Tag: 1949

Categories Class Notes | 1940sPosted on

CLASS OF 1949 | 2016 | ISSUE 1

Class of 1949 Norm Daniels Endowed Wesleyan Scholarship

Adrian Reifsnyder ’16, Psychology

With the diminishing number of classmates to report on, it was a pleasant surprise to receive a letter from George Forbes. As I read his letter, it was interesting to note the number of similarities in his life and activities to mine. George retired many years ago (1991) as did I (1981); he had four children, as did my wife and I; he had bypass heart surgery, as did I; he has cut back on downhill skiing and bicycling but continues to play golf, as have I; he and his wife have traveled extensively, as have my wife and I; he approaches the age of 90, while I approach the age of 91; and, on a sad note, his brother (Harry) passed away several years ago, as did mine (Hap); and, finally, he states that his “hearing is marginal and his short term memory is far from satisfactory:” (My wife complains to me about my problem with this last item.)

Of course there have been differences in our lives. He has had many more grandchildren (11) and great-grandchildren (16) than I. Sadly, his first wife passed away after “61 wonderful years together.” On his 85th birthday, he married a longtime friend who had lost her spouse. He spends the winters in the Florida Keys (fishing and playing golf) and the rest of the year in Colorado, Northern Wisconsin and Michigan.

George sends best wishes to all, and he expresses the hope, as do I, that his letter will engender responses from some of our remaining classmates.

William C. Brooks | williamcbrooks@comcast.net

9 Willow Pond Rd., Amelia Island, FL 32034

Categories Class Notes | 1940sPosted on

CLASS OF 1949 | 2015 | ISSUE 2

In a letter I received from Dave Richards he makes reference to a previous class note I wrote concerning the diminishing number of ’49 classmates. He made the point that he can still be counted as one of those still with us. He also made the point that he is one of the older members of our class, apparently 91 years of age, which makes him a year older than I. Dave further states that he walks a couple of miles a day and is in good health.
Dave and his wife, Mary, traveled through a “good bit of the world,” as he puts it. As a former architect he developed artistic skills and applied those skills to drawing pen-and-ink sketches of places through which they traveled. He has incorporated those sketches in a book, Some Thoughts on Sketching, and is sending a copy to Wesleyan for its creative arts classes.

I appreciate the letter from Dave, as I get very little information from classmates and his was an interesting and succinct description of his career, travels, and current activities. How about the rest of you who remain on this earth: Your friends and classmates want to hear about you…and don’t leave me hanging like this, begging for something and someone to write about.

Categories Class Notes | 1940sPosted on

CLASS OF 1949 | 2015 | ISSUE 1

I received a letter from Ken Williams in which he thoroughly chastised me for overlooking him as an attendee at our 65th Reunion. The only gatherings of the ’49ers my wife and I attended were Friday night and Saturday night dinners and, regrettably, I must have missed him at one or both of these. Audrey had knee replacement surgery only six weeks before the Reunion so we were mostly immobile that weekend and missed some functions that Ken may have attended. We left Middletown Sunday morning to travel north to visit our son, Bill Jr. ’71, in Grafton, Vt.

George Forbes was unable to attend our 65th Reunion but he sent a class note to Wesleyan in which he wrote of his 61-year-marriage to Shirley who, sadly, passed away in 2007. They had married when George was a freshman at Wesleyan in 1946. Recently, he married a long-time friend who had lost her spouse.

An appeal to my classmates….please send me a letter or an e-mail about yourself. My addresses are noted below.

William C. Brooks | williamcbrooks@comcast.net
9 Willow Pond Rd., Amelia Island, FL 32034

Categories Class Notes | 1940sPosted on

CLASS OF 1949 | 2014 | ISSUE 3

n my previous class notes I identified the team of alumni whose responsibility it was to alert and encourage at least a few of the remaining classmates of 1949 to return for our 65th Reunion. We failed miserably. The only alumni who attended the Reunion were the five team members, namely, Dick Gibbons, David Knapp, Chip Stone, Bob Wylie, and I.

They should all be fired and a new group selected for this responsibility at our 70th Reunion.

Seriously, though, it was nice to get together with these few. However, not all of us were able to attend the reunion dinner Saturday evening. Bob Wylie’s wife, Karen, could not make the trip with him to Middletown, so his attendance was limited. Gratefully, Audrey was able to fly from Florida with me for the Reunion in spite of her recent knee surgery.

Of course she had the additional incentive of visiting with our sons, Don in Darien, Conn., and Bill Jr. ’71, in Grafton, Vt.

See you all at our 70th… rrriiiggghhhttt!

William C. Brooks | williamcbrooks@comcast.net
9 Willow Pond Rd., Amelia Island, FL 32034

Categories Obituaries | 1940-1949Posted on

HENRI R.M. SALAUN ’49

HENRI R.M. SALAUN, 88, a professional squash player who was a four-time U.S. national squash champion, died June 4, 2014. At the age of 14, he and his mother fled France for England and then came to the United States. Always an excellent athlete and tennis player, he learned English and was accepted to Wesleyan where he joined Alpha Delta Phi and competed nationally in tennis and squash. After two years at Wesleyan before he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Germany, where he served in Patton’s 3rd Army and was the sole survivor of a German ambush. When he was discharged he returned to Wesleyan and finished his studies, earning his degree with honors, while continuing his squash career. He won the first international U.S. Open of squash in 1954, won the U.S. championship four times, and won the Canadian Open eight times. He continued to play competitively into his 70s. A member of the inaugural class of the U.S. Squash Racquets Hall of Fame, he was also named to the first Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame class in 2008. He was the founder of Henri Salaun Sports, Inc., a sporting equipment company. Survivors include his wife, Emily Macy Salaun; two sons, including Georges V. Salaun ’85; and six grandchildren.

Categories Obituaries | 1940-1949Posted on

JOHN G. EASTON JR. ’49

JOHN G. EASTON JR., a retired marketing manager for Aetna Life & Casualty, died Feb. 3, 2014, at age 87. The son of John G. Easton Sr., of the class of 1913, he was a member of Alpha Delta Phi and a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He attended Fordham Law School but left to begin a life-long career with Aetna, beginning in sales and moving into management positions in the Northeast. Predeceased by his wife, Geraldine Betts Easton, among those who survive are two daughters, three grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Categories Obituaries | 1940-1949Posted on

ROMOLO R. RUSSO ’49

ROMOLO R. RUSSO, who retired as a branch sales manager for the Unisys Corporation, died May 16, 2013, at age 88. A member of Sigma Nu, he was the brother of Edmund P. Russo of the class of 1944. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Survivors include his wife, Therese Schenker Russo, and three children.

Categories Obituaries | 1940-1949Posted on

PETER S. MANSFIELD ’49

PETER S. MANSFIELD, chairman emeritus of the department of English at the Noble and Greenough School, died Aug. 17, 2011. He was 87. A member of Psi Upsilon, he served in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He received a master’s degree from Boston University. Survivors include his wife, Patricia Cox Mansfield; three sons, including Geoffrey S. Mansfield ’78 and Timothy D. Mansfield ’83; a daughter; and eight grandchildren.

Categories Obituaries | 1940-1949Posted on

DON E. FRENCH ’49

DON E. FRENCH, 87, a retired executive with Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, died Apr. 1, 2014. A member of Alpha Delta Phi, he had a long career in the U.S. Army before joining Connecticut General. In the military he served in intelligence capacities, as well as in leadership positions, and he was awarded a Bronze Star. After the war he was recruited to serve as a special agent in the military intelligence division at the Pentagon. He retired from the U.S. Army in 1960 as a Major, and he then began his career with Connecticut General, where he worked for 38 years. Predeceased by his wife, Gladis Soto French, among those who survive are three children, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.