CLASS OF 1952 | 2022 | FALL ISSUE

I attended our 70th Reunion on May 21 and sad to say, I was the only one from our class present at dinner, as Seth Rosner, who I was supposed to meet, left early because he wasn’t feeling well. It was saddened further by the handing out of pamphlets with the names of all our deceased classmates. However, I spent a pleasant evening with the 65th Reunion Class, the 40th Reunion Class with my daughter Ellen F. Bender ’82, and my granddaughter Eliza Bender ’24 and her friends.

Unfortunately, I must report that Hal Buckingham, my predecessor as class scribe, passed away on June 5th, survived by his three children, Margaret, Harold III, and Janet, and his six grandchildren, having been predeceased by his wife Joyce last year. After graduation from Wesleyan, he served in the Korean War in the 24th Infantry Division, 54th Regiment, and was present for the truce on July 27, 1953, and participated in the subsequent exchange of prisoners of war at Panmunjom. He married Joyce one day after returning home on September 16, 1954, having known her since he was 7 and she 5. He graduated Virginia Law School in 1957. Hal was eager to make it back to campus for our 70th before his health took a turn for the worse. For further details about his life, see The Hartford Courant, June 10–12, 2022, or read his obituary here.

Zdenek David wrote that even though he retired in 2003 from his position as librarian of the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., he continues to hold the position of senior scholar at the center and continues conducting research and writing in the history of East Central Europe. He attached a list of his recent publications and other activities, which is quite impressive.

PLEASE SEND NOTES!

Hope to see you at our 75th!