Closing the Books on our 50th Reunion
As promised, here are the last four links to those wonderful RED talks from our Reunion. Even if you were there you could only go to one and they were all so good! So we wanted to share as much as we can so everyone can see the talents and passions of our classmates. Can’t wait for the 55th! These final four, all Cornell professors, have shared their research and passions with so many students at our alma mater.
Don’t Breathe the Air! Indoor Air Can Be 100 times More Polluted Than Outdoor Air presenter Cornell Professor Emeritus Joe Laquatra ’74 has been conducting research on indoor environmental air quality since 1986 and is focused on improvements that can result in healthier indoor environments.
Rebels: Jews and the Roman Empire presenter Barry Strauss ’74, a best-selling author, historian and Cornell Professor, talked about Jewish rebellions against the Roman Empire in ancient times and how they still shape our world today, 2000 years later.
The Love Bug: What Fruit Flies Tell Us About the Molecules of Life and Love presenter Mariana Wolfner ’74, Cornell Professor of genetics, developmental biology, and evolutionary biology in CALS, talked about how fruit flies reveal the genes and proteins essential for fertility in insects such as mosquitoes that transmit the Dengue and Zika viruses.
Hits & Flops from a Tree Fruit Entomologist’s Playlist: The Journey of a Bug Guy presenter Cornell Professor Emeritus Art Agnello ’74 describes himself (not necessarily in this order) as a tree fruit extension entomologist, amateur trumpeter, home winemaker, and travel buff.
Our 50th Reunion was right in the middle of the Cornell campaign To Do the Greatest Good. We just got the final numbers and wow did our Class step up! Raising almost $58 million from 779 donors and 96 Tower Club gifts, our class set a new 50th Reunion donor record and exceeded all our fundraising goals. Our last minute challenge to get 774 donors was successful and our Class gifted $10,000 to our Class of 1974 Scholarship. Many thanks to our Chairs, Andrea Glanz, Jim Irish and David Miller and all of you who gave–we sure did our greatest good! (Class of 1974 Donor Honor Roll)
As we close the book on our 50th, don’t forget to make (or edit) your page in our Class of ’74 Memory Book. The DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 15th.
If you are back on campus for Homecoming join our Class of ’74 Pre-Game event.
And don’t forget about the selected screenings of Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story–even the trailer is a tear jerker! Consider getting together with Cornellians in your area for this.
Be well and stay tuned for my final email as our Class President.
