Class Notes | 1960s

Our 55th is now history. And it has been a few months since 21 of us gathered to consider our lives then, now, and in the future. Here they are in alphabetical order—Tucker Andersen, Colby Andrus, Harvey Bagg, Gerald Baliles, Howard Black, Dave Buddington, Jim Dresser, Jack Emmott, Doug Evelyn, Bob Gallamore, Fritz Henn, Ronald Herriott, John Kikoski, Dave Landgraf, Stan Lewis, Byron Miller, Bill Roberts, Don Sexton, Fred Taylor, Peter Treffers, and Ron Wilson. We were aided and abetted by John Driscoll ’62, whom we dubbed an honorary classmate.

Prior to Reunion, several classmates (Marty Hatch, Jim Dooney, Russ Richey, Bill Roberts, Dave Landgraf, Harvey Bagg, Jim Dresser, John Kikoski, Peter Treffers, Doug Evelyn, Don Sexton, and I) worked hard at planning our schedule. Kate Quigley Lynch ’82 was our primary planning support staff member at WesU throughout it all.

The weekend began Friday afternoon with a moving seminar led by Bill Roberts on the circle of life and rites of passage, with the focus being on rites for those approaching “elderly” status, which now applies to us. That conversation continued at our class reception that evening.

Saturday’s highlight was a related discussion among ourselves, including many spouses, on the challenges that come at our age. The discussion was both reflective and broad, touching on ongoing education, current personal life experiences, and ideas to add new meaning to our lives. With four classmates who were former Wesleyan trustees among the returnees, we also probed the condition of the University today and its continued vitality in producing critical thinking and engaged citizens.

At lunch for all classes post-50th, we heard from Athletic Director Mike Whalen ’83, who talked about the gratifying increase in WesU’s athletic success. We are no longer the doormat of the Little Three. As you may have heard, on Graduation Day our varsity men’s lacrosse team won a first-ever team National Championship for WesU!

On Saturday evening, our honored professors emeriti guests were Richard Buel, Dick Miller, and Mark Slobin. Like at our 50th, we watched a slide show of artworks of 10 classmates (Colby Andrus, Stan Lewis, Tom McKnight, Byron Miller, Don Sexton, Dan Snyder, George Tapley, Bob Travis, Lew Whitney, and Scott Wilson), but unlike our past Reunion dinners, we tried our hand at karaoke and all joined in to sing the Highway Men’s “Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.”

On a sad note, I received word of the passing of Jim Reynolds. Originally from Longmeadow, Mass., he loved athletics and could be drawn easily into the smallest argument about sports, especially with Steve Humphrey. Jim was especially proud of his son’s elevation to major league umpiring. Many in the Lodge and beyond will miss him.

In the next edition of our magazine, I will return to reports of individual classmates, and while at Reunion, I was given names of some who are thought to have never appeared or have not been heard from in these notes for too long a time. I know it’s early but let this be your first invitation to come back to our 60th Reunion. Mark your 2023 calendar for May 25 to May 28 when we hope to gather again. Till then, be careful crossing streets, look both ways, and practice breathing in and out diligently every day.

Byron S. Miller | tigr10@optonline.net
5 Clapboard Hill Rd., Westport, CT 06880

Toni and Bruce Corwin celebrated their 50th anniversary “surrounded by family and friends including Jay Levy ’60 and Rick Tuttle.” He also writes, “Small world time: Next to our offices in Los Angeles, Dave Fisher’s daughter, Charlie, has opened a chiropractic gym. If you’re in the area and your back is bad, drop in. She’s great!”

Tuli Glasman, retired from the University of California, is a volunteer “spending time with elderly groups (ages 85–100) at the Santa Barbara Center for Successful Aging.”

Sad news is the passing of three of our classmates. Charles Armstrong died in June in Winter Park, Fla. After graduating from the University of Missouri Medical School, he practiced in Winter Park and Atlanta before opening a family medical practice in Alexandria, Va. Jeff Hughes passed away in February in New York where he spent many years in financing and banking with Lehman Brothers, and opened his own private equity firm, the Cypress Group. Fran Voigt died in May at his home in Cabot, Vt., after many years as the founder and president of the innovative and award-winning New England Culinary Institute. Many of us still fondly remember the fabulous dinners that Fran and his students prepared at two of our Reunions. Full obituaries can be found online here. Our condolences go out to their families.

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

Bob Johnson sends his greetings touched with sadness: “Jan Westerman Jr., died in Los Angeles on Sept. 4, 2017, after a long illness. Jan had been the proprietor of his own paper and office supply company. He loved to sail, and he kept in touch with me regularly. He was divorced and left behind his ex-wife and his daughter.”

Phil Rodd checked in with a quick note: “Nothing special going on here, but if I think of something interesting, I will let you know.”

As a follow-up to Jack Richards’ comments noted in the previous column, (Issue 1, 2018) your secretary replied to Jack with the following: “A great submission, Jack, and I thank you for the quick reply. Your tour in Vietnam caught my eye, since I was in the Da Nang area at about the same time, 1967-1968. It might be worthwhile to survey the classmates, seeking those who also served there, and have them tell us their experiences and stories. I’ll do a bit more follow-up on that angle.”

Steve Wainwright writes: “I am still practicing law here at Wainwright, Wainwright, Wainwright, Wainwright, and Wainwright with my brother, Richard Llewellyn, age 85, and his wife Ona Mae, age 85.

Neal Schachtel writes: “During our evacuation from Irma we spent 14 hours on the road to Atlanta with wife, mother-in-law, dog, and cat. Since we had no power in St. Pete, we stayed at Bob Reiser’s for a week while he and Margaret went to Egypt. The return trip only took 10 hours and convinced us to move off the water.”

And, congratulations to Joseph Miller, history professor emeritus at the University of Virginia, who was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Joe has been back to Wesleyan a few times to lecture.

Sandy McCurdy recalls many memories: “I’ve not had a chance to speak to any of our classmates recently in person, though in my head, indeed, many conversations and recollections with: Larry Wiberg, Tom Peterson, Pete Odell, June Prince, Brad Beechen, Dave Sucher, Howard Morgan, and Jack Mitchell. Most recently, reading in the latest Wesleyan magazine, my eyes came across my Deke brother, Skip Silloway ’59, and thoughts returned full force to the days of yesteryear. Of the great times we had then, as a men’s college of under 600 souls, (actually more bodies than souls) having to ‘move out’ on weekends in pursuit of the fairer sex—not realizing, had we been gay, that said moving out would not have been necessary. But alas, some of our most brilliant and sensitive gay classmates would take their lives, feeling the isolation and condemnation of their nature. There were two young men in our class, whose names we know and honor.

“So, we left campus in our automobiles for luring destinations such as Smith (far away) or Conn College for Women (a nearer strike), stopping in Middletown near Goodyear’s to buy plentiful supplies of beer (illegally, but no problem) and then drive to our destinations, oblivious to our foolishness. No seat belts either, of course.

“And Skip and I: one fine day, he, two years (equaling two millennia then) older than I, decided to challenge each other in a drag race—he in his ’57 Chevy convertible and I in my ’57 Ford—stick shifts—how cool we were. Imagine: all without seat belts, we headed to the Merritt Parkway, found a straightaway stretch of the road, then waited for it to be empty for a moment, then headed out for the competition—which he won handily. The foolishness of it all, looking back, is breathtaking.

“I am thankful now that Wesleyan seems much more serious intellectually, though I do not idolize today’s youth and their capacities for nonsense on campus whatever its nature. Yet, the dominance of fraternities and fraternity life seems to have been diminished and overshadowed by serious intellectual pursuits—the latter always Wesleyan’s strong card. My votes that we Dekes give our old house to the University counts as a voice crying in the wilderness. That Amherst, Williams, and Yale have cut back or eliminated the brotherhoods—no matter. What do they know? Cheers to Wesleyan.”

John “Jack” Dennis published his new children’s book, The Mouse in the Lemon Tree, available on Amazon and first in a series to address kid literacy. “An accompanying animated video of the story explores just one phase of ‘advocacy animation’ that will allow us to explore how this book-video combination can increase its usefulness.” He will publish a second memoir this year that follows his first memoir, Jack in the Cracks, Primavera Press 2013.

Bob Hausman draws this column to a close with poetic verve:

“What expectest thou of this poor player, who,

on the stage of life,

strutteth and fretteth no more,

but, rather,

quietly entereth his dotage,

bereft of any tale to tell,

except that which might by any of us be told;

namely, that all things considered,

it is best

to still be found

above ground.”

Respectfully submitted,

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

Nici and John Dobson have bought a home in southeastern Tucson, Ariz. They plan to keep their house in Big Sky for several more years.

Peggy and Dave Hale were in Peru for two weeks in February. They visited Lima, Iquitos, and were on a boat on the Amazon River.

Barry Lorch passed away on March 12. He was my fraternity brother at Delta Sigma and had a zest for life. He spent 36 years working for New York State and retired in 1996 as director of the classification and compensation department. Barry and his beloved wife, Brenda, spent their retirement years traveling the world seeking new birds, as Barry was an avid amateur birder. He is survived by Brenda, four children, and nine grandchildren.

Rob Mortimer wrote the following: “A few words from Paris, where Mimi and I have made a practice of spending a few months during the spring. As francophone literature and French politics have been central to our academic careers, we feel pretty much at home here where we have many friends. No one can exhaust the cultural riches of this fabulous city: music, theater, museums, outdoor markets, and parks. We are still jogging in the Bois de Vincennes, which keeps us happy and healthy. Where else can one see a magnificent white peacock while out for a run?”

Ira Sharkansky wrote a blog titled “Wesleyan and Me” that appeared in the Feb. 7 issue of The Jerusalem Post that tackles the contentious topic of support of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel movement on campus and academic freedom.

Jeannine and Myles Standish continue to be blessed with good health, enjoying retirement on the shores of Lake Keowee, about 10 miles from Clemson University in the northwest corner of South Carolina. Their community is extremely sociable; everyone’s from somewhere else and they arrive looking to make friends.

Myles still gives popular talks—on not only astronomy, but also on Shackleton, Robert Peary, Panama Canal, and the Brooklyn Bridge. Three sons are sadly far away in Hollywood, Portland, and Boulder. Upcoming 50th anniversary will be on the beach in San Diego and then visiting old friends in Southern California.

Paul Tractenberg and coauthor, Ryan Coughlan, released a major report, under the auspices of the Center for Diversity and Equality in Education (CDEE), titled The New Promise of School Integration and the Old Problem of Extreme Segregation: An Action Plan for New Jersey to Address Both. Paul established CDEE as a home base for his ongoing research and advocacy after retirement and serves as its president. He has a contract with Teachers College Press of Columbia University for a book about the Morris school district, a longtime project of his, along with three young research collaborators. Morris is the only school district in New Jersey, and quite likely in the U.S., that resulted from an order of the state commissioner of education merging two adjacent school districts for racial balance purposes. The merger occurred in 1971, and the Morris district remains one of the state’s most diverse, stable, and successful school districts. Paul and his colleagues have been awarded a $50,000 Chancellor’s Seed Grant from Rutgers-Newark to support ongoing work in the integration of New Jersey’s public schools for the next academic year.

Ann and Bob Williams are active singers in the Highlands Chorale. Bob participates in the Uncalled Four barbershop quartet. They are active at Midcoast Senior College as faculty, students, and administrators. The liberal arts curriculum there is reminiscent of Wesleyan.

The North Cascades Highway was closed for the winter and then opened in early May. Several hiking friends and I traveled to Washington Pass (elevation 5,500 feet) on May 16 for our last snowshoe of the season with a stunning view of Liberty Bell Mountain on a gorgeous sunny day.

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

Sadly, we got word that John Perry Barlow passed away in February. John dressed as what he was, a Wyoming cowboy who instinctively knew the future, whether in music, science fiction, or politics. Writer, poet, activist, Grateful Dead lyricist, Kennedy confidante, Internet pioneer. From Mitch Kapor’s jet he wrote, “Accept nothing. Big Brother exists. Act up.” One of John’s few societal concessions—his forever love for his daughters, Amelia, Anna, and Leah, the Barlowettes.

Steve Broker “heads the Connecticut Ornithological Association, studying peregrine falcons and ravens in Connecticut, and marsh birds on Cape Cod. Brother Tom ’66 and I are exhibiting our collection of cast iron banks in Roanoke.”

Tom Earle wondered “How many of us are still working, how many retired?”

Jerry Martin “shifted gears toward eventual retirement. Still sending my best students to Wes. Grandson Luther is a highly literate Vermont farmer. I look forward to Homecoming with daughter Lyllah ’99 and classmates. Best to all.”

Ron Reisner was “back for Herb Kenny’s tournament and looks forward to lacrosse in the spring and the June golf outing. I talked with roommate Harry Nothacker and feel amazingly well 50 years removed from playing. I’m involved in the discussion of the interplay of the athletic and admission programs. Wes should have diverse ethnicities, religions, and some athletes, too.”

Denny Marron said, “Hi to Wes Tech friends, many Eclectics. Living well in Madison with wife Jo-Ann and retired from the electronics industry. I drive the senior bus. Daughter Dana, son-in-law Peter, and three grandchildren live in Marblehead.”

Alex Knopp is “on the Connecticut Transportation Policy Advisory Council, looking at long-range issues. Visited California and Upstate New York. Hope all is well with Class of ’69ers.”

David Siegel wrote, “Our per capita health costs far exceed most other countries, with worse results. We are going in the wrong direction. I support Medicare for all and work with physicians for a national health program.”

Maurice Hakim ’70 said, “In fall 1969, Wes football was undefeated, won the Lambert Cup, and qualified for the Boardwalk Bowl. That legendary season impressed Bill Belichick ’75 and led him to Wes.”

Cheryl and Jeff Powell “reside in New London, N.H. I’m retired from internal medicine, but continue to work at the local hospital, seeing former patients and colleagues. Three grandchildren—5, 11, and 14. We sail coastal Maine and rendezvous with Vickie and Rob Pratt.”

Darius Brubeck “started the year at Ronnie Scott’s in London. We’re working on a PBS jazz documentary. I planned to slow down, but will be playing in Poland, Italy, and the UK.”

Bob Berkowitz is “professor emeritus of psychiatry and pediatrics at UPenn and CHOP. Still active in behavioral health, research, instruction, and clinical care for kids. Hope to be at Reunion. Celebrated 47 years with Barbara.”

Tony Mohr wrote, “All well here. Made it through the fires, just outside the evacuation zone of the Skirball Fire. Working on an environmental case in the California Court of Appeals.”

John Bach was “moved by Bill Sketchley’s submission, remembering Bill’s marvelously wry sense of humor.”

Frank Putnam is “a professor of psychiatry at UNC. Recent book, The Way We Are, doing well. Learning to make YouTube videos is an interesting exercise packaging science for millennials.”

Doug Bell “enjoys first grandchild, Dawson. I’m grateful for good health and friends. I would be happy to share insights into ketogenic diets, fasting, vitamins, lectins, and sugar if contacted.”

Howard Brown “saw John Mihalec at 50th Reunion planning session. Looking forward to that.”

Jim Adkins “reported temperatures in the 50s in Clearwater and have lived in Palm Harbor since 1984.”

From Cilla and Rick Pedolsky: “May you live in interesting times. We hope 2018 includes lots of caring, curiosity, joy, justice, love, liberation, wit, and wisdom.”

Steve Greenfield “lives in Minneapolis, married to Kit Hansen for 48 years. Family live close. My retirement project is traveling to see birds and nature all over the world. Have periodic contact with Jeff Smith, Bob Davis, and Steve Gleich.”

Ken Elliott reported “a very cold winter in rural Maine. I’m on the faculty at UM Augusta, but have suspended active clinical practice. I’m going to the Czech Republic on a teaching exchange, building bridges between UM and Technical University of Liberec. Looking forward to the 50th.”

Pete Pfeiffer wrote, “On the road in my pick-up, drifting around the U.S., looking for an alternative to logging in the North Woods. Haven’t found it yet.”

I attended Homecoming with Jimmy Dreyfus, Rip Hoffman, and Rick McGauley. Great day. Campus a jeweled Eden. So much open, honest friendship and love. And Wes crushed Williams.

Late January brings snow. We walk to Mersina’s for lunch. Deb has a burger. I have grilled salmon over wilted spinach, napped with olive oil, lemon, and oregano. Returning, we read the menu at Penny Lane Pub, window shop at the bookstore, buy bouquets and scented candles at the florist, and laugh at the subdued snowblowers in front of the hardware. In the condo, Seth Glier sings from the boombox and a vegetable soup hides in the crockpot. If any of this sounds good, we have a spare bedroom.

Love always,

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net

11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 

Locally: “the crew”—Bob Svensk, Harrison Knight, Nason Hamlin, Will Macoy ’67, myself, and Coach Phil Calhoun ’62, MALS’69—reuned in Middletown in early October. Enjoyed amazing weather, one another, a couple of rows by those who still can, and interacting with the present coaches and rowers. After which, Judy and I recovered with a week in London. They may no longer have an empire, but it is still a lovely town.

Crew is too hard to do for a coach you respect. You gotta love the SOB. Thus, it was a particular pleasure for Judy and me to have a long lunch by the river with Phil and his wife, Janet. Phil was at Wes for 10 years, leaving as the University’s secretary. After which he did an array of things (e.g., in Tom Ridge’s cabinet in Harrisburg, a partner in a micro-brewery, a vice-presidency at Franklin & Marshall), produced two wonderful daughters (for whom I babysat), and encouraged rowing wherever he went. Keeps in touch with Colin Campbell. Janet, in response to the painful loss of her mother and a sister, wrote a searing memoir, Rabbit Warrior, which was published by a small Pennsylvania press. As I like to keep appearances/illusions/half-truths firmly in place, it was not an easy read.

Harrison told me one of our buddies, Bill Currier ’69, retired from his partnership at White & Case’s Washington office and is seeing if he has a novel in him.

Shortly after Maria struck, Joe Kelly Hughes ’67, a former SEAL, went to Puerto Rico as a FEMA volunteer.

Sam Davidson has an exquisite art gallery in Seattle and hosted a Wesleyan event there last fall. Gordon Fain ’70 is a Yale Law School graduate who never left the area: the grandfather of seven, very active in his temple and a thoroughly good guy. Wendell Wallach, chair of Yale’s Technology and Ethics Working Research Group, moderates a seminar open to all, which some friends of mine have attended for years. They speak highly of Wendell, who was just on a European lecture tour.

I caught up with John Kepner, a Penn Law grad who worked and lived in the Philly area as a healthcare attorney, and then, he moved out of the legal role and into executive and consultant positions—most notably with Penn and The Holy Redeemer’s health systems. His specialties were strategy, new ventures, and building relationships. His website (fenwaymanagementadvisors.org) has short splendid essays related to his work and point of view. Both he and his wife, Mimi, are very involved with inner-city social service programs and both enjoy getting away to their place on the Vineyard. They have three sons. The oldest is the lead baseball writer for the Times. The other two (Amherst & Yale) are Austin-based and making music together as Full Service.

In May, we lost Steve Horvat, and, in October, Peter Margolius. Steve was a good clutch hitter, the catcher and co-captain on the baseball team. Dave Losee noted that under Steve’s leadership they used to eke out good seasons from so-so teams. After four years in the U.S. Army, Steve went on to Northwestern’s Law School and a distinguished career in insurance. Most notably were his years in a range of top positions, including general counsel, with Franklin Life, mostly in the Chicago-area. He loved golfing and vacationed and retired to Hilton Head. He was part of our Dick Emerson, Ray Solomon, Charles Ahern, et al golfing group, and there are plans for a memorial tree on campus. (Contact Dave Gruol; davidgruol@aol.com if you wish to contribute). One classmate remembered Steve as “quiet Indiana strong.”

Peter “marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., volunteered for Vietnam, ran into burning buildings, and would do anything for a dog.” In Vietnam, he served in intelligence and earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal. After law school, he spent several years in Japan as a Naval JAG officer. In 1979, he went into private practice in Catskill, N.Y., where he served as a volunteer fireman, and, most proudly, as town justice from 1997-2014. Additionally, he served Greene County as a prison prosecutor and first assistant public defender. “Peter was a talented marksman, military history aficionado, and staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. He loved The Three Stooges (Curly was the best)…and could quote every line from Casablanca.”

Ostensibly, our Reunion celebrates the time we went through together in Middletown. But, in truth, we also went through the 1950s together and are going through the 2010s together (though not in physical proximity). And my thought is that we would all do well to come back May 24-27 to mark, celebrate, and give thanks for everything.

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

Classmates, I have some sad news to report. Our classmate, Alan Thorndike, passed away. Here is the email that a few of us received from Karl Furstenberg a few days after Alan died: “I am writing with sad news. Our classmate, my roommate and brother-in-law, died on Jan. 8. I know we were all delighted to see Alan at our 50th Reunion which he very much enjoyed. Alan was a brilliant student, distinguished scientist, and exemplary teacher. He was devoted to Wesleyan, Alpha Delt and particularly to the track and cross-country teams. Alan had a long battle with Parkinson’s disease and other maladies which he fought valiantly. He was very active in his workshop and on his bike until the last few months. In the end, complications from pneumonia took his life. I am enclosing a full obituary.”

The full obituary can be read at fhnfuneralhome.com. As you can see if you read it, Alan lived a full and accomplished life.

More next time.

Richie Zweigenhaft | rzweigen@guilford.edu

The following message appears on Madison, Wisc., buses: “People of Meskonsing,/ Who rides with you?/ Saygo! (Greetings in good health!).” The author is our own Claude “Bud” Smith, one of a handful of Wisconsin writers selected for this Art En Route Project. Bud explains: “My words (unreadable, alas, in the attached photo) contain a message for our classmates…Meskonsing is the English spelling of the French version of a Miami Indian name for Wisconsin. Substitute ‘Wesleyan’ and you get the point. Ring the bells of old South College!”

How good is that! Well, almost as good as the life Bud, Elaine, his wife of 41 years, and their two sons are living in Madison, where Bud writes: “We take advantage of all things Madison and all things UW, and volunteer a lot for Wisconsin Public Television. I do not have a smartphone, but can now text on my flip phone, a miracle on the order of the loaves and the fishes. I play in senior softball and golf leagues, fish the state lakes and streams, and am a member of a terrific book club. My writing and publishing continue apace, and I am helping a number of former students get their books published. My reminiscence, “Touching Genius,” appeared in John Updike Remembered (2017), and I gave a reading downtown in December.”

I mentioned wrestling with retirement in my request of class notes, and David Luft responded: “Let me know if you figure out how to do retirement. We could do this as a theme for the class notes. Oddly enough, I’m around the same age you are. I think I will retire in the next year, and it’s hard to imagine my life without teaching and regular obligations.” David, who holdsthe Horning Endowed Chair of Humanities at Oregon State University, just sent his latest book, The Austrian Tradition in German Intellectual History 1740-1938/1939 to Cambridge University Press. “One of the things I think about doing with my retirement is writing other kinds of books.”

Essel Bailey, too, is thinking of retirement. He and his wife, Menakka, “just returned from Australia and Sri Lanka visiting family. And are trying to get to that retirement state sometime this year. Traveling to our farm in Calistoga though in a few weeks.”

No retirement, however, for Alexander “Sandy” Blount. Professor of Clinical Psychology, Antioch University New England, and Professor of Family Medicine and Psychiatry

University of Massachusetts Medical School, Sandy writes: “I am living in Amherst and have since the 1970s. Still married to Francesca Maltese (45 years this summer). She is retired, but I seem to be ramping up. I am teaching doctoral students in clinical psychology with a focus on health psychology and the integration of behavioral health into medical settings. I have a project to develop the workforce of people trained to do behavioral health work in primary care settings for the State of New Hampshire and I am working on a book tentatively entitled Patient Centered Team-Based Primary Care: The Leap from Good to Great. Let me know if you get that retirement thing figured out. For the time being, I seem to be fleeing it as fast as possible.”

Enough of retirement, well, not quite. Thomas Hawley, a California neighbor as it turns out of Essel’s, is “now retired” and with “my Dutch wife, Marijke, living on the banks of the Carmel River, growing grapes, making wine labeled ‘Blue Heron’ (called uncharitably by some “Dead Heron”), and painting sea and landscapes.” Thomas and James “Sandy” Van Kennen, you may remember, swam on the Wesleyan team that in 1963 set a New England record for the 400-yard freestyle relay. Thomas, suffering from “the cold and lack of female companionship,” transferred after his freshman year to Stanford where he stayed “for law school, spending summers managing Dave Packard’s apricot orchard. The major law firms did not exactly beat a path to my door after law school, and I ended up with only two offers: one from Anchorage, Alaska, and one from Monterey, California. Needless to say, I chose the latter and after three years at the Monterey firm, opened up a small private practice specializing in estate planning in Carmel, Calif. I authored the Artful Dodger’s Guide to Planning Your Estate, which met with very modest success.” Wonderful to catch up with Thomas, and he is “hoping to reconnect with some of the fine fellows I met at Wesleyan.”

Let me end with a tribute to resilience and good humor, both of which Will Rhys and his wife, Nancy, possess in abundance. Last year their house in Bridgton, Maine, “was destroyed in a fire caused by a lightning strike.” In the depth of last December’s bitter cold, Will wrote: “Hope your temperature gauge is not doing a nose dive like it is here. We have snow, but it is too freakin’ cold to get out and enjoy it. Hoping that we get a bit of a warm up next week…warmer than single digits. Nancy and I would also like to see a bit of a warm up so that our builders can proceed with the construction of our new house in a timely fashion…Guys working on House 2.0 are truly brave souls to be working through these winter days.Not ready to pack up and scurry off to Hawaii, although sharing a beverage with Hardy would not be thought amiss.” Best of fortune to Will and Nancy.

Larry Carver | carver1680@gmail.com

P.O. Box 103, Rico, Colorado, 81332 | 512/478-8968

Dear, Classmates. First of all, it is very sad to report the sudden passing of Kirt Mead on Nov. 26, 2017, in Massachusetts. Kirt was a man of great intelligence and accomplishment. All of us were enriched by his involvement in our 50th. And, many of us saw Kirt looking great at our 2017 Homecoming meeting with the class of 1968’s 50th.

Received thoughtful holiday greetings from Bob Barton (Lanesboro, Mass.), Dave Dinwoodey (Wellesley, Mass.), Steve Flance (Santa Fe, N.M.), Chuck Hearey (Orinda, Calif.), Fred Nachman (Paradise Valley, Ariz.), Ted See (Hartford, Conn.), and Bill Trapp (Lacey, Wash.).

Congratulations to noted architect Gar Hargens (AIA, NCARB), president of Close Associates in Minneapolis, on the celebration of the firm’s 80th anniversary.

Gar writes: “…professor John Martin gets credit for opening my eyes to architecture. I believe Ann Ulmer (daughter of Close’s founder) taught at Wesleyan…and one of their grandchildren may have attended. Colby Andrus ’63, our cross-country manager, encouraged me to go to the University of Minnesota, his home state, for my degree in architecture, and I’m glad I did.”

And, I asked John Dunton if he’d elaborate on his involvement with international travel and Intervac, which follows: “Carol and I are halfway through a year living in a small town in France; this is hands-down the biggest adventure of my life. It took me 62 years to get to Europe but that first trip to Paris showed me what I’d been missing. After several more visits to France we decided we wanted to get beneath the tourist tour surface and see what it was like actually to live here. In 2012 we joined Intervac, an international house exchange program. Over the next three years we hosted 10 families from France and Germany in our home in Waltham, Mass., while they toured Boston and New England. Once we had eight housing IOU’s scattered around France we took seven weeks in 2015 and visited our new friends in Paris, Versailles, Fontainebleu, Souvigny, Strasbourg, Provence, Lyon, and Veigne, a small town south of Tours in the Loire Valley. The Veigne couple got an offer from Boston University to study and teach there; they needed a place to live with their three children, we loved their home in Veigne, so voilà! We swapped houses for a year.

“We’re living and loving small-town life with its slower pace; the personal interaction with Marco, our baker, and his wife, Maggie, at the boulangerie; buying meat from Bernard, the living image of a small-town butcher, at his boucherie. Weekly we shop at Marché, a collection of food vendor trucks and tables set up in the town square. We buy more types of cheese than we knew existed, explore the amazing varieties of fish laid out in a cornucopia of colors and shapes on shaved ice, and select among chicken, duck, goose, turkey, pigeon, rabbit and more, most with heads still attached. The vegetables in season are there: lettuce is ’salad,’ okra is gombo, but don’t try to find kale—maybe in Paris, but not in Veigne. From the day we arrived our neighbors have been beyond helpful and welcoming, and friends of our host family frequently invite us to their homes. Fortunately, Carol speaks French; my attempts to learn it are about as successful as my D in German at Wesleyan would indicate.

“What do we miss? Family and friends; Boston’s cultural attractions; and American washer/dryer/disposal appliances. But we’re reveling in this experience especially when we share the chateaux and cathedrals, as well as small-town life, with visiting family and friends. Welcome to Hotel Veigne! However, we are fully booked through July after which, with some sadness, we will return to our other home.”

John, thank you for your interesting write-up and information on Intervac!

Philip L. Rockwell | prockwell@wesleyan.edu