Tag: 1961

A recent posting on Facebook by Richard Corson addresses a librarian’s concern for literacy integrity: “Parsing fake news—Connie retired from the Spence School in 2001. During her time as library director, one of the resource members of her staff created and taught all grade levels with workshops related to information literacy. Even in those early days of Google and other online resources, these librarians were concerned that students should possess the ability to apply critical thinking, judgment, and evaluation to their use of online resources. We have come a long way since the 1990s, but I hope students everywhere still get basic information literacy skills. They are more important than ever.”

Thankfully, the musical arts have sustained and nourished a few of our classmates. Here’s a note (no pun intended) from one of our members: “Jon Magendanz and Bob Johnson were brought together in a Christmas concert, presenting four performances the weekend before Christmas in the magnificent Venice Performing Arts Center in Florida. Jon is a first violinist in the Venice Symphony, a group of more than 60 professional instrumentalists, and Bob is a baritone in the Venice Chorale, consisting of about 100 singers. This was their first collaboration. They will perform there again in March, featuring Bartok, Prokofiev, and the Poulenc Gloria. Jon lives in Bradenton, Bob lives in Nokomis, and both are snow birds.”

And lastly, a word from Phil Rodd: “My wife and I spent a week in August volunteering as English teachers in Spain. We were part of an English language immersion program, so our job was to converse in English for about 12 hours a day. We followed that with a three-week road trip around Sicily (pasta every night).”

Respectfully submitted,

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com
902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, Fl 34205 

The “noble nine” classmates galloped onto the Wesleyan Campus to renew, reunite, and restore acquaintances from memorable times past. In attendance at the events, including luncheon, seminar, reception, and dinner were Richard Corson, Jack Mitchell, Emil Frankel, Stephen Wainwright, Spike Paranya, Peter Funk, Neal Schachtel, Bob Patricelli, and Jon Magendanz. Special thanks to Peter for his exceptional photographic talent (The reader is referred to: flickr.com/photos/funkphotographs/sets/72157668442387901).

“I was the guest preacher for the Martin Luther King, Jr. service at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine,” writes Bob Carey. Although it is impossible to include all of Bob’s presentation, a few excerpts are inserted here: “What was new in the New World was that slavery was not a system of work alone. Slavery now defined an individual. In fashioning the racial ideology that rationalized the slave trade, the violence and control of enslaved life in America, whites argued that enslaved Africans were fulfilling their destiny; that white and black were utterly distinct. …The push for a more open, more inclusive society is a permanent piece of work. This day, above all of our national holidays, should bring us back to ask—Are we there yet? What is the work that still needs doing? It was the genius of Dr. King not only to see how the Constitution could become a people’s document; to argue that the Declaration of Independence included all who sought to grow and thrive and contribute to their communities; he also called us to remember that the structures of privilege have been well fashioned; that the rich and those who benefit from structures of exploitation and exclusion will be working to protect what they have. …I suggest …..that we use the metaphor of a feast—all are welcome, all can come to the table.” After Wesleyan, Bob finished his M.Div and S.T.M degrees at Union Theological Seminary and his doctorate in American history at Columbia. He is professor of historical studies, SUNY/Empire State College.

Ed McClellan writes from Bloomington, Ind.: “One the great pleasures of my retirement has been to become reacquainted with Glenn Hawkes. Glenn and I share a lifelong interest in K–12 education. I have especially come to appreciate Glenn’s work in Africa, where he has created a school for Rwandan children.

An update was received from Bob Reiser: “Life in Atlanta continues to be volunteering for several nonprofits and doing consulting work for Balentine, an Atlanta based investment advisory firm. Recently, after 40-plus years of writing investment commentary for clients, I took up two writing projects. Last year I finished writing a history of Georgia Shakespeare, a nonprofit theater in Atlanta, that went out of business after 28 years. I questioned why a theater with an excellent reputation for artistic excellence should suddenly fold. There were many contributing factors but by far the most important was the unwillingness of the staff and board to adopt budgets that were attainable. It makes an interesting case study for nonprofits in general and I hope to turn it into a college level case study. My other project was the completion of a first draft for a book, An Investment Guide to the U.S. Markets for the Foreign National. With the increasing wealth of investors outside of the United States it seemed to me that much of that money would flow into the U.S. as countries open up their capital markets. While it is true that there are literally thousands of investment books, I could not find any that specifically targeted the foreign national.

“My wife Margaret and I spend over a third of the year in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Margaret chairs the board of the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden and I have joined the board of the YMCA. We find the contrast between small town living in New England and big city living in the south to offer a wide range of experiences.

The Wesleyan connection never seems far away. We visited with Neal and Tricia Schachtel at their home in St. Petersburg, and we were joined by Joan and Bob Chase ’59, who were passing through. We have gotten to know Bob and Joan through the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club, which fortunately, does not require owning a yacht to be a member.”

The unexpected death of Thomas R. Patton III occurred on April 1, 2015, while traveling with his wife, Pam, in Australia. He was a long-time resident of Chatham, and formerly lived in Sudbury, Mass. Tom, born in Philadelphia, Pa., served as an officer in the U.S. Navy, worked for F.S. Moseley, joined a real estate development company and eventually formed his own real estate management company, The Alden Group, in Burlington, Mass. Tom was a resident and an engaged community member in Sudbury from 1969 to 1993. Tom and his family moved to Chatham in 1993 and opened the Carriage House Inn, which he and Pam sold in 1997. He was a realtor with Kinlin Grover Real Estate until his retirement in 2014.

Foster Morrison concludes this Class’61 column with some words on climate. “Being an environmentalist does not mean accepting a low standard of living. It means knowing that planet Earth can support only so many people: a few with a high standard of living or a lot more with a lower standard of living. It also means leaving a lot of land undeveloped and some underdeveloped to preserve the natural world and also assure environmental stability. For example, if global warming does not destabilize Earth’s life support systems, something else will. It’s just an obvious consequence of the Earth being finite. Strangely enough, or not so strangely if you understand them, economists think the global economy can expand exponentially forever. Anyone who has taken high school math (geometric series) should know better. Factoring in the fact that growth does vary takes a little calculus, which economists must do, but obviously they didn’t understand it.”

Respectfully submitted,

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com

902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205

Richard Corson sends word: “Having retired from my library directorship at SUNY Maritime College in 2001, I continue to live at my house in Forest Hills. After years of avoidance, I finally got a smartphone. I also activated my long dormant Facebook account. As a consequence, I am taking more photographs and exercising more care in their composition, and posting them. Once I had the smartphone, I figured why not get an activity tracker to keep me honest, so I waddle around Forest Hills on a four-mile circuit almost every day. From 2002–2010 I was a three-day-a-week volunteer at the office of the NYC Habitat for Humanity affiliate, first in Brooklyn Heights, then on John Street in the financial district.”

Following Richard’s wife’s death three days after their 49th anniversary, he became more active in his Congregational Church-in-the-Gardens, located in Forest Hills. He also attended theater events, encouraged by his participation in the Theater Development Fund (TDF)

“This past winter,” Richard continues, “I transcribed my maternal grandmother’s five-year diary from 1933–37, which resulted in connecting with my 88-year-old cousin, Joy, whom I had never met. It turns out that Joy and her husband, Michael, gave Harper Lee the means to take a year off from her work as an airline reservation clerk in New York to finish To Kill a Mockingbird. Who knew?”

More news from New York State by Tom Seward: “In July, on their way to Chautauqua Lake for a couple of weeks, Carol and Dave Denny stopped by Eve and Tom Seward’s cottage on Keuka Lake (N.Y.). Joyce Barney and her new husband, Kim Milling, joined them. We enjoyed meeting Kim. Over dinner we told some great John Barney stories. It was a bit like a mini Delta Sig reunion.

Last fall, Paul Boynton was reflecting about our 50th Reunion celebration: “Occasionally I think back fondly to that gathering. Then I leap further back to sort through memories from those years when we all got to know each other. (I just now paused to review the two sentences I wrote, which strike me as the musing of a verifiably old man. No matter, those were verifiably great times.)”He also sends updates: “I taught my last class at the UW in the fall of 2013, and miss that constant contact with students, but keep busy analyzing data and writing papers reporting the experimental gravitation program that my research group carried out over the past two decades. Barbara and I spent a few weeks with grandchildren in Europe in ’12, and a few more in China two years ago where I spoke at a conference in Shanghai, at university in Wuhan, and as we relaxed as guests of Beijing U through the longstanding academic connections of our oldest son. We take great joy in our growing family of six “kids,” 12 grandkids, and recently a spectacular great-granddaughter.”

Following their daughter’s June wedding last summer, Ernie Hildner and his wife, Sandy, anticipated traveling to the Galapagos Islands. “I walked into Machu Picchu on the Inca Trail 36 years ago (!), acclimating to altitude at the beginning of a month-long climbing trip, which culminated with a successful ascent of 22,200 feet. Standing on the summit of Huascaran, one is almost the farthest from the center of Earth as one can get and still have your feet on the ground. (Second only to the summit of Chimborazo, in Ecuador.) It will be interesting to see what changes have occurred in 36 years to a ruin about 600 years old. In late January, we go to Chamonix, France, for a week, to ski the great variety of areas on the north, east, and, south slopes of Mont Blanc. We’re very grateful that our health has held up—with the frequent aid of modern medicine—as well as it has.”

Your class secretary always appreciates a word from his former roommates. Emil Frankel writes: “Still active in transportation policy matters, serving as Interim President & CEO of Eno Center for Transportation, a small DC-based transportation policy think tank, ’til a new President is selected by the Board of Directors; serving on a couple of boards; and writing on transportation policy topics for various periodicals and organizations. Also, just completed service on a panel for Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, making recommendations on transportation funding for the State.”

Jack Mitchell sends his update: “Our family is very blessed—we are all are healthy and in harmony. Linda and I will celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary in June. My grandson, Lyle ’16, is graduating from Wesleyan in June and my granddaughter, Dana ’18, is a sophomore at Wesleyan. They both play lacrosse. I have three other grandchildren in college and two in high school.

We now have eight men’s and women’s clothing stores, coast-to-coast: Westport, Greenwich, Huntington Long Island, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Seattle, and Portland, Ore. I continue to travel and speak, and have done more than 225 motivational speeches on my Hug Your Customer and Hug Your People books, in addition to working on our selling floor as the chairman of our family’s men’s and women’s clothing business. I continue on the faculty of Columbia Business School, guest lecturing in family business and luxury retail, and am playing lots of tennis and loving it! Finally, I am proud to be on the Presidents Council at Wesleyan!”

Sandy McCurdy submitted a few words as follows: “Heard from Howard Morgan that he and Dick Arnold hang out with their families in Florida somewhere (no doubt not a slum area!) and things are well with them all. My thoughts have drifted back to some of our deceased classmates, Hank Hilles and Pete Odell in particular. What wonderful creatures they each were as we knew them, and remembering especially how Hank loved the lyrics (which I believe someone in our class made up) to that old spiritual: “He’s got the whole world, in his hands ….” redoing it as: “He’s got a great big banana—in his ear, he’s got a great big banana—in his ear…” Ah, the carefree days of fine nonsense.

Another classmate, Bob Folley, died a few months ago following an extended period of cancer therapy and treatment. Bob, a dental colleague, a graduate school roommate, a gross anatomy teammate, and Best Man at Jon Magendanz’s wedding, was an avid golfer who, much to Magendanz’s amazement, would compete in tournaments held days after the snow melted and would finish as the winner. He practiced general dentistry in the Navy for two years and then for 33 years in his Glens Falls, N.Y., office. A unique follow-through for Bob’s golfing experience and expertise was that after retiring from dentistry, he joined the New York State Golf Association as a course rater. This position required his evaluation of golf courses throughout the nation. As he would say, with a grin: “It’s tough work, but somebody’s got to do it!”

Coming up in the next Class Notes edition: Words from Bob Carey, guest preacher for the Martin Luther King Jr. service at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, and some philosophical thoughts from Foster Morrison and Ed McClellan. Stay tuned! Respectfully submitted,

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com

902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, FL 34205

Steve Wainwright’s 75th birthday celebration last August 2015 in Pocasset, Mass., was personally attended by John Driscoll ’62 and Carl Syriala ’60. In addition, a number of classmates wrote congratulatory notes to Steve, including Brad Beechen, Bill Harris, Al Williams, and Don Johnson. Don, who lives in Gold Canyon, Ariz.,, with his wife, Janet, relates that he and his wife traveled last summer, via RV, throughout western Canada. He proclaims Steve as “the most unforgettable person I have ever known,” explaining that he and Steve were roommates, during their junior year at Wesleyan, and shared “many, many rich and bizarre adventures as friends and fraternity brothers.” Jim Reynolds ’63 wrote a particularly memorable tribute to Steve with which we can all identify: “The Legend Lives On. He came out of Brockton with a banjo on his knee and a banana in his ear, with a presence that drew and held the attention of all who were near. He sang of the roar and the gore of the Cornell Fire, and told of McCoy the census taker, and the dead horse in the bathtub. His fame soon spread throughout the Wesleyan campus, where he dominated the Harry Ding contest, and north to the green hills of Middlebury, where he came to be known as the Rabbi. From there south to the quarters of New Orleans, then to the courts of the Commonwealth, even, yes, to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. The legend thrived, for whenever two or more of those who knew him gathered, the stories were told and retold. Even those who had never seen him in the flesh felt a connection. And so, as he concludes his 75th year, the Legend of the Bard and the Barrister continues to live on.”

A recent note from John Rogers reveals his new residence, grandchildren, and travels: “Retired from investment/financial planning business in 2014 after 48 years and moved from Greenwood, S.C., to Fort Mill, S.C., just south of Charlotte, N.C. I now reside in a Del Webb/Sun City community of about 3,000 homes, enjoying a simpler lifestyle of golf, pickle ball, and plenty of friends using Medicare weekly. No one is hung up on past titles, awards, or wealth comparisons. Still with five married children providing 14 grandchildren whom we struggle to see in Kentucky, New Jersey, and Maryland Recent travels included a river cruise to Moscow, an Alaska cruise, a road trip through to Upper Michigan, and regular trips to doctors and Walmart. So far good overall health, and I have stopped counting cholesterol intake.”

Paul Dickson’s latest book, Contraband Cocktails—What We Drank When We Were Not Supposed To, a Melville House publication, is about Prohibition and the paradoxical birth of the cocktail culture during those dry years. Paul is also completing work on his second biography, Leo Durocher-–Baseball’s Most Hated Man, which will be published in early 2017 in time for Opening Day. Paul is also researching for a new biography. His leading candidate is William F. Cody, better known as “Buffalo Bill.”

Jack Mitchell has also been writing, revising and re-launching his “hugging books,” as he describes them, with a third book in progress. In addition to his chairmanship of his family business, Mitchells Family of Stores, totaling eight in number, Jack is also an executive-in-residence at Columbia Business School, where he lectures and instructs graduate students. Two of Jack’s grandchildren are at Wesleyan; the other three attend Georgia Tech, Boston College, and Dartmouth.

Russell Mott (Bob Lannigan) reports that he is up every day at 3:30 a.m., work starting at four, for 8, 10, 12 hours in his ceramic studio (Mottpotts.com). “The work requires a passionate commitment, which I am easily able to muster every day, as my health remains remarkable in all respects. I am not at all sure I would have been interested in ceramics if I had been introduced to it in the ’50s, ’60s, or ’70s, but I thank my angels every morning for the gift of finding it earlier this century, two months after 9/11.” Russell goes on to explain that he is “living in southern New Mexico with Kato and our extended family here and in Jacksonville, Fla., including four granddaughters. Several other businesses, including an art gallery—MVS Studios—and a real estate company, keep us very busy.”

Phil Rodd is planning a two-week trip to Portugal in November 2015, including a week’s cruise through the Douro Valley, famous for its table and port wines. He promises more details in a future writing, as does Bob Johnson, who completed a 16-day safari to Tanzania and Kenya last year with his wife, Suzanne. Bob is vice president of his country club and is co-chairman of Men to Men, the organization for men with prostate cancer, providing support, guidance, and education. He and his wife live seven months each year in Nokomis, Fla. (just north of Venice), and the other five months in Pocahontas, Pa. Bob and Suzanne are both members of their Florida church choir, where his wife, Suzanne, also solos and assists in directing as requested.

Ed Knox writes to mourn the passing of his mentor and good friend, Professor George Creeger. This past summer, Middlebury College awarded Ed an honorary doctor of letters degree at the 100th anniversary of the summer language schools. Ed and Huguette now live part of the year in Rockville, Md., and the rest in Paris. They would be happy to see friends and classmates in either place (knox@middlebury.edu).

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com

902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, Fl 34205

“Time just keeps on clicking by!” reports Eric “Swede” Wilson, who claims he’s “still alive, kicking, and working. My daughter, Avery, got married three years ago, and is now living in San Diego, Calif., with her husband Conan. My son, Eric, his wife, Julie, and grandson Ethan live in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with us where he has a solo bankruptcy legal practice. He is a big Alabama Crimson Tide fan, and drags me along to a lot of the home games. My third son, Martin, still lives in NYC, where he is employed as a publicist with Harper Collins. He has just completed his second young adult novel, and it is undergoing editing. Health remains good with all of the family.”

“Well. We are a year older!” claims (or is it complains, or maybe proclaims) Bob Carey. He goes on to describe his “trips to Israel with some students to study boundaries and identity,” and his visits with the Littles and the Woodburys. Bob continues to explain: “I have become very much involved with a Lumina project here at Empire State College. It has to do with how we work with adult students who are finishing their degrees. Although very college specific, it raises all sorts of interesting questions about how we, in fact, come to know things. Of course, when I start talking about it, I find myself alone at the chip and dip bowl. Such are the vagaries.”

Here was an unexpected note from Brad Beechen, presented in his own words. “Brad writes regarding a small world encounter. His fraternity brother, George Kangas ’60, mailed him to say he and his wife had attended a program at their Bradenton, Fla., church where they listened to a highly enjoyed concert performed by ‘very accomplished musicians,’ a fellow named Jon Magendanz and Jon’s sisters, Donna Guarino and Felice Farrell. The program notes enclosed with George’s letter indicated the siblings have performed internationally.” In response to Brad’s encouragement for more explanation, your class secretary’s exposure to music has been lifelong, a result of being raised by musical parents. During attendance at Wesleyan, instruction continued, a benefit from a music scholarship, on the violin with three years study in Hartford and one year at Yale. Ensemble concerts were given at Honors College with my sister, Donna, and Ray Rendall, and, of course, there was the chamber orchestra and the pep band. That’s enough promotion, but do look for me at the 75th Reunion Parade!!!

An additional bit of Wesleyan history presented by Foster Morrison: “It was interesting to read about the renovation of that ancient 20-inch refractor at Wesleyan. I had some limited experience with it and other telescopes on Foss Hill, since I had three semesters of astronomy, an intro course and a research seminar with Prof. Thornton Page, and a summer job after graduation. He got me into Sigma Xi and as a co-author of a publication in the astronomical journal. I did dabble a bit in satellite orbits and satellite geodesy. In retrospect, I should have taken Prof. Eichhorn’s celestial mechanics course and learned programming on his first-ever-at-Wesleyan computer. I crossed his path again at the Army Map Service, where he had a summer sabbatical and I was programming a Honeywell mainframe and adding a curve-fitting capability to an obsolete satellite orbit theory.”

Congratulations are in order for Paul Dickson’s continuing accomplishments in the literary field. Rave reviews have been published in the UK’s Authorisms, The Guardian, and the Times of London, all which came out in the month of Paul’s 75th birthday. Also, with additional pieces later published in the Guardian and in the Daily Mail, as well as a promise of a second printing of his book, Paul was very excited about his 75th year.

Finally, on a sad note, the passing of Weldon John Smith Sr., on Aug. 5, 2014, is noted. Classmates are referred to the online obituary section of this publication for more complete coverage of Weldon’s family and graduate work.

Respectfully submitted,

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com
902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, Fl 34205

A recent communication from Sandy McCurdy states: “I can report that Larry Wiberg is charging ahead in Denver, still doing medicine, still working at his Episcopal church, erecting fine memorials to his late and beloved wife, Katie, and visiting with me and Patsy in East Blue Hill, Maine, in the summers for a few days. I continue to breathe regularly and whack away as associate rector at St. David’s Church—the largest Episcopal parish in Pennsylvania and 10th nationally.”

Another “Sandy,” the wife of Pete Drayer, is included in a note from Pete: “Jon, I can report that my wife, Sandy, and I are celebrating our 50th anniversary. To add to my rather cryptic message, I continue to serve as a senior judge about 10 days a month.”

John Rogers and his wife, Carolyn, have moved from Greenwood, S.C., to an over-55 adult Del Webb community, Carolina Lakes. in Indian Land, S.C. He jokingly mentions that any classmates who understand early bed times and have limited memories of last week’s events are welcome.

Ed Knox and his wife, Huguette, continue to split their time between Middlebury and Paris, with an occasional visit to Tucson. They would be happy to catch up with classmates one place or another. Meanwhile, Ed continues to write about how Americans look at France, a topic that, he says, keeps on giving.

Bob Owens has been busy over the past few years. He writes: “My significant other and I went on a trip to Peru in October of 2013. Machu Picchu is amazing, as were several other places we went. I would never try to drive in any of the cities—chaos. I worked on trying to get people elected to the school board who would be more reasonable and accountable than the bunch that was in, but the Republican-backed slate won. Their attempt at instituting vouchers for mostly religious private schools will be reviewed by the Colorado Supreme Court in the coming months. Vouchers make no sense at all in this very wealthy county, which had an excellent school system until a few years ago. Good teachers and principals are leaving in alarming numbers. I continue volunteering for three hospice organizations, visiting elders with dementia, and working with grief groups for kids who have lost a loved one.”

Bob Patricelli says life is good! “Still working hard and enjoying it, plus four grandkids (including son Thomas ’88’s first just a few months ago). Still living on Folly Farm in Simsbury, Conn., but wife Maggie won the argument over buying a little winter getaway in San Jose, Calif. It’s a long commute but domestic harmony is restored.”

Glenn Hawkes revealed his interest in American education by highlighting the work of a fellow classmate: “Ed McClellan is another Wes-mate I’d love to have coffee with, as we’ve recently shared some thoughts via e-mail on progressive education, or the lack thereof, in America’s schools. While he was department chair of educational leadership at Indiana University, Ed had written a very fine historical survey, Moral Education in America (Columbia University, 1999). It ought to be required reading for anyone interested in how America has sought to shape the character of each new generation of citizens. My first born, T. Elijah Hawkes ’97, and I have done some writing together about failed education reforms—in the context of John Dewey’s progressive philosophy. (Miracles and Monstrosities: John Dewey the Fate of Progressive Education; Schools: Studies in Education, Spring 2013, U Chicago Press.)

“Late in ’13,” Glenn continues, “I had an opportunity to visit with Al Williams and meet his wife, Wendy, up from Maryland on some family business in the Boston area where I live. Al and I have corresponded a bit, but not seen one another for five decades. He’s in better shape than I—it must be from the mild winters down there in the DC area! I remain in touch with Bob Hausman, who keeps plenty busy swimming, playing basketball, and constructing snow castles with his grandson in the abundance of Minnesota snow and cold.

“Classmates, please know that my second home in Rwanda (where we stay from May to September) is open to anyone wanting to visit in that part of the world, where the Nile and the human species both have their origin, not to mention the mountain gorillas, and the amazing regeneration of a people who lost so many and so much in 1994. (e-mail me at wardbrook@yahoo.com; also see centersforsocialresponsibility.org.)”

Brad Beechen has retired again, this time from a five-year stint as an usher at Wrigley Field. “More time for golf and travel in the plan,” he explains, “Mary Jane and I will drive to Louisville in late May to visit Vicki and June Prince, and to renew an annual golf-trophy competition that began in 1989. We’re grateful every day for continuing good health; 75’s not so bad at all.”

Phil Rodd is still working at a second career as travel director for an international travel company. Last year he took tourists to see the sights in locations as far flung as San Diego to Bar Harbor, Maine. “Yellowstone is still my favorite spot to visit…I encourage all of you out there to see it at least once.”

Russell Robertson wrote: “Had a nice lunch with Ernie Marino about a month ago. Great discussion re: value of a Wesleyan education, our shared participation on the football team our senior year, and when we were roommates at Penn Dental School in 1962. Arthritis is limiting my trekking efforts and will end with a trip to Slovenia and Bhutan. Biking, strangely enough, does not bother my knees too much—hope to participate in the Mass. Challenge—Jimmy Fund event this August.” As a side note, Russ adds: “In the early 1980s I removed a large cancer of the parotid gland in a 10-year-old boy. The five-year survival for such a tumor is pretty grim. Today he is 45, has three kids, and is a successful IT person! I plan to be next to him at the Mass. Challenge in August.

To all classmates who have kindly submitted messages to your class secretary, please be patient, keep tuned, and your generous words will eventually be published. To all others, start tapping those computer keys!

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS | jon@magendanz.com

Recent literary contributions from classmates have enhanced this class notes report, providing us with sufficient and gratifying updates. Pete Dybwad shows his own personal ecstasy, writing: “Life remains great. Still working, because I love what I do, and still living in Berkeley, because it’s 70 degrees outside in mid-March.”

Who could have guessed, as your class secretary is scratching away at his viola while viewing the audience before him, that a familiar Wesleyan face would appear? In his own words: “Bob Johnson writes that he has seen Jon Magendanz several times in Venice, Fla., as a violist in the remarkable Venice Symphony. A man of many talents, Jon contributes his musical talent to this renowned southwestern Florida symphony of more than 70 instrumentalists. Bob is also planning to see Jan Westerman, in Long Beach, Calif., during a visit to California later this year. Bob and his wife Suzanne live seven months each year in Nokomis, Fla. (just north of Venice), and the other five months in Pocahontas, Pa. (Two American Indians maidens—quite a coincidence.) They are both members of their Florida church choir, where his wife also solos and assists in directing as requested. He is vice president of his country club and is co-chairman of Men to Men, the organization for men with prostate cancer, providing support, guidance, and education. This September, Bob and Suzanne are planning a 16-day safari trip to Tanzania and Kenya, after which Bob will have visited 48 countries (mostly on business). He reports that ‘retirement is good. Only those who do not go outside their doors are not busy and active. Here’s to the future!’”

Terry Allen just cannot seem to capture the concept of retirement. In apology, he writes: “I know I should be retired, but I am now running three companies (Terry’s Tips, Da Vinci Body Board, and Coffee Can Investing) and just finished writing a book called Coffee Can Investing: Why Everything You Believe About Financial Planning Is Probably Wrong (in 2014).” Terry plans to take two two-week hiking trips in Europe this year, because he cries: “Otherwise, I’m just bored. Life is good!”

Dan Elliott writes: “Great time in the past year visiting my daughter, Maggie ’06, in Boston while she pursues her juvenile justice PhD at Tufts and my niece, Jessie Morris Adams ’04, and her husband Bryan ’04, in Nashville, while Jessie pursues a Vanderbilt PhD. Other (non-Wes-kid) visits have been to Germany where my son, Tim, works for Fuji Health Systems assisting roadside bomb victims from Iraq and Afghanistan; my son, Peter, in Nashville as a Vanderbilt athletic trainer and my son, Dan III, who is Obama’s chair of the Surface Transportation Board. Old age is fun with all of these accomplished progeny.”

Nancy and Paul Dickson’s son, Alex, was married last July 4th to Caitlyn Schnure. “Wesleyan celebrants at this wonderful event,” writes Paul, “included Tim Bloomfield, Doug Evelyn ’63, and Brian Murphy ’64. Alex’s brother Andrew Dickson ’95 was the officiant who performed the wedding ceremony.” Paul’s latest book Authorisms—Words Wrought by Writers was published by Bloomsbury USA on April 23, 2014, William Shakespeare’s 450th birthday.

Robert Hammond writes: “Still enjoying retirement, seven months in Florida, five in Rhode Island. Carol and I are enjoying Vermont’s late snow. We Nordic (cross country) ski on community trails that cross our back field, and Alpine (downhill) at Pico and other areas. We have a seasonal ‘camp’ in the Adirondacks.”

George Little provides us with a multi-faceted update: “I retired from clinical medicine when I reached 40 years of attending call as a pediatrician/neonatologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. I miss the clinical and teaching team care of babies and their parents, but not the night and weekend call. It was time to step aside for those younger. Carol retired from her clinical and faculty position as a child development specialist. We are now enjoying our first grandchild and commuting to Oregon from Vermont to provide granny-care. Ellis was born in October. His mom is a pediatrician. I continue to have more than enough to do and am very involved in global pediatrics through and with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), a neonatal resuscitation program for resource limited areas is my main focus. I’m bookending my career in Malawi, where I served as a Peace Corps physician in the 1960s and now mentor the HBB program there. I’ve been to many countries, mainly in Africa and the Middle East. Carol and I have done training together in Mozambique, Sudan (Khartoum), and Kenya, as well as Malawi. Bob Carey, Jack Woodbury, and I, along with spouses, have enjoyed getting together since our last Reunion. We’re planning on Montreal via the Adirondacks this summer. I see Dom Squatrito and Carla quite regularly. Enough. Thanks, Jon, for getting us to submit info.”

Classmates’ submission of material that did not appear in this column’s publication will appear in the next issue. Thank you for your patience and please, keep writing.

Jon K. Magendanz, DDS |jon@magendanz.com
902 39th Avenue West, Bradenton, Fl 34205