CLASS OF 1971 | 2017 | ISSUE 2
Here are notes I received this time. Forgive the harsh editing to get the notes to fit.
Chase Van Gorder had open heart surgery and is doing well. He has relocated to Minneapolis. Keeps in regular contact with Jed Marshall, High Heermans, Phil Rauch, and Bruce Fergusson ’73. Blake Allison relates, “Missed Reunion because I was on a two-month coast-to-coast road trip.” He had a great stay in Oakland with Kathryn and Morgan Muir ’73. Also joining the party were Peter Stern ’72 and Mitch Grashin ’70.
Bill Bruner says, “We had our first grandchild a year ago. He’s the son of my son Andrew Bruner ’04. Daughter Amanda ’02 was married recently. I’m still working doing medical ophthalmology in my private practice. I retired from the VA here after 35 years of teaching, research, and clinical work there.”
Jim RePass continues to work in conservation/alternative energy/alternative transportation, as I have since the 1970s. His current project is called Transit X, a technology that actually is pretty exciting, and is designed to make automobile use unnecessary in cities and suburbs.
Ed Swanson says, “In April I got together with Jim Redwood, a member of our freshman class who later transferred. Jim teaches securities law at Albany Law School. He and I spoke on the phone with Chuck Lucier ’70.” While his primary focus is corporate and securities law, Ed is now managing director of SMI Group LLC, and president of its broker-dealer subsidiary, SMI Capital Markets.
Steve Voorhies became Facebook friends with Mark Merlis, who has published several novels. Dave Lindorff says daughter Ariel ’05 is having her graduation (called supplication!) in July from Oxford with a PhD in education. She’s already publishing a lot and hoping to land a job at the same school as her partner, a Brit named James. Filmmaker son Jed is living in Baltimore with his girlfriend. Steve is writing for High Times and Salon, plus his own collectively-run news site Thiscantbehappening.net.
Vic Pfeiffer is retired and is involved with four organizations in Chestertown, Md. Daughter Alex ’06, along with his son-in-law and two granddaughters (ages 9 months and 2-1/2 years) live in San Diego. He gets together with five other Wesleyan friends—brother Steve ’69, Rick Ketterer ’69, John Stinchfield ’69, Jerry Parker ’69, and Marc Pickard ’70.
Fran Pawlowski encourages all to make the 50th Reunion in 2021.
Robert Beardslee writes, “This is my first contribution to the class notes. I am a bit out of the way here in a small country town north of Sydney, where I live with my Australian wife, Margaret. Taught kids with learning difficulties (I had one at Wes!) for years, and now concentrate on athletes with disabilities. My running career is over now due to osteoarthritis. However, I have kept physically active restoring antique cars and riding my mountain bike.”
From Andrew Glantz: “Since finishing my term as the president of the board of trustees of The Furniture Society, I have been concentrating on work in my shop. I had a hip replaced in March and hope that this and a few other tweaks allow me to be a bit more active this year than last.”
Katy Butler and Brian Donohue are set to be married on June 11 in their backyard in Mill Valley, Calif. “We’ve been living together for 17 years, so it’s not only a wedding, but a celebration of our continuing and deepening bond. We are continually amazed and grateful for our lives together.” Brian is a former hospital equipment salesman who now has a lot more fun working as a professional musician, leading singalongs in nursing home and retirement centers. Katy is writing her second book—about navigating medicine through old age, sickness, and death.
From Bill Boulware: “I am a ‘trophy husband’ now that I’ve pretty much retired. I cheer my wife on in her many endeavors and take care of the household. I try to convince myself that working out is fun, but I know I’m lying. And I’ve reached the ‘maintenance’ stage where multiple doctors are keeping an eye on things, waiting for the final breakdown I suppose. If I were a car I would have traded this body in a long time ago. But given what happens to many our age, I’m very grateful for many things.”
Joe Keller is living on Cape Cod and has a condo in Florida. Still active in commercial real estate company. Two grandchildren in Malibu, Calif. Just won a Massachusetts super senior golf tournament.
Alvin and Cynthia James are living in Cedar Hill, just south of Dallas. Cynthia serves as executive director of education for the Potter’s House of Dallas. Alvin is semi-retired, but serves as executive director of the Metropolitan Economic Development Corporation. At the beginning of 2017, Alvin oversaw the successful completion of a new 142,000-square-foot youth empowerment center building in southwest Dallas. “
That’s it for this time. Aloha.
Neil J. Clendeninn | Cybermad@msn.com
PO Box 1005, Hanalei, HI 96714