Jon Wilbrecht wrote, “I’ve enjoyed doing part-time business consulting for the past 15 years, both independently and with the SBA. I plan to continue for the next three to five years, if possible.” Jon and his wife will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this year.

David Skaggs reported he has joined the board of Keep Our Republic (KOR), a nonprofit working to maintain the integrity of the country’s elections and so our Republic. He says he has been active supporting KOR’s Article III Coalition, an organization of retired federal judges nominated by presidents of both parties, dedicated to judicial independence and the rule of law. David also wrote a letter to the editor published by The Washington Post in November, drawing on his days as a Marine Corps JAG officer to underscore the obligation of military service members to refuse to obey unlawful orders.

Roger Montgomery was pleased to read recent recollections of ’64 classmates and provided the following about his experience right after graduation:

“Yes, we all did answer the service call from JFK (‘Ask not what your country. . .’). I went off to Vietnam as an International Volunteer Services volunteer, as did Peter Hunting ’63. I stayed four years: 1964–1968. [IVS volunteer Peter Hunting was killed in 1965 by the Viet Cong, the first Wesleyan alumnus to die in Vietnam. See this 2008 Wesleyan magazine article about him https://magazine.blogs.wesleyan.edu/2008/01/20/a-death-in-vietnam/.]

“I saw Pete Hunting frequently at the IVS house/office in Saigon. He had just moved from central Vietnam to a Mekong Delta town” when he was killed. “He had arranged for me to be an English teacher in a town on the Cambodian border. When I went to take up the assignment, I had to go alone because Pete was not there to take me to meet local authorities. I later replaced Pete as regional team leader for the Mekong Delta during 1967–68. 

“During the Tet uprising in 1968, I was in Saigon. I had just accompanied the body of an IVS volunteer, David Gitelson, to Saigon from the Mekong Delta. He had been shot by North Vietnamese troops. On the first night of the uprising, a number of us naive volunteers went up to a roof top to see what was going on, and someone started shooting at us. Fortunately, the shooter could not aim very well, so I am alive today. I don’t know if the shooter was South or North Vietnamese. But I did learn how bullets aimed near you sound: like buzzing bees right over your head. 

“I avoided the draft by already being in Vietnam. When I got the notice to appear for an [army] medical exam, I asked for help buying the ticket to the army medical center in Kentucky. Or [I] suggested that they send out the medical form so that a doctor in the U.S. 25th Division in Cu Chi or a navy doctor in the navy hospital in Saigon could give me a checkup. Or a medic in the Special Forces Team at Long Xuyen (where I was stationed as a teacher) could take my vital signs.

“I never heard back from my draft board, so I did not have to join the army. I answered the call to serve by going to Vietnam as a civilian, doing what I could to help as a member of the NGO that was the forerunner of and model for the Peace Corps.”

Robert Maurer, a former chauffeur, we learn, has self-published a 237-page book about chauffeurs. It’s entitled I’m Circling: From England’s Coachmen to Manhattan’s Chauffeurs (1610–1997). Bob wrote that the book, which is available through Amazon, includes stories about how chauffeurs have been “servants to their clients in the most personal ways.” The stories “illustrate a probable ‘end of an era’ concerning their traditional, social role.” Bob added that this May, his wife, Zoelle, and he celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

Great to get this update from Clark Lambert, or “WCL” as he refers to himself:

“Since leaving Yale to accept positions at Rutgers in 1976, my wife, Muriel (PhD Northwestern, followed by postdocs at Harvard and Yale), and I have climbed the academic ladder to become professors at Rutgers. WCL has since become emeritus at Rutgers, but Muriel is still going strong at 82 years old (remember, if you marry Supergirl, she is made out of steel!). All three of our kids are doctors, including Peter ’08, MA ’11, Phelps, and Anastasia; all three have children.

“Some years ago, WCL presented, along with ’64 classmates Steve Baker, MD, and Mark

Dahl, MD, a WESeminar entitled “Living the Impossible Dream” about our experiences setting up summer camps for kids with horrific skin diseases. Steve was awarded the Wesleyan Distinguished Alumnus Award [in 2004]. If you are interested in this award, a word of advice: Do not go to a college as supercompetitive as Wesleyan. WCL is very content just to be an alum.”

It is with regret that I report the passing of four of our classmates: Jim Dresser, Ron Tallman, Terry Irwin, and George Tapley. With the exception of George, their full obituaries—as well as an unabridged version of this note—can be found online at classnotes.blogs.wesleyan.edu. I think, however, they are all deserving of a mention in our notes.

James van Benschoten Dresser, died peacefully on September 22, 2025. After graduation, he served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force. After leaving active duty, he received an MBA from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business and an MA from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He joined the Boston Consulting Group and retired early from it as chief financial officer. In retirement, Jim devoted considerable time to civic affairs in his hometown of Salisbury, Connecticut, but the real focus of his activities was Wesleyan. Jim was the third generation to attend Wesleyan, and he showed his loyalty by first serving as interim vice president for University Relations and Finance. He then served on the Board of Trustees from 1990–1993, 1995–2001, 2003–2005, and as chair from 2005–2009. He was elected chair emeritus in 2009. He received Wesleyan’s Outstanding Service Award in 1993 and was awarded Wesleyan’s honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2013. Jim was a lifelong Cardinal baseball fan, and in recognition of his service to Wesleyan, Dresser Diamond on Andrus Field bears his name. Jim is survived by his wife, Laura, a son, and his brother and sister.

Ron Tallman died on March 3, 2025, after a short illness. Although recorded as a member of the Class of 1964, because he took a year off to travel around Europe with a friend (reputedly on 50 cents a day), his allegiance was always to the Class of 1963. After Wesleyan, Ron worked for the Bangor Daily News while earning an MA in 1969 and a PhD in history from the University of Maine in Orono. Ron taught and served at various times as provost and dean for the next 35 years at several universities, retiring in 2007 as Seymour Logan Professor of North American History at Roosevelt University in Chicago. After retirement, Ron created and directed the Canadian American Center at the University of Maine, which was the largest program of Canadian studies in the United States. Ron was an avid golfer, and maintained a 4 handicap until he was 58, when he developed cervical dystonia. He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Noel, a brother, two daughters, and five grandchildren.

After writing about some of Terry Irwin’s activities in the most recent edition of this magazine, it was a shock to learn of his sudden and unexpected death on October 15, 2025. We all knew him as Terry, but, in fact, he was christened Henry Franklin Irwin III. Terry studied English at Wesleyan, played varsity lacrosse, and captained the varsity soccer team. After graduation, he remained at Wesleyan, earning a master’s degree in English while coaching the freshman and, later, the varsity soccer teams. After his marriage to Cynthia Wilson Axton in 1965, Terry taught at Northfield Mount Hermon School, where he taught English and coached varsity soccer and lacrosse. After moving to Jacksonville, Florida, he taught at the Jacksonville Episcopal High School for three years. He left teaching for financial advising at Northwestern Mutual. Terry moved a last time to Concord, New Hampshire. Terry’s life was filled with service to others: building homes for Habitat for Humanity, fundraising for Boy Scouts of America Urban Scouting program, and serving on the board of directors of the North Florida Land Trust among  many other charitable activities, of which the most notable was his 15-year association with the Ascentria Care Alliance and Overcomers Refugee Service, working with new Americans to help them build a new life in the United States. Terry is survived by his wife, Cynthia, a son, Tom ’89, a daughter, Carol, their spouses, four grandchildren, and a brother and sister.

Wesleyan has not received an obituary of George Tapley, who majored in art at Wesleyan, and received a certificat d’assiduite from La Sorbonne, an MA in painting from the University of California, Berkley, and a PhD in art history from the University of Minnesota. He taught art history at a number of academic institutions, the most recent being professor of art history at Fullerton College, which ended in 2008. He was the recipient of several grants, and his works are included in several permanent collections, including Wesleyan’s. Perhaps one of our classmates can enlarge on this.

My classmates and brothers at Delta Tau Delta fraternity have been participating in Zoom meetings recently, an activity initiated by Bill Roberts and implemented by Dean Schooler’s daughter, who has the technical ability to get us all up on Zoom at the same time. Those of us who have survived are all in reasonably good shape, subject, of course, to the common afflictions of advancing age. I would recommend Zoom as a good way to reconnect or remain connected with your fellow alumni.

Tucker Anderson reports that small ship cruises are the way his wife, Karen, and he have chosen to travel extensively and learn about new places while only having to unpack and pack once during the trip. Last June they took a Viking Cruise from New Orleans to Memphis with an extension to Nashville and checked off four items on their bucket list and a few more that should have been. Most notable were first visits to New Orleans and Graceland and second-row seats at the Grand Ole Opry. Tucker reported on his athletic activities: “On November 2, I completed my 47th NYC Marathon (56th overall) despite a nagging Achilles injury. Since I will never finish first in any serious athletic competition, my goal is to outlive the other competitors and eventually become the oldest finisher. Last year I was one of the 14 oldest among the 59,000-plus finishers, so making progress.” As you are reading this, he has taken the annual trip to his winter home in Scottsdale, having driven the family Winnebago Travato, sleeping with the big rigs on rest stops along the way.

Don Sexton reports that he has been learning to play the djembe drum and has been invited to play and sing at a concert in NYC in January. He continues to have four to five shows of his artwork each year and continues to develop and perform his stand-up comedy sets. The 9/11 Memorial will be accepting 25 paintings of Ground Zero for their permanent collection, and a jigsaw puzzle company wants to make puzzles of some of his paintings. He has a website for his paintings: www.sextonart.com.

Please, keep your classmates knowledgeable about your recent activities; we were a small class—smaller now—and I, at least, am interested in all of what you are doing.

Bruce Franklin is “staying active with 3-on-3 half-court basketball with a few other 80-plus guys, along with typical walking and weights. Biggest change is dishwashing and busing tables at a local diner for the breakfast crowd a couple times a week, which I was surprised to find very satisfying. I also got to use Olin Library for some basic research on the Constitution Convention (1787), a longtime interest ever since my sophomore seminar days for my history major. I’m looking forward to our 65th in 2027.”

Eric Greenleaf, writing from Larkspur, California, “was widowed three years ago, after a long, loving marriage. My son and grandkids are close by, so much good family time is given me.” He is still practicing online for 20 hours a week, capping a 55-year career as an expert on brief hypnotic psychotherapy. His work has taken him to many places in the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia; and “in Bali, I’ve filmed and studied trance ceremonies and interviewed healers possessed by the gods.” He modestly describes his book, The Problem of Evil: Ancient Dilemmas and Modern Therapy, as “largely unread in English, Spanish, and Mandarin.” His doctors have pronounced him as “in excellent health for a man your age.”

Vin Hoagland and his wife, Margo, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary by having their picture taken with Santa Claus, a tradition they practice every five years. Following three corneal transplants in five years, Vin was finally able to renew his driver’s license. Fortunately, he was and remains an avid bike rider: “When teaching chemistry at Sonoma State University from 1962 to 2002, I rode my bike the three miles to the campus from our 125-year-old restored Victorian farmhouse. I still manage to ride my bike doing errands, as I plant and harvest a vegetable garden, and I sing in a church choir.” For 32 years he has served on the Sonoma County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, and for 15 years on the board of an organization that was able to purchase and convert a two-mile strip of land that was to be a freeway into a linear park. Vin continues to appreciate “the Mediterranean climate where we live in Santa Rosa, California, as opposed to Massachusetts.”

Bruce and Karen Menke have continued to be highly active in Georgia Democratic politics and have played important roles in recent electoral successes in their Athens home region, some of which attracted national attention. In January, Bruce widely distributed a letter to local newspaper editors, describing eight major social/political issues deserving immediate attention as “New Year’s Resolutions.” He and Karen continue to take pride in their grandchildren, the oldest of whom graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke in physical anthropology; another just started at Tufts in fine arts, and a third is at Georgia Tech in mechanical engineering. A fourth granddaughter has started high school at Athens Academy.

Mike Riley “had a heart ‘event’ this past summer, and now I must not weigh more than 167 pounds—as skinny as when I was a teenager—to keep congestive heart failure at bay.” He wryly adds, “Since retiring I’ve written more books than I have readers, and I am summarizing their critical reviews as a New York Review of Books piece with the help of ChatGPT, which (with typical AI sycophancy) does understand me.” 

Len Wilson reports that “Joyce and I are planning to drive to and attend a worldwide conference in Toronto of YMCA staff and leaders as part of Y retiree groups from 20-plus countries.” They will retire from their role as editors of their group’s newsletter but will remain participants in “all local gatherings regarding the drift of our government.” Len continues to be active with his Center City Philadelphia church as it recovers from a bad electrical fire, while still maintaining its services to the unhoused and needy in the area. He also enjoys pickleball most mornings and claims he and his partner would “easily win the 85-plus division in most tournaments (if such a division existed).” Because he and Joyce are still mobile and healthy, they have felt no need to change either lifestyle or auto trips, “but stay tuned for developments on that front.” 

Chuck Work writes, “After 10 years in Naples, Florida, Roni and I are moving to the San Francisco area to be near our three sons and our grandchildren, in an excellent retirement community near Livermore. We look forward to our next chapter and not having to cook.” Chuck “was honored to be asked to speak at Milt Schroeder’s memorial service last July,” commemorating Milt’s outstanding career as a judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and his service and teaching record at Arizona State University.  

A note from Peter Funk: A celebration of Bill Harris’s life.

“I joined over 200 friends and family in New York City on January 10 to celebrate the life of Bill Harris, our classmate. Bill died in New York on January 20, 2025. The celebration was organized by Bill’s sons, Ben ’92 and David ’94. Amidst stunning projections of photos from Bill’s life, colleagues, friends, and family spoke with great insight into Bill’s many achievements and his love of his family, friends, sports, and travel. After graduation, Bill went into business. He then took a great leap and attended MIT, obtaining a PhD in urban studies and planning in 1977. He was the founder of the Kids Project, a public-action group dedicated to early childhood education and development, which he ran with his son David. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, whose district includes Middletown and Wesleyan, spoke of her family friendship and paid tribute to the tireless and expert advocacy of Bill, David, and the Kids Project. There were frequent mentions of Wesleyan. Emily Harris ’93 spoke of the family’s long involvement. Bill was a member of the Wesleyan Board of Trustees for many years and a strong supporter. Robie, Bill’s wife, died in 2024. She was a teacher and distinguished author, writing on childhood education and development. Bill’s family from all sides and generations joined the celebration. In addition to Ben and Hilary, David and Emily, Bill is survived by four grandchildren, two of whom are Wes alums: Sam ’23 and Ella ’24. The celebration continued long into the evening.”

Respectfully submitted,

Jon

I, Bill Walker, have assumed the position of class secretary that was so long and ably filled by Sal Russo.

Rob Mortimer reports from Boulder, Colorado, that he and Mimi were on the West Coast and reunited with Dave Potts and Jay Levy. 

Jay Levy reports that he and Sharon had dinner with Wes President Michael Roth and discussed the University’s impressive fundraising campaign. Most important, Jay received notice that he is being recognized by the University of California San Francisco (UCSF): The Jay A. Levy Endowed Professorship in Virology honors Jay, professor emeritus of the Department of Medicine and former director of the Laboratory for Tumor and AIDS Virus Research at UCSF. UCSF says this about him: “As a scientist, he is bold, innovative and a risk-taker. As a leader in academia, he has been and is a generous mentor and collaborator to many and is devoted to doing science that helps others.” Congratulations! 

Dave Hale reports that he and Peggy traveled successfully to Canada last year, but that like most of us, is weighed down with medical issues. “Does my week in Unity Hospital sound like a 65th anniversary present?” 

From Bob Williams: “Our second daughter Katharine (Davidson 2001) is now in her second year as director of development at Falmouth Academy, surpassing many fund-raising goals. FA has also recently acquired the Captain’s Manor Inn in an effort to initiate a five-day boarding program. Maybe some will end up at WesTech!”

Dave Hohl reports he has contributed a $10,000 charitable gift annuity to Wesleyan in exchange for using it to fund a men’s tennis endowment in honor of our classmate Al Roberts. Al is in Wesleyan’s Athletics Hall of Fame for his tennis achievements at Wesleyan, among them a single loss (perhaps to West Point) during his four years and the U.S. 18-and-under champion the summer after his freshman year (he had previously won the U.S. and Canadian 15-and-under championships). He was given automatic entry to the U.S. National Tennis Tournament at Forest Hills, Queens (now the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, Queens) that year, and he qualified for that tournament for several years thereafter, reaching the second round twice. If that endowment reaches $100,000, it can be named for Al.

I was inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball Hall of Fame in November 2025, in an elaborate ceremony recognizing my batting average of .432 for Chatham in the summer of 1957 and subsequent accomplishments. A signal honor that included a huge Super Bowl–size ring.

Gus Napier, our class philosopher, has just published a new book: A Life in Poems, a collection of his prodigious poetic output. Gus has a gift of communicating that I found speaks to me as I age and reflect on what’s now a long life. You may want to do the same. Here is the note I received from Gus:

“Hi Bill—thanks for your work keeping us in touch!  

“My news: I have a new book, just arrived from the printer, entitled, A Life in Poems. At Wesleyan, as some of you may know, I apprenticed myself to Richard Wilbur and went some distance down the road to being a professional poet. I published some in national magazines, etc.

“A personal crisis post-Wesleyan got me into therapy and eventually I became a family therapist. My book The Family Crucible (HarperCollins, 1978) became a bestseller and has sold more than 300,000 copies. A second book, The Fragile Bond (HarperCollins, 1988)describes my work with Margaret in our treatment of couples.

“Though writing poetry professionally became the road not traveled, a line by Robert Frost, who was Wilbur’s mentor, I did not stop writing poetry. Recently, Margaret and I assembled the poems we found here and there in our house in North Carolina. This book, crafted with a graphic designer, also includes some of my photographs, another strong interest of mine. We are proud of the book.” ~ Gus

I regret to advise that Chuck Olton died recently in New York. I’m particularly saddened because Chuck was my oldest living friend. We both grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, and met when we were in second grade. We became close friends and were classmates through the Newton school system, then at Wesleyan. We remained in contact, though had not seen one another for some time. Too bad. Good guy. 

Paul Tractenberg said he was sad to hear of the passing of Chuck. “He was such an accomplished and thoroughly decent man. I didn’t share the Massachusetts connection with him but came to admire and like him so much at Wesleyan.” Bob Williams said, “So sorry to learn about Chuck. I heard from Hawk Walker, another Newton boy who grew up a mile or two from where I lived in Wellesley Hills. Wesleyan brought us all together. We [the Folklords] were forerunners of the Highwaymen, who actually became famous. The Folklords were a great folk singing experience. (Ann and I continue to sing together in church choirs, choruses, and quartets.) Rex Hartzell, our bass, died recently as well. Frank Reed and Pete Rockefeller ’59 are gone. . .  Chuck was a great tenor to blend with and an even greater person.”