Class of 1959 James Madison Alumni Profile

To Submit A Profile (Click Here)

First Name:

Last Name (Maiden Name):

Married Name (Optional):

Email (required):

Phone (optional):

Current City (optional):

Occupation/Career:

Interests:

Brief Bio:

Madison Log Photo (suggested):

Photo Today (individual or group/family):

Caption for this photo:

Additional Photo:

Caption for this photo:

Optional Additional Photo 1:

Caption for this photo:

Optional Additional Photo 2:

Caption for this photo:

Optional Additional Photo 3:

Caption for this photo:

Our Bios

Aaron, Ronnie

Bunin, Barry

Gitlin, Richard

Madison Logo Photo Madison Log Photo

Email: richgitlin@gmail.com

Current City: La Jolla, CA

Occupation: Electrical engineer, inventor, research executive, entrepreneur, and academic

Interests: Technology, politics, exercise, classical music, Israel, Knicks,...

After leaving Madison, I went on to study electrical engineering at City College and then did grad work at Columbia (finishing in 1969 with a doctorate). In 1967 I married the love of my life Barbara (nee Weissman ---Sheepshead 1962) and we have two children Rachel (Josh) and David and two grandchildren (Gabriella and Isaac).

As we gather for this momentous 65th reunion, our hearts brim with gratitude for the tapestry of blessings – big and small – that have painted our lives with joy, love, and enduring friendships. Someone once told me, that the advantage of being 80 years old is that one has so many people to love --- each one a reminder to hold onto the joy and appreciate the journey.

My highest priority has always been my family. Barbara and I have been fortunate to share our journey for all these decades, which has included one of our favorite activities, travel (Israel more than 20 times) and we look forward to continued adventures in our “golden” years.

After Columbia, I was very fortunate to be at Bell Labs in its golden era for 32 years. My R&D work at Bell Labs resulted in many innovative products, most notably the co-invention of DSL (digital subscriber line) that enabled megabit per second communication on ordinary telephone lines, which revolutionized communications, and high-impact pioneering work on smart antennas (“MIMO”) that has revolutionized wireless communications. This work led to 75 patents, numerous publications, many awards, and a graduate level text.

After I retired in 2001 as a Senior VP at Bell Labs, I was an EE prof at Columbia, and later joined some friends as CTO (Chief Technical Officer) in a Silicon Valley telecom start-up company. In 2007 I joined the engineering faculty at USF (Tampa, FL) as a Distinguished University Professor and started a medical device company in robotic surgery and invented a novel electrocardiogram capable of predicting arrhythmia and other abnormalities. We lived on the Jersey shore and Manhattan during the summer and Florida (Tampa Bay ) in the winter.

I retired from USF in 2019, we sold our house in NJ, and moved to within walking distance of our grandchildren [and their parents] in La Jolla, CA. We also have a coop in Manhattan that is our vacation home. I am keeping intellectually active working as an expert witness in patent litigation and still exercise almost every day, enjoy Broadway shows, classical music, and traveling ---and, above all, my family.

In 2005 I was elected to the United States National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and in 2018 I was elected to the Madison Wall of Distinction ---such wonderful honors kick started by the great education at Madison!

If you are interested, there are more details at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_D._Gitlin

Remarks at Madison Wall of Distinction installation, April 29, 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-JfZssgniw

WUSF(PBS) Interview on election to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, April 2017

https://www.wusf.org/university-beat/2017-04-04/usf-dual-innovator-among-2017-fl-inventors-hof-inductees

Interview at USF

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibF706CdrLk

Barbara and Rich 1965

Today

Barbara and Rich today

Glass, William

Greenspan (Placer), Andrea

Hamilton (Sine, then Hawley, now revert to Hamilton), Marcy

Hite, Larry

Email: Larry@hitecapital.com

Current City: New York, NY

Occupation: Hedge fund manager, philanthroper

Larry Hite is one of a handful of traders who are considered living legends on Wall Street.

Growing Up and Madison

Larry attended Madison and graduated in 1959. He suffered from dyslexia, which was not diagnosed at the time, as well as almost no eyesight in one eye. He was left back one year before he entered Madison. These handicaps prevented him from performing to his true academic/IQ potential. A career counselor told his parents that he should go to trade school rather than college. In spite of all this, Larry was funny, witty and a good friend to fellow students. He had heart and was not a quitter.

After Madison, Larry graduated from NYU with a major in TMR, Television/Movies & Radio. He then had a brief stint as a rock music promoter. This was followed by some acting and script writing which took him to Hollywood. At least one script was optioned. But he wasn’t becoming as successful as he wanted. His father’s words reverberated, namely, I want you to provide for your mom and me in our old age. So Larry moved on and was hired as a stock broker on Wall Street in 1968. While there, he developed an innovative trading system and left to form his own company. He set up a commodity futures business initially hiring a computer technician and a lawyer, paying them stock in the budding company while they also maintained their day jobs. And this is where his great success began!

Career

Larry was a fabulously successful hedge fund manager who, along with Ed Seykota, is one of the forefathers of system trading. He is the author of the book, The Rule:How I Beat the Odds in the Markets and in Life—and How You Can Too, which was named a Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and Porchlight Books bestseller.

Larry Hite co-founded Mint Investments in 1981. By 1990, the company had become the largest commodity trading advisor in the world in terms of assets under management ($1 Billion).

Hite's trading and risk management philosophy made him one of a handful of traders who are considered living legends in the trading world. He is a chapter in the book, “Wizards of Wall Street”.

In 1994, Larry retired from his role as hands-on fund manager at Mint. Since that time, he maintained the position of managing director of Hite Capital LLC. In 2000, He chose to focus on his family office activities, which included proprietary trading and the funding of continued research and development in the field of systematic trading. Joined by former members of the original Mint team, he formed Hite Capital Management.

In that same year, Larry became a principal investor and Chairman of the North America region of Metropolitan Venture Partners, a venture capital firm specializing in technology-based firms. He maintains that position to date.

As of 2010, Hite partnered with International Standard Asset Management (ISAM) to create a multi-strategy platform of liquid hedge funds, as well as a fund of managed accounts.

Philanthropy

Larry is very generous with his time and money helping people via the Hite Foundation which he created. He has championed alleviating homelessness in New York, And in his role as Chairman of the Development Committee for the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund, Larry has brought persecuted scholars from a variety of countries to freedom here in America. Larry Hite’s rough road to achievement, his drive and understated sense of humor, coupled with his desire to payback and share good fortune with those in need, has not gone unnoticed.

Personal Life

Larry’s father, George Hite, graduated in Madison’s first class and his mother, Helen, graduated in the second class They met at Madison and George used to walk his future wife home after school. George manufactured draperies and bed covers and Helen was a bookkeeper for a number of years. They lived on Ocean Avenue near Avenue V & were proud lifelong Brooklynites! They were very proud that their only child also attended Madison.

Larry’s first wife, Sybil, was originally from Britain. They had two daughters and Larry is the proud grandpa of 4 grandkids. Unfortunately Sybil passed away much too young. His second wife, Sharon, is a staunch supporter of his career and charitable activities.

Larry Hite

Kalin, Myron

Kane (Marcus), Phyllis

Kravet (Stein), Phyllis

Mirin, Steven

Paster (Pomerance), Fredi

Rolfe, Roger

Email: roger2rolfe@gmail.com

Current City: Gunnison, CO & Lutz< FL

Occupation: Wealth Advisor

Interests: Boating, Hiking, Bicycling, Skiing, Horseback Riding & Philanthropy

Roger Rolfe

E-Mail: roger2rolfe@gmail.com

Career Path: After P.S. 197, I went to JMHS, where I was a member of the Orchestra, Band and Swimming Team. I graduated from Wilkes University with a BS in Business & Finance and received my certification as a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) from the Wharton School of Business with follow up studies at the Booth Business School in Chicago.

Occupation: I worked as a market research analyst at Home Testing Institute, Litton Industries, Rockwell International and Xerox; before quitting the corporate life. In 1972, I moved to Clearwater, FL and trained with Reynolds Securities (RSI), as an account executive. RSI merged with Dean Witter, forming Dean Witter Reynolds, who then merged with Morgan Stanley. While working with Morgan Stanley, my wife, Amy and I, in 2001, bought a horse ranch in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado and I established the first authorized “Office of Convenience” with Morgan Stanley; operating remotely. After 40 years as a Wealth Advisor; I retired in 2001. I was called back into the business, and after 10 years with Wells Fargo Investment Management; I retired again.

Community Involvement: Past President of TOP (Jewish Philanthropic Foundation), present B’nai Butte Congregation Board Member and Treasurer. My current passion is now as an Advisor for Water4Mercy; it brings clean water to villages in Tanzania. I, also am an Advisor to several Israeli NGOs, raising funds for these projects. If you are interested, there are more details at:

water4mercy.org

www.innovation:africa.org

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DBJ18on5uI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzsoB19oxQ8&t=11s

Interests: I have traveled extensively throughout the world, including Antarctica. I summited Mt. Kilimanjaro and several mountains in Nepal. I’ve been an avid boater, bicyclist, hiker, skier, horseback rider and philanthropist.

I currently reside, with my wife in Gunnison, CO and Lutz, FL.

Amy & Roger Rolfe

Riding at Big Cimarron Ranch

MS150 PGA Tour with son, Brian

gitter, richard

Email: rickgitter1@aol.com

Current City: Scottsdale, AZ

Occupation: Retired TV Network Executive

Interests: tennis, Beagles, DIY projects, Auto Enthusiast, reader spies, thrillers, police procedural reader

After Madison, I graduated from NYU's Washington Square College(B.A.'63) and its School of Law(J.D. ‘66)and Passed the NY Bar in October ’66. Early in my career I served variously as Staff Atty., United Artists Music and Records, and ABC, Inc. Dept. of Governmental Regulation and from 1971-1973, Director, Legal and Business Affairs, WNET-TV. In 1973, I returned to ABC in the non-legal position of Director, East Coast, Broadcast Standards & Practices and in 1976 was promoted to Vice President, becoming the youngest Standards VP to ever hold that position. In 1980, after a one year sabbatical, I joined the NBC TV Network as VP, E. Coast, heading a staff of Standards “Editors” who reviewed prior to telecast all east coast produced entertainment programs, commercials, program promotions and public service announcements for compliance with internal policies and applicable governmental regulations. During one 8 year period and as part of my duties, I attended most of the dress rehearsals and air shows for Saturday Night Live(and many of its After Parties). I am particularly proud of my selection to testify before subcommittees of the U.S. House of Reps. for ABC in the 70's and again on behalf of NBC in the 80's. During the 23 years that I worked for NBC, I had its consent to serve from time-to-time as arbitrator for the American Arbitration Assoc., The NYSE and NASD. Since retiring in 2003, I have served on a three person outside advisory panel to a Washington, DC self regulatory non-profit organization. The other members of this panel are a former President of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and a former Director, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection

test, john