Delighted to share with you the wonderful replies I received from classmates. Really does make the life of a class secretary pleasant!
First, our former Class President Jake Congleton updated us on what it means to be an almost bionic man: “Two knees, one hip, and two shoulders” so far. In case you’ve wondered, “the other hip is doing fine.” Jake divides his time equally between Bradenton, Fla., and Maine. He noted his eldest grandson is a lacrosse coach at Wesleyan. Jake continues to follow Wesleyan football, either by streaming or when the team is in Maine. He extends a “best to all.”
Memories were brought back with John Sheaff’s note that he and wife Lois were married in the summer of 1954 and might be the longest married couple in our class. Their first child, Cheryl, was born in Middletown in 1956 and a visit to celebrate Cheryl’s 60th birthday in Vero Beach, Fla. (if I remember correctly, John), is planned in March. The Sheaffs are still able to keep up and participate in social and family activities, although (as he says)at “a slightly slower pace.”
Loved the opening words from Ric Fisher’s update: “Hey there, Braver! How’s the little red MG?” Ric related he and his wife, Ulla, are doing well in “old communist/socialist (not) Sweden,” where they enjoy terrific healthcare. He’s mainly retired at this juncture but does spend time proofing, editing, and recording. Two dogs (one, formerly homeless, undernourished, and abused) keeps Ric active, as he spends at least three hours every day walking the dogs between five and eight miles, weather permitting. He has stopped playing seven hours of weekly tennis after undergoing two knee surgeries and not wanting to risk missing his walks with the dogs and hikes with Ulla. Philosophically, Ric wrote that “the USA I left has pretty much disappeared, and Trump is appealing to folks I can’t relate to” and has no plans of visiting stateside although he has children in Maine, New Hampshire, and California. And, not surprisingly, he let us know “I have no gun(s).”
Drew Clemens continues teaching, supervising, and writing to help him “keep his psychoanalytic skills alive,” even though he closed his office in 2011. He and Julie are still in good health and have spent time traveling and cruising on Star Clipper ships. He states that tennis, biking, hiking and Julie’s “butterfly monitoring” remain their forms of exercise. Because of conflicting obligations of organizations on which he serves in executive capacities, Drew wrote he was unable to make it to our Reunion. He suggested that perhaps we should consider a mini-reunion sooner that 2020! Any comments?
Stu Rapp provided updates on three of his former Delta Tau Delta brothers who did, as he says, “a bit of Barbershopping” with him; Bob Pooley, Bob Moore, and Charlie Hume. “Charlie, our star-quality basso, was a Jiber in those days. Bob M. was our baritone. Pooley was our tenor, and I was the tune. We went our various ways, but when I later returned to Connecticut, there was Bob Moore who ran a music store in Danbury. I later lost track of him but got to see Bob Pooley on occasional travels south. I also managed to keep track of Charlie. One ‘almost friend’ from Wes days, Jim Wright, became a ‘real’ friend later, and we and our spouses enjoy annual visits. So the friendships have continued and so has the vocal music for me, along with special tours enjoying the great pipe organs of the UK and Western Europe, camping along with groups of professional organists. The “instrument” (my aging voice and body) is rickety nowadays, but the melody lingers on!”
And speaking of Jim Wright, a social gathering in California attended by Jim and a childhood friend of mine led Jim to send me a note telling me he had met my friend when they learned they had something is common after the name of Wesleyan came up! Jim wrote he especially appreciated the Wesleyan magazine cover story of Hamilton. He also had discovered Ron Chernow’s book, Hamilton, and mentioned that he liked it so much he re-read the whole thing aloud to his wife and this was years before the play!
Needless to say, it wouldn’t be Class Notes without a mention of cycling activities! I did reach the annual 5,000-mile target once again and actually logged 5,788 miles, in spite of rainy and windy conditions during the last few months of 2015. Already have ridden more than 600 miles to date (Feb. 16), as the yearly challenge has begun.
To those of you who have shared comments with us, sincere thanks! And, to those not among the list, this is your chance to join the group!
As always, to you and your loved ones, my best, best wishes for health and happiness in the year ahead are sent your way.
DONALD J. BRAVERMAN | ybikedon@bellsouth.net
27A Stratford Ln. W., Boynton Beach, FL 33436; 561/654-3711
