Class Notes

I had a nice phone conversation with Chuck Dauchy, and at my request he kindly provided this update on his post-Wes life:

“1964: U.S. Navy—three years—destroyers to the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Red Sea out of Newport, Rhode Island. Then Harvard Ed School, MEd. A brief and unwise marriage (too many years of monastic life impaired my judgment). Three years teaching first grade in New Haven. Then came the first Earth Day and I discovered the environment. Back to school (Southern Connecticut State) to fill in large gaps in my science background so I could do a MSF at Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies (the GI Bill was good to me!).  

“Along in there, Larry Dougherty, Wesleyan roommate and hockey teammate, introduced me to Judy Weinthaler. His judgment was way better than mine had been—Judy and I are now approaching our 51st anniversary. Larry was our best man and Bill Spurrier, Wesleyan chaplain and hockey coach, officiated. Our marriage has produced two wonderful kids, two delightfully emerging grandkids, and 50-plus years of mutual respect, support, and love.

“After Yale and marriage, we moved to the Amherst, Massachusetts, area where I worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, then for a small civil engineering firm, and then on my own as a consultant (30 years) focused on wetland delineation, regulation, restoration, erosion control, stormwater management, and development design to protect the wetlands. That kept me active and often out in the woods until 2017 when I (mostly) retired and moved to Hopkinton, Massachusetts. We are now three miles from our daughter and family and get to see lots of the grandkids. I still get out in the woods as a member of the town’s Trails Committee and the board of the local land trust. I mark and map new trails and do some clearing but leave the heavy lifting to the young folks. In summary: Life and health are good, and we appreciate that our historical privilege has paved our way.” 

Steve Oleskey sent this note: “Steve Oleskey and wife Judith Tick have moved from their home of 40 years in Brookline, Massachusetts, to a condominium in Studio City, California, to be closer to their daughters and grandchildren. Their new address is 12045 Guerin Street, # 204, Studio City, CA 91604. Steve’s cell phone number remains (857) 233–3656. Please call or email if you live in the area or will be visiting Los Angeles and would like to catch up.” 

David Skaggs had this news: “The oft dreamed, but never realized, white-shoe law firm, POSH, convened for one of its occasional reunions in December in LA. Attending were Nick Puner (P), Steve Oleskey (O), David Skaggs (S), and Jim Howard (H). After appropriate libations, they considered but rejected a proposal to increase the firm’s standard hourly rate to $50.”

Paul Lapuc and I were freshman on the same Foss Hill dorm floor. It was great to hear from him:

“A brief update about myself. My wife of 59 years, Chris, and I moved to Linden Ponds, a CCRC in Hingham, Massachusetts, after residing in Chatham on Cape Cod for the past 28 years. We decided that since we have relatively good physical and mental health, we would be proactive in planning our future and choose where we age. We still have our Chatham home, so vacation time by the sea is always an option.

“Prior to Chatham we lived in Amherst, Massachusetts, for over 30 years where I spent time as a psychologist for the VA. After ‘retiring’ as director of Outpatient Mental Health in 1999, I entered full-time private practice, working with children and adolescents. Currently, and for the past 10 years, I have a niche position providing diagnostic and consultation services to assist school systems in determining if students at risk for violence or self-harm can have their needs met within the school district or require a therapeutic environment.

“Over our years in Chatham, I had the opportunity to socialize with several members of the Class of ’65. Bob Schmidt ’65 has a second home in Chatham and for several years we joined Bob, Tim Lynch ’65, Fritz Faerber ’65, and Tom Elliman ’65 and their significant others in an annual Columbus Day weekend celebration. Sadly, Tim and Fritz have passed away.

“The loss has been significant in our class. I was especially affected by last year’s passing of Ted Manos. Ted and I knew each other at Wesleyan and became close friends at our fifth reunion. We made a pact to return to all reunions until a family wedding forced me to recant. Whenever my family traveled to Disney World, we visited Ted and his family [who lived nearby].”

“Ted was the catcher and backbone of some of the best baseball teams that Wesleyan fielded in the 1960s. He caught three of the best pitchers that Wesleyan produced during that era. Nothing can be more telling of a player’s ability and leadership than a teammate’s appreciation. I understand when Steve Humphrey became a Wesleyan Baseball Wall of Fame recipient, he singled out Ted’s presence behind the plate as playing a prominent role in his pitching success.

“Ted had all the skills and attributes required to be offered the chance of a professional career in baseball. But he made the decision to forego baseball for a medical degree and became a well-respected obstetrician/gynecologist. His emotional intelligence, quick thinking ability, and perspective-taking skills that were sharpened by sports, translated well to his professional life.

“Ted didn’t walk away from baseball totally. He attended several Dodger fantasy camps where he became fast friends with many of his childhood–Brooklyn Dodger heroes. In addition to catching, at one camp he shifted to the pitching mound where he found considerable success and was named camp MVP, highlighting his athletic ability. He also spent many years playing in a 40-year-old-plus, Roy Hobbs–type league while maintaining his medical practice. Ted chronicled his fantasy camp experiences in his book Baseball and Babies: My Life as a Catcher, in which he detailed his ‘field of dreams’ experiences at the camp.

“Ted possessed a droll sense of humor. He was often excited about a new venture, a new investment opportunity, and sharing his perspective of self, family, and life in general. Ted was bigger than life and embodied the scholar-athlete model we were encouraged to be at Wesleyan. He was an advocate and supporter of the school. He is a friend who is fondly remembered and greatly missed.”

It is with sadness that I report the deaths of two of our classmates, Chris Rich and Bob Rideout.

Wesleyan received the following announcement regarding Chris: “Christopher Rich, age 82, of Burlingame, California, passed away on Thursday, February 8, 2024.” The most recent information I was able to find on Chris comes from his contribution to the Wesleyan 1980 Alumni Record, in which he reported that after graduation he had received a master of arts in teaching from Harvard, moved to Palo Alto, California, and was teaching at Palo Alto High School. He had married and had three children. Perhaps one of us had been in touch with him and can add to this.

Bob died on November 21, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 83. After graduation he joined the Central Intelligence Agency and later served in the U.S. Air Force. Subsequently, he received a master’s degree in international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton. He served as one of “Nader’s Raiders” in the summer of 1968. In 1969, he began a career with the Federal Bureau of the Budget, that spanned six presidencies and 14 budget directors.

After retirement, Bob was ordained in the Episcopal Diaconate in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and served two churches in the Columbus area, as well as developed feeding programs for the underserved and school children. A more complete obituary may be found in the online version of this magazine.

I would much prefer to report on the activities of our active classmates; please contact me so I can write of your doings. I know that most, if not all, of us are retired, and that some of us are not enjoying good health, but I also know that news of you is welcome to your fellow classmates.

Robin Cook and Chuck Work have reconnected, after realizing they both had homes in Naples, Florida. Also, Robin’s 41st medical-thriller novel, Bellevue, was published in December: “It happens to be one of my personal favorites even though it has a supernatural element, which is unusual for me because I generally much prefer stories based on hard science. The novel I’m currently writing features prions—those protein molecules that cause neurodegenerative disorders like mad cow disease.” As for medicine, Robin decided this year to let his final state medical license lapse: “It certainly will be a milestone for me as it has been a rewarding and wonderful career that I would certainly do over again if I were suddenly transported back to being an undergraduate at Wesleyan.”

Bill Everett writes: “At the end of September, Hurricane Helene hit our mountains with ferocious winds and one to two feet of rain. Our own home in Waynesville saw our road turn into a raging torrent, with the water coming about 100 yards from our house. We were without outside communication for a week but retained power and potable water. Many others were not so fortunate, losing their lives, their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, and businesses. As a woodworker, I was particularly saddened by the loss of several fine woodworking shops and studios in the area around Asheville, and, of course, the trees, mowed down by wind, rain, and landslides, litter our forests and roadsides. I am no longer surprised to see the faces of friends and neighbors in national news, as we struggle to recover from this catastrophe. The immense outpouring of help from all over the continent has sustained us in many ways, giving us an image of humanity’s best in times when the media shows us the worst. Some of you may have been among our unknown helpers. Thank you!”

Bruce Franklin relates that “after returning from teaching in East Africa in 1965, I lived as a graduate student at Columbia University and continued living on the Upper West Side until 2000. Worked as a professor in New Jersey until 1998 and [then] finally moved to Connecticut. Visited around the world playing tennis until 2006, when I settled into part-time teaching at a nearby university until 2021. I visit great-grandchildren in Hawaii and Washington State and currently divide my time between Connecticut and Tucson, Arizona. I am looking to attend our 65th Reunion.”

After living for 26 years in the Adirondack Park and homesteading on 40 acres with a half‑mile driveway, David Gottesman moved back to Albany after his wife of 60 years died. “I moved with my rescued Chesapeake Bay retriever and thank God I did. I miss the goats, donkeys, chickens, large gardens, and the beauty of the land, transitioning to the world of iPhones. Streaming has been a trip. I do miss my roommate Tom Gregory, a gentleman, a scholar, and just a decent person.”

John Hazlehurst reports, “Not much from periodically sunny Colorado Springs. Can’t believe that we graduated nearly 63 years ago, but grateful to be alive and only mildly demented. Still writing my weekly column in the Pikes Peak Bulletin and still living in our magnificent old wreck of a house. Digging through crates and boxes in the basement, trying unsuccessfully to throw away useless but interesting documents from the past and playing happily with our three puppies (an Aussidoodle, a Bernedoodle, and a Chesapeake). We’re publishing our visitor mag, Colorado Fun for the 10th consecutive year and hoping to stay healthy and active this year.”

Bob Hunter reports in the aftermath of President Jimmy Carter’s death: “As classmates may know, I had the honor of working for him on his NSC staff (Europe and the Middle East) for all four years of his term, less two hours and 20 minutes! I was fortunate to have had a final personal visit with him in September 2020 (see attached photo) and went to his lying in state at the Capitol and then to his funeral at the National Cathedral. For those who did not see the service on TV, I recommend getting the C-SPAN recording. With all that Jimmy Carter was and did for so many, we shall not again see the likes of him, at least not in our lifetime.” Bob’s historical tribute is at  https://responsiblestatecraft.org/carter-middle-east/.

Bruce Menke reflects: “As I near my 85th birthday, I am reminded of the many ways in which my four years at Wesleyan shaped my subsequent life. I was a political science major. Luigi Einaudi and Nelson Polsby were new faculty members, and I enthusiastically took whatever courses they offered. I also studied German and Spanish, and my newly discovered interest in foreign languages led me to take an intensive summer course in Russian at Northwestern University. With the support of my German language professors, I spent the spring semester of 1961 at the Freie Universität in Berlin, becoming fluent in that language. During my senior year, when I took Luigi Einaudi’s course on South American politics, he encouraged me to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship to study for a year in Argentina. To my surprise I was successful and spent a year at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba and became fluent in Spanish. That fluency led me to study French, Italian, Portuguese, and Catalan, while my German led to Dutch, Afrikaans, and the Scandinavian languages. With this background I earned law degrees from Harvard and Southern Methodist University, before embarking on decades of work as a corporate lawyer focusing on business activities in Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Pakistan. My professors at Wesleyan provided not just excellent academic training, but also the personal encouragement and support to pursue opportunities which I would not otherwise have even considered. Thank you, Wesleyan!”

Charlie Murkofsky’s grandson, Nolan Rhodes, “has committed to play baseball for Wesleyan and will begin his freshman year in September. He’s a third-generation Cardinal. His mother, Erica ’90, was [also a graduate]. I continue to practice psychiatry nearly full time and also have the joyful experience of visiting with five additional grandchildren, two in Honolulu, two in Austin, and one more, like Nolan, in Westchester County. Health for me and Susan, my wife of 50 years, is gratefully quite good. That said, I expect challenging issues as time does its thing. My best regards to you all.”

Steve Trott now has two granddaughters at Wesleyan. “Both of their mothers (my daughters) graduated in the 1980s. To go with my father, who graduated in 1937, that makes it a family affair. One granddaughter plans to join Psi U. Not quite the same place, is it? They even win football games!”

Paul Dickson reported the loss of one of our classmates, Bob “Gio” Palmeri, last November. Paul writes: “Bob had retired to a family home at Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod after a long and distinguished career as a U.S. foreign service officer. He had served in a far-flung assortment of overseas posts, including Nigeria, Congo, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Benin, Senegal, France, and Côte d’Ivoire. ‘His work,’ to quote directly from the obituary written by his family, ‘centered on fostering strong diplomatic relationships between the United States and the countries in which he served. He championed American literature abroad, advanced global literacy initiatives, organized visits of American artists and musicians who would share their talents in Africa. Through his efforts, education became a tool for unity, as he opened doors for students, both American and foreign, to pursue knowledge via study exchange programs, striving to lessen inequality and promote cross-cultural exchange.’ Bob will be especially missed by fellow members of the Wesleyan Alpha Delta Phi roundtable, which has been meeting regularly on Zoom since the early days of COVID.”

Peter Funk wrote with the sad news that Bill Harris passed away in January. Peter writes: “Bill broke his back in a fall several years ago and had concerns with mobility and health thereafter. He was in the hospital in NYC when he died. As you may remember, Bill, Brad Beechen, and I went to work together in Chicago following our graduation in 1961. All three of us and our families have remained in fairly close contact ever since. Robie, Bill’s wife, died in January last year. Ben ’92 and David ’94, their sons, are both graduates of Wesleyan. Bill, as you know, spent many years on the board at Wesleyan and was a significant supporter in the development of the University.” 

“Like so many others in our class,” writes John Alvord, I turned 85 this year and feel pretty good physically. Wishing all my classmates a happy, prosperous, and wonderful 2025.”

Robert Hausman sends his greetings to all, suggesting that the new year is a good time to count one’s blessings. Bob claims: “I am grateful for seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I am also grateful for my Wesleyan classmates with whom I stay in touch: Glenn Hawkes, Emil Frankel,and Bob Wielde. Finally, I wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.”

With a bit of light humor, John Rogers mumbles his closing words:

         “Already enough from me,

          So refrain from views

          And resume my daily snooze.”

Respectfully submitted,

DR. JON K. MAGENDANZ

John Berry has a remarkable granddaughter named Ella Minaka Berry Joshi, who is both a fine student and a gifted artist. Not long ago, she created a collage depicting John in easily recognizable form using moistened pieces of The Washington Post. Her work was chosen by the National Art Education Association to be exhibited in U.S. embassies around the world.

Ann and Bob Williams celebrated their 74th wedding anniversary in August. Bob had a booth at The Highlands Craft Fair in November. It was a great way for him to interact with people interested in his publications in the field of history. He has two new books published recently: Golden Fleece: The Voynich Manuscript and British Intelligence (Dorrance, 2024) and a fifth edition of The Historian’s Toolbox (Routledge, 2024), which enjoys a solid reputation after 20 years on the market.

Peter Nilsen passed away on May 28, 2024. He attended Wesleyan for three semesters, during which time he joined Delta Sigma fraternity. He later graduated with an MBA from the University of Hartford. He was employed by Aetna Insurance for 29 years, where he became vice president of bond investments. He loved spending time with his family, reading, skiing, and traveling in his retirement. Peter is survived by his wife, Susan Nilsen, two daughters, three stepchildren, and six grandchildren. My condolences to his family and friends.

In September, Tish and I were part of the wedding celebration for her granddaughter at a rural venue adjacent to the historic Gallon House Covered Bridge in Silverton, Oregon.