Class Notes | 1960s

Class of 1964 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Dimitri Jaron Slory ’21, Brooklyn, NY

I’m sitting in my friendly recliner, updating my notes for the spring edition of the Wesleyan magazine. The outside temperature here in central Florida is a balmy 36 degrees. I’m watching the Weather Channel and its coverage of frozen america, where winter storm Grayson has left its record-setting imprint on the eastern seaboard. During one night, the temperature was 27 degrees, and I woke up to a power outage. I had all sorts of concerns with not knowing how long this would last. I prayed for the power to return, and it did within a half hour. I was grateful when the lights turned on, but I realized the miracle that is electricity has transformed life.

I’m in the process of selling my house in central Florida, and moving into my condo in Savannah, Ga. My wife and I are moving to northeast Georgia, where the temperatures, on average, are 10 degrees lower than central Florida in the winter months. The difference in temperatures really matter when Arctic air moves down to the Southeast, but I plan to find a condo in Florida to escape the 10-degree buffer.

Steve McQuide answered my request for news, as he “celebrated 50 years of marriage to a wonderful woman, watching three grandchildren grow up, riding the stock market; life is good.” He added, “having come to realize that I’ve become quite a different person than I was at Wesleyan.”

Dan Davis reported completing a deferred charitable gift annuity to Wesleyan. It provided for a nice tax deduction, annual income at a fixed interest rate, and guaranteed money for Wesleyan when he dies. He described it as a “win-win situation.”

Russ Messing shared: “I am totally retired and loving not going into work. My days are spent going to the gym, doing desk work, culling, reading, writing more poetry, breathing deeply, and noticing changes in my mind, body, and the world.”

Duane Starr is mostly retired but continuing part-time in the Global Security Directorate of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He’s looking forward to turkey season in the spring. Until then, he’ll have to be satisfied with whatever trout he can pull out of the Clinch River. He realizes that his life is good, having a loving wife, three children, and a moderately comfortable life style. He enjoys singing, and, when time allows, doing woodworking in a shop he set up on his side of their two-car garage. He appreciates what is still working well, much greater than when he was younger.

While working on my notes, I received an email notification of the passing of Michael O. Smith, M.D. on Dec. 24, 2017. He was a psychiatrist, acupuncturist, addiction specialist, and public health planner. He is survived by his daughters, Joanna Smith ’00 and Jessica Hutter.

Once again, Wesleyan graduate, Bill Belichick ’75, has led the Patriots to another Super Bowl after beating the Jaguars for the AFC NFL championship. At the time of writing, they will face the Eagles in two weeks. Dilly-dilly.

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

Class of 1963 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship Fund

John Lewis Jr. ’21, Newark, NJ

Ron Tallmanis living in St. Augustine. Way back in the ’80s, he was director of the American Association for Canadian Studies at the University of Maine, the largest center for such studies in the U.S. But more recently, when he retired in 2002 it was as dean of Roosevelt University, Chicago. Noel, his wife, retired from advertising in 2007. They really enjoy taking cruises and have taken so many that he was not even sure how many. Possibly 20, he guessed. They find it much easier to travel that way. No hauling luggage around or changing from hotel to hotel. He and Noel recently bought a wonderful single-family dwelling in a retirement community and moved there after some renovations. He thinks they might be the youngest residents there and they are very pleased with the community. Lots of interesting and friendly fellow residents and a wide range of activities to choose from. He listed a few—monthly van group trips to high-end restaurants (always a sober driver to bring them home), free Uber drivers, golfing (Noel is very good! and he played golf at WESU). They once went to the Open at St. Andrews. “Great fun!” Ron has two daughters from a previous marriage. The eldest, 53, is the United Nation’s deputy high commissioner for refugees in Geneva and has two children. The youngest just turned 50 and is a teacher about to start teaching in Houston, Texas, and has 3 children. Ron’s grandchildren range in age from 12 to 22, but sadly, due to geographical distance, he sometimes only sees them once a year.

While John Coatsworth is in only in his seventh year as provost at Columbia University, he and Patricia are in their 53rd year of marriage.Prior to coming to Columbia, John was the Monroe Gutman Professor of Latin American Affairs at Harvard where he also founded the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. He was also president of the American Historical Association. Due to his job he travels a lot to both Europe and South America. He and Patricia find so much to do in NYC that they “travel” more around town, especially to the ballet, than abroad. However, they did recently enjoy a brief relaxing and warm “escape” to Punta Canna in the Dominican Republic. John was originally a member of the class of ’62 but during his junior year abroad in Paris with a group of COL students, his mother, “our family bread winner” got sick and he took the year off and returned home to work and support his family. “Wesleyan was wonderfully helpful in allowing me to keep my scholarship and return and graduate a year later.” John has fond memories of being a member of the John Wesley Club. It was a great place to be, filled with wonderful odd balls and radicals. When I asked him about the rumors that inhabitants there might have partaken of substances not yet legalized in Connecticut, he replied, “Not so much so, but we did have some residents who were very accomplished chemists.”

John Bednarik lives with his wife Leslie Woods in Montville, Maine, which he said is located “halfway between Liberty and Freedom, with Hope just down the road.” (Confirmed by Google Maps!) John retired at 55 from the Bath Iron Works in Brunswick, Maine, which now builds Arleigh-Burke class frigates, all stealth and as large as WWII cruisers. He was in their computer department and had worked there for 14 years. From high school in New Mexico, John was recruited by the wide-ranging diversity policy of Victor Butterfield who wanted not only more out-of-state, but also way, way out-of state students. “I was a high school state champion. A very hot wrestling prospect in New Mexico but was lured east. Initially I lived in a small apartment in Butterfield’s house. There, as part of my scholarship pay-back, I waited at many official banquets and met lots of interesting visiting scholars and lecturers, including Paul Horgan. As a freshman, I was New England champ (135 pounds), but found the training and dieting too tiring. Also, I was getting very interested in my studies. So, I retired from sports, eventually joining the COL and got very interested in French literature. I spent the second half of my sophomore year in Paris and translated a History of the Wife of Pontheuwhile there. I majored in French, minored in Russian, with lots of psych courses too. After graduation, I got a letter from the New Mexico draft board inviting me to come and see if I was qualified to defend our country. I flunked the physical, but passed the Army Language school requirement, and was sent first to their language school. Studied Russian, Czech—with the name Bednarik, a piece of cake, that was my family history! And then on to the Army Security Agency.” He met Leslie while out in Monterey at language school. She has a very different family background from his—her family came over on the Fortune, the second English ship after the Mayflower. But that did not prove to be an obstacle. They dated for six weeks and got married. Initially they lived in NYC where John heard of a training program offered by IBM.  He applied, was hired, trained, and took to computers with ease. “Database was just like learning another language and was easy for me.” For a while they lived in New Fairfield, Conn., where he worked for Control Data, but after vacationing in Maine and Canada, they decided they wanted out and bought 135 acres in Waterville, Maine in 1967 and eventually moved up there in 1980. They grow most of their own food, including sheep and vegetables. In retirement John does his own iron work—welding iron animals and fanciful creatures as well as making ceramic candelabras. He has taken numerous adult education classes and now is improving his Spanish. He also speaks German, French, and Czech. That John is enjoying himself in his retirement came across very clearly. He, too, has fond memories of the JWC, having lived there after returning from France.

Daniel Dennett wrote, “I spent just freshman year at Wesleyan in the class of ’63 before transferring to Harvard to work with W.V.O. Quine, who became a life-long hero of mine. The year at Wesleyan was a deep and formative experience for me. Three teachers, Robert Benson, the historian, Louis Mink, the philosopher, and Henry Kyberg, a visiting logician from Princeton, inspired me for years. Two fellow freshmen, Stan Lewis and Spike D’arthenay ’64 showed me that art, music and poetry were even more wonderful than I already thought, while at the same time showing me by their very great talent and insight that there might be other worlds for me to excel in. I shudder to think of some of the obnoxious and narrow-minded things I did back then. I apologize and hope that any whom I might have embarrassed back in ’59-60 will chalk it up to my immaturity and over-eagerness to impress. It was a great year for me and it laid the foundation for what has been a gratifying life of adventure and accomplishment. I am still married to the woman I met later in 1960. We have two children, both married, and five grandchildren. After 40 years, we sold our farm in Blue Hills, Maine, and now spend summers in a house on Little Deer Isle, Maine.”  Dan has a very impressive array of accomplishments—world-wide lectures/workshops, numerous articles and books, and is a recipient of the Netherlands highest honor presented by Queen Beatrix. There is a very interesting article about Dan in the March 27, 2017 issue of the New Yorker, written by Joshua Rothman entitled, “Daniel Dennett’s Science of the Soul.”

James Ferguson, long been retired from his consulting work, is very active as administrator of the Washington Soccer Club in D.C. It has a youthful membership of under 200 and is very serious about high-level training for young soccer players. It has only travel teams and does not play in any recreational league. They are understandably proud that three of their graduates have made it onto the U.S. national teams. We remember Jim in sports for football or wrestling, but many years ago, as his sons got into soccer, Jim did too. Eventually, he wound up as rules chairman for the National Youth Soccer Association and sat on the Rules Committee of the National Soccer Federation. Jim took up writing when his granddaughter, Nora, was 9 (she’s now 18). He wrote a story for her (“and all children under 70″) called Nora, The Checkerboard Duckling, which he says his friends all like. While book publishers like it too, none has yet been able to decide what age would be its target.  He’s written two screenplays “which no one has bought” and has made board games “which no one wants.” He seems undiscouraged and continues to write. Jim has two sons, 41 and 37, and three grandchildren, with another due prior to your reading this. I was shocked to hear that Jim’s youngest son, Brian spent 11 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. After much effort by a fine, new lawyer who unearthed information either initially ignored, misinterpreted, or deliberately overlooked, a judge released Brian from prison. Brian is rebounding well. He is engaged, attending Georgetown, and will get his degree this spring. After leading a successful “Ban the Box” campaign in D.C., Brian is employed as head of the D.C. mayor’s Office of Returning Citizen’s Affairs, which helps reintegrate D.C. residents who have spent time in jail or prison. Having become a jail house lawyer himself, Brian is seriously considering going to law school after his graduation. During Brian’s incarceration, if asked what he wanted in life, Jim would say, “I want to live to see my son breathe free again.” A last tidbit—when quite young, Jim was told that if he learned cribbage, it would help his math. So, he started playing the game and now plays it nearly everyday. Football, wrestling, cribbage. A natural progression, I guess.

And sad news, John Sommer died Nov. 11 of cancer. Alex Aikman, a classmate of John’s from seventh grade through WESU, has written a wonderfully detailed and lovingly prepared obituary which is available online.

Be advised it’s true—Our 55th Reunion is almost upon us! And I hope a great many of you will plan to come to campus May 25-27. Harvey Bagg, Jim Dooney, Jim Dresser, John Driscoll ’62, Doug Evelyn, Marty Hatch, Dave Landgraf,John Kikoski, RussRichey, Peter Treffers, Don Sexton, and I have been busy planning what we hope will be a wonderful weekend. Join this opportunity for our class to assemble once again. Remember, the older we are, the better we were.

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

Class of 1962 Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship Fund

Jessy Carrasco-Gonzalez ’18, Economics, Minor: Data Analysis

Lindsay Childs writes that items in the last issue of the alumni magazine reminded him “how much having been at Wesleyan continues to influence my life.” The notice of Richard Winslow ’40 passing reminded him of his “amazing” experiences as a member of Professor Winslow’s chapel choir, and how “after a five-year grad school gap, I began singing in a chorus again and have continued to do so ever since.” A photograph of Robert Rosenbaum “featuring his memorable smile” reminded him of Professor Rosenbaum’s College of Quantitative Studies, where he says, “I had my first real success in mathematical research, and went on to be a professor of math at UAlbany (SUNY).” Lindsay writes, “I’m still doing and publishing mathematical research, six years past retirement. Thanks, Bob!”

Robin Cook’s son Cameron, a senior at Boston University Academy, will attend Wesleyan in the fall. Robin thanks John Driscoll for being very helpful with the application process.

Doug Sperry, a “technical” member of the class of ’62, left Wesleyan during our sophomore year after getting married, but writes, “I do remember my time there fondly.” He earned his BA from UConn, then a BA from the Hartford Seminary Foundation, which led to service for six years as pastor at the Union Chapel on Fisher’s Island, after which he became executive director of the Southeastern Connecticut Chapter of the American Red Cross. A second marriage—to a “visiting English school teacher from Germany”—led to his moving to Bremen, Germany, in 1978, where he became an English instructor at the local Berlitz School and he has had a career in language development. He writes, “We do manage to get back to the States almost every year,” and he is in regular contact with his three sons from his first marriage.

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

The response to your secretary’s plea for class note material has always been gratifying and entertaining as well. For example, Allen Thomas replied: Dear Jon, I answer your call in kind:

Business as usual, still working away/ Now it’s the Russians, who pay for my day.

Law is my game, over 54 years./ London’s my home, but not the warm beers.

House in the Berkshires, share with grandkids/ Over the Atlantic, ’til aging forbids.

Health holding up, I’m still on the skis/Keeping up with the kids, no longer a breeze.

Life here is good, away from mad Trump/ Tho’ Brexit is likely, to give us a thump.

If doggerel’s the game: my contribution./ Rebirth of civility’s the only solution.

Vic Butterfield is needed, now more than ever

To leave our grandkids, a viable endeavor.

Congratulations to Robert Johnson for his financial support of the Florida Venice Symphony, recognized by his participation in two concert performances as a member of the percussion section. One might call it “getting a terrific bang for your buck.”

Congratulations to Dan Elliott, who writes: “My Wes grad daughter is getting married in Cleveland in October, and then, with hubby, moves to Palo Alto where he will be a radiologist at Stanford and she will do research in the criminal justice field—and I will be broke after the wedding.”

Lewis Kirshner writes: “I am happy to report that I am enjoying living for a year in Amsterdam while my wife is on sabbatical. I am busy doing internet psycho-analysis and teaching to faraway places. Here in town I’m taking studio painting classes, doing some writing, and biking around town. It’s a pretty full life that I am fortunate to have, and it’s not bad being an expat away for a while!”

Jack Mitchell provides workshops and motivational speeches throughout the world. His third book, Selling the Hug Your Customer’s Way: The Proven Process for Becoming a Passionate and Successful Salesperson for Life, is being published by McGraw-Hill this spring. Serving on the President’s Council, Jack writes: “The thing I am most proud of, regarding Wesleyan, is that our granddaughter, Dana Mitchell ’18, is graduating from Wesleyan this spring.”

Richard Poulton expressed enjoyment in receiving a poetic plea for information: “I enjoy the thought of being asked to contribute to Class Notes in this year, the 60th after I sorrowfully left Wesleyan! You might possibly recall that I was one of the 13 overseas students who were privileged to be on Wesleyan’s one-year Foreign Student program in 1957-1958, so my leaving in that latter year was inevitable. I had the good fortune to come back to England, to Cambridge University, whence I graduated in 1961, so I have always been happy to be counted as one of that class. I then took training as a teacher, and enjoyed a 35-year career in education before ’retiring’ and spending a further 12 years working in or for various charities, all of which related primarily to young people. I have been extraordinarily lucky in the places and the positions in which I have found myself—but to start on an account of six decades of ’Life, the Universe, and Everything’ is surely more than you were expecting or needing. I shall be happy if, through you, I can convey my heartfelt thanks to the University and especially to any members of the classes 1958-1961 for that formative year, which I value more than any other single year in my life. I would also be delighted to become an occasional correspondent with anyone who might just remember me, though I think the chances of that are very, very small!”

Jack Richards has provided this update: “I’ve finally retired after many pleasant and fun-filled years as an orthopedic surgeon. My somewhat unconventional personal life has led to 21 wonderful years of marriage to Carol. We have five ’kids’ and 10 grandkids (Brady Bunch). We live in Halfmoon, N.Y., and Bonita Springs, Fla. Like all of us, I’ve got a few health issues, but I still can get around the golf course and spend a lot of time singing in a barbershop quartet. As a good friend said to me at my 78th birthday party, ’You don’t look 78, but I can remember when you did!’ I spent one year over in Cu’ Chi, Vietnam in 1968. Great experience with the closeness you felt with the people around you, but full of tragic surgery. I couldn’t end the war so I had to send Russ Robertson over to mop up. I regret not keeping in touch with Wesleyan friends, but I often think fondly of Wesleyan days and classmates. How I’d love to spend one more night with my Psi U roommates Quent Roberts and Beau Bailey. Great years!”

Respectfully submitted,

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

Class of 1960 Charles W. Smith Class of 1960 Scholarship

Joseph Michael Ellis ’19, Government, Film Studies

Class of 1960 Richard H. Huddleston ’60, P’90 Wesleyan Scholarship

Glenn Smith III ’21, Roxbury, MA

Michael Harlan Blake died peacefully on Oct. 3, 2017, at Riverwoods Exeter after a more than 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Mike met Susan Welles Livingston in the fall of his senior year at Wesleyan. They were married in September 1960 and were together for 25 years. He finished his executive career with Harvest Capital Management of Concord, N.H., retiring in 2002. Mike lived in Marblehead, Mass., for over 25 years where he indulged his love of sports and the outdoors. He coached youth soccer, played in a men’s basketball league well into his 40s, sailed, skied, and hiked the mountains of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Colorado. Mike is survived by his former wife, Susan Livingston of Marblehead, and his four children. He was predeceased by his second wife, Penelope Stowell.

Chris Campbell suffered a mild stroke last fall. He credits his wife and a speech therapist with helping him reclaim his memory. Chris is also thankful to talented physicians and Medicare for his resumption of normal activity.

John Dobson and Nici reported that their house in Virgin Gorda, B.V.I. was destroyed by Hurricane Irma. They plan to sell the structure that remains “as is.”

Rick Garcia continues as president of the Bolivian Academy of Economic Sciences. At a meeting involving Latin America and Spain that was held in Madrid, he was thrilled to meet the King of Spain. Rick reported sadly that his wife, Gloria, died on May 1, 2017.

Jan Hogendorn died on Oct. 10, 2017, after a period of failing health. During his career he published more than 50 articles and essays, multiple editions of textbooks in introductory, international, and development economics, and three books on the history of agriculture, slavery, and abolition in West Africa. He was the Grossman Professor of Economics at Colby College until his retirement in 2003. In later life, Jan participated in local politics, serving as chair of the Vassalboro Democratic Party and several times as moderator of the Vassalboro Town Meeting. He is survived by his wife, Dianne, his son, Christiaan, who is an associate professor of economics at Wesleyan, daughter-in-law Erika Naginski, and two grandchildren.

Dave Hale has been doing volunteer work for the Food Shelf, Brockport’s local food bank. He has made presentations to students at SUNY about that organization. On a trip to a monastery in France, he made 270 steps up, but not down. He stumbled and fell twice. He then was taken to the emergency room for a series of inconclusive tests. His stable of doctors now includes a cardiologist.

Mankato psychologist George Komaridis has worked with returning veterans since the Vietnam War. He has listened to multiple generations’ nightmares and has done his best to help vets recover from physical wounds and emotional trauma. But George also knows that there are some whom traditional therapy and medications just can’t reach. “There is pain they can’t tolerate, and they’re going to do something because the pain is too much.” That extra step has long involved alcohol, but today, it often means relying on marijuana.

Bill Walker released another book in his Paul Muller series, called A Spy in Vienna, a dramatizing of the Nazi takeover of Austria in 1938. It’s the second Paul Muller novel set in Europe before World War II and is available on Amazon.

Harold Trimmer is heartbroken to report that his beloved partner of 27 years, Rosanne Werges, died Jan. 9, 2018, after suffering a massive cerebral hemorrhage at their Naples, Fla., home. She loved attending our class Reunions, the spirit of our class, and the friendships she made.

It is with great sadness that I report the death of my dear wife, Judy, on Dec. 24, 2017. We were married for 50 years. My thanks to all of you who have expressed their condolence to me.

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

Jim Weinstein “saw Suzie and Steve Mathews in Nashville, while I viewed the eclipse. Met their son Topper, daughter Amanda, and two grandchildren. I’ll be singing a Christmas concert at the Kennedy Center. Presents to myself for my 70th—travel to Caribbean, Dordogne, Southeast Asia, Pacific Northwest—still to come, Dubai, Maldives, and northern lights in Alaska. Blessed to love my work, yet be flexible to go when and where I want.”

Bill Sketchley said, “Peripheral neuropathy claims my body. I don’t recommend it. Docs say I have an extremely advanced case. Too bad for me. Mind and spirit still high. ‘Simple is fast’ was my sailing motto. It’s also true in life. Best wishes and would love to hear from classmates.”

Harry Nothacker’s “first grandchild, Pierce Hudson Nothacker, was born in San Francisco to son Keith and his wife, Theresa. All doing well on limited sleep.”

Rich Frost “retired five years ago after 35 years of internal medicine in northern New York. Saw polar bears in Svalbard. I write regional history and travel columns. A novel, Final Season, about a man who rejects treatment for a potentially fatal disease to follow a favorite baseball team around the country, is on Amazon.”

Doug Bell’s “Palm Harbor house suffered minimal damage. Very blessed. Many wonderful first responders, EMTs, police and fire, utility workers. Thank you. So many inspire me. I’ve had a good life and hopefully more to come. Babysit for our 4-month-old grandson.”

Steve Knox and his wife “bought a small house in Montford, N.C. Will retire there to be closer to daughters Caroline ’03 and Susannah. Did the spectacular train ride from Banff to Vancouver.”

Pete Pfeiffer wrote, “Just a few big tree stumps up here. With all the natural disasters, Maine looks kind of okay. Have been planning a trip around the U.S. this winter. I should keep my thoughts to myself because I think about a place and it gets wiped out. Saw Milt Christianson at a lovely soirée.”

John Bach “works with Harvard students affected by rescinding of DACA. We all are where we belong. The final curtain approaches with joys/sorrows, triumphs/defeats. I sometimes don’t know one from the other, but they are what make us wealthy, the living manifestations of the Wesleyan experience.”

Tony Mohr “attended Bread Loaf in Erice, Sicily, a medieval hilltop village. Writing and workshops. I’m about to start a medical malpractice trial.”

Bill Schroder’s blog, yourinnerrhino.com, “has over 1,000 posts. New art and ideas. A rewarding experience.” Check it out. It will make you laugh and think.

From Rameshwar Das, “The annalyttonfoundation.org is thriving. Wife Kate Rabinowitz ’83 studies for an MSW at NYU. I’m working on a book with Ram Dass, leading meditation classes, and heading to India to put a plug in the wall. Celebrated Jeff Wanshel’s 70th at his place overlooking Long Island Sound.”

John Mihalec’s Reunion idea: “Show us the applications we made to Wes, especially the essay. What did we think of ourselves and futures 50 years ago?”

Alice and Ed Hayes  “cope in D.C., which is a very entertaining political circus. Traveled to Venice, Florence, and Rome to find the fountain of youth. Still looking. Come to D.C. and witness the fun.”

Sue and Paul Melrose and Wendy and Fred Coleman help raise money for The River Food Pantry in Madison, Wis.

Jim Dreyfus, with Norton Rose Fulbright, was honored as a tax specialist by Super Lawyers.

Pete Arenella said, “I hope all is well with you and yours.”

Early fall. Red and yellow in the trees. Poison ivy vines bright red. Las Vegas shooting is today’s headline. I remember the Texas Tower sniper. Bad, bad news. Hurricanes, devastation in the Caribbean, saber-rattling. We question the world we are leaving to children and grandchildren.

We enjoy a gilded life. A cozy condo, water aerobics, good friends, decent health, enough money, wide sidewalks, senior activities. Kit Reed died last week. Including her husband Joe, I took eight classes with them. They were lifelong friends. Not many left from our era—Herb Arnold, Jerry Wensinger, Karl Scheibe, Pete Pringle, and a few others.

Always love,

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net

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

Locally things have been quiet. Our place is so resort-like, we don’t do much in the summer. We look into the woods, but our condo complex is on the water and has a lovely pool. So Judy swims laps while I schmooze with our venerable neighbors. (It seems you have to be 90 to be a friend of mine these days.) I was not as diligent as I should have been in rehabbing after my foot surgery and have recommitted to a special gym, an exercise regimen, et al.

Believe it or not, I rarely go to Wes and haven’t walked on Main Street in many, many years. Well, I did so recently and was absolutely stunned by its transformation. I’d heard that young people were going there as if it were a destination. But I didn’t believe it—until I saw it with my own eyes. The college bookstore recently partnered with what I consider Connecticut’s best independent bookstore and relocated to Main Street complete with a very cool restaurant. When you return for your 50th (May 24-27)—and you are coming, right?—you must check out more than just O’Rourkes (recently named the state’s best diner).

Nason Hamlin seems to be doing well, as every time I reach out he is traveling. First it was Spain, then the UK. An internist who spent most of his career in an underserved, rural town in Connecticut—yes, they exist—while his wife, Erica MALS’91, taught and “deaned” at Hotchkiss. When she got the opportunity to head a school in Seattle, they moved west and he joined UW’s faculty. They had always planned to retire to the San Juan Islands (well, west of Seattle: there are no traffic lights, loads of whales and from which, on a clear day, you can almost see Russia) and that is just what they did. Apart from their travels and children, I think their garden provides them with most of their excitement.

Brian Frosh, Maryland’s attorney general, made national news when he, along with D.C.’s attorney general, sued the president for illegally profiting from his position. Dave Webb is surprised at his becoming a committed snowbird (winters in Florida; summers on Cape Cod). He is leading a busy retirement with family involvements, visitors galore, and a lot of biking. He and Barb enjoyed a visit from Jo and Bill McConaghy who just sold his very successful Boston-area signage company. (As I recall, Williams was one of his clients.) He is staying on as a transitionary boss for two years without the hassle of ownership.

I caught up with Bill Johnson who, after getting his doctorate in economics at MIT, joined UVA’s faculty where, apart from visiting stints at Stanford and Chicago, he has lived happily ever after. Still teaching, his specialties are wages, wage differentials, and income inequality, so he is much in demand. His wife, Sarah, is Wellesley ’69 so they celebrated her 30th college reunion at the White House (and were hoping to do the same for her 50th). Traveling while they can, they have done genealogical research on their families in Europe and hit all 50 states. Bill talks of retiring to Manhattan, but his proposal isn’t getting traction with Sarah, who is an attorney, retired from an administrative post at UVA’s law school. They have a son in Alexandria who does data analysis for AC Nielsen.

Boisterous has always described anything you do with Brendan Lynch and our recent conversation was no exception. A lifelong Hartford-area guy who retired when MetLife took over after a 37-year career at Travelers (as president of asset management for institutional markets). He keeps his hand in things by serving on “real” boards—the kind that pay you and fly you to fancy places. But he is golfing regularly and—along with Mimi, his wife of 48 years—devoting a great deal of time and energy to an array of charities, mostly focusing on the (enormous) needs of Hartford’s inner-city youth.

He reports Kevin Dwyer, a real estate attorney, has gone California, complete with kids who swim like fish. He sees Kink Terry, a high-end commercial realtor, Frank Leone ’71, an East Hartford attorney, and Frank Waters ’70, who has an insurance agency in West Hartford and is a very successful girls’ high school basketball coach.

Ric Voigt lassoed Brendan into helping out with the Reunion—something there is still time for you to do. (Contact George Reynolds at greynolds@sandepointefunding.com, Stuart Ober at ober@stuartober.com, or Sandy See at alexander.h.see@gmail.com). And if you ask me, a college 50th is—like a total eclipse—a once in a lifetime deal that you miss at your peril.

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

Classmates, many of you attended Reunion in late May, and all of you should have received both the Reunion book and the supplement, so you know most of what I know about what’s been going on with our classmates. Therefore, I’m mostly going to take a break from writing the usual column this time around.

However, I would like to celebrate Brian Frosh ’68 who has been in the news. As far as I know, during my four years at Wesleyan Brian was the only other person who also had gone to the same high school that I did (Walter Johnson High School in Rockville, Md., at the time the only high school in the country named after a major league baseball player. The Big Train. You could look him up. Now there is a high school named after Roberto Clemente in Chicago, and a charter high school named after Jackie Robinson in Los Angeles. Who knows, maybe there is a Duke Snider high school, a Ted Kluszewski High School, or a Jose Valdivielso High School).

After Wesleyan, Brian earned a law degree from Columbia (come to think of it, he followed me to Columbia, also) and subsequently went into private practice in Maryland. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates, twice, and then five times to the Maryland Senate (winning in 2006 with 75 percent of the vote, and in 2010 with 70 percent of the vote). In 2014, he was elected attorney general of Maryland.

Over the years, Brian has received lots of good press. The Washington Post called him “one of the most admired, intelligent, civil and hardworking lawmakers in Annapolis.”  These are very much adjectives that capture what I remember about Brian.

In June, I became aware of some of the current work he is doing, as did many people around the country, when he and the attorney general for D.C. sued Donald Trump for violations of the emoluments clause of the Constitution. The two attorneys general asserted that Trump’s holdings not only affected businesses in the Washington area, but raise broader, more important issues. In an interview with the Associated Press, Brian asserted that:  “We have economic interests that are impacted, but the most salient factor is that when the president is subject to foreign influence, we have to be concerned about whether the actions he’s taking—both at home and abroad—are the result of payments that he is receiving at the Trump Hotel, payments that he is receiving at Mar-a-Lago, payments that he is receiving at Trump Tower, payments that he is receiving in all of his other far-flung enterprises, and he brags about it.”

I got a number of e-mails and phone calls from high school classmates and from my sister telling me, “Hey, Brian was on the front page of the New York Times” or “Brian was on national television.”

I know that many of you are aware of the many stars produced by Wesleyan’s film and theatre program, such as Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02 (if you have not seen it, check out his performance of Hair on the streets of Los Angeles with James Corden online), and various other alumni political luminaries like Michael Bennet ’87, a senator from Colorado, and John Hickenlooper ’74, governor of Colorado. Now you also know a bit about Brian Frosh.

More about our class next time.

Richie Zweigenhaft | rzweigen@guilford.edu

Who knew? I didn’t. Warren K.K. Luke, a freshman Foss Hill hallmate, did not graduate with our class. Warren transferred at the end of his sophomore year, taking a degree from Babson College then going on to the Harvard Graduate School of Business for an MBA and to a distinguished career in business and public service. A few highlights:  Warren, currently chairman, and chief executive officer of the Hawaii National Bank and chairman emeritus of Pacific Basin Economic Council, served as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for nine years. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Punahou School where he keeps up his friendship with fellow Punahou graduate, Hardy Spoehr. Warren, you will always be one of us.

Talked with Warren’s freshman roommate, George Churchill, enjoying many a good laugh, his sense of humor keen as ever. George is, however, suffering from esophageal cancer, but says the treatment is going well and that he has great support from his husband, three children, two of whom, Elizabeth and Johnathan, graduated from Wesleyan, and eight grandchildren. Think good thoughts for George.

Three more academics from our class have been in touch. Robert Barlow, who now lives in Lynchburg, Va., served for 30 years as a dean, first at the University of Hartford and then at Sweetbriar College. Bob writes: “I also worked for seven years in the Job Corps program as an executive director and regional director. I concluded my work career in 2014 after 12 years as executive director of the Free (Medical) Clinic of Central Virginia.”

In his 45 years at Oberlin College, Samuel Carrier “taught perception and cognition…served as an associate dean, director of planning and research, and provost.” He has worked with his wife, a classical archaeologist, on projects in the Abruzzo, Italy, (www.sangro.org) and Cyrene, Libya (www.cyrenica.org).” Right after retirement, Sam “was felled by a stroke while presenting a paper at the Archaeological Society of America.” The good news: Sam is recovering well, reading three books a week, living in an 1876 house purchased in 1980s, and collaborating with his wife on a paper. With the support of a $200,000 State Department grant, Sam is still active in Libya, “mostly in workshops in Tunis.”

Grant Holly, a professor of English at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, is writing a screenplay and plans to teach for two more years.  I called Grant to catch up, but also to get his remembrance of his good friend and our classmate, Robert Killheffer, who died on October 2, 2016. “A consummate book man,” Grant said. This passion for books, particularly rare books and first editions, propelled Bob to 35-year career as a librarian at Yale University.

On a happier note, Harold Potter writes: “I have had…a wonderful life thanks primarily to five things, my family, my friends, Wesleyan University, the U.S. Army, and consistently good health.” His rich and joyful life continues with Lee Vandenberg, his wife of 48 years, three children, a grandson, great, long lasting friendships (among them Bill Machen, Rob Chickering, Joe Pickard, and Don Craven, who like the Potters, lives in Wellesley) travel, skiing, and golf. Harold served in the army from 1966 to 1968, going on to practice law with Holland & Knight and its predecessor for 41 years, retiring in 2015.

For Robert Rockwall retirement is also “going well…Monette and I still enjoy hiking and some biking, and fly fishing is even more relaxing than ever. And the grandchildren are endless fun to watch grow up.  Until recently I was on the Boards of the Economic Development entities here in York and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the Board of a low income, elderly housing organization, a good grounding experience.”

I was delighted to reconnect with Clifford Shedd and Joel Russ.  Cliff, who retired, “reluctantly,” in 2015 after “50 years in the financial end of the energy business…worked for a couple of big banks and corporate entities, including six fascinating years at Enron.” He also served as “the CFO of two smaller public companies and was a principal in two startups. The most recent of these was an energy-related manufacturing company founded in 1985, which grew to have 35 employees and enjoyed a lot of success, until we had to close it down during 2015 due to the slump in the oil & gas business.” “As much fun as my corporate career was,” Cliff writes, “my real joy in life has been my 33-year marriage to my wife, Michelle, an artist, and trying to keep up with my four sons. We have a second home in Monterey, Calif., an area we love. We enjoy the outdoors and travelling, so far to about 35 countries.”  Cliff’s closest Wesleyan friend over the years has been his “roommate and Eclectic brother, Gary Conger. “Michelle and I make an annual trip to New York and always time it to make sure that we will see Gary and his wife, Nell.” If Cliff and his wife get to New York this October, they will be able to take in Gary’s first solo gallery show, Magical Manhattan, 485 Madison Avenue (North).

“Following graduation from Wesleyan,” Joel, like Harold Potter, volunteered for the U.S. Army and served as a military intelligence officer for four and half years, learned Thai at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, D.C., and spent two and half years in Thailand.”

Joel “returned to Maine, graduated from law school,” finding his passion, not in law, but in leading community-based nonprofit organizations and private foundations, hoping to improve the quality of life for the people in the state I love. Married for 49 years, my wife Carolyn (a retired public school teacher) and I have two sons and three grandchildren.  Still consulting for community-based nonprofits.” As I wrote to Joel, it doesn’t get much better.

Larry Carver | carver1680@gmail.com

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

Dear Classmates, hope you’re all well and I encourage you to send a note any time on your activities for this column.

I was on campus recently for only the second night football game at Wesleyan (both versus Tufts), and it was an incredible win for the Cardinals, as they scored with six seconds to go in the game and won it in overtime!

Now to the news: Rob Abel remains as productive as ever. His work on eye health is included in a new book featuring articles by experts in both traditional and integrative medicine (David Rakel’s Integrative Medicine, 4th Edition). Rob helped create a statewide free eye exam/eye glass program in Delaware that he will take to Qalqilya, on the West Bank of Palestine, this summer.

Charlie Bassos writes that he has been “retired for 17 years and now majoring in golf where my age curve is dominating my improvement curve resulting in ever higher handicaps. Every swing hurts either my body or my ego. Living in South Carolina, equidistant from Savannah and Hilton Head. We return to Michigan every summer. Son and two daughters married; two grandchildren, ages 6 and 7 months, and another due soon. Life is good, although I find myself spending more and more time each day stretching and working out at the gym to keep this old body from seizing up and coming to a full stop. Zoe and I now working on our 38th year of marriage. We figure we both qualify for sainthood.”

Bill Trapp writes from Dublin that he and Marilyn are “celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary by spending a month touring Ireland and Scotland. Having a great time.”

John Dunton writes from France that he and Carol are enjoying their stay in a chateau owned by a relative of a family—who is staying at the Duntons’ home near Boston. In fact, Carol is singing in a chorus assembled to perform in a wedding there (La Rochelle). All a result of the Duntons’ participation in the “stay-at-our-home-and-we’ll-stay-in-yours” program with families in Europe. He highly recommends it!

Congratulations to Amertat Cohn who had a very successful exhibition (Capturing Life, Insight in Simplicity) of his photographs at the Montserrat Gallery in New York City in September.

Please write—and all the best!

Philip L. Rockwell | prockwell@wesleyan.edu