Tag: 1964

Here is some news and updates from ’64ers.

David Skaggs writes: “Three-quarters of the legendary white-shoe law firm POSH (Puner, Oleskey, Skaggs & Howard) convened at Jim Howard’s home in LA in March. Nick couldn’t make it, but Steve, Jim, and I had a splendid weekend together. The law firm never actually existed, but our imagination of it has been rich. My wife Laura and I attended the opening of a wonderful exhibit of paintings by Stan Lewis ’63 in May at the Betty Cunningham Gallery in NYC. Stan was his usual irrepressible self, held in some check by his lovely wife Karen. Much reminiscence about times Smith and Wes chorus and glee club sang together under the direction of Dick Winslow and Iva Dee Hyatt.”

Ken Woodrow shares: “I’ve spent most of my post-Wes life in Northern California, practicing psychiatry and teaching at Stanford. While my wife Wendy and I do a little more traveling, I’m not quite ready to retire yet.

“My daughter Laura, also graduated Wesleyan in 1997 and is now practicing osteopathic medicine in Marin, California.”

From Russ Messing: “I am now officially retired from at least 40 years of being a clinical psychologist. Now I spend my time writing poetry. I am currently writing my fifth book of poetry, all self-published. (I am more than willing to send copies of them to anyone who asks.) I love writing (my senior thesis at Wesleyan was cleverly entitled “Eight Short Stories”).  Thank-yous to Joe and Kit Reed for supporting me in my first creative writing endeavors!

“These days I spend my Saturday mornings selling my award-winning olive oil at the Healdsburg Farmers Market—oil from our olive orchard of over 700 trees. Over 45 years ago my wife Arlene and I moved up to Sonoma County into a 30 x 30 log cabin (red-painted redwood logs and tin roof) onto a piece of remote land with a good-sized pond, redwoods, oak, and madrone. (We still split our own wood for our woodstove.) In the ensuing years we (Arlene is the visionary and the doer of this ‘project’) have created a true paradise—enlarging the house, having our two children born on the land, hosting kids from Synergy School (the elementary school that I co-founded in San Francisco) for their annual week of ‘Farm School.’ Now in my dotage, and no longer being a ‘shrink,’ I continue to write. I am a super-proud grandpa of six incredible ‘kids’ ranging from 21 to 4, and am embraced, taught, and supported by my/our three adult children.

“Right now a west wind sways the trees.”

Hello ’64ers! Several folks have some news to share:

Jon Wilbrecht says: “We moved to Jacksonville, Oregon, this year to be closer to our daughters’ families. I’m still able to do business consulting in Minneapolis while enjoying all southwest Oregon has to offer.”

Chris Chase writes: “Name your animal—mole, squirrel, chipmunk, whatever—that seeks refuge in a burrow, hole, or tree cavity when danger presents itself. Just so, Karen and I have sequestered in our CCRC at Kendal in Hanover as the pandemic rages on. A pity: so many interesting people to talk with, so many stimulating things to do (e.g., concerts, writing, and study groups), but all cut to a minimum for safety’s sake. Still, one can still read. And discussions on the state of the world take place via email and phone. Karen finds an outlet through involvement in New Hampshire politics; I by singing in a local church choir. Trying not to worry overmuch about our grandson’s future; we are grateful for what we have.”

Brian Murphy notes: “Still alive, living in California—land of sun and little rain. Pretty lazy in general—enjoy getting out and seeing the varied wildlife in the area (e.g., wild pigs, burrowing owls, sea otters, golden and bald eagles, marsh wrens, dancing Western grebes, and pocket gophers). My wife Ginny is well, and our two daughters live in the area. Hope all of you are well!”

From Russ Messing:  “My big news is that I: just finished my fourth book of poetry, In the Corner of the Afternoon; have retired from being a clinical psychologist; am happy as a clam living in the wooded hills west of Healdsburg, California (the fires came right to the edge of our property!); still go to the gym 3-4 days a week; have the greatest family; and laugh a lot.”

Peter Stenberg writes: “News from Canada:  In October 2021 I had a two-hour webinar conversation with the foremost Icelandic author and filmmaker, Sjon.  Look for his film, Norse Man, which will be coming out soon.  Also of interest is his film Lamb, which came out in autumn 2021, and his new novel, Red Milk (2021), about the rise of neo-Nazism in Iceland in the 1960s.”

Bruce Kirmmse divides his time between Copenhagen and Randolph, New Hampshire. His translation of Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling was published by Liveright/Norton in November 2021, and the same press will publish his translation of Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death early in 2023.

Tom Frosch, emeritus professor of English at Queens College, has recently published articles on Blake’s “Book of Thel,” Shakespeare’s As You Like It, and Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day. He has also recently self-published two books of poetry, Trickster in New York and The Storytellers. Kirkus Reviews wrote that the former was “a dizzying and gleeful tour de force” and “a carnival of poetic storytelling that will grab readers’ attention from the first page and never let go” and that the latter was “a large-minded and well-crafted collection by an expert storyteller.” Both are available on Amazon.  Tom’s wife of 46 years, Mary, was for 32 years head of English at the Spence School; edited three anthologies of multicultural short fiction; and, since retirement, has been a teaching consultant at the East Harlem Tutorial School and the Dalton School. Tom and Mary divide their time between the Upper West Side of Manhattan and Santa Monica. Of their two sons, Dan is a national news reporter for The Wall Street Journal, and Jon ’02 is reviews editor and movie reviewer for The Hollywood  Reporter.  Dan’s reporting was made into a prizewinning PBS Frontline documentary, Predator on the Reservation, and Jon has twice won the annual award for best film criticism in Southern California.  There are two grandsons, Zevi, 4, and Ezra, 6 months. Zevi plans to be a fireman, and Ezra plans to chew up everything he can get in his mouth, including his cloth books.

Editor’s note: We’re still searching for a new class secretary! If you are interested, please email: classnotes@wesleyan.edu.

Robert Maurer writes: “I am happy to report that I have finally retired! I just completed 10 years working in group homes for developmentally and intellectually disabled adults. I say to anyone ‘listening’ that, as a nation, we truly need far more mental health advocates and practitioners.”