Then & Now A-F

Rick Barron (Jan '66)

After graduating high school, I attended Bradley University are received a BS degree in Business Administration. I was hired by McDonnell Douglas as a computer programmer directly out of college and moved to the St. Louis suburbs which is where I have lived since 1970. I received my MBA from Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville in 1980. I spent 23 years with McDonnell Douglas as an application programmer, database specialist, data center planner, systems programmer, customer support, consulting, and working in the CIO office. After 23 years, McDonnell Douglas outsources IT to IBM and for the next 15 years, I worked for IBM with various jobs in distributed computing, project and program management, architecture support, project office support, network services support, business operation management, contract negotiations, and as the Global Integration Executive. I changed companies again when IBM outsourced its network services organization which I was an executive in to AT&T in January 2008. I spent my final 17 months with AT&T before I retired in 2009.

I am currently an Adjunct Professor at Lindenwood University teaching undergraduate and graduate classes in Information Technology and Project Management. I am married with 3 grown daughters and 1 grandchild (and a second on the way due February 2016). Email: rickbarron@live.com

Marsha Blackman Baranowski

After high school I went to Northern Illinois University as the only female pre-engineering student. NIU did not like that! After 2 years I found a terrific job at Kemper Insurance in the new field of computer programming, It was just what Ioved to do! I married another Bowen Alum in 1969. But I was not ready to settle down and several years later we divorced. A year later I met My the love of my life at a Disco in Barrington! We moved to California, got married and I went to work at Transamerica Life Companies in Los Angeles as a programmer. I loved my work, but I wanted children, Unfortunately, my husband did not. He broke my heart and so another divorce.

In 1989, I adopted a newborn and began life as a single mom. A few years later, we moved the Transamerica Life Company to Kansas City. By this time I was the Vice President of the Life Companies Data Processing Division. Loved it for about the next 6 years. Then I had my first retirement!

I moved to Las Vegas in 1999. After 2 years as a professional gambler, I became a real estate agent. After the big bubble burst, I worked in real estate offices and up to now have been managing a small real estate office with great people. I met a nice guy in 2005, we married and were living nicely. Then he had a catastrophic stroke and died in 2010.

Two years ago, the great love of my life came back to me. He moved to Las Vegas where we are very happily married, 25 years after we divorced.

I am now getting ready to retire from the Real Estate world and enjoy my time in Sun City McDonald Ranch in Henderson, Nevada.My daughter is 26 and living in Detroit. She is studying to be a computer programmer. Imagine that! Oh, my hair is now naturally blond with Gray highlights. So those who remember me as a flaming redhead might be disappointed. I am so excited to see my old friends at the reunion! I may be 68 on the calendar, but I am only 25 on the inside.

Email: marshabaranowski@gmail.com

Jim Besser

An undistinguished Bowen student, Jack Zevin's assessment that I could write mapped my career path – freelancing in political journals; features for newspapers across the country; frequent humor pieces for the Washington Post and a humor book in the 90s; and - curiously, since my Jewish background was limited to Allen Sherman records - 24 years as Washington correspondent for the NY Jewish Week. Interviewed presidents, prime ministers and at least one king; wrote about the epic and the mundane in uncounted thousands of columns, features, editorials and blogs. Retired as 'new media editor' as well as Washington correspondent. Still write the occasional oped when I get the itch and take on political ghostwriting assignments on issues I care about. Avocationally, a traditional dance musician for 40 years, playing Anglo concertina (look it up) for contra and ceilidh dancers, Morris and sword dancers, Victorian dance reenactors, Appalachian cloggers and more. Current bands: a genre-bending squeezebox trio and the East Coast's premier (and only) English ceilidh rock band. (Link: http://www.kennedy-center.org/video/index/M6508 .) Married for 45 years to a fitness fanatic and dad to an unaccountably accomplished daughter who works for a women's health NGO. Dogs, cats, a nice life in the woods just outside the Washington Beltway. Long distance biker until my hip gave out, but at least my acne has almost cleared up. I remember Bowen with interest but no nostalgia; life is so much better now, especially since I finally have a steady date. Email: concertinist@gmail.com .

Patricia Bruah Zoch

After high school I attended Blackburn College and graduated with a BA in Sociology. I also graduated with a husband, John, who I married in 1969. We moved to Sidney, B.C Canada in 1970 and have lived in four provinces over the past 40 years. Our two sons were born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1976 and 1978. I have been working with people with intellectual disabilities for over 27 years. At this time we live in Harrow, ON, Canada, which is near Windsor ON and very close to the Detroit area. I am a frequent visitor to my family who are still in the Chicago area. My youngest son was married in the last year and lives in the San Francisco Bay area. My oldest son lives nearby in Windsor and he will be married this coming July. We are empty nesters but enjoying this time in our lives. Still not ready for retirement but see it on the horizon. My interests are my family, reading, working out, singing in my church choir,antiquing and spending time with friends. Please email Pat's husband, John if you wish to contact her: johnzoch@yahoo.com

Sandy Bruski Wagner

I never dreamed that that I would have the pleasure of being Webmaster for our class site. What has led me here is a long story but in brief, after high school I attended the University of Illinois, Urbana and graduated with a BA in French education. My parents moved from the South Side in 1969 (between my junior and senior years in college) and I remember being terribly upset at becoming a North Sider and leaving behind my "home". After graduation, I moved into the city and ended up teaching French and English at Tuley (now Clemente) and Senn High Schools. I lived in the city until I met my future and former husband. We lived in the suburbs for awhile and then moved to Denver - a wonderful place to live and raise kids. I have three incredible sons - Andy (38), Danny (36), and Stephen (34). Life seems to take charge at times and my next path after my divorce was back to Chicago for three years and then to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where I taught ESL (English as a Second Language) and completed an MAEd in E-Education and Instructional design (thus, the path to Webmistressing). Fourteen years later and surviving one Hurricane Wilma (no fun to live through a hurricane), I moved to Monterey, California where I hope to live happily ever after. I am an Associate Professor at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center where we train our military linguists. I do teacher training and work extensively with technology. I love to hike, travel, ski, and just be outdoors, so the mix of mountains and ocean is perfect. Three of my favorite trips have been to Australia (Sidney, Melbourne, Tasmania), Northern Ireland hiking the Antrim coast, and most recently, to France navigating a boat down the canals of the Loire. I so look forward to our reunion and seeing everyone again. Email: sandylw303@yahoo.com

Esther Cohen Robledo

After leaving high school I went to Cook County Hostpital for Lab School and worked at an out reach childern's clinic in the projects for 4 years. In 1970, I married my late husband and had 2 great sons. They are 40 and 37 and I have 4 grandkids 2 boys and 2 girls. They have given me much joy and happiness.

We first lived in Burnham on the south side then moved furter south to Lynwood. In 1976, we moved to Skokie then Wilmette in 1984 where I still live today.

My husband was the love of my life and we retired in 1999. He from the phone company and me from 25 years at a clinic in skokie. We kept our house in Wilmette and bought a 5th wheel camper and a new Harley as our old one already had 96,000 miles on it and traveled the country. We wintered in Az for 7 years before cancer took him 4 years ago. I have a boyfriend for 3 years, funny we met him about 25 years ago through a Manor friend. He is also a Harley rider and inherited a big house in Florida last year so now I winter there instead of AZ. Life has been very good to me. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion. For anyone who knew my father, he died in 1985. My mother is still doing well and lives in Skokie. Both my sister and brother live in OR.

Email: ERob75@aol.com

Mickey (Cohen) Arieli

After Bowen, went to SIU for 2 years and transferred to Northwestern and graduated in 1970. Went to Israel,joined army (paratroopers) and have lived here since then. Went back to USA to finish Uof I pharmacy school in 1976-80. I presently head Israel Min of Health Pharmaceutical Crime Unit (counterfeit drugs,steroids and designer drugs etc.) , loving wife, 3 great kids and 7 beautiful grandchildren (8th on way). would be happy to hear from old Bowenites. Email: mickey.a@eliav.health.gov.il

Bob Feldman

I attended Bradley University...Studied for a summer in the Soviet Union...enlisted in the military in 1970... completed my degree at Bradley, as a History Major after service, in 1972. Career-wise, I went to work for the family business for a few years, started my own company with a fellow Bowen alum brokering steel for a few years, then went into the printing business in sales and marketing. Personally...I married an ex-Miss Israel in 1975, had one son, Jason...divorced in 1979. I remarried a wonderful woman, Lois, in 1980. She has 2 children (Chris & Stacy) who I helped to raise ...along with my son from my first marriage. We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on July 4th, 2010. Patriotic, eh? So all told, we have 3 kids and 6 grands.How did we end up in South Carolina? We won a raffle at a charity golf outing in 1985, which afforded us our introduction to Hilton Head Island. We fell in love with the area and bought a 2nd home here in 1986. I slipped on the ice on my driveway in Northbrook in 1994 and vowed it would be my last cold winter...Moved to Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island and became a mortgage broker in 1995...became a partner in the business...and moved to the mainland, just off-island in 2006.

For those who knew my parents...I lost my mom in 2001...and my dad in May of 2009. My sister, Janis (who also graduated from Bowen four years after me) resides in Tucson Arizona. She has a great husband, two terrific kids and a grand-daughter. Want to know more....contact me...It's been a long time, but I'd love to catch up with y'all and find out how you are...Well & happy, I hope. Email: feldman@hargray.com

Jeff Fleishman

After Bowen I graduated from Roosevelt University in Chicago which a Bachelor of Science in Marketing. That led me to a career in retail management and eventually 30 years in sales. For the last three years I have been working for a large retirement community in Lincolnshire. It has been a truly rewarding part of my life. I have been married for 34 years to my beautiful wife, Laurie (a north sider). She is the best wife, mother and now grandmother. We have lived in Buffalo Grove for the last 28 years. We have a daughter, Stacy, who is 28. Our son Matt, is 25. They are great kids. Stacy is married and four months ago gave birth to our first grandchild, Mollie. Matt works in Lake Forest in finance, and is doing great. My interests have always been playing and following sports. For the past 30 years, I have been playing racquetball with Wizard Snitowsky. We are still are playing every Sunday. It keeps us feeling young (and stupid!) My father Bill, passed away ten years ago. My mother, Goldie, who most everyone knew, passed away last year at the age of 93. See you in September, when the summer's through. Email: jfleishman14@gmail.com