Author: etaylor

“It’s weird being the same age as old people!”

     Al Brooks signifies just this separation from our “age group.” The virus eliminated all his 2020 track meets, but Brooksie is determined to keep competing with the youngsters. Though a dislocated shoulder forced him to give up the discus, he is fully focused on the shot put. Closure of his regular gym led him to resurrect his old gym equipment in the basement and he has been preparing for the 2021 season, at 85!

     Dick Cadigan reports something incredibly unusual: “King Berlew ’51 died recently. He was married to my sister Jean. It reminded me that King’s father, Herman Berlew ’21, was captain of the Wesleyan football team in that year, now 100 years ago! My father Charlie was the captain of the Amherst football team in 1927. In 1921, Wesleyan beat Amherst 7–0. In 1927, Amherst won by 20–0. Both men became ministers, one Methodist, one Episcopalian.” Fun special note: John Spurdle’s father-in-law Dick Stauffer played halfback then with Charlie at Amherst! The only game they lost that year was to Princeton, 14–6!

     Staying on the course of athletics, Herb and Ellen Steiner are back for their 14th year in Delray Beach. The weather has been beautiful, says Herb, and they are playing “pickle ball” three to four times a week, and walking a lot. Herb is still playing in two string quartets. They are looking forward to welcoming their 11th grandchild in June . . . wow. That might be a 1959 record! Also finally getting the vaccinations for COVID-19.

     Joe Mallory writes: “Last summer I chose a half dozen areas in which I would like to become reasonably expert. I picked my own sources (books, courses, articles, friends), designed my own exams, administered my own grades, allowing do-overs where needed. No deadlines! Courses were birds (a longtime interest since age 12), botany, cosmology (the very big), quantum theory (the very small), concert music, and philosophy (inspired by Louis Mink’s Wesleyan course, which a number of us took and a teaching company course by Dan Robinson). It was a great experience learning this way, and with my own grading system I have a shot at Phi Beta Kappa!”

     Weg Thomas received a significant honor and was named conservation champion by the McHenry County Conservation Board for his “tireless and unwavering leadership in protecting the environment in McHenry County over many years.” He is known for his distinctive landscape photographs spanning a period of almost 50 years. Hired in 1972 to get the word out about the conservation area, he used his marketing, tracking, and mapping skills to bring the place alive. “We the people, plants, and animals in McHenry County and all the areas you touch with your personal passion are forever grateful. Thank you for standing out and standing up for conservation and the protection of our water, wildlife, and way of life in McHenry County.” Go Weg, Go ’59!

     Ed Murphy reports on his old pal and Wesleyan Fund agent Bert Edwards with an interesting story. Washington, DC was spun off by Congress some years ago. All funding for existing and new pensions was cut off, perhaps inadvertently, but cut off. Bert, as the independent auditor of DC, made such a fuss that Congress came around and sorted out the problem! Good training for his years as our co-class agent!

     Josiah Carberry, our mysterious honorary classmate, former professor of psychoceramics at Brown (per his last note in Issue 4, 2019 of this magazine), has surfaced in Brazil, where he seems to have fled after retirement from Brown: “Though no one in the class has asked for my help lately, highly unusual, in case of any uncertainty, I should definitely use Pfizer.”

     Molly and Skip Silloway are now settled in their new retirement home in Northern California. Skip says the only way to downsize is to do it early. Too much stuff! I think we ought to have a 1959 show of hands on the number of storage bins we have . . . put Spurdle down for five!

     We end on happy and sad notes:

    Dick Cadigan gets double billing. He reports causing some “discomfort” while getting his second COVID-19 shot. He was reading a book given to him by Katie, his Episcopal minister daughter, The Lost Art of Dying, during his post-shot recovery period. Cads, nervous that fellow patients had noted the title, covered it up! Main message from The Lost Art: Be patient!

     On a sad note, John Keeler passed away in February 2021. Our deep sympathy and prayers go out to his wife and best friend Catherine Blunt. We hope Catherine will be part of our class going forward.

Class of ’58,

     A generous response to my last email. Tom Mosher and Heidi are in La Jolla, California, and enjoy tennis, bridge, and coast walks. They enjoy good health, but are a little stir crazy. 

     Art Geltzer is in Rhode Island and is in quarantine except for daily exercise and grocery shopping. He has had one shot of the Moderna vaccine.

     Bart Bolton canceled his February trip to Sarasota and is hoping to go in April. He has had difficulty scheduling a vaccine shot. He feels he needs one to travel to Sarasota.

     Roger Turkington is publishing a new book, New and Collected Poems. He sends best wishes to all classmates.

     An entertaining recollection from John Corkran: He recalls during rushing that on a day-date he went to a roller skating rink and that during a game of Red Rover he skated out of control into a row of lockers. John thanks all who contributed to the Wesleyan Fund.

     Dick Goldman lost his wife, Patty, on January 9. After a moving memorial service, which I and several other Wes people attended by Zoom, Dick continued his significant activities. He will do a seminar for the American Bar Association and will continue starting networking for Wesleyan lawyers in major cities.

     The virus hit both Kay and Bob Terkhorn in October. Both escaped hospital stays and have had their vaccines.

     Dan Woodhead has a new hobby­—The New York Times’ “Time Machine.”  He has access to every issue going back to 1851. He is a history buff and is really hooked. He also loves reading about the Civil War and frequently does crossword puzzles .

     Since the pandemic limited Neil Henry’s trips to restaurants and bars he put the saved money to home repairs. By now he will have had two shots of the Pfizer vaccine.

     Jack Wright is working with a Black/Indian friend on the Flathead Reservation to develop an anti-racism program.

     Tom Burns and wife, Janice, are “hanging in there in Northern Virginia.” Lots of Zoom get-togethers and walks in the woods. Kids are in Massachusetts, Florida, and Northern Virginia. Tom hopes he will soon be able to visit them. 

     A note from Dick Tompkins lamented the passing of Charlie Keck. Charlie and Dick were close lifelong friends. Dick met his wife, Betsy, at Charlie’s wedding in 1959. Dick remembers Charlie as a pediatrician, kind and gentle with many interests.

     I was semi-joking when I mentioned vaccinations in my recent email. But, Tony Codding sent a brief account of his efforts to get the vaccine.  He will feel the needle on February 13.

     I believe Ezra Amsterdam wins the award for the alumnus working the hardest.  He just published his 15th book, Manual of the Am Soc Prev Cardiol. Still does teaching, clinic visits, supervision of fellows and test interpretation (virtually). Tennis is still on the back burner and he still roots passionately for the Yankees.

     Burr Edwards, in France, just finished delivering a two-day training course in public-private partnerships to professionals working with the West African Power Pool. The course is done online and he does this as a way of staying in the saddle on a horse at home.

     As a result of the pandemic the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra, where Bill Barnes had played for over 30 years, came to a sudden halt. But for six weeks last fall, while following strict COVID-19 protocols including temperature checks, wearing of masks, and playing while socially distanced at least six feet from one another, he joined 20 players in preparing a small concert of string music for our area community television station. The result, seen on YouTube as well as community TV, was quite satisfying.

     Recently I had a nice phone conversation with Bill Krenz, who shared the following: Bill and Pat Barnes frequently phone him and Rosemary. Both couples have had their shots. Bill Barnes is an accomplished violist and Bill Krenz plays the cello, but modestly admits he often puts the audience to sleep.

     Kay and I are ok. She had a pacemaker implanted late December and it has really helped. I am still golfing; you can often find my name on the tee sheet. I play bridge even more than golf, all virtually on Bridge Base Online. I have played with Ted Wieseman, and Burr Edwards will join us later this spring. 

     Stay safe, keep the notes flowing.

Bob Weiner made a cross-country move from Hollywood back east to live with his daughter (and 11 cats) in the Catskill mountains.  He is enjoying it all—the beauty of the change of season and the pastoral setting. Bob concludes with “life is good.”

      Also on the move—but a shorter distance—we find Jeff and Nancy Williamson in a senior retirement center, Capital Lakes. Their  new address is 110 So. Henry St. 110, Madison, WI, 53703. They continue to migrate to St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands in the winter and Maine in the summer. Jeff continues with economics research; some can be found through the Harvard Economics Department emeritus faculty website.

     Early last year, Jim Brown assembled a family group of 14 for a cruise on the Allure of the Seas, before the pandemic curtailed some of such activities. Jim’s son Chris, an oral surgeon, supplied the entertainment at mealtimes, e.g., calling out the chef about an “uncooked” chicken (it was rubber).

     Rutgers University has designated Dick Cassie professor emeritus. Dick retired from the School of Dental Medicine in 2019.

     Bob Anderson is busy with a wide range of pursuits, among them hosting a young Honduran awaiting asylum, gardening, and sculpture. He also finds time for church-related issues such as child separation matters, all of the foregoing out of his home in the maritime climate of Washington State.

     Novelist John Chaplick has new work out, A Light Too Far Away, which he says is based on the life of a client of his. He’s not revealing more than that. He adds that he’s pleased with the reception thus far. Info can be found by emailing jchaplick@gmail.com and visiting engagingbooksonline.com.

     Had a good conversation with Herb Camp—he and Alice are in Stony Creek, Connecticut and not travelling much during the pandemic. The Camps have four children and six grandchildren, all of whom are New Englanders, the furthest from Connecticut being one in Vermont, so there is ample opportunity for visits.

     Sadly, Jon Altschuler died last fall. I received notice from Jon’s wife, Olivia. They were married 45 years. He leaves two sons and three stepchildren. He practiced law through his own firm in New York City, and found time for leadership roles with New York Hospital and the East Side Chamber of Commerce. His was an exemplary life and our class misses him. His official obituary reads: 

Jonathan Bobrow Altschuler, 84, died on Oct. 19 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. A graduate of Wesleyan University and Columbia Law School, he started out in the Justice Department as a civil rights attorney venturing to Mississippi providing legal aid to African-Americans. He established his own practice in New York City in 1968 litigating until his death. He served as President, Chairman and served on the Board Of Directors East Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, served on the board of New York Hospital and was a member of the City Club and Democratic Committee in Poughquag, N.Y., among many other organizations. He is survived by his wife, Olivia, a brother Michael, two sons, two step-sons and step-daughter, five grandchildren, and three step-grandchildren.

    Tom Reed died last November, this news from Nancy Reed. They were married for 59 years. Tom had a long career in insurance underwriting with Aetna. The Reeds travelled extensively and Tom maintained an interest for sports on levels ranging from Little League coaching to Mets and Giants fandom. Our ’57 sympathy goes out to Nancy and the family.

First, the bad news: We are all twice as old as Tom Brady, and collectively we have not won a single Super Bowl.

    Next, some good news: We are all twice as old as Tom Brady.

     I asked classmates how they are coping with the coronavirus. Dick Boyden, John Foster, and Tom Plimpton probably spoke for most of us. They are keeping the home fires burning and biding their time.

     Ray and Jim Gramentine “are holding up well; had our first Moderna vaccination on February 11. To date we cannot have any visitors inside St. John’s (our large Milwaukee retirement institution), but our wonderful daughter brings us sustenance by meeting in the parking lot.”

     Loni and Al Haas report “Our family is well, and our two children and six grandchildren are all within driving distance around Boston. Needless to say, the pandemic has caused pain and strain for our close family. The oldest are freshmen at the University of Miami (Meteorology) and Dartmouth (Big Data) and the next is our only granddaughter who committed to Dartmouth a year ago for lacrosse. A fourth is considering Wesleyan for photography and film in 2022. We will be back on Nantucket for our annual reinvigoration this summer. It is a pity that we may not be able to convene for our 65th. I suppose, in the greater scheme of things, there are more important sounds in our lives than ‘the bells of old South College.’” Al sends “Warm regards to classmates and friends, one and all.”

     Jay Kaplan writes: “Ann and I are both well. I have hardly been out of the house for the past year. I have my trainer come to me via Zoom. Virtually everything is delivered. I have only gone outside for safe walks in my neighborhood and to go to the doctor for my annual physical. My doctor confirmed that I am healthy, and I feel that way.

The Library Committee of the Cosmos Club apparently enjoyed my last book, In Search of Beauty. They have invited me to give a talk to the whole membership on it, which I will be doing in several months. In the meantime, I am now working on another book. My new one will be a novel about an international lawyer. It is a disguised autobiography except the protagonist is young and a bachelor (so I could get a bit of bachelor romance in it). I spend some of my time listening to frequent lectures put on by my club via Zoom on a broad variety of subjects. I also have my periodic board meetings of the Explorers Club and committee meetings of the Cosmos Club and the Philosophic Society of Washington. All in all, I am keeping myself fairly occupied.”

     From Bob Calvin: “I always wear something red for good luck on the Chinese New Year. Unfortunately, there will be no dragon parade in Chicago.

     “Jane and I have had our two COVID vaccinations with no ill effects. Northwestern Hospital is vaccinating 2,000 people a day. It was a seamless event. We feel very lucky and relieved.

     “We have mounds of snow in front of our house and it has been below 20 degrees now for two weeks. I stay sane by going to the gym twice a week to swim and hit tennis balls. We mainly pick the balls up but it is good exercise.

     “Twice a week Jane and I tutor Spanish-speaking immigrants, some undocumented, in conversational English. We do this on Zoom. We are learning a great deal about their experiences and journey.”

     Gary Miller feels “very lucky to be here in North Carolina, out of the snow belt and enjoying a little less stress because Marge and I got our vaccination shots in February with almost no side effects. We made one phone call, got our first shots the next day and were given an appointment for our second shots, two weeks later. Each shot took 30 minutes including paperwork, shots and wait time included, to be sure we didn’t develop an allergic reaction. We were advised to continue distancing, masking, and hand washing until the coast is clear (probably late this year). We may also get to visit the grocery store later than seven in the morning.

     “We’re doing well and hoping to be able to get to our summer place in Maine again this summer for our 27th summer.”

      Our sincere condolences to Leatrice Fung, who wrote: “My husband of 62 years, Lawrence Fung, passed away on September 18, 2020 in our home in Honolulu. May this year of the ox bring your class good health, peace, and happiness.” Larry entered Wesleyan with us, but graduated from Boston University.

     And to Margo Jenkins. George O. Jenkins III succumbed on February 4, 2021. Jay retired from the family businesses in 1995 and settled on Cape Cod, where he pursued his loves of world travel, sailing, model boats, clocks, and entertaining fellow Eclectics. He will be missed.

It won’t be much longer before our class notes are at the beginning pages of this section of the Wesleyan magazine! Hard to accept the fact that we graduated so many years ago and that our class number was small in comparison to present classes. It makes me very thankful to receive words from our gang to share with you all. Of course, I’ll add that it would be greatly appreciated if more of you would send a note this way when the pleas for a response are sent out!

     Sad to report the passing of George Edwards on January 4. George served as an officer in the Navy upon graduation and then received his master’s degree from the Wharton School. He served as assistant town manager in Bloomfield, Connecticut, then became the town manager of Granby, Connecticut before working for housing development programs in Middletown and Albany. He focused on commercial real estate brokerage before he finished his career as the director of the Connecticut State Properties Review Board. He is survived by his wife of 42 years and five children. Sincere sympathy to his loved ones is extended by all of us.

     Two of our faithful “responders” have sent in information to bring us current. Tom Nall apparently doesn’t regret leaving Kentucky as he is now living in the “Tennessee half of the town” in an independent-living facility with, as he says, “nice folks.” He had a mild case of COVID-19 which kept him isolated at home for 12 days but after a year of doing nothing he remarked he was used to it!

     Drew Clemens’ wife Julie sent a lovely and informative holiday greetings letter which updated Drew’s activities. He is serving as a trustee and psychoanalysis committee chair of the American Academy of Psychodynamic Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis. He continues to play tennis when, as she writes, “it’s safe to do so.”

     Hearing from both a fraternity brother and a former freshman roommate and remembering days together are what keeps me still willing to write these notes!

     On the homefront, all is well and I’m happy to report 4,379 miles   were logged on the bike for 2020. Our “gang” remains active in the new year and I’ve recorded 421 miles as of February 11. Keeping active, being with a wonderful and loving wife, and trying to maintain a positive attitude still seem to be working!

      As always, sincere good wishes to you and your loved ones in the days ahead!

John K. Binswanger writes: “To say the least we are in a crazy world, but I hope everyone has stayed well. We decided to get away from the winter so went south for a month, which was a great decision. Fortunately we got the COVID vaccine so we are staying well. My second great grandchild was born in late January, a beautiful little girl. The first was a boy (six months ago) so we now have a great balance and everyone is well. Gay and I are playing a little golf; she is into pickleball so we are both active and having fun.”

   Terry Hatter says: “This is short but sweet. Trudy and I remain housebound due to the pandemic, but in good spirits. We had our first vaccine shots in February and I still work from home as do my law clerks. Stay safe and well.”

Hal Buckingham informs us of the passing of his brother, Robert C. Buckingham,’49, MD, on December 10, 2020.