CLASS OF 1959 | 2023 | SUMMER ISSUE
Greetings! I (Dick Cadigan) am pinch-hitting for Silloway and Spurdle this issue. Hope all are as well as possible as we navigate the mid-80s. Please give strong consideration to attending our 65th Reunion, May 24–26, 2024. Frankly, I never imagined I could be looking forward to going back to Wes at age 87!
Our 60th was great fun. We set a record with over 30 marching in the parade. I will urge the organizers of the upcoming event to schedule a nap time on Saturday afternoon!
Stephen Schleifer writes to us for the first time: “As this is the first time I’ve communicated something about myself since graduating, I wanted to share my post-Wesleyan career. After Middletown I received an MA from Stanford and PhD from the University of Wisconsin. Have led a nomadic life since then— Philadelphia (unhappy about the recent Eagles’ Super Bowl loss), Scottsdale (lived there four different times), Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and England (where I currently reside). Career in marketing/advertising including stints at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Chase Bank, Greyhound, Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising. Three children and one granddaughter. Have an English spouse . . . lived with her in the U.K. from 2002 to 2006, here permanently now. Sorry that three of my Sigma Chi roommates —Ned Churchill, Dave Mitchell, Gene Alessandroni—are no longer with us. Hello to my remaining classmates who remember me!”
Remembrance: Sad to relate that Dr. Charles T. “Tom” McHugh graduated to the Higher Life peacefully at home on December 14, 2022. He possessed a hearty laugh, good humor, and a knack for storytelling. He followed his father’s advice to “never spoil a good story by telling the whole truth.” An outstanding athlete, Tom played varsity soccer and ran field/track for three years at Wesleyan.
After medical school Tom spent 1965–1967 as the Peace Corps medical director in Tanzania. His career spanned medical administrative positions and working as a surgeon in public and private hospitals in Chicago. In 1987 he moved to Baileyville, Maine. He was the medical examiner in Washington County, the hospital district surgeon, and held leadership positions in numerous community service and professional organizations. He was the president of the Maine chapter of the American College of Surgeons. No matter where he was living, Dr. Tom had a private practice. He will be remembered and missed by numerous colleagues and patients.
Tom is survived by his lovely wife Anne, three children, numerous grandchildren, and brother John. His vitality was such that he was working two days a week before he was hospitalized in mid-November.
Weg Thomas will be attending his TCU granddaughter’s wedding in April in Fort Worth, Texas. Linda and Dick Cadigan will catch up with him over lunch. Weg is an award-winning photographer and poet. Connect with him on Facebook to see his regular postings of splendid photos captioned with thoughtful philosophical musings.
David Eklund has been traveling and keeping busy: “We went to Maui late January/February and were joined by our family from Colorado and Wyoming. Everyone enjoyed the warm weather, swimming, and watching the humpback whales from our lanai.
“While we have pretty much returned to all activities, we still wear our masks indoors and have therefore stayed well. A few movies have added to our pleasure in being out and about, as well as dinners with friends. I continue with my directorship on the Richardson Bay Sanitary District and also avidly follow the Boston Bruin games. Last October we visited our grandson in Buffalo, New York, on a sunny summery weekend and marveled again at the majesty of Niagara Falls.
“That’s the news from old 85.—David”
Ed. note: As we were going to press, we received the following news from Skip:
It is with great regret we must report the passing of John Spurdle on April 24. After Deerfield, John came to Wes, with several others from Deerfield and began quickly to make his mark. He joined Eclectic and was among a small group of men possibly interested in lacrosse, which became a club and then a serious team, with great results for both men and women. A force on our football team and a force for Wes for many years—in 1989, John received the Distinguished Alumnus Award, and in 2019, John received the Wesleyan University Service Award. He was a great character with a terrific sense of humor and was a leader in many ways. After graduating, John took on Harvard Business School and then enjoyed a successful 30-year career at Morgan Guaranty Trust. He worked with Morgan in London, where he became enamored of the London Library and became chair of the International Friends of the library. John was a quick man with a phrase, was always smiling, and will be missed by his classmates.