Jim Rucinski
155 East 55th Street, Apartment 12C / New York, New York 10022
Spouse: Nancy Brenner
Children: Jamie
Education: MSU Microbiology, BS 1975 (including one year as a philosopher) /
UM Medical School, MD 1979
Bio:
Adolescence is a generally uncomfortable period, but we all made a comfortable place for each other. We lived and worked together as a group that was supportive and created a stable experience from which to develop. I do not remember an in-group or an out-group in our class. I do remember that successful participation in activities, classes, and sports was valued. I do remember that it felt comfortable to be together. Seaholm set us up to be successful. The scholastic part of school became a lot more fun for me as an undergraduate. I learned to think, solve problems, communicate and build relationships. Although I graduated with a specific degree in science, I had a broad range of academic experiences that gave me a greater love for the more complex aspects of society. I had a chance to be a little wild but also to understand the value of self-regulation. I learned to build on the interests that I developed in high school and to make interest development into a kind of personal identity. I lived in Chicago for eight years, moving there to be a resident at Cook County Hospital. I met my wife Nancy there when she was VP for Marketing at the Art Institute of Chicago. Nancy grew up in Scarsdale, New York and she is a graduate of Wellesley College and the Harvard Business School. Professionally Nancy has been very successful in a variety of marketing, market research and investment banking ventures. Our son Jamie took advantage of growing up in New York by going to LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts. (The school that “Fame” was based on.) A graduate of Franklin and Marshall College, Jamie is very active as a First Lieutenant in the National Guard as well as pursuing a graduate degree in Public Administration at Baruch College of the City University of New York. I moved to New York as part of a career switch from Emergency Medicine to General Surgery continuing to be a part of New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital for 29 years (and counting). A surgeon in clinical practice, my focus is as the Program Director for the residency in surgery. I have lived in New York for 35 years, longer than any other place. We live in Midtown Manhattan, in many ways more like a small town than most small towns. So, what are those interests that make up my personal identity? 1) Relationships. 2) The opportunities provided by a complex urban environment. Humanity, art, music, architecture, food (ethnic, haute cuisine, basse cuisine, own cuisine), complex transportation problems/solutions. 3) Outdoor adventures. 4) Travel for work and for fun. 5) Sports and games. 6) Professional life with challenges and rewards. I will tell you more about everything when I see you. It is great to be from Birmingham. I am really looking forward to being back with the group.
My photos:
Mirror Selfie on an Average Day / In the Western Desert / Nancy in NYC / Jamie in Uniform / A Comfortable Office