Tag: 1963

It is with sadness that I report the deaths of two of our classmates, Chris Rich and Bob Rideout.

Wesleyan received the following announcement regarding Chris: “Christopher Rich, age 82, of Burlingame, California, passed away on Thursday, February 8, 2024.” The most recent information I was able to find on Chris comes from his contribution to the Wesleyan 1980 Alumni Record, in which he reported that after graduation he had received a master of arts in teaching from Harvard, moved to Palo Alto, California, and was teaching at Palo Alto High School. He had married and had three children. Perhaps one of us had been in touch with him and can add to this.

Bob died on November 21, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio, at the age of 83. After graduation he joined the Central Intelligence Agency and later served in the U.S. Air Force. Subsequently, he received a master’s degree in international affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton. He served as one of “Nader’s Raiders” in the summer of 1968. In 1969, he began a career with the Federal Bureau of the Budget, that spanned six presidencies and 14 budget directors.

After retirement, Bob was ordained in the Episcopal Diaconate in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and served two churches in the Columbus area, as well as developed feeding programs for the underserved and school children. A more complete obituary may be found in the online version of this magazine.

I would much prefer to report on the activities of our active classmates; please contact me so I can write of your doings. I know that most, if not all, of us are retired, and that some of us are not enjoying good health, but I also know that news of you is welcome to your fellow classmates.

I received, through the good offices of Len Edwards, a notice that Stan Lewis had a show, Persistent Vision, at the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, over the summer.  It appears that our class has its fair share of artists; Don Sexton provided a list of our classmates who showed artwork at our 60th Reunion: Bob Travis, Byron Miller, Colby Andrus, Dan Snyder, George Tapley, Lew Whitney, Scott Wilson, Tom McKnight, and Don. He also said that he was sorry for the passing of Colby, who was a good friend, and he believed “Gerry Hirsch was also a quite good artist.” Don opened a show in Litchfield, Connecticut, in late August. He writes that he retired from Columbia eight years ago, and, besides his art, he does stand-up on Broadway. In his words: “Now, for the terrifying part: in the past, on a few occasions (very few) I have fronted a band. . . .  Nothing so cool as to watch the audience get up and start dancing as you sing—even if everyone is in their 80s. . . .”

Many of us will remember Dan Dennett, who left Wesleyan for Harvard after his freshman year.  The New York Times carried his obituary in April. Dan was a philosopher who wrote a number of books and articles on consciousness, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and evolutionary psychology. Both Jack Jarzavek and Bob Saliba ’62 were kind enough to notify me. In notifying me of Dan’s death, Jack noted that he still remembered a paper that Dan had written for the Integrated Program.

President Roth spoke at the Stockbridge, Massachusetts, library in connection with the release of his new book, The Student: A Short History. Don Sexton, Bob Siegle, Dan Hottenstein, and I attended. His talk on the subject was, to no one’s surprise, entertaining, learned, and witty. In the question-and-answer period, he spoke about Wesleyan’s response to the student protests in the spring. It was the consensus of the four of us that Wesleyan had dealt with the protest better than its peers. After the talk, we and our wives (except mine, who was conflicted out) had a terrific dinner at Bob and Rita’s house.

These mini-reunions are memorable—we should all try to keep in contact with our classmates. In that vein, please keep me posted on your various activities so I can pass them on in the next issue.