Tag: 1969

John Fenner “is still practicing law in Hollywood, Fla., specializing in business divorces.”

From Jeff Wohkittel: “Check unpsouth.com for my latest book. Sincere condolences to all affected by class losses.”

Cilla and Rick Pedolsky “wish you peace and happiness in 2019.”

Bill Sketchley asked “guests to wear silly hats to his February birthday.”

Bill Eaton has “lived with diabetes over three decades but will be at Reunion. I teach psychiatric epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. While instructing in Barcelona, I visited Sagrada Familia, which feels like a forest inside. My kind of cool church.”

Dave Dixon, FAIA, “speaks widely on successful suburbs, highlighting smart, opportunistic choices for the way many of us live.”

Tony Mohr “attended the family’s annual Christmas reunion in San Miguel de Allende. I try lots of cases but think of retiring and part-time judging. Glint published an essay, ‘The Last Honors Class.’”

Jim Adkins “went to Peru on a medical team assisting children and adults with cleft palates. The Wicked Witch said, ‘The last to go will see the first three go before her.’ It stinks either way, but I would rather watch and wait.”

Denny Marron is “the Ralph Kramden of the shoreline, driving senior buses in Madison and Guilford, Conn.”

Jim Wisdom sent a Tibetan proverb: “The secret to living well and longer: eat half, walk double, laugh triple, love without measure.”

Nick Browning still “enjoys full-time psychotherapy, where I feel solid and competent most of the time. Hope delusions haven’t taken over. I visited Gordy Holleb in Berkeley. His illness has hurt his walking and talking, but not his recognition and comprehension. It was good to see him. Our infant grandson is a sustaining joy. We bought a house in Woodstock, Vt. Many blessings and few complaints.”

Pete Pfeiffer is “Maine’s reigning Logger of the Year, and I hope this is my last, dangerous, winter campaign. I’m holed up next to a woodstove. Wind howling. Snow piling up. A Jack London day.  A new book is percolating, and my memoir, Hard Chance, is considered ‘a minor classic’ by noted reviewer C. Edward Farrow.”

Steve Knox is “still working and looking forward to seeing everyone at Reunion.”

Tom Earle is “finishing a 45-year career teaching English at the Punahou School in Honolulu. Maj and I will travel off season to avoid crowds.”

Peter Arenella doesn’t “miss law school teaching as much as I thought I would. I read, listen to music, and grandfather. It took a long time to listen to my heart. Our daughters have wonderful partners. Our handicapped son lives in an adult group home and works fulltime at a restaurant. He’s happy and stable. Mia and I will move to Mexico as our home there is almost finished.”

Stu Blackburn just published The History Wars. From the noted reviewer: “This is a fine novel, rewarding the reader with both joy and sorrow. If you were entertained by Paul Scott’s The Jewel in the Crown, you will find resonance in Blackburn’s writing.”

Bernie Freamon wrote, “I am pleased to report that I have had a very successful career as a law professor at Seton Hall Law and as a litigator for the ACLU and other organizations and clients. In recent years I have concentrated on research and writing on the topic of slavery and Islamic law. I have a book coming out on June 27, 2019, in sha’Allah, entitled Possessed by the Right Hand: The Problem of Slavery in Islamic Law and Muslim Cultures, to be published by Brill. I urge everyone to buy it. I intend to attend the 50th Reunion and I look forward to seeing old friends and classmates.”

Mark Johnson wrote in with an update about the artist Momodou Ceesay ’70. Momodouspent some time traveling in Sierra Leone and was in Senegal for their biennial art show last summer. Here is a serigraph from 2011 entitled The Stroll.

Michael Fairchild wrote in: “We are all well and healthy. Son Scott and his girlfriend Joan had a terrific 2018. They finished off the year with a vacation to Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam—where they had some suits made, took a sunset cruise on the Mekong, and rode elephants. Scott and Joan also swam with whale sharks, kissed manatees, and rode dolphins on their other vacation to Isla Mujeres in Mexico.

“When Scott and Joan weren’t vacationing, they were living their normal lives in D.C. Scott was fighting the good fight on Capitol Hill as chief of staff for Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. At the end of the year he started a new endeavor—as the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The main objective of his new position is to help the Democrats get elected to the Senate in 2020. Joan is continuing her work at Deloitte helping the government solve its many problems. They welcomed a new dog, Beta into their home. One sad note of the year was the passing of their dog, Bristol. RIP.

“Daughter Marnie is enjoying her continuing work with major donors in New England, the mid-Atlantic and the Midwest for Amnesty International. She is thrilled to be able to keep her current role while moving to work in Manhattan while living in Brooklyn this April. Marnie traveled with a group of college friends to the west coast of Costa Rica early in 2018, and Tulum, Mexico, in May. She’s always looking for more recommendations for adventures. She loves all the work travel, and hopes to add a few new vacation destinations in the New Year.

“In April we took our first trip to Charleston, S.C., to visit our dear friends Corinne and David Ramage. They have become observant naturalists, learning so much about local flora and fauna. We enjoyed many visits to local swamps to watch and photograph the frenetic springtime courtship and nest building efforts of white egrets, anhingas, and great blue herons. Many of our favorite swamp creatures made their cameo appearances for our cameras, especially barred owls, alligators, and frogs. Corinne and David also took us to Beidler Forest through a controlled burn and later to Bear Island for bald eagles silhouetted by sunrise. To round out our experience, we took the early morning ferry to Fort Sumter for a dramatic raising of a huge American flag by all the children gathered together by the local park ranger. On this spot in April 12, 1861 the American Civil War officially started when Confederate shore batteries fired on this Union fort. We also had a chance to tour the historic part of Charleston and see some of the beautiful homes there. Everywhere we went we were so impressed with the hospitality and friendly nature of all the South Carolinians that we met.

“Michael continues to enjoy photography, still photographing weddings, portrait sessions, and public relations events. I also continue to teach on Fridays at a nearby elementary school in their science program. Our friends Steve and Irene gave us a wonderful birdfeeder that now attracts so many songbirds that I had never seen before in my neighborhood. I fitted out the feeder with two branches on either side so I was able to get tight close-ups of these colorful birds.

“For most of 2018, I was immersed in a project to assemble an audiovisual about North American wildlife and wilderness. This involved scanning hundreds of old Kodachromes and digging up faded national park brochures to work on the script. The project is 90% done.”

The list of those who say “hello” is long: Doug Bell, Barry Checkoway, Dave Driscoll, Jim Drummond, Steve Greenfield, Bruce Hartman, Ed Hayes, Mark Johnson, Steve Johnson, Ken Kawasaki, Charlie Morgan, Ric Peace, Barry Porster, Guillermo Prada-Silva, Dave Stevenson, Rick Vila, and John Wilson.

New England staggers after a terrible storm. Wind chills below zero. Widespread outages and damage. Old Saybrook is Never-never Land. The proximity of the River and Sound moderates the weather, some.

Mallards return to the estuary, looking for nesting sites, the water a protective moat. They move as if magnetized. We encourage the squirrels’ enmity with thistle feeders, which attract the smallest, brightest birds.

I make a gallon of leftovers’ soup every week. Right now—ham, carrots, celery, pasta, parsley, water, and a few stones. Neighbors come over with glass containers and offerings when called. “Blind faith,” one says.

I draw with ink and watercolor pencils. Sister Kate gave me a 72-color set. There is a sealed landfill nearby, a promontory, where I sketch Turtle Creek, North Cove, the Connecticut River, and Old Lyme shore.

Martin Luther King Day brings a flood of Wesleyan memories. Dr. King, John McGuire, the Vietnam War, George Creeger, Julian Bond, Washington marches. The desire for social justice, which began with my parents and Wesleyan fostered, is ceaseless.

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net
11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 

Jack Meier, Essex, remembers “wonderful Septembers when we arrived back in Middletown—the friendly smiles, feeling happy, and a little nervous. Claudia and I are contemplating warmer places. Our Reunion should have some good music and a counting of our blessings.”

Jim Adkins “is moving from the family home we built. Big, emotional task. Med school reunion, skiing, and diving in future.”

Darius Brubeck’s quartet is “performing in Poland, 60 years after my dad was the first jazz group to go behind the Iron Curtain. I was on the 1958 tour and debuted in Szczecin, so it’s quite personal.”

Andy Cohen is a “nephrologist at the Providence VA and teaches at Brown’s Alpert Medical School. Partially retired, I write op-eds for the Washington Post. Rich Kremer, Orrin Baird, and Andy Burka are friends, and I hope to see everyone at Reunion.”

Jim Weinstein “lives in Hollin Hills, Alexandria. Glass galore on half an acre. Left the heart of big cities for a more bucolic lifestyle. Still maintain a Dupont Circle office, ugh, to commute.”

Steve Knox “found Barlow’s Mother America Night enjoyable and interesting. Wish I had known him better.”

Al Cover is “now in Rockville, Md., to be closer to three grandkids.”

Alex Knopp “visited WWII museums and sites with son Andrew, who’s completing a D-Day screenplay. I serve on the Connecticut Retirement Security Board, which protects workers not covered by a savings’ plan. Still lecture at Yale Law and preside at Norwalk Public Library.”

Charlie Morgan’s “grandson, Jordan Chaussepied, and 414 other young men and women graduated Aug. 24 at Parris Island. Our country is in good hands.”

John Mihalec directs the class “to New York Times article about Gordy Crawford’s Olympics memorabilia collection. Search: private collector donates.”

Harold Davis is “alive and kicking. Do some board work to help inner-city youth. Hang out with grandson Julian. Life remains a blast.”

Barry Checkoway is “the Arthur Dunham Collegiate Professor of Social Work and Urban Planning at University of Michigan, where I direct programs addressing segregation and diversity in Detroit.”

Bill Sketchley “still enjoys West Palm Beach life. Health good. Still have my hair. Probably won’t make the 50th but best wishes to everybody, whether they attend or not.”

Jim Drummond is “back in private law practice and working on a novel with unprecedented momentum. I augment Austin’s fabled weirdness and support progressive causes. I’m in touch with Cliff Saxton ’68, my predecessor as Argus editor, as well as Jeff Richards and Bruce Hartman. I hope to make my first Reunion in 2019.”

Bob Watson “has retired from Columbia but keeps a private psychology practice. Super busy Jane promises to cut back. Daughter Joann is a psychology postdoc in Seattle. Son Mark is in business in Cartagena and getting married in January.”

Mac Thornton “transferred to Stanford the middle of our junior year. Still working, as I have a junior and senior in high school.” Mac and I share a Sept. 6, 1947 birthday.

Bruce Hartman has retired from law and published several novels, one, The Devil’s Chaplain.

John Bach believes “one major benefit of a liberal education is preparing people for lifelong partnerships and sustaining love.”

Mike Fink wrote, “Susan and I sold the family home and moved to a townhouse in Philly. Excited but so much stuff. The city is fun. Katey graduated cum laude from University of South Carolina, passed the boards, and is now a certified athletic trainer. We are dismayed by the tone of political discourse on all sides. This is not how a Republic should be.”

Jay Edelberg wrote, “After graduating from Wesleyan, I attended UConn dental and medical schools, getting both a DMD degree and an MD degree. I then did a residency in emergency medicine in Jacksonville, Fla., which I completed in 1978. I practiced in Jacksonville and St. Augustine for 29 years. We moved to Baton Rouge, La., in 2007 where I took a job as a medical officer for The Schumacher Group, providing leadership training, setting up trauma centers, and practicing emergency medicine. I practiced full-time as an emergency physician for nearly 40 years until November 2017 when illness forced me to stop. We moved back to Jacksonville, so I could receive care from Mayo Clinic there.

“Personally, I remarried in 1981 to Caral, and we have been married 38 years. Between us we have three kids. Erik ’91 is from my first marriage, 48, living with wife Amy and two grandchildren in Portland, Ore. He’s a PhD chemical engineer. Michael, 50, lives outside of Atlanta with wife Vicky and two grandkids and is CEO of a healthcare company. Tracey, 47, lives in Baton Rouge with a grandchild. We raised Tracey’s first two sons. Tyler is a rapper and musician. Josh is a senior at Southern University in Baton Rouge. Caral and I have been so blessed to have had the opportunity to raise them and attend Tyler’s performances and cheer on Josh as an all-star basketball and baseball player.

“On a personal note, I was diagnosed in 2014 with multiple myeloma, a type of bone cancer. After four rounds of chemotherapy, then a stem cell transplant, I was in full remission. But my disease is aggressive and has relapsed twice. But the oncologists at Ochsner (in Louisiana) and now Mayo in Jacksonville have enrolled me in clinical trials that seem to be working. I am lucky to be getting great medical care. I feel very blessed. I hope to attend our reunion in 2019, but that will depend on my health.”

Gail and Jim Martello “enjoy winters in Sarasota with daughter Jenny. See Patty and Paul Nimchek. Hi to all.”

Peter Pfeiffer wrote in after my deadline: “. . . an old friend gave Nick Browning and me tickets to seats right behind home plate in Fenway park last September. (Too bad I don’t follow baseball . . . and I was nominated for Logger of the Year which is quite an honor for a Maine woodcutter. We’ll find out in December if I won. Nick and I are both thinking of coming to Reunion. I’m sure there will be some interesting conversations there.”

Rainy, cold, fall morning. Pants and turtleneck for the first time in months. Carol and Maurice Hakim ’70 stop on their return from West Palm. We plan Thanksgiving at their historic manse in Clinton. Professor Buel has returned from a U.K. walking tour. A get-together with him, Phil Dundas ’70, and Rich Frost ’70 looms.

Finally, praise to Joe Reed, I open As I Lay Dying. Then Katy Butler ’71 for Knocking on Heaven’s Door, a memoir/polemic about her parents, Jeffery and Valerie Butler’s, final years. “Knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door. Knock, knock, knocking on heaven’s door.”

Love always,

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net

11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 

Don Jennings, who grew up in Old Saybrook but now lives in Sudbury, is looking for a second home near us. “I’ve been buying and selling stamps for decades and do some estate planning and zoning work.”

Steve Darnell watched the lacrosse game where Wesleyan became a national champ.

Jeff Richards “has three productions going—American Son, The Lifespan of a Face, and a national tour of Fiddler. I’m energized by the work and creative people.

“Saw Bill Edelheit, Peter Cunningham, and Harry Chotiner, also Alan Metzger ’68, Charles Irving ’70, Dave Rabban ’71, and Peter Michaelson ’71.”

Bill Sketchley’s “disability is discouraging but not fatal. I would enjoy more cultural events and state parks, maybe even Pat Kelly’s resort. I have a ramped van and hire drivers. Life’s expensive. Anybody know a good alternative to cash?”

Nick Browning’s first grandchild, a boy, arrived Mother’s Day. “I still play basketball several times a week, though my body regularly reminds me of its age.”

Doug Bell’s 1-year-old grandson is “a happy young man. I had breakfast with Harry Nothacker, who is a top Ironman athlete. Still friends with Curt Allen ’71, with whom I once played a lot of music.”

Pam and Rick McGauley “led a three-generation trip to Disney, with 4-, 5-, and 7-year-old grands. Everyone is still talking. After a long Cape winter, it’s gardening time. Daughter Louise and family are moving to town.”

Charlie Elbot “coaches school principals at educational workshops. My wife and I traveled to Yucatán and Canyon Badlands, Arches, and Monument Valley. Elliot Daum ’70 visited us in Denver.”

Tony Mohr reports, “All’s well in the courtroom. Beve and I spent three weeks in Japan, no agenda other than hanging out.”

Charlie Morgan “lives in Bonita Springs. We visit New Jersey to see three children and nine grandchildren. I’m busy with insurance consulting and running the Hungerford Family Foundation. Play tennis almost every day.”

John Bach “continues tilting at windmills. Now it’s the nuclear arms race.”

Jim Adkins “works part-time as an ENT doc and plays trombone and euphonium every week. My wife of 41 years has pulmonary problems. Daughter and grandkids, 4 and 7, spent summer here. Kids running around the house is a trip.”

Steve Knox “is practicing law and collecting grandchildren.” Both he and Ron Reisner “enjoyed the Wesleyan men’s basketball golf outing in June. After greetings from Coach Kenny, we joined Dick Emerson ’68 and Pat Dwyer ’67, Jack Sitarz, Brian Silvestro ’70, Bob Woods ’70, Joe Summa ’71, and Jim Akin ’72. Great Wes day.”

Steve Mathews “saw Dave Nelson and Bill Currier. Witnessed the eclipse with Jim Weinstein. Did an American Cruise Line tour of the Revolutionary War sites around Chesapeake Bay. Best to all intrepid ’69ers.”

Steve Hansel looks forward to Reunion next year. “Right now, I’m chairing Eclectic Investment Management.”

Alex Knopp “completed my 11th year as a visiting clinical lecturer at Yale Law School. I’m president of the Norwalk Public Library. Bette finished her first novel. Daughter Jess teaches in the child development center at Norwalk Community College. Son Andrew writes scripts for made-for-TV movies.”

Pete Pfeiffer writes, “The years have not been kind to our class. So many friends have passed or are passing slowly into the twilight.”

Rameshwar Das gardens, leads meditations, and works with wife Kate Rabinowitz ’83 promoting art and wellness for school children through the annalyttonfoundation.org.

Kate and Barry Turnrose “celebrated our 48th anniversary. Steven Crites married us. Dave Farrar, Harry Nothacker, and Ron Reisner the groomsmen.”

Visakha and Ken Kawasaki sent greetings and news from their Buddhist Relief Mission.

John de Miranda taught at Nanjing Foreign Language School as part of a UC Berkeley program.

Siegfried Beer “retired from ACIPPS, the only organization of its kind in the world, ending a 40-year career at the University of Graz. Wesleyan was a major influence in my life.”

David Siegel “teaches medical students as part of an emeritus position at UC, Davis.”

Ian Vickery writes, “Deep in the Ozark forest, surrounded by children, grandchildren, turkeys, deer, and bear, it seems a million miles from Middletown. There is another life, and we are living it.”

Jeff Wanshel writes, “Went up to Memorial Chapel on March 27 to attend a celebration of the life and work of late great poet/translator Richard Wilbur MA’58 Hon.’77. While at Wesleyan (’57-’77) Dick won the Pulitzer and National Book Award and co-founded Wesleyan University Press. His graceful Moliere translations were performed everywhere.  An unfailingly kind man and generous teacher, Dick nevertheless did his damndest to set writing students on the good path (excellence). I was lucky enough to take courses from him twice.

“Poetry at the time was broadly divided into two camps, so-called ‘academics,’ where Dick was perhaps paramount, and such wild men as Ginsberg, Creeley, and O’Hara (the ‘new poetry’). Dick was friends with all, negotiating these mined straits with unflappable ease. And soon Wes Press, under Dick’s guidance, pioneered a third way, exemplified by Robert Bly’s ‘Silence in the Snowy Fields’ and James Wright, a poetry observant of nature and ‘things of this world,’ but newly open to the ‘deep image’ of Spanish-language poets such as Neruda and Vallejo. David Orr, reviewing Dick’s final collection, Anteroomsin the New York Times, wrote that Dick had ‘spent most of his career being alternately praised and condemned for the same three things’— for his formal virtuosity; for his being, ‘depending on your preference, courtly or cautious, civilized or old-fashioned, reasonable or kind of dull’; and finally for his resisting a tendency in American poetry toward ‘conspicuous self-dramatization.’

“As the celebrants ably demonstrated, reading his work and reminiscing, Dick is warmly remembered, and his poetry much more than ‘holds up.’”

John Barlow’s life was celebrated in April at San Francisco’s Barlow Memorial Weekend—his graduation from meatspace.

John Boynton, whose twin, Ralph, died last spring, is a principal at The Townsend Group, raising capital for investment products that reflect his global vision.

Maurice Hakim ’70 and wife Carol are restoring an historic home in Clinton, Conn. We do something together almost every week.

John Mergendoller ’68 visited as part of his 50th. He has retired from educational consulting to pursue musicmaking.

Celebrated 49th anniversary. Will never catch Gordy and Dona. Wes is where it began. Can’t/wouldn’t change anything. Eggs Benedict at Mersina’s. Cut flowers in odd vases for condo friends. So glad summer is here.

Love to all,

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net

11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 

Sadly, we got word that John Perry Barlow passed away in February. John dressed as what he was, a Wyoming cowboy who instinctively knew the future, whether in music, science fiction, or politics. Writer, poet, activist, Grateful Dead lyricist, Kennedy confidante, Internet pioneer. From Mitch Kapor’s jet he wrote, “Accept nothing. Big Brother exists. Act up.” One of John’s few societal concessions—his forever love for his daughters, Amelia, Anna, and Leah, the Barlowettes.

Steve Broker “heads the Connecticut Ornithological Association, studying peregrine falcons and ravens in Connecticut, and marsh birds on Cape Cod. Brother Tom ’66 and I are exhibiting our collection of cast iron banks in Roanoke.”

Tom Earle wondered “How many of us are still working, how many retired?”

Jerry Martin “shifted gears toward eventual retirement. Still sending my best students to Wes. Grandson Luther is a highly literate Vermont farmer. I look forward to Homecoming with daughter Lyllah ’99 and classmates. Best to all.”

Ron Reisner was “back for Herb Kenny’s tournament and looks forward to lacrosse in the spring and the June golf outing. I talked with roommate Harry Nothacker and feel amazingly well 50 years removed from playing. I’m involved in the discussion of the interplay of the athletic and admission programs. Wes should have diverse ethnicities, religions, and some athletes, too.”

Denny Marron said, “Hi to Wes Tech friends, many Eclectics. Living well in Madison with wife Jo-Ann and retired from the electronics industry. I drive the senior bus. Daughter Dana, son-in-law Peter, and three grandchildren live in Marblehead.”

Alex Knopp is “on the Connecticut Transportation Policy Advisory Council, looking at long-range issues. Visited California and Upstate New York. Hope all is well with Class of ’69ers.”

David Siegel wrote, “Our per capita health costs far exceed most other countries, with worse results. We are going in the wrong direction. I support Medicare for all and work with physicians for a national health program.”

Maurice Hakim ’70 said, “In fall 1969, Wes football was undefeated, won the Lambert Cup, and qualified for the Boardwalk Bowl. That legendary season impressed Bill Belichick ’75 and led him to Wes.”

Cheryl and Jeff Powell “reside in New London, N.H. I’m retired from internal medicine, but continue to work at the local hospital, seeing former patients and colleagues. Three grandchildren—5, 11, and 14. We sail coastal Maine and rendezvous with Vickie and Rob Pratt.”

Darius Brubeck “started the year at Ronnie Scott’s in London. We’re working on a PBS jazz documentary. I planned to slow down, but will be playing in Poland, Italy, and the UK.”

Bob Berkowitz is “professor emeritus of psychiatry and pediatrics at UPenn and CHOP. Still active in behavioral health, research, instruction, and clinical care for kids. Hope to be at Reunion. Celebrated 47 years with Barbara.”

Tony Mohr wrote, “All well here. Made it through the fires, just outside the evacuation zone of the Skirball Fire. Working on an environmental case in the California Court of Appeals.”

John Bach was “moved by Bill Sketchley’s submission, remembering Bill’s marvelously wry sense of humor.”

Frank Putnam is “a professor of psychiatry at UNC. Recent book, The Way We Are, doing well. Learning to make YouTube videos is an interesting exercise packaging science for millennials.”

Doug Bell “enjoys first grandchild, Dawson. I’m grateful for good health and friends. I would be happy to share insights into ketogenic diets, fasting, vitamins, lectins, and sugar if contacted.”

Howard Brown “saw John Mihalec at 50th Reunion planning session. Looking forward to that.”

Jim Adkins “reported temperatures in the 50s in Clearwater and have lived in Palm Harbor since 1984.”

From Cilla and Rick Pedolsky: “May you live in interesting times. We hope 2018 includes lots of caring, curiosity, joy, justice, love, liberation, wit, and wisdom.”

Steve Greenfield “lives in Minneapolis, married to Kit Hansen for 48 years. Family live close. My retirement project is traveling to see birds and nature all over the world. Have periodic contact with Jeff Smith, Bob Davis, and Steve Gleich.”

Ken Elliott reported “a very cold winter in rural Maine. I’m on the faculty at UM Augusta, but have suspended active clinical practice. I’m going to the Czech Republic on a teaching exchange, building bridges between UM and Technical University of Liberec. Looking forward to the 50th.”

Pete Pfeiffer wrote, “On the road in my pick-up, drifting around the U.S., looking for an alternative to logging in the North Woods. Haven’t found it yet.”

I attended Homecoming with Jimmy Dreyfus, Rip Hoffman, and Rick McGauley. Great day. Campus a jeweled Eden. So much open, honest friendship and love. And Wes crushed Williams.

Late January brings snow. We walk to Mersina’s for lunch. Deb has a burger. I have grilled salmon over wilted spinach, napped with olive oil, lemon, and oregano. Returning, we read the menu at Penny Lane Pub, window shop at the bookstore, buy bouquets and scented candles at the florist, and laugh at the subdued snowblowers in front of the hardware. In the condo, Seth Glier sings from the boombox and a vegetable soup hides in the crockpot. If any of this sounds good, we have a spare bedroom.

Love always,

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net

11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 

Jim Weinstein “saw Suzie and Steve Mathews in Nashville, while I viewed the eclipse. Met their son Topper, daughter Amanda, and two grandchildren. I’ll be singing a Christmas concert at the Kennedy Center. Presents to myself for my 70th—travel to Caribbean, Dordogne, Southeast Asia, Pacific Northwest—still to come, Dubai, Maldives, and northern lights in Alaska. Blessed to love my work, yet be flexible to go when and where I want.”

Bill Sketchley said, “Peripheral neuropathy claims my body. I don’t recommend it. Docs say I have an extremely advanced case. Too bad for me. Mind and spirit still high. ‘Simple is fast’ was my sailing motto. It’s also true in life. Best wishes and would love to hear from classmates.”

Harry Nothacker’s “first grandchild, Pierce Hudson Nothacker, was born in San Francisco to son Keith and his wife, Theresa. All doing well on limited sleep.”

Rich Frost “retired five years ago after 35 years of internal medicine in northern New York. Saw polar bears in Svalbard. I write regional history and travel columns. A novel, Final Season, about a man who rejects treatment for a potentially fatal disease to follow a favorite baseball team around the country, is on Amazon.”

Doug Bell’s “Palm Harbor house suffered minimal damage. Very blessed. Many wonderful first responders, EMTs, police and fire, utility workers. Thank you. So many inspire me. I’ve had a good life and hopefully more to come. Babysit for our 4-month-old grandson.”

Steve Knox and his wife “bought a small house in Montford, N.C. Will retire there to be closer to daughters Caroline ’03 and Susannah. Did the spectacular train ride from Banff to Vancouver.”

Pete Pfeiffer wrote, “Just a few big tree stumps up here. With all the natural disasters, Maine looks kind of okay. Have been planning a trip around the U.S. this winter. I should keep my thoughts to myself because I think about a place and it gets wiped out. Saw Milt Christianson at a lovely soirée.”

John Bach “works with Harvard students affected by rescinding of DACA. We all are where we belong. The final curtain approaches with joys/sorrows, triumphs/defeats. I sometimes don’t know one from the other, but they are what make us wealthy, the living manifestations of the Wesleyan experience.”

Tony Mohr “attended Bread Loaf in Erice, Sicily, a medieval hilltop village. Writing and workshops. I’m about to start a medical malpractice trial.”

Bill Schroder’s blog, yourinnerrhino.com, “has over 1,000 posts. New art and ideas. A rewarding experience.” Check it out. It will make you laugh and think.

From Rameshwar Das, “The annalyttonfoundation.org is thriving. Wife Kate Rabinowitz ’83 studies for an MSW at NYU. I’m working on a book with Ram Dass, leading meditation classes, and heading to India to put a plug in the wall. Celebrated Jeff Wanshel’s 70th at his place overlooking Long Island Sound.”

John Mihalec’s Reunion idea: “Show us the applications we made to Wes, especially the essay. What did we think of ourselves and futures 50 years ago?”

Alice and Ed Hayes  “cope in D.C., which is a very entertaining political circus. Traveled to Venice, Florence, and Rome to find the fountain of youth. Still looking. Come to D.C. and witness the fun.”

Sue and Paul Melrose and Wendy and Fred Coleman help raise money for The River Food Pantry in Madison, Wis.

Jim Dreyfus, with Norton Rose Fulbright, was honored as a tax specialist by Super Lawyers.

Pete Arenella said, “I hope all is well with you and yours.”

Early fall. Red and yellow in the trees. Poison ivy vines bright red. Las Vegas shooting is today’s headline. I remember the Texas Tower sniper. Bad, bad news. Hurricanes, devastation in the Caribbean, saber-rattling. We question the world we are leaving to children and grandchildren.

We enjoy a gilded life. A cozy condo, water aerobics, good friends, decent health, enough money, wide sidewalks, senior activities. Kit Reed died last week. Including her husband Joe, I took eight classes with them. They were lifelong friends. Not many left from our era—Herb Arnold, Jerry Wensinger, Karl Scheibe, Pete Pringle, and a few others.

Always love,

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net

11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475 

Visakha and Ken Kawasaki’s “Don’t know Whether to Laugh or Cry,” is posted at brelief.org. They have maintained a level of humility and compassion longer than most.

Bob Dombroski said, “Anita and I spent the winter in South Carolina lowcountry. Daughter Ariel is at Columbia pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. Back to Traverse City, Mich. Check out the new biography of Richard Wilbur. I remember him as a teacher and neighbor in Portland.”

Lynne and Bryn Hammarstrom are “both retired, living on a side-hill farm in Tioga County, Pa. Active in blocking chemo-fracking. Can’t stop it, but try to make it less damaging to air and water. Daughters live in Greensboro, N.C.”

Harry Nothacker urges classmates to read the op-ed by President Michael Roth ’78 in The Wall Street Journal from May 11.

Pete Pfeiffer “hopes my black-sheepish behavior won’t hurt our class image. Politics is exciting these days. Nobody has any idea where we’re headed.”

Bill Demicco “retired after 47 years in medicine. Living in an old farmhouse in Maine. Painting watercolors, but undiscovered. Still married to Marie. In touch with Phil Wallas.”

Tom Earle is a “grandfather of three. Spent Christmas in Australia. June in Italy with wife’s Norwegian family. Recommend SPQR by Mary Beard for Roman history. Aloha.”

Ron Reisner “retired from New Jersey’s Superior Court after 15 years as a trial judge. Now part-time with a large North Jersey firm. Saw Wes beat Tufts in lacrosse. Played golf with Dick Emerson ’68, Pat Dwyer ’67, Jack Sitarz, Jim Martello, Bob Woods ’70, and Fran Spadola, who lives at Pine Wild Golf Course in Pinehurst, N.C., and other 1960s Dekes at the basketball golf outing.”

Paul Melrose sent photos on Facebook.

Steve Knox’s “daughter, Caroline ’03, gave birth to Jensen Knox Lindow on February 26, the first Knox boy of the new generation. Always a good turnout from our era at the men’s basketball golf outing.”

Fran and Paul Dickman “toured North and South Cyprus, focusing on archaeology. Multiple sites. Neolithic, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, French, and Ottoman buildings and ruins. Reducing my pediatric pathology work.”

Tony Mohr’s “60s are behind now, age as well as decade. Just finished a messy trial between mother and son. My essay, Rainy Day Schedule, is in an anthology of California writers—Golden State 2017.”

Alex Knopp “looks forward to 10th year of teaching in the Yale Law School Clinic, fifth year with NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and second year as president of the Norwalk Library. Wife Bette finished her first time-travel novel.”

Patty and Paul Nimchek send “congratulations to Jim Martello, who was inducted into the Wesleyan Baseball Wall of Fame. Jim’s 16-inning 1-0 shutout of Amherst was one of the night’s highlight stories. Jack Sitarz driving in Greg Wrobel was the difference.”

John Bach had a letter to the editor in The Nation.

Charlie Morgan “helped found the Hungerford Family Foundation, a genealogical association. I edit the Hungerford World Tree, which placed second at the National Genealogical Association conference in Raleigh. I am also an officer of the Mayflower Descendants and the Myles Standish Colony.”

Carol and Maurice Hakim ’70 bought an antique home in nearby Clinton. We get together for dinner and evenings out. They maintain a residence in Palm Beach Gardens. Maurice has a bottling plant in Toronto for his organic tea products, while Carol works in commercial real estate. Their daughter, Alexandra, lives in NYC and works for Omni Communications.

Darius Brubeck’s “granddaughter Lydia Elmer ’17 graduated Phi Beta Kappa.”

Bob Watson “has a new hip and resumed running. Daughter Joanna is a graduate intern at Yale-New Haven. Son Mark is in Cartagena, where he manages property and is opening a restaurant.”

Don Logie ’68 wrote, “There’s a September American Bar Association Journal article describing Jamie Kalven’s efforts to expose and combat what appears to be rampant police brutality in Chicago. Many years ago Jamie completed a law book started by his late father, constitutional law professor Harry Kalven.”

Doug Bell’s company “harvested 550 acres of hemp, whose CBD is not intoxicating. Skype me at Douglassbell.”

Bill Schroder’s blog, “YourInnerRhino.com going well. Close to 1,000 posts.”

John Wilson “works for Karma Automotive in California. First car delivered. First grandchild (son) arrived January. Visited him in Barcelona in March. Great trip. Best to all.”

David Siegel said, “After 22 years of college tuitions, sent in last payment. Attended son Leon’s graduation from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Retirement beckons.”

Steve Broker and Linda MAT ’71 enjoyed “Utah and Arizona with Louise and Tom ’62. Zion, Lake Powell, Bryce Canyon, and Colorado River.”

From Mike Fink: “Jenni, 25, lives in NYC, reports for IJR.com. Youngest, Katie, is a senior at the University of South Carolina. Oldest, Becca, still involved with competitive cheerleading. Whirlwind world keeps us young.”

Always love,

Charlie Farrow | charlesfarrow@comcast.net

11 Coulter Street, #16, Old Saybrook, CT 06475