Tag: 1958

Nelson Edwards emailed to remind me that not much was new, but he was planning on our 60th Reunion in late May.

Bill Caspary is still teaching at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. He has been teaching for more than 50 years! He and Rima will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this year.

Patti and Dick Goldman are very glad to be in Key Biscayne, Fla., away from the Boston weather. Dick is relaxing now, but in Boston he teaches law and started a group for Wes graduates who are lawyers. Dick is the Boston representative for the national Wesleyan Lawyers Association.

Although he has been retired for 16 years, Bill Fryer works part-time as an interim pastor. He and Joanna love to travel and visit children and grandchildren. He is looking forward to our 60th.

A sad note from Alice Higgins: Bill passed away July 31, 2017. I remember him fondly.

Bart Bolton’s grandchildren take center stage in his email. The oldest grandson is now working full-time in the IT field and the oldest granddaughter was married last fall. He and Ed Kershner will be on Longboat Key in February and plan to meet with Charlie Denny and me for our annual luncheon.

Toni and John Corkran celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in January. John wishes to thank the class for their generous response for the 60th Reunion gift.

Art Geltzer and Mel Cote plan to attend the 60th despite the death of Mel’s wife, Polly. She was a fine painter and active in the art scene until a few months ago.

Frank Vietze writes of his favorite Christmas present: His three children and four grandchildren from Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Southern California, and Frank and Barbara from Michigan, gather in Kentucky to spend six days together. All of his grandchildren play soccer.

Don Hill is still in San Mateo, Calif., enjoying 89 percent retired life. He will coordinate an economics institute for teachers and professors at Stanford this summer for the 31st consecutive year. He plays tennis three or four times a week. Highlight of 2018: watching a grandson at Stanford play water polo against another grandson in Cambridge.

Despite record-cold weather, Neil Springborn and family are doing very well. They enjoy golf and serving on boards and commissions. A daughter, Allyson, is an accomplished barrel racer, son Jeff is with the National Weather Service and was transferred to Houston, Texas. One granddaughter is playing Division II soccer and another is in Hong Kong.

A long note from Tom Burns gives a brief overview of his life. After Wesleyan and the Army, he enrolled at Cal Berkeley where he met wife Janice. After Cal he had a wide variety of work in computers and systems in four locations for four companies. They have three children scattered along the East Coast from Massachusetts to Florida. He now enjoys local community activities in Minnesota. Most every year he and Janice enjoy an overseas trip and a few summer weeks on the Maine Coast.

Fred Houck, recovering after spinal surgery in November, will travel to Florida and walk every day. He is hoping to be of assistance to the Reunion committee.

A very upbeat note from Bill Barnes. He and Pat celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last summer at New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington and Vermont’s Mt. Mansfield in Stowe. He recalls their days as a married couple in Wesleyan’s Veterans’ Village. Also, there were the Krenzs and the Mansfields. His retirement is active and fulfilling. He is in his 30th year as a violist in the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra and subs at area churches.

Neil Henry plans to return for the 60th. He is proud of his three grandsons who are playing basketball for the first time.

Kay and I are doing well, no serious health issues yet. And we definitely are planning on May 25-27 for our 60th Reunion. Hey, gang, let us do it!

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged Foot Court | Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

Since I live in Naples, Fla., I did have a couple of e-mails as to our status during and after Irma. Briefly, we evacuated to Mobile, Ala., and returned September 24 to minimal damage.

In late May, Kay and I flew to The Hague to celebrate my granddaughter’s high school graduation. Four days later Kay, daughter Kara, and I flew to Toulouse in southern France. We rented a car and drove to Lectoure where Burr Edwards is in semi-retirement. After four glorious days and some great French wine, we flew back to Amsterdam. Burr and Pirkko were very hospitable, and Burr is still available for consulting work in Africa.

Bart Bolton inquired about our safety and told me that Charley Denny had left Naples for safety in Charlotte, N.C. Bart hopes that Florida will recover enough for our annual luncheon in Punta Gorda.

Tana and Roger Paget have moved from La Jolla, Calif., to Salt Lake City, Utah.  They are living in a three-generation household, with youngest son and family.

A nice note from Bill Krenz asks about our survival and mentions that he and Rosemary just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. He recalls their first home in Veterans Village where the rent was $28 per month.

Bob Furber is anticipating our 60th Reunion and relates his “adventure” viewing the eclipse in Wyoming. The tour started in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Toni and John Corkran just returned from a 2,400-mile trip to the West Coast.  They attended the wedding of a cousin in Leavenworth, Wash. They camped in their travel trailer and found their camping skills still in good order.

A note from Dick Goldman covers a few topics. He is making progress on his quest to unite Wesleyan lawyers in the Boston area. He now has contacted 18. We also talk golf and our continual search to regain lost distance. He will visit a son in Vermont this fall.

John Arnold e-mailed about the death of Beau Freeman. John obtained a brief statement from Beau’s wife, Peggy. “Beau was a gentleman the likes of which they don’t really make anymore.” Beau had 59 years in the family auction business.

A long note from Art Geltzer described the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, September 21-24. This festival seems to be really novel since it moves from room to room. Art is gathering votes for aesthete of the class of 1958.

Nothing more except a reminder that our 60th looms next May.

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged Foot Court | Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

I guess we are quite content in our golden years. We have fewer responses to my Lyris plea. Is that good news?

Dick Goldman had much to report. He and Patty had just returned from Florida, and the Massachusetts weather in early April was not conducive to golf or tennis. He congratulates me on my election to the Wes Baseball Wall of Fame. He received a long e-mail from John Watson. John hopes to make our 60th Reunion in 2018. Dick is on a quest, and I believe a valid one, to establish a group of Wes grads who are lawyers in Boston who will meet and look for opportunities to refer business to each other. Any in the class who are lawyers in Boston or know interested people, contact Dick.

Dick Tompkins’ note says he and Betsy are healthy and happy. They spend eight months in Florida and four in Minnesota. He sees Carl Van Etten and his wife frequently. He reports that they are doing well.

Art Geltzer objects to being called an “old timer,” but is doing well and has opened his Cape Cod home for the summer. He has been in touch with Ted Wieseman and Polly and Mel Cote.

I will quote Roger Paget: “In my role as senior adviser for the Davis UWC Scholars Program, I do site visits at campuses all over the country—and recently enjoyed a wonderful interlude at Wesleyan. To chat with students, faculty, and administrators is to gain vivid appreciation of 60 years of continuing progress. The energy is palpable, contagious. And Michael Roth ’78 is a treasure.

Bill Dieterich e-mails that after his retirement from the U.S. Foreign Service almost 20 years ago, he and his wife, Keiko, live in Arlington, Va., and spend summers at Lakeside Chautauqua in Lakeside, Ohio.

My former roommate, Dan Woodhead, and I have been conferring about two quests which we will pursue, details of which may be public before the next issue.

Neil Henry has had prostate surgery recently, but is okay otherwise. He anticipates a few visits to Chesapeake Bay this summer.

Kay and Bob Terkhorn will travel to Europe mid-June. They will travel to Prague, then a riverboat trip from Nuremburg on the Rhine and Moselle rivers to Luxembourg, then on to Paris for a few days. They will travel despite a fractured ankle that Kay suffered in March.

Kay and I leave shortly for The Hague where our daughter resides. My granddaughter, Margaux, is graduating from high school and will attend college in London at University College London. Kay and I will fly to Toulouse, France, and hook up with Nelson Edwards. He and wife Pirkko live in Lectoure in southern France. I will report firsthand on Burr next issue.

Hope all is well, looking forward to our 60th,

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged Foot Court | Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

I received 16 responses to my latest pleas for items of interest. David Hild wrote of a visit to Colorado. His oldest grandson was married in Vail. He and Alyce are well, but his travel is limited due to a bad hip.

Mel Cote has purchased a new condo and is staying in Art Geltzer’s house while renovations are completed. Mel spent New Year’s Eve with Dennis Allee who is itching to get to his place in Florida.

Heidi and Tom Mosher moved to a cozy condo by the water in La Jolla, Calif. He celebrated the holidays in La Quinta with his happy family of 15.

Roger Turkington reported three achievements: he turned 81, his poetry (400 poems in two volumes) is available from Friesen Press or Amazon, and he was awarded the World Freedom Medal for his work in medical research. He modestly credits Wesleyan for having some impact on his career.

Burr Edwards and his Finnish wife, Pirkko, helped celebrate Finland’s 100th birthday on New Year’s Eve in Helsinki. He witnessed a rare sight: Finns conspicuously enjoying themselves! Possibly because it was the warmest NYE for 50 years.

Ed Kershner joined Bart Bolton for lunch on New Year’s Day at his home in Upton, Mass. Bart, Ed, Charley Denny, and I plan to share a meal some time in April when Bart and Ed travel to Sarasota.

One more retiree, Bill Higgins, has forsaken teaching and practicing psychology. He and his wife have moved to Weaverville, N.C., to be close to their twin grandsons. He is active with guitar lessons and coursework at the Lifetime Learning College for Seniors.

Dan Woodhead would like to gain the assistance of any members of our class who believe that Wesleyan should have a Latin motto. His suggestion is Vincit Qui Patitur (he who endures conquers). Any support or suggestions would be welcome. Respond to Dan or me and I will forward to him.

I will summarize a long note from Ezra Amsterdam. First, his tennis is improving, especially his backhand! He is still very active professionally. He is a distinguished professor of cardiology and internal medicine, an associate chief cardiology and master clinical educator. He has published his ninth book and lectures around the U.S.

Unusual note: Bill Richards has had a fish named for him. Peristedion richardsi was described and named by Dr. Kawai of Hokkaido University of Japan. This species was found at a depth of 400 meters south of Indonesia.

Bob Terkhorn and his wife, Kay, are very active with the Denver Art Museum. He is travel planner for their major support group and will travel to Ohio and Scotland this year. A lot of work, but great fun, he says.

Art Geltzer describes his granddaughter’s dilemma regarding her college choice. She considered Wesleyan, but chose Northeastern because it was urban and she thought she would be more marketable. My granddaughter had similar thoughts.

Dick Goldman and wife Patti are wintering in Key Biscayne, Fla. Dick sold his Massachusetts home and moved to an apartment in Chestnut Hill. He is still practicing law at Sullivan and Worcester in Boston and recently completed his fifth year of teaching law at Boston University.

Toni and John Corkran celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary on Jan. 4. John reports that Bob Furber was a key supporter of the restoration of the Van Vleck telescope and was an honored guest at its rededication. He feels that Bob deserves much credit for persevering despite some health issues. John also mentions that son Tim ’90 finished his first full year as head of Capital Day School in Frankfort, K.Y.

Brenda and Rick Pank will attend a One Day University at Fairfield University. He likens the experience to humanities at Wesleyan circa 1954 sans blue books, papers, and finals. Great topics covering Mozart, da Vinci, Einstein, and creativity. I know I will be on the lookout for this in my area.

Another very interesting experience was reported by Tony Codding. He and a companion left for Athens last October on a trip with the theme, “In the steps of St Paul.” After two days in Athens, they boarded a Greek ship and headed for Thessaloniki in northern Greece. Tony had lived in the area for three months in 1951. His next trip is to the Panama Canal.

Kay and I are still in good health or at least believe we are. Children are at a distance so we must travel occasionally. Getting better at bridge and slipping at golf; party skills remain first class. Thanks for your input.

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged Foot Court | Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

My first respondent was Bill Higgins, who is now fully retired from his career as a psychologist. He moved from Connecticut to Weaverville, N.C., just outside of Asheville.

Dave Hild and his wife, Alyce, just returned from Vail, Colo., where they attended the marriage of their oldest grandson. The last leg of the trip was accomplished by cable car.

Burr Edwards sent a photo and a brief e-mail. The photo was taken on the occasion of his 80th birthday. He and his wife, Pirkko, are now in southern France.

Bill Barnes and his wife, Pat, visited the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home in the Berkshires, and so did Rick Pank and his wife, Brenda. They seem to do so once each summer.

Cape Cod is the main residence of Dennis Allee, who is a jazz DJ and a raku potter. He has a bungalow outside St. Petersburg for the winter months. He sees Mel Cote and his wife, Polly, frequently, as they also live on the Outer Cape.

Oklahoma resident Neil Springborn still manages at least three rounds of golf each week and won some money off the Saturday “flat-bellied long-knockers.” He and his wife, Mel, visited their son, Jeff, in Houston where Jeff is the senior forecaster at the National Weather Service Station there. Neil is still involved with boards and commissions for the city of Lawton. Mel is president of the local ostomy support group in Comanche County.

Milt Douglass labors extensively on his 1901 farmhouse in Louisburg, N.C. He and wife Patsy have refurbished it from top to bottom using salvaged materials. He removed all sheetrock and replaced it with real plaster. It is now the way it was in 1901.

I keep in touch with Dick Goldman, who is interested in forming a Wesleyan lawyers group in Boston. He believes that Wes alumni and friends could benefit from the counseling and networking this group would provide.

And at our age, a brief note from Bart Bolton that there is nothing to report is good news! No health issues or any other old age maladies.

Lastly, I report that Kay and I keep cheating Father Time by working hard with a personal trainer, at least twice a week. Guys, I cannot recommend this strongly enough. Keep up the info.

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged Foot Court | Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

An optimistic note from Dick Seabury. All is well and he feels more like 70 than 80. He has four employed children and is expecting a ninth grandchild. He is about to serve a tenth term on the Morris County Park Commission. And he urges the class to make the Reunion in 2018.

Pirkko and Burr Edwards are now based mainly at their home in Lectore, France, after nearly 40 years in Africa. Burr still does some consulting, and an assignment in Côte d’Ivoire is happening right now.

Dick Goldman is still active. Next fall, he will be teaching at Boston University Law School for his fifth year. He still enjoys tennis and golf. He and Patti spend some of the winter in Florida.

Mel Cote survived the winter along with the Provincetown gang. Dennis Allee was in Florida for part of the winter.

Art Geltzer recently opened his house on the Cape and dined with the Cotes. Art is still on the faculty of Brown Medical School.

David Epstein just celebrated his 61st anniversary of meeting his wife. David and cousin Charles Wrubel ’59 just donated a complete 100-plus popular sheet music collection of Allie Wrubel ’26 to the archives of the Film Department.

Dan Woodhead reports from San Francisco. He has a grandson—over 6’5” tall and still growing—who will enter Stanford as a freshman. Dan’s other comments concern the Cubs, positively, and the election, with some concern.

Bill Richards has the best of both worlds: winter in Miami and summer in Pennsylvania. He stops in to see a son in Chattanooga when driving back to Pennsylvania from Florida.

And Roger Turkington has become one of the most published American poets. His most recent publication, Poetry of Passion now exceeds in number the poems of all other American poets except Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. Wow!

Kay and I are well. We still cheat by working out with a personal trainer. I had lunch early in April with Charley Denny, Bart Bolton and Ed Kershner. Hope to do it each year. Keep the memos flowing.

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged Foot Court
Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

Art Geltzer’s research with new imaging equipment has looked at macular and retinal changes as an early marker for Alzheimer disease. He will travel to Naples, Italy, and Capri for vacation.

Kay and Bob Terkhorn are doing fine. They sold their Arizona house and will winter in Denver. Bob is amazed that it is 20 years since his retirement from Citicorp.

I received a long message from Randy Johnson, detailing 10 of the most colossal blunders of all time. Space will permit only the first. “When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up attempt, would-be robber John Elliott did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.”

Two e-mails from Dan Woodhead. The first is a bit of trivia regarding the architect Henry Bacon. He designed the Lincoln Memorial and Wesleyan’s 1913 master plan, which included Olin Library, Clark Hall, Van Vleck Observatory, and Eclectic House. And Bacon’s collection of books and papers is housed in Wesleyan’s Archives. Dan’s other note covers many bases, from his appraisal of Donald Trump to his admiration for Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey. He is also renewing his “Lefty O’Doul for Cooperstown” campaign. Any classmate who is interested in it and has ideas for promotion should contact Dan. Lastly he is proud of his grandsons, who are 16 and 14 and very promising water polo prospects.

Pirkko and Burr Edwards have re-established themselves in France after 35 years in Africa. They will still return to Africa for her decorating company and his assignments with the World Bank and governments.

Mel Cote reports that he and Allee and Geltzer walk the streets of Provincetown without walkers or canes. His wife, Polly, continues to sell her art. Their lobster traps have gone, but the three Wes men still fish from Art Geltzer’s boat.

Roger Turkington opens his note with the statement, “1958, one of the last great eras at Wesleyan.” He comments that his classmates are among the great, good people he has encountered since the years at Wesleyan. His second volume of 300 poems, Poetry of Passion, is becoming a best seller.

For the first time in 19 years, Toni and John Corkran met with his children and grandchildren to celebrate Thanksgiving at the home of son Tim ’90 in Lexington, Ky. John thanks all who participated in the Wesleyan fund and encourages others to do so.

Neil Springborn sent a long e-mail. Despite a few bouts of gout he is doing well and plays golf three times a week. He is involved with committees and boards and was just elected chairman of the Lawton Board of Review. A son, Jeff, is running the Houston Weather Service Office, and a granddaughter is playing varsity soccer and hopes to play for the US women’s soccer team.

The third of the P-town trio, Dennis Allee, is driving to Gulfport, Fla., for the winter with his partner, Annie.

Dave Schalk writes from his sick bed. He contrasts his current malady with the 39 years of college teaching where he did not call in sick once.

Kay and I are in good health. We cheat and work with personal trainers at least twice a week. Before Christmas we vacationed with our daughter and her family in the Canadian Rockies. Brutally cold, especially for a Florida guy, but a true winter wonderland. Still search for that elusive perfect golf swing and play at least three times per week. And it seems to be true that senior golfers lose five yards per year.

Thanks for the info.

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged Foot Court
Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

Bill Barnes and his wife, Pat, met Rick Pank and his wife, Brenda, at the Music Shed at Tanglewood this summer. This means that Rick has been visiting Tanglewood for 50 years. Bill also had lunch with Bob Mansfield, who was about to embark on a week-long sailing cruise on a three-masted schooner operating out of Rockland, Maine. The passengers had to help with chores like the raising of the sails but, overall, it was a magnificent sail. Bill Barnes also reports that the Reverend Bill Krenz has completed a fascinating retirement project, the writing of a 260-page book that chronicles his 50-plus years as a Lutheran pastor. It is entitled Krenz’s Kairotic Chronicle. As for Bill and Pat Barnes, they happily accept invitations to care for grandchildren, now young teenagers. Bill has stopped skiing but still bikes. He also continues his lifelong musical avocation by playing viola in the Farmington Valley Symphony orchestra.

If you are concerned about Bill Richards, he is “still vertical.”

Ezra Amsterdam is still working full time at UC, Davis, School of Medicine and continues to play tennis.

Ron Nowek and his partner, Lynn Brecht, toured the Italian Riviera this summer. Ron warns about biking on cobblestones. He did so and suffered a painful hip injury.

Bart Bolton is absorbed with plans for next April.  He, Ed Kershner, Charley Denny, and I will meet for lunch or golf, whichever we are fit for.

Burr Edwards and spouse Pirkko are gearing up to leave Africa and resettle in Europe in time for Christmas.

Rather than retire, David Epstein is the founder and director of the new Jewish Museum of the American West. He is also entering his 25th year as managing editor of Western States Jewish History. 

In May 2015, Bill Caspary received the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU.

John Corkran urges classmates to make their contributions to the Wesleyan Fund early. We did not reach the participation levels of past years and it seemed June 30 sneaked up on us. John is recovering from an injury caused by his dog. A son, Tim, was appointed acting head of the Capitol Day School in Frankfort, Ky.

A philosophical note from Randy Johnson laments the present and suggest that ours was the last class that believed in our parents’ value.

Bob Schoetz has recently encountered serious back/spine problems. He is somewhat better, but is negotiating a retirement settlement with Morgan Stanley. A report from the P-town gang: Art Geltzer remains involved with ophthalmology at Brown Medical School. He and Younghee will travel to Naples and Capri in October to study ancient Roman architecture. Mel Cote and his wife, Polly, rented a dune shack on the outer beach for a week to inspire their art careers. Polly admitted they were having difficulty with the rustic life and may not do it next summer. Art dined with Dennis Allee and his new companion, Anne. Dennis is doing pottery that is selling well in Provincetown and his winter home, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Kay and I flew to New England in late August to welcome our daughter and granddaughter as they completed their bike trip from Vancouver to Portland, Maine. On Sept. 26, we joined Paul “Shag” McAlaine and his wife, Sandy, at Yale Field for the 150th year of a Wesleyan-Yale baseball game. I decided this opportunity was better than waiting for the 200th year of competition. Paul thought we were the oldest former players, but there was an 88-year-old.

Thanks for the e-mails.

Cliff hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com

Apt. 103, 4645 Winged foot court

Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821