Welcome to Class Notes
Class of 1961 | 2014 | Issue 1
Foster Morrison has regularly updated your class secretary with a variety of subjects. This Class-Notes edition is dedicated to Foster for his continuing support and creative delivery of timely news bits ranging from science to math to religion. One recent topic was based on the NASA studies on warp-drive technology, as reported in the Sigma Xi SmartBrief (8/21/2013): “The dream of warp-drive technology in space travel may become a reality, thanks to research at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. In small-scale experiments, the scientists imagine a football-shaped spacecraft encircled by two large rings, which would contract space-time in front of the craft and expand it behind it. These experiments are the first step in determining if these concepts can be applied practically, according to NASA physicist Harold ‘Sonny’ White. Space.com (8/21)” Foster queries: “Will this work? Does it explain UFOs, which already have it working?”
On a later theme, Foster writes: “There are at least three kinds of logic in current use in math, so it certainly is not the case that the ‘truths’ of mathematics cannot be erased. Math must be used carefully. For example, rational and irrational numbers have very different kinds of ‘existence’. You can keep approximating the square root of 2 for as long as you wish, but you will never get it right. God knew this, so He made the universe out of discrete particles so he could get the job done in six days.”
Jon K. Magendanz, DDS
902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, Fl 34205
jon@magendanz.com
Class of 1962 | 2014 | Issue 1
Robin Berrington continued his international travel with trips to Japan, the Baltic Republics and Slovenia. He saw the area in Japan devastated by the earthquake and tsunami and commented, “Sadly, much remains to be done there.” He also said, “The other two trips were in the fun category and I encourage all of you to consider them when thinking of European travel. Slovenia in particular was quite something—clean, orderly, and with friendly people all of whom speak English very well. But Lithuania was also a revelation to this old cold warrior. So parts of East Europe are just not what they used to be!”
Bruce Corwin reports that he took his two sons back for Homecoming to be there in person to watch Wesleyan’s football team beat Williams to win the Little Three “for the first time in 43 years!”
Jim Gately also noted the success of the football team in this year’s Little Three championship. Jim may have set a class record for retirement—three times from the company he worked for his entire career. After his first retirement from the investment company Vanguard, he was pressed back into service to launch Vanguard International and helped oversee its growth in many countries around the world. (He passes on this “Note to Robin Berrington: my course with Professor Abosch on Japanese culture and history paid big dividends some 45 years later!!”) Following his second retirement, he was then asked to return again to serve on the Board of the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program, a donor-advised fund organization. In September, he offered his third retirement from the company. He said he and Kay intend to remain engaged in several non-profit ventures in the Philadelphia area and try to keep active with “travel, family, and the like.”
Naftaly “Tuli” Glasman retired as professor emeritus and dean emeritus from the University of California, Santa Barbara, after 44 years of teaching, research, and publications, including the just-finished My 75 Years of Managing Mental Disorders and Coping with Life. He volunteers at the Center for Successful Aging in Santa Barbara, which provides counseling services “to seniors who are facing the challenges of the aging process,” and is on the Board of Advisors of the Rieger Foundation, which offers scholarships to Israeli students studying in clinical academic disciplines. He also says he is active in helping his grandchildren coach soccer.
Bob Hunter is now senior fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He was just made an “Honorary Anciens,” (a sensitive term for classmates now well past our 50th college Reunion!) of the NATO Defense College in Rome, and serves on Secretary of State John Kerry’s International Security Advisory Board. Shireen continues to teach at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, and has just finished her 16th book.
Scott Lowden has published a comprehensive guide to U.S. customs law and import practices, Import Transactions and Customs Compliance.
Steve Trott reports on a trip east where he spent time with Cathy Burnett in Providence, and Marion and Steve Butts in New York City. He noted an unsuccessful attempt for them to go to Carnegie Hall because the stagehands were on strike. Steve commented on news reports that the stagehands struck despite earning $400,000 per year, and offered an editorial comment that he “may have discovered a great way to burn off student loans. Join the stagehands union for four months, work at the hall watching from the wings, and you’ll be debt-free and full of culture!”
DAVID FISKE
17 W. Buckingham Dr. Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
davidfiske17@GMAIL.com
DWIGHT VAN de VATE JR. ’52
DWIGHT VAN de VATE JR. ’52, a retired professor of philosophy at the University of Tennessee, died Aug. 25, 2012, at age 84. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he enrolled at Wesleyan, where he was a member of Gamma Psi, received his degree with honors, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received both an MA and a PhD from Yale University. His career began at Florida State University; he then taught at the University of Mississippi and Memphis State University before he joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee, where he spent 33 years.
The author of numerous books and articles, he was also active in civic affairs and was an accomplished painter. He is survived by his wife, Anita Van de Vate, three children, two stepchildren, six grandchildren, his brother, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Class of 1963 | 2014 | Issue 1
From Schenectady, N.Y., the one-time Deke, Peter Tobiessen is appearing for the first time in this column! He has been married for 45 years to Joanne who, like Peter, has retired from Union College, where they both worked. She was an administrator and he taught in the biology department for 36-plus years. Their son is a playwright who has written three plays, each of which was produced in different cities around the country, one off Broadway in the Big Apple. John, still an ardent biologist, has written a book well reviewed in nature/ecology/outdoor circles titled The Secret Life of a Lake, The Ecology of Northern Lakes and their Stewardship (Graphite Press, 2012). His goal was to help lake users and lovers and non-scientists to understand how a lake works, stays balanced and how to keep lakes that way. Not just a good wordsmith, he was also part of a group of hands-on history buffs in the Albany area who built from scratch a 52-foot, 29-ton white oak replica of the first covered deck ship built in what we now call Manhattan. Named the Onrust, it was finished in time to join a fleet of 15 historic vessels and countless private and commercial boats that all joined in a 140-mile reenactment of Henry Hudson’s trip up the Hudson River, 400 years after his journey. The Onrust also took part in a renewal enactment of the 400th anniversary of Two Row Wampum Treaty, which was the first treaty between white settlers and America Indians, in this case the Haudenosaunee. Some of the simple, hopeful words of that treaty are: “As long as the grass is green, rivers run down hill and the sun still rises in the East and sets in the West…” There are many interesting pictures and write ups about it on the Web, as there are about Peter’s book.
For 35 years Dick Donat worked for Marshall Field’s, eventually becoming manager of their flagship store in Chicago after being very successful in increasing the income of Marshall Field’s stores in smaller cities. Dick says that when he arrived in Chicago, the flagship store was very conservative, with very little diversity in its staffing and customer base. This he worked hard, and with considerable success, to change. One result was that the store that had made a steady $1,000,000 a year from ’36–’84, started growing its income to $5,500,000 a year over the next eight-and-a-half years. Dick was in Chicago during a period when the downtown business hub went into a terrible decline, eventually reversed as the Millennium Park development brought business back to the downtown area. Dick and his wife, Charlotte (who also worked at Marshall Field’s, where they met), have been married for 35 years and have four children, two from a previous marriage and two from their marriage. They are now very involved taking care of their aging parents and one son who is disabled. They live in the Glencoe suburb of Chicago and Dick is quite interested in studying the history of changes in the Chicago headquarters of Marshall Fields, where he worked for so long.
From Walt Donaghy: “Jim Mattson passed away quietly in his sleep on July 22, 2013. He was with his family (children and grandchildren ) on a family vacation in North Carolina when he died. He will be missed by all of us
“Jim and I were roommates all four years at Wesleyan. We were members of Sigma Nu/Kappa Nu Kappa and lived on the top floor of our fraternity house for our second, third and fourth years. We’ve been friends ever since the fall of 1959, our freshman year, when we were assigned to a double room in Andrus Hall on Foss Hill.
“Jim (‘Matt’) played football (#22, halfback and punter) freshman year through senior year. A few years ago he told me that he held the punting record at Wesleyan until very recently. Of course Wesleyan had to have some serious losing games in those years to establish a punting record! Too many ‘3 and outs.’
“Matt wrote a nice, brief and modest bio for our 50th Reunion Book. He couldn’t make it to our 50th Reunion because his grandson was playing in a very important baseball tournament that weekend. As always, Matt had his priorities right. Family comes first.”
John Driscoll ’62 adds: “A call to our sports information office yields the following: Jim established the record for punting average in a single game against Middlebury in his sophomore year (1960) with an average of 44.5 yards, a record that stood for 37 years , until the ’97 season.
“I remember a tall, rangy and talented teammate who was known for his poise and performance, more than noise and excessive emotion.”
Walter Pilcher has also written a book: The Five Fold Effect: Unlocking Power Leadership for Amazing Results in Your Organization. And in mid-November he appeared on The 700 Club TV show to discuss his book. In the book, he draws on his and others’ church and business experiences to lay out the steps that could help create highly successful leadership teams. Walt’s wife of 49 years was a RN student at the nursing school in Middletown, which is where he met her. (And no, he did not meet her on one of our freshman panty raids on their dorms. So put that thought right out of your heads!) They have three children. After graduation they both attended Regents University in Virginia Beach and later for 12 years they were involved with its board of trustees. He has been retired from “gainful employment” but is active on the Board of Global Awakening. Walt also writes short stories and songs that he sings for groups while accompanying himself on the guitar, which he has learned to play. Recently he and Carol took a river cruise in Europe from Budapest to Amsterdam, which was very relaxing with plenty of good food and local wines.
For 44 years Jerry Berka has practiced law. He has a general practice, so he’s handled a very wide range of cases. At Wes he had started out pre-med but changed his mind along the way and has had no regrets about that. He is quite pleased that one of his daughters, after studying clinical psychology for two years, has switched over to law and is now on her way to becoming a partner in her firm. She has been attached to Family Court, where her psych background is very helpful. He and Mary Ann, his wife of 45 years, have a second daughter who is a veterinarian in California. Mary Ann was a professor at Nassau Community College for 44 years and still works part time. They live in the small village of Brightwaters, a small enclave of Bayshore, N.Y., on Long Island. They have had a house in the Adirondacks on Schroon Lake for 30 years. There was a time when Jerry did a fair amount of mountain climbing, but those days are past. They like to sail and have been “all over the Caribbean” and along the West Coast. And for 40 years he’s owned a motor boat on Long Island Sound. After law school, he entered the USN, one of only 41 law school graduates selected by the USN for JAG that year. Lt. Berka served from ’66–’69. He thinks that his frequent pre-Wes summer jobs on Long Island ferry boats helped his prospects with the USN, as they might have felt that unlike most other law school graduates, he was already somewhat used to “the sea” (if that term can be applied to Long Island Sound). Jerry feels that public service is very important. He has worked long and hard on school building funds projects and served many years on the Bayshore Board of Education, and he was a long time chair of the Student College Aid Fund. Apparently his work was noticed and there is now a Jerry Berka Building at the public school.
If any of you know of anyone who has never appeared in these notes, or of whom you have not heard in many a long year, please contact me and I will try to track him down.
BYRON S. MILLER
5 Clapboard hill rd., westport, ct 06880
tigr10@optonline.net
Class of 1959 | 2014 | Issue 1
The Great Class of 1959 continues to be active and adventuresome!
We will start with a special “shout out” to members of Eclectic and other Wesleyan representatives. About five years ago, Eclectic alums from our class (and others) expressed dismay at the condition of one of the great buildings on campus. Designed by L. H. Bacon, architect for the Lincoln Memorial and several other Wesleyan buildings, the Eclectic House had fallen into a state of disrepair and near ruin. Bing Leverich took up the torch, organized what became the “gang of 10” and persuaded the University to meet and discuss the situation and possible solutions. After several years of hard work and productive negotiations, the beginnings of a solution are emerging, involving current student members, the University, and the alumni.
At the same time, Bill Moody applied for and received both Connecticut and National Historic Places designations for the building. These designations helped change the nature of the debate and put matters on a very constructive course. Many have worked hard to get to this point, but for this edition The Great Class of ’59 salutes Bing and Bill.
Your scribes have heard from many other classmates and will insist on hearing from more. Alan Brooks writes that he had been pulled from retirement two years ago to direct the year-long 125th anniversary celebration of Westminster School, from which he graduated in 1955 and at which he taught for 52 years. He has retired again and thinks it will stick this time. He attempts to delay the results of age by competing with weights in senior events and coaching the sport in the spring.
Bill Moody and wife Janet have moved into “winter quarters” at D.C.’s Knollwood, a retirement community for military officers, although they retain their main residence in Incline Village, Nev. At Knollwood they have reconnected with a couple Bill knew in 1966 at the U.S. Naval Activity in Edzell, Scotland, validating again the concept of the “small world.”
We heard from Hugh Lifson, who reports a life-changing month. His wife of 52 years died after a protracted bout with cancer, while, at the same time, he is getting ready for a big show of his work at the Hudson River Gallery in Iowa City and another show later this winter. We are sorry for Hugh’s loss but having his artwork to lean on is a huge help. Hope the shows are great successes!
Ellen and Herb Steiner report visiting with Sibyl and Tim Martin at their family farm in Connecticut. All is well there, Herb having been an usher at their wedding. Tim is an architect, their two sons are architects and they both married architects. They recently saw Diane and Joe Vander Veer in Philadelphia for some art watching and they also see Amanda and Bob Ogren. Herb and Ellen will spend the winter in Delray Beach.
Owen Tabor writes: “Delighted you and Skip have taken the reins…Bill Moody and others did a fine job with ‘the Few, the Proud…’ It seems, John that you appeared before me somewhere in the last 20 year, Memphis for a wedding, perhaps? [It certainly was, and Owen was in his kilts, playing the bagpipes for the bride and groom in immense style, as always—see below]. Wesleyan ties have been thin to non-existent, and a recent denial of a granddaughter’s application didn’t help. She is happily settled as a freshman at UVA. Anyhow, I am grateful for those years long past. I am retiring from my orthopedic surgery practice, (office only for the last 10 years), leaving my oldest son in charge of a six man group. Four married children, 13 grands, married 52 years to Margaret, a Conn. College girl.
“The wedding in which I was kilted was, I believe, our daughter Mary, marrying Rob Engel from New Jersey.” The couple had originally met at Princeton, but re-met 10 years later, in NYC while she was with the Times. “They are married, now, with four children, and living in Charlotte, N.C. Rob was a Deerfield guy, too, and still with two younger pre-college guys, one or both may go that way. Oldest boy doing gap year at King’s Academy in Jordan, a Deerfield model, and plans to go to Middlebury next year, he thinks. Rob and Mary lived in London for three years, youngest born there, and during those years Margaret was a gold medallion flyer on Delta! Cheers!”
Lastly we heard from Dick Cadigan about a “near miss” with their twin 6-year-old grandsons. While it will take a long time, Dick believes all will come right after they were jammed into a wall by a 90-year-old driver using forward instead of reverse. Dick is a believer in mandatory driving tests for all over 80, probably a very good idea.
Looking forward: Mark your calendars for May 22, 23, and 24, and plan to attend our 55th Reunion; when the Reunion questionnaire arrives, fill it out and return it; send your scribes notes on your activities and whereabouts. Let’s keep the Great Class of ’59 together!
Skip Silloway and John Spurdle
ssillow@gmail.com; 801-532-4311;
jspurdle@aol.com; 212-644-4858
Class of 1958 | 2014 | Issue 1
We push toward our 60th Reunion. Professor Rosenbaum vows to attend while he celebrates his 103rd birthday.
An e-mail from Dan Woodhead reiterates his offer: a free copy of his book Modac Vengeance. Contact him for a copy at dwoodhead3@earthlink.net or 415/931-7682. Dan comments on Wes football: “I would expect that there would be complaints from somewhere that football is over-emphasized at Wesleyan. As far as I’m concerned, it is just making up for all the years it was under-emphasized. The next thing we will hear is that the Wesleyan football team is the first to have a female field goal kicker.”
Kay and I hope to see Poog and Bob Hayes the week of Thanksgiving. Bob has moved to a condo in Boston, where he and his wife can enjoy the advantages of that great city. And he has his Maine beach house, usually from June 15 to Sept. 15. He is very fortunate to have all three of his children and their families with year-round vacation homes near his place in East Boothbay.
Kay and I are now year-round residents of Naples, Fla. I discovered Charley Denny and wife Sandy have a winter residence here, which they use to escape Illinois winters. We plan to get together soon.
Toni and John Corkran left for New England on Oct. 21. During their trip they planned to watch the Wesleyan team play Williams at Homecoming.
Rick Francis sent a lengthy e-mail detailing his post-Wesleyan life. He joined the faculty at Williston Academy, where he spent 42 years coaching football, basketball, and teaching math. He and Marilyn live in Brewster but travel a lot—usually in the Caribbean for two or three weeks in the winter. Rick, like Bob Hayes, is fortunate to have his children and grandchildren in the New England area. Kay and I are envious, since we travel long hours to see family in Vancouver or New Hampshire.
All is well with Kay and me. We escape Naples often in the summer to visit friends and family. I really enjoy the leisure of retirement. Many hours of reading, bridge, travel, and golf. Some of you may note that I have reordered the four activities above since my last writing.
Again a plea for notes and e-mails. All the best, your faithful secretary,
Cliff Hordlow
Apt. 103, 4645 Winged foot court
Naples, FL 34112; Khordlow@gmail.com; 239/732-6821
Class of 1957 | 2014 | Issue 1
Herb Camp can be found at Okemo mountain these days, where he slaloms and shaloms downhill with reconstructed knees, hips, and a shoulder, courtesy of New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery. Along with wife Alice, he visited Sigma Chi brother Jon Ocksrider and his wife, Susan, in Rhode Island last year. When not on the slopes, the Camps live along the Connecticut shore; children and grandchildren are nearby or in other areas of New England.
Where it is not wintertime this time of year, we find Naren Bali in Buenos Aires, officially retired from a high tech career that comprised teaching, engineering, and management, yet lately continuing with consulting work in related fields. Wife Margarita, with backgrounds in dance and visual arts, is busy with projects in the latter field in B.A. Their daughter and her husband, both professors at Michigan State, visit during the summer season along with their children, ages five and seven
Some Reunion news (do not be alarmed—our 60th is still out there a bit) from Mike Stein and Allen Jay. For Mike, there were two such events: the 56th re-u of his Marine Corps Basic School, and the class of ’53 of Tenafly (that’s in Jersey) High. Mike’s son, Peter ’84, photographs Wes soccer. Allen and wife Ricky attended his 60th high school event in New York City last fall. Shortly afterward, they took all of the Jay family to Hawaii. While in New York, they spent an evening with Sam Bergner and wife Lynn, and then in Scottsdale visiting Ed Mehlman. The man gets around.
The Jack Braitmayers are in Florida this winter, trying out locations on both coasts to see which they like best. An inveterate mariner for many years, Jack reports that his docking facility on Florida’s west coast has closed, so for now the boat stays in Massachusetts, where Jack is looking forward to the summer sailing season. The Braitmayers got to last year’s Homecoming and basked in the joy of Wes capturing the Little Three crown with the victory over Williams. It was the first time Nancy Braitmayer had seen a Wes victory; Jack, of course with his lengthy perspective, can recall glory days of football in Middletown in the late 1940s.
Bob Gorin and wife Natalie also were in attendance at Homecoming along with their grandson. If others of ’57 were there for—dare I say it—this historic occasion, please let your secretary know.
Last September, Gary Rundle died at his home in Waldoboro, Maine. Originally from Meriden, Gary went on from Wes to receive his master’s of divinity from Virginia Seminary in 1961. He served in Episcopal parishes in Dover and Dorchester, Mass., and in Gorham, Maine.
We also lost Scott Aiken in 2013. Scott was my boss on the Argus, and it is largely from him that I have carried a lifelong love for journalism. He had great career success in that field and in corporate communications. I remember Scott as that rangy guy riding a bike all around campus and sporting a baseball cap in the days when they (the caps) were not so ubiquitous. A man ahead of his time.
Gary and Scott are greatly missed. On behalf of ’57, deepest sympathy to their families.
Art Typermass
144 East Avenue, #302B, Norwalk, CT 06851
203/504-8942; AGType@msn.com
Class of 1956 | 2014 | Issue 1
Remember when Bob Runyon challenged us to examine our bucket lists—our goals for the time left to us? Recently I was compelled to revisit mine. I’ve never once had an urge to ski Mount Everest, but I have set foot on all seven continents. I accept that I’ll never sing a performance of Bach’s Mass in B-Minor, but derive some consolation from having 26 recordings to choose from, should I want to listen to it. I’ll have no regrets if I never see a World Series game or a Super Bowl in person, but I hoped to see Wesleyan win one more Little Three football championship before I depart this mortal coil.
And I did! Ann and I drove up to Middletown last November 2 to watch our Cardinals edge Williams’s Ephs to take the crown after 42 years of frustration. It was nerve-wracking to be sure, but how sweet it was! I wore my newly acquired Wesleyan sweatshirt for a week straight! Of course, Trinity put an end to that, but it was great while it lasted. Hip, hip, hooray!
We planned to sit with my roommate, Tom Reed ’57, but we never connected. Tom, bring your cell phone next time! I did see old friend Hal Buckingham ’52, Bill Gordon ’55, and our own Al Haas there. Al, I must say, looks great. He is still active as president of Educational Futures, Inc., assisting students from around the world who wish to study in North America. Al and Loni enjoy their role as grandparents for six boys and one girl who live in the Boston area.
The game prompted happy exchanges with Jim Gramentine and Ed Palmer. Enthused Jim: “This is just plain fun. Wish I had been there with you!” Ed, who is professor emeritus of mathematics at Michigan State and battles some serious health issues, added: “It’s so nice to hear that our guys are handling the aging process with courage. My own medical team has their hands full, especially my massage therapists, Ingrid and Dagmar.”
Dick Bauer writes: “News here pretty steady state. Health holding up; Ginny and wider family doing well. Play piano and sing regularly, finding more and more corners in the American Songbook for exploration. Also, still derive considerable satisfaction from leading monthly discussion groups here at our retirement community in Hingham, Mass. Over 80 are active; three separate sessions; lots of good, often humorous exchange. Hope our classmates are thriving.”
Random thoughts from Barry Passett: “I recently connected with a ‘kid’ from elementary school. He remembers Marv Pisetsky, one of our class’s best. Scott Aiken ’57 died. Not our class, but a diligent Argus writer/editor, so well-known to many. Two students took it upon themselves to create an event commemorating the anniversary of Ed Beckham’s death. Not our class, but important. They planned the event, overcame the usual bureaucratic obstacles, and raised the money. Over 200 people attended. (I was stuck in D.C.) Students rock!”
I promised more from Tom Connell, and here are some excerpts: “I have traveled a lot, something I continue to do. In 2012, I helped the Audubon Society lay out a trail for the sensory deprived and wrote a script explaining what was at each of the marked stops along the all-person trail. That script was professionally recorded and is available in MP3 and downloads for people who want to use it.
“My other major activity is research and trading stock, which keeps me active now that I am retired from the practice of law. I run my own portfolios and have enjoyed enough success at it that I am not tempted to turn management over to any other entity. I interested my son-in-law. We often debate just how much is predictable and recurring so you can learn from the past, and how much is based on current news happenings and political ‘moves’ (which are hard to predict). My background in law and politics leads to one method, his in science leads to another. It’s a good way to spend time.
“My son has his doctorate from MIT in artificial intelligence and is employed at the Watson Lab of IBM. He has a number of patents and several books in print (check under Jonathan Hudson Connell). By agreement with IBM he has his own, separate, small business, which designs and sells to colleges and schools kits that make artificial intelligence robots. He also teaches at Vassar. His wife has her doctorate in chemistry and is employed by, and part owner of, a technical instrument firm. My granddaughter is a sophomore at Vassar and my grandson entered college last fall. My daughter did her MBA work at UMass where she met her husband, my trading partner, who has his doctorate in polymer chemistry and is employed by Kimberly-Clarke evaluating potential acquisitions. Their older daughter, 13, has apraxia and is severely handicapped. The younger, 7, now in first grade, is a live wire and very creative.”
One final note: I’d like to express my thanks to Dick Bauer, Bob Calvin, and Pete Deacon for their kind words in response to my piece in Issue 1 2013 of this journal. Go, Wes!
GEORGE CHIEN and BOB RUNYON
gchien@optonline.net; 201/261-0997
rrunyon@unomaha.edu ; 402/393-3320
rrunyon@unomaha.edu ; 402/393-3320
Class of 1955 | 2014 | Issue 1
That old familiar phrase of “there’s good news and there’s bad news” applies to this rendition of Class Notes. First, the “Good News” is that there has been no notification of the passing of a classmate and the sadness that it entails. For this, we are all grateful. Now, for the “Bad News”: I think this may be the first time in my 50-plus years as your Class Secretary that nary a word has been received from members of the Crucial Class for inclusion in this edition of our alumni magazine. I know that I’ve raised the question concerning relevance of Class Notes previously what with the world of electronic communication seemingly taking over what we thought was the norm. I have read a line or two from Gail Clarke, George Edwards, and Brad Miter on my Facebook page but other than that, I do admit to being frustrated with the lack of e-mails or notes from you. I’ve wondered if stepping down as Class Secretary and letting someone new assume the role would inspire more communication that can be shared with all. What I’d appreciate most are your thoughts and comments. Hopefully, you’ll respond.
Now, on a more positive theme, I can report that Marianne and I continue to enjoy our lives here in Florida. We’re both in good health and have our fingers crossed that we will not witness a hurricane this season. The last time we huddled together in the recommended “safe area” was in 2005. There’s still a month to go before the Hurricane Season officially ends (end of November) and the outlook is good. As for taking advantage of the lack of real storms, I’ve racked up just under 4,800 miles on my bike (as of 10/22) and feel confident of reaching several more miles than the annual 5,000 mile target. I will admit as I begin to age I do take a nap after some rides and my knees sometimes call out in protest when we kick up the speed. Most of all, I feel blessed that I am able to continue this enjoyable activity and the social aspects that cycling with our local bike club affords.
Once again, let me wish you and your loved ones health and happiness in the days ahead.
DONALD J. BRAVERMAN
27A Stratford Ln. W., Boynton Beach, FL 33436; ybikedon@bellsouth.net; 561/654-3711