Author: classnotes

From Bob Calvin: “We have lost many friends recently and others are ill, all of which is very sad. On the positive side, Jane and I are chugging along. We’re happy that granddaughter Zoe will attend Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs this fall on a full scholarship. We do Zoom with Art von Au and Ronna, who seem to be doing well. I am smiling.” 

             Sandy Mendelson writes: “Irene and I still live in Bethesda, having just celebrated our 65th anniversary. Thankfully we’re in pretty good shape, able to take advantage of D.C.’s cultural resources and our lively synagogue. As the pandemic began, I retired after nearly 53 years in cardiology at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. I’m continuing my (remote) role as consultant in bioethics. On our last long international trip a year ago, we both got COVID in Jerusalem, a bit more of an adventure than we had expected. This summer we’ve been to Canada and to the Aspen Music Festival. Our three children, their wives, and our six grandkids are in various locations, in a variety of study or work, which adds pleasure and surprise to our attempts to keep up with them.”

             And David Fricke: “Beryl and I are doing well in our home in Silver Spring, Maryland. All visitors welcome!”

             As for the Chiens, Ann and I have had a fairly active summer. In May we attended the graduation of our one-and-only granddaughter, Jeannette, from the University of Vermont. Jeannette majored in Latin and (like our daughter Judith ’84) Classical Civilizations. She will return to UVM on a full scholarship to pursue a master’s degree. In June, our children (and granddaughter) took us to visit my 93-year-old big brother Alan Chien ’52, MAT ’54, who lives in Wisconsin. We hadn’t seen Al since the 2008 total eclipse. He’s lost a little height and has recently acquired a pacemaker, but he gets around quite well. A retired art teacher, he draws every day. In July, Ann and I drove to the Adirondacks for her 70th high school reunion. Three (of 29) classmates attended. And now (in August) we are off to our annual Chien family reunion in the Catskills. In September, we’ll rest.

             Incidentally, Dick Bauer’s email was hacked. Contact me if you want his new one. 

***

             After our last WesMag deadline, but in the month before its publication, our class suffered the loss of five classmates. Here are my thoughts.

             Whit Rusk was one of our best-ever feel-good stories: after a long struggle with cancer, he actually won! But sadly, cancer returned last year, and Whit succumbed this April. Gordy Krause spoke at his memorial service at the church in Haddonfield that was founded by Whit’s great-grandfather.  

             Whit was my sophomore roommate and despite our differences in height (6’4″ vs. 5’7″), sleeping habits (early to bed vs. night owl), and fandom (Philly vs. Big Apple), it worked. Whit had tried out for freshman football and baseball but didn’t play on the varsity. Instead, he and I were stalwart teammates on the Lodge’s intramural football, basketball, and softball squads. Whit developed an unfair reputation for clumsiness, but he was really a fine, under-appreciated athlete. Was he still growing into his 6’4″ frame? Our junior year, we split up. I roomed with Tom Reed ’57 and Whit teamed up with Henry George Hager III. Whit and Merc (HG is the chemical symbol for mercury) were a good match. Perhaps it was their similar heights. Or the fact that both were sons of alumni. Or was it the III at the ends of their names? Whatever it was, they clicked. Whit and I only saw each other once after graduation—a chance encounter on a street in Manhattan—though I later missed him one other time, at a Homecoming game on Adrus Field when he and his wife, Pat, were sitting in the visitors’ bleachers, rooting for their grandson, an (gasp!) Amherst Mammoth! (A list of Whit’s grandsons’ alma maters, by the way, reads like a who’s who of elite Eastern colleges. In no particular order: Bowdoin, Amherst, Tufts, Lafayette, and RPI!)

             But we stayed in touch for all these 67 years. So, goodbye, dear friend. Thanks for the memories.

             Dr. Donald Price died on May 5, 2023, at his home in Greenville, North Carolina. He is survived by his wife, Helen, of 67 years, three children—all physicians—and a number of grandchildren. Don grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and came to Wesleyan with impressive athletic credentials. He fulfilled those expectations as a multiyear participant in two sports—basketball and baseball. Don was always friendly, always unassuming, always pleasant to be around. It was not beyond imagining that he might settle into that genial, comfortable jock life so often adopted by successful athletes, but instead he graduated as a dedicated Shakespearean scholar, thanks to the influence and enduring friendship of Fred Millet, Wesleyan’s iconic champion of the humanities. Professor Millet not only exposed Don to Shakespeare—which was to become his lifelong passion—but gave him a new vision of what his life could and ought to be. When Don graduated from Wesleyan, he had two potential paths: Shakespeare or medicine. Professor Millet helped Don to choose against his own field. Don would always have Shakespeare, but in medicine he might be able to make an even greater contribution to the well-being of his fellow inhabitants of this world—which he most certainly did. Dr. Donald Price became a tireless advocate for the treatment and examination of neuropathology and related conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease. He conducted countless studies and wrote numerous papers, earning great respect and esteem as an expert in the field. To his peers, Donald Price was recognized as “a giant.”

             A few years back Don spoke at a Wesleyan Commencement weekend. He was the same guy I remembered, just more awesome. To me, Don Price was/is the quintessential Wesleyan grad.

             Jim Gramentine and I existed it different universes. He ventured far and wide from Western Reserve Academy in Akron, Ohio, to find Wesleyan. I was a legacy from neighboring New York State. A government major, Jim quickly became a campus-wide leader, while I hunkered down in the bowels of Judd Hall trying to make sense of Bartók’s string quartets. And, of course, he became an all-New England champion wrestler. The sport of wrestling had been unknown to me, but I was eventually drawn into that world when I roomed with Kent Davies ’57, who, along with his twin brother, George ’57, joined Jim in earning that distinction. After graduation, Jim took a government job, but soon realized that it was not his calling. He turned instead to education, serving as teacher, coach, administrator, and headmaster at schools in five different states. Ann and I befriended Jim and his wife Ray (née Sarah) in Jersey when they were based in Princeton. By the time we later visited them at their home, when they lived in a suburb of Milwaukee, I think I could safely say that our universes had merged and that we had become close friends. But I never learned whether Ray accompanied him on his annual pilgrimages to the national college wrestling championships in Iowa. This I do know: Jim’s very last act—on the day that he died—was to present a Mother’s Day orchid to Ray.

             Dick Irwin remembers: “I note with sorrow Jim’s passing. He and I were teammates through our junior year on the wrestling team, a period which coincided with Hank Elespuru’s tenure as coach. For reasons not clear to me, Hank insisted that Jim and I work out together on a daily basis. We made a poor match. Jim was the bigger, faster, and stronger of the two of us and I absorbed daily beatings. I did get the advantage of working out with the best. I am not sure how I helped Jim (although he did win the New England championship.)

             “In our opening meet freshman year, Jim started at 137. Halfway through the match he asked the referee for a short break, explaining ‘it’s my heart.’ Needless to say, the referee (and some of his teammates who were unaware of Jim’s non-life-threatening heart issue) were extremely upset. After hurried explanations, the match continued and Jim went on to an easy victory.

             “Jim was a natural as an educator. My standout memory of him is a person who cared about other people. His kindness and consideration for others ran deep.”

             And John Foster: “Jim was to me a class act, which can have many meanings, but to me, a strong, solid, quiet, sincere, and a friend I suspect to most he rubbed elbows with. Ray is a special person too. It was a lot of fun having her with him for a lot of our weekend bashes which Jim didn’t not shy from. He is one I would have very much liked to connect with after Wesleyan to deepen our relationship. He’s a man to remember fondly.”

             From my book:

THE BRIDGE AT BORDEAUX

             My Wesleyan classmate Jim Gramentine once mentioned that he was born on the very same day as Brigitte Bardot—adding that he had seen a recent photo of B.B. and wondered, now that they together had passed the four-score milestone, whether he might be catching up with her in the looks department. It reminded me of an incident on Ann’s and my tour around France in 2004. As our bus approached the city of Bordeaux our guide, Elisabeth, pointed out a local landmark. She claimed that on one tour when she identified it by calling out, “There’s the Bridge at Bordeaux,” some of her then touristes (mostly male) had been disappointed because they thought she was signaling to them that they would catch a glimpse of a certain famous French film star—which unfortunately they were not. I asked her: “If those folks want to see The Brigitte Bardot, shouldn’t they start looking at Brest?” She made me come to the front of the bus and repeat it for the group. It was well received. 

             As for Jim: Sorry, but you may still have a little way to go.—George Chien

             Gary Miller died on May 20. He left behind his wife, Margorie of 66 and a half years, four children, and five grandchildren. Gary was employed by DuPont for 35 years, which included extended overseas assignments in Iran and the Netherlands. He and Marge retired to Surf City, South Carolina, until recurring hurricanes chased them inland. They had a summer retreat on Sheepscot Lake in Maine. Retirement opened their door to extensive world travel, as if their years in Holland and Iran hadn’t been enough. Gary was inveterate tinkerer, a helpful neighbor, and a genial host. As Marge tells it, she met Gary on a blind date at Wesleyan. When she got home after that momentous date, she announced, “I have just met the man I’m going marry!” Which she did.

             Ken Spencer is probably best remembered as a member of the soccer and squash teams. After graduating, Ken signed up and thus became a proud Cold War veteran. Back in civilian life, he started and ran his own business in pension administration until he retired 40 years later. Ken was a dedicated family man. He had six children, and his second wife, Meredith, had three. They lived mostly in New Jersey, but he had long family ties to Vermont, where his ancestors had settled in 1768. He loved sharing his family stories to enthralled listeners. Ken was multitalented—a piano virtuoso, but also on the banjo or guitar to accompany his singing. And he was a poet, writing and publishing several books of verse.

Here is one:

The Three-Legged Cat

Once there was a young lad
with a baseball bat
a ball and hat
Then there was an old man
with a cane and hat
and a three-legged cat
And in between the lad and man
a jar of laughs and a jug of tears
and a basket full of torn up years

Ken Spencer was his own man. He will be missed.

Five friends. Good men, all.

Delighted to receive Tom Nall’s note recalling our graduation trip throughout the country, visiting the national parks, camping on Mount Hood with the bears, bathing in icy creeks, and even dishwashing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. And yes, I do remember our class moniker, the “Crucial Class”! What wonderful memories we share. Glad to hear from you once again, Tom, and stay well!

Stuart Rapp sent “thanks for enabling me to keep in touch, even as I recede ever farther into old age! I have been truly gratified throughout my post-Wes career to enjoy the steady (and steadily advancing) march into the always obscure future, [remembering] the ‘college on the hill’ of my grateful memories.”

I received news that David Rich passed away on July 20, 23. He studied English at Wes and some may remember that he performed as a jazz clarinetist with the High Street Five band. His obituary can be read here. My condolences to his wife, Ellen, and their family.

It would be super if more of our classmates could find the time to send a note my way, helping us relive these wonderful times and experiences.

As for me, I relocated to a brand-new apartment building in Silver Spring, Maryland, and am now about 4 miles from my eldest Peter ’86 and his wife, Annice. So grateful for their love and support, especially at this stage of my life. All will be perfect in another few months, when the pool and recreation center at our building are completed. Can’t wait to get back on a stationary bike, assuming my knees agree!

As always, wishing you and your loved ones good health and much happiness in the days to come.

Jim Yashar writes, “I am celebrating my 90th birthday this August. I am fortunate to be in good health  . . . I have had knee and shoulder replacements and [a] cornea transplant.” Jim said he remarried 14 years ago to a wonderful woman, and they spend summers in Boston and winters in Palm Beach. He “retired from practicing cardiac surgery 20 years ago and [enjoys] retirement traveling, playing nine holes of golf, playing bridge . . .  reading, getting together with friends, discussing books and current events.” One of his  grandchildren was admitted to Brown last December and other grandchildren are applying to college this year.” Jim says that “Wesleyan was the basis for my future and graduate studies.”

David Walden, who lives in London, Ontario, says that he does not travel as he once did. He also adds that “Our family is doing well. John ’81 and Lisa live in London. Karen and Wouter live in Alberta. Carol, my beloved wife of 67 years, graduated from Boston University with an RN and BS.” Though he is now retired from the plant sciences department at Western University (London, Ontario), he spent his entire career there, earning several awards and mentoring 22 graduate students. Dave would be delighted to hear from any classmates. 

We end with some sad news received from John Miller ’53. He reports that Bill Ranscht died on March 7, 2022. John said, “Ranscht and I were number one and two hurdlers for the two years we overlapped, 1952 and 1953. We did not meet again until teams were elected to Wesleyan’s Athletic Hall of Fame.” Bill set the record for high hurdles at Wes, which stood for 49 years. His obit can be read at www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/orleans-ma/william-ranscht-10618070.

Ring the bells of South College for Joe, Mel, and Woody! Joe Buchman, Mel Katz, and Atwood Dunham proudly represented the Class of 1953 at our 70th Reunion in May. GO WES!

Bob Knapp, Psi U, government major, writes, “I’ve lived for 15 years in a retirement community (in Cheshire, Connecticut) with my wife of 65 years.” Occasionally they welcome 75- to 80-year-old youngsters from Wesleyan into residency.

Gerald Patrick, Alpha Delt, math major, lives independently in a condo overlooking San Francisco Bay, while reading and writing. One of his stories was recently published in the Evening Street Press, a literary magazine. He finds time to play intensive duplicate bridge and coach a couple of students. Earlier this year he vacationed with daughter, Eileen ’79, in Puerto Vallarta and lunches weekly with his son, Mike ’81, with whom he works on a nonprofit board. Gerald mentioned speaking by phone with Ed Biester ’52, who continues abstract painting, and with Jim Waters ’52, who lives in Florida.

Rev. Fred Wandall, Delta Tau Delta, English major, sent a photo of Will Rowe ’80 and himself having lunch in northern Virginia where he lives.

Sad news from Sarah Porter ’86, daughter of Robert L. Porter, that he passed away on May 3, 2023, in Simsbury, Connecticut. She attended  our 65th Reunion in 2017 with Bob and his grandson, Asa Porter-Bernstein, and included pictures of them having fun and singing some of the old Wesleyan songs after dinner. Although he didn’t make the Glee Club while at Wesleyan, music was so important to him and he was happiest while singing or listening to music. In addition to Sarah, Bob’s legacies included his dad, Charles P. Porter 1918, and his maternal grandmother, Bella Pullman 1885. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Constance Flower, his daughters, Martha and Sarah, son-in-law, Matthew Bernstein, and grandsons, Asa and Otto Porter-Bernstein.

Zdenek David wrote that during the last academic year, he delivered two lectures—one at the American Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) Convention in Chicago, November 10–23, 2022, and at the Bohemian Reformation and Religious Practice, Fourteenth Symposium in Prague, June 19–20, 2023.

Seth Rosner is still chugging away in Saratoga Springs, New York, living in the happiest time of his life, due entirely to his beloved married relation, Judith. He recites a chilling story about her parents, who were Holocaust survivors:

“In 1943 her mother was taken by German troops from her home in Uzhorod, then in Hungary, now Ukraine, to slave labor in a munitions factory near Hamburg. Then in April 1945, as Germany was collapsing, to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp for ‘disposal,’ before which she was liberated by units of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery’s Royal Army.

“Father was transported from Breslau in Silesia—then Germany, now Poland—via the Teresienstadt ghetto to Dachau for disposal, liberated by the 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions and the 20th Armored Division of the U.S. Army.

“Both then went to ‘displaced person’ camps for adequate nourishment and health care, then ‘resettled’ in Prague, where they met, married, and Judith was the result. She grew up under the Communist regime, always dreaming of coming to America with her mom and dad, to which two uncles had emigrated prior to the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia. Two days prior to their departure, her dad passed of a heart attack; she and Mom buried him, then flew to JFK arriving with one valise and $25 between them, and neither spoke a word of English.

“Mom was a seamstress in Prague, so quickly got a job in New York City’s garment industry where her fingers did her talking. Judith taught herself English sorting vegetables in a supermarket, put herself through college, and got a job at Arthur Andersen. When the firm decided to open its first office in a former Iron Curtain country, in Prague, Judith got the job.”

Samuel Fitch relates that he is one of the few of us still kicking around, living in an independent living facility in Sun City, Arizona, with his lady. It seems that everything hurts these days and what doesn’t hurt, doesn’t work. But in our 90s, it’s just good to be able to get up in the morning and socialize. He says, “Hi to all.”

Just received sad news that another of our classmates, Paul Newcomet Sutro, passed away suddenly on August 29, 2023, in Rifle, Colorado, at the age of 93. He is survived by his wife, Sissy, who he met on a blind date in Atlanta in 1960 and who he married less than a month later, and his children—Tripp ’85, Martha ’87, Tommy, and John—their spouses, and seven grandchildren. His full obituary can be read at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/timesdispatch/name/paul-sutro-obituary?id=53121369.

Finally, on September 7, I attended an excellent revival of Sweeney Todd with my daughter, Ellen Bender ’82, replacing her husband, Samuel ’82, who could not attend, as he was delivering babies. It was a Wes fundraiser, attended by President Roth and hundreds of supporters. The production was directed by Thomas Kail ’99, who also directed In the Heights and Hamilton, both Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02 productions. President Roth and Thomas also co-hosted a post-performance discussion about Wesleyan’s contributions to the arts.

Bill Hillis sent in a remembrance of what he has done. He graduated from the Brunswick School in 1947, then went off to Wesleyan. After graduating, he went to Cornell Medical School (graduated 1955) and did a surgical residency for two years at the University Hospital of Cleveland (1956–57). He spent two years in the U.S. Navy (1958–59) as a junior medical officer on the USS Midway. Afterward, he returned to the University Hospital of Cleveland to complete his surgical residency (1960–62). He spent 16 years in general surgery practice in Greenwich, Connecticut. Bill retired in 1997, living in Goshen, Connecticut, until 2014. He currently lives in a retirement community, Masonicare at Ashlar Village, Wallingford, Connecticut. He says he and Barbara are doing well.

Charlie Selig writes: “I am still here living a very good life. This is probably our last year in New York as we, meaning my significant other, Madalyn, is selling her condo. We plan on returning to Boca West, Boca Raton, Florida, where we have resided together for over 12 years. No more tennis, but swim laps here and in Florida, three or four times a week. Still crazy New York Giants fan and now watch all games on TV. Hoping to see team play in Miami this fall. Best to my old DKE friends and others at Wes. Sorry, have not been back to Wes for a long time. Regards, Charlie”

Word received that Dave Morey has died. Lived most recently at The Kendall in Ithaca, New York, after a long career in marketing at a variety of prestigious members of corporate America. Dave was an active member at John Wes and busy with the Atwater Club. Condolences to his family and friends. His obituary can be read here: https://www.lansingfuneralhome.com/obituaries/david-morey.

Bud Dorsey has retired from his role as your class secretary. We thank Bud for his dedication to keeping his classmates connected to each other and to Wes over the years, and we hope that he sends in his own update soon.

Dick Powell writes, “I was named ‘Crickets’ when I joined Psi U in the fall of 1946 as a freshman, with the first large class [made up of] many veterans at the end of World War II. Much has happened since that graduation:

“I was drafted into the army five months after graduation and discharged three years later (Korean War) as [a] first lieutenant. I entered the life insurance world as a career, married, and now have two sons, three grandchildren, and three great-granddaughters.

“For pure fun I have sailed our 40-foot Hinkley from Florida to Maine waters [and] became an instrument-rated pilot, flying our Beechcraft Bonanza several thousand hours, mostly on the East Coast.

“We have lived in the Philadelphia suburbs, Florida fly-in community, Pomfret, Vermont, and now living in Kendal at Hanover, New Hampshire, a Quaker retirement community.

“Life at age 95 is still good but a bit slower. When I departed Wesleyan I never thought I would get this far. I have much to be grateful for.

“All good wishes to you of the Class of ’50—Crickets (Dick) Powell.”

Cliff Milner shares, “Exciting news from me! I had my 19th great-grandchild four weeks ago [July 2023] and now awaiting delivery of my 20th. Both happenings right here in Rochester. Both are boys! Let’s see someone in the 1950 class beat that. Of course, I’m helping the odds by being 95 years old.”

Camp Hale, the site of the training of the 10th Mountain Division, is now going to be renovated and I am part of the committee that is deciding what should happen to it. It is now a national monument and it was very important to the development of the entire ski industry in Colorado. Senator Michael Bennet ’87, a group of local historians, the forest service, and so forth, are going to meet in September about the particulars and specifics to make this site attractive and informative for the general public. As a member of the committee, I am one of the few remaining veterans who was at Camp Hale during World War II.

The 10th Mountain Division trained at Camp Hale for about two years before we went to Italy for our assignment, which was to drive the Germans out of the Apennines, across the Po River Valley, up to the Alps, and then to the other pass to prevent them from getting into Austria and joining the German troops. We did this in five months, until the war ended.

I will keep you informed over the next months about the progress and particulars of the efforts to renovate the old Camp Hale site. The best book on the subject of the 10th Mountain Division is Soldiers on Skis by Flint Whitlock and Bob Bishop. I recommend that you get a copy to learn about this unique and elite military history. I hope to have specifics by our next issue of the magazine.

Slán go fóill.