CLASS OF 1971 | 2016 | ISSUE 3

Aloha, Class of 1971. Reunion number 45 has come and gone, but in a short time the big FIVE-0 will be upon us (and I don’t mean Hawaii Five-0). There was a recent e-mail from Peter Michaelson that I thought bears repeating. We should really start planning this event now and try to get more of the class to attend this important milestone. If you are one of those who, through the years has been loosely connected to Wesleyan and your classmates, and would like to help make this next Reunion more meaningful, contact me or the university and we can start by developing a plan for the 50th Reunion.

The letter from Peter, 45th Reunion co-chair, is as follows:

“Dear Classmate,

I hope you’ve had a chance to look at the photos from last week’s Reunion. The 33 members of the class of ’71 in attendance all had a terrific time catching up, reminiscing, or even getting to know some pretty cool people for the first time.

It does seem, though, that the same core group—roughly 10 percent of the class—tends to show up at each Reunion. Sadly, about an equal percentage are no longer alive.

There remains a missing 80 percent, an all-time high (or low, as the case may be) for any class in the history of the school. So be it. Whatever the reasons—lack of institutional loyalty, ancient grievances, basic disinterest—really does not matter. The only thing that does matter at this point is that our class will have its last opportunity, five years from now, to gather in numbers.

Our 50th Reunion will be an awesome program that focuses on reflection, stimulation, engagement, and celebration. Being back at Wesleyan, spending time talking to people who shared the Middletown air during important and formative years, having glimpses into some remarkable lives will be good for you, in these and other ways you may not anticipate, a life experience you will not want to pass up. We hope you’ll join us.”

I did hear from Bill Trench, who said, “I very much appreciate your work over the years to keep all of us up-to-date on the activities of our classmates. When the alumni magazine comes, I turn immediately to the class notes. Thank you!

“It was great to see folks at the Reunion. Elaine and I only came for the dinner on Saturday evening, but we had great enjoyment in those few hours. Just before the class dinner, I was standing in the basement of the new building section between the chapel and the ’92 Theater and heard the unmistakable sound of Steve Leinwand’s voice as he was sitting on the railing of the walkway above me, talking to you, I think.

“During the dinner it was great to catch up with Steve and Ann, and it was wonderful to reconnect with Rich Aroneau after all these years. Rich was the best man at our wedding, but we lost touch and had lots to catch up on. In addition to his work in architectural reconstruction, he is the guiding light for a little synagogue in Rockland, Maine. Since they have no rabbi, Rich has often been the one to preside at weddings and funerals, which gave us a lot to talk about.

Elaine retired after 31 years as a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Daughter Carolyn (Smith ’07) earned a PhD in art history last year at the University of Pennsylvania, where she now is teaching in the critical writing program. I continue to work as the senior pastor at the East Greenwich United Methodist Church, where I have been since 2000. I write a blog called Thinking Faith (Thinkfaithfully.blogspot.com), which gives me a chance to address social and theological issues of racism, sexism, homophobia, and biblical literalism. Although I think about retirement, I really enjoy the work and the congregation, so that is on hold for now. Thanks again for your good work on our behalf.”

As a final note, I will mention my life now. While retiring at 52 had been a blast and I love living in Hawaii, I got the call to go back to full-time work. Actually I was made an offer I could not refuse. So now I am commuting from Kauai to San Diego to work as the chief medical officer for Heron Therapeutics. It actually is fun being back in the thick of things. Being older and experienced I can hire the right people and allow them to grow much easier, as I am less worried about my own skin. We are developing some interesting products and one that may serious help in decreasing the opioid epidemic, which so often begins with routine surgery. Otherwise, life is good. Children are fine and grandchildren are a joy (and I get to see them more because of work travel to the mainland). Other changes are happening, but more on that in a future column. Let’s just say I am feeling and acting in my early 40s in many ways. Until next time…

NEIL J. CLENDENINN | Cybermad@msn.com
PO Box 1005, Hanalei, HI 96714