Mary Theodore

College of Arts & Sciences

Tell us about what you're doing with your life
Hello old friends! After leaving Cornell, I was heartbroken. I even wrote a heart wrenching letter to Dr. Rhodes who wrote me back a note. All these years, I kept in very close touch with friends from the Math department and Tae Kwon Do in NYC & Boston where I went to graduate school for my medical hefted from Albert Einstein and an MPH from Harvard. My research has taken me to the former USSR, Eastern Europe, & the Baltics. My work in refugee camps has taken me to Nepal, Thailand, & Vietnam. My current abode is in Portland, Oregon where I have a private practice in psychiatry. Thankfully, I love what I do. Also, I love my family which consists of my husband and two children. Cannot wait to see close friends at the reunion.

What was your favorite class at Cornell, or the one you found most useful?
Despite being a math major, my favorite Cornell class was a philosophy class on Classic Greek thinkers. I got so much out of the class. The professor was a woman who I adored. She was a rigorous thinker and a tough grader. I still remember things I learned from that class about living a good life. Aristotle was my favorite.

Which Cornell classmates do you keep in touch with?
Well my best friend is Dr. Eugene Sorets, a fellow mathematics major. I lost touch with Dr. Irwin Jungreis, May Chin, and Dr. Peter Everett who were in the class of 1983. I would love to hear from them again.

How has your time at Cornell influenced you since you graduated?
My years at Cornell were the most formative years of my life. I found my Shangri-La. It was the perfect mountain setting to nestle away and deeply learn about ideas & mathematics and ponder questions about how life fits together. I made the best friendships of my life with people I consider family. Their positive competition was instrumental in my pursuing my dreams to work and travel to disaster areas in developing countries. We spurred each other to great adventures like SCUBA DIVING, airplane piloting, marathon running, and expertise in se Kwon Do. Everything I am today I owe to my friends.

If you could change anything about your Cornell experience, what would it be?
I wish college were longer. I could have used more years there.