CLASS OF 1951 | 2016 | ISSUE 1

It was hard to know in mid-winter how many ’51 classmates would attend our 65th Reunion, but Barney Kathan will be there for sure. He doesn’t miss many Reunions. Last year he sat at the seniors table with Dave Mize, who also plans on coming.

Barney continues to research and his article on “Horace Bushnell and the Religious Education Movement” appeared in the Journal of Religious Education in 2013. His article on the National Council on Religious and Public Education will be published this year.

Bob Gardner wrote that he stays in touch with Biff Shaw and Neil Keller. All three hope to attend Reunion. Bob is still writing science books for kids, more than 200 so far.

Bill Churchill and his wife, Maggie, also plan to attend Reunion. Bill wrote that he twisted Bob Switzgable’s arm and he’d be coming as well. Bill is still enjoying Tarheel Country, but has been escaping the summer heat by retreating to a cottage on the shore of Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts.

Biff Shaw and his wife, Jean, will be attending too. The Shaws have been enjoying a busy life at a retirement community in Essex, 20 miles downriver from Middletown.

Dave Mize will be coming from Vermont and Les Aroh from Kentucky. Ted Bartolotta was thinking about coming but he has had health issues and wasn’t sure he could make it. Art DeGraff said he’ll definitely be coming. His wife, Sandy, has a reunion of her own to attend, but plans to join us for dinner Saturday. The DeGraffs have spent winter weekends in Vermont and Art says he still skis.

At the time I was compiling this report, Dave Jones was hoping health issues wouldn’t keep him from coming. The Reunion wouldn’t be the same without him.

DAVID M. PHILIPS | davephilips69@hotmail.com

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