Class Notes | 1960s

Steve Knox lives in Asheville, near children.

Jeff Richards is “busier than ever with The Minutes and a revival of American Buffalo. Met Dave Dixon and Bill Edelheit for brunch.”

Steve Hansel is “happy to see 2019 go. We moved back to New Orleans.”

Nick Browning wrote, “Happy 2020 to everyone struggling in this difficult world. Full-time as a psychotherapist. Our 3-year-old grandson is a joy. I visited Gordy Holleb. Knee surgery nixed basketball as I face the inevitable.”

John Bach “plucks out happy melodies amid the drums of perpetual war.”

Alex Knopp “edits the Connecticut Law Tribune. As president of the Norwalk Library, I’m co-locating broadcast studios for CPTV in the addition. Bette’s first novel, The Better Angels, is a time-travel mystery.”

Steve Broker ’69, MAT ’72 “documents breeding birds, early and late winter ones, and seasonal migration patterns for the CT Bird Atlas. Field observations, field observations, field observations. Doing so strengthens our connections with the environment.”

Dave Siegel said, “Nancy and I just back from Vietnam and Cambodia. The more than expected rate of birth defects are a legacy of Agent Orange use during the war. We were surprised by the lack of public health and education infrastructure.”

Jerry Martin “retired in June. Fifty years’ teaching is enough. Time to visit family in Vermont, maybe raise some sheep. We’ll try the bicoastal dance—LA and VT. Save us a seat at football and baseball games. Looking forward to 55th. Happy New Year and a regime change to all.”

Jim Drummond practices “criminal defense law in Round Rock, Texas. See novelist Bruce Hartman. I loved the Reunion, especially the Vietnam program. Great to see Barry Macey. Three children, four grandchildren, live with my brilliant and beautiful wife Deborah. Happy New Year to all!”

Bill Eaton checked in from Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins.

Jim Adkins said, “Not much esoteric from my life compared to what other classmates are doing. Work ENT one day a week at the Tampa VA. Travel as much as possible. Play my horn three nights a week for sanity(?). My wife is in assisted living, so I’m a solo traveler. Anyone want to go somewhere?”

Pete Pfeiffer sent pictures of Paul Bunyan, with chainsaw, sitting on harvested white oak logs in the Maine Woods.

Kathy and Charlie Ingrao “toured Paraguay’s German/Mennonite colonies and suppressed Jesuit missions. We’ve done most First World countries, 95 overall. Any classmates want to visit the 100-plus more exotic ones left?”

John Fenner is “a lawyer in Hollywood, Fla. Business divorces are like child custody battles—nasty, brutish, and long.”

Carmen and David Freedman “visited Isla Verde in San Juan. We hosted family before the earthquakes, which damaged the opposite side of the island. From Atlanta, we share with all best wishes for a prosperous and healthy 2020.”

Wayne Slitt “cruised the Caribbean with Bob Tobias and Charley Ferrucci.”

Howie Brown said, “Three weeks in Hawaii next year. Love to go but don’t want to live there. The recent death of a high school classmate exposed our delicate hold on existence. Enjoy every moment you can.”

Julia and John Richards “moved to Charleston, nearer sons. See Stan Robbins ’71, a retired lawyer in Annapolis.”

Mike Fairchild wrote, “Daughter Marnie in Brooklyn is development director for Amnesty International. Scott ’00 is executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. I enjoy my media projects and teach elementary school science once a week.”

Tom Earle “welcomed grand twins in September.”

Steve Pfeiffer “practices global law. Five children and eight grandchildren. Thanks to those who made our 50th happen.”

Bob Berkowitz is a “pediatric psychiatrist at CHOP. See Joel Fein ’84 in emergency room. The need for youth mental help is expanding.”

Bernie Freamon “teaches about Islam in U.S. and Africa. New book available on Amazon.”

Charlie Morgan “attended U.S. Supreme Court hearing in the Chris Christie Bridgegate debacle.”

Stuart Blackburn’s new novel “tells the true story of a 1911 political assassination in India.”

Charles Elbot “closed my educational consultancy. Sons and families live nearby. Love my wife. Overall, I’m a lucky guy.”

Rameshwar Das was “bedside with mentor Ram Dass MA ’54, who died in December. Will finish his memoir on my own.”

Ron Reisner “attended Darius Brubeck and brothers’ Lincoln Center tribute to their father. Talked with Dennis Robinson ’79 and Gordon Cooney ’81 at a Wes lacrosse event.”

Fran and Paul Dickman “celebrated our 50th anniversary with parties and feasting.”

Mark Johnson welcomed “granddaughter Nova Mariano, Nov. 24, 2019.”

Andy Cohen teaches medicine at Brown and visits friends in Florida and New Orleans.

Jeff Powell wrote, “Cheryl and I are still living in New London, N.H. I retired from my internal medicine practice in 2012, however, continue to work as an IT consultant and physician informaticist at my local hospital in New London on an as needed basis. My wife and I spend our summers aboard our Island Packet sailboat cruising the coast of Maine. Our daughter, Kristen, is a family practitioner in Green Bay, Wisc. She has two teenage daughters. She and her family enjoy the rural Wisconsin lifestyle. Our son, Todd, lives with his wife and 7-year-old daughter in Columbia, S.C. I am planning on heading to my 45th medical school reunion in May at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. I still keep in  touch with Rob Pratt who also has a sailboat on the coast of Maine. It is hard to believe that we will be 51 years out of Wesleyan this spring.”

Peter Prestley “is on Martha’s Vineyard for the next chapter. Dig the off-season island life.”

Doug Bell sent “all blessings” and George Evans and Mike Devine celebrated their 43rd anniversary in Montreal.

Paul Melrose sees Fred Coleman and “works part-time at the Methodist Church in Madison, Wisc.”

George Evans and Mike Devine celebrated their 43rd anniversary in Montreal.

Dave Driscoll “installed solar PV and black pipe to heat our Florida pool and jacuzzi. Red tide keeps us out of the Gulf. Thank you, Governor Scott.”

A herd of deer climb the hill across the estuary. When they run, their white tails are semaphores. Then they disappear into the woods.

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net
11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 

After an MA from SUNY-Buffalo, Ted Li joined the English Department of Pingry School where he enjoyed a distinguished 43-year run. He landed at Pingry due to George Moffatt, the two-time world champion in gliding who taught there then, and gliding became Ted’s primary avocation through the early ’80s. But, in 1984, he shifted his focus to fencing. While coaching Pingry’s team, he had the opportunity to manage the U.S. fencing team at the Los Angeles Olympics—and subsequently two other Olympics.

Though retired from the classroom, he is not only involved with Pingry fencing but has also been elected the international body that governs fencing. Gliding and fencing have taken him to all the inhabited continents.

Dave Garrison ’67 retired in 2009 as professor of Spanish and Portugese from Dayton’s Wright State University. He started in the class of 1967 but a year off in Spain happily moved him into 1968. In retirement, he plays tennis and golf and, after a 50-year hiatus, has taken up the trumpet again.

A poet, he has just completed another book which—not surprisingly—looks at things from the point of view of 70-year-old guys. An excerpt:

They take aspirin before playing tennis,
write wills directing their ashes
be mixed into the clay of the courts …
They have a lot to remember,
more than they have to look forward to.
These men put more and more pepper
on their potatoes, jam on their toast.

The Boys in the Boat—Wallace Murfit, Harrison Knight, Bob Svensk, John Lipsky, Nason Hamlin, Will Macoy ’67, and me—held our annual October get-together at Wes. A special treat for me was that Janet and Coach Phil Calhoun ’62, MALS ’69 came in from Lancaster. He was too young and irresponsible to be much of a role model but god we had fun.

With profound sadness, Dick Grimm reported the death of his wife, Annabella Gonzalez, of COPD in NYC on Nov. 24. Born into a prominent Mexican family whose friends included Frida Kahlo and the young Fidel Castro, she, a dancer, ended up in NYC and studied with Martha Graham. In 1976, she founded a modern dance company that is going strong and which performed at many venues internationally, at Wesleyan, and to many underserved audiences. Our heartfelt condolences.

Jan and John Graham report they are now living in a comprehensive retirement community southwest of Asheville, in part to be close to Jan’s 101-year-old mother who is in skilled nursing in the same complex, and in part to assure their daughters they will not burden them. The Osher Lifelong Learning Center at a nearby UNC campus is a big part of their lives. There, a variety of courses taught by retired professors and the like keep their minds fully functioning. Alas, John’s golf game has irreparably deteriorated but he has found other fulfilling ways in which to engage himself.

Locally, I write this in January. We are a mixed marriage and usually celebrate the holidays in a mixed-up way. But circumstances this year were such that I celebrated my first genuine Jewish Christmas—Chinese with friends followed by a movie. Refreshing.

Bob Reisfeld, the retired chief of psychiatry at the Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Redwood City, Calif., is enjoying good health and this phase of life with his wife, Leslie. They’ve two adult daughters: one married; the other in a long-term relationship. One is an incredibly athletic amateur aerial performer with a master’s in management in the nonprofit sector; the other a professional artist. Bob, Brian Frosh, and Tony Rotundo and their wives spent a week together on Maui in November snorkeling, golfing—studying the perfect Mai Tai. Tony and his wife, Kathy, retired from Andover’s faculty five years ago and moved from campus housing to Lexington to be closer to friends, family and “city life.” Their daughter is in computer science at Mount Holyoke, while their son teaches at a bilingual boarding school in Shanghai. In retirement, Tony is working on a book exploring the relationship between white masculinity and conservatism. (Sort of a sequel to an earlier volume he did on 19th-century manhood). He keeps up with a select group of Wesleyan friends: Eric Blumenson, Ray Solomon, Don Fels, and Mark Taylor. “Kathy often comments on what great friends I have from college. I always tell her to be glad she didn’t know us when we were 18.”

Lloyd Buzzell | LBuzz463@aol.com
70 Turtle Bay, Branford, CT 06405 | 203/208-5360

Classmates, I had a nice note from Dave Garrison, now retired from teaching Spanish and Portuguese at Wright State, but still writing poetry—he was named the state poet in Ohio in 2014 and continues to publish his poems (and win prizes for them!) and give readings. He also plays golf, tennis, and trumpet (in a concert band for folks over 50).

Jeff Hicks has been honored by the medical school at the University of Rochester, from which he received his M.D. in 1971, and where he has taught since that time. He received the Alumni Service Award. The nice citation went as follows: “Throughout his celebrated career, Dr. Jeff Hicks has raised the quality of education for students at the School of Medicine and Dentistry as well as those studying around the world. A highly accomplished and admired educator, he holds numerous awards for teaching distinction. With deepest gratitude, we honor his generous and unwavering support of the School.” As we say down south in Greensboro, N.C., “Mazel tov!”

When my wife Lisa and I lived in Santa Cruz, Calif., lots of Wesleyan pals came to visit, on their way from who-knows-where to who-knows-where, or just to experience the hip West Coast Santa Cruz vibes. We get fewer Wesleyan friends passing through Greensboro, N.C. (can’t imagine why), but we did have a really nice visit from Tony Schuman ’65, and his son Sam, on their way from Atlanta to New Jersey. Tony last visited us in Greensboro in the 1980s, so he was way overdue. He is a professor in the School of Architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Until recently, he was the director of the graduate program, he served as interim dean for two-and-a-half years, and he is a past-president of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. He and his wife, Peg, live in Montclair, N.J., where he serves on the housing commission, and he is a trustee of the Newark Preservation and Landmarks Committee. Sam, a student at Oberlin, spent the summer working as an intern at Oxford American (Sam has a twin brother who is a student at Occidental). Sam patiently listened to me and Tony go on and on about 1960s Wesleyana, as we recounted stories about people with names like Melillo ’65, Dinwoodey ’65, Archer ’65, Fluegelman ’65 and Zetterberg ’65, Norman O. “Nobby” Brown Hon. ’67, and bands with names like Gary and the Wombats and Uranus and the Moons.

In the category of weird blasts from the past, Jim Kates writes (“Dear Herr Zweigenhaft, keeper of the flame . . .”) to tell me that his girlfriend from freshman year recently sent him all the letters he wrote her in 1963 and 1964, which apparently was a lot as when he wrote me he had read dozens of them and was not yet past October of 1963. These letters include many details that will be of interest to very few people (e.g., “Pete Kovach dropped by earlier this evening; he is cultivating a beard . . . He’d spent the weekend at Wellesley”) but they perhaps capture that memorable (but fading?) first year we spent at Wesleyan. Jim would be glad to share these with interested classmates.

Bruce Morningstar wrote to catch me up on what has been going on with him. He has been fighting prostate cancer and needed radiation treatment. Fortunately, this treatment seems to have worked, as his doc has told him that his PSA is now way down. Unfortunately, his wife of nearly 47 years, Katie, died in late October (“I lost my love and my best friend”).

Despite these travails, Bruce was nice enough to ask about me (“You write about the rest of us. Let us know how you are doing”). I’m doing fine, living with my wife, Lisa, and two rescue dogs, both collies (Jokomo and Zena), in the house in a historic neighborhood we moved into in 1975 (before it was “historic”). I have been fortunate in terms of the major health issues that many people my age and younger have faced. I am still teaching (though a somewhat reduced load), and still writing some academic stuff. My writing project this past summer (2019) was not my most academic (au contraire), but it was one of the most fun. It is a book about the pick-up basketball game I helped to found and have been playing in for 44 years. It is titled GEEZERBALL: North Carolina Basketball at its Eldest (Sort of a Memoir). By the time you read this, it should be available at my favorite Greensboro independent bookstore, Scuppernong, or whatever your favorite independent bookstore is, or (if you must) through Amazon.

Friendship first.

Richie Zweigenhaft | rzweigen@guilford.edu

“Lives well-led” is the theme. We begin with this delightful update from Phil Luks: “Wesleyan memories: sipping sherry with Tom Tashiro, the most precise and thoughtful person I’ll ever meet. Sitting on an Amherst hillside with a first date—now my wife of 51 years, Charlene Balcom, Mount Holyoke ’67—watching a young president, with a month to live, dedicate the Robert Frost Library. Throwing buckets in the best Clark Hall water fight ever. Charlene and Hank Lufler dancing on Hank’s couch to “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Falling off my chair laughing at one of Rusty Hardin’s [’64] stories.

“After law school, I joined a San Francisco law firm, and focused on developing and financing large cogeneration and alternative energy electric power projects. I then worked for one of our major engineering clients, as a senior executive responsible for the world-wide development of large non-government infrastructure projects. At the end of my career, I took a fling with a Silicon Valley startup that tried to create a specialized search engine, but got swamped by another startup with a funny name, Google. Along the way, Charlene and I had a daughter (Tracy, Reed College ’94) and two grandchildren.

“We retired to Healdsburg, Calif., one of the best communities in America (read David Brooks if you want to see how a city like ours, a society and community like ours, can work and thrive.) If you live here, you connect with the city’s life, and I’ve been active in the local community foundation and health clinic, and have been a planning commissioner for years. Charlene out participates me—the library would fall down without her. We keep active, we’re in good health and we try our best to look forward to the future.”

Phil Shaver, distinguished professor of psychology emeritus at University of California, Davis, and his wife, Dr. Gail Goodman, were invited to speak at Altai State University in Russia. Phil shares this illustrious story: “Late one evening we went down for dinner in our hotel dining room, and besides ourselves there were only two guys sitting at a table with large, empty beer glasses, taking vodka shots followed by swigs of red berry juice. They invited me over for a brief conversation and three test shots, and we conversed as much as their modest English and my nonexistent Russian allowed. At one point in the ‘conversation,’ I happened to mention Putin. One of the guys excitedly said, ‘I LOVE Putin!’ He stood up, pulled up his sweater, and revealed a t-shirt with a picture on it of Putin wearing a jaunty sailor’s cap. I said, ‘That is GREAT! Where did you get it? I’d like to buy one.’ He said, ‘You like it? You can have it!’ And he quickly removed both his sweater and the Putin shirt, and – standing bare-chested – handed me the shirt. It was the first time in my life I ever realized what ‘He’d give me the shirt off his back’ means. My wife said, ‘Phil, are we ever going to order dinner?’” Though retired, “taking golf lessons and art classes,” Phil is “drawn back into work…I agreed to teach a 200-student course…I had thought I would never do such a thing again. I expected to be dead or demented by now, but since I seem to be in pretty good shape, I may as well make small contributions to the younger generations of students and coauthors.” I say, good for Phil.

In retirement, Paul Gilbert continues to contribute and to inspire: “I’ve discovered his favorite sport again while helping those who deserve it. Veterans on Deck is a volunteer organization run by veterans who take recently released and retired veterans who want to benefit from a program designed to provide a social atmosphere combined with a little adventure. VOD activities help to relieve socialization issues during active duty or after serving on active duty…We have a full schedule of sailing opportunities for vets Tuesday through Saturday. We have two boats, both skippered by retired older veterans qualified to be skippers. We go out (weather dependent) for two-hour trips utilizing our participants to work the boat. It’s a way of getting someone literally off the couch, put them in touch with their peers and generally have a good time. We’re supported by local donations to our nonprofit and are able to accept donations of sailboats for our use. Right now, we have a 27-foot and 31-foot sailboat. I’ve found new friendships as a volunteer and hopefully helped our participants find a way for a better quality of life.” Again, life being well-led.

Dave McNally and his wife, Michelle, recently “joined forces with John Neff for a fabulous weekend at Sugar Hollow Retreat, a beautiful rustic resort in east Tennessee owned by an old friend. The festivities included a day at the National Storytelling Festival in historic Jonesborough, Tenn., an annual event that draws thousands and features innumerable storytellers from around the world (our favorite was Bil Lepp, five-time winner of the WV Liars Contest). We stayed at John’s afterward in Winston-Salem and had the pleasure of him visiting us in Alexandria in December.

“I also spoke at length with classmate Rob Chickering, who still plays tennis several times a week and enjoys a relaxed retirement with his wife Rhoda in East Montpelier, Vt. And I met . . . in Alexandria, VA, with Pam Vasiliou, who just retired from a long career at Wesleyan. Any of you who ever attended one of our class Reunions appreciates how incredibly helpful Pam has always been. She felt a special bond to our class, and we to her. Thank you, Pam, and may you enjoy a long and wonderful retirement.

“Michelle and I spend as much time as possible at our log house in the woods in the West Virginia. We’re nearly three miles from the nearest paved road, just the way we like it. The photo shows a rainbow ending right on our house, a meaningful event for an Irishman like yours truly.”

Dave also sends news about our national champion swimmer, Sandy Van Kennen, who “recently had both knees replaced. Sandy is confident that both surgeries were highly successful, though he stresses that the key—apart, of course, from having a good surgeon—is doing all the prescribed physical therapy religiously, and having an adequate stash of the products that brought the Sackler family so much wealth (and infamy).”

Howard Brodsky’s exemplary work and stellar career are once more being recognized, Howard being “named the 2019 recipient of the international Rochdale Pioneers Award…the ‘Nobel Prize of Cooperative Business,’ the Rochdale Award is given out every two years to an individual who has made the greatest impact across the world through the innovations of shared ownership, specifically through the cooperative business model that anchors value with members, employees, customers, and their communities.” Howard “co-founded CCA Global Partners in 1984, bringing scale to entrepreneurial family businesses by creating an international enterprise of 15 unique cooperative businesses in multiple sectors of the economy from home furnishings, business services, sports retail stores, to childcare, nonprofits and more. Together, they serve 1 million small businesses in four countries and 20,000 childcare centers across America.”

Congratulations to Howard and best wishes to all, with the reminder to mark your calendars for our 55th Reunion in May of 2021.

LARRY CARVER | carver1680@gmail.com
P.O. Box 103, Rico, Colorado, 81332 512/478-8968

Dear Classmates,

Thank you for the following response to my belated plea for news:

Win Chamberlin: “Our best news is the arrival of granddaughter Grey Davies Sparrow.  Not unlike her mother and our daughter, Felicity, I suspect the only grey in her life will be her name; otherwise, it’s all straight black or white. Getting ready for another Habitat build this year in the Dominican Republic. As usual, we’ll be doing cement pours to replace dirt floors with concrete, so basic yet so important. My wheelbarrow, Ezmeralda, will be on location.  Hope I can keep doing this for a few more years. The people we serve may be poor, but their gratitude and wealth in spirit is world class.”

John Graves: “Since our 50th, I note with sadness the loss of Ron Young, with whom I roomed at the Reunion, and Professor John Maguire, Freedom Rider, lifelong activist for peace and justice and friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, whose life we celebrate tomorrow. I retired from my practice of psychiatry in Denver in 2016 and recently completed a personal/professional memoir entitled Lessons on the Road to Hope: A Psychiatrist’s Journey, which I plan to publish later this year. Ongoing classical piano studies, fly fishing (king salmon in Alaska), participating in a men’s reading group, volunteering in a homeless women’s program at my church and with Mental Health Colorado, along with extensive travels in Europe, Morocco, and plans for two weeks in Kenya this summer, have been exciting. I am blessed with good health and increasingly grateful for my time at Wesleyan. Janmarie (Holyoke ’69) and I have a very comfortable guest apartment and would welcome visitors if you are planning on a trip to the Rockies. We pray for peace at home and in the world.”

John Dunton: “Carol and I learned this year that Route 20, which begins at Kenmore Square in Boston ends up in Newport, Ore. It is the longest continuous road in the U.S., and if they had a catchy song like Route 66 does, people might know what a long and winding road Route 20 is. We drove it end-to-end in June and July, with many stops along the way including the Jell-O Museum, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a Cubs game, the Field of Dreams house and ball yard, and cornfield, Yellowstone Park and all its glories, and after hitting the Pacific we spent several days in quirky Portland, Ore.  We saw the farmers literally under water in Ohio and Indiana, the hundreds of dollar stores, the surprising (to us) resurgence of Cleveland and Toledo, a real rodeo, bison roaming free, and the unexpected charm of Boise. We feel much more reconnected to our country as a result.”

Bill Knox: In Morocco with Carolyn and her best friend, who was her college roommate for four years and introduced us on New Year’s Eve 1968. Staying in a rather rustic Airbnb in Chefchaouen.

Arthur Rhodes: “Just retired from Rush University Medical Center. Leslie and I will be spending more time with our combined families of five children and 10 grandchildren in Chicago and New Orleans. Homes in both places. Surprised how each day flies by when I am not seeing patients.”

Gar Hargens: “In Beantown last weekend to watch grandsons Grayson and Holland (senior co-captain and sophomore) play two basketball games for Newton North High School. Connected with Susan Mead for a long overdue lunch and reminiscence about Kirt and Wesleyan. She has four terrific grandkids and splits time between Cambridge and Marion. In December, Missy and I were invited to Costa Rica to meet 2-month-old granddaughter Charlie Collett Hargens, my seventh grandchild. Youngest daughter Kendra ’04 is a senior designer for Patagonia and with generous maternity leave, elected to introduce Charlie to surfing on the West Coast and have us down. Missy’s working hard for Senator Amy Klobuchar, the moderate Minnesota Midwesterner we think has the best shot.”

Jim Henderson writes of the young man whom he, Connie, and a loving community support, who is now at James Madison University. The young man is a gifted musician and was mostly homeless through high school and before his mother passed away unexpectedly. A great story. He and Connie recently visited with an exchange student they hosted from Duesseldorf who was with them in the 1980s. They remain very active with book clubs, classes, and a number of civic and charitable organizations. They traveled to England last summer, which tied into Connie’s longtime love of English gardens. They live in Carrollton, Va., and would welcome hearing from friends who are visiting the area.

Carl Calendar: “I worked for Brookdale Community College at the Jersey Shore for 48 years, ending up as dean of humanities, and I still give lectures for the lifelong learning program in the non-credit division.  During my career I worked three years in the summers for the State Department in Malaysia and Borneo trying to encourage better writing and freedom of the press. I also had summer grants to study Shakespeare at Princeton and Exeter College, Oxford. I have traveled fairly widely including walking 200 miles on the Camino de Santiago where I earned my Compostela. I am married to Jody Shaughnessy Calendar who was the managing editor of the Asbury Park Press and the Bergen Record. We have two sons, Bart, who runs his own communication company in Montpellier, France, and Shane who is a corporate attorney in New Jersey.”

Roger Spragg: “At UC San Diego for 50 years, now retired from the department of medicine and patient care but continuing some mentoring and investigative activities. Carole and I celebrated our 50th anniversary last winter with our two sons and their families at our home near Whitefish, Mont. Travel, hiking, and reading on some subjects I neglected at Wesleyan are major activities. I’d enjoy hearing (at rspragg@ucsd.edu) from Wesleyan friends.

Dutch Siegert: “My dual occupations continue a still-booming law practice in New York City and professional high-stakes poker playing at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, N.J. Someone once mentioned the word retirement, but I don’t know what that means.”

Bill Brooks continues working at the University of York (UK), where he is now half-time and teaching only PhD students, and at the Orpheus Institute in Ghent, Belgium, where he is a senior research fellow and series editor for Orpheus Publications, most of which are issued by the University of Leuven Press. Nearly two years ago he bought a condominium in a 1929 building in Champaign, Ill., which he continues very slowly to restore. There he is emeritus professor of music at the University of Illinois, and he commutes regularly to Chicago, where he is a scholar-in-residence at the Newberry Library. Over Here, Over There, a collection of essays on the music of World War I, edited by himself and two colleagues, was issued by the University of Illinois Press last October; an LP of his 45-minute composition Footnotes, for guitar, was issued in January by Innova Records. A collection of compositions and essays created over the past eight years will be published online by the Orpheus Institute later this year. His compositions are published by Frog Peak Music. He can be reached at w-brooks@illinois.edu.

Dick Travis: “In June, Evelyn and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with our first return to Glacier National Park since our family was there the summers of 1983 and 1984 when I was the U.S. Public Health Service Environmental Sanitation Consultant assigned to the park. Then off to Banff National Park, Lake Louise, and other parts of the Canadian Rockies. But most of our life these days revolves around church and grandchildren activities. At church, I am an elder, teach Sunday School, sing in the choir, and service on committees because Presbyterians “are orderly” and seem to love committees and commissions. Our grandchildren range in age from 21 in graduate school to an 8-year-old, and we are thankful to be in their lives, serve as taxi drivers when needed, and occasionally being interviewed for class assignments (there are benefits to having some mileage on you). While at Wesleyan, one of my uncles told me that Wesleyan would just be four years, but that this would result in much growth during this short time period. This was certainly true for me and in good part due to the wonderful classmates that I had who taught me so much. Thanks to all.”

Jeff Kessler: “Living in Manhasset on Long Island with wife Ilana. Continuing to enjoy practicing medicine (neurology) and my four kids and seven grandchildren. Can’t hit a golf ball nearly as far as a few years ago. Busy collecting wine and rare single malt scotch with the kids. Really proud of Wesleyan’s recent achievements in athletics, as well as in the arts and other fields. Daughter Vicki ’07 and son-in-law Evan Browne ’05 are also loyal enthusiasts.”

Bob Thorndike: “Retired for 13 years and accumulating an alarming number of replacement parts while spending most of the year in the far northwest. January and February in Phoenix for golf. We have cruised the Atlantic twice with continuations to Spitzbergen (coast of Norway) and the Baltic. Recommend St. Petersburg, it is worth the trip. Southern Africa is also well worth it for adventurous souls.”

Carl Hoppe: “Still toiling away at work. Busier than ever. Managed to get to Napili, Maui, for the holiday season. We go from LA to the beach house we share with Diane’s sisters in Del Mar every five or six weeks. Contemplating retiring when I get old. Things could be worse.”

Ken David: “Elly and I migrate yearly between Michigan and western Florida. As winter Floridians, we live 20 miles north of Tampa in the Trinity section of New Port Richey. We keep on traveling. The next trip is to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. We shall reverse Apocalypse Now and boat down the Mekong River to Siem Reap. Angkor Wat is the target.”

Bertel Haarder: (junior year abroad) “I am the longest serving minister and parliamentarian in Denmark, still MP, and now also chairman of the Royal Theater in Copenhagen. as minister for education and research through 15 years, I profited a lot from my Wesleyan experience.”

Joe Nichols: “Oldest son, Weston, BS, Cornell (engineering), co-captain tennis team, PhD, California Institute Technology, recently married Holly Snyder, BA, Brown University (golf team), MBA, Wharton. Both on Wall Street. Youngest son, Peden, BS, MIT (engineering), co-captain tennis team, also on Wall Street. Betsy and I still living in Great Falls, Va.”

Bob MacLean: “Having first skied with other Eclectics at Powder Ridge near Middletown, I’m celebrating my 43rd year as a fully-certified ski instructor at Snowmass, Colo. If you’re in the Aspen area, come ski with me. A great way to connect or reconnect. Otherwise, growing our Yolá yogurt topping start-up business. In touch with Phil Russell out here in Silicon Valley and with John Dunton, Peter Whiteley, Ralph Jacobs, and Chuck Hearey. Great Wesleyan memories and wonderful long-term friendships for which I am extremely grateful.”

Tom Bell: “Still retired and living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My wife Jacquie and I are in our 44th year of marriage and we have seven grandchildren, two of whom currently live near us in Halifax. The grandchildren range from ages 6to 22, and I love getting to know them as they grow up.”

Amertat Cohn: “I have one tidbit of good news. I just finished a film I have been working on for 50 years (started in 1969). It is a feature documentary entitled SunSeed – The Journey. It is being released this week streaming from the website sunseed.org. You can see the trailer at https://youtu.be/ZgNO6YnONi8.

“Here is a small description of the film: In the 1960s and 1970s, many teachers and gurus from the East were called to the West to share their approaches to theology and timeless traditions of meditation, yoga, and spiritual understanding. It was the dawning of a New Age. What resulted was an awakening and a transformational movement that is still rocking the culture today. Narrated by Peter Coyote. Featuring Ram Dass, Murshid Samuel L. Lewis, Pir Vilayat Khan, Swami Satchidananda, Swami Muktananda, Roshi Shunryu Suzuki, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, Lama Anagarika Govinda, Yogi Bhajan, Maharaji Virsa Singh, Stephen Gaskin, Hilda Charlton, Joe Miller, Gavin Arthur, Maharaj Neem Karoli, with personal comments from the director, Amertat Cohn.

“One of the most interesting teachers in the film is the recently deceased Ram Dass. He was the last of the teachers in the film to go. He was also at Wesleyan. I think he got his master’s here.”

Philip L. Rockwell | prockwell@wesleyan.edu

Bill Medd wrote, “I retired from my internal medicine practice that Don Ware and I created in Norway, Maine, after 45 years. I just received news that I was named a master of the American College of Physicians.”

Rusty Messing wrote, “I have just finished my third book of poetry, The Inescapable Accretion of Less. A lot of memories came up re: of the support and advice I received from Kit and Joe Reed those many years ago in the writing of my senior thesis, Nine Short Stories. Though I went on to become a high school Spanish teacher then later to become a clinical psychologist, writing fiction, poetry, and haiku have been true loves of mine (in three separate years of my life I have written a haiku a day for an entire year). May this year bless us all with good health and continued passion.”

Roger Montgomery suffered a stroke in 2017. He said, “Thank God for the U.K. National Health Service which took excellent care of me for three months in hospital (three different hospitals, one month each; could now write a tour guide to the hospitals of north London).” He retired a few years ago after a stint as a visiting fellow at the London School of Economics Asia Research Centre for six years. Before that, he was a consultant to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank through a U.K. consulting firm. He finished with, “Any classmates are welcome to drop by and bend the elbow at 7 p.m. if coming through London. Just give a shout on the horn +44/2077/941254 and I will give directions on how to get here.”

Bill White wrote, “I tried out a sport last June that I used to look down upon as not really a sport at all: bowling. I am now bowling three times a week with other ‘seniors’ and have met lots of interesting people I would not otherwise have known. It is the only sport I have found that doesn’t seem to bother my lower back or neck, both of which have been the subject of multiple operations.

“I have also continued to date (at my late wife’s suggestion before she passed away 11 years ago) a classmate from my high school in what can only be described as an extremely long-distance relationship, as she lives near L.A., and I live outside Philadelphia. While it remains a delightfully romantic endeavor, I’m aware that it is an environmental disaster. My total carbon footprint for trips to L.A. and elsewhere with Irene is an embarrassing figure. It was made even worse in September, when we took a very enjoyable two-week trip to The Netherlands and Paris together.

“I have been fortunate enough to remain in contact with Richard Colton and Phil Bernstein, both through phone conversations and visits. I do miss seeing other classmates. Maybe more of us will show up at our 60th Reunion, should we be healthy enough to get there.”

Dan Davis retired from the FDA in 2016 and works part-time consulting for OB-GYN drugs in development and women’s reproductive health issues (access to affordable health care, state restrictions for health care, etc.). He wrote, “I still enjoying travel, tennis, golf, and theater. Hard to believe it has been 55-plus years since our Wesleyan graduation.”

TED MANOS, M.D. | ted_manos@yahoo.com

Ed.’s note: Byron Miller is stepping down as class secretary. Thank you Byron, for serving so admirably as secretary for the Class of ’63 for decades.

One of the highlights of 2019 for Robin Berrington was a long trip to Lithuania and the Baltic Republics, and then to St. Petersburg, Russia, “the Venice of the North.” He noted that the St. Petersburg “over-the-top Baroque decor was a bit too much for this confirmed old Japan-hand,” but he praised the “culinary tourism” and “lively vibe” of the Baltic cities. Back in Washington, he praised the opening of a new museum in the Maryland suburbs—Glenstone— with its collection of international contemporary art. He is still active with the Freer and Sackler art galleries.

Steve Trott commented on the Highwaymen turning 80. Although, he said, “sadly, we are down to two: Steve Butts (he’s Steve 1, who resides in NYC) and Steve Trott (he’s Steve, too) in Boise, Idaho, the hottest place on the map.” He offers an interesting music industry tidbit: “We are still collecting handsome royalties from our best friend, ‘Michael’. Who knew he would have such legs as well as oars!” He writes, “Trott is still sitting on the bench of the Ninth Circuit; Butts is happily retired back in the venue from which he started.”

Finally, a couple of sad notes. Charlie Murkofsky was saddened by recent deaths of classmates Phil Utley in September and Andy Ganz in October. He writes, “It so happens that I saw each of them shortly before their passing.” Bob Saliba said, “I was so saddened to read of Carl Crossman’s death in Wellington, Fla., last November.” You can find obituary notices for them here.

DAVID FISKE | davidfiske17@gmail.com
17 W. Buckingham Dr. Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971

“I’ve been meaning to do this for a long time.” writes Alan Bernstein. In addition to finally sending an update to Class Notes, Alan’s many lifetime achievements include 60 years of marriage to his wife, JoAnne, founding a website (tempoandhup.com), which is dedicated to altruism with its implications for public policy, publishing part of a multivolume history of belief in hell titled Hell and Its Rivals, and teaching medieval history for over 20 years at the University of Arizona. Alan lives in Oakland, Calif.

Ernie Marino has been spending time in Guatemala. He writes: “My wife and I, with another Rotarian, initiated a project to help midwives with their growth and development in Guatemala. We received a grant from the Rotary Foundation for $73,000. The money is used for equipment, supplies, and clinical round tables. Eighty percent of births are at home and facilitated by midwives. Two women die each day during childbirth from largely preventable causes. Infant mortality is very high. Malnutrition is rampant. The average person earns two U.S. dollars per day. This emerging country is several decades removed from a proxy war for its mineral wealth and serious volcanic eruptions. Our efforts will take decades to accomplish, but we are off to a good start.”

Al Williams claims that he is now fully retired. Yet, he has immersed himself in singing, writing, physical fitness, and, most enjoyably, “trying to keep track of the interesting and changing lives of eight grandchildren, ages 15-21.” Al adds, “I was sorry to hear from his wife, Camilla, about Lou Larrey’s recent death. He and I were wrestling workout partners at Wes, and have seen each other summers on Cape Cod, where he lived, and we have a summer home nearby. We were at their party last summer to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary and Lou’s 80th birthday.”

Lew Kirshner and his wife are living in Amsterdam for most of the year. His wife is an English literature teacher and author. With tongue in cheek, I’m sure, Lew states, “It is a good time to be an expat in a sane country.”

As most of you are aware, your class notes secretary attempts to elicit responses from classmates by sending out silly rhyming reminders. Well, Phil Rodd sustained the rhythm by replying in verse:

I’ve given it some thought, Not much going on.
Still healthy and happy.
Thanks for checking in, Jon.

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com
902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205

Bill Murphy has been teaching citizenship and history at Hanover High School for nearly 60 years. One morning, he finally became fed up with the role model presented by our current president and decided to run against Trump in the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary. His students are excited by his action, and Bill hopes that his involvement will be an important example for them.

In February 2019, Peggy and Dave Hale cruised from Barcelona to Lisbon. Their second major trip was a river cruise in October from Vienna to Amsterdam.

Neimah and Paul Tractenberg took a 16-day cruise through the Panama Canal with Paul’s oldest friend (they were elementary school classmates 72 years ago) and his wife. In addition, he submitted to the Rutgers-Newark chancellor’s office a major report on curing school segregation in New Jersey. He is also participating in important judicial arguments regarding school integration and school funding equalization for three major lawsuits scheduled in January.

John Dobson: “Had a wonderful Christmas with my entire family in our new home in Ocala, Fla. One hour from Disney World. Please come and visit if you are in Florida!”

On Sept. 5, Rick Garcia, president of the National Academy of Bolivian Economic Sciences (ABCE), gave a speech describing the accomplishments and contributions of ABCE on its 50th anniversary. On behalf of that organization, he received congratulations from the International Community of National Academies, Universities, and High Learning Organizations of South America, and Spain.

On Oct. 24, Jay Levy joined other speakers at a symposium titled “Homage to Samuel Beckett.” The event honored Jay’s gift to the library: his personal correspondence with Samuel Beckett over nearly 30 years. The interesting story of how Jay developed a friendship with Beckett can be found in the Nov. 6, 2019, issue of The Wesleyan Connection.

Jay’s twin brother, Stuart, died on Sept. 4, 2019, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. You may recall that Jay and Stuart executed an unannounced identity switch for several days during our sophomore year. Stuart was a microbiologist who received an honorary Wesleyan degree in 1998 for sounding the alarm on the dangers of antibiotic resistance, demonstrating that drugs routinely given to fatten farm animals posed a threat to human health. I express our condolence to Jay and his family.

Francis Haywood Parker, of Muncie, Ind., passed away unexpectedly on March 26, 2019, at the age of 80. Francis moved to Muncie in 1976 as one of the four original faculty members of the Department of Urban Planning in the College of Architecture and Planning at Ball State University, where he taught until his retirement in 2013. His specialty was transportation planning, which fit well with his lifelong love of trains and ships. From childhood, Francis was a fan of steam engines and model railroading.  As soon as he moved to Muncie, he became a volunteer on the Whitewater Valley Railroad in Connersville, Ind. In addition to serving as engineer and conductor, he was also the railroad’s historian, editor of their monthly newsletter, and leader of the yearly training class for new members. He also managed to fit in sailing excursions on a number of tall ships over the years and built model railroad layouts all over his home. Francis is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Carol Greenberg Parker, his sister, son, and grandson.

William Scott Robinson died on March 30, 2019 in Deephaven, Minn. Bill was retired from his job as financial adviser for RBC Wealth Management. He had served as president of the Deephaven Historical Society and was a lifelong member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was an avid bicyclist, kayaker, canoeist, and traveler. He is survived by his wife of 57 years Donna and two sons and their wives, a daughter, and six grandchildren.

I end this column with a quote from Gina Barreca who is an English professor at the University of Connecticut: “Now in my 60s, I understand and accept that time is the rarest of all commodities, the greatest of all gifts, and the most irreplaceable of items.”

SAL RUSSO | salandjudy@hotmail.com
2700 Kentucky St., Bellingham, WA 98229