David LowJulia Morrison ’96 has co-produced, co-written and edited a new film, Hank and Asha (website), which opened at the City Cinemas Village East Theater New York City last weekend and will run at the Laemmle NoHo 7 Theater in Los Angeles from April 18–24. This lovely romantic comedy about identity, longing, and the irresistible appeal of entertaining life’s what-ifs was co-written and directed by James Duff, who is also Morrison’s husband. In the film, an Indian woman (Mahira Kakkar) studying in Prague and a lonely Southerner (Andrew Pastides) living in New York begin an unconventional correspondence through video letters—two strangers…
Natalie Robichaud ’14Jeremy Serwer ’70 joined the Outlet Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2005, the Developers of Outlet Centers and Retailers started the Outlet Industry Hall of Fame to honor people in the outlet retail industry who help the industry grow and improve. Serwer is the president of a consulting firm he began in 1993. At Wesleyan, Serwer majored in French, Russian, and music, so his decision to enter the retail industry shocked his family. As a 14-year-old boy working in a girls’ clothing store, Serwer thought that retail was the most exciting market. “The constant demand and constant energy and…
Cynthia RockwellBoston Children's Hospital announced the establishment of the N. Thorne Griscom Endowed Chair in Radiology. Dr. Griscom ’52, recently retired after 49 years in pediatric radiology, served as president of the Society of Pediatric Radiology (SPR) in 1981-82. Dr. George Taylor, SPR president in 2005-06, is pictured with him here at the reception to celebrate the announcement. Taylor calls Griscom as "an outstanding radiologist, clinician, mentor and friend," adding, "This was a very deserved honor for this truly gentle man." A Phi Beta Kappa chemistry major at Wesleyan, he earned his medical degree from the University of Rochester and was…
Bozoma Saint John ’99 was named senior vice president, head of global marketing, at Beats Music, reporting to Beats Music CEO Ian Rogers. Saint John will lead Beats Music marketing initiatives, from brand and performance marketing to collaborations with AT&T, Target, Chevy, Beats Electronics and others. She will also work closely with Luke Wood ’91,who serves as president of Beats Electronics and vice chairman of Beats Music. Prior to Beats Music, Saint John was most recently the head of the music and entertainment marketing group at Pepsi-Cola North America, working with entertainment celebrities such as Beyonce, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj,…
Jerry Hourihan ’86 is the new president of AIG Private Client Group for the United States and Canada. In his new role, Jerry will drive the development, implementation, and execution of strategies and priorities in the Private Client Group business. Before being named president, Hourihan served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for AIG Personal Lines, working with marketing, distribution management, and field operations. Hourihan has been with AIG Private Client Group since 2002 and has held several different positions. At Wesleyan, he studied economics.
Brian KattenThree legendary running greats from the ranks of Wesleyan's alumni — Jeff Galloway ’67, Amby Burfoot ’68 and Bill Rodgers ’70 — returned to Middletown for the first time as a group in more than 45 years to take part in the Harvard Pilgrim Middletown Half Marathon and Legends 4-Mile Race on April 6. On site well before the start of the race, Galloway, Burfoot and Rodgers stood at the "legends tent" to sign autographs and have their photos taken with other runners and spectators. While Rodgers, four-time winner of both the Boston and New York Marathons during the 1970s, was…
Olivia DrakeEllen Thomas, research professor of earth and environmental sciences, is the co-author of a paper titled "Carbon Sequestration during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum by an Efficient Biological Pump," published in the April 2014 edition of Nature Geoscience. In the paper, Thomas explains how ocean-dwelling bacteria may have vacuumed up carbon and halted a period of extreme warmth some 56 million years ago. The finding suggests how Earth might once have rapidly reversed a runaway greenhouse effect. Its effect on global oceanic productivity is controversial. In the paper, Thomas and her colleagues present records of marine barite accumulation rates that show distinct peaks during…
Bill FisherWith his Wesleyan undergraduate and graduate students, Assistant Professor of Astronomy Seth Redfield studies exoplanets, the local interstellar medium, and stellar and exoplanetary atmospheres. He talks about the unique opportunity offered through his exoplanet program at Wesleyan, in which students at the undergraduate level participate in cutting-edge research. [youtube]http://youtu.be/PNP5Cgc10go[/youtube] #THISISWHY
Lori Gruen, professor of philosophy, professor of feminist, gender and sexuality studies, professor of environmental studies, and coordinator of Wesleyan Animal Studies recently edited a new book, The Ethics of Captivity. The book explores the various conditions of captivity for humans and for other animals and examines ethical themes that imprisonment raises. Chapters written by those with expert knowledge about particular conditions of captivity discuss how captivity is experienced. The book also contains new essays by philosophers and social theorists that reflect on the social, political, and ethical issues raised by captivity. One topic covered in many chapters in the…
Professor Phillip Wagoner is the co-author of Power, Memory, Architecture: Contested Sites on India’s Deccan Plateau, 1300-1600, published by Oxford University Press in March 2014. Wagoner is chair and professor of archaeology, professor of art history. Focusing on India’s Deccan Plateau, this book explores how power and memory combined to produce the region’s built landscape, as seen above all in its monumental architecture. During the turbulent 16th century, fortified frontier strongholds like Kalyana, Warangal, or Raichur were repeatedly contested by primary centers—namely, great capital cities such as Bijapur, Vijayanagara or Golconda. Examining the political histories and material culture of both…
After an extensive national search, Mental Health America’s board of directors has named Paul Gionfriddo ’75 the new president and CEO of the organization. Gionfriddo is an experienced nonprofit leader and former state legislator and mayor. During his over 30-year career, Gionfriddo has held many leadership positions related to health and public heath; he has led nonprofit organizations in three states, run his own consulting business, specializing in public health, children’s health, primary care and mental health. In 2013, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appointed Gionfriddo to a four-year term on the National Advisory Council to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health…
Lauren RubensteinThe Review celebrates Braxton's career on the "fringes" of jazz, looks forward to his opera-in-progress, Trillium