Congratulations to the Great Class of ’59 for having the highest percentage of class participants in the just-closed “This Is Why” campaign. Almost $500 million was added to the endowment in this effort, no small achievement! One has heard rumors that the Class of ’60 has been putting forward the idea that they tied us in this epic effort, but we do not acknowledge their claim, and have called for an official recount!

Dick Cadigan, from his gym in Dallas, says, “80 is the new 60.” How can one argue with such wisdom, as we are all either there or almost there? Cads is meeting Joe Mallory, Bob Chase, Tom McHugh, and Al Brooks for a mini-reunion in Damariscotta, Maine, about now, so we should have a good scoop for our next edition of class notes. He will also see brother-in-law King Berlew ’51, and possibly Jane Barlow, the widow of Mark Barlow ’46. His message ends with a quote for all of us: “I finally got off my mystery reading/sports watching/exercising/getting bored with blah blah electioneering duff to write you.”

Charlie Wrubel is tackling the question of 80/60 in quite a different way, by walking backwards on an elliptical trainer. He is still relatively young (79 in December), but after doing an eighth of a mile in reverse the other day, he figured that he was actually 76 and by our 60th Reunion, he would be 60 again. Go, Charlie! Based on this scientific experiment, we are considering a Class of ’59 Wrubel Backward Elliptical Training Marathon sometime before our Reunion in 2019.

Ted Bromage reports from Maine, having endured a difficult summer in the hospital with a serious infection followed by pneumonia. His nine-week ordeal caused the family to miss a cruise to Bermuda and his having to forego his 10th blacksmithing course at the Wooden Boat School. On a lighter note, Ted ran into Nancy, Robert DiMauro’s widow, and family touring nearby (her sister lives quite close to Ted). She remembered with great fondness her pleasant return to the Delta Sigma house this summer. Ted also attended a memorial gathering for David Schurman ’57. He saw George Bryant’s younger brother and spitting image, Gene, who reported that Mel Cote ’58 was enjoying life in Provincetown after his many years at the College of the Atlantic.

Tim Day is a whirling dervish! He has been asked by Mike Whalen ’83 to be honorary game captain of the football team for our annual battle with Trinity at Middletown on Nov. 12. This game will be Wesleyan’s “Salute to the Troops.” Tim will address the team and spend time with the veterans on campus, dedicate an equipment fitness program, and dine Friday night with Mike and President Michael Roth ’78.

Ray Simone’s oldest grandson will have started at Massachusetts Maritime Academy by now, majoring in marine transportation. Any and all classmates in and around Warren, R.I., are cordially invited to Simone’s, the restaurant of choice in the region. A free drink awaits us, Class of ’59, so do stop in if up that way. Many thanks, Ray.

Owen Tabor and Margaret spent the month of August on the northwest coast of the Isle of Skye, now their regular summer retreat. “Over the Sea to Skye,” Charles Edward Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, also escaped to Skye for slightly different reasons, after losing the Battle of Culloden, near Inverness, remembered in the chorus of the Skye Boat Song:

“Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing,

Onward! the sailors cry;

Carry the lad that’s born to be King

Over the sea to Skye.”

Owen continues: “Always remember the plain joy of having you show up at our door in Memphis, a Princeton wedding, and we were the hosts! The Wes days were indeed wonderful, and you were part of it. Difficult now to connect with the modern day school that I read about. Vic Butterfield and Bill Spurrier ’58 were men I understood and admired.”

Sad 1959 News: Robert “Bob” Marks passed away on New Year’s Day 2016. Our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.

Terry Smith, friend, teammate, and fraternity brother, passed away in July. A fine athlete, Terry believed that his Wesleyan education was vital to his productive life. Both his daughters are graduates of Wesleyan. He will be sorely missed.

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

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

My first respondent was Bill Higgins, who is now fully retired from his career as a psychologist. He moved from Connecticut to Weaverville, N.C., just outside of Asheville.

Dave Hild and his wife, Alyce, just returned from Vail, Colo., where they attended the marriage of their oldest grandson. The last leg of the trip was accomplished by cable car.

Burr Edwards sent a photo and a brief e-mail. The photo was taken on the occasion of his 80th birthday. He and his wife, Pirkko, are now in southern France.

Bill Barnes and his wife, Pat, visited the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home in the Berkshires, and so did Rick Pank and his wife, Brenda. They seem to do so once each summer.

Cape Cod is the main residence of Dennis Allee, who is a jazz DJ and a raku potter. He has a bungalow outside St. Petersburg for the winter months. He sees Mel Cote and his wife, Polly, frequently, as they also live on the Outer Cape.

Oklahoma resident Neil Springborn still manages at least three rounds of golf each week and won some money off the Saturday “flat-bellied long-knockers.” He and his wife, Mel, visited their son, Jeff, in Houston where Jeff is the senior forecaster at the National Weather Service Station there. Neil is still involved with boards and commissions for the city of Lawton. Mel is president of the local ostomy support group in Comanche County.

Milt Douglass labors extensively on his 1901 farmhouse in Louisburg, N.C. He and wife Patsy have refurbished it from top to bottom using salvaged materials. He removed all sheetrock and replaced it with real plaster. It is now the way it was in 1901.

I keep in touch with Dick Goldman, who is interested in forming a Wesleyan lawyers group in Boston. He believes that Wes alumni and friends could benefit from the counseling and networking this group would provide.

And at our age, a brief note from Bart Bolton that there is nothing to report is good news! No health issues or any other old age maladies.

Lastly, I report that Kay and I keep cheating Father Time by working hard with a personal trainer, at least twice a week. Guys, I cannot recommend this strongly enough. Keep up the info.

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

A late summer note from Dick Cassie reported that he has five grandchildren in college—three men at Northwestern, Tulane, and the Hartt School in Hartford, and two women at Penn State and Colgate. The young ladies were recruited for lacrosse and basketball, respectively. Dick adds that he has two of his own children yet to go on to college. He teaches three days a week at Rutgers Dental, and admits all the activity is exhausting—not so much the teaching, but attending games and tournaments.

Hardly to be outdone, Jeff Williamson’s oldest grandchild, Sarah ’16, graduated from Wesleyan at this past Commencement. Two other granddaughters are Erin at Middlebury, and Nell, looking at University of Chicago or Wes. Jeff and his wife, Nancy, summer in Maine and winter in St. John, Virgin Islands. The balance of the year they are in Madison, Wis. He has planned some “academic” travel to Australia next year, which I’d bet will focus on a recent publication entitled Unequal Gains: American Growth and Inequality Since 1700.

Gordy Wilmot endured a bit of a heart episode last summer that resulted in the implant of a pacemaker. He says he’s now feeling fine. Not as fine as golf with three grandsons. Always forthright, he says that none of them know how to play the game so they compete on who comes in with less than 10 per hole. Seems to me they’ve yet to figure out how to adjust the scorecard. And Gordy was a stellar math major.

In keeping with a lifetime of work in book publishing and an ardent interest in history, Carey Congdon turns his energies toward the development of a documentary film about submarine warfare in World War II. He is collaborating with film producer Noel P. Cortell, retired U.S. Coast Guard member, furnishing research materials and placing him in contact with fellow historians. One of the strangest stories of the war—that will be featured prominently in the film—concerns the French Surcouf, said to be the largest sub in the world in 1942. Escaping occupied France and continuously on the run, Surcouf wound up in Martinique in May 1942, where she was destroyed by a USN PBY plane. How it came to be that our own navy sank a French sub, we will wait on the completed documentary to find out. Nonetheless, Carey’s report offers a few “teaser” hints, e.g., an insubordinate captain, a majority of crew were German sympathizers, and the convoluted politics among the Allies in those early days of the war. Carey expects the film to be shown on PBS.

Tony Austin continues his commercial fishing business based in Morehead City, N.C. He reports that his daughter landed a position with Northrop Grumman in Huntsville, Ala., and is happy that she was hired right out of undergrad at an attractive salary.

Mike Stein provides an incentive for DKE brothers to attend the upcoming Reunion by organizing a get-together at the fraternity house. He’ll furnish the time and additional details.

Gary Miller ’56 hosted a meet-and-greet for Sigma Nu and Kappa Nu Kappa brothers during this past Reunion weekend. Yours truly attended as well as John Allison. I was also glad to see Don Ritt ’56, and Al Grosman ’56. I took a little extra time to stroll around the campus on that handsome spring afternoon.

Notification of the passing of David Schurman came through. David had moved to Germany some years ago, and his death dates back to 2013.

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

You will have already savored George’s brilliant recap of our 60th Reunion in the last issue. He vividly captured the grand themes and many closely observed small details of that memorable event. His was truly a “you are there” essay, almost a Bach cantata, mirroring George’s passion for the great music master. George’s multi-generational family ties to Wesleyan are deep and lasting. It is an honor to serve as co-class secretary with him during these years of fond recall.

Nevertheless, I will try here to recapitulate a few other stirring moments and memories from that significant six-decade milestone in our Wesleyan journey.

Relax, Reminisce, Reunite: These were the three R’s of our days on campus during the 60th Reunion. Twenty-two stalwart ’56ers (with some more frosty than frisky) were on hand, along with spouses, to trip the life fantastic.

We formed a resilient coterie of WESeniors from 1935 to 1965. Old friendships were renewed and new ones formed. President Michael Roth ’78 reported on dynamite enrollment data: Twelve thousand applications for 740 seats, a rate far exceeding Amherst and Williams with less than 8,000 applications each. He also waxed eloquent, witty, and visionary on several occasions. His commitment to liberal arts education resounds with the same strong passion that drove former president Vic Butterfield. Roth has moved on from Vic’s “well-rounded man” mantra to new themes of diversity and multi-culturalism. With allusions taken from Thomas Jefferson and other historic figures, he portrayed Wesleyan’s goals as active verbs: assimilate, animate, cooperate, and instigate.

On each of these themes, he gave illustrations and examples of the process on campus, often with the names of prominent achievers. Notable among these was Lin-Manuel Miranda ’02. Lin-Manuel, along with Thomas Kail ’99, have taken Broadway by storm. With the blockbuster, hip-hop musical Hamilton, they have opened creative new streams of American ethnicity and creativity. President Roth had doubtless imbibed some of the hip-hop Kool-Aid as he bopped up and down and all around the Art Center auditorium during his animated presentation.

He followed this energetic performance later on during the traditional class luncheon in the ’92 Theater. His personal story and reflections on the life and death of Carl Schorske, who passed away at 100, were special since he was Carl’s last doctoral student at Princeton. These allusions rang the strong bells of Wesleyana memories in this rapt observer. President Roth reflected about the identification and passion for student learning and discovery that was the hallmark of Vic Butterfield’s leadership.

With the special THIS IS WHY issue of the magazine, you will have noted the results of the latest Wesleyan fundraising campaign—$482 million! President Roth’s commitment to Wesleyan leadership is seen in this important area as in so many others. In this volatile economy, with changing workforce and job structures, there are factors that push students toward vocational, technical, and job-specific university programs. Wesleyan’s emphasis on lifelong learning is counter to those national trends. To glean the enrollment and financial challenges facing small liberal arts colleges in this era, you should check out Roth’s Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters (2015).

We have received a note from Sue Van Voorhees, that our classmate, Peter Van Voorhees, has died of natural causes. “Our family lived in Middletown and was the seventh family to move into Wesleyan Hills—a new concept in planned community living. Our children went to Wesley School (elementary). Harold Kaplan was the principal. We have fond memories of its safe, simple, lifestyle—walking to school, skating on the pond, parties and Scouts in the barn, and kids roaming free from one cul-de-sac to another.

“Peter was employed at Wesleyan from 1969-1970 under Colin Campbell. He was an assistant development officer. When administrations changed, he moved into banking as a trust officer in Meriden. This became his major career that ended in Philadelphia with First Pennsylvania Bank.

“While in Middletown, he was instrumental in helping Oddfellows Playhouse obtain nonprofit status from the IRS. This was the year they were founded and held performances in the old Oddfellows Hall on Main Street. Our children became part of the troupe from the first performance of Middletown Fantasia by Nat Needle ’76, until we moved away when they were teenagers.

“Peter was an avid fan of Wesleyan football, and our family did not miss many games. We attended with Joe Lynch ’47, who was your most loyal fan for many years. Peter loved Wesleyan as a student. He talked many times about the lifelong value of required Freshman English. It taught him basics he applied and quoted for years. He needed to leave Wesleyan for financial reasons. He worked odd jobs for two years, then transferred to the University of Vermont, where he earned a B.A. in geology.”

George Chien | gchien@optonline.net

Bob Runyon | rrunyon@unomaha.edu

It’s only taken four months to make the adjustment moving from Boynton Beach to our new digs here in Delray Beach. Being only a 20-minute car ride from our former residence to the current address certainly has been a positive factor, as has been the fantastic planning and masterminding of the packing chores by Marianne! Still delighted that I’m now closer to the starts of two of my weekly bicycle rides, but in retrospect, I’d advise all of you to begin to eliminate all the extraneous items you’ve managed to accumulate through the years!

As of this morning’s bike ride miles (Sept. 18) I am pleased to say the recorded miles of 3,782 puts me within easy reach of the annual target of 5,000 miles. If all goes right, i.e., weather and health, I anticipate riding somewhere around 5,200 miles. And, to think this can be accomplished before I leave the “middle age” designation and finally accept the idea that I’m getting “old.” I realized I’ve put more miles on my current bike than Marianne has on her 2007 Subaru (less than 44,000) and the bike dates back to July 2008!

Word has been received from school that Wally Carroll passed away. At this time, I don’t have details, but I’m sure additional information will be posted in the Obituary section of this issue of Wesleyan.

We also received word about the passing of Larry Shapiro on Sept. 5. After attending Wesleyan, he served in the U.S. Army for two years as a radio operator in London. He ran American Paper & Supply Company for over 45 years. Our condolences to his family.

Let me ask all of you once again to spend a few moments and send a note to your secretary for sharing with classmates. While I do enjoy writing about my bicycle adventures to all, I’m sure catching up with details of your life is far more interesting! Thanks for your consideration.

As always, let me extend my best wishes for health and happiness to you and your loved ones in the coming new year.

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

Gentlemen: Muchas gracias for your prompt responses to my recent request for news—and here it is: Ed Dewey, still happy in Big Canoe, Ga., has had two great trips in 2016. In May, he and three friends went fly fishing in Montana (caught and released 12 rainbow trout), and also visited an abandoned mining town, Bannack. Then, in September, Ed and bride Joyce were in San Francisco to visit their 5-year-old granddaughter and her parents, their son Jeff and wife Megan.

Bill Drury is happy and healthy in Nashua, N.H.

Dave Hodgin reports from Scotts Valley, Calif., that he’s “still running the Pathfinder Companies and playing golf when time permits.” During a June and July trip to Ecuador, he cruised to the Galápagos for six days. Dave is still running or serving as treasurer for several local nonprofits.

Bud Johnson and Lynn returned from a three-week “adventure trip” to Northern Norway, the Arctic ice cap, Amundsen polar camp, and Iceland—places, Bud says, “of breathtaking beauty.” Bud further notes he feels so lucky to be able to travel the world at this time.

George Klein, who retired to Guam two years ago to watch the sea turtles and coconut crabs, has found himself in demand to give presentations on climate change to scientific groups on Guam.

Rod O’Connor says he still goes to the office almost every day! His four grandchildren are in or out of college, with granddaughter, Cameron ’17, a senior at Wesleyan with a double major: neuroscience and art. Rod celebrated his 50th year of membership at Pine Valley Golf Club. Rod reports owning a house in Aiken, S.C., and an apartment in NYC.

Len Stolba is alive and well, and “still nourishing my idiosyncrasies.”

Norm Stuessy reports that his and Ruth’s lives now revolve around LA Fitness and the local Walgreens, and that “routine is my friend, hassle the enemy.”

Sadly, we have to report that Marshall Umpleby passed away Oct. 16, after a four-year battle with MDS/Leukemia. We’ll have further information in the following issue. Please send me any memories of Marshall that you’d like me to include in the next issue.

Your scribe, Bob Carey, and Libby were in San Diego in August to visit daughter and family to celebrate grandson’s 13th birthday (at Benihana!), and to take a two-hour harbor tour highlighted by two of the largest nuclear carriers you’ll ever see. Meantime, Bob continues his weekly volunteer work in Greenwich, Conn., as a driver for Call-A-Ride and answerer for Community Answers. That’s a wrap, guys. Stay healthy and be happy!

BOB CAREY | bobcarey@optonline.net
618 W. Lyon Farm Dr., Greenwich, CT 06831 | 203/532-1745

In a sympathy letter to me, The Rev. Frederick S. Wandall wrote that his wife of 53 years, Virginia H. “Ginger,” passed away on Apr. 7, and that her 82nd birthday on Aug. 11 was kept in memory of her. Since 2011 they have lived in Greenspring Village, a retirement community in Springfield, Va. They have a son, a daughter, and two grandchildren. At age 86, Fred still assists in weekly chapel services. He served parishes in New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, taught at St. Stephen’s School in Alexandria, Va., for 20 years, followed by 20 years at the Truro Church in Fairfax, Va. Our condolences and sympathy are extended to Fred and his family.

Jim Griffis keeps me posted, with an occasional e-mail, of his status as a displaced “Buckeye” in Texas. As a memento of track and field days, he keeps a 16-pound shot on his balcony, which he claims nearly exceeds his lifting capacity.

After attending my granddaughter’s May wedding in Michigan, I spent three-and-a-half months at the New York farm with my two ladies, a pit bull and long-haired Chihuahua, and enjoyed a week-long July visit from my son, who assisted with minor maintenance. Although much of New York State experienced drought conditions, our area was an exception, with ceiling-high corn and green lawns.

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

In the last issue of this magazine (Issue 2, 2016), we mentioned having heard from Frank LaBella for the first time in decades. There is much more to add to what we reported therein. The following note from Frank contains two examples of his extraordinarily diverse career and life.

First, as a professor (now emeritus) in the department of pharmacology and therapeutics at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Frank says, “My research over the years has been in several areas: neuropharmacology, narcotic drugs and endorphins, mechanisms of general anesthesia, neuroendocrinology, neuro-chemistry, neuro-toxicology, digitalis drugs, receptor pharmacology, aging, cytochrome P450, histamine as a second messenger, and novel technology to measure electromagnetic radiation.

“I am currently focusing on research and development of a novel, patented technology, arising from a discovery made some years ago with Dr. Carl Pinsky. A company, FIND Technologies Inc., was established with the goal of commercializing the invention. The FIND Sensor [Frank’s invention] detects electromagnetic energy that is emitted by all matter. The technology has a vast potential for practical applications, including uses in biology and medicine. The sensor reacts to changes that may occur when scanning a structure or individual, or when it is exposed to a substance or body or new environment. It can detect concealed explosive, radioactive, and other hazardous materials. Another potentially vital use is determination of changes in biological and chemical activity of growing and repairing tissues.” (As your scribe, Hal, transcribes this, he can only say, “Wow! This discovery and invention could change the way we address many of life’s challenges!”)

Second, not all of Frank’s life has been consumed with carryover from his time in the labs of Atwater. We mentioned his polo playing in the last issue. Here is his account of another extracurricular activity: “Would you believe that this son of Sicilian immigrants was an enthusiast not only of the idle rich’s pastime, polo, but of fox hunting as well? For several years, I was field master of the Springfield Hunt with our own imported English fox hounds. On Sunday mornings, the riders gathered in their pink or black coats, indication of station, drank stirrups of sherry until trumpeted by the huntmaster, who released the hounds who tore off in search of a fox scent. Now, before you accuse me of inhumane and unethical behavior, let me state that no live prey was ever at risk. Ours was a drag hunt. Early Sunday morning, a rider would determine the route of the hunt by dragging a sheepskin saturated with imported fox urine. This type of hunt is more active, since, unlike a live hunt, the hounds do not have to spend hours finding a scent. Furthermore, the scent can be directed at natural and other jumps and stopped so that hounds and riders can rest. And the drag can cover several miles and end at the starting point. The hounds are rewarded with chunks of meat. No better way to spend an autumn Sunday morning—and polo in the afternoon!”

Profs. Gortner, Gomez-Ibãnez, Sease, and others would probably not be surprised at the superb academician they helped spawn in Frank, but like his classmates, they would be astounded with his polo playing and fox hunting.

Correction! Ron Daniel writes that John Jakobson was off when he said that he had first met Ron at Wesleyan 67 years ago (see class notes in last issue). Ron says it was actually 68 years, not 67. He kids that his old friend John “was never very good with numbers.” But Ron sure is. In his 15 years as treasurer of Harvard, its endowment rose from some $4 billion to $22 billion! We should have elected him treasurer of our class rather than vice president. Ron continues to work full time at McKinsey & Company, the global management consultancy he has served for nearly 60 years, including 12 as managing director. Ron also remains active in multiple business and philanthropic organizations.

Bill Wasch enjoyed a Viking cruise on the Danube River. (Incidentally, Torstein Hagen ’64, chairman and CEO of Viking River Cruises, spent time at Wesleyan as a foreign student.) After the cruise, Bill had a nice visit with Willi Brenner in Augsburg.

Finally, it is not too early to begin thinking about, or better yet planning to attend, the 65th Reunion of our class, scheduled for May 25 to 28. While you are at it, please let me (Hal) know, at least as of now, whether you are definitely, possibly, or definitely not planning to attend. I would like to keep everyone posted on who will be there. My contact info, preferably e-mail, is below.

Harold C. Buckingham, Jr. | hcbuckingham@daypitney.com
400 Seabury Dr., Apt. 2114, Bloomfield, CT 06002

William K. Wasch | wkwash@gmail.com
150 Coleman Road, Middletown, CT 06457

Ken Barratt wrote from an assisted living facility in Green Valley, Ariz., some 25 miles south of Tucson, to which he and his wife, Sabina, moved two years ago. Ken reports he stays quite busy with a number of musical activities, including playing the piano in a 17-piece group. He also works with a trumpeter entertaining other residents in their assisted-living residence. Ken reports that he keeps in touch with friends through the Internet. Ken said he and his wife are in “reasonably good health.”

I also heard from Bob Willett, who is doing well in an assisted-living facility in Palm City, Fla. I also heard from Bob Hammett in Oak Bluffs, Mass., and from Jack Whiteman in Pittsboro, N.C.

I hope all you living outside of New England escaped the severe drought we’ve been having.

DAVID M. PHILIPS | davephilips69@hotmail.com
43 Cannon Street, Cranston, RI 02920-7620