Alumni
Where Are They Now ?
Graduates of Falk Laboratory School have gone on to pursue a wide variety of careers . Here are highlights from some of them .
Class of 1946
After graduating from Falk , Mark Rubenstein went on to attend Pittsburgh Allderdice High School and earned both his bachelor ’ s and medical degrees at the University of Pittsburgh . He completed his pediatric internship at the University of California , San Francisco ; his residency at San Francisco General Hospital ( now Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center ); and a pediatric fellowship at the Mayo Clinic . He served three years as a U . S . Navy pediatrician in Yokosuka , Japan , and spent most of his career as a pediatrician at a practice in Concord and Antioch , California . He continues to see patients as a locum tenens physician , filling in for other pediatricians when needed .
Music has played an important part in Rubenstein ’ s life , and he remembers Falk ’ s musical instruction fondly : “ Mrs . Hutchinson was the music teacher ; the curriculum included the concept that it was as important for the students to learn how to read music as it was for them to learn English ,” he writes . “ When I entered public school , I was astonished to learn that my fellow students did not know how to read music , a skill which has held me in excellent stead all these many years playing violin , viola , piano , harpsichord ( of which I have built two ), mandolin , mandola , and singing ( at times professionally ).”
Class of 1969
Victor M . Granquist worked in oil field chemicals in Houston , Texas , and Lafayette , Louisiana , then spent 20 years with a synthetic chemical manufacturer in Beaufort , South Carolina , before finishing his career in 2019 as president of a small specialty chemical company in Jupiter , Florida . He is married with two daughters . Along with doing some consulting work , Granquist writes , “ I ’ m an amateur musician ( guitar ) and an avid kayaker and yoga practitioner and study Hindu philosophy .
“ Attending Falk was one of the best things that happened in my life ,” he adds , “ and I ’ m forever grateful for the opportunity .”
Rachel Richman lives with her longtime partner in Oakland , California , and recently started a position as director of special projects for a new California assemblywoman from the San Francisco Bay Area . She graduated from Chatham University , which recently honored her with its Cornerstone Alumni Award in Public Policy , and has lived in California for many years . She has worked as a chief of staff and special assistant to several progressive and innovative state and local elected officials , with much of her policy work focusing on health , healthy food access , and the social safety net .
“ Falk was a very important experience for me ,” she writes , “ and the mentorship I received from one of my teachers , Dr . Fred Gage , made a real difference .”
Class of 1977
Liz Johnson Barnes graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked as an information technology management consultant for most of her career . Before retirement , she taught high school math to be able to spend time with her three children . Now retired , she and her husband live in Henderson , Nevada .
Class of 1992
After attending college at Cornell University , Katie Dealy joined Teach For America and taught elementary students with severe special needs in Oakland , California , before attending graduate school at Columbia University .
“ Falk was magical for me ,” she writes . “ Learning was fun . The teachers respected the students and had high expectations for us all .”
She has spent her career working to improve education and health opportunities for children from birth through college and currently leads public engagement for U . S . Surgeon General Vivek H . Murthy .
“ I think I have spent my career working to ensure as many kids as possible could access opportunities like I had at Falk ,”
36 EN AVANT | FALL 2023