professionals they would consult over the next decade. “The first pediatrician said he’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with him,” recalls Kevin. “The second one said I think it’s kind of early but you might want to consider having him tested.” Ryan was examined and tested at UCLA by the famed psychologist B.J. Freeman, who trained under Edward Ritvo—

the man who was responsible for training Dustin Hoffman for the film Rain Man. B.J. presented the results: “Without a shadow of a doubt, no question: autism.”

The costs of autismKevin and Jill enrolled Ryan in an early developmental program at UCLA. “The key to autism is early intervention,” says Kevin.

“Getting as much done as you can, as soon as possible—speech, occupational therapy.” Ryan remained a happy child, says Kevin,

“only he didn’t speak. He never really spoke.” A diagnosis of autism can be emotionally draining. But the financial and time pressures were just about to begin. “You’re checking and fact checking and double checking,” says Kevin. “You’re being sent to doctors who turn out to be quacks. You’re being promised things that can’t possibly happen, and you are writing checks and writing checks and writing checks. We estimated that we had spent $80,000 on private speech therapy [and later] Jill recalculated it and told me,

‘No, it was probably $120,000.’ The money poured in from [my job at] Warner Bros. and it poured out to all these people.”

particularly because of its author’s credentials. Mark Haddon is a former special education teacher “who has years of experience in the trenches working with individuals on the autism spectrum and who has developed a real appreciation for the learning differences and the way [children with autism] take in information and how they might handle a particular scenario.” She calls the book “an amazing insight into the autism world and mind. A lot people, [even] service providers, read it and say, ‘I know that child.’ It’s authentic.”

Arnold agrees. She says The Curious Incident has been read in junior high school classrooms, including that of Brookline, Massachusetts, where it

Kevin Larkin ’80 describes raising a son who has autism

A father’s story


In the meantime, the couple had another son, Morgan, who is developmentally normal.

The years passed and Ryan’s communication skills were not improving. In fact, to Kevin’s dismay, Ryan appeared to be getting worse.

“Around age 15 or 16, he started to get very aggressive to the point of violence. It came out of nowhere. It would last for 20 minutes, but it was 20 minutes of hell. It was frightening, very frightening for his younger brother.”

Doctors told the Larkins that the next step was supported living or a group home.

“Supported living is to have your autistic child live outside the home with one or two aides, living independently, possibly going to work. It works well if you have the means to support two households and a staff. It doesn’t work well if you don’t.”

Ultimately, Kevin decided to give up his job; Jill would continue to work at Walt Disney for a paycheck and health insurance.

Three years ago, the family received devastating news: Jill was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. “We realized we were a family about to fall off the edge,” says Kevin.

“We lived in constant anxiety about Ryan’s aggression: when it would strike and where. We wanted him in a safe, nurturing environment.”

So they finally opted for a group home, where Ryan lives today with two other boys his age, both autistic. “Our concern was that he would miss us. We knew how much we would miss him. Planning for it was devastating. Packing up his stuff.” Since Ryan has moved, his aggression has greatly decreased. The adults in the home keep the Larkins apprised daily of Ryan’s activities and the couple visit him once a week. But younger son Morgan has observed, “Don’t talk to Daddy after we see Ryan. He’s always a little sad.”

Ryan, 18, is considered nonverbal with an estimated vocabulary of 60 words. “He cannot process, for example, red, yellow, and green lights. He can put on pants but

Arnold also weighs in positively on several other works, including Mozart and the Whale (“lovely”); Today’s Man (“a very fine documentary”); TV’s Grey’s Anatomy (“featured a brilliant female surgeon who had difficulty with gaze and some other aspects of social communication”); and Boston Legal (lawyer Jerry Espensen “was very open about his Asperger’s syndrome; he is clearly a positive role model because of his level of success and achievement, brightness, and even his communication”).

The intersection of fictional characters and real life can be powerful. Jerry Newport—whose autism went undiagnosed for many years and whose life formed the basis of the film Mozart and the Whale—was depressed and isolated. Then he went to a movie theater and saw Rain Man. In the film, Raymond Babbitt had some unusual skills. When a character in the movie asked Babbitt how much 4,343

sometimes the fly ends up in the back. His receptive language [that which you take in] is 90 percent; his expressive language is 20 percent.”

Kevin is philosophical: “I was 31 when Ryan was born. I’m 51 now. You have more energy then, you run the gamut. You try holistic stuff, you travel, we went to Princeton, New Jersey, to the Eden Institute….What were we doing? We were chasing the rainbow.

“Sometimes it’s hard to see other kids. I have nephews who are Ryan’s age and they are off to college. But Ryan doesn’t know he has autism. He’s happy. As one therapist said to me, ‘He doesn’t have to worry about getting into a good college, he doesn’t have to worry about mowing the lawn, he doesn’t have to worry about paying rent. All of his needs are met. It’s not a bad life.’

“People want so much for their children. Do you want it for them or do you want it for you?”

—R.B.

The documentary Autism: The Musical tells the story of Elaine Hall, who directs a musical featuring a cast of children with autism.


Phot

o co

urte

sy o

f Cin

dy G

old

times 1,234 was, Jerry knew the answer. “I said it before Babbitt said it,” Newport writes. “People in front of me in the theater just looked around. And then, I realized, ‘Uh-oh.’” As Jerry watched Babbitt, he realized, “That’s me.” So he set out to learn everything he could about autism, and found his way to the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA, where he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. E


MUSICSarah Borges ’99 was profiled in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Borges and her band, the Bro-ken Singles, were performing seven shows at the South by Southwest music festival when interviewed by the publication. Her third album, The Stars Are Out, “starts with the hard rock of ‘Do It for Free’ and includes covers from sources as dispa-rate as Smokey Robinson and indie pop masterminds The Magnetic Fields,” according to the Inquirer.

Tara L. Masih, MA ’86, is editor of Field Guide to Writ-ing Flash Fiction: Tips from Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field, which has been published by Rose Metal Press (a firm founded by a pair of Emerson alumni). Flash fiction, a.k.a. the “short short story,” is roughly defined as a tale “1–3 pages and 250–1,000 words” long. Masih and the Press commissioned 25 essays from the experts in the field, four of whom have Emerson ties: Pamela Painter, a profes-sor in the Writing, Literature and Publishing Department, and alumni Jennifer Pieroni

’01, Stace Budzko, MFA ’04, and Rusty Barnes, MFA ’95.

“Many of the classes I took at Emerson led me to get into textbook publishing and prepared me to do this project well,” says Masih.

Writer Seth Grahame-Smith ’98, the man behind the liter-ary mashup juggernaut Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, is a busy man. The young author has snagged a two-book deal to write more of his mashups, which combine period drama and horror. The best-selling Pride and Prejudice and Zom-bies (Quirk Books) combines Jane Austen’s classic novel

“with scenes of bone-chomping

girlfriend). Snyder’s play is Comedy of Manners (a bachelor of a thousand names and disguises has finally decided to give up his wild ways). Hop-kins’s comedy-drama is Greek Stories: From Artemis to Zeus (Dionysus, aided by Drama and Comedy, commences a drama festival celebrating clas-sic Greek myths, and each tale is full of lessons).

Eric Cornell ’05 worked on Broadway with the show Wicked, and is now touring with the show as associate company manager.

Gregory Crafts ’03 has co-founded, along with Katie Sikkema ’05 and Ben Atkin-son ’05, a nonprofit theater company in Los Angeles called Theatre Unleashed. The company has taken up resi-dence in the North Hollywood Arts District and will produce Gregory’s first full-length play, Friends Like These.

WORDSAward-winning educator Linda Nathan, MA ’90, principal and founder of the Boston Arts Academy (BAA), the city’s first and only high school for the visual and performing arts, has written a book, The Hardest Questions Aren’t on the Test: Les-sons from an Innovative Urban School, based on her experienc-es working with students of di-verse backgrounds. Her school enjoys a 95 percent acceptance rate among its graduates. In her book, Nathan shares the philosophies and practices that have contributed to the success of the BAA.

gore.” Grand Central Publish-ing signed Grahame-Smith to the new book deal, which starts with Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Julie Phillipps ’99 created a picture book, Wink! The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed, which was released this past spring by Viking. The book received a starred review from the School Library Journal, which called it “[A] charm-ing story...invigorated with originality and humor. This flashy picture book is sure to appeal to a wide audience.” Booklist also praised “Phillipps’ ebullient and multipatterned cut-paper artwork,” calling it “sophisticated and with a Japanese flavor.”

Stephanie Johnson, MFA ’97, has published her full-length collection, One of These Things Is Not Like the Others (Keyhole Press). Emerson faculty mem-ber Jessica Treadway, author of And Give You Peace and Absent Without Leave, praises Johnson: “Stephanie John-son’s fiction—like Raymond Carver’s—celebrates the idea that less, on the page, can be more: her stories are at once lean and rich, poignant and wry, insightful and evocative.”

THEATERAmong the 12 new play titles published recently by Playscripts Inc., three were penned by current or former Emerson performing arts graduate students. They are continuing education student Christa Crewdson, Sophi Sagall Hopkins, MA ’98, and Emily Snyder, MA ’09. Crewdson’s play is the comedy Wait Wait...I Can Explain (madcap, chaotic hilarity ensues when Jason hires a troupe of local actors to play the part of a perfect family to impress Sheila, his new

Notable Expressions


A letter from the president of the Alumni Association

Dear Fellow Emersonians,

I am pleased to report that the new 2009–2010 Alumni Board is actively engaged in the completion of a new two-year strategic plan. In July, members of the executive committee and the chairs of our standing committees came together to re-draft the plan that has been the driving force of our efforts to increase alumni participation and involvement within the Emerson community. At the core of the discussion were the findings from the recently completed Alumni Attitudinal Survey, which many of you responded to over the last six months. The results reinforced several areas that are tantamount to our continued work as a board. We learned that alumni across the board have a high degree of loyalty to the College and will not hesitate to recommend Emerson to friends whose children are looking for a college to attend; and that recent graduates in the millennial world are seeking more tangible touch points to the College through the social networking media market, while older alumni refer to Expression magazine as their main source of news and interaction with

plan for the College. He will coordinate with members of the Trustees, the Overseers, the Alumni Board, and the administration so that all areas of the College are aligned and focused on the school’s marketing and branding objectives. I would like to introduce the Executive Committee who will join me in leading the Alumni Association Board of Directors over the next two years. They include Jon Derek Croteau ’99, vice chair; Amy Frankel ’85, treasurer; Patricia Peyton ’84, secretary; and Peter Loge ’87, immediate past president. In addition, we have added six new Alumni Board members to our ranks during the Alumni Weekend Annual Meeting this past June. They are Cathryn Cates ’85, Greg Holstein ’07, Jerry Izzo ’82, Philip Maggi, MA ’93, Lee Stacey ’76, and Jacquie Gales Webb ’77. I am personally looking forward to their fresh voices along with the work of our returning Alumni Board members who continue to serve the College with great vision and extraordinary commitment.

I also want to thank each of you for your ongoing care for, and support of, Emerson College. We appreciate your strong voices, which make a difference for the continued growth of our Emerson. As always, your comments and notes are welcome. Remember to check out the Emerson online community at emerson.edu/alumni or find us on Facebook.com, LinkedIn.com, Twitter.com, and Flickr.com. Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming alumni event.

With warm regards,

Robert Friend ’79President, Emerson College Alumni Association [email protected]

the College. A very high percentage of the alumni who responded indicated a need for enhanced professional-development programs and activities to support their careers. With professional development as a centerpiece to the discussion, the executive committee has created an ad-hoc committee to determine the scope and direction of need in this area. Tory Johnson ’92, CEO of Women for Hire and a Workplace Contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America, will head this committee to help the board identify a plan to enhance this important need. These and many other findings will be addressed through the strategic planning process and we look forward to growing our efforts to drive more and more alumni to participate in alumni activities. And, not just across the United States. A recent meeting with Greg Vitarelli

’92 opened an opportunity to build an active alumni program in the United Kingdom. Andrew Tiedemann, Emerson’s new vice president for communications and marketing, is now engaged in a marketing audit of the College and will assemble an overall communications

Alumni Digest


Six new memberselected to Alumni Board

Emerson’s Alumni Association serves more than 27,000 alumni. A board of directors acts as a governing body and manages the affairs of the Association. The board consists of members of the executive committee, board directors, and all regional-chapter presidents. Board members are selected through a nomination and election process. Each year the Alumni Board works in cooperation with the Office of Alumni Relations to set an agenda and develop programs, events, and initiatives. The current board is made up of 28 elected directors who serve three-year terms. The board works to further the mission of Emerson College by fostering alumni involvement within the life of the College. Newly elected board members, who were introduced at Alumni Weekend in June 2009, are as follows:

Blowback and the teen comedy, American Pie: Book of Love. Holstein has assisted in casting numerous hit reality-television programs and has worked as a crew member on shows such as CBS’s Survivor. His recent feature credits include Halloween II, My Best Friend’s Girl, and Beethoven’s Big Break. Holstein was born in Baltimore, and raised in Syracuse, New York. He now resides in Los Angeles.

Gennaro Izzo ’82While a student at Emerson, Gennaro Izzo founded the This Is Pathetic comedy group and was a member of the Alpha Pi Theta fraternity. Since graduation, he has worked as a broadcast producer in Boston for a variety of organizations, including multiple advertising agencies in Boston as well as Portland, Maine.

Philip Maggi, MA ’93Philip Maggi is vice president of external affairs for Idaho Technology, a privately owned biotechnology company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Maggi, based in Washington, D.C., represents the company’s interests before Congress and the Administration. His work in law and public policy has spanned more than a decade and includes stints as counsel to Congresswoman Nancy Johnson of Connecticut and Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine. Maggi received his BS from Northeastern University in 1991 and an MA from Emerson College in 1993. In 1998, he received a JD from the John Marshall Law School.

Lee Stacey ’76Lee Stacey was most recently senior vice president of sales and marketing at IMG, where he led the national sales team and overall sales

Cathryn Cates ’85After working in the communications industry for 16 years, Cathryn Cates decided to create Black Cat Productions (BCP), a special event production company. Before starting BCP, she was an executive producer with PGI, Jack Morton Worldwide, Caribiner International, and Envision Corp. As EP/project manager she has been responsible for all aspects of projects, including team management, budgeting, creative development and execution, media production, logistics, set design, and fabrication and staging for both international and domestic events providing on-time, on-budget events. She is married to business partner Adam and they live in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

Greg Holstein ’07Greg Holstein, a junior executive at Capital Arts Entertainment, is producing the thriller, Smokin’ Aces:

Cathryn Cates ’85 Greg Holstein ’07 Gennaro Izzo ’82 Philip Maggi, MA ’93


and marketing strategy for IMG College. He has more than 20 years of experience in sales and marketing. Previously, Stacey worked with the New York Jets as senior vice president of sales and marketing, where he led and set strategy for sales, marketing/branding, and broadcast media in addition to merchandise sales. He was also charged with developing all new Jets revenue strategies for the New Meadowlands Stadium while working with the Jets/Giants joint venture on the naming rights of the new building as well as major corporate partnerships and premium seating strategies.

Jacqueline Webb ’77Jacqueline Gales Webb works with public radio networks, station managers, producers, and consultants to support and improve the nation’s public radio system as a radio project manager for the Corporation for

Public Broadcasting. She is also a Peabody Award-winning producer. Webb also produced video and radio for 11 years as senior producer for Smithsonian Productions. Webb is the winner of six local Emmy Awards for public affairs programming, and the recipient of 14 local Emmy nominations. She is the winner of two CINE Golden Eagles, Gold and Silver CINDY Awards from the Association of Visual Communicators, two International Film and Television Festival of New York Gold Medals, a CEBA award for outstanding communications to the African American community, and many other awards for her work. In 1977, she earned her Emerson degree cum laude.

Meet yourAlumni Board officers

The following is a complete roster of Alumni Board of-ficers, members, and chapter presidents:

The officers are: Chair Robert Friend ’79; Vice Chair Jon Derek Croteau ’99; Treasurer Amy Frankel ’85; Secretary Patricia Peyton ’84; and Immediate Past Presi-dent Peter Loge ’87.

The board members are: David Breen ’78, Chet Brewster ’86, Cathryn Cates ’85, Robert Edney ’76, Maura Tighe Gattuso ’81, David Gwizdowski ’80, Greg Hol-stein ’07, Jerry Izzo ’82, Tory Johnson ’92, Gaynelle Jones ’69, Anne Kenny ’85, Randy Ketive ’85, Michael K. Mac-Wade, MA ’86, Philip Maggi, MA ’93, Barry Mehrman ’76, Julia Owens ’03, Steve

Sakson ’76, Travis L. Small ’97, Lee Stacey ’76, Susan Strassberg ’78, Margie Sul-livan ’81, Jacqueline Gales Webb ’77, and William H. White III ’69.

The chapter presidents are: Marsha MacEachern-Murphy ’00 (Boston, Gradu-ates of the Last Decade), Dennis Blader ’75, MSSp ’79 (Connecticut), Camilla Ross ’85 (Connecticut), Ron Bostwick ’81 (Denver), Rosalie Kaufman Sheffield ’81 (Denver), Mark Stewart ’77 (Los Angeles), Andre Archimbaud ’94 (New York), Mark Granger ’04 (Atlanta), and Howard Liberman ’68 (Washington, D.C.).

Board of Overseers member Denise Kaigler ’85 (center), vice president of corporate affairs at Nintendo of America, greeted more than 40 San Francisco alumni in August at the Sir Francis

San Francisco

Jacqueline Webb ’77

Drake Hotel. She gave an update on Emerson and introduced alumni to ways to connect, not only with each other, but with Emerson students through mentoring and internships.

Lee Stacey ’76


Almost 700 alumni and friends returned to campus June 3–5 for Alumni Weekend 2009 to celebrate class reunions as well as major anniversaries for WERS, EBONI, and Sigma Pi Theta. Spanning several generations, alumni shared memories and celebrated a homecoming that transcended the decades.

“This is, and always will be, our Emerson,” said Barbara Rutberg, director of the Alumni Relations Office. While savoring the past, Emersonians took pride in

the College’s future, raising $30,000 for the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund during the silent auction at Saturday night’s gala party.

The Weekend offered class luncheons, campus tours, short courses via the Alumni College, and book readings. Other highlights included a sold-out boat cruise on Boston Harbor with Barry Scott ’85 spinning from his “Lost 45’s” collection, a memorial service that featured a rousing performance by the Charles Street Gospel Choir, and a presentation at the

Alumni Weekend celebrates landmarks

faculty and alumni brunch by Associate Professor Claire Andrade-Watkins who made the documentary film Some Kind of Funny Porto Rican: A Cape Verdean-American Story.

What are alumni saying? “Had a great time, glad to see Emerson’s growth and proud to be a part of such a great school” and “This was the best alumni weekend I have attended; it’s incredible to see the evolution of the College.” But don’t take their word for it. Save the date for the next Alumni Weekend: June 4–6, 2010.

Phil Isaacs ’94 (left), Allison MacDonald ’94, Michelle Mahon-Caron ’94, and Jon “Satch” Satriale ’94, MA ’09

Suzan Johnson Cook ’76 (left) and Jacquie Webb ’77

Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award recipient Susan Banks ’76 (left) with President Liebergott and Gloria Ferrer ’74

President Liebergott congratulates Mario Ostrov ’39 on her 70th Emerson reunion.

Save the Date

June 4–6, 2010

Everyone’s invited back to celebrate 130 years of Emerson. Join us for a boat cruise, Alumni College, class lunches, a faculty brunch, our annual party and auction, and more. Visit emerson.edu/alumni for more details on this and all of our upcoming events around the country.

During Alumni Weekend we will have special celebrations for all classes endings in 0s and 5s, including these special reunions:10th Reunion—Class of 200025th Reunion—Class of 198550th Reunion—Class of 1960

This year also marks special milestones for: the College (130 years), CPLA (25 years), Swolen Monkey Showcase (25 years), the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program (75 years), along with the 65th anniversary of the Emerson College Alumni Association.

MyAlumni Weekend


Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award recipients Larry Rasky ’78 (left) and Holly Bario ’89 with President Liebergott and Board of Trustees Chair Peter Meade ’70

Tanya Hill-Shareef ’75, Ingrid Crapps ’75, Bill White ’69, and Pam Cross ’75

Dorothy Geotis MacLean ’59 and Harry Morgan ’59 celebrate their 50th reunion.

Freyda Siegel ’30 celebrates her 100th birthday during Alumni Weekend with President Liebergott

Jane Kriesel Lopez ’84 finds her yearbook picture in the Reunion Archival Display.

The 60th anniversary of WERS was highlighted with the presentation of the first WERS Hall of Fame award. On the far left, Brian Dudley and Pam Dudley Gerbi accept on behalf of their father, posthumous inductee Charles Dudley, founding

Angela Lifsey ’79 and Matthew Devlen ’80

father of WERS. Inductee Jeff Greenhawt ’68 (third from left), presenter Al Jaffe, President Liebergott, inductee Cherry Martinez ’97, inductee Fran Berger, presenters Jack Casey ’69 (general manager of WERS), and Howard D. Simpson ’94 (operations manager of WERS).

Members of the Class of 1984 celebrate their 25th reunion.


Boston

Thirty Boston-area alumni, including Peter Crawford

’68 (left) and Jack Casey ’69, gathered in September for a wine tasting class at the Boston Center for Adult

Boston

Glenn Jones ’99 was front and center at Bermuda Night at Fenway Park, which was held last summer. Jones, press secretary to the premier of Bermuda Ewart Brown, was on hand to represent the Bermuda Department of Tourism as well as to toss out the ceremonial first pitch. While a student at Emerson, Jones played baseball during his freshman and sophomore years and won two EVVYs. After graduation, while working at FOX-TV 25 he won a regional Emmy Award.

Boston

Comedian and entertainer Jay Leno ’73 returned to his alma mater over the summer to kick off the promotional tour for his new primetime program, The Jay Leno Show, with a performance at the College’s Cutler Majestic Theatre. The event was sponsored by WHDH Channel 7 and Bernie and Phyl’s Furniture.

The Jay Leno Show premiered in September. Leno graduated from Emerson in 1973 with a BA in speech therapy. While in school, Leno performed stand-up comedy in local nightclubs, and emceed talent shows.

Education. The event kicked off the Second Thursday program, a new Alumni Relations Boston-area professional development series.

President Jacqueline Liebergott welcomes Leno back to campus.

Entertainer Jay Leno ’73 visited campus last summer to promote his new television program, The Jay Leno Show. Before performing an hourlong monologue at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Leno met with Emerson students (from left) Andrew Bruss ‘10, Allison Hughes (graduate student), Dan Perreault ‘10, and Terri Ciccone ‘10.


Alumni from Atlanta and Nashville formed their own regional

“Lions Den” last summer to cheer the Red Sox at Turner Field in Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta

In partnership with the Alumni Relations Office, a survey was conducted as part of the Alumni Board’s mission to create valuable opportunities that reach the broadest alumni population and help maintain meaningful connections to the Emerson community.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to reply. Your frank assessments of what we are doing well and what we can do better are invaluable. This survey will serve as our 2009–2010 planning benchmark—knowing where we are will help us determine where we want to go.

We are pleased to hear that you appreciate much of what we do, and as a result, ties to the College are strengthening. The majority of our alumni would return to Emerson if they had it to do over again, and would

Alumni survey results help shape future initiatives

recommend the College to a friend’s son or daughter.

And not surprisingly, depending on where we are in our lives, we have different motivations and expectations from Emerson events:

Younger alumni are interested in attending events to make professional contacts;

Seasoned alumni are interested in attending events to see old friends;

All alumni would like to attend events to be entertained (this is, after all, Emerson College!).

We also learned that what you want is not always all about you—students are a source of inspiration and an essential part of the community. On that note, take a look at the article on the Emerson forensics program in this issue of Expression to see some of the faces and stories of today’s Emersonians. Another

useful finding was that many of you who attended graduate school at Emerson have stronger ties than undergraduate alumni. As a result, we are going to find more ways to better serve our graduate alumni.

On behalf of the Alumni Board and the Alumni Relations Office, we want to thank you again for your suggestions. We will continue to identify essential touch points in our quest to help us all stay connected. And, although the formal survey request has closed, please don’t hesitate to send an email with your opinions and ideas to us at [email protected].

Amy Frankel ’85Peter Loge, MSSp ’87Barbara Rutberg ’68Brie Williams, MA ’99

Suggestions

Become a fan of the Emerson College Alumni Association on Facebook

Sponsored

The Emerson College Alumni Connections application for Facebook

Highlights

Update Your AddressUpdate your address with Emerson without leaving Facebook

Upcoming EventsSee and register for all upcoming alumni events

Stay ConnectedRead class notes and see photos from the Emerson Alumni online community

Facebook.com/ EmersonCollegeAlumni

To add this application, which ties your profile on the Emerson College online community to your Facebook account, visit our fan page at Facebook.com/EmersonCollegeAlumni and click on “Alumni Connections” in the tab bar at the top of page for step-by-step instructions.

Emerson on

what’s your status?


In New York and Los Angeles, Emerson alumni chapters welcomed new graduates and alumni who recently relocated to their areas with a program to help participants find everything they need to know to “cruise” into their future. Both events featured panels offering ad-vice on jumpstarting careers, finding the best neighbor-hoods in which to live, and opportunities to map their future.

Paul Morra ’95 hosted the “Emerson Freeway 101” program at his offices, Swift River Productions, in June.Panel presenters included: Pam Abdy ’95, Pearl Wible ’05, Stephen Christy ’07, Tony McNeal ’01, Chrystee Pharris ’98, Melinda Valente ’97, Erik Press ’90, Gary Grossman ’70, Sharif Ali ’94, Steve Scaia ’98, Wendy Wheaton ’89, and Paul Morra ’95. Mark Stewart, president of the Los Angeles alumni chapter, introduced the panel and welcomed more than 45 guests.

New York Expressway andLos Angeles Freeway

New York Chapter President Andre Archimbaud ’94 introduces the Career Launching Strategies panel during the Emerson Expressway 101: Your Road

to Success in New York City program. From left are Archimbaud, Jim Aleski ’97, Marj Kleinman ’92, and Kevin Mercuri ’91.

In Los Angeles (from left) are panelist Chrystee Pharris ’98, moderator Pam Abdy ’95, and panelists Tony McNeal ’01 and Pearl Wible ’05.

Bill White ’69 (right) represented Emerson College at the inauguration of Sidney Ribeau (left) as president of Howard University in April 2009.

Representing the College

The Emerson

Mentor Network

links Emerson

students and

alumni to career

professionals who

are interested in

facilitating mentor

relationships to

share knowledge

and industry

connections.

Th

e E

mer

son

Men

tor N

etw

ork

Care

er S

ervi

ces

Corn

er

Interested in becoming a mentor or learning more?

Visit emerson.edu/career_services

or

Contact Ken Mattsson [email protected]


Class Notes1963Edward Darna was unable to attend his 50th reunion but hopes his classmates

“will forgive me as I was involved in upholding the Emerson College tradition by appearing in My Fair Lady at the Deertree Theatre and Cultural Arts Center in Harrison, Maine (once owned and operated by Emerson). I waited 50 years to be in one of my favorite musicals and got to play Colonel Pickering.”

1966Michael Kletter and Judy Raphael Kletter report: “On Michael’s 65th birthday our daughter Elisa Kletter, Emerson Class of 1996, gave birth to our first grandchild, Merrell Thomas Harvey, on May 2, 2009, in Columbia, South Carolina. Is that not the best 65th birthday present anyone could ever receive?”

1967Barry Bailey has produced a CD and handbook on Full Body Active Stretching for EveryBODY. He works as a massage therapist and runs a small school, the STAR Tech Healing and Learning Center, named after a healing technique he developed: Soft Tissue Active Recovery Technique.

1968Ralph Maffongelli is artistic director of the Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Theatre Company, which just marked its 75th anniversary. Ralph won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts.

Phyllis (Oxfeld) Sweeney is coordinator/chair of her department, Information Technology (IT), after

teaching two years at Nova Southeastern University. She and other faculty are revising the curriculum and adding courses to change IT from a minor to a major degree with ABET accreditation.

1969Joseph P. Hennelly Jr. has published the first two chapters of his auto-biography, The Shenanigans of a Criminal Lawyer, at Pokerroad.com. “I practiced as a criminal defense lawyer for over 30 years and this book recounts my most famous cases as an organized crime lawyer and a lawyer for the Irish Republican Army.”

40th Reunion 1970Steven Feldman is an account executive with Comcast Spotlight in North Miami, Florida, selling television advertising on

cable networks. “If any of my Emerson friends find their way to South Florida I hope they will look me up. It would be great to catch up in person. I do find myself missing Boston very much.” He lives in Boca Raton with his wife, Suzy.

Andrea Liftman is very active at Salem State College, where she earned a master’s degree. She serves as a member-at-large on the alumni Board of Directors and as treasurer of the Friends of Education Board. In addition, she continues to serve as president of the Omega chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International.

Barry O’Brien has joined Inside Music Media, handling all sales opportunities offered by the company, which will initially include one-day brainstorming seminars, training, and advertising opportunities. Barry is a

Nancy Gross Polow ’68 has created the Babies & Boomers CD & Activity Guide. Polow is a licensed speech-language pathologist with more than 40 years of experience as well

Alan Kania ’71 has written for newspapers and magazines for many years and now has two new books, John Otto: Trials and Trails and Colorado National Monument, a photo book published by Arcadia. Alan’s website (johnottobook.com) describes the eccentric trail builder who has ties to Boston’s South Shore and to Colorado.

as a grandparent. Babies & Boomers was developed for grandparents to use with grandchildren ages 1–6.


member of the Board of Overseers of Emerson College. He is best known for his 20 years as VP of sales for Radio & Records. After leaving R&R, he opened his own firm and has worked with a variety of companies, including New England Cable News, the John Bayliss Broadcast Foundation, Radio Hall of Fame (Museum of Broadcast Communications/Chicago), and the Broadcasters Foundation.

1971Robert Schelhammer is a volunteer coordinator for the Poverello Center, a food bank for people living with HIV/AIDS in Broward County, Florida.

Edward Sulzberger and his wife, Linda Ercole-Musso, have established a nonprofit group that raises funds for child-welfare projects in Africa. African Children’s

Bruce Abels ’76 reports that his wife, Heidi, earned a master’s degree in design from Syracuse, their daughter Zoe entered sixth grade, and son A.J. embarked on a career as a freelance videographer/editor. Bruce and his wife went to Napa Valley/Mendocino/San Francisco for their 15th anniversary. His creative consultancy, Ready, Willing & Abels Advertising, is in its 24th year and “biz remains thankfully strong.”

Alan M. Brown ’88 has produced a film, Truth in 24, which has been winning awards at film festivals. Here, Alan accepts the Leonardo’s Horse Award at the Milan International Film Festival. Truth in 24 is a racing film produced by NFL Films.

Haven supports orphanages, lunch programs, and schools in five African countries.

1972Sherry Reiter has published a book called Writing Away the Demons: Stories of Creative Coping Through Transformative Writing.

1973William Litant writes, “Five Emersonians who work at MIT were involved in a series of events this year acknowledging the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. Academic Media Production Services’ (AMPS) chief videographer Tom White ’80 and Craig Milanesi ’82, video production manager, shot companion videos. AMPS’s Clayton Hainsworth ’00, distance education operations coordinator, organized event video coverage. Aeronautics and Astronautics administrative

officer H. Lauren Gallant ’74 oversaw the finances and contracts. And yours truly, the AeroAstro communications director, co-directed the event’s communications activities.”

1974Jennifer Hershey has been director of operations for Jujamcyn Theaters in New York City since 1989. “I am most proud of the Broadway Green Alliance (greenbroadway.com). The entire Broadway community is working together with the Broadway League, the Mayor’s Office, and the Natural Resources Defense Council to establish better practices to lower our carbon footprint, create less waste, and recycle as much as possible.”

35th Reunion 1975A short film by Cass Collins, Narrowsburg at Night, won the grand prize at the Digit Festival in Narrowsburg,

John Bromley ’88 taught English in Japan for a year after he graduated. He returned to the United States, was married in 2000 and has two children. He is practicing law in Boston, focused on admiralty and maritime law. He is proud to be an Emerson alumnus.


New York. Cass’s new book of poems and photographs, River/Muse, published this year by Stockport Flats, is selling well locally.

1978Greg Reibman was named director of digital media for GateHouse Media New England and publisher for GateHouse’s Metro unit of 12 weekly newspapers in Greater Boston.

1981Rosalie Sheffield of Dynamic Special Events will be the conference planner for Rocky Mountain VidExpo 2009, the largest gathering of film, video, broadcast, and digital media professionals in the Rocky Mountain region.

1982Dave Foster has accepted a position with French company Crouzet Automatisms as the U.S. sales manager.

Ellen (E.J.) Koch, MA, has received two more master’s degrees—one from Boston University (1989) in mass communication and another (1994) from California State University at Hayward, in counseling psychology. E.J. is married to Catherine Herdering and they live in Walnut Creek, California. She and Catherine are one of California’s 18,000 gay couples married prior to the November 2008 election,

which overturned the state’s gay marriage law. E.J. is a psychotherapist in Kaiser Permanente’s Department of Psychiatry.

David Millstone completed his MFA in acting at the University of Houston. He played Malvolio in Twelfth Night for the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival.

Elaine (Withrow) Stevens is production/technical manager for The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, at NBC/Universal Studios. Her prior job was production manager of Days of Our Lives at NBC/Universal (Burbank).

1983Franklin Gorrell has released his debut CD, Ready for Change, under his professional name, Asher Franklin. “I hope to hear my music on WERS soon. The release of this CD is concurrent with a move to Virginia. There is a lot going, but, as the title suggests, I am ready for change.”

Christopher Santos is working on his third novel and has written an episode for the Showtime series The United States of Tara.

Michelle F. Solomon appeared with the improv comedy troupe Stimulus Package at the Hollywood Hard Rock Casino’s Paradise Live Improv Comedy Club in Hollywood, Florida.

Brett Winterble, MSSp ’93, has founded the Covert Media Group in Los Angeles. As host of the cutting-edge Covert Radio Show, Winterble covers issues surrounding the War on Terror, national security, international affairs, human trafficking, piracy, and more. The show is carried on 20-plus radio stations nationwide. He would love to hear from classmates at [email protected].

Rachael (Apanovitch) Huber ’89 says she has been “fortunate to have lived a colorful life. I spent the 1990s married and living in the Philadelphia area. My daughter, Sydney Rose, was born in 1997 and is now a gifted dancer. In 1999, I divorced and relocated to northern New Jersey. I worked in corporate marketing with Wall Street clients during the dot.com boom. Then I changed gears and became certified to teach yoga and practice reflexology. In 2003, I created my current consulting business, Health Fusion, in Montclair, New Jersey, where I have lived peacefully for the past seven years.”


1984Emma Palzere-Rae works at the Women’s Center of Southeastern Connecticut as director of development. The center provides services to those who have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault in the New London County, Connecticut, area.

25th Reunion 1985Danna Call wrote a short comedic film, Finding a Match, which appeared in the Big Apple Film Festival last year. Her comedic short play Safety First was part of the Estrogenius Festival at Manhattan Theater Source.

Suzanne (LaCoste) Fantaroni has been a member of the Harrington Memorial Hospital Auxiliary in Southbridge, Massachusetts, since 1993. After college she worked in media relations and served as chair of the Auxiliary’s Ways and Means Committee. She is now serving as president.

Matt Kirkwood is playing the part of Valdez in the West Coast premiere of Craig Wright’s The Unseen at the Road Theatre Company in North Hollywood, California. Matt previously won an L.A. Weekly award for Best Supporting Actor in Craig Wright’s Lady, also at the Road Theatre.

1986Stephen Heiser worked as an energy writer and editor for a variety of publications, including Wilson’s Business Abstracts, Individual Inc., Newspage, Newsedge, Andover News Network, VerticalNet, PowerOnline, ElectricNet, and Live Power News. In 2008, Stephen was hired by industry veteran and Nuclear Street publisher Cam Abernethy to become Nuclear Street’s managing editor.

1987Sue (Hester) Pendleton is VP of programming for Branded Entertainment at Scripps Networks. She is responsible for branded short-form video content that airs on HGTV, Food Network, FLN, DIY Network, and GAC as well as the network websites and HGTVPro.com.

1988Joshua Brickman received project management professional certification from the Project Management

Ed Scott attended Emerson for just one year (1984–1985), but says “enrolling there was the best decision I possibly could have made. I enjoyed a class taught by Tom Cooper, who got me an interview for an internship at WBZ-TV.” He returned home to Florida in 1985 to finish his degree there. Nevertheless, he has maintained a line of communication with Tom over the years. Ed recently earned a PhD in English.

1933 Frances Nagle Dew1942 Janet Webb Lorraine 1943 Barbara Gallison Roberts1948 John “Jack” Reilly1948 Marguerite Ann Peggy Sparks Orange 1962 Paul V. Sutton1964 Jeffrey Leighton Field 1965 Joanne Goldbatt Narotsky 1972 Jeanne Brodeur, vice president for institutional advancement1987 Kathleen Burgess1992 Marque DeVeaux2001 Michael Morrison2006 David Twomey Dr. William L. Sharp, professor emeritus Marion E. (Gunderson) Thompson, associate professor

In Memoriam

Rebecca M. Alvin ’93 has shown her new documentary, Women of Faith, at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The film, which is about women and the Catholic Church, was accepted into the Woods Hole Film Festival.

Becky Ances ’98 and Ryan Wilson ’97 are moving to China to teach English at a university three hours south of Shanghai. This change comes soon after the publication of their first book, Sword of the Ramurai, which features the characters from the award-winning magazine Moo-Cow Fan Club. To follow their China adventures, visit beckyances.net.


Institute. He lives in Framingham, Massachusetts, with his wife, Amy; son, Nathan, 15; and daughter, Edith, 6.

Cheri Lee has been busy “raising five children—three biological and two that we are adopting—but has also found time to go to graduate school, where I am earning my MHA/MBA (master’s in health and business). I would love to hear from fellow Emersonians either in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area or from the Class of ’88!”

1989Christine Renee Cali-Vela says she is “happily divorced” with an eight-year-old son (Joseph Vincent Vela Jr.) and is going to be the Western Suffolk account rep for All Island Media selling Long Island Trends magazine. She is living in Melville and looking forward to reconnecting with fellow alumni: “Please hit me up on Facebook!”

20th Reunion 1990Bill Siderski has published his first novel, The Network, a satire about a struggling television network. Early drafts were edited by Walter Dixon ’89.

1991Rich DiPirro is the new director of the long-running CBS game show The Price Is Right. Rich fulfilled a life-long dream of directing his favorite game show by joining the program earlier this year. The show is now taping its 38th season.

1992Marj Kleinman received a grant from the Buhl Foundation for her “With My Hands” project. The Foundation aims to enhance the quality of life of underprivileged individuals by supporting education, the homeless, and the arts. “This funding will help us start developing our website and re-shoot/re-cut the trailer so that we can raise more funding,” says Marj.

Alisa M. Libby ’99 has written a second young-adult novel, The King’s Rose (Dutton Children’s Books). The novel tells the story of Catherine Howard, a teenage girl who became the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. According to Kirkus Reviews, “This suspenseful, downright racy tale will send readers hurtling headlong toward the novel’s bitter end.”

Thomas Krajewski ’99 sold a screenplay called Bad Vintage to 10/4 Pictures. The film is a hit-man comedy that takes place in the world of wine—it’s Sideways meets Grosse Pointe Blank, he says.

Chris Eboch’s ’95 Haunted series has debuted with two books, The Ghost on the Stairs and The Phantom Pilot. Haunted follows a brother and sister who travel with their parents’ ghosthunter TV show and try to help the ghosts. In each book, the TV show researches a new ghost at a new location. The series is aimed at kids ages 8–12.

1993Timothy Rogers has happily returned home from England after 10 years, where he had been completing his gradu-ate studies. He has a master’s degree (with merit) in text and performance studies from King’s College London and the Royal Academy of Dra-matic Art, and has worked for more than nine years in Brit-ish higher education, teaching theater and film courses at Birmingham University, Man-

chester University, Manches-ter Metropolitan University, and Westminster Kingsway College. He has also appeared in Eve Ensler’s Lemonade at the King’s Head Theatre, Islington, and in regional productions of Savage/Love, See How They Run, Under Milk Wood, and You Never Can Tell.

1994Mary Kennedy has had a very busy year. She and her husband, Charles Hall, had their second child, Nicholas, who joined their daughter, Rebecca. She and her husband, along


with Mark Morgan, co-produced the feature film Creative Differences. Other Emerson alumni in feature roles included Paul Hungerford and Molly Beck Ferguson. Mary is also the parental correspondent for The DAMage Report radio show on LA Talk Radio. In addition, she is one of the directors/acting coaches for the Youth Acting Program, a training program for young actors.

Jill Teeters is senior associate director of admission at Southern New Hampshire University, where she manages marketing and communication for

undergraduate programs. She lives in Manchester with her husband, David Lamothe, and their son, Aidan.

1997Heather Watkins obtained a seat on the Boston Disability Commission and was sworn in over the summer.

10th Reunion 2000Erin B. Lillis has received her second degree, a bachelor of science in interactive media design, from the Art Institute of California, Los Angeles. Erin graduated with honors and was valedictorian of the spring 2009 graduating class.

2002Jared DiDomenico and his music partner have created the world’s first album made entirely on an iPhone (visit nuclearoreilly.com). He is working as a songwriter and music producer, making soundtracks, songs, and beats for various projects, working with filmmakers, rappers, and singers. “Our original music was accepted by one of the largest and most competitive licensing firms in the U.S. and we are members of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.”

Jocelyn Kelley started Kelley & Hall Book Publicity, a company that has launched the careers of Brunonia Barry (author of The Lace Reader, William Morrow) and Lisa Genova (Still Alice, Simon & Schuster) and has completed successful campaigns for New York Times-bestselling authors Jacquelyn Mitchard, Michael Palmer, and Brenda Janowitz as well as others.

Alexandra Le Tellier works at the Los Angeles Times as deputy editor at Brand X, a new weekly lifestyle and trend publication that covers restaurants, nightlife, movies, and style as well as technology, gaming, volunteerism, environmental issues, science, DIY, design, sports, autos, art, and street culture.

Parker Gavigan, MA ’04, and Doreen Scanlon, MA ’04, were married on Cape Cod in 2008. Both work at ABC 6 News in Providence, Rhode Island.

Molly Verock ’03 and Mitch Krpata ’03 were married in September 2008 in Westminster, Massachusetts. They live in Brighton and met during freshman year while living on the seventh floor of the Little Building. “Who would have known we’d be getting married nine years later?” Emerson alumni in

attendance (all from the Class of 2003 except one) were bridesmaids Kathleen Arnold, Lisa Berube, Brina Williams, and Melanie Christian; groomsman Ryan Stewart; officiant Patrick Duggan; and guests Kimberly (Verock) Todd (‘92), Michelle Philbrick, Rebecca Sapp, and Brian Eastwood.


Greg Waxberg ’00 married HeatherAnn Pukel in October 2008 in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. The couple live in Branchburg.

2003Mary Alexandra Agner’s first book of poetry, The Doors of the Body, has been published by Mayapple Press. The poems retell stories such as Sleeping Beauty’s escape from her castle, the ballad of Clementine, and numerous Greek myths. Since graduating from Emerson, Mary has received a Somerville Arts Council Grant in Literature, attended the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts as a fellow, and had her poetry published in Iron Horse Literary Review, Measure, The Raintown Review, and Weave Magazine.

Jenny Sterling ’04 was married in 2008 in Auburn, California, on New Year’s Eve. Emerson alumni who were present were (from left; top row): Lauren Sherman ‘04, Marisa Rindone ‘04, Jenny

Johnmichael rossi was awarded a travel grant through Theatre Communications Group’s New Generations-Future Collaborations program. He will be working with LOTOS Collective of the UK on TriangulatedCity, a collaboration with Zoukak Theatre Company of Lebanon to develop a multi-location performance in Beirut, Lebanon. In June 2009 his theater ensemble, newFangled theatReR, featuring Megan Raye Manzi

’03, Jason “SweetTooth” Williams ’05, and Seth Reich ’03, performed Short Kutz & Forks, an evening of 13 short plays written by johnmichael. Earlier in the year he married the beautiful and talented theater-maker Esra Cizmeci.

2004Levi C. Maaia, vice president of Full Channel, a Rhode Island-based cable operator, reports that his company received a CableFax Award for its environmental initiative GreenLink.

Marie-Amelie Rechberg launched her own production and management company, Puzzle Pictures, in 2008 and has announced the attachment of a director to a project, Love and Let Die, to be shot in 2010.

Erin Sidney ’04 and Dariel Cohn ’05 were married in May 2009 at the Figueroa Mountain Farmhouse in Los Olivos, California. Surrounded

by family and friends, includ-ing more than 25 Emerson alumni, the couple exchanged vows on a mountaintop over-looking the Santa Ynez Valley and then partied like it was the Senior Week boat cruise all over again. Erin Sidney (a.k.a Syd) has been touring, songwriting, and producing in the music business, and also works as a freelance web-site designer. Dariel is direc-tor of international relations at Athena Cosmetics, maker of Revitalash, a product actu-ally created for her mother, a breast cancer survivor. The newlyweds are enjoying the slow-paced beachside lifestyle in the Santa Barbara area.

Sterling ‘04, Josh Fasulo (Jenny’s husband), Sarah Spencer ‘04, Evie Kline ‘04, Kate Fasulo ‘04, and Sean Bradley ‘04; bottom row: Kate Kugler ‘04, Jessica Jordan ‘03, and Morgan Foehl ‘03.

Tom Roux, MA ’05, has been elected to the International Association of Business Communicators—Heritage Region Board of Directors for a two-year term as a chapter liaison. He will serve as a resource to presidents and other leaders of five chapters within the 20-chapter region. Last semester he was an adjunct professor of communications at Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts.

And What Are You Doing

Where Are You

Kaelyn Parlin ’06 is pursuing teacher licensure at Mary Baldwin College in Charlottesville, Virginia, in order to become a high school business/marketing teacher. “I am excited to use my hands-on marketing communication education and professional experience in the classroom.”

5th Reunion 2005Iliza Shlesinger hails from Dallas, where she performed with Comedy Sportz Dallas before moving to Boston to attend Emerson. Iliza lives in L.A. and is the most recent winner of NBC’s Last Comic Standing Season 6. She is the first female and youngest comedian to hold the title of Last Comic Standing.

2006Emily Carlson is working at Barnes & Noble and applying to graduate school.

Laura Duggan, MA ’06, won a grant from the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities to perform her one-woman play, Tea with Mary Cassatt, for schools,

libraries, and functions. Her second one-woman show, written by and starring herself, is Mrs. Jack of Fenway Court. This multimedia play tells the story of the Victorian social maverick who built Boston’s famous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

2008Ashley Hause is account coordinator at O’Neill and Associates. She

will be supporting the communications and government relations teams.

Sandra Riel earned her master’s degree in integrated marketing communication while working full time at Bain & Co. in Boston.

Erika Rydberg is attending George Washington University to earn a master’s degree in media and public affairs.

New job? Received an award? Recently engaged or married? New baby? Moving? Recently ran into a long-lost classmate? Let us know. Use this form to submit your news or send it to [email protected]; 1-800-255-4259; fax: 1-617-824-7807. You can also submit Class Notes online at emersonalumni.com. To register for the online community, use the ID number located above your name on the mailing label of this magazine. Include all of the zeroes.

First name Last name Class year

Address

City State Zip

Home phone Email

Your news

Mail to: Class Notes, Emerson College, Office of Alumni Relations, 120 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116-4624

Photo courtesy of Tony Rinaldo

120 Boylston StreetBoston, MA 02116-4624

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage PaidBurlington, VT 05401Permit Number 4

A l u m n i W e e k e n d

emerson.edu/alumni/weekend1-800-255-4259

Celebrating All Classes Ending in 0s and 5s Special Anniversaries for:

CPLA, 25 years

Swolen Monkey Showcase, 25 years

Emerson College AlumniAssociation, 65 years

Communication Disorders Program, 75 years

Emerson College, 130 years

The Saturday nightparty and auction was excellent. I was amazed at the turnout. Great band. I danced all night.”

The alumni/facultybrunch is always a treat. I not only got to see and chat with classmates but also some of my old professors.”

The Piano Row dorms were perfect for a two-night stay—we felt like we were students again.”

f a c e t o f a c eF r i e n d i n g

June 4–6, 2010

expression fall 2009

Documents