CLASS OF 1965 | 2014 | ISSUE 2
One of the benefits of living in Connecticut is being able visit our beloved campus on a regular basis. That was the case on a beautiful day in early April when I watched the Cardinal baseball team beat Williams 4-1. (The next day Wesleyan traveled to Williamstown and swept the Ephs 7-2 and 12-2.) During the game in Middletown, I had the pleasure of chatting with head football coach and athletic director Mike Whalen ’83, and head baseball coach Mark Woodworth ’94 (and his lovely wife, Robin ’97). Both Mike and Mark are doing a superb job, but always need our help in letting them know of outstanding student-athletes in our communities for whom Wesleyan would be a good fit. No need to do any recruiting: just give them a name and they’ll take it from there.
At the game also had a good chat with fellow Deke Pat Dwyer ’67. Pat was a standout football and baseball player and was the first of three brothers to graduate from Wesleyan, the other two being Kevin ’68 and Tom ’72. Pat’s son, Dan, didn’t get the memo and ended up at Williams where he was an outstanding quarterback, golfer, and student. Dan now practices law with his father and Pat proudly proclaims, “I now work for him!”
John Dunton sent a great holiday letter. Here are a few excerpts: “2013 included a lot of family and travel. To escape the cold winter we traveled to Belize and Guatemala on a small ship tour, visiting Mayan ruins, snorkeling and touring the countryside. Later, we gathered with two sons, their wives and five of the grandchildren and went skiing in New Hampshire, a gift of my mother to the family.
“Our 1973 Volvo 164 was driven to two Concours d’Elegance shows. Our second Concours appearance was at a very prestigious show in Saratoga, N.Y. We were surprised she was accepted: ‘Lucille’ was really out of her class; to the left was a 1952 Jaguar roadster and to the right was an Aston-Martin DB4, collectively worth perhaps $600,000, but she showed well and had many admirers. She also won ‘People’s Choice’ in class for the second time in three years at a Boston show.
“We took a 10-day trip to Memphis, Tenn., and saw Elvis Presley’s house (Graceland); Sun Studio where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison got their start, and Stax soul music museum, a very interesting place to visit. We then went to Little Rock, Ark., and visited with the drummer in my band (yes, you can find YouTube clips by searching Gary and The Wombats; we were filmed at the 50th reunion of the band). In Bentonville, Ark., we visited the spectacular Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and we also visited Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs—a simple but elegant wood-and-glass place of great beauty, peace and serenity. Christmas found us along the Main River on a riverboat cruise from Frankfurt to Nuremberg.
“For Carol it was another year of work; somewhere in the future she will agree to retire. I continue to work as well; Carol’s singing continued, with participation in concert performances with several groups, including singing the Canadian and American national anthems at Fenway Park.
“We’re looking forward to meeting more friends and experiencing more travel in 2014. Our big trip will be a boat journey which the tour company calls ‘In the Wake of the Vikings’ from Copenhagen to the islands off the coast of Scotland. We will then tour Scotland.”
For a great article by Steve Badanes on the value of his Wesleyan education, click on “This is Why” on the Wesleyan home page, and scroll down until you see his Fremont Troll. Wesleyan invites each of us to write a paragraph or two on why Wesleyan was important in our lives—something to consider!
Steve Rhinesmith has his own company and is also senior adviser at Mercer Leadership Development in Chatham, Mass., a firm specializing in professional training and coaching. Steve earned his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh and has been a leadership consultant with numerous major companies around the world. He is the author or co-author of four books and 30 articles on leadership development. Steve has many years of senior international management experience, including 15 as president of the AFS International Student Exchange Program and Holland America Cruise Lines. He also served for 10 years as a senior leadership consultant to the World Bank and was President Reagan’s coordinator for U.S.-Soviet Exchanges with the rank of U.S. Ambassador.
Bill Trapp (and wife Marilyn)—Wesleyan’s greatest baseball fans—recently went from their home in West Hills, Calif., to Tucson to watch the Cards play four games during their Arizona spring training trip. Bill’s still a top producer at his insurance agency, but finds time for golf and even plans to play in the alumni game at Wesleyan in May. At that time, the college will be honoring the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, including Jeff Hopkins ’66. Jeff was an outstanding baseball and football player and was drafted by the New York Yankees.
Finally, had an exchange of e-mails with Tom Elliman (The Aleman) around a recent speech in Portland, Maine, by Morrie Heckscher ’62, chairman/curator of the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City. Morrie’s keynote address (a big success), was part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of Greater Portland Landmarks, a nonprofit of which Tom is a trustee. Tom noted that “as students of Art Professor Sam Green, Morrie and I were joined by Paul Stevens ’59, a local architect and greatgrandson of John Calvin Stevens, a nationally known architect.”
Asked Tom about his career and life and he replied: “I retired from Ford Motor Co. (Ford racing program—12 years) in 2006 and by October, Betsy and I had left Detroit in a 20’ RV for a trip around the perimeter of the country. Seven months and 17,000 miles later we landed back in Maine which was our target. Along the way, at church in Santa Barbara I accidentally re-connected with Denny Bacon ’68, whom I had not seen since Commons Club days nearly 40 years earlier. Anyway, we bought a house overlooking Portland Harbor and immersed ourselves in a community we had lived outside of in the ’70s and ’80s. Much different being in an exciting small city. Tons going on, and we have tapped into most of it. My major focus has been Greater Portland Landmarks (and related preservation activities), where I am scheduled to become board chairman in the fall. Lots of Wesleyan folks around here, as you can imagine. In fact we have a Commons Club mini-reunion here each year around Labor Day. Our two girls both live along the Connecticut shore and we have four grandchildren whom we see as often as possible. We love to travel, and since moving back have visited Italy, Australia, Scotland, Israel, and Russia. Plus we like to hang out in Key West, too. Looking forward to our 50th!
Chuck Hearey writes: “Living in Orinda, Calif., and working full-time as chief-of-pediatrics at the area Kaiser-Permanente facility. I thoroughly enjoy my practice and administrative work. We have accomplished a lot in setting quality care and access standards and increasingly are being looked upon as a national model for health care delivery. I was also appointed to the medical advisory committee for the statewide California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees high school athletics…. Had my second knee replaced and feel great—even have enjoyed playing some doubles and light skiing. Two of our three children (Ray, child psychiatrist, and Katy, marketing/architect) have moved back to California with their spouses and live nearby. Sarah works in fashion design in New York City. Dede is still working part-time in school law, and we are enjoying our three darling grandchildren.”
PHILIP L. ROCKWELL | prockwell@wesleyan.edu 860/693-1832