56 | MARCH 24 • 2022 

Building on the successful 
50th anniversary celebration 
in 2017, the Mumford Class 
of 1967 Reunion Committee 
is putting final touches on 
plans for a 55th anniversary 
reunion. The activities will 
take place from Aug. 4-7, 
2022.
Among the planning com-
mittee members are Elissa 
Kass Kline and Danny Kline, 
Michael Shewach, Doris 
Rubenstein, Sharon Moss 
Lebovic, and Marilyn Warren 
Bowerman. Other committee 
members are Rosalind Young 
Dunlap, Rita Rankin Willis, 
Sylvia White Elliott, Stevetta 
Johnson and Camille Cichy.
The Committee has opened 
the reunion to anyone from 
the classes of 1966-1968. In 
addition, those who started 
their secondary education at 
Mumford, but graduated from 
other high schools are encour-
aged to be part of the festivi-
ties. Anyone who graduated 
from a “feeder school” in 
1963-65 are welcome, even if 
they never attended Mumford. 
Those feeder schools include 
MacDowell, Schulze, Bagley, 

Pasteur, Higgenbotham, Post, 
Hampton, etc.
“We know that many of 
those who graduated from 
other schools were often 
dragged away from Mumford 
kicking and screaming!” jokes 
Doris Rubenstein, who is 
tasked with locating such “lost 
classmates.”
Various indoor and out-
door activities are included 
in the official reunion cal-
endar, including tickets to a 
Detroit Tigers baseball game 
and a dinner dance on an 
excursion boat on the Detroit 
River. Smaller groups from 
the various feeder schools are 
welcome to create their own 
events in between official 
activities.
Readers who know of other 
members of the Class of ’67 
are encouraged to contact 
them and share registration 
information. Most registra-
tion materials will be sent via 
email. Mumford ’67 grads 
wishing to receive registration 
forms should contact Doris 
Rubenstein at theonlydoris@
hotmail.com 

Join Oakland University’s 
Center for Civic Engagement 
and Cis Maisel Center 
for Judaic Studies and 
Community Engagement for 
a conversation with two for-
mer U.S. Ambassadors about 
prospects for peace in the 
Middle East. 
 “The Abraham Accords: 
Will They Bring Peace to the 
Middle East?” will take place 
from 7-8 p.m. on Tuesday, 
March 29, in Ballrooms A & 
B inside the Oakland Center. 
 “The complex politics 
of the Middle East, espe-
cially those with Israel and 
its neighbors, are import-
ant to understand,” said 
Michael Pytlik, director of 
Jewish Studies at Oakland 
University. “We are fortunate 
to have two former ambassa-
dors in our community who 
will help us understand the 
Abraham Accords.”
The Abraham Accords are 
a series of treaties normal-
izing diplomatic relations 
between Israel, the United 
Arab Emirates, Bahrain, 
Sudan and Morocco, facilitat-
ed by the U.S. Administration 
between August and 
December 2020. In the span 
of five short months, these 

four Arab states joined Egypt 
and Jordan in making peace 
with Israel.
“The Accords have pro-
duced peace between Israel 
and some Gulf states, and 
this process has extended to 
improved relations and ties 
between Morocco and Sudan 
with Israel,” Pytlik said. “In 
areas of politics and econom-
ics and trade, the Accords 
have provided a roadmap 
toward further implementa-
tion.”
David T. Fischer, former 
U.S. Ambassador to the 
Kingdom of Morocco, and 
John Rakolta Jr., former U.S. 
Ambassador to the United 
Arab Emirates, will visit 
Oakland University to discuss 
how the agreements came 
about, what they have meant 
for the peace process and 
what the future may hold in 
the region.
The discussion will be 
moderated by Carol Cain 
from WWJ-TV and the 
Detroit Free Press. In addi-
tion, all attendees will have 
an opportunity to submit a 
question for the ambassadors.
The event is free, but regis-
tration is required at https://
tinyurl.com/4c9yur4k. 

Mumford 1967 Class Plans Reunion

Former U.S. Ambassadors to Visit OU 
to Talk About the Abraham Accords
Danny Bagdade, Doris Rubenstein, and Elissa Kass Kline were all 
smiles at the 2017 reunion for the Mumford Class of 1967.

David T. Fischer, former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of 
Morocco, and John Rakolta Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to the 
United Arab Emirates, will visit OU on March 29 to discuss the 
Abraham Accords.

SPOTLIGHT

