CLASS OF 1961 | 2015 | ISSUE 3
Steve Wainwright’s 75th birthday celebration last August 2015 in Pocasset, Mass., was personally attended by John Driscoll ’62 and Carl Syriala ’60. In addition, a number of classmates wrote congratulatory notes to Steve, including Brad Beechen, Bill Harris, Al Williams, and Don Johnson. Don, who lives in Gold Canyon, Ariz.,, with his wife, Janet, relates that he and his wife traveled last summer, via RV, throughout western Canada. He proclaims Steve as “the most unforgettable person I have ever known,” explaining that he and Steve were roommates, during their junior year at Wesleyan, and shared “many, many rich and bizarre adventures as friends and fraternity brothers.” Jim Reynolds ’63 wrote a particularly memorable tribute to Steve with which we can all identify: “The Legend Lives On. He came out of Brockton with a banjo on his knee and a banana in his ear, with a presence that drew and held the attention of all who were near. He sang of the roar and the gore of the Cornell Fire, and told of McCoy the census taker, and the dead horse in the bathtub. His fame soon spread throughout the Wesleyan campus, where he dominated the Harry Ding contest, and north to the green hills of Middlebury, where he came to be known as the Rabbi. From there south to the quarters of New Orleans, then to the courts of the Commonwealth, even, yes, to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. The legend thrived, for whenever two or more of those who knew him gathered, the stories were told and retold. Even those who had never seen him in the flesh felt a connection. And so, as he concludes his 75th year, the Legend of the Bard and the Barrister continues to live on.”
A recent note from John Rogers reveals his new residence, grandchildren, and travels: “Retired from investment/financial planning business in 2014 after 48 years and moved from Greenwood, S.C., to Fort Mill, S.C., just south of Charlotte, N.C. I now reside in a Del Webb/Sun City community of about 3,000 homes, enjoying a simpler lifestyle of golf, pickle ball, and plenty of friends using Medicare weekly. No one is hung up on past titles, awards, or wealth comparisons. Still with five married children providing 14 grandchildren whom we struggle to see in Kentucky, New Jersey, and Maryland Recent travels included a river cruise to Moscow, an Alaska cruise, a road trip through to Upper Michigan, and regular trips to doctors and Walmart. So far good overall health, and I have stopped counting cholesterol intake.”
Paul Dickson’s latest book, Contraband Cocktails—What We Drank When We Were Not Supposed To, a Melville House publication, is about Prohibition and the paradoxical birth of the cocktail culture during those dry years. Paul is also completing work on his second biography, Leo Durocher-–Baseball’s Most Hated Man, which will be published in early 2017 in time for Opening Day. Paul is also researching for a new biography. His leading candidate is William F. Cody, better known as “Buffalo Bill.”
Jack Mitchell has also been writing, revising and re-launching his “hugging books,” as he describes them, with a third book in progress. In addition to his chairmanship of his family business, Mitchells Family of Stores, totaling eight in number, Jack is also an executive-in-residence at Columbia Business School, where he lectures and instructs graduate students. Two of Jack’s grandchildren are at Wesleyan; the other three attend Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Dartmouth.
Russell Mott (Bob Lannigan) reports that he is up every day at 3:30 a.m., work starting at four, for 8, 10, 12 hours in his ceramic studio (Mottpotts.com). “The work requires a passionate commitment, which I am easily able to muster every day, as my health remains remarkable in all respects. I am not at all sure I would have been interested in ceramics if I had been introduced to it in the ’50s, ’60s, or ’70s, but I thank my angels every morning for the gift of finding it earlier this century, two months after 9/11.” Russell goes on to explain that he is “living in southern New Mexico with Kato and our extended family here and in Jacksonville, Fla., including four granddaughters. Several other businesses, including an art gallery—MVS Studios—and a real estate company, keep us very busy.”
Phil Rodd is planning a two-week trip to Portugal in November 2015, including a week’s cruise through the Douro Valley, famous for its table and port wines. He promises more details in a future writing, as does Bob Johnson, who completed a 16-day safari to Tanzania and Kenya last year with his wife, Suzanne. Bob is vice president of his country club and is co-chairman of Men to Men, the organization for men with prostate cancer, providing support, guidance, and education. He and his wife live seven months each year in Nokomis, Fla. (just north of Venice), and the other five months in Pocahontas, Pa. Bob and Suzanne are both members of their Florida church choir, where his wife, Suzanne, also solos and assists in directing as requested.
Ed Knox writes to mourn the passing of his mentor and good friend, Professor George Creeger. This past summer, Middlebury College awarded Ed an honorary doctor of letters degree at the 100th anniversary of the summer language schools. Ed and Huguette now live part of the year in Rockville, Md., and the rest in Paris. They would be happy to see friends and classmates in either place (knox@middlebury.edu).
Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com
902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, Fl 34205