Tag: 1951

Ed.’s note: After more than 50 years of service, David Philips is stepping down as your class secretary. We are incredibly thankful for all David has done to keep the class of 1951 connected over the years.

For those with class notes, contact Managing Editor Cynthia Rockwell    crockwell@wesleyan.edu | 860/685-3705

Howard Goodrich wrote me 27 lines of verse and perhaps he’ll allow me to quote from two of them, as following: “Is hope learned from others? Is it the outcome of forgiveness? / Perhaps an attribute of love.”

This was Howard’s first offering and I trust it will not be the last. He and his wife Darlene are 90 and 87 and enjoying full health. Five months ago, he received a surprise phone call from Dave Welsh, who, Howard said, was apparently in good shape. Dave played football at Wesleyan.

Dick De Gennaro ’51, MALS ’60 wrote from Florida with the sad news that his brother George DeGenaro had passed away at age 94. Dick indulged in a multifaceted career, as I’m sure is true of others who have lived past 90.

Frank Hassell passed away last Nov. 29 after a bout of pneumonia. Frank’s youngest son and daughter-in-law were with him at the end. He was a great asset and friend to all who knew him.

Bill Stewart wrote in from Fort Wayne, Ind., and would be glad to hear from other Wesmen.

Walt Cook wrote from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and judging from the many activities he listed, he hasn’t slowed down a bit. He sets an example for the rest of us.

Dr. Bill Hillis, wrote from Wallingford, Conn., from a retirement community where he had been living with his wife for 15 years. He earned his MD from Cornell University, went to Cleveland to start medical training, then practiced general surgery in Greenwich, Conn. He retired in 1997 and moved to Goshen, Conn. The Hillis family includes six daughters, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. He also served two years in the Navy, a good chunk of it aboard the USS Midway.

Ken Barratt in Green Valley, Ariz., wrote in, too, as did Bob Willett from an assisted living facility on the West Coast. His wife, Martha, visits him every day and his daughter visits and takes care of his estate. Bob wanted to know how many attended the 65th Reunion and it was 20, give or take.

Dave Briggs also wrote in: “In answer to your recent note and belated answer to your letter from last September, I have not been in contact with Wesleyan classmates in many years. To provide a brief biography: after attending Wesleyan for two years, I transferred to Swarthmore College and graduated two years later with a BA in psychology. Then I worked as an aide at McLean Hospital and studied for a MS in psychology at Boston University for about a year before spending two years in alternative service with the Brethren Service Commission during the Korean War. They sent me to Germany where, during a peace seminar of which I was co-director, I met Gertrude Heine of Bremen. She agreed to come to America, where we were married in 1956. We have four children (three girls and a boy), all who are now doing well in their chosen professions, and two grandsons, one who is a lawyer and one who has just completed a combined MD-PhD degree in bio-medicine. After completing a doctorate in psychology from BU, we moved to Augusta, Maine, where I worked for 40 years for the Togus VA Center. After retiring, we moved to Marion, Mass., in 2006 where we have been living in a renovated family cottage. This has been my life since Wesleyan.”

DAVID M. PHILIPS | davephilips69@hotmail.com
57 Grandville Court, Wakefield, RI 02879

George DeGenaro died late last summer in Sarasota, Fla. He was 93. After graduation from Wesleyan and Yale Law School, he praticed law at two different firms, retiring in 1989. After that he studied painting with Arthur Getz, a well-known cover artist for the New Yorker. George’s paintings hang in homes, galleries, and restaurants across America. He and wife Mary Jane Lloyd lived in Manhattan; Greenwich, Conn.; Roxbury, Conn.; and eventually Boca Raton, Fla. He is survived by his wife, a daughter, two sons, three stepdaughters, and 12 grandchildren.

Bob Switzgable wrote from an assisted-living facility in Stratford, Conn., where he has been living the past two years. “I don’t get out very often, but my health is good,” he wrote. He was spending his time reading and watching TV. Bob still owned two houses, one in Hartford and one on Cape Cod, but was thinking he might sell both of them. He wrote, “What does one do with 13 rooms of furniture and a lifetime collection of junk?” Bob plans to leave it all to his sons to sort out.

Bob Willett wrote from an assisted-living facility in Manhattan Beach, Calif., with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Bob’s wife, Martha, visits him every day and his daughter visits and takes care of his estate.

Bob wanted to know how many of us attended the 65th Reunion. The answer was 12, but not all at one time. One of them was Les Aroh, who wrote that he and his wife, Janet, were still enjoying life, but at a slower pace with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Another correspondent was Frank McCathran who checked in from Georgetown, Md.

Ken Barratt and wife Sab are living in Green Valley, about 25 miles south of Tucson. Ken has been playing in a three-man band. He visited Mount Rushmore and will have visited Death Valley by the time this sees print.

Frank Hassell moved from Florida to Alabama. His new address is 903 West Union Street, Apt. 15, Eufaula, AL 36027 or 128/249-6880 if anyone wants to contact him.

Sandy Malcomson’s daughter, Kate, wrote that her dad was struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, but was still living in his apartment and enjoying visits from his four daughters and seven grandchildren. “His eyesight doesn’t allow him to read,” Kate wrote, “but he still follows the news.”

Chuck Exley wrote from Florida but his son, Yates Exley ’83, was living with his wife, Gina, in South Kingstown only a few miles from me.

In Indianapolis, Howard Goodrich and his wife, Darlene, are leading a full life. Howard is exercising his talent for poetry and sent me two thought-provoking samples. A classmate, Dave Welsh, appeared “out of the blue.” Dave played football during the glory years of the late 1940s for the Goodriches.

Sadly, I report the loss of David McMillan. His son wrote that Dave and his wife, Margaret, had long, happy lives and fond memories of Wesleyan.

DAVID M. PHILIPS | davephilips69@hotmail.com
57 Grandville Court, Wakefield, RI 02879

Frank McCathran is living in a small subdivision in Germantown, Md., and he writes that one of his neighbors was originally from Uzbekistan.

Herb Lessow is doing well in retirement living in New York City.

Charlie Selig is enjoying a “wonderful lifestyle in Boca Raton, Fla. Truly one of the most beautiful spots in the country.”

Frank Hassell moved to his retirement home in Sarasota, Fla. He has become unable to travel, but his children and their families come to visit. At Wesleyan, he and his wife, Marjorie, and two sons had lived off-campus, sponsored by family and the G.I. Bill.

I have to report the death of Bill Steele in St. Louis. Until his final illness, he’d been very active, enjoying hiking, biking, and playing ping pong. He enjoyed kayaking, too. He never lost his sense of humor and ready smile. Following a memorial service, his ashes were scattered in the river he used to kayak.

David McMillan passed away late this spring, four days after the death of his wife, Margaret. He’d had a long and influential career in Delaware banking, serving as president and chief operating officer at the Bank of Delaware before his retirement. He was also the president of the YMCA of Delaware and held several high offices in the Episcopal church.

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