Class Notes

Categories Class Notes | 1960sPosted on

CLASS OF 1962 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

A theme to not only our own 55th Reunion, but the entire Reunion and Commencement Weekend, was a tribute to the indomitable, friendly spirit of Gina and John Driscoll, who received the Raymond E. Baldwin Medal, Wesleyan’s highest alumni award, for their years of extraordinary service to Wesleyan.

Tributes from Wesleyan officials and members of all classes showed the love and appreciation for John and Gina beyond just our class. They received a long standing ovation when the alumni association president praised them at the Saturday Wesleyan Assembly. At our post-assembly lunch, President Michael Roth ’78 thanked them for their service. At our class dinner Saturday night, former president Colin Campbell, our honored guest, spoke eloquently about their dedication to the entire university community. And the Douglas Cannon made its first appearance in 10 years in John’s honor (more about that later)!

Twenty-three members of our class joined the festivities. On Friday afternoon, Robin Cook [see page 79] participated in a WESeminar, “A Conversation with Wesleyan Writers,” and many class members were invited to the president’s reception honoring leadership donors and volunteers. Our initial class event—the 55th Reunion Reception—was then convened at the Patricelli ’92 Theater.

Saturday morning, we gathered for coffee at Boger Hall for a wide-ranging conversation, led by Bruce Corwin, class president, on members’ own lives, and reflections on the impact of the Wesleyan experience. Following the traditional Parade of Classes and Alumni Association meeting, we joined Reunion classes from 1940 through 1966 at a catered luncheon.

Our class dinner was held in the atrium of the Gordon Career Center. One of the highlights was the awarding of Wesleyan University Service Awards to Phil Calhoun and Jim Gately. Phil was honored for his service in the Admission Office, as acting secretary of the university, as an assistant to President Campbell, and as “an enabling founder, benefactor, and head coach of the first Cardinal crew team.” Jim was honored for being “an active force” in our class in organizing Reunions, encouraging support for the Class of ’62 Scholarship fund and the Freeman Driscoll International Scholarship, and hosting Wesleyan events in Philadelphia. We shared a moment of silence after the names of 35 deceased class members were read aloud. Bruce closed the dinner by urging everyone to start thinking about making our 60th Reunion another success.

Thanks to the members of the class who participated in Reunion Committee phone calls to plan the events: Robin Berrington, Phil Calhoun, Bruce Corwin, Dick Dranitzke, John Driscoll, Dick Dubanoski, David Fiske, Jim Gately, Dave Hedges, Bob Hunter, Bob Krugman, Gene Peckham, and Rick Tuttle.

Oh, yes. The Douglas Cannon. Early arrivals to the Saturday night dinner were treated to the sight of the Douglas Cannon sitting on the reception desk. Wesleyan photographers were on hand to take a picture of John Driscoll with the cannon, and shortly afterwards, officials took it away. You may recall that during our college years, the Cannon had been stolen in November 1959 and then recovered and remounted in April 1961. After many subsequent removals and reappearances since that time (Wikipedia has a good history, if you’re interested), it was last seen briefly at a 2007 Inauguration reception for President Roth.

There has been speculation that the Cannon is actually in University hands. Hmm. When the cannon arrived, there were over a half-dozen university photographers, public relations officials, and security personnel on hand. After the brief photo-op with John, the Cannon was quickly covered and whisked away—with the efficiency of a U.S. Secret Service operation—into a waiting Wesleyan security van. Hmm. The Wikipedia article was updated by the next day to refer to the Cannon’s “reappearance at the Class of ’62 Reunion dinner.”

At the Saturday morning session, Bruce expressed regret that our class agent, Phil Putnam, was unable to make the trip from his home in Essex due to a longstanding illness. Phil subsequently said to me by telephone that he was undergoing treatment that he hoped would lead to PT and then being able to get around with a cane. Sadly, instead Phil took a turn for the worse. At the end of June, he passed away in the Middlesex Hospital Hospice unit. Phil had a great spirit, and served our class well. He will be missed.

John Hazlehurst is “transiting” from the Colorado Springs Independent/Colorado Springs Business Journal to establish two glossy magazines, Colorado Fun and Cannatimes. He’s still doing high-altitude long-distance bike rides.

Charles Seibert invites classmates to read an essay he published describing “a cautionary tale” of the 1960s as a result of his political activity in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam war movement (dailynous.com/2017/02/28/ghost-senator-joe-mccarthy-haunts-philosophy-graduate-student-guest-post).

Steve Trott has become involved with the Boise Philharmonic Association, which he says is “a long way from ‘Michael’.” He chaired the committee selecting the conductor/music director and was in charge of programming the past two seasons. He writes, “My sophomore class in Music Appreciation at Wesleyan with a professor whose name I can no longer spell—Alex S.— got me started, for which I am very grateful.”

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

Categories Class Notes | 1960sPosted on

CLASS OF 1961 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

The timing was perfect for Joe Miller, who wrote: “You hit me on my 78th birthday, and I’m feeling frisky enough to pitch in this time around. Three years retired from teaching African history at the University of Virginia and finding the ‘sweet spot’ of this stage, I’m now at my own pace. What the youngsters out there bring to the encounter is energy and imagination, and what I have to offer at this point is experience. They write the books and I try to help them make the most of all that good work. My oldest daughter, a Mayan archaeologist, has a freelance career in tourism and horses in Yucatan, and my youngest son is in 11th grade at our local Friends school. We have no plans to abandon our hilltop here in Charlottesville with the view of the Blue Ridge. For years the D.C.-area Green Scum (Alpha Delts to the uninitiated)— Dickson, Bloomfield, Wagner, and I, plus one or two from ’62) got together regularly, but we haven’t been so good about it lately.”

This was a cute response from Howie Morgan:

Singing as we travel and reach!

Residence now in Vero Beach.

Keeping a place in Deer Isle, Maine

But Home is still in dear old Wayne!

Trying to keep those libs from the door,

Hope old Wes has their feet on the floor!

Ain’t life grand?

From Larry Krucoff: “After leaving Wesleyan, I ended up in Chicago, where Carole and I got hitched. I worked my way through graduate school in anthropology, and went into marketing research. In 1971, I started my own firm and ran it until retirement in 2015. Carole worked in museum education, becoming head of education at the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago. Now retired, she continues her museum associations by being a docent at the Art Institute of Chicago. While I was working, I tried to develop retirement skills. These developed into golf, baking, cooking, writing, play readings, and traveling with Carole.”

Dan Elliott is in assisted living in Cleveland with “a swimming pool and a work-out room with beautiful physical therapists who work me out. My Wesleyan daughter is in Cambridge, doing criminal justice projects. My youngest is married, employed as an athletic trainer, part-time with the Brooklyn Nets and with Long Island University. My son, Dan, participates on the Surface Transportation Board in D.C., and is married to an electrical engineer, with two stepsons. My son, Tim, does computer installation projects and lives here in Cleveland.”

Pete Drayer and wife Sandy are still in a retirement home. He is a senior judge until the end of this year.

Paul Dickson’s latest book, Leo Durocher: Baseball’s Prodigal Son, was published in March by Bloomsbury Press. He is working on a book tentatively titled The Rise of the Fishbowl Army, which is about the 1940 peacetime draft and the creation of a modern army in the days before Pearl Harbor.

Al Williams and Ed Knox get together regularly with Wendy and Huguette-Laure. “Being in D.C., health issues and grandchildren must now vie with politics as topics of conversation.” They are interested in catching up with other alumni.

From Foster Morrison: “There is a serious mismatch between the goals of the human species and the capacities of planet Earth. The people in charge want exponential growth to go on indefinitely, but the size and resources available on this finite spheroid are limited. Setting aside a few nature preserves will not mitigate the consequences of unceasing growth, whatever they may be. It’s difficult-to-impossible to predict exactly what will happen, but it probably will be global catastrophe.”

From Bob Hausman:

Unlikely am I to be found

In the Wesleyan annals of renown,

Yet I do try the fates to confound,

By remaining at best above ground.

Hausman has two sons and seven grandchildren. He went to St. Paul, Minn., in 1977 to teach at Luther Seminary and has been there ever since. “Between my children and grandchildren,” he writes, “we have made our mark at Carleton College, Macalester College, Hamline University, St. Thomas University, and the University of Minnesota. Unfortunately, I have been unable to persuade any of them to matriculate at Wesleyan. There are still two more grandchildren in the public schools and one in the womb, so who knows?”

John Rogers reports living at the Del Webb Sun City Community in Indian Land, S.C. “Great retirement area with golf course, two community centers, walking trails, and three pools. I retired from financial services in 2013, after 46 years, and am enjoying time with five children and 14 grandkids in Maryland, New Jersey, and Kentucky. We have traveled to Alaska, Iceland, Norway, France, Nova Scotia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, and many national parks.”

Glenn Hawkes’ son, Jesse, is an actor and human rights activist living in NYC. They came to Middletown in April to attend the Samuel and Dorothy Frankel Memorial Lecture delivered by a Wesleyan alumna. Both enjoyed an afternoon coffee with Emil Frankel, who had just driven over from UConn, where he had a speaking engagement. Glenn reports: “Much of our conversation centered on ‘3rd floor Clark’ our sophomore year—Bob Hausman, Swede Wilson, Ernie Hildner, Jack Woodbury, Jack Mitchell, and Russell Mott.”

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

Categories Class Notes | 1960sPosted on

CLASS OF 1960 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

I was deeply saddened to learn that Charlie Smith passed away in May after a long illness. Charlie was our class agent for many years, and we are indebted to him for his tireless efforts on our behalf. We will miss his kindness, unfailing optimism, hu-mor, and deep engagement with the world. He was a sociologist who specialized in social theory and economic sociology. He held several professional institutional roles, including faculty member (Queens College and The Graduate Center, CUNY), long-term editor of the Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, department chair of sociology, and dean of social sciences (Queens College). He was also active in his synagogue. He is survived by Rita, his wife for 53 years, daughter Abigail ’92, son Jonathan ’94, four grandchildren, two sisters, and a brother. Before his passing, Charlie was informed that our class scholarship had been renamed the Charles W. Smith Class of 1960 Scholarship Fund in his honor.

The passing of Dick Huddleston in January was a significant loss to our university community. He was class secretary and agent, and a director of development at Wesleyan. The following appears in the published obituary: “Dick dedicated his life to his family and supporting nonprofit institutions which provide educational opportunities for youth and adults. His love of his children and grandchildren was expressed by his playful character and ability to think ‘outside the box.’ He successfully shared these gifts in his career helping children and adults all over the world. A passion for travel and exploration of different countries and cultures was a constant theme in his life, motivating him to study six foreign languages, live abroad, become an airplane pilot, and learn to cook excellent Italian food.” He is survived by Lindsey, his wife for 56 years, children Kathy and Michael ’90, four grandchildren, one brother, and one sister. The Richard H. Huddleston ’60 P’90 Wesleyan Scholarship has been established in his honor.

In June family and friends held a luncheon to celebrate the lives of Dick and Charlie Smith and to dedicate the Huddleston Lounge in Downey House and the adjacent Smith Patio so that they would be forever memorialized on the campus they loved so much. It’s only fitting that these two close friends and extraordinary Wesleyan fundraisers were honored together.

Rick Garcia is president of the National Academy of Economic Sciences of Bolivia. In May, he appointed internationally known Dr. Francis J. Ayala as honorary fellow because of his extraordinary contributions to a better understanding of the interconnections between evolutionary biology and economics.

Mark Lischner’s daughter, Lori, teaches special education in San Rafael, Calif. His son, Benjamin, is a physician in Norway. In 1971, Mark started a group practice in Sacramento in pulmonary and critical care medicine. The office now numbers over 30 caregivers. He plans to continue “until stopped by physical disability, dementia, or death.”

Gil Seeley is teaching a course in world music  at the Jewish Community Center in Tucson, where the new director of arts and culture is Barbara Fenig ’11.

Carl Syriala died on Nov. 12, 2016, in West Barnstable, Mass. He was an aquaculture expert and served as the treasurer of the local fire department for 15 years.

In retirement, Paul Tractenberg directs projects designed to improve educational equality. Rutgers Law School presented a major program honoring his 50 years of work in the field. Paul and Neimah enjoyed their annual New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day festivities with their four grandchildren. They went to Florida in February to share a good friend’s “special birthday,” and on a small boat cruise in May to the Mediterranean side of Italy and France.

Bob Williams wrote in: “We maintain our great Wesleyan relations with Marilyn and Mickey Levine. I am active with a flourishing Midcoast Senior College and editor of their newsletter; the layout man is Burr Taylor ’61. I also enjoy my friendship with another Russian historian, Phil Pomper, recently retired from the Wesleyan faculty, and my barbershop singing with the Uncalled Four.”

Alan Wulff wrote in: “I had a great reunion with Dave Boesel. Dave is involved in many things, most notably fervent, active work in the political arena. Dave is a black-belt martial arts expert and was elected president of the American Ju-Jitsu Association.” Alan visited Wesleyan in May and had dinner with Bing Leverich ’59.

I am happy to report that I am now back home. It is a blessing that the left ischium of my pelvis has healed well. I was at Mt. Baker Care Center from Jan. 1 through Mar. 4, where they prepared me with physical and occupational therapy for reentry into my normal surroundings. It was good to resume driving and restart activities such as yoga, contra dancing, and hiking. In addition, I visited the Wesleyan campus with my niece Liz in April and was impressed with the activities taking place on Science Saturday.

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

Categories Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1959 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

The Great Class of ’59…60th Reunion 2019. For those who missed it, enjoy this video of the Wesleyan fight song at Commencement: fb.com/wesleyan.university/videos/10150822050344995! Congrats to this year’s exceptional lacrosse team. What a difference 58 years make! An extraordinary record of 20-2, Little Three, and NESCAC Championships, and the quarter-finals in Division III, make the 2017 team close to, if not, the best ever. On June 6, 1959, the Wesleyan Lacrosse Club, under its first-ever coach, Nate Osur, met the Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Club, boasting four All-Americans, eight All-New Englanders, and several Canadians. The result was about the same as the “game” of June 2, 1763, when Chief Pontiac and his tribe mesmerized the British Army at Fort Michilimackinac with a lacrosse game outside the fort, and followed a loose ball inside and finished off the Brits!

Joan and Ted Bromage took an anniversary cruise to Bermuda, last there for their honeymoon in 1960. Granddaughter Georgia is graduating from Savannah College of Art and Design, and grandson Dylan is walking to Maine to see Ted and Joan on the Appalachian Trail. He has made 900 miles so far!

Bob McKelvey got his 1959 birthday card. The card pictured John Lloyd in his Porsche, buried in snow, with a cast of characters trying to push him out, including Spurdle, which elicited a rude note from Bob: “An Eclectic helping to push an Alpha Delt out of the snow? Only one less likely would be a Chi Psi.”

A fascinating message from Larry Brick that details an extraordinary dedication to a life of advocacy for the hearing impaired. After retiring from the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, he has continued his advocacy for the deaf community.  He and his wife have moved into a retirement home. The Bricks have three sons: the eldest is a computer expert, the second a well-known dancer and choreographer heading his own company, and the youngest, the first deaf graduate of Temple Law School, now working for the Governor of Maryland.

Peter Rockefeller sent us a very handsome picture of himself at a recent wedding. No other news, but he looks in great shape.

Charlie Wrubel wrote, “Now that my three-year term on the Board has ended, I want to thank all of you who allowed me to represent you as an alumni-elected trustee. Rest assured—and regardless of your thoughts about Wesleyan today—the University has a very responsible Board and excellent administrative leadership. Myra and I spent Thanksgiving in Scottsdale with son Julian and family. The New Year was celebrated in LA with son Bill ’85, and wife Jen Crittenden ’91, and their two girls. On the way there we watched granddaughter Sarah (son Rob ’88) participate in a fashion show. We ended with a great road trip with Mark Edmiston ’65’s family through New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.”

From Dick Cadigan: “Just getting over some face skin cancer stuff involving small skin graft—however, whenever I get “cut” I do not think of it as small ! All fine now, after three weeks healing. I read the following and thought of you: “June 2, 1763—Chief Pontiac and  his Olibwe followers captured the British Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison’s attention with a game of lacrosse and then chasing the a ball into the fort.” Wonder if you and other Wes lacrosse pioneers ever got recognized for your birthing efforts to get Wes lacrosse off the ground. As you know, this year’s Wes men’s and women’s teams were outstanding !

The following chain reaction started with Cads on April 6: “’After the age of 80, everything reminds you of something else.’—Lowell Thomas. ‘It doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you do not stop.’—Confucius.”

Bing Leverich responded, “’Never look back. Something may be gaining on you.’—S. Paige.”

To which Tom McHugh said, “‘Never make predictions, especially about the future.’—C. Stengel. ‘You have got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going because you might not get there.’—Yogi Berra.”

And the finale from Joe Mallory, citing a cartoon of doctor and aging patient, “‘Stop telling me I’ll live to be 80 years old. I am 80 years old!’”

Wolfram Thiemann, a German foreign scholar, responded to his birthday postcard saying, “Wow! Thank you, guys. I was struck flat completely.” He’s still busy in environmental research and astrobiology and said that fellow scholar Uri Kogelschatz, passed away in 2016. He also remembered fellow physicist Paul Boynton ’61, who visited Wolfram in Germany with his grandsons three years ago.

Marty Weil, night editor of The Washington Post, has discovered the power of Twitter. “I am a couple of months beyond my first year of Twitter. I would like to call on the school’s wisdom and tech knowhow to see how we can reach the greatest number of alumni, family, and friends. Anyone missing out on this edifying opportunity, because they are tragically unaware of it, is missing an awesome tool.”

Hugh Lifson just returned from the Badlands where he did a series of watercolor paintings and sepia drawings.

Skip found classmate Richard Moores in Bellevue, Wash., via the birthday card effort. Class secretaries do not sleep either!

David Britt updated his record: “Pulse: (pause)—yes. Mouth: still running. Hearing: when convenient. Hair: vaguely remembered. Health: executive summary—very good, considering details available at yawn, zzz. Mental health: fine, except for the constant witch-hunts and conspiracies against me. Aging: I hope to continue to do so a while longer. Pace: each year it takes longer and longer to do less and less and I’m almost at the point of doing nothing full-time.”

He and wife Sue have moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., for summers, and stay on Amelia Island for winter. European trips in the works, “geezer tennis” regularly, and he chairs the Education Trust in D.C.

Elaine O’Neill sent word of Peter’s death. Our thoughts are with her.

Olin Associates have more fun! Please join and enjoy it!

And finally, the last word from Satchel Paige: “Age is a matter of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

Skip Silloway | ssillow@gmail.com; 801/532-4311 

John Spurdle | jspurdle@aol.com; 212/644-4858

Categories Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1958 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

I guess we are quite content in our golden years. We have fewer responses to my Lyris plea. Is that good news?

Dick Goldman had much to report. He and Patty had just returned from Florida, and the Massachusetts weather in early April was not conducive to golf or tennis. He congratulates me on my election to the Wes Baseball Wall of Fame. He received a long e-mail from John Watson. John hopes to make our 60th Reunion in 2018. Dick is on a quest, and I believe a valid one, to establish a group of Wes grads who are lawyers in Boston who will meet and look for opportunities to refer business to each other. Any in the class who are lawyers in Boston or know interested people, contact Dick.

Dick Tompkins’ note says he and Betsy are healthy and happy. They spend eight months in Florida and four in Minnesota. He sees Carl Van Etten and his wife frequently. He reports that they are doing well.

Art Geltzer objects to being called an “old timer,” but is doing well and has opened his Cape Cod home for the summer. He has been in touch with Ted Wieseman and Polly and Mel Cote.

I will quote Roger Paget: “In my role as senior adviser for the Davis UWC Scholars Program, I do site visits at campuses all over the country—and recently enjoyed a wonderful interlude at Wesleyan. To chat with students, faculty, and administrators is to gain vivid appreciation of 60 years of continuing progress. The energy is palpable, contagious. And Michael Roth ’78 is a treasure.

Bill Dieterich e-mails that after his retirement from the U.S. Foreign Service almost 20 years ago, he and his wife, Keiko, live in Arlington, Va., and spend summers at Lakeside Chautauqua in Lakeside, Ohio.

My former roommate, Dan Woodhead, and I have been conferring about two quests which we will pursue, details of which may be public before the next issue.

Neil Henry has had prostate surgery recently, but is okay otherwise. He anticipates a few visits to Chesapeake Bay this summer.

Kay and Bob Terkhorn will travel to Europe mid-June. They will travel to Prague, then a riverboat trip from Nuremburg on the Rhine and Moselle rivers to Luxembourg, then on to Paris for a few days. They will travel despite a fractured ankle that Kay suffered in March.

Kay and I leave shortly for The Hague where our daughter resides. My granddaughter, Margaux, is graduating from high school and will attend college in London at University College London. Kay and I will fly to Toulouse, France, and hook up with Nelson Edwards. He and wife Pirkko live in Lectoure in southern France. I will report firsthand on Burr next issue.

Hope all is well, looking forward to our 60th,

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

Categories Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1957 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

DKE Brothers Mike Stein, Bob Sharlet, Rusty Clowes, and Bill Daley (left to right).

Late May our class celebrated a Reunion on campus—the 60th for those who are still keeping statistics. The weather was more or less cooperative, especially for the Saturday programs; sun broke through and the campus was in its best-dressed mode.

1957 turned out at some 33-strong, comprising classmates and guests. The roll-call of Wesmen is as follows:  Paul Schwaber, Jack Braitmayer, Bill Riess, Herb Camp, Hal Ochsner, Gordy Wilmot, Bob Smith, John Allison, Bob Sharlet, Art Typermass, Whitey Johnson, Rusty Clowes, George Willauer, Rod Henry, Jim LaCrosse, Mike Stein, Ken Travis, and Jeff Williamson.  Math majors will note this list as being in random order and English majors please excuse the usage of any additional nicknames. I merely thought that Messrs. Clowes and Johnson, being among the more colorful class members, deserve special “ink” on the subject. To the best of my knowledge, we have no others of us endowed with colorful nicknames; should I be in error, please correct me.

Jeff Williamson’s WESeminar on American income inequality was standing-room only in a large Fisk Hall classroom. He was introduced by Richie Adelstein, economics professor. The subject matter covered income inequality that predates the founding of the Republic to contemporary times. His book is titled Unequal Gains: American Growth and Inequality Since 1700 (Princeton, 2016: with Peter Lindert).

Copies available at the campus bookstore sold out quickly. Jeff received Wesleyan’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1987 and served on the Board of Trustees from 1988-1994. Along the way, he authored some 22 books, of which the aforementioned is the most recent.

At our Saturday night dinner, our guest speaker Mark Hovey, associate provost and professor of mathematics, provided a sense of what it is like to teach at Wesleyan today. He emphasized that faculty are encouraged to combine teaching and research that is unique among smaller liberal arts colleges. Accordingly, Wes students have exceptional opportunities to engage in primary research with their professors. The interaction results in positive experiences on both sides of the desk. Mark cited as an example his own daughter, having transferred from Brown because she felt there would be better opportunities to collaborate with faculty.

Professor Hovey was introduced by our dauntless emcee, Whitey Johnson, who conveyed greetings from retired Professor Bob Rosenbaum, who has recently turned 101!

I know I speak for 1957 in expressing gratitude for the tireless efforts of Mark Davis ’96 and Jenna Starr ’15 in developing and bringing about the events comprising our 60th Reunion, not the least of which was working with our own Reunion committee on the planning phase thereof.

Jim LaCrosse mentions that granddaughter Thea LaCrosse ’21, daughter of John LaCrosse ’85, is in this year’s entering class. Pride in continuing generations at Wes.

Mike Stein reports that on the Saturday afternoon of Reunion weekend he and fellow Deke brothers, Rusty Clowes and Bob Sharlet, attended a meeting and rally (organized by Bill Daley) aimed at re-opening the house. He said there were nearly 100 alumni, undergrads, and guests in the house living room, all in high spirits.

Allen Fitz-Gerald continues to refine his play, Prisoners of Hope. The play is being tried out at college venues including SUNY Potsdam, as well as associated education conferences. It was summarized at The SUNY program as ‘‘Mother and son vs. father and daughter….with billions at stake.  The climate crisis hits home.” Allen extends appreciation to Paul Schwaber for his advice along the way.

I picked up some commentary to the effect that the class is moving inexorably toward the front of the parade as our Reunions progress. I recall as an undergrad looking on at that parade tradition, and wondering “Who are those guys?”—much like Butch and Sundance asked as they were pursued throughout the West. Well, in Middletown it is those who march proudly around the 1957 banner.

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

Categories Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1956 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

There’s a hoary joke about two old guys at a reunion. First guy spins a long, convoluted tale about his horrendous near disaster. Wide-eyed, the other guy asks, “Did you live?” First guy responds, “You ought to see me now!”

Last December, I had an aortic valve replaced, but, thanks to the evolving wonders of modern medicine, I went into the hospital on a Tuesday, came home on Thursday, and started cardiac rehab the following Monday.

Barry Passett asked, “George, what in the world are you doing with heart disease?” Darned if I know, but I’m pretty well back to what’s normal for me, thank you.

Walt Ebmeyer chipped in: “I had a similar heart problem in 2002: aortic aneurism pulling the valve apart. But in those days they opened the chest, put a nylon sleeve on the aorta and a titanium valve above that. Three weeks in the hospital! Things have changed for the better. Moved a year ago to a building for ‘active seniors’ in Silver Spring, Md. Dave Fricke’s grandson is in my granddaughter’s sixth-grade class. Is there a Washington Wesleyan club I could join?”

Back to business. Jay Kaplan writes: “I have been devoting most of my time to four activities: “1. The Cosmos Club (cosmosclub.org); 2. The Explorers Club (explorers.org); 3. The National Gallery of Art. where we are members of their Circle; 4. So You Want to Be an International Lawyer? (A b

 

ok I have written which is now being edited and hopefully will soon be published)

“Both my wife, Ann, and I still enjoy good health. I retired from the practice of international law and have cut back on my exploration. In the past we climbed live volcanoes in Kamchatka, Siberia; climbed giant sand dunes in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia; trekked through the Peruvian Amazon; and climbed the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

“We placed an Explorer’s Club flag and white roses on the grave of John Glenn on the day of his funeral in Arlington National Cemetery. He was honorary chair of the Explorers Club and a member of our chapter, of which I have been president.”

This from Dick Bauer: “Dave J. Cox visited Ginny and me. He’s tallied over 100 countries visited by this point, and still counting. Most recent discussion topic for my Linden Ponderers seminar: ‘Does religion make us better, or nastier?’ No one fell asleep; but there was no blood on the floor either. Still truckin’, albeit a bit slower.”

In brief: Dick Boyden: “Nothing really here to report from Mashpee on Cape Cod. Doctors’ visits, grandkids, and gratitude.” Bob Calvin: “We are leaving for a few days to visit friends in Wisconsin.” Dave Fricke: “Beryl and I are doing well here in Silver Spring, Md. Classmates and friends are welcome to visit.”

New digs: Dick Smith: “I retired for the third time after 22 years at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine, where I had been doing eye research with mouse models. Linda and I downsized, so we moved to a smaller home in Orland, Maine. Four of our grandkids live nearby.”

Also Peter Gardiner: “Last year, after losing my wife, Jean, to pancreatic cancer, I moved back to Florida from Michigan. I’m in Port St. Lucie on the Treasure Coast. (Move coincided, so had to miss Reunion!)”

And, of course, here’s Bob Runyon: “Sheila and I are happily ensconced in our new apartment. It was the unique ordeal of downsizing from a large house in which we had been accumulating stuff for 36 years.

“A welcoming treat was watching a Canada geese couple in the pond just below our apartment window. The two birds seemed inseparable: always so close and attentive to one another. Then for several weeks, there was only one. Sheila said that the female must be away giving birth to their offspring. Just yesterday, she called me to watch the activity on the pond. There below our window was the happy couple with five little goslings paddling close behind. The lifelong bonding habits of Canada geese are one of nature’s wonders.

“When people ask about our future journeys, I tell them about our latest long trip—house to apartment in six months: two miles’ distance, still in the same zip code! The next real trip will be to Charlotte, N.C., in September, where Sheila will be conducting official conference duties for her Omaha chapter of P.E.O.”

Bob is stepping down from his role as class co-secretary. Over the past several years it’s been my good fortune and pleasure to have him as a partner—always helpful, full of good ideas, and devoted to Wesleyan and the Class of 1956. Thanks, Bob.

Gordon Rogers informed me of the death of his father, G. Ford Rogers III (Ford was a member of our freshman class, but transferred the following year), writing: “Dad died after being bedridden for almost nine years. We had a memorial service for Dad on May 7, 2017. My mother preceded my father in death 25 years ago. I was Dad’s full-time caregiver the last nine years after he became incapacitated.

“Dad told me some stories of his time at Wesleyan. He loved to laugh and share stories at times. I think laughing helped him hang on all those years. God answered my prayers and gave him more time after he almost died that first time in 2008, just two weeks after my Grandma had passed.

“Our travel business, Anchored Eagle Travel, helped us stay afloat as a supplement to his Social Security. I was able to work on that from home while taking care of him. Originally, he was going to do all the bookkeeping for our business and I would work with the clients booking travel. Dad was a great bookkeeper. He retired in 2000 as the docket manager of a major law firm in Chicago and he needed all his attention to detail and skills there.”

George Chien | gchien@optonline.net

Bob Runyon | rrunyon@unomaha.edu

Categories Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1955 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

Always a joy to receive words from classmates in response to requests for updates for our class notes. Once again, I do want all of you to know how much I appreciate being able to share words that you submit. It does make the task of serving as your class secretary an enjoyable one even after more than 50 years of the assignment.,

Stuart Rapp sent word of the death of Charlie Hume, who passed away in March. His late spouse, Patricia Johnson Hume, predeceased him by several months and a celebration of life was held in April for them both in Saugus, Mass., in the church Charlie served in the early days of his career-long ministry in the United Church of Christ. Stuart and Charlie were fraternity brothers in Delta Tau Delta and roomed together for three years. Bob Pooley joined them as a roommate for two of those years. Both were active competitors on the swim team. Charlie was well known as the “classic bass voice in our then-famous Wes male quartet, the Jibers.” As Stuart concluded in his notes, “He has passed, as they say, but he is far from forgotten.”

A short e-mail from Jim Shepard, our world-class traveler, mentioned his great Alaskan trip last year, but to my surprise, he indicated he has nothing in the works for an adventure this year. I’m willing to bet I’ll receive several paragraphs detailing the highlights of his 2017 travels before the year’s end, and if so, you can bet I’ll share them with you. When not on the road or planning where to visit next, Jim continues with his work as a medical expert witness, enjoying family life, and time on the golf course.

John Ineson wrote of the difficult adjustments that must be made when a loving spouse’s worsening dementia makes it necessary to move her into a special care unit dedicated to caring for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. In 2013, Lori and John moved to Williamsburg, Va., into a continuing care retirement community after he retired in 1994. He said that he is “now adjusting to living alone. Not easy after 59 years.” John, our thoughts are with you!

Freshman roommate Drew Clemens sent thanks for continuing to serve our dwindling class. His wife, Julie, has been class secretary for many years for her class of 1952 at Northfield Mount Hermon School, from which my younger daughter also graduated. He mentioned that he knows it’s a lot of work, but much appreciated by her cohorts, “as are your reports to us.” A Rhine River boat trip from Amsterdam to Basel is planned for October. He still does some teaching in Case Western Reserve University’s University Hospitals psychiatric residency and in the Cleveland Psychoanalytic Institute, and serves on the boards of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the American College of Psychoanalysts, the latter in which he is completing a tour as president. Both Julie and Drew continue to sing in Choral Arts Cleveland, a 47-year-old classical choir that they helped found. Drew mentioned that they go butterfly counting and tagging, and enjoy their cottage on Lake Chautauqua, N.Y. They’re in the process of “disgorging” their accumulated stuff over 54 years to move to an apartment in a nearby retirement village. Drew sends “greetings to all our surviving classmates, and a moment of sad reflection on those who have left us.”

All remains well with Marianne and me here in “paradise.” We’re planning a trip to Nebraska in August to meet newly expected family members, as two of Marianne’s nieces are scheduled to give birth in July. Despite a lot of rain and wind this year, I have been able to log 2,357 miles on the bike to date (6/7/17), including an 84-mile birthday ride with two younger members (75 and 77) of our bike club in April. And yes, we did the entire ride in one day! Still look forward to the rides and the social time spent with my cycling friends.

As always, may good health and happiness be with you and your loved ones throughout the year.

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

Categories Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1954 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

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Hello, ’54 Classmates. Many thanks for prompt responses from eight of you…Here’s what you told me: Terry Hatter denies being 85 (yet!). He and bride Trudy are recently back from a wonderful European trip, having visited their son, Scott ’92, and “putative daughter-in-law” in Positano, Italy, followed by Belfast to visit oldest granddaughter, who is getting a master’s in conflict resolution there before starting Penn Law School in August. The Hatters wrapped up their trip with a visit to Edinburgh, prior to heading home.

Terry said they attended a very special memorial service for our beloved classmate, Bill Christopher, in Pasadena. “Many of Bill’s cast and crew from M.A.S.H. came from across the country to show their love and respect for this fine man.”

Bud Johnson and Lynn are well into high school and college graduations. This year it was two high-schoolers, the gal off to Colgate, the boy to Notre Dame. Next year: Wake Forest and Georgetown.

Jeff Lockhart and Donna are blessed to have one daughter and son-in-law—the Reverend and Mrs. Jon Robbins—living near them in Vero Beach, Fla., where Pastor Robbins is building St. Paul’s, a new Anglican church, a block from the beach! It will be finished in September, and we’re all invited to the dedication ceremony!

Sad news, guys. Carol Ann writes that Dick McCray “left this world on Feb. 24, 2017, with me by his side in our home in Massachusetts.” Dick was buried on Apr. 28 (their 27th wedding anniversary, and Dick’s high school football number) in Chester, Pa., his birthplace. There was a memorial service for Dick at St. Luke’s Hospital in NYC in late May. He had spent 40 years practicing and teaching there.

Bob Schnuer and Vickie migrated back to NYC on May 10 after a “wonderful Florida winter in Boca Raton,” which included a private Wesleyan gathering at a Miami art museum managed by a “spirited” graduate, including a breakfast with President Michael Roth ’78. Bob and Vickie will be back in Boca in late October. Don’t hesitate to call if you’re in the area (917/862-5141).

Lenny Stolba married off his equine veterinarian daughter in March. Len’s “boast/roast/toast” was well received.

Ann reports she and hubby Bruce Storms are well and happy, having especially enjoyed their swan-song-cruise last December—a “wonderful part” of their lives. The Storms’ daughter, Katy Storms Denman ’89, has three teenage sons, one an Eagle Scout. Bruce and Ann recently saw Win Richmond, who is looking forward to summer in his Rhode Island home.

Dr. Jim Yashar and bride have spent the winter in Palm Beach over the past 10 years. Jim is in good health and thus is able to take advantage of much Palm Beach offers. They traveled to Morocco this year to experience a totally different culture. Their grandson is off to Emory College in the fall, and granddaughter will be a senior at Penn. The Yashars will be spending the summer in Boston, except for a trip to Italy in July.

Finally, your scribe, Bob Carey, and bride Libby (Callaway) again enjoyed Sanibel Island, Fla., in January and February, then traveled to Jonesboro, Ark., in mid-May for a granddaughter’s high school graduation (off to University of North Carolina at Asheville), then to Charleston in early June for a Callaway family reunion, and finally to San Diego in mid-June for two grandkids’ graduations and an 85th birthday bash for Bob.

That’s it, guys. Please don’t hesitate to e-mail me any time with developments. My new e-mail is popscarey@gmail.com. All the best to all of you.

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

Categories Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1953 | 2017 | ISSUE 2

With condolences to the families, the deaths of John R. Parsons, 85, Jan. 27, 2017, and John P. Gorsuch, 85, Feb. 15, 2017, are reported. John Parsons, of Worcester, psychology major and president of Sigma Nu, served in the Army, and was employed by Connecticut General Life and as a consultant before founding Parsons, McKee & Co. in 1976. John was northeast Ohio’s go-to expert for pension plans. He was active in the school system and the library as a resident of Avon Lake. He is survived by his wife, Joyce, four children, 12 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

John “Jack” Gorsuch, of Denver, Beta Theta Pi and history major, went on to Yale Divinity School and was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1956. He served churches in Washington, D.C., Great Bend, Kan., and Yakima, Wash. In 1985, he founded the Center for Spiritual Development in Seattle. Retiring in 1992 as executive director, he continued practicing in the Northwest. He moved to Milwaukee in 2014 to be closer to family. Jack passed away shortly after learning that his nephew, Neil Gorsuch, was a Supreme Court nominee. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and three grandchildren,

As for me, before driving to our New York farm for the summer, I will attend the installation on June 9 of my daughter-in-law, Mother Tracy, as priest of the Episcopal Church of St. John, Aptos, Calif. My son assists with the driving from Oklahoma to New York.

In less than a year, our 65th Reunion will offer an opportunity to return to campus and renew friendships. During the winter send me a note of your thoughts about Reunion.

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