CLASS OF 1959 | 2016 | ISSUE 1
Greetings to the Great Class of ’59. We have news from several of you from whom we have not heard in years! Hopefully we will hear from more of you in the future.
Bob McKelvey, a great and long-term supporter of Wes, serving on our Board and numerous committees, is still working full time in the investment advisory business he took over from his father many years ago. He says he works because he has nothing else to do, although working with smart colleagues and clients may fill the bill. Has recently seen Hamilton and joins in singing its praises. Bob also praises the second volume of Wes history by Dave Potts ’60, which includes our years and President Butterfield. Bob says his interaction with Wesleyan is winding down, although he always makes spring Reunions and fall Homecomings. His main campus link is Alpha Delt, one of the few fraternities left and co-ed since the early ’70s. Bob is still active on the American Rhodes Scholar alumni group, which provides an interesting reason to connect with a group of smart young people, and is dealing with the “Rhodes must go” movement. An additional commitment is with his Oxford College, Merton, now celebrating its 750th anniversary. He provides context by reminding us that Merton was 500 years old when we were staring our Revolution. Lastly are a couple of local initiatives supported by Bob’s energy in his spare time. Wow!
Ted Fiske checked in, reporting on the month of October in London, where he spent time with Jack Lambert. Ted’s wife, Sunny Ladd, is on sabbatical from Duke and they spent time researching two inner London schools that have had great success educating low-income students. A paper will soon be published by the Brookings Institute, with some suggestions for U.S. policy makers. In addition, Sunny and Ted took in many of the multicultural events, including the Swan pub, which Sunny haunted 45 years ago as a student in London. She thought the stools were new but not much else.
Ed Murphy sends news of Bob Gillette’s new book about two teenage Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany on a Virginia farm. Ed also reports his own “escape“—from snow in northern Virginia to Colorado. On their return they will attend a Navy Change of Command Ceremony for their younger son. Lastly, Ed reports a D.C.-area tradition among the nine local members of ’59: a semi-annual lunch, next in April. Nice touch.
Tim Day has written us about his recent trip to Israel and Palestine. It was a combined cultural trip and a chance to spend some concentrated time with the IDF (Israel Defense Forces), including push-ups! How many is unspecified, but it sounded like lots! Rather than try to condense badly a fascinating report, the full story can be found BELOW, and we’re including a link to Tim’s Dropbox for pictures here. Thanks, Tim!
Dick Wenner’s wife, Maureen, passed away unexpectedly last summer while on vacation in the Finger Lakes. “2015 was a tough year for me, but I am hanging in there.” Dick is still singing bass in the church choir (since 1978), and has been their treasurer for almost 25 years. He says, “My new pursuit is genealogy, and am busy finding out about the Wenner Swiss and Alsace roots, totally fascinating! Don’t get back to the campus much. Never really recovered from campus life in the ’70s, and recent shenanigans have not helped.”
Weg Thomas has recovered perfectly from a total hip replacement and is back hiking trails and working at the Conservation District. “Granddaughter Katherine Thomas graduated from TCU.TCU is not far from the Cadigans’, so we had a jolly dinner with them as part of the celebration. Some of you know that Katherine’s brother, Nick, died most unexpectedly on Easter Day. Their father, Sean, started life in Vet’s Village in 1959.” Nick and Weg were very close, as he was an environmental restoration specialist. In his honor a tree planting project was started. So far, more than 200 trees have been planted and the donations keep rolling in.
“The Chases and the Moodys joined me for an evening at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Washington to hear David Lough talk about his new book on Churchill’s finances, No More Champagne. Then on to a great French bistro dinner. A great story, as we do our retirement budgeting! Churchill, needless to say, was not a fan of budgeting, nor was his wife!!”
David Britt writes: “Spurts said, ‘Talk or else,’ so I’m spilling the whole ugly story of the last year. Do not read while operating heavy machinery.
“AARP counsels seniors to keep moving, so we did. Again. First, we sold our summer condo in Connecticut. Then, six years after Sue designed our dream house on the Intracoastal Waterway (our longest stay ever in one house), we sold it and moved 1.6 miles north on Amelia Island, to a more urban, walkable, ungated community. I’m still enjoying moderating two discussion classes on foreign policy issues. It’s like a time warp to see folks with very different views listen to each other, agree on some basic facts, and find areas of agreement as well as differences. Maybe someday the country will try it again.
“In November, we took a very long cruise from Hong Kong to Capetown, with a number of stops in Malaysia, Brunei (not invited to stay in Sultan’s 800-room palace), and Indonesia. The highlights were several stops in East Africa down to South Africa. We saw, over and over, unrealized agricultural potential, masses of unemployed young urban men, and young, young populations. For pure fun we visited the Italian lakes last spring—stunning scenery, great food, no George Clooney. And, after everyone else in the Wes extended family, we saw Hamilton, that astounding, wonderful, riveting reinvention of American musical theater. Miranda ’02 and Kail ’99 are kicking Royalist butt.”
Hugh Lifson writes: “I really appreciated Bing Leverich’s note about Carl Schorske. I never took a course with him, but had many discussions with the great man via Terry Frederick, who lived with Schorske for a while. Ditto Louis Mink, Fred Millett, William Coley, Richard Winslow, Robert Cohen, and many others—as only a Wesleyan student of the time was able to schmooze with our exalted professors!
“Schorske came to Cornell College twice while I was teaching there. I described the second visit in our 50th Reunion Book. The first was equally remarkable. In response to an odd question of mine, he discoursed for 90 minutes spontaneously and astonished all of my colleagues. We happy few would not have been surprised. I hope Wesleyan does something special about him.
“Fond memories also for Vic Butterfield, inspired by your recent article. He seemed to know us all!”
George Holzwarth, officially retired (emeritus) as a professor of physics at Wake Forest, works in mentoring undergrad research and the occasional honors thesis. Working with 18-to-22-year-olds is keeping him young! “On a whim, I bought Dave Potts’ new book, Wesleyan University 1910-1970, to learn a little about academic politics during our years in Middletown. It’s a fascinating book, filled with details about the battles for the soul of Wesleyan carried out between Vic Butterfield, the Board of Trustees, and the faculty, especially during our time there—1955–1959. Highly recommended!”
Skip Silloway | ssillow@gmail.com; 801-532-4311
John Spurdle | jspurdle@aol.com; 212-644-4858