CLASS OF 1970 | 2024 | SUMMER ISSUE

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Aloha, everyone.

Bob Apter wrote, “I’m continuing to enjoy life in Sedona, hiking and exploring new avenues of thinking about the universe!

“I’m still doing telemedicine for COVID with myfreedoctor.com but at a much-reduced level of activity, partly due the expiration of the COVID emergency, which previously allowed me to prescribe in all 50 states, partly due to COVID being less severe and less on people’s minds.

“I just did a presentation on COVID to an Arizona Senate committee at an intergovernmental conference. It was a four-and-one-half hour hearing, of which my presentation was about 30 minutes.

“As always, if anyone is visiting Sedona, please look me up and I should be able to show you around.”

George Nash is experiencing the effects of our extended years on the planet. I’m sure several of you can relate. “Old age is a bitch! Been plagued by back problems requiring surgery the past year. But otherwise just keeping on. Retired from active diversified small farming. Now just keeping enough animals around to amuse our Airbnb guests. Retiring also from full-time participation in the Christmas tree business after 49 years. Our youngest daughter is now doing a great job of managing it and cultivating several of our grandchildren for the next generation. Family keeps expanding. Nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. We’re expecting a few more in the next few years. Our family dinners are positively Brueghelian.”

Bi-stater Rob Baker wrote, “Sandra and I travel between Park City and Princeville [Kauai]. Our charitable work focuses on Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vermont, The Namahana School in Kilauea, the Kauai Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, and Reef Guardians on Kauai. I hope to continue surfing, skiing, and riding my bikes for as long as possible.” (More power to you and thanks for supporting good island causes.)

Tony Balis is inspiring in continuing to work to improve the planet. He wrote, “The Humanity Initiative (www.humanity.org) is now entirely re-imagined. We are emphasizing the three primary challenges that confront humanity: ending war, solving climate change, and saving democracy. 

“Also, we’ve added a new feature that allows people to customize donations to the top 35 NGOs across the continents. I’ve been working on THI for 37 years now. Finally feels that we are achieving substantial traction. Please take a look!

“Regards to all, Tony”

Connecticut resident Gordon Fain sent a memory-filled note: “In a quiet and persistent way, Seth Kaufman built our class into a real scholarship-fund powerhouse for over 25 years as class agent for ’70. Wesleyan wisely awarded him recognition. Seth was among many ’70 men who went to law school and he successfully did legal work in NYC.   

“Sad to see loss of class secretary  Lloyd Buzzell ’68, my crew ‘mate.’ Lloyd captained the Wes team that had a great Dad Vail Regatta showing in Philadelphia under Coach Calhoun (who is quoted about Lloyd in our magazine that just arrived). Among other crew members was Bob Carter, the junior varsity ‘stroke,’ Peter Etkin, JV coxswain, and more. Dr. Nason Hamlin ’68 and other seniors helped us with the spring crew camp at a Connecticut lake, Fred Coleman ’69, and others. Still today, both Trinity and Wes put fine eight-person crew teams on the Connecticut River.   

“Hoping you and Dr. Neil Clendeninn ’71 can do an article on what Wesleyan tourists can best see and how to stay in the Hawaiian Islands. As I avoid plane rides beyond six hours without  breaks, I’m unlikely to see ya in Hawaii, but think many readers of all classes would enjoy suggestions. For example, how get through high prices? [Tip: Do a stopover somewhere on the West Coast. Only five-and-a-half or six hours from there. Re prices: budget and enjoy savings on winter clothes.]

Colin Kitchens posts frequently on Facebook, often about animals in need of our support, politics, and film-related subjects. He wrote, “Life is quiet and full of dogs. I am trying to figure out how to be useful before they discover that discover that I’m not. Hearing issues have resulted in a cochlear implant, which limits being an air controller. I have been writing, along with all of the rest of you. I hope the rest of you are enjoying your families and psychotropic Rx.”  [His favorite song is one of Jimmy Buffett’s last, My Gummy Just Kicked In. No, I just made that up. The favorite part; the song is real.]

One of our European residents, Ross Mullins in Geneva, sent some photos with Wesleyan friends.

Brothers-in-law Steve Talbot and Dave Davis both wrote about a project they are doing. Steve described it as“a great opportunity for two old friends, Wesleyan classmates, and documentary filmmakers like us to work together. It’s also a chance for Dave and me to return to the city where we were born and raised and went to high school together.”

Here are the details:  “Public TV in LA gave us an R&D grant to get started, allowing us to research the story and go through 30 boxes of photos, private letters, and newspaper articles about Clifford Clinton that are stored in the UCLA archives. It’s a real ‘Chinatown’ story—crime and politics! Now we are out hustling for production money. Stay tuned.

“While we were in LA, we were able to catch up with Wesleyan (and high school) classmate Guy Prevost, who is still chasing the Hollywood dreams, and remains as sharp and funny as ever.  

“P.S.: March 28 will mark the one-year anniversary of the debut of my documentary The Movement and the ‘Madman’ on the PBS series American Experience. Anyone interested can catch it on PBS Passport, Amazon Prime, or Kanopy, the library streaming service.”

Dave’s email included a lot of details about their project: “Steve Talbot and I are in early stages of developing a television documentary based on the life of my grandfather, Clifford Clinton, who led a campaign against a corrupt mayor and police chief in LA in the 1930s. It’s a classic film noir tale, but all true.        

“Here is a synopsis of the story: Arriving in Depression-era Los Angeles, a young entrepreneur, Clifford Clinton, opens two innovative, imaginative cafeterias he calls Clifton’s. They become very successful, welcome Black patrons during a time of de facto segregation, and provide free meals for the hungry and desperate. Asked to investigate fraud and spoiled food at the county hospital, Clinton uncovers a vast network of citywide corruption run by the mayor and a violent police lieutenant. Clinton and his allies become targets of newspaper smears, threats, and bombings, culminating in a sensational police trial and an unprecedented citizen’s movement that ousts the mayor.”

Dave added, “I am now semi-retired from my job at Oregon Public Broadcasting, after 28 years.”

Peter Traneus Anderson sent this: “Hello to the classmates I never knew. I entered Wesleyan as a junior transfer student, so missed freshman orientation, and buried myself in the physics department as a closeted-electronics engineer in Bud Bertman’s low-temperature research group. I retired out of a plant closing in 2010. Thanks again for Wesleyan 70 Fiftieth Reunion book from 2020.  [Come to our reunion next May and meet the gang.]

Among the more healthy members of our class is Mark Geannette.  Mark wrote, “My wife and I just returned from a ski trip in the Dolomite Alps of northeast Italy. Happy these legs can still do that! In May we head back to our apartment in Alghero, Sardinia, for two months. Best regards, Mark”   [Thanks for the chance to live vicariously!]

Sweden resident Russ Bradshaw summarized life briefly, “I retired after 30 years teaching—associate professor Lehman College CUNY. Now live in Stockholm Sweden, with my wife (of 50 years), Gunilla. Presentation on social ‘influence processes’ at the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA) in Barcelona in July: You’ll See It—When You Believe It: The Role of Belief in Cult Recruitment.” [Pretty timely, eh?]

Over on Oahu, Elbridge Smith continues practicing law. He shared some news from many years ago [better late than never!]:  “I gave myself an early law school graduation present taking myself and my (then) wife to New Zealand for Christmas holidays in 1976–77.” 

I’m reporting from Kalihiwai Valley, where we recently had three feet of water in the valley, enough to destroy a couple of vehicles we had parked by the (elevated) house. Replacing them with similar vehicle, which will be nearly the same models and years [an ’03 Jeep Wrangler and an ’06 Toyota Tacoma], but in (apparently) better condition. Appreciating a good insurance company. Meanwhile, getting through year 13 of teaching middle schoolers (think of herding cats and instructing chickens) while planning our June trip to New Zealand, including trying to learn more about photography with a mirrorless camera, and getting ready to sell our dream house so we can actually consider retirement.

Plan now for our reunion next spring, everyone. Let’s make it bigger than our delayed 50th. 

Just heard that David Redden died recently.  Please see the obituary here.  

RUSS JOSEPHSON | russ_josephson@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 1151, Kilauea, HI 96754