BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

When I looked at the academic rankings of my own class members (’57), after the top 10 or 15 people, high school grades didn’t send a reliable signal about happiness, wealth, management ability, political choice, fame, or infamy.  Statisticians and social scientists may be better analysts.  I’m reporting what I saw in our sample.  Where Sea Cliff’s graduates went and what we did, and who did what offers many surprises.  Now, taking a big leap over all kinds of theoretical discussions and minefields and smorgasbords of data, I’ve created this part of the web site for notes about where we’ve been, what we’ve done.  I post them as I get them.  Feel free to post your own, or send them to me for posting. 

           (I am indebted to attorney Jay Siegel for helping me start this section, and to the “Reltwins” (Sandra and Marsha Relation about whom Jay says, “They're better than the CIA at digging up info.”)

Sandra Gleichmann's (Thompson) ('57) new book, Palm Beach: A Retrospective, was named one of four finalists in the Independent Booksellers' Best Overall Design category. The book and the award are described in detail on another part of the user forums but it deserves mention here too. 

Sandy moved her gallery last year to a courtyard shared with a popular Palm Beach restaurant and her viewers and sales have increased. The 'retrospective' part of the book is a review of Sandy's career and the scope of her work.  That scope will surprise many visitors. It ranges from fresh political cartooning to character revealing portraits and landscape and architectural painting that captures the unique light and textures of Palm Beach. She also works in marble. 

Her work, both visual and written, has won high praise in the art world and from Palm Beach historians and personalities.

Sandy plays golf with Sea Cliff schoolmates who live nearby and she is always glad to see friends from the school years.

Beach Bum, Deisner, Architect.  The architectural designs of Rodney Fyfield (’56) provide numerous people with interesting modern shelter, but Rod and his wife of 36 years, Nancy, live in a 250 year old New Milford, CT tollhouse on a river.  Rod still does occasional architectural and product design, and still enjoys sand, salt and surf.  (Rod lived beside the concrete stairs that descended to Shore Road near the Yacht Club and the beach was almost his front yard.)  Rod went to the University of Houston, then settled in Connecticut about 45 years ago.  He and Nancy are avid downhill skiers.  

Vittoria Victorious.  You may remember Dr. Joseph V. Vittoria as “JoJo” from the Class of 1953, the only boy among the 5 kids in a family of Italian immigrants.  If you were a member of the Yacht Club, maybe you recall him as launch boy.  He tried harder than most and helped rebuild Avis car rentals in the 1990s before retiring in ’97.  He started work with Avis in ’64, left in ’76 and returned in ’82 to guide the company to success with its “We try harder” advertising.  In 2009 he became Chairman of the Board of Domark, an umbrella company for several operations.  Innovation has marked JoJo’s career in business.  At Avis he created a widely copied Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).  He went on to create United Airlines’ ESOP.  When he founded Travel Services International in 1997 it set a new distribution norm for the industry, and he sold the company in 2000.  If you have ever been to a Great Wolf Resorts water park, you were patronizing a company where JoJo is chairman of the board. 

           In May of 2010 the Yacht Club’s former launch boy sailed into Greenwich, Connecticut’s harbor with his dream creation, the world’s largest single masted yacht.  www.mirabellayachts.com  The boat is 247 feet long and has a 48 foot beam.  With full sail on its 297 ft. mast, the boat can do 20 knots.  If you would like to charter it, the cost is $420,000 for a one-week voyage.

The Well Judged Judge.  Beginning with her passionate political debates in the Class of ’54 “Reb” both rebelled against the establishment and lost her position as chief justice of the California Supreme Court when voters rebelled against her for what they saw as replacing law with personal beliefs.

The ’54 yearbook called her “our energetic political fiend” who intended to be a foreign news reporter.  However, after graduating Magna Cum Laude from LIU, she went to law school in University of California-Berkeley’s most radical days.  After serving as Secretary of Agrigulture for California, she went on to become an appeals court judge.  Gov. Jerry Brown appointed her to the state’s Supreme Court in 1976.    She quickly became known for both controversial decisions and practices such as requiring all associate justices to make appointments to speak to her about anything.  Two years later she narrowly survived her first re-confirmation vote with 52%.

Nevertheless, Reb became the first elected woman chief justice on the court and the first chief justice ever removed by a statewide vote.  However, by 1986 outrage at her opinions had become so widespread that 67% of the voters called for her removal.

Reb was born in Tucson, Arizona and came to New York with her mother and two older brothers after her father deserted the family when she was only 5.  On December 4, 1999 at Stanford University Medical Center she died of breast cancer that had first appeared in 1976.

All The World’s His Stage.  Independence was in the family since an ancestor named Thomas McKean signed the Declaration in 1776.  It surfaced publicly for Michael McKean when he began to act in school plays at age 14.  He grew up in Sea Cliff and by the time he graduated and headed for Carnegie Mellon Institute, he had almost two dozen roles.  Many of us first saw him as Lenny in television’s popular “Laverne and Shirley.”  Some may know the song he and his wife actress Annette O’Toole wrote, “A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow.”  The song was nominated for for the Academy Awards’ Best Original Song and was part of the film, A Mighty Wind (2003).  A singer an songwriter as well as an actor, Michael began his musical career in the 1960s as a member of The Left Banke. 

           In 2009 Michael played a leading role in Woody Allen’s film, “Whatever Works.” 

Babe No More.  Call him Walter or Vladimir but not Wally or Babe, his nickname at Sea Cliff.  In London, in Russia, in New York I keep running into young Russian and English women who have been to Walter Fekula’s annual charity event for Russian orphans—New York’s “Petrushka Ball.”  In the 50s, however, Walter was Babe the tuba player and ad salesman. 

If you want to attend the 2011 ball to benefit Walter’s Russian Children’s Welfare Society, find your black tie costume to wear Friday, February 11, 2011 at The Waldorf=Astoria, Grand Ballroom.  http://www.rcws.org/events_petroushka.htm 

Walter went from Sea Cliff to the Wharton School of Business,then on to Goldman Sachs and Salomon Brothers.        In 2000, four years before retirement, he became president of the Russian Children’s Welfare Society.  He is also a fine singer and a passionate photographer and patron of the arts and a successful fundraiser for several other charities.  Walter’s late brother, Alexis, was also a musician and composer.  Alexis’ son Peter is a Russian Liturgical Choir director in Manhattan.