Tag: 1961

Russell Mott writes: “Another summer at camp in Amesbury, Massachusetts, teaching ceramics, and livin’ the dream back in New England. Presently I am running a gallery with my partner, Joyce, and moving from throwing to altered and sculptural forms with the kind assistance of the finest active potter in the country (in my opinion), Steve Hemingway of Minnesota. It is a fascinating and terrifyingly wonderful excursion. For those interested in the final collapse of South Vietnam in ’75, a friend of mine has written a book about the chaotic evacuation of Saigon, something in which I was also involved. Getting Out of Saigon, Ralph White, Simon and Schuster, April 4, 2023. It’s a hell of a tale.—Que tenga buen dia, Jon.” Muchas gracias, Russell.

A bit of poetry from John Alexander:

“Over many years, believe I’ve shared enough.

But if desperate, try usual comments on health, aging and family stuff.

Trying each day to remember pills, appointments, friends, and names,

Especially before the body and mind succumb to increased pains.”

A few words from Jack Mitchell with a bit of promotion tossed in: “Linda and I continue to have a wonderful marriage for 61 years—four sons, seven adult grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren. Our Mitchells family of stores in seven locations is very healthy, with constantly improving sales over previous years. We are probably the largest independent family-owned luxury men’s/women’s/lux clothing and jewelry establishment in our country. Presently, it’s a third generation of Mitchells working in our stores—three of our sons and three of my brother Bill’s, moving soon into a fourth generation, two of whom went to Wesleyan! Healthwise, my days include tennis or walks with Linda, or providing motivational lectures on my three HUG publications. I give credit to my dad who claimed that Wesleyan inspired me to open The New York Times to the editorial page rather than the sports pages! Happy, healthy, and safe Wes hugs to all!”

Greetings to my 1961 classmates from the cool and delightful Adirondack Mountains of New York State. I suspect that Steve Smith has been challenged with the heat of his summer location, writing: “I am still living with Mary Jane in Florida near the west coast. My chief activity is participation in Help to Home, a program for the provision of low-cost housing for struggling families.” Russell Mott tells us that he is “living now on the U.S. East Coast with my girlfriend. This latest chapter continues with unusual good fortune, as my life was saved by an extraordinary neurosurgeon at Tufts last November. That was the third time my life has been saved (first, by an 85-pound French Poodle named Tarr, when I was but 1-year-old, and second by a Kiwi international tugboat captain named Peter Scott in ’75, during the evacuation of several thousand Vietnamese, days before the North Vietnamese took the city of Da Nang). It is summer, and like 20 previous summers, I am at camp 24/7, in northeast Massachusetts, introducing ceramics to kids 8–15, having the time of my life. Bueno hasta siempre.— Mook (My camp name given to me over 70 years ago by another Eclectic brother, Jake Congleton, WES U class circa 1955.)”

Spike Paranya tells us: “Kathy and I continue to enjoy our retirement in Oneonta, New York. Our area offers lots of opportunities for community involvement close at hand. I still volunteer as a jumps coach for the Sidney High School track team and other top athletes at local high schools. I’ve done this for 40-plus years but not much longer! Just prior to COVID I had two athletes win state championships in the long jump and triple jump, adding to my previous champions in the high jump. I can no longer demonstrate these events to my athletes!  Since many of these kids also play in the band, I have enjoyed years of watching them play in their school concerts. Our band director just retired, and we figured out that at his last concert I was probably the only person in the audience who had been at his first concert 37 years ago! I also spent 30 years taking care of our church grounds and some building needs. I don’t miss that at all!  I still like to garden and, in addition to that, at our summer home in Princeton, Massachusetts, I have made walking trails through the 38 acres of woods we enjoy there. It seems to keep me healthy but not necessarily free of pain! Kathy is still young and sharp for which I am thankful. She spent a lot of time volunteering with the Catskill Symphony as they chose a new director. Also, as chair of a committee at our UU Church, she managed the installation of two new stained-glass windows in our church sanctuary. It was quite a process. They are beautiful! In the wider world, the war in Ukraine is so depressing. A group of my Slovak relatives live close to the Ukraine border and are involved helping fleeing refugees who have such sad tales to tell.”

A note has been received from Frank Stewart that reads: “Thankfully, we are healthy here in South Florida, but hating the politics. We have been here since my retirement from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2002. Diane is a volunteer, teaching English as a Second Language through the County Library, and I spend most days with the Lifelong Learning Institute of Nova Southeastern University, sitting in on lectures and auditing classes. So sorry to hear of John Driscoll‘s (’62) passing. He wasn’t ’61, but he was close.”

The warm summer weather appeals to Glenn Hawkes, who writes: “I’m finishing up my stay at our home in Rwanda, where one finds the best of summer weather year-round. In recent weeks I’ve visited with many of the high school graduates, for whom schooling was made possible, thanks to generous Americans, including our classmates Al Williams, Ed McClellan, and Bob Hausman.”

John Rogers opens our column with some rhyme:

I too am always seeking

Remedies for arthritis and pain.

At 82 not likely to be found,

So living daily with pills and a cane.

A recent move from South Carolina to Kentucky.

Left behind warm weather, shrimp and grits.

Thinking Lexington better for family and health,

Now relying on bourbon and snow mitts.

Winter here reminds me of Foss Hill icy slopes,

Plodding carefully to frats and dreaded classes.

Definitely needed study time in Olin and Clark,

But all too often imagining weekend lasses.

Fading memories of ’61-classmates and activities,

But certain now I excelled at sports and games.

Details of classes and grades quite fuzzy,

Not unlike daily questions about best friends’ names.

“Some sad news,” writes Peter Funk: “Brad Beechen died on 10 January in Chicago after a yearlong illness. He is survived by his wife Mary-Jane and son Adam. My review of the 4 June 1961 commencement program confirms that Brad graduated as a Bachelor of Arts with Honors and Distinction.  In addition to being a brilliant scholar, he was an excellent athlete and a close friend to many of us.  How he ever managed to study as a member of DKE during his four years at Wesleyan will remain a mystery to us mortals who managed to limp over the high threshold and obtain a simple BA.  I also managed to confirm for myself that 176 of us graduated with a BA on that day.  It was a long time ago, but I remember it well.”

Regarding his personal update, Peter continues: “I reached my 83rd birthday on the 27th of January this year and remarkably all is well here on our small Island of Jersey in the Channel Islands.  I have been trying to retire from my years of entrepreneurship and my international interests in communications, film, and television.  It has been a long voyage since we graduated in 1961.  After working with classmates, Bill Harris and Brad Beechen, in Chicago, I moved to New York and then to London in 1973.  I have been based on this side of the Atlantic, developing new communications enterprises in the Middle East, Far East, and Europe.  Lexy (’91) and Jenny (’95), my two daughters, are Wesleyan graduates.  I have four grandchildren and I hope the tradition continues. My best wishes to my fellow classmates.”

Pete Drayer proudly announces that his grandson, Ian Moran, is going to Wesleyan.  Russell Mott (aka Bob Lannigan) reports that he just opened a gallery with his partner and that he soon will be back to summer camp, with 160 kids in Amesbury, doing ceramics for seven weeks. Casey Hayes revealed his recent satisfactory recovery from a “three-day minivacation” in the hospital for emergency surgery treatment, praising the hospital staff: “They are so stressed out these COVID days—such troopers!”

Al Williams, a most faithful contributor to this column, writes: “I think all of us are tired of Zooming.  There is nothing like getting together in person. In that spirit, we organized a mini-Wes ’61 reunion lunch this past June, attended by Paul Dickson, Emil Frankel, Dave Denny, Ed Knox, Tim Bloomfield, and me.  It was a rousing success, and we plan a repeat this coming spring. At Paul’s suggestion, I later contacted Bob Palmeri who lives on Cape Cod near our summer house. Bob and I had a very nice get-together this past summer. Presently, my main contact with Wesleyan has been with Wesleyan wrestling, and I have become good friends with the current (and very talented) coach, Drew Black.

Jack Mitchell claims that his New Year’s motto is: “Be positive . . .  test negative!”  He writes: “The Jack and Linda Mitchell family, thus far, has survived the pandemic and are very healthy!

“Our oldest of seven adult grandchildren, Lyle (a Wes graduate, ’16), is engaged and will be married on Block Island in summer of 2023. He is attending Columbia University Business!  Our family business, Mitchell Stores, is still very healthy.  We now number eight stores.  Nine Mitchells from our family and my brothers are active in the business. My ‘Hug’ business has been limited to a few virtual presentations and selling many Hug books. In addition, I’m a trustee at the Greenwich Hospital and an executive in residence at Columbia Business School, guest lecturing in family business and mentoring students.”

Bob Hausman is thankful that all of his progeny reside within five minutes from him. He writes: “I continue to be well, although COVID has struck my domicile.  I walk 90 minutes a day and lift weights regularly. We still feel the effects of the George Floyd murder here in St. Paul. I am regularly in touch with Glenn Hawkes and have occasional contact with Bob Wielde and Emil Frankel.”

We’ll start with a personal note from Paul Dickson: “For many years, I had hoped to get a shot at teaching a session at a writing class at Wesleyan. In part I wanted to do a little payback for the writing classes I took from poet Richard Wilbur, the influence of novelist and historian George Garrett, as well as the impetus I got from musicologist David McAlister, who allowed me to write my distinction thesis on rock ’n’ roll. On May 10, I got to do an hour as a guest lecturer in the writing class taught by Dan DeVisé ’89, a neighbor, good pal and highly talented journalist and author. My guest presentation was on his last day of teaching the course. It was both an honor and pleasure to talk (albeit remotely) to a group of Wesleyan juniors and seniors. Among other things, I talked about what it took to make a living as a writer, both glories and the inevitable challenges of living such a life. As for Dan, I have read two early versions of Dan’s new bio of B.B. King which came out in October 2021, and it is a fine work: King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King. Meanwhile, I heartily recommend his last book The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France.”

A short note from Bob Hausman reveals his optimism for the world as his progeny populate the planet: “A new baby granddaughter, when all the others are already grown. Few things have shaped me more than my Wesleyan education. A family friend is now on the faculty in theater. Her name is Katie Pearl.

Pete Drayer reports that he and his wife, Sandy, continue living in a lifecare community. John Rogers expects to relocate to Lexington, Kentucky, in September.

His “camp name” is “Mook,” but Russell Mott (aka Bob Lanigan until 1979) is returning to summer camp. “I am celebrating my 82nd year, returning to camp for the summer,” he writes. “This, my 20th summer at Bauercrest, a 90-year-old Jewish summer sports camp in Amesbury, Massachusetts. Since my principal gig is ceramics, I brought my entire studio with me when I moved last year from down south. Two Thanksgivings ago, I asked the director why a sports camp in Massachusetts wanted an 80-year-old potter. ‘I want to establish a working art center,’ he told me, and we are off and running to make that dream a reality. The kids arrive in 72 hours, and the studio is about 80 percent ready. I am figuring this is about as good a job as one could get, and it is all happening during my 82nd summer on the planet. I am truly one of the lucky guys.” Russell adds: “Bauercrest did a wonderfully edited video on ‘Mook,’ and it is on their website: Bauercrest.com.”