Class Notes | 1950s

Since I live in Naples, Fla., I did have a couple of e-mails as to our status during and after Irma. Briefly, we evacuated to Mobile, Ala., and returned September 24 to minimal damage.

In late May, Kay and I flew to The Hague to celebrate my granddaughter’s high school graduation. Four days later Kay, daughter Kara, and I flew to Toulouse in southern France. We rented a car and drove to Lectoure where Burr Edwards is in semi-retirement. After four glorious days and some great French wine, we flew back to Amsterdam. Burr and Pirkko were very hospitable, and Burr is still available for consulting work in Africa.

Bart Bolton inquired about our safety and told me that Charley Denny had left Naples for safety in Charlotte, N.C. Bart hopes that Florida will recover enough for our annual luncheon in Punta Gorda.

Tana and Roger Paget have moved from La Jolla, Calif., to Salt Lake City, Utah.  They are living in a three-generation household, with youngest son and family.

A nice note from Bill Krenz asks about our survival and mentions that he and Rosemary just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. He recalls their first home in Veterans Village where the rent was $28 per month.

Bob Furber is anticipating our 60th Reunion and relates his “adventure” viewing the eclipse in Wyoming. The tour started in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Toni and John Corkran just returned from a 2,400-mile trip to the West Coast.  They attended the wedding of a cousin in Leavenworth, Wash. They camped in their travel trailer and found their camping skills still in good order.

A note from Dick Goldman covers a few topics. He is making progress on his quest to unite Wesleyan lawyers in the Boston area. He now has contacted 18. We also talk golf and our continual search to regain lost distance. He will visit a son in Vermont this fall.

John Arnold e-mailed about the death of Beau Freeman. John obtained a brief statement from Beau’s wife, Peggy. “Beau was a gentleman the likes of which they don’t really make anymore.” Beau had 59 years in the family auction business.

A long note from Art Geltzer described the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, September 21-24. This festival seems to be really novel since it moves from room to room. Art is gathering votes for aesthete of the class of 1958.

Nothing more except a reminder that our 60th looms next May.

Cliff Hordlow | Khordlow@gmail.com
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged Foot Court | Naples, FL 34112; 239/732-6821

Writing from his home in Nova Scotia, Ed Porter is active in his printmaking interests, and recreational sailing. He and wife Lainie enjoyed a summer family trip aboard a narrowboat along canals in Warwickshire. The Porters highly recommend it—“a grand way to float through the English countryside.”

In New Mexico, Bill Pratt is working to enact a co-op statewide healthcare plan that would be nonprofit. If there is interest in such a plan—which he believes would work in other States—the site is nmhealthsecurity.org.

Last September Dick Cassie underwent a total knee replacement—turns out it was the second such procedure, the initial one resulting from a basketball injury in a 1956 game at Williams (he adds that it occurred 10 days prior to junior prom). Further, Dick would think it fitting for the old knee remnants to be donated to the archives of the athletic department in Williamstown. Continuing to teach oral diagnosis at Rutgers, he was afforded several weeks of rehab before returning to the classroom.

In a note from Sparky Watts, he reports that he and wife Sarah will re-lo to New Mexico in 2018. The Watts’ enjoy visiting with their daughters in Jacksonville. Sparky adds that he reads and studies films about “an entity Ramtha,” whom (he) met almost many years ago. My search engine discloses that Ramtha is a school of enlightenment established in 1988 in Washington State. His note also added a kudo for the work your scribe does for the Notes (as did Bill Pratt). Much appreciated, Sparky and Bill.

Gordy Wilmot says his pacemaker has been performing well enough to produce a normal heartbeat. He and Marilyn have (by now) completed an annual migration south. With an eye towards global warming, he wonders if the family can stay all year-round in Rhode Island. The Wilmots have booked a summer Boston-to -Bermuda cruise for the entire family—19 in all—their third such event.

Heard from Jack Braitmayer that he’s not on his boat as often as previously, but that his son is. He adds that there are all manner of new “toys” for sailors, e.g., equipment to ease docking maneuvers, and that he needs to be brought into the “modern world.” The Braitmayers enjoyed an October western trip seeing their daughter and her family and then taking to the Colorado and Snake rivers.

Sam Bergner continues to unbundle his real estate portfolio, apparently with success, as he’s down to a sole commercial property. Sam and Lynn are giving careful consideration to downsizing from their home to apartment-condo type space. They did a bit of traveling up to Niagara Falls this past summer, as part of an Elderhostel-style tour.

A late summer note from Bob Gorin informs of the loss of his wife of 57 years, Natalie. On behalf of the class, Bob, our deepest regrets. Bob and family continue their support for Wes…recalling his organization of annual skating parties in NYC in honor of his daughter Bethel ’90 and his late son-in-law, which have raised funds for scholarship programs throughout the last several years. He reports that the first such recipient thereof will graduate in 2018.

Sadly, Carey Congdon died of acute leukemia in August. A memorial service was held in New London. Carey’s entire career was in graphic arts and publishing. Prior to coming to Wesleyan, he had served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War. I talked with Carey often and always found our conversations to be informative and upbeat. I know he leaves behind active projects that he was passionate about. I extend our class’ condolences to wife Bonnie.

Al Fitz-Gerald reports on the progress of his play, Prisoners of Hope. There have been several performances to date, most recently at SUNY Potsdam. Al received praise from a UN scientist, who applauds the play’s impact both on the performing arts and climate control.  Other performances have generated accolades, including an endorsement from the Florida Studio Theatre, whose reviewer cited an effective contrast between comedic moments and the serious issues that are addressed.

Bill Shepard lectures on American history at Chesapeake College and finds growing interest in the Civil War as well as WWI. He is using his father’s combat notebook from the latter conflict as teaching vehicle. He also thinks classmates might be interested in his wine-tasting course. More info: bsshepard@aol.com.

A note from our Re-u emcee: Whitey Johnson rounds out reporting on the event. “The fine dining and conversations in the Taylor Room were replete with remembrance, exemplified by words from ‘Campus Memories.’ Old times, old friends we hold to you, hands joined, hearts full, pledge every man, your love and honor to old Wesleyan!” Whitey extends appreciation for the event committee: Messrs. Reiss, Travis, Ochsner, Williamson, Braitmayer, and yours truly. Bill Reiss and Ken Travis received 2017 WUSA’s (Wesleyan University Service Awards).

Expressing thanks for the opportunity once more to serve as emcee, he closes with Vic Butterfield’s charge to our class at graduation: “Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting get understanding.”

Best wishes to all for happy and healthy 2018.

Art Typermass | joanarth64@gmail.com
144 East Ave., #302B, Norwalk, CT 06851 | 203/504-8942

Congratulations and wishes of happiness to Ron Benson, on “[his] marriage to Shirley Chitty, she 79, me 83, the second for each of us. Her first was 53 years, mine was 55. Each of our spouses had long bouts with dementia, and we met in a support group for caregivers. We began dating about three years ago, after each of our spouses had gone home.

“It is surprising and invigorating to touch strong affections that had not been a part of our lives for a while. In addition, the second wedding for me was an entirely different experience. The first time, I spent the ramp-up period in Seattle, while my bride-to-be carried the load of planning and executing the event. I hopped off a Navy plane in Atlanta on July 2, to be married on July 3 in Athens, Ga. This time I have had the pleasure of being in on the planning of every nuance and floral stem. Though the vows were much the same, their weight and significance have been subjected to greater introspection.

“We will be living in Peters Township, a suburb of Pittsburgh.”

The event of the Chien family’s year was August’s coast-to-coast total solar eclipse. We moved our annual family reunion from New York’s Catskills to a lake house in southeastern Tennessee we had rented the previous October—giving us 10 months to fret about the weather. Forecasts were dire, but we awoke on eclipse day to cloudless skies. Our eclipse was picture perfect! It was Ann’s and my 11th total, but the first for 13 of our gang of 20, ages 16 to 94, and including four Wesleyan grads: Al ’52, yours truly, Chris ’83, Judy ’84. It was especially gratifying for our granddaughter Jeannette, whose only previous try was foiled by rain in Shanghai in 2009. Now 16, she mused, “I’ve waited half my life for this.”

More about the eclipse.

Walt Ebmeyer writes, “What a wonderful way to do the eclipse.  A few friends here at the old folks’ home planned to drive to Charleston. Even if it snowed, we could still have fun in The Holy City. But more and more people got sick as the great date approached, and we ended up watching a partial on the roof.”

Jim Gramentine gave it the old college try. “The day before the great event found my wife and me having lunch in Beatrice, Neb., with Shelia and Bob Runyon and their strapping grandson, Gabriel. That morning we had inspected Homestead National Monument, an official site for observing the eclipse, only to determine that by sunrise it would be hopelessly crowded. Therefore, we and the Runyons agreed to go our separate ways.

“By mid-morning the Gramentines had stumbled upon Fairbury, Neb., which seemed to have it all: few people, a large, treeless field, several porta-potties, and even a nearby McDonald’s. Partially cloudy when we arrived, the skies began to darken and then gently to rain.

“The horizon was brighter to the north, so on we drove to a dirt road traversing a corn field, only to move again yet two more times. In spite of the overcast, we enjoyed as much of the partial eclipse as we might have had we stayed in Milwaukee, but by 12:55 p.m. the sun had been swallowed, though not by the moon.

“We returned to Fairbury to drown our sorrows in Big Macs, only to find that the town had been true to its name. All who stayed had viewed a perfect eclipse. Would that some other life-altering celestial event had changed my restless nature before we flew to Nebraska.”

Alas! From John Foster: “Hate to say I’m not an umberphile, a word I suspect you must have created. I have been accused of having my head in the clouds occasionally though. Thanks for keeping flickering flame alive for the ’56ers.” (Actually, someone else made it up, though it’s not yet in the dictionary.)

But, Jim Wagner writes: “Betty and I saw the eclipse from Charleston, S.C. My brother-in-law had just moved there, so we were able to combine eclipse viewing with a nice visit. It was touch-and-go with variable clouds all day, but they parted just at totality and we could see the corona and the spectacular ‘diamond ring effect.’ It wasn’t clear enough to see planets or stars near the sun, but a bonus was visible lightning and audible thunder from a thunderstorm several miles away!”

Finally, from Frank Cancian: “Since our retirements from academic jobs in California, Francesca (a sociologist) has become a psychotherapist (part-time), and I’ve focused on the documentary photography I did with anthropology. Our kids, Maria and Steven, often use the Spanish they learned during many months in Mexico, and granddaughters, Emma and Rosa, are now in their 20s. We all travel a lot.

“My photos, taken in Italy in 1967, are now getting lots of attention there. See my websites: frankcancian.net and museomavi.it.

“I owe thanks to the memories of three Wesleyan people many of us knew: David McAllester, Sam Green, and Jack Paton ’49.”

That’s all for now, folks.

George Chien | gchien@optonline.net

Jim Wright, writing from his Maine location, described an exciting happening occurring in September. From May through October, Jim is an interpreter at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine, where he presides over a permanent exhibit house once occupied by Captain Jeremiah Merithew, sometime schooner captain, later ship builder and banker. He wrote that one day he stepped out on the porch to greet a group of visitors from the National Trust for Historic Preservation who came to the museum from a cruise ship docked in nearby Belfast, where he spotted a name tag with a memory to it—Janet Heston—and “looked to her right.” There was his classmate and fraternity brother, Phil Heston! Jim is planning on another visit when he heads to Bethel, Conn., with Stu Rapp. Nice story, Jim, and thanks for sharing!

I very much appreciated the kind words Kip Snow sent, saying that “I do read the class notes Don writes so faithfully. It would be wonderful if more of us would respond to him. The older I get, the more nostalgic I get. We should all remember: It’s better to be seen than viewed or perhaps remembered than forgotten.” Kip, I’d be more than willing to make you my advocate! And to all, hopefully Kip’s words will encourage you to send a word or two this way.

Here’s an e-mail that I received from Jim Rudin that I’ll quote verbatim. “Although it has been more than 60 years, I remember you quite well. You, perhaps, do not remember me since I transferred to George Washington University in 1952. I later became a rabbi, served as a United States Air Force chaplain in Japan and Korea, then a couple of congregations in the Midwest, and ultimately, spent 32 years as the American Jewish Committee’s interreligious affairs director, retiring in 2000. Currently, my wife and I live in Ft. Myers, Fla. I did attend the 1985 Reunion. While at Wesleyan I was a member of Beta Theta Pi, but all of this stuff can be found on my website, jamesrudin.com. Finally, I, too, am a cyclist, though not like yourself and your outstanding mileages. Sorry to ramble on. I look forward to hearing from you.”

Marianne and I were thankful to have escaped any damage from Hurricane Irma, which did cause a lot of concern in these parts. There’s still much vegetation to be cleared from the roadways and communities, namely downed trees and broken limbs. One of my favorite bike routes heading north on A1A into Palm Beach still has bike lanes and shoulders littered with the vegetation. Nevertheless, I continue to add to the mileage in spite of pronounced heat and humidity (daily heat index has been over 100 degrees for a few months), and while frequent rain has curtailed the miles, I still have a shot at the annual 5k target. I’ve logged 3,450 miles to date (Sept. 29) and am hopeful I won’t have to do a few double centuries in December to reach the goal.

As always, let me wish you and your loved ones good health and happiness in the days ahead.

DONALD J. BRAVERMAN | ybikedon@bellsouth.net
14790 Bonaire Blvd., Apt. 102., Delray Beach, FL 33446

Greetings to the Fighting ’54s. Thanks for your prompt responses to my recent e-mail regarding news of you and yours. Here’s the latest.

Chuck Davis and bride recently went whale-hunting on a cruise to the San Juan Islands. Cruise was a blast, Chuck reports, but only one whale sighted. They have a grandson at Swarthmore and granddaughter at Denison.

Bud Johnson reports their Stuart, Fla., home came through Irma with only minor damage. Five of eight grandkids are in college (none Wes). Bud and Lynn were off to Malta, Rhodes, and Crete in late October to finish Bud’s research on the Knights of Saint John. Finally, the Navy has invited Bud to D.C. to open classified aviator records for his memoirs project.

Jeff Lockhart and Donna learned in late July that they had become great-grandparents of a baby girl.

Curt McLaughlin writes that his wife of 32 years, Barbara, passed away in June after a brief illness. Curt says he’s fortunate to be among many friends in a caring retirement community in Chapel Hill, where he is continuing with his latest writing project.

Jim Yashar says he’s blessed to be healthy, and therefore lives a very active life, going to the gym three to four times a week, and playing golf. They do a lot of travel, including Italy this past summer. Jim is taking his entire family of 24 on a vacation to celebrate his 85th birthday! Jim and his bride live in Boston during the summer and Palm Beach over the fall and winter. Finally, Jim’s oldest granddaughter graduates from Penn next year.

Sad news, guys: Al Flynn passed away on Aug. 30 from complications related to Parkinson’s. Al is survived by his wife, Emi, son Al Flynn III, daughter Sarah, and five grandchildren. We all remember Al as a terrific guy and good friend. Farewell, Al.

Finally, your scribe, Bob Carey, enjoyed an East Coast 85th birthday bash in Greenwich, Conn., in July. Then Bob and bride Libby traveled to Wilmington and Ocean Island, N.C. in September (visiting a nephew at UNC Wilmington). In late September/early October, Bob and Libby traveled to London and Lyon for visits to children and grandchildren. Finally, in late October to Charlottesville, Va., to visit granddaughter at the University of Virginia to celebrate her 19th birthday.

That’s a wrap, guys. E-mail me anytime with new developments in your lives. All the best to all of us.

BOB CAREY | popscarey@gmail.com
618 W. Lyon Farm Dr., Greenwich, CT 06831 | 203/532-1745

Our thoughts and hope for recoverable survival go to more than a dozen classmates who live in hurricane-wracked Florida, Texas, and surrounding areas, and to those who spend a portion of the winter months there.

Planning began the first week of October for our 65th Reunion, on Friday, May 25, and Saturday, May 26, 2018—mark your calendars! Text me in the coming months as to your plans or of eventful happenings.

JOHN W. MILLER | Jwalmiller@aol.com
306 Autumn Court, Bartlesville, OK 74006 | 918/335-0081 

This is my first attempt as class secretary after the sterling job done by Hal Buckingham, Bill Wasch, and their predecessor, my DU brother, Don Sanders. Some notes are from communications to Hal and Bill that could not make publication deadlines and some are from recent news received by me.

Following up on Frank LaBella, he reports that he is alive and well, and while at Wesleyan, he was a “townie”, lived at home, had part-time jobs, and as a consequence, a very low profile on campus. He has recently published three articles, but with not enough space here to include, so go to  so go to http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/health_sciences/medicine/units/pharmacology/faculty_members/1482.html.

Don Stauffer, a brother from our DU days, wrote, with his wife Morag, to wish me well on agreeing to take over from Hal and Bill, and had no news to report since he last submitted something.

Robert Kelman is now officially the oldest person to climb Devil’s Tower National Monument in Montana. The record has been posted on the National Park Service’s Facebook page and the story posted on Climbing Magazine’s website.

That reminds me that several years ago, my son-in-law, Samuel Bender ’82, granddaughter Maddie Bender (Yale ’20), and I became the first three-generation family to complete the Maui Downhill Haleakala Summit Bike Tour, after I received a waiver for being over the age limit.

I had a pleasant telephone conversation with Jim Wolpert who reports that he retired from Loeb Partners about six months ago, and is now comfortably ensconced in a retirement community near Tampa, Fla. He has two daughters, a son, and three grandchildren. On campus, he was a member of the John Wesley Club, the Mystical Seven, and the Douglas Cannon Society. Enviably, he has no e-mail.

Richard Kellom wrote Hal that he and his wife, Lyn, had a chuckle over Hal’s statement about gathering fodder for class notes being “more important than you know’’, as Lyn wrote the faculty notes for Northfield Mount Herman School alumni magazine until last year. Dick taught chemistry and coached the ski team there, and his daughter, Kristin ’84, is working in the development office. I enjoyed his comments that “whereas learning what former colleagues are now doing is fun, the gathering of the Info is not always easy and the increasing number of obits is discouraging’’ and “I am getting a little gun-shy about asking people to pass on greetings, not knowing their state of health or if they are still living, but such is the situation we now find ourselves in too often.” Very apropos to being class secretary.

Walter Grunsteidl, one of the first Fulbrighters, wrote Hal a long e-mail last April. He was at Wesleyan for only one year, and not feeling particularly affiliated to a certain class, had random friends across the campus. That year was a very decisive period in his life. The war was but six years over and his country, Austria, was still occupied by the Allies, the scars of war had not yet healed, and they had to develop new politics and fight for freedom for the country. During the year here, he was rotated as a guest between Chi Psi, Delta Upsilon, Phi Sigma Kappa, and the John Wesley Club, thereby enjoying the spirit of the different fraternities. Both he and his wife, Elfi, also a PhD chemist, are enjoying life in his old family home in Vienna, the city being selected as number one in the world regarding quality of life for the eighth time. He enjoys many hobbies, mostly music, and actively studies issues of evolution. He has a son and daughter and, as every old-timer, has had to undergo repair and maintenance occasionally — namely, a heart valve implant, and since then, started a new life, thanks to modern medicine. He ended with a wish for us to have a nice party and many happy attendees.

Catching up on some sad news, Hal heard from Michael M. Stein ’57 that Donald J. Dalessio died on February 25. Don had a distinguished career, was a 1956 graduate of Yale Medical College, and served for many years as chairman of the Medicine Group for the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla Calif. He earned a reputation as one of the nation’s prime neurologists, researching and specializing in the treatment of severe migraine headaches. After his retirement, he was honored by his colleagues at Scripps by having the headache clinic bear his name. In addition to his practice, Don wrote innumerable scholarly reports and edited the National Headache Journal, the Scripps Clinic Personal Health newsletter, and served on the editorial board of the AMA, among others. His wife, Jane, predeceased him and he is survived by their three children, Catherine, Susan, and James, and his brother, John ’60. We offer our sincere condolences to the family. It is sad to lose yet another classmate.

Best wishes and good health to all of you and hope to hear from you.

Joseph N. Friedman  | jfriedman@regalnyc.com
400 East 56th Street, Apt. 28LM, New York, NY 10022 | 917/715-8881

Bill Mitchell is very much the traveling man. Early in the year he took a trip to his oldest granddaughter’s graduation. A month later he drove from his home in North Carolina to Texas to see family and friends. Last fall he got back to see his first Homecoming game in well over 50 years and was rewarded with a Wesleyan victory. Bill wrote he might even try again this fall. He and I will keep rooting for the Red and Black.

Bob Hammett and his wife celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this past summer with a family clambake, attended by two sons and their spouses, and seven grandchildren. Bob spent a month last winter with flu and pneumonia, but reported he was feeling better. He said his hearing was very weak, but he had a couple of great hearing aids “and a wonderful specialist who keeps me tuned in.” He’s also been getting shots in his left eye every six weeks to keep it going. Here again, Bob was helped by another special specialist.

Dave Morey wrote from Ithaca, N.Y., that he was serving on a few committees and a trip for him means going to the supermarket. “The old body is wearing out and I can’t get new parts for it, but at least it’s still going. It’s just not as far or as fast,” he wrote. That’s my situation, too, and I’ll bet all those still with us will say the same.

Chuck Exley wrote from Grosse Pointe, Mich., that he had lost his wife, Sara, 10 years ago and has since remarried a woman, who along with her late husband, were good friends of his and Sara’s. Chuck said it was remarkable that three members of our small class—he, George DeGenaro, and Richard De Gennaro—live within a mile of each other in Sarasota.

Bill Churchill wrote in September that he and wife Maggie were winding up another summer at their cottage at Mattapoisett, on Buzzards Bay, Mass. By late fall they planned to be back at their duplex in a retirement community in Burlington, N.C. “We really have the best of both worlds,” Bill wrote, “with lots of activities and interesting residents. Having Elon University is another source of stimulation. We will keep on trucking as long as the body allows and I’m sure all of us who are left will say amen to that.”

Ken Kenigsberg had replied affirmatively to my requests for news several times over the course of years, and I was sorry to get news of his death. His obituary gave a very full account of his impressive achievements during his 40 years of practicing medicine. He served as chief of pediatric surgery and researched the causes of sudden infant death syndrome. He devoted his life to saving children. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. He was fiercely proud of his Jewish ancestry and the state of Israel, and provided volunteer service to the Israeli Medical Corps during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Ken loved nature and participated in scuba diving, sailing, and fly fishing. He left his wife Abby, to whom he was married for 54 years, three sons, and seven grandchildren.

I had one other communication from Sandy Malcomson, who indicated he was doing fine.

DAVID M. PHILIPS | davephilips69@hotmail.com
43 Cannon Street, Cranston, RI 02920-7620

NEWSMAKERS | 1950s NEWSMAKER ARTHUR CHICKERING ’50 Arthur Chickering ’50, an educational researcher, received the Teachers College Distinguished Alumni Award on April 8. This honor is presented by Teachers College, Columbia University, to graduates who have distinguished themselves in their fields and whose impact has been felt on a regional, national, or international level. Chickering has worked as an educator and administrator in higher education for over 40 years. He is the author of many publications relating to student affairs and college student development theories. After earning his bachelor’s from Wesleyan, where he majored in modern comparative literature, Chickering earned a master’s from Harvard University, and a PhD from Columbia University.

Frank Binswanger writes in with fond memories: “With luck I graduated in 1950—but most importantly: I married Sue Hirsch (Wesleyan’s first football queen—but obviously those were the “old days”)—then went into the service for 3.5 years. I started working for the Binswanger organization—an industrial and commercial real estate organization representing many of the national and international corporations in the U.S. and worldwide. Over time, I had three very mature children (two of whom went to Wes) and six grandchildren (three of whom went to Wes). How lucky we have been for the 67 years since graduation.”

Jud Miner reflected on a special moment: “On August 9 I was one of 107 Korean War and World War II veterans on the Honor Flight from Chicago to D.C. It was a memorable day followed by a welcome home at Midway and a parade that included dozens of flag bearers, a naval cadets marching unit, a bagpipe band, and thousands of greeters. I had at least 100 greeters shake my hand and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’ It made me more deeply proud to be an American and proud of my service as an army medic with the 9th Hospital MASH Unit.”Then we heard from

Roger Haskell, who has finished writing an autobiography: “It contains a lot about my baccalaureate days at Wesleyan and Sigma Nu. I am not having it published, but I’ll have copies that I can send if anybody is interested.” Roger was in touch with Bud Tracy ’51 and reports that he is well and enjoying retirement in Suffield, Conn.

Sadly, Bill Johnson passed away at the age of 89 on Sept. 26. After graduating from Wesleyan, he entered the U.S. Army and was in the Army Reserves for several years. He later joined the pharmaceutical firm of E.R. Squibb & Sons in 1955 as a sales representative, and spent 18 years in various sales and sales management positions in the greater New York area. Bill was predeceased by Nancy, his wife of 66 years, and leaves behind his sons, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

From a personal point of view, we survived Hurricane Irma. Margie and I have moved from our home on St. Simons Island to a very nice retirement community a few miles away, called Marsh’s Edge. I think that we will be happy there. It’s country-club living with no household chores. The new address: 121 Renegar Way #105, St. Simons Island, GA, 31522. Phone number and e-mail remain the same.Best wishes to all our classmates.

BUD DORSEY | margiedorsey5@gmail.com
121 Renegar Way #105, St. Simons Island, GA, 31522 | 912/638-5616