Tag: 1956

Categories Class Notes, Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1956 | 2023 | SUMMER ISSUE

Walter Ebmeyer writes: “A short note to assure you I am still alive. Now living in an ‘old folks’ home in Silver Spring, Maryland, just outside northwest Washington. Two wonderful children and six grands.” From our perspective, Walt, that’s not just news—it’s the best possible news.

More good news from Bob Bretscher: “I’m now in my very well-equipped retirement home at Presbyterian Village in Athens, Georgia. My phone number is unchanged. Naturally I miss sweet Ann. My warmest best to you all.”

Jim Gramentine puts a positive spin on not-so-great circumstances: “Was there a holiday season at the end of last year? I’m rather hazy about that but now, mid-February, I seem to be mostly out of the fog. The culprit was a rare E. coli infection in my left calf and knee. Two operations by different surgeons, with four incisions, quickly followed diagnosis. After a week in two hospitals and four in rehab, I talked my way into coming home. Since then, I have progressed from a wheelchair to a walker to a rollator. Still can’t walk, but that will come.” Jim and Ray have relocated from suburban Mequon to big-city Milwaukee—with a great view of Lake Michigan.

Overlapping reports from Dick Bauer and Jim Wagner.

From Dick: “I’ve been in touch with Jim Wagner, nudging him to contact my brother, Doug, who had just moved into Greenspring, a CCRC in Springfield, Virginia. Turns out they are near neighbors and have connected. Small world department.

“Recently I joined with one of our residents, a superb classical pianist, to do a concert in our main auditorium. I delved into the American Songbook, picked out nine songs on the theme of time, memory, and making the most of our twilight years. Among them were The Way We Were, Kisses Sweeter than Wine, and Here’s to Life. I can’t say it was Kennedy Center performance level, but the audience was great, and it was comforting to be able to make even a modest contribution to others’ flourishing.”

Now from Jim: “I finally met Doug Bauer. Doug just recently moved into the Greenspring senior living community here in Springfield, where my wife and I have lived the past three years.

“I recently gave part one of a talk on the history of weather forecasting to a group called the Science Forum here at Greenspring, one of over a hundred clubs and interest groups here. Part two is coming up at the end of March, where among other things, I will discuss chaos theory. This interesting subject, which explains why weather forecasts will never be perfect, was discovered by Ed Lorenz, one of my professors at MIT, while I was there studying meteorology after graduating from Wesleyan.

“On Valentine’s Day, my wife Betty and I participated in a wedding-vow-renewal ceremony along with several other couples who live here. After the ceremony, we were given a champagne and wedding-cake reception, followed by dancing, which all of us were still able to do (more or less)! Several of our children and grandchildren were also present and had lots of fun.”

John Foster writes: “Lila and I have been fortunate in many ways over our 60-plus years of marriage. The only unfortunate happening was the loss of our dear daughter at the age of 27 while traveling in Nepal. Perhaps the most fortunate was my averting a plunge into the depths of Alzheimer’s thanks to participating in a drug trial that overall had questionable benefits to most of my cohorts.

“We continue to be able to live in our home of 50-plus years in Marblehead. I am trying to stay fit enough to handle household chores by participating in an aqua exercise class at our excellent Y.

“We are again fortunate to have cultural opportunities nearby: a lecture series from a historic social club in next-door Salem; two small but worthy symphony orchestras are in the area. We recently heard an extraordinary and serendipitous concert with an outstanding young Japanese violinist who dazzled the audience in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

“Our best to you and all.”

Finally, from Bob Calvin: “I have been meaning to wish you a happy Chinese New Year of the Rabbit. Did you celebrate with moon cakes? I remember you used to take the ‘children’ into the city to see the parade and festivities. Jane and I visited some Chinese friends who recently moved here from Beijing for a delicious New Year’s meal of dumplings and exotic tea. Not much news at this end, which maybe is good.” 

To Bob: No moon cakes here. General Tso’s chicken and moo shu pork instead, with “the children,” their partners, and our one and only granddaughter, a UVM senior.

Categories Obituaries, Obituaries | 1950-1959Posted on

S. Whitten “Whit” Rusk III ’56

S. Whitten “Whit” Rusk III ’56 passed away on April 29, 2023. A full obituary can be found here. In addition, Class Secretary George Chien shares this rembrance:

This is one I didn’t want ever to have to write.

I received a call from Pat Rusk to inform me that her husband of 64 years, Stanley Whitten Rusk IIII, died on April 29, surrounded by his loving family, in Connecticut.  The awful cause was cancer, from which he had suffered for a number of years and which he was thought to have defeated just a couple of years ago.

Whit was my sophomore roommate at Chi Psi. He was, I must say, a congenial roommate. I’ve searched my memory for anything resembling a long-buried issue and found nothing to report—except, of course, as avid sports fans. Whit grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey, so his teams were based in the City of Brotherly Love, whereas I was bred, though not born, in rural upstate New York, where faraway Philadelphia seemed like another universe altogether. As for participation, Whit tried out for football and baseball as a freshman, but did not play on the varsity in either. I never tried out for any school sports teams, but we both were stalwarts on the Lodge’s intermural touch football, basketball, and softball squads. Whit and I were like a Mutt and Jeff combo: He was even taller than me than I was taller than Don Vancini. Whit had a reputation for being clumsy. Was he still growing into his 6’4” frame? In fact, he was really a fine, under-appreciated athlete.

Our junior years, we split up. I roomed with Tom Reed, and Whit teamed up with Henry George Hager III. Whit and Merc (HG is the chemical symbol for mercury) were a good match. Perhaps it was their similar heights. Or the fact that both were sons of alumni. Or was it the III at the ends of their names? Whatever it was, it worked.

After graduation we went our separate ways. I think we saw each other only once—a brief chance encounter on a street in midtown Manhattan, undoubtedly more than a half-century ago. But we remained in contact over the years, and we always considered each other as friends.

We had a near miss a few years back at a Little-Three contest on Andrus Field. Ann and I were sitting on the Wesleyan side, of course. Unbeknown to us, Whit was on visiting side, cheering for his grandson who was then playing for (gasp) Amherst! A list of Whit’s grandson’s alma-maters, by the way, reads like who’s who of elite Eastern colleges. In no particular order: Bowdoin, Amherst, Tufts, Lafayette, and RPI!

We had a near miss a few years back at a Little-Three contest on Andrus Field. Ann and I were sitting on the Wesleyan side, of course. Unbeknown to us, Whit was in visitors’ bleachers, cheering for his grandson who was then playing for (*gasp*) Amherst! A list of Whit’s grandson’s alma-maters, by the way, reads like a who’s who of elite Eastern colleges. In no particular order: Bowdoin, Amherst, Tufts, Lafayette, and RPI!

Whit was the last of my Wesleyan roommates. The others, all sorely missed, were Tom Dinell, Bill Shephard, Tom Reed, and Kent Davies.

Gordy Krause will head a memorial service that will be held in June at the church in Haddonfield that was founded by Whit’s great-grandfather.  

So, “Good-bye” dear friend. Thanks for the memories.

George Chien

Categories Class Notes, Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1956 | 2023 | SPRING ISSUE

Paul Weston writes: “I came to the green, tree-lined Wesleyan campus from the windswept plains of Oklahoma in 1952. Graduated in the 1956 physics class of eight bright young men and went on to graduate work at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A friend from Wesleyan also came to Illinois, and introduced me to my future wife, Patricia, a grad student in chemistry. After 59 happy years together, she sadly succumbed to pancreatic cancer five years ago. Our granddaughter is just now starting a law career in Chicago.

“At U of I, I spent some years in a research group calling itself ‘The Biological Computer Laboratory,’ engaged in the then-new field of cybernetics. Among other things, it contributed to the body of theory underlying current artificial intelligence. Only now, with thousands of times more powerful technology, do we have working examples. (And recognition of the very real potential danger.)

“While a grad student in BCL I claimed my personal ‘15 minutes of fame.’ To show a machine capable of apparently intelligent human behavior, I designed and constructed an electronic device which instantly (well, a tiny fraction of a second) counted the number of objects in a two-dimensional field, regardless of size, shape, orientation, things inside of holes in other things, etc. It was shown on national TV, in a science magazine show hosted by Walter Cronkite.

“When Patricia and I retired from UI in 1998, we launched 20 great years of world travel, in ocean and river cruises, covering all the world’s oceans and continents, and many of its navigable rivers. This fulfilled Pat’s lifelong desire for travel, and I was a happy fellow traveler. The world’s great waterfalls, the dragon-tooth mountains of China, the spiritual aura of Paris’s Notre Dame, the sheer beauty of the Taj Mahal, the utter horror of Auschwitz, were our continued education.”

Our newest ’56 author is Peter Johnson. His book, published by Amazon/Kindle, is entitled Creating New Policy for the Caribbean Basin: The Story of Caribbean/Central America Action. It’s a substantial book—500 pages, including appendices, index, and testimonials—not exactly light reading. It will have some relevance to President Biden’s initiative in Central America. Now retired from the Foreign Service, Peter lives in Mazatlan, Mexico.     

From Dick Smith: “After graduating, I lived in a number of places as I received my medical and research training, including New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Albany, and Maine. I am, of course, now retired after 35 years of medical/research work and another 20 years of eye research at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. My wife Linda and I have been together for over 50 years and continue to live in Maine.”

Bob Calvin reminded me that the Linden Pond diaspora included Ronna and Art von Au, as well as Ginny and Dick Bauer, and also Bette and Alan Grosman.

Bob remembers: “I was best man at Alan’s wedding to Bette. Alan graduated Phi Beta Kappa at Wesleyan and went on to get an MA in political science from Yale, and a JD from the NYU Law School. Back in New Jersey, he joined the family law firm and was a leader in the practice of family law. He spoke many languages, especially Spanish, and was very active in the Cuban community. Another passion was playing the piano. One weekend when we were both living in Boston, we went to a backstage party after a Tanglewood concert. Alan decided to play some show tunes on the piano, and the performers sang along! Alan was a warm person who made friends easily. He will be missed.”

Writes Jim Jekel: “The main news from here (other than I am getting old and creaky) is that my beloved wife of 64 years, Jan, died of cancer in August. Our daughter has lived with us, so I get lots of help, but I am finding that downsizing is more difficult than anticipated.

“I roomed with Al Grosman one year (five of us in a suite at Sigma Nu), and he was a close friend.”

David J. (not W) Cox: “I have been widowed for the second time. Tamara (Compton) died on November 13 after five years of progressive liver failure ended by kidney disease. My three sons have helped me manage combined grief and practical problems. I am knocked down but otherwise in good health and will stay in our house in Leisure World, Maryland, for a while yet.”

Writes Mort Paterson: “My wife Susan, only 68 years young, is both my computer/cell phone techie and my travel agent. Last October went to France. Paris first: the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, and a quick look at where I lived junior year abroad. Good small restaurants still. Saw a fine Cenerentola at L’Opéra. Then to Eze, a small medieval hill town near Nice, overlooking the Mediterranean. (The two together have been called the ‘Nice ‘n Eze’ trip.) Steep streets, no cars. Just managed to keep up with Susan, but not on the rocky 2-mile Nietzsche’s Path—seems he loved Eze, wrote some Zarathustra there—down to the sea. In all, a great trip, but travel seems harder these days. I am very lucky and thankful I could do the trip.”

From Bob Bretscher: “All is well with me and my three daughters’ families. However, normal aging suggests that I move into Presbyterian Village retirement community here in Athens sometime this coming February. Best wishes to all and to all a good 2023.”

Finally, from John Foster: “I’m gratefully above ground and managing the vicissitudes of our age; enjoying my wife, our house, aging in place, and fortunate to have a little help along the way including our two sons [who] are also living in Marblehead.

“Would enjoy corresponding with any interested class members: harboradv@aol.com.”

Categories Class Notes, Class Notes | 1950sPosted on

CLASS OF 1956 | 2022 | FALL ISSUE

It’s been slim pickings this time around for our class notes.

But first, I’m sad to report that Al Grosman died on May 22 in Hingham, Massachusetts, where he and his wife of 55 years, Bette, had retired. He spent most of his life in New Jersey, where he practiced law with his family law firm and dabbled in local politics. He wrote a much-used textbook, New Jersey Family Law, and was involved in the Baby M surrogacy case. Baby M, incidentally, attended and graduated from—mercifully with little fanfare—the school district in which my Ann was a school nurse, but they were never in the same building together. Al, a self-described “world traveler and scholar of world history,” spoke Spanish, Portuguese, and French, and studied German, Romanian, Catalan, and Ladino. He loved folk music of all kinds and enjoyed playing the piano for family sing-alongs. He is survived by Bette, two daughters, Carol and Ellen, their spouses, and two granddaughters. Al was a loyal Wes grad (Phi Beta Kappa!) and a regular attender of our ’56 reunions. He will be missed.

Art von Au writes: “I recently read Vinod Busjeet’s (’73) novel Silent Winds, Dry Seas, which was featured in the Wesleyan Alumni Magazine (Winter 2021–2022). What an extraordinary gift! Set in Mauritius in the 1960s and 70s, it is a coming-of-age story. Wesleyan readers will recognize clues as his years at ‘Yale’ are a stand-in for Wesleyan. His novel has won widespread praise from some foremost American writers, and I recommend this remarkable novel to all Wesleyan readers. Perhaps the reading/discussion group that I have led for almost 50 years (now meeting on Zoom) will read it in the future.

“In family news, we have welcomed two great-grandsons this past year. Our three oldest grandchildren are all launched into jobs and family life, while the three youngest will all be in college this coming year. One granddaughter will be a junior at the University of Vermont and [another] a senior at Connecticut College. Our youngest grandson will be a freshman at Endicott College.

“We have enjoyed reading your family news and travels and hope that all is well with you.”

From Jim Gramentine: “Back in early June, I attended my 70th high school reunion at Western Reserve Academy. Regrettably, only one other ’52er was there, he a fine fellow, though an Amherst Mammoth. (Lord Jeff was done in by political correctness.) Depression born, only 38 graduated with us, but three others matriculated with me at Wesleyan: Bob Loos, Pete Schellenbach ’59, and Bill Mathews.”

And Bob Bretscher: “Thanks for keeping the Class of ’56 in touch. Unfortunately, I’m not communicating with anyone in our class at the moment. I’ll try to improve on this unintended situation soon. I’m still healthy, and happy to have just finished my self-published autobiography. My next task is to look into moving into a nearby retirement facility called ‘Presbyterian Village Athens’ sometime in the next 12 months. My best to you and other Wesmen.”

Last, but not least, Dick Bauer: “A celebration of life for Alan Grosman was held here at Linden Ponds on June 8th. Al not only distinguished himself in the field of family law, but in family life as well.

“No really great newsworthy stories from us. Ginny and I are faring pretty well. One of my quirky projects has been playing monthly piano concerts exploring various corners of the American Songbook.  Keeps me distracted from the world’s misery for a while.

“Good to learn about your family travels . . . even more to sense the warmth and strength of your family ties, and your stamina to relish them.

“Warm regards to my fellow Wes ’56ers.”

I have some space, so here’s what Art and Dick referenced.

Our whole family—one daughter, two sons, one daughter-in-law, one granddaughter, and a girlfriend—took us on a whirlwind tour of New York State: Cobleskill (my hometown); Cooperstown; Letchworth State Park (“The Grand Canyon of the East”), where we rented a house near Inspiration Point; Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House in Buffalo; and Niagara Falls (U.S. and Canadian sides). Along the way we visited with cousins, went to the Baseball Hall of Fame, rode the Maid of the Mist, and drove over the Peace Bridge from Buffalo to Fort Erie, Canada—my father’s major project between graduating from RPI and going back to China. In Cooperstown’s Doubleday Café, son David got down on one knee to reprise his 1999 proposal there to Cheryl, which she again accepted—to a hearty round of applause from one and all. All of this was to compensate us for our COVID-canceled Ireland tour of 2020. The younger set subsequently used our once frozen fares to tour Scandinavia. They just came home—all but one with COVID. We love them still.