CLASS OF 1955 | 2016 | ISSUE 2
Received a wonderful note from Jim Shepard, reminding me that there are other sports that attract classmates. The details are fascinating and worth quoting verbatim: “I took intramural golf at Wesleyan the spring of my senior year after acceptance for medical school. That summer I played a couple of rounds in Monterey, where I worked as a dishwasher on the Wharf. Then I didn’t play until 25 years later when I asked my older daughter if I could join her on the M.V. links on the side of Mt. Tamalpais. Several years later she invited me to meet her in Scotland to play golf on a little island. Fortunately, the B&B owner was an avid golfer, so he took us out each day. When we finished the first round he suggested another round. I had been on call 72 straight hours before leaving for Scotland, so my daughter quickly realized the only thing better than more golf. ‘How about a pint?’ she asked. On the way home I stopped in Chicago for a free round of golf, courtesy of a Chicago policeman whose life I saved on a tour trip to Egypt.” Adding to the golf story, Jim recalled that- “Golf saved my life 15 or 29 years ago, when I went to a nephrology meeting in Aspen. The meeting started at 7 a.m., then had a break from noon until 5 p.m. followed by evening meetings. The leader tried to convince me to go mountain biking during the break. I had just started playing golf, so I did that instead. At the evening meeting the leader said, ‘I know the doc who went over his handlebars, broke both arms, but how bad was his head injury?’ Thanks to golf, it wasn’t me.”
Seems as if I mixed up Jim Wright and John Wright ’54 in a note in the previous Class Notes. Thanks to word from JACK Wright, let me set the record correctly. Jack politely reminded me that we had another John Wright at Wes but he was a year ahead of us. Jack included a photo of Al Hobson in his note and related they were both classmates at Loomis as well as Wesleyan. They remain in touch with each other and, as Jack claimed, “We both now look even older.”
On the home front, Marianne and I have moved from Boynton Beach to Delray Beach, Fla., a few weeks ago. Still unpacking boxes (not many left) and wondering how and why we managed to accumulate so many unnecessary things over the past 15 years. The move should work out well for both of us and, as I’ve told my cycling buddies here, I’m even closer to the starting points of many of our weekly rides! In addition, we are closer to several of our friends. As for biking, as of today (May 17) I have logged 2,020 miles and with decent weather and continued good health, I look forward to reaching the annual goal of 5,000 miles. By the way, I did celebrate my 83rd birthday by riding an 83-mile jaunt with three good cycling friends. And yes, we did the ride all in one day!!!
As always, my very best wishes to you and your loved ones in the days ahead. And, should you find the time to drop a note this way, know it would be greatly appreciated.
DONALD J. BRAVERMAN | ybikedon@bellsouth.net
27A Stratford Ln. W., Boynton Beach, FL 33436; 561/654-3711