CLASS OF 1968 | 2019 | ISSUE 3
Judy and I greatly enjoyed a home invasion from Bill Currier ’69 playing hooky from his 50th. We have overlapped repeatedly—from Sam Greene’s art history classes to NYC in the early ’70s—but hadn’t touched base in a while. A one-time educator, one-time trial lawyer for the U.S. Attorney’s Office (prosecuting seriously bad people), one-time SEC lawyer, retired White and Case attorney (with world-wide assignments), and novelist in search of a publisher. He accompanies John Lipsky—our boy from Cedar Rapids who, despite his sleek, cosmopolitan ways, remains a devoted baseball nut—to National’s games occasionally. Bill’s wife, Nuchhi, heads a women’s political action group that goes back to the Suffragettes and his daughter, Lauren, a Middlebury/Pratt graduate, just made him a grandfather. He keeps up with Jim Weinstein ’69, a therapist/life-coach in D.C. Bill worked with Judy on a curricular project back in the day and had to remind me that I married over my pay-grade.
Barb and Dave Webb continue their romance with Cape Cod and one another. They hosted Ron Gwaizda ’67 and Bill McConaghy one night and Hank Sprouse ’62 another. It is almost Labor Day and, when football season approaches, I ache for Tim Polk. We used to go out to the Bowl together where I would share not only his good company but his insights into the game. Bob Runk ’67 recently co-authored/published a satiric look at golf entitled How to Line Up Your Fourth Putt. It contains important chapters like “The Insignificance of the Proper Grip” and “Replacing the Divots of Your Life.” A bargain at $9.99 from Amazon.
Crew corner: The men’s varsity were New England champions for only the fourth time in the history of the program and, as we see the team when we return, we feel a proud, proprietary relationship. Bob Svensk and Will Macoy ’67 rowed at the Royal Henley Regatta. Wallace Murfit competes in an extended sculling season in California and has been accepted to row in Boston’s glorious Head of the Charles Regatta in October. However, Harrison Knight has gone over to the dark side: He and Kit won the Over 60 Connecticut State mixed pickleball championship at Wes last June.
I spoke with Paul Spitzer who spent part of the summer nearby in the Congregational parsonage in his hometown of Old Lyme in exchange for a couple of sermons. He was working on two books, one scientific and one more spiritual. His big news: He is a visiting scholar at Wesleyan’s College of the Environment this fall. On May 18, Visakha and Ken Kawasaki ’69—a good friend of Paul’s—sent me a lovely Happy Vesak (Buddha’s birthday) e-mail/card from Sri Lanka.
I spoke to my old roommate, Bill Nicholson, down in Jacksonville. His daughter, Chase, just finished a joyous first year at SMU and had a summer internship at State. He plans on taking his youngest son on the classic New England college tour this fall. He has been reading: Sandberg on Lincoln and Coolidge’s autobiography. Said Coolidge is underappreciated and that his odyssey from one-room schoolhouse to the White House was empowered by his Amherst education. (Meanwhile, my Mueller Report is being used as a doorstop).
Karen, his wife of 50 years, reports that we lost Roy Thorpe, a brother of mine from Psi U, in August. Roy died at his home in Culpeper, Va., of pancreatic cancer and had practiced local government law to support his love of travel and sailing in the British Virgin Islands. President of Local Government Attorneys of Virginia, he served as city attorney and assistant commonwealth attorney in Bedford and Falls Church as well as attorney for Montgomery and Culpeper counties. In retirement, he spent time woodworking and at their home in Akumal, Mexico.
Personally, I must admit to some frustration with my limited mobility. Just cannot do things that I’d like to. Though falling apart in all the usual 73-year-old ways, basically well/strong/happy. Our move from New Haven to Branford on the nearby shoreline has been a great success. Judy and I are social and have made many new friends while not losing touch with our old gang. I take great satisfaction from moderating a weekly discussion group of about 20 spirited oldsters at my senior center. Involved as the PR guy for three lecture series and, in a very small way, with goings-on around town. Inasmuch as your life could not possibly be any more mundane than mine, I would love to hear from you with your particulars.
Lloyd Buzzell | LBuzz463@aol.com
70 Turtle Bay, Branford, CT 06405 | 203/208-5360