Class Notes | 1950s

Sad to let you know, we’ve lost another member of our class. On July 16, 2015, Hoyt Chapin passed away at his home in New London, N.H. Hoyt went on to the Columbia University School of Business in New York upon graduation from Wesleyan and began his career in home furnishings at both Bloomingdale’s and Dansk International Designs. The majority of his work life was in the retail sector as owner and president of the Pottery Barn, Inc., until his retirement. He was recognized and known for his forward thinking and creative entrepreneurial approach to good contemporary design at a great price. Hoyt retired to New London and Vero Beach, Fla., where, according to information received, he remained involved in several business adventures, including creation of two developments—Browns Hills and the Georges Mills Boat Club in Sunapee, N.H. An active member of the New London community, Hoyt served as a director of the Little Sunapee Protective Association, New London Hospital, and the Kearsage Council on Aging.

Note: Wesleyan was notified of Hoyt’s passing by his daughter, Deborah Chapin ’81 and I know I speak for all of us in offering our sincere condolences to her and her family.

Yours truly has logged 4,493 cycling miles as of Oct. 4, and with any luck, should reach the annual target of 5,000 miles by year end. I mention “luck,” as I had the misfortune of being guilty of committing a rookie error on Sept. 27, by my failure to consume sufficient liquid during an aggressive 31-mile ride. Completed the ride, loaded my bike back into the car, discussed where we were going to snack and then, while removing my cycling shoes as I sat on the bumper of my car, I passed out. When I came to, I was in an ambulance on my way to the nearest hospital (four miles away). Two of my riding companions joined me in the emergency room and watched as the ER nurse hooked up an IV and gave me a “lecture” on the need to drink while riding. Stayed overnight while the usual protocol was performed (CT scan, MRI, echo test, neurological evaluation, etc.) and was released. Hope to be back in the saddle in a day or two, once the soreness lessens and of course, plan on being a good “student” by consuming more fluids more often! Really felt pretty lucky I came away from the experience with four stitches and a few bruises. But, to be truthful, I was certainly embarrassed!!!

To all of you, I’d really appreciate a word or two to share with classmates if you have a moment. And, know my sincere best wishes for health and happiness are sent to you and your loved ones.

DONALD J. BRAVERMAN | ybikedon@bellsouth.net

27A Stratford Ln. W., Boynton Beach, FL 33436; 561/654-3711

Members of the great class of ’59 and their support forces continue to be actively involved with their families and communities. Ted Fiske and his wife, Sunny, have just returned from London, where they attended a chamber music concert in which Hugh Rosenbaum performed with his bassoon up to his high standard. Ted and Sunny will return to London for the month of October during sabbatical to study the English education system. Sunny’s older son and family also live there.

Hugh Lifson writes from Iowa: “Really enjoyed your report. I am envious of all the meet-ups people are having. Out here in the boonies, Wes alums are rare and classmates even rarer! The get-togethers made me think of your column and President Michael Roth’s ’78 article. I hate to say it, but it is an old Williams College slogan—‘a college is Mark Hopkins at one end of a log and a student at the other.’ Well…. if my memory is correct, we all had such experiences. One dared not go into Louis Mink’s office unless you were prepared to spend an hour or two. The same thing often happened with Profs. Schorske, Tenzer, Greene, Schwarz, McAllester, and many others. I have often bragged about the fact that the Wesleyan education c. 1959 was the best in the country. President Roth may be unwittingly (or wittingly) hearkening back to our golden days.”

Skip McAfee reports from Bradenton, Fla., where he resettled after the loss of his wife of nearly 50 years. They had been in Columbia, Md., for 40 years, where Skip was the executive director of The American Society for Horticultural Science. Thereafter he edited the Dickson Baseball Dictionary, weighing at more than four pounds with more than 10,000 entries. Bradenton appealed as his new location because his younger daughter and growing family live there. Skip is also the umpire of choice for youth baseball and senior softball.

Bill Moody reports on a couple of mini-reunions. First the Messrs. Moody, Chase, Gillette, and Leverich and their spouses met at the home of Bing and Luize Leverich for dinner and tall tales and memories. Bob Gillette told about his new book, a sequel to his first, The Virginia Plan. A second reunion took place at the National Museum of the Marine Corps where Tim Day was honored for his generosity in funding an overlook site named in his honor. For a number of years, Tim has also funded deserving Marine Corps captains at Harvard Business School. Bert Edwards, Ed Murphy and Bill Moody were in attendance.

The oft-wandering Eklunds are still active, having attended two high school graduations, one in Colorado, and the other in New Jersey, a week apart. Cornell and Brown are the next stops for the grads and Dave and Mary will repeat in four years. Dave and Mary are on Nantucket, then to Walpole, Mass., for Dave’s 60th high school reunion. Next to Bristol, R.I., for July 4th to see one grandson march in the oldest continuous USA parade. Then to Jackson Hole. Wow!

We now have two classmates who are members of the Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame: Fred Stone inducted last year, and Dave Darling this May. Dave Eklund and Tom Young were there in support in the Silloway Gymnasium! (All that and back-to-back NESCAC champions to boot!) Pictures of the event and the honoree are on our class site, thanks to Mary Eklund!!

Ed Roberts is retiring as the music director for the Lansdowne United Methodist Church after 14 years. He corresponds with Music Prof. Emeritus Dick Winslow ’40 who is now a spry 97. Prof. Winslow walks with two canes and refers to himself as “Citizen Canes.”

On a sadder note, Dr. Jim Browning died in March. He was a highly respected ophthalmologist, keen Steelers fan and renowned gardener specializing in azaleas, rhododendrons, magnolias and dwarf conifers. He propagated and hybridized hardy rhododendron, and had to miss our 50th as he was called on to hold forth at the American Rhododendron Society, which awarded him their highest honor.

Peter Rockefeller remembers Jim: “In the summer of ’58, inspired by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other such visionaries, we bought a used Chevy in Hartford, with the help of Shive Shively, and eventually set off from Jim’s home in Pittsburgh to see the USA!
“We really bonded during our journey and many memories flood back now—his support during an awkward reunion with a no-show father in Florida, our nocturnal hike down the Grand Canyon and back up, staggering to the rim as the sun rose, descent into the Carlsbad Caverns at dusk as bats swarmed all around us, crossing the Mojave Desert in the middle of the night to preserve ourselves and the Chevy, observing the $2 betting limit in Vegas, discovering the magic of San Francisco, crossing the Rockies and peeing on the Continental Divide (doesn’t everybody?), and home.

“Jim was a private man, thoughtful and kind. I cherish the time I was privileged to share with him.”

Blanche Browning, Jim’s wife, responded: “Thank you, to all of you, for your kind words about Jim. Pete, I cannot tell you the number of times Jim talked about your trip, recounted exactly as you described it.

“Wesleyan can be credited for the number of books I counted in his library of Shakespeare’s works, more than 28. He listened every day to lectures of the Great Courses on all subjects: art, philosophy, religion, wars, history, and literature. When he passed away he was reading three books: Joseph and his Brothers by Thomas Mann, Plato and King Lear. He often reread many of his books.

“Finally, he was still working on hybridizing a new rhododendron to be named Wesleyana!”
Our thoughts are with Blanche and the family.

Ed (Dusty) McGrew passed away at the end of May after battling a number of things, including strokes and cancer. He and Carol were married for almost 56 years. Carol was at Conn. College; Dusty was an enthusiastic Alpha Delt and they obviously led an exciting courtship as they were married the minute the ink dried on their diplomas in June of 1959. They raised three daughters on the North Shore of Chicago. There are eight grandchildren, seven boys and one girl who are thriving. Three are college grads, one is studying medicine, and the rest coming along from grade school to high school. Quite a handful and a real achievement!

In early April, Charley Denny, Bart Bolton, Ed Kerschner and I enjoyed a lunch/golf date in Naples. Ed and Bart drove down from Sarasota to Naples, where Charlie and I reside. We gathered for lunch and then nine holes of golf. Mercifully, we did not record the scores, but the company and conversation were first-rate.

Since Randy Johnson left Wesleyan for three years in the army, he feels a part of the class of ’58 and the class of ’61. After Wesleyan he received an MBA from Stanford. He believes he was the first-ever student to use Wesleyan’s first-ever computer. It was the LGP-30, weighed 800 pounds and cost $400 ($40,000 in today’s money).

Burr Edwards reports that he and Bob Hayes tried to connect during Bob’s May visit to southern France. Sadly, they only connected via cyberspace.

Two items from John Corkran. One, his wife, Toni, is having a hip replacement in June, which will curtail summer travel. Two, relative to the 2014–2015 Wesleyan Fund, our class has been very generous this year, although we are always glad for additional contributions.

Roger Turkington has been busy in the intellectual sphere. His first volume of 195 poems has been a best seller on Amazon, and the second volume, Poetry of Passion, is in printing. He explained that since he walks with a cane, he no longer hikes, jogs, or plays tennis.

Some news from Neil Springborn. Golf occupies most of his time along with serving on several community boards. His oldest son has been transferred to Houston to take over as head of the weather bureau there.

Art Geltzer has opened his house on Cape Cod and plans another summer of fishing with Mel Cote and Dennis Allee. In June he and Younghee are going to Rome to follow up his Yale course in ancient Roman architecture. Professionally, he is doing research at Brown in digital telemedicine to improve the ophthalmic data and reduce the cost of providing eye care.

Big news from Roger Van Tassel. On April 17, he married Judith Dufour Love. They were married on their back patio in Mint Hill, N.C.

Tony Codding writes from New Hampshire. Other than taking cruises in January and March to escape the N.H. winter, his main activity has been leading a six-month long-range planning process for St. Andrews-By-the-Sea in Rye, one of New Hampshire’s nine Episcopal summer chapels.

Dick Goldman and his wife, Patti, returned from Florida on March 31. This spring he participated in three seminars for the Boston Bar Association. Two involved commercial real estate leasing and financing. He chaired the third, which dealt with the use of mediation in disputes involving closely held and family businesses. In addition to his practice he is now preparing to teach at Boston University Law School for the fourth fall in a row.

I received a very creative e-mail from Rick Pank. His theme was “baseball.” Like a “favorite mitt” he says he is finally well broken in, tennis and running becoming kayaking, biking and hiking, all keeping him in the game. His “home base” is Rowayton, Conn. (48 years), which was voted the sixth happiest coastal village in the U.S. He “keeps his eye on the ball” doing fine art photography and helping the Rowayton Art Center compete in the art league of Fairfield County. He “rounds the bases” with a mixture of nomadic trips of his own design, mixed with Road Scholar expeditions filling their head in the great Wesleyan tradition. In his “final thoughts on the game,” Rick realizes that it is not necessary to “hit the ball out of the park.” “Small ball can also win games.” That is, those who do not travel can still be happy and fulfilled.

I speak often to Art Levine and Ted Wieseman, who are in the Washington, D.C., area. Arthur and Barbara recently traveled to Antarctica and parts of South America. Art has limited his golf activity due to back issues.

Ted is doing well. He was in an assisted living facility, but recently is living independently.
Bob Furber observes that on June 16, 2016, Van Vleck Observatory will be 100 years old. He recalls having two instructors, professors Stearns and Gasteyer, for one course in which he was the only student. That class took place in Van Vleck.

The column features tales of grandchildren and Reunion headgear. I’ll lead off with Jeff Williamson reporting from Madison Wisc., on his and Nancy’s six grandchildren. Sarah ’16 returned from junior year study in archaeology at UCL in London, and Erin starts out at Middlebury. Nancy attended Erin’s graduation from high school in Berkeley, Calif., while he stayed home to attend A.J.’s ceremony. Neil and Maya are in high school, and Alex is the youngest. The Wiliamsons spent much of the summer at their vacay home in Newfield, Maine. They plan to attend Sarah’s Wes graduation; Jeff has saved the ’57 cap and expects to wear it at one or more Commencement events.

Dick Cassie writes of completing a three-day faculty stint in oral diagnostics at Rutgers’ School of Dental Medicine. He met two Wes graduates studying there. Escaping from the fierce winter of ’15, he headed south to Florida, played golf in Tampa and then moved on to Delray Beach, visiting with Roger Toner. Dick now makes his year-round home in Bedminster, N.J., in a high-rise condo, commenting that he’s as “happy as a Jersey clam at high tide,” a unique real estate testimonial if I’ve ever come across one. Of course when he wants to experience authentic seashore life, he can be found at his summer retreat on Long Beach Island. His grandchild tally numbers three, one in college and two in high school.

Bill Shepard and wife Lois traveled on a lengthy Mediterranean cruise this past May. Bill was a guest lecturer, offering talks on destinations such as Marseille, Provence, and the Amalfi Coast. Stops also included Corsica, Monaco, Barcelona, and Rome. He said he was tempted to try his luck in a casino in Monaco, betting on number 22—said to be the lucky number in Casablanca but backed away from such a heady commitment (perhaps the favorite wager of the usual suspects?). Bill adds that this time the couple went “incognito,” mentioning that a year ago in St. Petersburg (Russia, that is) his ’57 cap was much in evidence. Well, our cap is bold red, is it not?

A note from Al Kalb finds him enjoying his 16th year of retirement and still swimming for recreation. He has eight grandchildren, with two of them in college, one at Colby and another at Emory.

Find Whitey Johnson and wife Paula enjoying Mt. Holyoke and Wes reunions cherishing “…old times, old friends we hold to you, hands joined…” (that is right out of the song book—“Campus Memories”). We can count on Whitey for ’17! Bob Smith and Betty Smith went up to Montreal this past May to attend games at the Women’s World Cup, along with two of their sons. All are strong soccer fans. Bob stays in touch with Jerry Baker and his wife, Peggy, and George Davies and his wife, Dusty.

Yours truly and Joan weigh in with “My Three (grand) Sons”, Johnny, 15, Wil, 13, and Tommy, 6. The oldest served as his h.s. freshman class president and plays second base on the frosh team. Will is into track and Tommy is a standout KG grad. Oh—the cap—I wear it in summertime when driving my red Solara convertible with the top down. Its condition has just the right seasoning for the occasion, and I, too, am saving it for our 60th. I hope that all of you are doing so as well, for when we convene in 2017.

George here. As I reported in the magazine our classmates were more than generous in sharing their news. Mind you; we can receive more news than we have space to print, but never too much to appreciate. So here is what you missed.

Incidentally, I began my appeal for news by expressing my reservations about social media in general to elicit opinions on the subject from our fellow 56era. And, in this informal and very unscientific inquiry, a substantial majority of my respondents apparently agree. Even Bill Moyle, who pointed out the obvious flaw in my logic (grandchildren), wrote, “Otherwise, I do about the same as you.  I don’t have that much time to waste.” Those who didn’t respond evidently were too occupied with texting, posting, and tweeting to bother. They’ll still be welcome at our forthcoming reunion, as long as they promise to look up at least now and then from their small screens.

I’m leading off with Jim Gramentine because he’s been trying valiantly for the better part of a year now to get this story, and it’s a good one, into the class notes.

“Shortly before we boarded mid-afternoon on January 27, 2015, Nancy, a friend we had made over the previous ten days, told my wife that she had a ‘strong feeling of impending doom.’ We were passengers on the Discovery, a three-decked catamaran, numbered 19 and the crew nine.

“After touring Tobago Island, we crossed the bay back to Panama City harbor. As night fell, we were moored perhaps a ½ mile from the shore and ¼ from the entrance to the canal. First course had just been cleared; virtually all of us had glasses of wine as well as water, when a strong wave hit the side of the ship I faced from the head of one table. Then another, then a stronger, then the mother of all harbor waves put the small catamaran at a ?? degree angle. I thought we were going to capsize. Most of the guests (average age 75?) and their chairs fell to the floor along with nearly all of the glasses.

“I grabbed Sarah by the shoulders, preventing her from falling (or was it for the sake of my own stability?), also saving my glass of wine. Pandemonium for two, three minutes; people with cuts, bruises, perhaps one concussion, but no one hurt seriously. The crew responded magnificently. The captain later explained the cause as a huge jet boat that almost hit us. Plantains instead of the rice dish in which they discovered glass. Drinks on the house but paper cups. Sarah asked Nancy if the event had been her ‘impending doom.’  Nancy supposed it had.

“So ended our most memorable overseas adventure. The next two days we enjoyed a calm but highly interesting passage of the Panama Canal.”

Here’s a more tranquil report from Betty and Larry Labrie.

“We are now grandparents of seven. The last four have come two at a time! Beth likes to tell that our second child, who with his wife had our three oldest grandchildren one at a time, did it the ‘right way.’ Our oldest son and his wife had twin girls in 2008, and our daughter (the youngest child) and her husband had twin boys March 7th. We were there the day after the births to help for two weeks or so and sent home to rest. Needed lots of rest and are back with them in PA for a week plus. The boys have grown and weigh over 11 pounds each and doing more laughing and smiling.

“I am still in the carving class at the local community college in Morehead City, NC carving decoys and enjoying it. Doing less on the lovely beach here in PKS and more visits to the doctors.

“Enjoyed being with you a year ago at Wes. Looking forward to our 60th reunion year.”

Find the common denominator in these two reports.
From Bob Calvin:

“Always nice to hear from you and Bob. No social media, limited use of on line devices? I think you are moving away from your Chinese heritage . [What??? G.C.] Every month Art Von Au and I correspond. He sends me a wonderful hand written note on a tasteful greeting card, and I send him an email filled with local activities and views on world events. Email vs tasteful hand-written card. Therein lines the contrast between digital and analog. I probably enjoy his notes more than he enjoys mine.
“I am teaching entrepreneurship courses on line now at Novoed.com which is part of Stanford. I prefer the class room experience that I enjoyed for 30 years at the Graduate Business School at the University of Chicago, but online courses allow me to interact with students in Russia, China, Brazil, and Africa. Jane and I are planning a trip to Italy and France this fall, and hopefully we will take it. Bob Buckley, our classmate, is teaching Jane French. We visit our daughter and grand daughter in NYC several times a year.

“Time seems to be speeding up. Days turn into months and months into years very quickly. I have less patience than before, and I never had much.

“Peace.”

And Dick Bauer: 
“My take on the new digital technologies is about as enthusiastic as yours. Fortunately my wife, Ginny, protects me from this particular deficit—some others, too….Health pretty good given the age thing—bicycle regularly; walk at better than a waddle pace, but not much better. Remember our life-sport requirement: golf or tennis? One of these days I really should try them out….Presented on the privacy vs. security problem for a Great Decisions program, and led a couple of discussion groups for Life Long Learning using Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal (along with other materials). Relevant for our age cohort….A very happy bit of news—Art and Rosalind von Au moved into our CCRC a few months back! See them pretty regularly. Now, if we could entice a few more of you to come to Linden Ponds…”

It’s Art von Au, of course. Hey, Art! Drop us a line one of these days!

Barry Passett is a kindred soul, not just with me.

“George, I’m with you 95% on social media:  I had to let myself agree to LinkedIn because some friends asked. but then I realized it was a mistake and I don’t check it (even when Don Ritt tries to send me stuff.)  You are not alone! [Don’s the one who told me to ignore LinkedIn! GC.]

“I am spending half my time going to doctors for my ailments and the other half trying to provide counsel to friends and acquaintances on how to navigate the health system.  Some of the smartest people turn to mush when a doctor tells them to do something, no matter how stupid it is.  They don’t question, and they don’t argue.  Often that means they get hurt.  Almost everyone I know has had a hip replaced, half have had knees done. I don›t believe there are that many diseased joints in Washington (well, excluding the Capitol of course.)  And so many back surgeries, where the success rate may soon hit 50%.  Anyhow, mine is useful work.  Despite (or maybe because of) all that, I did get an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the American Hospital Association.”

I promised more from Fred Boynton. 

“I share your aversion to social media, partly as a hangover from when the security officers on our government contracts used to advise us not to be overexposed.  I also haven’t received a copy of the Wesleyan Alumnus in years, and wasn’t sure you were still in business.

I am retired (about five years now) and live in La Jolla with my wife Beverly.  We have two sons and four grandsons.  (I was one of four boys.  Something seems to be barring the second X chromosome.)

“Beverly and I have been traveling around North America.  In 2009 we drove to Alaska, hit the usual tourist spots and then took the ferry back to the lower 48 along the Inland Passage.  In 2012 we drove across the US to Virginia, where my surviving  brother lives, stopping on the way in Kansas City for my 60th High School reunion.  We have also made some wine tours along the West Coast, from San Diego to British Columbia and points between.

“Our sailboat has become a ‘harbor queen.’  I considered selling it earlier this year, but an acquaintance has taken over the maintenance in exchange for his use of it from time to time, so I remain a boat-owner for now.”

By the way, Fred sent me his Tales from the Annals of America. I’ve only been able to sample it so far, but so far so good!

This was the unkindest cut of all! I’m embarrassed to say that I left out the best part of Don Price’s communiqué.

“You may remember that, in my senior year, I had a hard time deciding between medicine/science and the humanities. Thanks to support of Fred Millet and Norman Brown I was offered a scholarship to Columbia to study with Jaques Barzun. However, I decided to attend medical school. ‘The Road not Taken’ (Frost). Over the past several years, I have begun to walk back up the humanities road and started to give talks on literature and the brain. For example, next week at the Hopkins Biennial, I am speaking on ‘Dementia: From Shakespeare to Alzheimer to 2015.’ The idea goes back to C.P. Snow’s two cultures which I discussed with Fred and Nobby so many years ago. In this enterprise, I have been encouraged by many friends, including George Ray ‘54, great Shakespearean scholar. We, our wives and other friends, including Dan Josephthal, get together to see performances at Blackfriars Theatre in Staunton, Va. A great venue/company and our favorite theatre; over several decades the ASC/Blackfriars program has allowed us to see virtually the whole Shakespeare canon live.”

Right on!

And speaking of Fred Millett, Walt Ebmeyer, commenting on my claim that I proofread my email, made this observation. “Being an old Fred Millett baby, I worry a lot about typos and misspellings and bad grammar.  Where, after all, are standards?”

Where indeed?

Thanks to all.

 

I’m also attaching two photos from our trip to China. One is of the rebuilt bridge itself; the other is of the assembled Chiens by the bridge’s historical marker: Left to right: nephew Chris ‘83, daughter Judith ‘64, son Paul, Ann and George ‘56, (kneeling) granddaughter Jeannette and Dan’s wife Becky, daughter-in-law Cheryl and son David, and nephew Dan. My father, Chang-kan Chien is pictured on the right.

ON THE ROAD

We all kick the can down the road from time to time. But every once in a while, we must stop to take stock. That happened recently at my GADZOOKS early morning coffee club. One of the guys commented about my shiny new, blue Toyota RAV4 car parked just outside the door. Sitting to my right, Fred asked,
“Well, Bob, how old are you?”
“Eighty,” I said.

Without dropping a beat, Fred replied, “Well, that was your last new car purchase.”
We all laughed knowingly because Fred was prescient as always. With that purchase, I dropped out of the great American car chase. I won’t be kicking my can down that road again.

Many other travel journeys must also soon come to an end. I cannot say this better than our ever-mindful Don Ritt, M.D., who resumes his many notable contributions to ’56 Class Notes, with the brief memo below:
Dear Bob
Admittedly, I am obsessed and driven but now that I have given away my endoscope and concentrate on Palliative Care and end of life situations, I plead with you to remind our classmates that they are now 80 years old and that time is running out. Please remember, tell them, that they should complete their end of life directives and POLST documents (to avoid chest compression, intubation and tube feedings). It is okay to talk about death; it’s a very common event. Tell them to remain in control.
Best wishes,
Your visionary, aka, d ritt

I believe that a Google search of POLST is good place to begin the process advised by Don above. When I did that, I came up with this:
“A growing number of states are promoting Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Paradigm Programs, with the goal of helping physicians to better respect their patients’ wishes for end-of- life care. The tool turns an advance directive into actionable medical orders, allowing seriously ill patients to specify choices about certain interventions, giving patients more control of what end-of-life care they receive.” (Medial Ethics Advisor, April, 2013).

It may seem like I am leading you into another deep cave during income tax season (this note prepared in March). And to be candid, it is no short or simple task to address the complex End of Life issues on our plate. Complex questions emerge: What advance directives? Which patient’s rights?, What about a timely case-by-case diagnosis?, Can a hospital or family member assert final authority?

Although people have been dying for some time, it just so happens that the public health, medical, cultural, economic, and ethical landscapes have been changing big time in recent decades. It’s no longer about your “father’s Oldsmobile” as people said long ago. We must each become conversant with the new realities of dying in America.

I just purchased a highly acclaimed, recent book entitled, BEING MORTAL: Medicine and What Matters in the End, by Atul Gawande, 282 pp. This paragraph rang my bell:

“But this is an unsettled time. We’ve begun rejecting the institutionalized version of aging and death, but we’ve not yet established our new norm. We’re caught in a transitional phase. However miserable the old system has been we’re all experts in it. We know the dance moves. You agree to become a patient, and I, the clinician, agree to try to fix you, whatever the improbability, the misery, the damage, or cost. With this new way, in which we together try to figure out how to face mortality and preserve the fiber of a meaningful life, with its loyalties and individuality, we are plodding novices.” (p. 193).

I thank Don Ritt for introducing this important topic to our Class Notes discussion. I hope you have found this note appropriate and instructive.

In any event, you are encouraged to send George and me your comments, considerations and personal stories. Let us resolve to plot a buoyant future course, while preserving memories that bring honor to our lives and family legacies.

George here. I fervently hope that Doc Ritt and Bob will stir us octogenarians into action.
I’d like to kick in my two cents worth.

My great uncle Frank H. Ryder, Wesleyan Class of 1900 and a trustee of the college for 50 years, lived a full and productive 91 years, actively involved to the end in countless organizations. At a dinner with my mother he revealed what kept him going. He had something scheduled for every day—always something to look forward to. Not knowing that it was to be his last, he told her that it had been a perfect day. He died that night.
Get your POLST documents in order, folks, but mind your calendars, too.

A big “thank you” to John Sheaff for playing the role of Acting Secretary and submitting commentary on our 60th Class Reunion! His submission is quoted verbatim!

“The Honor of the Wesleyan Class of 1955 was upheld by the presence of five members at our 60th Reunion this past weekend. Loyal Class Members George Edwards, Charles Smith, William Gordon, Theodore Stein and John Sheaf had the good fortune of being able to attend and enjoy the pleasures of reviewing past good times, wonderful weather, and college-provided events. The enjoyment of our gatherings was enhanced by the presence of Wesleyan staff members who were able to answer questions regarding Wesleyan’s programs. The Class of 2015 has 799 (hope I got the number right) members. The largest ever.

“At meal times our group was joined by alumni of other years close to 1955, which added to the enjoyment of the gathering. In the Alumni Parade we had ahead of us one member of the Class of 1951 and ahead of him two members of the Class of 1950. We are getting near the head of the line.

“At the end of the parade we attended the Annual Meeting of the Alumni Association which include the presentation of awards for service and an address by David B. Potts ’60, which covered the history of Wesleyan presidents.”

John wrote that he and Lois were pleased with the entire program and commented that, as Wesleyan is only approximately a three-hour drive from their home, the whole trip was not a problem for them.

Sadly, this month (June), I received notices of the passing of two of our classmates. Charles Little died June 20, 2014, in Albuquerque, N.M. Charles was an advertising executive with Foote, Cone and Belding until 1963, when he became chief executive officer of the Open Space Institute and then on to several other executive positions involving land use issues. His entire life’s work was dedicated to the appreciation and protection of American landscapes. He authored many books devoted to his life’s passion.
Arthur Coppotelli passed away March 5, 2015. He received a MA in literature from Yale University in 1960. During the course of his career he was a speech writer for President John F. Kennedy Jr., and he authored the proposal for the youth training corps used in President Kennedy’s State of the Union Address. He also was an instructor of English and humanities at Wesleyan. Please see magazine.wesleyan.edu for a more detailed obituary.

I continue to swap notes with Gail Clarke, George Edwards, and Brad Miter via Facebook and invite you to say “hello” when you get a chance.

Marianne and I continue to enjoy life in Florida and are well. As you might imagine, biking is still a major part of my routine and at this point (June 11, 2015) I’ve logged just a tad less than 2,700 miles for the year. Always hopeful of reaching the 5,000-mile annual target.

To you and your loved ones, my sincere best wishes for health and happiness.

Greetings to all my ’54 classmates as we cruise through our 83rd year, and 61st since graduation…

Here’s latest from some of us: John Binswanger has been traveling again, to Panama and Colombia in May, then to Aspen in July for three weeks. John is still involved in Fairmount Park in Philly, and he’ll be in Middletown next year for a grandson’s graduation.

Eric Cone has shifted to a retirement home in Oakland, but still travels back to Northwest Ohio twice a year to visit family. Eric says he prefers California’s climate, despite the drought.

Ed Dewey and bride Joyce enjoy living in Big Canoe, Ga, where they enjoy golf, tennis, swimming, exercise and hiking (among others). In July, they traveled to Switzerland and England.

After six years of living alone, Bill Drury sold his house in Chelmsford, Mass., and moved to Hunt Continuing Care Community in Nashua, N.H., where he is both pampered and independent! Bill spent the first half of last July at “my beloved Eagle Camp on Lake Champlain, where I have gone every summer but one since I was born.” Eight family members joined Bill there for the second week.

Al Flynn called to report he’s now in Asheville, N.C. In June he visited Rocky Hill School in R.I., where he was headmaster.

Terry Hatter is still on the bench in California, but left there in June for graduation of oldest grandson, Eric, from (get ready)—Williams! Prior to that, Terry and bride were in Santa Monica for a granddaughter’s graduation from middle school.

Bud Johnson and Lynn are off to Munich to join a 10-day Tauck Tour of mountain adventures in six countries…

George Klein sends greetings from Guam, where he’s been retired for nearly two years. George says it’s a tropical paradise, 9,000 miles from Connecticut, as the crow flies.

Bob Schnuer and Vickie Sanderson were married in Florida last May. Bob reports “a wonderful five-plus year ‘trial period,’ and says he’s both lucky and blessed to have discovered a second wonder woman willing to put up with me.” Of note is that Vickie attended our last two Reunions.

Jules Schwaber is now three years retired from medical practice. Wife of 59 years, Evelyne, recently celebrated her 60th college reunion at Radcliffe. Family still thriving.

Marshall Umpleby reports mostly on medical issues, including a new chemo, Dacogen, “which seems to be working, but it’s too soon to tell.” Life is okay, he says, but they can’t go on any trips longer than a week. As for Marshall’s Bucket List: “New Zealand and Australia are out!”

Your ink-stained scribe: Bob Carey and bride Libby returned from six weeks on Sanibel Island in February, relaxed at home in March, traveled to Bentonville, Ark., in April to visit the famous Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, then on to Philadelphia in May for youngest daughter’s doctorate ceremony at Temple, then to Boston for granddaughter’s graduation from Boston University. In June to London for grandson’s graduation, at Westminster Hall, from the American School in London. And in July to The Villages, Fla. for Bob’s sister’s 80th birthday celebration.

All the best to us in 2015–2016, and stay healthy!

Never too late to write a “Dear John” as did Sandy Millar from Camden, Maine, after 62 years. A year ago Fran and he found Omaha Beach especially moving while enjoying cruising on the Seine. This fall they will travel Portugal’s Douro River. When not cleaning up a portion of Wellfleet’s ocean beach or participating in Rockland Kiwanis Club activities, keeping up with four grandchildren and their parents in Norwalk and Darien, Conn., makes life interesting.

Former White House physician and retired brigadier general John E. Hutton Jr., died Dec. 12, 2014, from complications of Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia at a military retirement facility in D.C. A biology major and member of Eclectic, John wrote in 1993 that he could easily make his 177 lb. wrestling weight class with no effort. After serving in the Marine Corps as a helicopter pilot, he attended medical school and served in Vietnam, becoming an authority on bullet wounds and managing wartime casualties. John served in the White House for two years before being named physician to President Reagan in 1987. He retired from the military in 1992 and then taught at the Uniformed Services University until 2010.

Word has been received of the death of John Seelye, of Palatka, Fla., April 20, 2015. He was an English major and member of Alpha Chi Rho, where he served as secretary. After receiving a doctorate from Claremont Graduate School, he taught at a number of universities: Cal Berkeley, North Carolina, Dartmouth, and the last being Florida in Gainesville. John enjoyed restoring historical homes and buildings, his most recent the Veterans’ Memorial Hall in Eastport, Maine. During the summer of 1953 I remember John and my college roommate, Jan van den Berg, on their way to graduate schools in California, driving through Denver, where I was working, seeking housing and dates.

Tom Plimpton ’56 notified us of the death of his brother, James David “Jim” Plimpton, Dec. 7, 2014. A native of Dyer, Ind., (Chicago area) Jim was a physics/math major (Phi Beta Kappa) and a member of Delta Tau Delta, where he and Charlie Hoyt became close friends, and Jim played trombone with the High Street Five. After receiving a Ph.D. from Iowa State in ’61, he joined Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., and worked in the area of nuclear physics, later becoming an administrator before retirement. As third generation Wesman, his grandfather 1891 and father 1921, Jim was the fourth of five family members to grace the campus. Our condolences to his wife, Donna, their two children, and three granddaughters.

Condolences of the class are extended to the wives and families of the three classmates. For further details see online obituaries at magazine.wesleyan.edu.

We promised more on Dick Mayer in this issue of the magazine. Dick left Wesleyan after his sophomore year and enlisted in the U. S. Army. Following graduation from Officer Candidate School, he became a platoon leader on the front lines of Korea, was seriously wounded, spent a year in a hospital in Japan, and was awarded one of the Army’s highest medals. Beyond this, Dick has forbade me (Hal) from providing any details of his military exploits, so my hands are tied. I am pleased to add, however, that Dick recovered satisfactorily from his wounds and says that he is still in pretty decent shape. He walks three miles a day and exercises for 45 minutes every morning. He has had a great life, especially his 61-year marriage to a very special woman (Ginger). He is still very active in the insurance business he founded, Executive Compensation Systems, Inc. (see issue 1, 2015, class notes for more details), and despite not having graduated, is every bit the epitome of the Wesleyan liberal arts-educated citizen Vic Butterfield so successfully molded.

Ken Taylor and his wife, JoAnne, reside in the same Seabury Retirement Community, Bloomfield, Conn., as Joyce and I, and we often dine together. You might think that we’d run out of old Wes stories by now, but recently Ken bowled me over with a tale I had trouble believing. Ken related (actually regaled) how his fellow Sigma Chi pledge, Russ Doolittle, was sent off on a quest to ride a horse across the Boston Common, lantern in hand, à la Paul Revere, shouting that the British were coming. I e-mailed Russ to find out if Ken was hallucinating, but Russ told me that, although it was probably not as sensational as Ken recalled, it was mostly accurate. Happily, Russ (and the horse) survived the event, and happily also, it turned out not to be the greatest accomplishment in his life. In fact, he says that he would just as soon forget it at this point.

In the course of tracking down the truth of the Doolittle quest, I learned that Dunc Nelson had had a quest on the same weekend and that he had actually accompanied Russ on his Boston Commons escapade. Dunc’s quest assignment was to parade a goose in front of the library at Wellesley, which he did. However, he was also supposed to inquire after the “measurements” of any young women he encountered there. That was a bit too much for Dunc, who wrote, “Flamboyant as I pretend to be, I suspect that I—keeping the ‘fowl’ imagery—chickened out.” On the way back to campus, Dunc’s borrowed car ran out of brake fluid. Having no money on him, he was forced to exchange the goose for two bottles of brake fluid at a gas station. You can’t make this stuff up!

Tom Collins and wife, Mary Ellen, were seen this past May after a performance at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Conn. Tom still goes to his law office in Glastonbury, Conn. daily. He is in great shape for one significantly older than the rest of his classmates—92. Tom was in the service during the WW II era before entering Wesleyan with us.

Walter Pories checked in recently with news of life in the springtime on his North Carolina farm, including a new crop of soybeans, baby goats, emerging pears, rhubarb ready for the table, “show-off magnolia with its huge white blossoms,” etc. Interspersed with that was, “To my absolute surprise, I was asked if I would like to serve as the second vice president-elect of the American College of Surgeons, a small organization of only 70,000 members [note Pories’ humor] and the strongest surgical society in the world.” Then, with his typical modesty and wit, he added, “As I see my job, it’s to get on my knees every morning and pray that none of the officers die. So far, I have a 100 percent success rate.” Amen, Walter!

More sad news. Dick “Sherry” Sherwood, of South Dartmouth, Mass., died on April 7, 2015. Sherry was part of the five-year Wesleyan/MIT program leading to a degree in architecture and civil engineering, so he left to attend MIT after our junior year. He was well known at Wesleyan as a sailing aficionado and, also, he possessed the first lacrosse stick and ball many of us had ever seen. He had a long career as a construction manager of projects in Jamaica, Iran, England, Denver, and other U.S. locations. Later on, his interest in sailing led him to write A Field Guide to Sailboats, and his keen sense of citizenship involvement led him to be selectman and to serve on various town committees of Amherst, N.H., where his wife, Janet, and he then resided. Dick is survived by his wife, two sons, and five grandchildren, to whom we extend our sincerest condolences.

Our class president and class agent, Bill Wasch, reminds us that our class has established the Class of 1952 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship. It is presently held by Michael Glasser ’16, of Forest Hills, N.Y. Michael is a molecular biology and biochemistry major who says his favorite class last semester was Techniques of Poetry, which he took in addition to five science and math courses. Vic Butterfield would have loved this student! We can all build our scholarship fund for the benefit of future Wesleyan liberal arts students by designating our annual Wesleyan Fund contributions to the Class of 1952 Endowed Scholarship Fund.

John White wrote from Minnesota that the times had been flying by so fast, he couldn’t believe he had truly graduated from the old alma mater 64 years ago. John said he’d been married twice, had four children, who in turn had seven kids, who are turning into being gray-headed themselves, who in turn have three kids, two of whom came into this world in Australia. “All this means I’m a great-grandfather to those three,” John wrote. John was unhappy that the Minnesota driver’s liscence bureau had revoked his driver’s license. He was trying to get it back, so far without success. “I am qualified as a senior citizen,” he wrote, “and am now at the mercy of my dear wife Mary and a couple of friends to chauffer if I want or need to go someplace.” I know the feeling, John.

Bob Mack’s wife, Mary, wrote that Bob has become seriously handicapped by his Parkinson’s Syndrome and can do very little for himself. The family has a wheelchair-accessible van, and they can take him out occasionally. They also have excellent home health and Mary wrote that the family has been of great help also.

Jack Pfeiffer reported sad news from Jonesboro, Ga., in the death of his wife, Nancy, earlier this year. Consequently, Jack wrote, he has moved to a senior citizen’s homestead, where he has a two-bedroom apartment. “My health is fair,” Jack wrote, “and I try to exercise fairly often.” Jack said he wouldn’t be able to make our 65th Reunion but wanted to wish his classmates good health and a great time.

I don’t know if I included a very newsworthy letter from a fraternity brother Roger Stimson in Okemos, Mich. At the time he wrote, Roger was recovering from total knee replacement on both knees and hoped to be ready for the sailing season. Other than the knees, Roger said his health was good and he was working out regularly with a group of ex-Michigan State professors. He was still a ham radio operator. For anybody who has the appropriate equipment, you can see some of his handiwork on QRZ.com. Enter his call letters (K8RS) in the little box on the upper left and you’ll see his web page.

Dave Welsh wrote from Fort Myers, Fla., where he and his wife, Kathy, retired to in 2002. “We still travel to see our family by driving or flying to see sons, daughters, grandchildren and, in just the last few years, great-grandchildren,” he wrote. “Our lives are centered on our country club, playing many rounds of golf, going to the fitness center, reading and spending time with our friends for dinner a few times a week.” Dave said that he and Kathy were enjoying amazingly good health for their “young” age.

In my letters to classmates, I’m asking everyone to indicate whether they would be able to make our 65th Reunion next year. I think we’d need at least 10 to make it worthwhile for the university to do anything for us.