CLASS OF 1970 | 2014 | ISSUE 2

Aloha, all.

Again, I have the sad duty to report the loss of two classmates, Paul Macri and Doug Maynard.

We lost Paul to leukemia on April 9th. After Wesleyan, Paul graduated from the University of Maine School of Law, where he was an editor of the Maine Law Review. He then clerked for the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. To quote from his obituary, “It is widely thought to be true among members of the Maine Bar that he argued more cases before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court than any other private practitioner in Maine history.” (MORE ONLINE)

Charlie Holbrook said of Doug Maynard, “He was my roommate freshman year. Doug was a great lacrosse and soccer player and always fun to be around. He will be missed by all who had the privilege to know him.” I regret that that’s all I know. Our condolences to the family.

Charlie also wrote: “This summer I will be auditing a graduate history course from Professor Nat Greene. This will be the fourth graduate course I have taken from him.” (MORE ONLINE)

Tony Balis writes that “The Humanity Initiative soon will launch a grassroots effort to end war by 2020. Comments and suggestions from Wes classmates are more than welcome (tony@humanity.org). The intent is to encourage tens of thousands of monthly tea gatherings in villages and towns across the continents to create their own action agenda around ending war. THI has trademarked “humanitea, an infusion of peace” and is sourcing our first tea from a sacred mountain in Sri Lanka, where 80,000 people have died in a recent civil war. 100 percent of the revenue will be returned to Sri Lanka to establish interfaith councils of young leaders dedicated to the dialogues of peace, rather than the monologues of war. The new web site is humanitea.org.” My hat’s off to you!

Ted Reed (class correspondent emeritus), wrote up his news. Thanks, Ted. “Early this summer, Ted Reed had lunch with Mark Mintz in Hoboken, Jeff Sarles in Charlotte, and John Yurechko in Charlotte. Ted was preparing to fly on the first non-stop flight ever from the U.S. to Chengdu, the fourth largest city in China, on a United press junket on June 9th.” (MORE ONLINE)

Heard from Steve Talbot, who reports his married son Dash lives in L.A. and is working as a lawyer for the nonprofit Children’s Law Center, where his clients are all kids. . . . Daughter Caitlin, runs a yoga studio in Hollywood (Asks Steve: How Southern California can you get?) and acts as often as she can. Thula, a short narrative film she produced with her friends in Cape Town, was just accepted into this July’s Durban International Film Festival, the biggest and oldest in South Africa. Wife Pippa enjoys retirement and, “I’m still happy to be making documentaries and news stories for PBS and other broadcasters.” Check out his sister Margaret’s book about their father. It’s called The Entertainer: Movies, Magic and My Father’s Twentieth Century. (MORE ONLINE)

I missed two visits from classmates. KNK brother Michael Hunter visited Hawaii in December while I was on the Mainland and Mark Geannette wrote: “Just got back from the Pride of America cruise of the Hawaiian Islands. . . . My wife, Gloria, and I are trying to fit full-time jobs around lots of travel. . . . “ (MORE ONLINE)

Old KNK brother and Meriden boy Jerry Cerasale wrote, “At last I retired!” He testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on his last day at work. “Jan and I now live on Cape Cod and love life without alarm clocks. As I say, ‘If you’re lucky enough to have a house at the beach, you’re lucky enough.’” Enjoy!

Better Late Than Never category: John (Jack) Ingraham wrote, “I graduated from Fordham Law School in 1975, where I shared an apartment with cousin Steve Ingraham and Bruce Hearey ’72. After a couple of brief stints in the public sector (law clerk to a federal judge in Tulsa, Okla., and assistant district attorney in New York County, N.Y.), I settled into private practice with Conner & Winters, in Tulsa, Okla. (1980 to present), specializing in trusts and estates law. My wife, Judy, and I have three children, Andy (31), Rob (28) and Nicole (15). The boys are living out my college fantasy as budding rock stars with, respectively, Bravo Delta, based in Las Vegas, and The Revivalists, based in New Orleans.” Thanks for the update, Jack.

Another classmate sent me ready-made info, and has my thanks. “Gerald Everett Jones has already had one humorous novel published this year, Farnsworth’s Revenge, which was released (appropriately enough) on April Fool’s Day. It’s the third screwball saga in what he calls the Rollo Hemphill Misadventures series. Another novel, also humorous but based on a true story, will come out in early September. Mr. Ballpoint is about the consumer craze over the introduction of the first ballpoint pen in the United States in 1945. Some critics have compared Gerald to Kurt Vonnegut and the wry tone of his humorous fiction to John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces. Gerald blogs about male-centered comic fiction at boychiklit.com.” Thanks for the news, Gerald. (For those who may not know, boychik is Yiddish for “boy” or “young man.”)

Yiddish lesson #2 as Mark (Marcos) Goodman wrote that he’s “returned to living in Buenos Aires where he’s been obsessed with dancing salsa and rueda de casino [a kind of salsa round dance] every day. Lots of moves to learn and young girls who smile at the alter kacher!” My research defines that as an old complainer. In this case, maybe a bit meshuggenah to be dancing that much? Watch your back, boychik.

Also heard from Prince Chambliss that he was in Cambridge, Mass. recently “for the Harvard College graduation of the daughter of a law school classmate. Harvey Yazijian was kind enough to drive in from Wayland so that we could visit for a few hours.” Reliving hitching days in college and reminiscing, Prince plans to attend our upcoming 45th Class Reunion next year and urges you to attend. He plans to have another book ready for the occasion, while hoping the first book may be made into a movie.

A note from Bill Rodgers indicated that he, Amby Burfoot ’68 (and Boston Marathon Champ of 1968), and Jeff Galloway ’67 (and American Olympian) “joined well over 1,000 runners and walkers at the first Legends Run Half Marathon in Middletown on April 6th. A number of folks from Wesleyan joined us at this terrific new event!” A big salute to all of our age or older who can run without pain!

In February 2013, John Sheffield made an unusual move, from St. Simons Island, Ga. to New York City. John reports he retired from a career in tennis coaching and administration in December 2012 “only to turn around and start up a new self-employed career as a yacht delivery and charter captain.” He’s enjoying his first grandchild (Ryan), born in New York City in March, 2013, and reports he’s “[s]till happily married to my high school sweetheart, Bunny. Two daughters live in New York City and Wellington, New Zealand, respectively.”

Thanks to Barry Gottfried who wrote to say that “on February 11, 2014, my wife and I became the proud grandparents of Charles (‘Charlie’) Royce Gottfried, born to David Gottfried ’04 and his lovely wife, Elizabeth Barrett Topping, Dartmouth ’02. We’re enjoying every minute of it!” Congratulations!

Until next time, I wish you all safe and productive lives. Write if you have news or if you’re coming to Kaua’i. Full column at classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu or on WesConnect.

Russ Josephson | russ_josephson@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 1151, Kilauea, HI 96754