CLASS OF 1958 | 2015 | ISSUE 2

In early April, Charley DennyBart BoltonEd Kerschner and I enjoyed a lunch/golf date in Naples. Ed and Bart drove down from Sarasota to Naples, where Charlie and I reside. We gathered for lunch and then nine holes of golf. Mercifully, we did not record the scores, but the company and conversation were first-rate.

Since Randy Johnson left Wesleyan for three years in the army, he feels a part of the class of ’58 and the class of ’61. After Wesleyan he received an MBA from Stanford. He believes he was the first-ever student to use Wesleyan’s first-ever computer. It was the LGP-30, weighed 800 pounds and cost $400 ($40,000 in today’s money).

Burr Edwards reports that he and Bob Hayes tried to connect during Bob’s May visit to southern France. Sadly, they only connected via cyberspace.

Two items from John Corkran. One, his wife, Toni, is having a hip replacement in June, which will curtail summer travel. Two, relative to the 2014–2015 Wesleyan Fund, our class has been very generous this year, although we are always glad for additional contributions.

Roger Turkington has been busy in the intellectual sphere. His first volume of 195 poems has been a best seller on Amazon, and the second volume, Poetry of Passion, is in printing. He explained that since he walks with a cane, he no longer hikes, jogs, or plays tennis.

Some news from Neil Springborn. Golf occupies most of his time along with serving on several community boards. His oldest son has been transferred to Houston to take over as head of the weather bureau there.

Art Geltzer has opened his house on Cape Cod and plans another summer of fishing with Mel Cote and Dennis Allee. In June he and Younghee are going to Rome to follow up his Yale course in ancient Roman architecture. Professionally, he is doing research at Brown in digital telemedicine to improve the ophthalmic data and reduce the cost of providing eye care.

Big news from Roger Van Tassel. On April 17, he married Judith Dufour Love. They were married on their back patio in Mint Hill, N.C.

Tony Codding writes from New Hampshire. Other than taking cruises in January and March to escape the N.H. winter, his main activity has been leading a six-month long-range planning process for St. Andrews-By-the-Sea in Rye, one of New Hampshire’s nine Episcopal summer chapels.

Dick Goldman and his wife, Patti, returned from Florida on March 31. This spring he participated in three seminars for the Boston Bar Association. Two involved commercial real estate leasing and financing. He chaired the third, which dealt with the use of mediation in disputes involving closely held and family businesses. In addition to his practice he is now preparing to teach at Boston University Law School for the fourth fall in a row.

I received a very creative e-mail from Rick Pank. His theme was “baseball.” Like a “favorite mitt” he says he is finally well broken in, tennis and running becoming kayaking, biking and hiking, all keeping him in the game. His “home base” is Rowayton, Conn. (48 years), which was voted the sixth happiest coastal village in the U.S. He “keeps his eye on the ball” doing fine art photography and helping the Rowayton Art Center compete in the art league of Fairfield County. He “rounds the bases” with a mixture of nomadic trips of his own design, mixed with Road Scholar expeditions filling their head in the great Wesleyan tradition. In his “final thoughts on the game,” Rick realizes that it is not necessary to “hit the ball out of the park.” “Small ball can also win games.” That is, those who do not travel can still be happy and fulfilled.

I speak often to Art Levine and Ted Wieseman, who are in the Washington, D.C., area. Arthur and Barbara recently traveled to Antarctica and parts of South America. Art has limited his golf activity due to back issues.

Ted is doing well. He was in an assisted living facility, but recently is living independently.
Bob Furber observes that on June 16, 2016, Van Vleck Observatory will be 100 years old. He recalls having two instructors, professors Stearns and Gasteyer, for one course in which he was the only student. That class took place in Van Vleck.

ELIECER E.F. MENDIA ’58

ELIECER E.F. MENDIA, an automobile executive, died Nov. 12, 2014, at age 77. He was a member of Sigma Nu and received his degree with distinction. After starting his career with Chrysler International in Havana, he eventually owned and managed several businesses in the automotive and hydraulic sectors. Survivors include his wife, Gloria Garcia Mendia, three sons, six grandchildren, and his brother and sister.

CLASS OF 1958 | 2015 | ISSUE 1

Class of ’58, perhaps our class was hibernating for the winter. Not much activity, which can be good or bad. Here goes.

Mel and Polly Cote spent a week in Paris last September and then another 10 days in Alsace to visit Polly’s ancestral region and observe and taste the new wine harvest.

Another Provincetown resident responds: Art Geltzer is winding down his research at Brown Medical School. He and Younghee are going to be in Rome in the spring to study ancient Roman architecture and Renaissance painting.

Roger Turkington is enjoying his retirement from medical practice. He is living in Florida and still performs on the violin with wife Angela. His second book of poetry is in press with Friesen press. He wishes a happy 2015 to all.

Also reporting from Florida is Dick Goldman. He and Patty have been in Key Bicayne since Dec. 16 and will stay until March 31. He makes use of the warm weather to play golf and tennis.

Bart Bolton’s reply mentions a tentative golf date with Ed Kershner, Charlie Denny, and me in Naples in April. If all goes well we will play and socialize this spring.

A note from Gary Iseminger tells of a reunion hosted by Mary and John Arnold in Lakeville, Conn., in June. Sally and Fred Houck were there, as well as Gary and wife Andrea. Gary was in the area to take part in a week-long choral “fantasy camp” run by an organization called the Berkshire Choral Festival. A week of intense preparation culminated in a performance of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius with the Springfield Symphony. Gary is hoping to do it again this summer for a performance of Britten’s War Requiem.

News from Africa. Pirkko and Burr Edwards are still gainfully employed. Pirkko has her decoration business in the booming Nairobi construction scene. Burr is leading a PPP team for a railway in East Africa. They are winding down and perhaps full retirement will happen in 2015.

Don Hill’s note tells of a grandson at Stanford and a granddaughter at the University of Washington. He and Ann travel frequently, to Italy in 2013 and France and Italy last year. Almost every year he goes to Paris, renting apartments in different arrondissements. Though retired, sort of, he will coordinate an Economic Institute at Stanford for the 28th consecutive year and is leading a two-year curriculum-writing project on infrastructure as part of a Stanford National Science Foundation Grant. He and Ann live in San Mateo and enjoy spending time in their other place in the wine country overlooking the Alexander Valley and Russian River

Kay and I remain in good health and really enjoy living full time in Naples, Fla. I still play decent golf, but must admit I am doing very poorly at one athletic endeavor. Twice a week I am the most inept student in “Yoga for golf.” When it comes to balance and flexibility I have much to learn. Keep the e-mails flowing,

Cliff hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged foot court
Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

CLASS OF 1958 | 2014 | ISSUE 3

Well, my latest plea elicited 15 responses. Ezra Amsterdam is still Distinguished Professor of Cardiology and Master Clinician Educator, at the School of Medicine, UC–Davis. And he continues to play tennis every weekend and is still a loyal Yankees fan.

A long note from Roger Van Tassel covers the 56 years since we graduated. He studied chemistry at Tufts and completed a PhD in chemistry at Northeastern U. He then continued as a scientist, retiring as director of the Environmental Effects Division, which studied the effect of the environment on military systems. His avocation has been motorcycles. He has been riding steadily for 50 years. With his partner, Judy Love, he rode out to Colorado and New Mexico in 2012 and this February rented a motorcycle to spend two weeks touring New Zealand. He and Judy now live in the Charlotte area of North Carolina. He continues to explore the South, but also enjoys trips to New England and travel abroad.

Dan Woodhead follows the Bay Area baseball teams, he praises the Oakland As and believes the San Francisco Giants are hopeless. No details,but Dan reveals Bob Hayes has written a book on Themistocles, the Greek hero.

Dave Epstein, the publisher of Western States Jewish History, a quarterly journal now in its 47th year has created a Virtual Museum in the cloud for your computer called the Jewish Museum of the American West, which tells the story of Jews in the American Wild West.

Bart Bolton is hoping to arrange a round of golf for Charley Denny, Ed Kershner, himself and me next February or April in Naples. We’ll play the senior tees, maybe only nine holes. Bart is working on a 60th reunion for his small high school class.

Tony La Cava retired after 25 years as director of a center for independent living. And he celebrated his 32nd anniversary with his partner, Cliff. Tony has children in Massachusetts, California, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Art Geltzer has retired from the private practice of retinal surgery, but continues research on his NIH grant at Brown Medical School, looking into the treatment of macular degeneration. Anyone interested in this subject can contact him at Clinicaltrials.gov. Art continues close interaction with Mel Cote and his wife, who is an accomplished artist. Art also sees Dennis Allee, who is a highly skilled potter. Art will be going to an academic conference in Chicago at the end of October. In November he is off to Berlin and Vienna; in March it will be Rome and Tuscany.

Bill Higgins has just about retired from his psychology practice and from teaching psychology at the local college. Sadly, he has had to give up golf due to two ankle replacements and a sore shoulder. He still travels: Montana last year and Charleston, S.C., this year. He has been married for 42 years and his three children are in Denver, Asheville, and San Francisco.

A brief note from Bill Barnes assures me he is alive and well and very anxious for our 60th Reunion. Bob Furber, a California resident, spent August and the latter part of July “rolling around New England.” He traveled from Middlebury to Wesleyan with a pause in Newington, N.H., for the Furber Family Association’s Reunion and Dedication. The trail there will be renamed the “William Furber Ferry Way Trail.” In September he will attend his 60th high school reunion in Plainville, Conn.

I received a note from Ruth Newman telling of Warren Newman’s passing on July 6, 2014. His death was due to pancreatic cancer.

Dave Schalk assured me he was alive and well, but had no news of even minimal interest to the class of 1958.

Toni and John Corkran made only one trip this year, to see their oldest grandson graduate from South Kingston, R.I., high school. They returned to North Carolina through New Jersey and Delaware. They conclude their travels with two days of camping on the Outer Banks of North Carolina including to Ocracoke Island. John wants to thank all classmates who donated to the Wesleyan Fund this year.

Often a note loses impact when edited, so Burr Edwards’ note in full: “Before spending a few weeks at our French house (hoping the roof is intact) and then returning to Kenya, we are now (end of July) in London recovering from my godson’s wedding in Somerset. His bride was a friend of Kate Middleton and he went to school with William, so they were both in attendance. Very posh and traditional—more than Yank and Finn (my wife) republicans (small “r”) can usually manage! The best man (also from Kenya) did manage very well, considering his future sovereign was listening and laughing.”

Kay and I are flying to New Hampshire next week and hope to meet Dick Goldman for lunch at the Andover Inn in northern Massachusetts. Kay and I are acclimating to summers in southern Florida. I do not mind a steady diet of 92 degrees and playing golf at least three times a week.

Thanks for the e-mails.

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com

THOMAS A. DUKE, MAT ’58

THOMAS A. DUKE, a teacher in the Rocky River (Ohio) schools, died Jan. 9, 2014, at age 79. A graduate of Kenyon College, he received an MAT in 1958. He was very involved in the American Field Service and the Cleveland International Film Festival. Survivors include his brother and several cousins.

CLASS OF 1958 | 2014 | ISSUE 2

My appeal using the Lyris messaging system produced a plethora of responses.

Among those listed as alive and well are Pete Ralston, Tony Shrednik, and Mel Cote. Bob Terkhorn says he and Kay are in good health and will cruise the Norwegian fjords for 17 days this summer.

Bob Furber informed me that his esoteric, sophisticated paper, “Kepler Accuracy Model for Co-Periodic Satellite Separation Extrema” has been published. To read it, either Google the title or check Springerlink.com. Bob received a copy of Dan Woodhead’s book, Modoc Vengeance, which mentions a Furber (one of Bob’s ancestors).

Dan Woodhead related the story of his correspondence with Bob Furber and reaffirms his offer to send copies of Modoc Vengeance to classmates.

Charlie Keck retired from the practice of pediatrics at 62, then got a massage license and practiced part time until recently. He and Carolyn have moved to a retirement community near Olympia and their three children live within six miles of their home.

Bill Purinton reports that he retired to his home state of Maine 15 years ago. During retirement he has been active with nonprofits dealing with conservation and other environmental pursuits. He and Nancy are so far still sound of mind and limb.

Roger Turkington discloses that his volume of 200 poems is now available at his website, Love Poems to Art.

Dan Woodhead’s book, Modoc Vengeance, motivated Roger Paget to recall that Wesleyan’s first president, Willbur Fisk, played a central role in organizing the first surge of Protestant missionaries who came to the Northwest. So events like the Whitman massacre in the Oregon Territory have a direct link to early Wesleyan history.

Dave Hickox, who is retired from the practice of pediatrics, is heading to northern Scotland on a hiking trip there and the Outer Hebrides in May.

John Corkran wishes to thank classmates who have contributed to the alumni fund and remind others that there is still an opportunity to do so.

Art Levine is spending March in Florida. He informed me that Ted Wieseman had hip replacement surgery on Feb. 14 and it appears to be successful. If you know Ted, he would appreciate a call at 301/610-6726.

Dick Goldman is also in Florida until early April. He plays golf and tennis, but no checkers! He still practices law with Sullivan & Worcester in Boston and teaches as an adjunct professor at Boston University Law School.

Dick Tompkins and his wife are in Florida eight months and Minnesota four months. He plays golf, bridge, attends lectures, and enjoys symphony orchestra series.

Ron Nowek and partner Lynn flew to Aspen for four days of skiing and snow-boarding over President’s Day holiday weekend. They enjoyed the snow, but enjoyed more the return to Southern California where shorts and tank-tops are in fashion.

Another golfer from the class of ’58 is Neil Springborn. He often leaves Oklahoma to play some of the pristine courses in Arkansas.

Art Geltzer also reports about Ted Wieseman. Art visited Ted in January and found him to be in an upbeat mood.

Tony Codding traveled to Cuba in January 2014, under the sponsorship of the NYC-based Episcopal Church. Americans can go to Cuba only as members of a group. Tony reports that Cuba today is a socialist country of extremes: luxury hotels for the Canadian, South American, and European tourists (who are there in droves), and third-world conditions outside of Havana, which is truly a charming city. Because the people have so little, Tony’s group packed suitcases with donations from their parish and left them at the church in Cárdenas.

Burr Edwards is still well and active in Africa. He has a new knee and a new company (Crown Agents, from the UK). Burr still plays golf, but his tennis is slow motion. Their French house is a haven from Al Shabaab antics in Nairobi.

Good news from Randy Johnson. His wife, Carole, has been tumor-free for one year after being diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma. To celebrate, they cruised the Caribbean on the Sea Cloud. A future trip will be to Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. To prep for the trip, the Johnsons are reading a book about Edward Curtis, who made thousands of wonderful photos of Indians. A major puzzle: what happened to the Anasazi tribe who inherited the canyon a thousand years ago?

Jack Wright is still in harness, consulting with early childhood services, observing over 200 children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. He is also writing his third self-published book, which is about how we can feel stuck due to things that happened to us when we were children.

Bart Bolton was in Sarasota in February. One night he dined with Gail and George Kangas ’60. The next day he had lunch with Charley Denny at the Celtic Ray Pub in Punta Gorda. Bart will be in Sarasota in April and I have invited Bart and Charley Denny for a day of golf and lunch at my club in Naples. Hopefully we can agree on dates.

Also in full career mode is Ezra Amsterdam. He is still full time at UC,Davis, Medical Center and School of Medicine. He has earned many honors. Among them, Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine and Master Clinician Educator. He is also chair of the writing committee to produce the new guidelines of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association for the Management of Patients with NonSTE Acute Coronary Syndrome. And he still plays tennis.

Bill Barnes is really anxious for our 60th Reunion, only he can tell you how anxious. He has been grandparenting, preaching, playing viola in a local symphony orchestra, and bike riding in good weather. He also looks longingly at the ski slopes he used to schuss. A bad knee interfered last year and his daughter told him to “quit while I am ahead.” But he still has the skis and boots, just in case.

Kay and I recently celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary in our permanent home in Naples, Fla. We follow our local college basketball team, FGCU, known as Dunk City. We do some leisure activities and hardly notice we are not as proficient at them as we were a few years ago.

Again, thanks to the Class of ’58 for the overwhelming response.

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

BENJAMIN D. DAY ’58

BENJAMIN D. DAY, who retired as a physicist after a long career at Argonne National Laboratory, died July 13, 2013, at age 76. He received his degree with high honors and with distinction in physics, and he was a member of Beta Theta Pi. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to Sigma Xi, he received his PhD from Cornell University. After two years of postdoctoral research at UCLA, he joined Argonne, where he was a senior physicist in the Department of Low Energy Theoretical Nuclear Physics. During his career he was an invited scholar at MIT, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Niels Bohr Institute. He later worked with Lucent Technologies (Bell Laboratories). His wife, Holliday Trentman Day, survives, as do two daughters, two grandchildren and his sister.

SETH D. ZINMAN ’58

SETH D. ZINMAN, an attorney for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor for 45 years, died May 6, 2008. He was 71. A member of Delta Sigma, he received his degree with honors and with distinction in government, and then received his law degree from Harvard University. During his career, he was responsible for drafting significant federal laws designed to protect American workers. He also served as the Department of Labor’s senior career ethics officer and as the principal legal adviser to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He received the Philip Arnow Award, the Labor Department’s highest honor, and the Justice Tom C. Clark Award, given by the Washington chapter of the Federal Bar Association. There are no immediate survivors.

ROBERT C. BENDER ’58

ROBERT C. BENDER, 75, the retired CEO of Bender-Loudon Motor Freight, a multi-state trucking company, died Mar. 24, 2012. A member of Eclectic, he was a U.S. Army veteran and studied at Northwestern and Harvard universities. While he was in line for Wesleyan graduation, he was signed to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates, which he did for a year. He was a trustee of Western Reserve Academy for 16 years. Among those who survive are his wife, Donna Reycraft Bender, four children, two sisters, and eight nieces and nephews.

FREDERICK D. BANFIELD ’58

FREDERICK D. BANFIELD, M.D., a physician and avid athlete, died May 24, 2013, at age 77. He was a member of Psi Upsilon and received his medical degree from Temple University. After serving in the U.S. Public Health Service in Alaska, he moved to Rochester, Minn., where he eventually founded two family medicine clinics. He was very interested in physical fitness and in racquetball. After having started a racquetball league in Rochester, he was inducted into both the Rochester Racquetball Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Racquetball Hall of Fame. He is survived by his wife, Gilda (Jill) Lepone Banfield, five children, 12 grandchildren, and two sisters.