Class Notes

John Bach says, “If you need a Quaker chaplain in Boston, visit me at Harvard.”

Tony Mohr is chair of a California state-wide judicial committee and has a guest room that opens onto a pool.

Doug Bell’s Uruguayan farmland investment fund is two years old. “Carolyn is studying fascial stretching—remember Rolfing. I’m in touch with Harry Nothacker and Steve Smith, who is Grasslands’ forestry advisor.”

Bob Otto, from Seattle, and David Freedman, from San Juan, visited Guillermo Prada-Silva in Silicon Valley.

Mike Fink writes, “The lack of hard work and productivity doesn’t bode well for our children’s future. Our entire family helped Katey begin freshman year at the U. of South Carolina. Girls have more stuff than guys. I’m in good health, as are my wife and children. These are rocky economic times to be a real estate developer.”

The University Press of the South published Jeff Wohkittel’s fourth book of poems, The Eagle and the Parrot, available from Amazon or UnPrsouth@aol.com.

Read KenKawasaki’s “A Midsummer Miscellany” at brelief.org/reports/report-71.htm.

Steve Broker taught birding and ecology at Camp Pemigewassett in Wentworth, N.H. “My father, Tom ’36, was the waterfront director while at Wes and Cornell Law. He was introduced to Pemi by Edgar Fauver, WesU physician, one of the camp’s founders in 1908.”

Peter Pfeiffer’s book about independent logging in Maine, Hard Chance, Tree Farming in Troubled Times, is available. “We’re experiencing extreme weather. Lightning everyday, with tornadoes, microbursts, and flash floods. Lots of damage. I am profoundly nervous to see climate change like this.” Pete’s book is available on Amazon and maineauthorspublishing.com.

Charlie Morgan reports from “Bonita Springs. I consult, play tennis, and travel researching my Hungerford family roots. Nine grandchildren keep me busy the rest of the time.”

Bill Sketchley says, “No surgeries or hospitalizations. Hooray! Good health, good neighbors, as far as it goes. Life is good.”

Gordy Fain ’70 writes, “Berta and Henry Samson continue to serve optometric patients in New Haven. He was my first health care professional to take notes on a PC. I remember walking to the campus infirmary. Dr. Crampton reassured me that exam time pains were not a dangerous illness. I’d walk back to Olin, saying a quick prayer.”

From Ron Reisner, “Great June golf outing for the basketball team—Martello, Gregor, Sitarz, Knox, Kelly, Dwyer ’68, Emerson ’68, and myself. Football coach Mike Whalen ’83’s foursome won. I’m in my 14th year as a NJ judge. I’m on committees that investigate parole questions for non-violent criminals and that create jury instructions for criminal cases. Grandchildren are 2 and 4.”

John Mihalec visited Shenzhen. “I attended a reception for five Hong Kong students who will join Wes 2018. Great kids. Not sure how much they wanted to hear testimony from people my age.”

Harold Davis and Tom Goodman were brief. From Harold, “Hope all is well.” From Tom, “Alive.”

Charles Elbot writes, “I’ve retired from the Denver Public Schools. I continue part-time leadership coaching. Caught up with Harvey Yazijian ’70 and Elliot Daum ’70. Wesleyan surely attracts and educates great people.”

Harry Nothacker has qualified for the World Ironman Championship, in fall 2014, in Kona, Hawai’i.

Bob Berkowitz writes, “I couldn’t make Reunion because my brother had health issues. My Wesleyan education had wonderful effects on me. I’m still a practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, caring for youth and families with major mental health problems. The kids often have allied health problems, too. I’ve been department chair and have helped establish a full range of programs, including research and training new practitioners. Wesleyan blended science, humanism, and activism for me. I met my wife at Wes. We’ve been married 43 years, have a son, and just became grandparents. My best wishes to all.”

Late August. Deb’s at her writing group. There are art openings in Essex and Centerbrook tonight. A number of friends will be showing. Chester Fair tomorrow. I love the plant and animal displays and the caloric food.

I work on the farm everyday—painting the wooden parts, cleaning the cellar and barn, restoring the studio, dealing with invasive insects. Carpenter ants and wasps have found their Plaza Hotel.

We had wonderful family times in the summer of ’14. Two weeks on Fire Island with Liz, Josh, Abby, and Benton, long weekends with Annie, Jeff, and their dachshunds.

The world has elements of a horror show—ISIS, Hamas and the Israelis, Ebola, and Ferguson—we wonder what we did to deserve the peace we enjoy.

Deb and I send love to you all.

CHArLIE FARROW | charlesfarrow@comcast.net
1 Cold Spring Rd., East Haddam, CT 06423 

I will open with a lovely letter I got from Guy Baehr as it is a model for you all: “I guess I’ve been putting this off for a decade or two, But I thought I’d send you an update now that I seem to have come to a convenient turning point. Which is to say that I am now finally and firmly retired to a small town on the north coast of the Dominican Republic.

“I’ve built a house here, sold my house back in New Jersey and am looking forward to making friends among the expats and locals here, enjoying the Caribbean climate, and watching the fascinating process in a country of 10 million people moving, sometimes fitfully, from being a Third World country to an almost Second World country. (I guess that’s my CSS training.) Also I have a long connection to the Dominican Republic that started when I came here as a Peace Corps volunteer right out of Wesleyan and continued with a later marriage to a Dominican woman in the U.S. that lasted for 24 years.

“Most of my professional career was spent as a reporter for the Newark Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest newspaper. It was a rewarding and interesting career that let me cover a wide variety of people, from homeless people to Mikhail Gorbachev to survivors of the attack on the World Trade Center escaping Manhattan. I hope I left the state a little better than I found it. When the Internet started killing the newspaper business, I switched to teaching investigative reporting at Rutgers.

“With exquisite timing, I stopped working for pay shortly before the Great Recession, bought land here in the Dominican Republic and started building a house. It’s taken me until this year to finally move down here year-round. I’ve found the process challenging, absorbing and rewarding. Now I’m settling down to enjoy the more conventional pleasures of retirement: building small sailing dinghies, making new friends, and spoiling my 1-year-old grandson on periodic visits back to the U.S., not during the winter if I can help it.”

Rich Zweigenhaft ’67, a professor at Guilford College and co-author of Diversity in the Power Elite: How It Happens, Why It Matters, was cited prominently in a June 28th New York Times article on gay CEOs.

Bob Runk ’67’s musical career continues. He is writing/singing/recording. In 2013, he got nearly $55 in royalties from people downloading his stuff, and he has a wonderful website, the Runkus Room, at bobrunk.com. I caught Wendell Wallach, a fellow at Yale’s interdisciplinary Center on Bioethics, on a NPR talk show on July 1st, discussing the larger implications of some of our technological advances.

On the way up to Quebec, Judy and I stopped in Norwich, Vt., at the lovely hillside home of Andrea and Rich Kremer ’69 for a delightful dinner on the deck. Their big news was the birth of their first grandchild, a boy, in the spring. Andrea is adjuncting at Dartmouth, teaching freshmen writing intensive courses that focus on issues in medical ethics, while Rich is auditing all kinds of improbable courses. He is still consulting some but summers are pretty much dedicated to keeping the woodchucks out of his gardens.

In the crazy, tumultuous fall of ’67, I was befriended by Larry Dunham MAT ’69, a kind, spirited, accepting fellow. He was married—still is—and the father of two great kids who now have five of their own to whom he is a devoted grandfather. (The thing that really amazed me back in the day is that he was a graduate of the same repressive boarding school I attended and, nonetheless, had evolved in an open, wonderful way.) Anyway we reconnected after all these years and picked up where we left off. He lived in St. Paul and, finding his temperament ill-suited to traditional employment, worked on the railroad and then as a long-haul truck driver. Retired for a couple of years now, he is spending more time in the East to be closer to his daughter, Johannah ’91, and his son, Wheatleigh, who is a Yale graduate and an entrepreneur. Active in the McCarthy movement, Larry remembered Dave Siegel ’69 and Dave Caswell ’69 warmly.

I want to quote from a May 8th editorial from the Washington Post at some length: “On the merits, the race in the Democratic primary for attorney general in Maryland is a slam-dunk. State Sen. Brian Frosh of Montgomery County, who is among the most admired, intelligent, civil and hardworking lawmakers in Annapolis, should win the nomination in a walk.

“Over the course of nearly three decades in the legislature—much of that in leadership roles—he has been the author and driving force behind landmark laws to improve firearm safety, safeguard the environment and protect Maryland consumers. Other lawmakers take cues from Mr. Frosh when it comes to public ethics. Measured by achievements, qualifications and breadth of experience, the other candidates are not in Mr. Frosh’s league.

“At once self-effacing and substantive, Mr. Frosh has inspired bipartisan respect as a legislator who gets big things done without unduly tooting his own horn. He has shaped and sponsored much of Maryland’s most important environmental legislation for years. He wrote laws that cracked down on identity theft and teen drunk driving and has been one of the Senate’s most effective strategists in tackling gun violence.” (The best man won here; Brian took the primary handily.)

Locally, I am not completely sure what to do with my newfound freedom. Went to my 50th high school reunion, which even my wife enjoyed. Volunteering for Governor Malloy’s reelection bid. Laid low this summer as our condo has a pool and a beach, and feels like a resort. Trying to find my legs here.

Please do follow Guy’s example and update me on how you have been spending the years. It makes me feel like I am doing something of value here and not just rattling on for my own amusement. 

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

I did not have room for all the vivid memories that you all (as we say down here) sent me in response to my March 2014 e-mail blast asking for information and memories. First, a few more memories, and then I’ll catch you up on info about some of those who wrote.

Peter Kovach wrote about a number of lasting memories. Here’s one of them: “The paradigm-shaping moment in my life occurred in the spring of ’66, after returning to Wes from doing a year of penance for freshman wildness at the New School in New York, rooming with Tom Sloane ’68, in a parallel exile. And it involved a challenge from Jim Helfer (now Jim Stone), a professor who shaped my world view and, far more than any academic during three degree programs, changed my life. He had challenged me to spend my junior year at Banaras Hindu University in India to pursue my declared major in history of religion. I laughed it off. Then one April morning, I woke up in a sweat and, in a moment of epiphanic clarity similar to the one where I knew I would go to Wesleyan, I knew I was going to India. I banged on his office door (where he slept in those days) at about 6 a.m., and we opened Downey House to work out the details over tea.”

Steve Duck wrote the following: “You asked what event stuck out most vividly for me: I would suggest that I was emotionally and psychologically so ‘asleep’ that I missed huge chunks of ‘amazing’ that Wesleyan had to offer. But what does come to mind are: the camaraderie of the Commons Club men, or the experience of serving as a friend at the psychiatric hospital across the hill.”

Don Stone wrote this: “An event involving Wesleyan that has stuck with me? The Wesleyan-Tuskegee exchange when I was in Alabama very soon after the Selma march. Out of which experience I helped Prof. Dick Winslow ’40 organize the Wesleyan-Smith Glee Club southern tour—to Tuskegee, Morehouse/Spelman, Duke, and so forth, riding on the bus next to my first real girlfriend—who was from the South. And there was music, too!”

And, from Jim Vaughan: “Good Wes Tech memory: Skateboarding down the College Row hill to High Street with Dean Mark Barlow ’46.”

The last recalled memory (for now), is from Dirk Dominick: “Seeing the presidential helicopter parked in the middle of the freshman football field at Amherst College where JFK was in town to dedicate the college library. I remember Jim Branigan, my roommate and fellow football fool, telling me that we should go and see the president, since we might not get another chance. I, as usual, resisted at first, feeling there is always a second chance…. After a while, I realized Jim was correct and I saw the president. The assassination that so quickly followed awoke me to the reality of life and made sense of all the warnings I read in literature. Carpe diem was no longer just a cute Latin phrase but a warning, a very dire warning, that life can be short. Thank you, Jim Branigan!”

And now, some news about those who wrote. Three of those who wrote have had careers as physicians. Jeff Hicks has been at the University of Rochester Medical Center since 1980, and has been chief of cardiac and thoracic surgery there since 1990. He served on the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, and recently completed a four-year term as president of the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association. He still does clinical work, including transplants, artificial hearts, and adult surgery.

After Wesleyan, Steve Duck went to medical school at Cornell, and then to Washington University in St. Louis and the St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where he became a pediatric endocrinologist. He was at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee for 17 years, where he was the head of the pediatric endocrinology program, and then he moved to Evanston, Ill., to join Northshore University Healthsystem. When he wrote to me he had been there 22 years, but, as he put it, “I have my eye on retirement.”

The third doc who wrote, Andy Barada, retired in Jan. 2014, after 35 years “taking care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other serious inflammatory conditions.” A week after he retired, he was diagnosed with nephritic syndrome, and learned a week later that the cause was multiple myeloma. As of July 2014 he was six months into chemotherapy, receiving hemodialysis, and slowly improving. He and his wife (Placide) have two children and four grandchildren.

Whereas Steve Duck has his eye on retirement, and Andy Barada did retire, Bob Callahan tried retirement and didn’t like it. Here’s how he explained it in his e-mail: “I tried retirement recently and failed miserably. I had been associate vice president for development and assistant dean at Florida International University’s College of Arts and Sciences. I thought beachcombing and boating would fill my days. Mistake. Now back to work at Miami Dade College, the nation’s largest undergraduate institution (176,000 students) and the grantor of more degrees to minorities than any other school in the nation.” Bob also wrote that he had remarried: “I married a year ago, to someone I had known for 30 years.”

Other classmates, too, have married in the last few years. Hoff Stauffer wrote the following: “I live in Gloucester with my new wife and our two kids (son, 9, and daughter, 7). Our home overlooks the harbor, and I sail my 38’ boat in the summer. We moved to Gloucester because of its natural beauty and the diversity of the community. The kids are doing well in public schools and are very active in sports (soccer, gymnastics, and hockey).”

Finally, a few of you responded to a question from a previous set of class notes about favorite professors. Bob Runk wrote that “Karl Scheibe was also my favorite professor.” Andy Barada noted that, “On further thought, I have great memories of one-on-one for one year with Earl Hanson!” Mike Feagley wrote the following about Willie Kerr: “I have traveled to Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sapporo, Madrid and Pamplona on business this year, thereby avoiding most of one of the nastiest Chicago winters in recorded history. I credit Willie Kerr, one of my favorite Wesleyan characters, with teaching me that all those other places are likely to be warmer than Chicago.” 

Richie Zweigenhaft | rzweigen@guilford.edu

Aloha, all classmates. Well, by now summer is a distant memory and we’re headed for our first snow, if it hasn’t already occurred—at least where many of you live!!! In the course of months I am glad to report that I have heard from a number of you.

It was great to get a note from Clark Byam, of Pasadena, Calif., who celebrated 42 years with the same law firm in September. Still, as a partner, remarkable achievement. He reported that he fulfilled at least one of his bucket list items with a family Amazon rain forest trip to Peru. He notes: “It fulfilled all my expectations and the guides on board were very knowledgeable… Saw all sorts of birds, monkeys, fish, plus some exotic and rather dangerous creatures, including anaconda, boas, poisonous dart frogs, piranha (even fished for them), and a bird-eating spider the size of my fist (only half grown).” After this, he and his wife retreated for 10 days in British Columbia—a great place to recover! Clark also committed to attending our 50th. I believe he is our first commitment in print!!!

In August, we got a great call on a lazy afternoon from Bruce Cost, who lives in New York City. He and his wife (also a Wesleyan grad) were here in Hawai`i for a brief time, and we had a chance to partake in a meal together. Bruce is an accomplished cook and author of numerous articles and books on ginger. His latest adventure is “Bruce Cost Ginger Ale” which you can procure on the East and West coasts—google the product and you can find out where to get the best ginger ale you’ve ever tasted. Bruce’s home in New York sounds like a bit of a hub for Wesleyan activity, with such folks as fraternity brother Kit Laybourne and his wife Geraldine, and it was great to catch up on the whereabouts of Bruce’s family members who really span the world.

Pete Spiller from St. Augustine, Fla., e-mailed me with a great photo and footnote about Wesleyan. Did you know that there is a Wesleyan Lake in Ontario? It’s at latitude 51.20 degrees and longitude 91.66 degrees. Pete is a great canoe paddler and paddled through it this summer on a 22-day canoe expedition to the north. Other news from Pete was that he retired as president of the Board of the Florida Shipowners Group, Inc. on April Fools Day last year (appropriate for a Wes grad) but continues as vice chair of the board for the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum. He notes, “Classmates are encouraged to visit our ancient city,” so right about now if there is any snow on the ground, it would be a good time to call him. He wanted me to pass along his e-mail: PedroSpiller@aol.com. He ended with a great quote from Mark Twain, which is applicable to us all now that most of us have reached seven decades on this earth: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” A personal note: There are very few Spoehrs in the United States and very few from my father’s side of the family. Pete is a paddling buddy with my second cousin, Pete Spoehr, who as the “Monarch” of our family still paddles his own canoe. I only hope that my body (and mind) allows me the same.

Also, we had a great note from Rick Crootof and wife Linda, who are now in New Hampshire. Rick is president of the tennis club and takes his tennis very seriously. He reported on some health issues facing our classmate Robin Burns. Robin, all our thoughts and prayers are with you. He also noted that another classmate, Jack Knapp, and his wife, Carla, who live in Chicago still make the trip back east to the wilderness of New Hampshire every year to escape Chicago’s urbanization. Rick’s son, Matt, has just started physician’s assistant studies at Idaho State and we wish him all the best in this. Having just retired from the health care field, it will be the PAs and nurse practitioners who will be the “work horses” of our future health care.

Let me end this with just a few comments about a wonderful trip my wife Joyce and I took in August on the ship Crown Princess down the inland passage from Whittier, Ala., to Vancouver. If any of you are looking for a wonderful experience which isn’t too touristy and offers a wonderful perspective on nature, wilderness, and life in general; take this voyage—it’s not paddling on Lake Wesleyan but for those who cannot paddle but want to see wilderness, it’s a good second place!

And finally, let me put a plug in for using Wesleyan’s webcasts. The technology is great and you will see the campus and, best of all, the young men and women of old Wes. Simply go to the Wesleyan website; choose “athletics” and look for the webcast schedule and button for connection. The football games and other athletic contests are great to watch. Wesleyan this year is defending its Little 3 Championship—Go, Coach Mike Whalen ’83 and staff; Go, Wes!

A big thank you to all of you who have shared bits of your lives with us. And as we move towards the holiday season…a very Mele Kalikimaka and Hau`oli Makahiki Hou to all of you and your `Ohana (families).

Hardy Spoehr | hspoehr7@gmail.com
1833 Vancouver place, honolulu, hawai’i, 96822
808/944 8601

The big news remains Thursday, May 21–Sunday, May 24, 2015-—our 50th!

A growing group of us are formulating plans, and we are eager to include everyone who’d like to be part of that activity. Just let me know and I’ll pass on your name to Dave Dinwoodey, who is serving as our convener.

In that regard, we had a very well-attended and productive meeting on Sept. 30 at John Hall’s law firm in New York City. In attendance were:

Rob Abel—Ophthalmologist, teacher, author, and educator. Rob has founded a vitamin company; he is helping start free eye clinics in low-income communities; and he is also helping to foster peace among Palestinians and Israelis. Rob planned to come to Homecoming and our 50th Reunion planning sessions instead of his academy of ophthalmology meeting, where a lecture on three ophthalmologists-turned-mystery writers was to be presented. The three ophthalmologists: Arthur Conan Doyle, Robin Cook ’62, and Rob!

Bob Barton—Retired fund development professional/consultant; now, mainly farmer and senior basketball star, along with teammate Jay Clapp.

Bill Blakemore—Still at ABC News after nearly 50 years covering the Vatican, volcanos, wars, politics, and just about everything. Also, he’s doing a great deal of lecturing and writing on global-warming and its effects.

Win Chamberlin—Nearly-retired NYC real estate developer; involved in Community Services Society in NYC and other charities, including rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. Wife Lee is retiring from her work as an attorney for NYU Law School.

Don Crampton—Retired insurance executive in Chicago, but still does some consulting. Also, tireless Wesleyan Fund leader for our class.

Dave Dinwoodey—With law and teaching careers behind him, he is now back working full-time with a smaller law firm and enjoying it. However, he and Mary Ellen make plenty of time for four Boston-area grandchildren, travel, biking, and racquet sports.

Mark Edmiston—Career in publishing now has him founding a digital food magazine. Has served on Wesleyan’s Board and recently finished his term as chair of the Children’s Aid Society of New York.

John Hall—Senior partner at Debevoise & Plimpton. Spending time with the firm’s associates helping low-income defendants in Alabama and Texas. Very involved with several nonprofit schools in NYC. Stays in shape biking and hiking with wife Annie; recently returned from China and Tibet.

Kirt Mead—Now with Leading Edge Forum in London. Firm’s mission is teaching high-tech folks to communicate with business folks.

Tony Schuman—For past 35 years professor of architecture, New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark. Specializes in solutions to community challenges and is very involved in the Newark community.

Hugh Wilson—Professor emeritus, York University, Toronto. Specializes in vision and brain function and imaging. Wife Fran also retired professor. Both travel widely and are still working on research papers, books, and speaking engagements. Also, wine experts! (Hugh was ill, so participated by conference call.)

Bob Leonard—Professor of Theater Arts at Virginia Tech, as well as part of our outreach team. He is also director of their MFA program and primary adviser in the stage management, directing, and public dialogue MFA programs.

We discussed programing for Reunion, such as seminars on global-warming and its effects. Looks like Jerry Melillo, presidential advisor, will be able to participate, along with Bill Blakemore and others from the Wesleyan family.

A main focus will also be plenty of time just to reconnect with classmates and to discuss whatever comes up! Our Outreach Committee is active in contacting everyone and encouraging everyone to return.

There are Wesleyan seminars being scheduled in Chicago (12/2/14), Boston, New York, and Los Angeles on various topics for our class (and other alumni in the area). Stay tuned for your invitation.

Further to the Reunion, our Outreach efforts are resulting in some good conversations and information concerning the activities of our classmates such as John Hall’s contact with Drew Hult. Drew hopes to attend the Reunion, which is great to hear. He is married to Kaye and has three children, two sons and a daughter; the sons are married and have produced four grandchildren; his daughter is single. Drew is a CPA in Huntington, N.Y., and enjoys his work very much.

Had a terrific visit to Chappaquiddick (Martha’s Vineyard) over Labor Day weekend at the home of Brad and Dick Morash ’64. Joining us were: Marie and Mike Angelini ’64, D. Anne and Rick Atherton ’64, and Arlene and Rusty Messing ’64. (I was included because they needed an underclassman to beat on!) Judging from the levels of activity and engagement of everyone in the group, it’s clear there is lots of achievement, energy, and involvement post-50th.

In October, the Hartford Courant carried a story on the great coaching achievements of Bob Michalski. In 38 years (1967–2005) as head coach of cross country and track at Xavier High School in Middletown,Bob’s teams won 58 state championships and five New England titles! Amazing, particularly because these were two sports he did not participate in himself in either high school or college. Congratulations, Bob!

PHILIP L. ROCKWELL | prockwell@wesleyan.edu 860/693-1832

I’m sitting here in Florida on a lazy Saturday morning, the weekend after our 50th Reunion. I could bore you with the details of jet travel and rental cars at JFK International Airport but let’s say I arrived safely Thursday evening, late for the welcoming banquet but before they put the main meal away. The food was quite good for this event and it continued through each subsequent meal through Sunday brunch (bacon and eggs, which was to my liking). The coffee was top notch.

On Thursday evening, I was immediately impressed with the number of classmates who were present. There were plenty of conversations going on and I could sense that a good time was being had by all. I was numbed by my day of travel but enjoyed conversing with Chris Chase and his wife, Karen, at the table where I parked myself. I saw many of the members of our Reunion committee—Frank Judson, Steve Oleskey, Bill White, and others. I found Peter Sipples, Doug Clark, and Paul Eschholz comparing their experiences as an attorney, radio station owner, and retired educator, respectively.

I reserved quarters in Clark Hall and they were quite comfortable. My wife, Becky, couldn’t make the trip, so I didn’t have to be concerned about any snoring issues of my own making. Separating trash was a task and automatic faucets in the restrooms were challenging when brushing one’s teeth. The sounds coming through my first floor window didn’t interfere with my sleep after our full days. It was helpful that I had my handicap parking sticker, and a space right between Olin Library and Clark Hall was always waiting for me. Wesleyan’s public safety officers were very interested in making our stay safe and comfortable. The ancillary personnel and students were quite efficient and went out of their way for us.

I tried to handle the walking from one site to another and managed until Saturday, when I realized there was a cell number to call for a van to take me from point A to point B. I can see returning for future Reunions and, with facilities for the handicapped from airports to campuses, this is a real choice as we live into the “golden years.”

We had a well-attended panel discussion on Friday morning at the old EQV house, now a facility for Romance languages. Frank Judson led the topic, which centered on the present and future for the elite liberal arts model of education. Wesleyan’s endowment was discussed and how it was the highest per student in our undergraduate years. Currently, Wesleyan’s endowment isn’t what it used to be but, at the dinner hosted by President Roth that evening, the topic certainly has the attention of the administration. James Dresser ’63 was one of the participants and he noted that aid-blind admission policies have been discontinued.

Aside from the structure established by the committee, there was ample time for enhancing old relationships and forging new contacts. We are well beyond the identities we were consumed with in the past. Our days of athletic gifts are something of memories and we now have the opportunity to relate to others in ways we never had the time to develop before. I know for myself, I am impressed with Steve Oleskey and the stands he takes in his world. I told him that as Wesleyan alumni we share each other’s accomplishments, as well as the possibilities for transforming the world in what we’ve learned over time. It is encouraging to know that, in our retirements, there is a new and empowering future.

Sometime during the weekend, I heard my name being called and it was a sweet sight, indeed, to see Chris Lapuc standing there with husband Paul Lapuc. From my previous notes, you might recall the serious medical issues on her plate. She summed things up by stating, “I’m still alive,” and I embraced her with great relief. Now that I reflect on my joy in that moment, all the wives I have met during the Reunions have been special women. The likes of Lou D’Ambrosio, Peter Sipples, Paul Brands, Don Ware, Bill Medd, Chip Smith, Judson, Oleskey and many more are enriched with their special women. Let’s be real, the guys we rubbed elbows with over 50 years ago weren’t about to transform their lives without the women behind them. Peel away the layers and there we are as little boys with their toys.

I could go on forever, but the parade, box lunch, and music were a delight. I attended a couple of seminars, including one featuring Rusty Hardin. He is a trial attorney from Houston. He has been in the news over the years and has successfully represented clients at venues including the U.S. Supreme Court. He was also a recipient of an outstanding alumnus award and recognition in the Wesleyan chapel during the weekend.

The seminar included an alumna who coordinates U.S. Senate investigations of wrongdoing and laid down the process in a clear and precise manner. Rusty spoke after her presentation and applauded the way the U.S. Senate conducted its investigations but not the House of Representatives. He defended baseball pitcher Roger Clemens before a House committee on allegations of perjury in a previous congressional investigation. I saw Rusty in many a news report as he accompanied his client through a mob of media reporters.

After the seminar, I approached Rusty and proceeded to verify that he was a member of our freshman class and had to drop out for a year and return to graduate with the class of 1965. I was impressed with his open manner for someone in the media eye and how he was happy to see me. He apparently kept track of the class in my quarterly notes and always had more of an affinity for 1964. He changed his schedule and showed up at our class banquet on Saturday evening.

The Saturday banquet turned out to be a fitting tribute to the whole weekend. Awards were given out, including one recognizing my service as class secretary for I don’t remember how many years. Coach Don Russell attended our banquet as did retired professor Dick Miller. It was exciting to have a picture taken of our freshman baseball team members present with the coach.

Lou D’Ambrosio came up to the podium and sang a smooth song reminiscent of the legendary Frank Sinatra. He sounds more like Tony Bennett these days. Rusty Hardin asked to address the class and shared how moved he was to be back with “his class.” He was at my table where, with his wife, he expressed gratitude in enjoying the banquet and said it was well worth a change in his plans to get down to New York City.

I know there were many alumni who couldn’t manage to attend. I would appreciate hearing from you via e-mail and I could create an addendum to the class book updating where you are and what you’re up to. I know Bill Woodcock attended and wanted to create an addendum to his information. Everyone appeared to be pleased with the effort for our 50th Reunion. Finally, there is an “in memoriam” section for 29 individuals who have passed away and are truly missed even though our memories can keep their spirits with us.

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

Dave Holdt is now fully retired, having stopped teaching freshman writing at the University of Hartford in December 2013. He says he’s now a house husband, in charge of all things domestic as his partner, Karen Chase, is still at the University of Hartford, where she heads the Education Department, teaching both PhD students as well as undergrads. He says he’s doing pretty well with the domestic chores except that Karen says he “cannot see spiders.” He is in a memoir writing class at UConn and as they live near several large forests, he takes one of his three dogs for daily hour-long walks and is now in much better shape than when he stood all day in front of classes. He has seen all sorts of wildlife during the walks and has become a bird watcher. They hear lots of owls calling at night. Recently a nearby sheep farmer reported that some “very big animal” was killing his sheep. There are some thoughts of America’s largest cat nearby. He and Karen enjoy going to CT Tigers, a Detroit single “A” farm team’s home baseball games in nearby Norwich. Go, CT Tigers!

Having retired in the summer of ’12 after 49 years as middle school department head of language arts at the Gilman School, an independent school for boys in Baltimore, Samuel “Bo” Grimes is now much involved with a group of parishioners working to draw up their profile for a new rector for a nearby Episcopal church in north Baltimore. Bo and his wife, Sabra, were married in ’75. They have two daughters. One is getting married next April. “Big expense,” chuckled a resigned but pleased Bo. He and Sabra live in Cockeysville, Md. The met at work, as she was in charge of schedules for the Gilman Middle School. She, too, is retired. They travel a little, last October to Montana to visit Glacier National Park. Sadly, that turned out to be just when Congress closed all national parks. One day before they were to leave, parks were opened again so at least they got in one day. Bo likes gardening and they both like reading, especially “quality” mysteries. Their next trip will be to Quebec. This is because they are particularly fond of a Canadian mystery writer, Louise Penny, winner of Canada’s highest civilian award, the Order of Canada, for her writing. Many of her mysteries take place in Quebec very close to the Vermont line and her descriptions of the scenery and characters are so pleasant that they’d like to visit the areas she’s described in her mystery series. Recalling times at Wes U, Bo spoke fondly of the John Wesley Club and his interesting friends there. Unlike the fraternities, it did not have a kitchen so JWC members ate at Downey House or at different fraternities. He particularly favored EQV, both for the friends and food there.

Also living in Maryland (Trappe, Md., on the eastern shore) but appearing for the first time in our class column, Ted Passyn has retired from a career in real estate development. He specialized in building moderate-cost housing, first in Pennsylvania and for the last 33 years in Maryland. Ted met his wife Julia (Smith ’63) on a blind date at a party at Wes U on Valentine’s Day weekend 1960. They were introduced by Bruce Meinke ’62 and got married in February 1964. The rest is history. Included in that history are 10 children, ages 28–50 (23 degrees among them!) and 20 grandchildren. Ted told me that number was to change on his birthday, the day after we talked, as a 21st grandchild was to be induced. So then their ages then would stretch from 1 day–24 years. When the Passyns travel, it is generally to see their children and grandchildren who stretch across the South from St. Louis to New Orleans. While he does not know all their favorite colors, he can pretty well recognize them all. One year he went to 43 football games! (Go, CT Tigers and everyone else!) Ted served in the Army as a finance officer after he was married, rising to the rank of first lieutenant, while on active duty and making captain later in the reserves. At one point shortly after the Gulf of Tonkin, his unit was on alert to go to Vietnam for five months. In the end they never went, but he found that his time in the army was very broadening and a valuable addition to his education. He is a serious cook with a 10-burner commercial range and a serious wine cellar. He is also somewhat of a gardener and has had a wonderful sounding conservatory built with many beautiful flowers and palm trees, all of which opens onto a very large, lovely enclosed pond with a waterfall.

It is possible that Jon Hopkins has had a unique experience among our classmates. And that is, that in the summer of ’68, primarily due to the immediate threat of his being drafted, he left the country and moved to Canada and applied for permanent residency. The day after Canada accepted his application, in ’69, he got a letter from the US Attorney General indicting him as a draft dodger. He said his father backed his move but his mother was worried that their friends might “think he was a deserter.”Canadians had no such problems and were very accepting of him as in general they opposed the war. In ’77, one of the first things President Carter did was to pardon all draft dodgers. After graduating from Wes U, Jon was ABD in the University of Delaware graduate program in chemistry. Once in Canada, he enrolled in McGill in a master of science program but when money ran out, got a job teaching at the Herzing Institute (now Herzing College) in Montreal, where he lived since moving north. There he taught junior college level students right out of high school along with older students/workers returning to college to grow professionally. For much of his life in Montreal Jon also free-lanced as a computer programmer though he says while he was never a particularly good businessman, at least he was never broke. At Wes U he was a chemistry major and he’s retained an interest in science and enjoys following some websites like Science Daily and Slashdot, on which he finds interesting comments on computer matters. He also likes to read ancient history, really ancient history. A couple of recent reads were Thucydides’ History of the Peleponnesian War (431 BC) and an early 20th century book on the Middle Ages, which proved difficult, not for the subject matter but for the text, which was all in small print and worse, the voluminous footnotes in ever smaller print. Jon lives in an apartment in downtown Montreal and wonders in what other city could someone live so well and inexpensively? He subscribes to Montreal’s Sept.–May annual 12-concert series, and enjoys walking to the concert hall, stopping along the way for dinner at a delicious Chinese restaurant. He finds the Canadian comprehensive health and drug care programs “a godsend!” and scoffs at Canada being called “socialistic” due to its health care system. Even before enrolling at WesU as a freshman, he had heard of the John Wesley Club and intended to join it, which he did. In high school John had been one of the very best students. At WesU he found what many of us also found: pretty much everyone fell into that category. He played clarinet in our not-quite-world-famous football marching band and found the JWC experience “fantastic—we had great guys, very liberal, and got outside speakers to come for discussions at the JWC. Many, like Hanna Arendt, John Cage, and C.W. Snow were there in residence, but came for smaller discussions at JWC. However, I think Pete Seeger came just to JWC.” He recalled one incident when two guys who may not have been JWC members but were just rooming there would boil peyote and then partake of the resulting concoction and collapse in great mirth and laughter. So, someone substituted spinach for their peyote stash. They boiled it, partook and collapsed in great mirth and laughter, which just goes to show—those were the times, my friends…

BYRON S. MILLER | tigr10@optonline.net
5 Clapboard Hill Rd., Westport, CT 06880