CLASS OF 1955 | 2017 | ISSUE 3

Jim Wright, writing from his Maine location, described an exciting happening occurring in September. From May through October, Jim is an interpreter at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine, where he presides over a permanent exhibit house once occupied by Captain Jeremiah Merithew, sometime schooner captain, later ship builder and banker. He wrote that one day he stepped out on the porch to greet a group of visitors from the National Trust for Historic Preservation who came to the museum from a cruise ship docked in nearby Belfast, where he spotted a name tag with a memory to it—Janet Heston—and “looked to her right.” There was his classmate and fraternity brother, Phil Heston! Jim is planning on another visit when he heads to Bethel, Conn., with Stu Rapp. Nice story, Jim, and thanks for sharing!

I very much appreciated the kind words Kip Snow sent, saying that “I do read the class notes Don writes so faithfully. It would be wonderful if more of us would respond to him. The older I get, the more nostalgic I get. We should all remember: It’s better to be seen than viewed or perhaps remembered than forgotten.” Kip, I’d be more than willing to make you my advocate! And to all, hopefully Kip’s words will encourage you to send a word or two this way.

Here’s an e-mail that I received from Jim Rudin that I’ll quote verbatim. “Although it has been more than 60 years, I remember you quite well. You, perhaps, do not remember me since I transferred to George Washington University in 1952. I later became a rabbi, served as a United States Air Force chaplain in Japan and Korea, then a couple of congregations in the Midwest, and ultimately, spent 32 years as the American Jewish Committee’s interreligious affairs director, retiring in 2000. Currently, my wife and I live in Ft. Myers, Fla. I did attend the 1985 Reunion. While at Wesleyan I was a member of Beta Theta Pi, but all of this stuff can be found on my website, jamesrudin.com. Finally, I, too, am a cyclist, though not like yourself and your outstanding mileages. Sorry to ramble on. I look forward to hearing from you.”

Marianne and I were thankful to have escaped any damage from Hurricane Irma, which did cause a lot of concern in these parts. There’s still much vegetation to be cleared from the roadways and communities, namely downed trees and broken limbs. One of my favorite bike routes heading north on A1A into Palm Beach still has bike lanes and shoulders littered with the vegetation. Nevertheless, I continue to add to the mileage in spite of pronounced heat and humidity (daily heat index has been over 100 degrees for a few months), and while frequent rain has curtailed the miles, I still have a shot at the annual 5k target. I’ve logged 3,450 miles to date (Sept. 29) and am hopeful I won’t have to do a few double centuries in December to reach the goal.

As always, let me wish you and your loved ones good health and happiness in the days ahead.

DONALD J. BRAVERMAN | ybikedon@bellsouth.net
14790 Bonaire Blvd., Apt. 102., Delray Beach, FL 33446