Class of 1952 | 2014 | Issue 1
Walter Pories, M.D., was recently honored by the Harris County (Texas) Medical Society and Houston Academy of Medicine as a “renowned surgeon, educator, and international leader in research” with the prestigious John P. McGovern Compleat Physician Award. This award recognizes “a multi-accomplished physician who exemplifies the Oslerian ideals of medical excellence, humane and ethical care, commitment to medical humanities and writing, research, and harmony between the academician and medical practitioner.” Congratulations, Walter!
Once again, we report with sadness the death of another of our classmates, Joe McCabe, on Aug. 8, 2013. You can find an obituary online at hartfordcourant.com, as well a notice in the magazine, with an obituary in the online magazine (Go to wesleyan.edu and follow the links to the magazine). We extend our very sincere sympathy to Joe’s family
Hal Buckingham reports that he had lunch in Worcester, Mass., with Don Kipp ’52 and ’56 whom he hadn’t seen since 1950 when he left Wesleyan for the service. “We picked right up where we left off 65 years ago!” Hal says, and adds, “Don told me a very interesting story that is well worth passing along: One of his roommates and fellow Psi U brothers sophomore year was the late Paul Kerr. Paul had a brand new blue Pontiac convertible. That in itself was unbelievable for a Wesleyan student in those days! But Paul was unbelievable, too!
“It seems that Paul spotted the photographic portrait of a Joan Appleton on the Dec. 12, 1949, cover of Life Magazine. Paul was smitten. He learned that this young woman was a student at Wellesley, so he gassed up his Pontiac and took off for Wellesley determined to meet her.
“Arriving at Wellesley, he sweet-talked himself past the housemother of Joan’s dorm and soon down the stairs came ‘the’ Joan Appleton. The only thing known to have transpired during that encounter was Paul’s invitation to Joan be his date at the next House Party Weekend at Wesleyan. And Joan accepted, as fate would have it!
“The term ‘bird dogging’ was prevalent back then. It was used to describe the actions of a fellow student/fraternity brother without a date who would ‘take over’ someone else’s date.
“Whether Chip Stone ’49 was guilty of bird dogging or not, and he claims no memory of even having been at that House Party, he met Joan for the first time on that occasion when she was Paul’s date. The rest is history, as the saying goes. Miss Appleton soon became Mrs. Charles B. Stone, Jr. and has remained that to this day, all thanks to a Life Magazine cover photo, a blue Pontiac convertible, and an assertive Paul Kerr.”
Hal adds: “Interestingly, his street number is 52 as shown in the photo. (He started with us, but is listed with his graduating class of ’56, I think.)”
DONALD T. SANDERS
33 Sunny Hill Drive, Madison, CT 06443
dtsanders1@sbcglobal.net