CLASS OF 1957 | 2014 | ISSUE 2
Some corresponding with Mike Stein—we were remembering Scott Aiken and our Argus days—led to a story dealing with careers, choices, and the like. Mike was positioned to pursue journalism after his Marine Corps stint concluded in 1960. After a writing exam under the auspices of the Charlotte Observer was successful, he was accepted at Columbia Journalism, but couldn’t manage the cost—he said he earned all of $11,000 in three years of duty—so he went to work for the CIA where among other things he served in Vietnam as an intelligence officer and continued in that career. Here, I’ll add my own editorial comment that there’s probably a lot of additional stories in his catalog that would require security clearance for disclosure. Mike stays in touch with Carey Congdon, Bill Daley, and Bob Sharlet. He is looking forward to our 60th.
Bob Gorin writes in with the observation that this year would be ’57’s 57th anniversary, but he stopped short of lobbying for an intermediate Reunion—which is perhaps a good idea, but it’d have to be informal. He reports that his four grandchildren, ranging in age from 6 to 14, are busy in their respective school and sports activities. To borrow a title from a recent movie (which I recommend) The Kids Are All Right and they keep their grandparents young at heart.
Tony Austin is a regular contributor to the column, and he continues with commercial fishing off the North Carolina coast. I wanted to learn more about it from him, so here goes. He left academia in the late 1960s and was a Cape Codder for many years (the Capies call late-comers—that’s anyone arriving after the 18th century—washashores), originally as a lobsterman and then fishing out of Wellfleet, Harwichport, and Chatham. He’s been in North Carolina for 25 years and runs a 34-foot Duffy & Duffy, Ruthie’s Redress, and fishes for black sea bass some 20 miles offshore. Tony has also advised Puerto Rico on development for Vieques (island). He adds that during the Cape years, he tied up next to the owner of the Andrea Gail, the now famous boat of The Perfect Storm, which, of course, was written by Sebastian Junger ’84.
A better book than the movie, in the opinion of yours truly. My house in Chatham is minutes from Tony’s marina on the Cape. Our family has been summering on the Cape for many years, and it’s possible we enjoyed some of Tony’s catch back in the day.
On the literary front lines, Jim Brown alerts us to the recent publication of Mystery of the Mona Lisa by his son, Dr. Chris Brown. There’s a book tour, an expected second printing and, yes, a movie in the offing. The book is part of a trilogy focusing on heady subject matter such as the Shroud of Turin and the Ark of the Covenant. Jim adds that his youngest, Kimberly Stalford ’88, is a psychiatrist and lives in Asheville, N.C. Jim plans a move there next year to be near her family, including three grandchildren.
The West Coast is calling in the form of Allen Jay, who like so may of our classmates is enjoying grandchild-time. Sometimes it feels as though we are going around again, with the added perk of being able to leave when you want. Anyway, based on a heads-up from Sam Bergner, he and wife Ricky looked up Jeff Morgan ’75 and spouse who produce Kosher wines at their Napa Valley winery in St. Helena, which is the kind of town featured in the movie Sideways ( which I also recommend). Allen and Ricky give great reviews for the pinot noir and cabernet choices, which have earned marks in the 90s from Wine Spectator. To validate their review, the Jays purchased cases of the Landsman Pinot Noir and the Covenant Cab. He did not indicate in his note whether or not he intended to share any with Sam. We’ll have to wait and see.
I’m writing this on a grey-toned afternoon in early spring, but with the near future in mind, thus I trust all are enjoying the summer.
Art Typermass | AGType@msn.com
144 East Avenue, #302B, Norwalk, CT 06851 | 203/504-8942