CLASS OF 1964 | 2015 | ISSUE 3
Another round of class notes is upon me. I feel like I’m on a highway, and when I look back at where I’ve been, all I see are walls of telephone poles. So, the first item I’d like to address is a communication from Stephen Oleskey that somehow was lost back in February of this year. He brought to my attention that he and Nick Puner paid a visit to Bruce Kirmmse in New Hampshire, but wasn’t able to recreate his lost e-mail to me. I believe they had an engaging visit, shared good cheer, and enjoyed a conversation that could have transformed the world if actions followed. Imagine being a fly on the wall listening in on conversations between legal minds.
On a lighter note, Peter Sipples, Bill Needham ’63, and Phil Rockwell ’65 were among Wesleyan baseball alumni who attended a baseball game against Yale on Sept. 26, celebrating 150 years of the game at the institutions. Wesleyan beat Yale in the opposition’s stadium and it was a fine tribute to the national pastime.
C. Garrison Fathman, announced he is “still a professor at Stanford Medical School and will be receiving the Mayo Clinic Alumnus of the Year Award.” He also added that he was still married to the same woman for 47 years. Hmmm! Mayo Clinic award or the same wife? I’ll leave the magnitude of these accomplishments to you, fellow alumni of the class of 1964.
Russ Messing writes, “I am nearing completion of my second book of poetry, which I hope to have in my hot little hands by Xmas. The last edits are with my editor right now. The cover will be one of my son’s pieces of art (check him out at jakemessing.com). I still have to settle on a title and the rest of the details, but the poems are written! I am pleased. And a tip of my hat to Kit Reed, who years ago shepherded me through the mazes and joys of writing. On other fronts: I am inches away from completely retiring from being a clinical psychologist; our daughter, Ali, gave birth in June to Rumi Yuba (I love the name), a strapping, raven-haired beauty; and our son, Jake, is the proud new father of Goldie Marie (I love the name), a delicate, blond beauty, born in September. So, now we have five grandchildren. We are blessed. And, lastly, I am finally getting a tattoo (perhaps a little late, but what the hell!).”
Jon Bagg writes, “Shelley and I recently spent three weeks in Italy (first time for me): four days in Rome, seven days bicycling in Puglia, and then the tourist highlights of Florence, Venice, and Milan. Found the people welcoming, the service and railroads excellent, and enough Renaissance art to last me quite a while.”
Allen Ames reports, “I am still alive, able to stand up, and take nourishment. I live in a condo near the shore in Clinton, Conn., with my small dog who makes me walk with her every day.”
Jon Robison’s wife is in home hospice with cancer. Jon has been dealing with multiple sclerosis for quite some time and depends on a motorized wheelchair. He has a website where he displays his poetry, JonRobisonpoetry.wordpress.com.
Linton Herbert shared, “My life at this point is dedicated to exploring the link between kinship and fertility. They go together. A textbook, Handbook on Evolution and Society, has been published; chapter 19, “Marry In or Die Out,” by the renowned Professor Robin Fox, lays it out for all the world to see. I encourage everybody to lay hands on the book and read at least that chapter, particularly anybody interested in the social sciences or hard sciences.”
Lou D’Ambrosio had a tough summer in SoCal, feeling he was back in New Jersey with the humidity. Retired, but wife Chrissy is still working and that’s good planning. Granddaughter Audrey, first year at Vassar, scored a goal already in soccer and “none can surpass her.” He has a number of grandchildren, so watch out for family trips where you can leave someone “home alone.” He brought up our baseball moments at Wesleyan, and he was surprised that I had such a good memory. C’mon Lou, you were a second baseman reacting to the action. I was the thinker behind the plate assessing the batters and our pitchers. I kept track of everything and Coach Norm Daniels let me choose the next pitch. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was preparing myself for a career as a “baby catcher.” Lou meets with classmates Wink Davenport and Jay McIlroy and reports no new changes with them.
That brings me to a book I recently had published, entitled Baseball and Babies: My Life as a Catcher. By the time you are reading this in the magazine, I should be on the Yogi Berra best sellers list. It actually centers around a baseball fantasy camp I attended in 1983, presented by the LA Dodgers for their first of many annual events at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla. I rubbed elbows with players from the legendary “boys of summer,” the Brooklyn Dodgers of Jackie Robinson, and found that playing baseball after the age of 40 was very possible, with magical results. I recorded my experience each day, and created a manuscript that sat in a storage bin until just recently. In the movie, Field of Dreams, one line is, “Is this heaven?” and the response: “No, it’s Iowa.” I found heaven in Vero Beach, Fla., and on a wild and crazy baseball field, with a running track behind the right side of the infield, at a place Lou Gehrig once hit a home run off the Wesleyan University chapel.
TED MANOS, M.D. | ted_manos@yahoo.com