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AUGUST 2008
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/54/
PGBarker54@aol.com (203) 661-7611
pdf JOIE DE VIVRE!
An inordinate amount of time is expended by the newsletter staff in seeking or creating a headline which is compelling, amusing, controversial or somewhat related to the rest of the first page. This activity generally slows the publication of the newsletter considerably. For this issue, the editor considered: "Peace", "Relativity", "Great Issues" and "Superannuation". The last had a certain appeal (because of the "super"), but Webster's definition of "worn-out, obsolete, old-fashioned and outdated" was disturbing. The term might apply to the Class of 1953 and two or three of our guys, but not the Great Class of 1954. Reverse mode took me to what you see above: the joy of life - the zestful enjoyment of life! The pages of this letter will demonstrate the appropriateness of the choice. For future letters, you are invited to suggest headlines from which I will be happy to roll out the material in my ever-present pile of '54 communications.
"I met a man on the road from Marrakech to Casablanca"
So did JAY DAVIS begin his phone call on other Class matters, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to wax creatively about the '54 trip to Morocco. The team of JOHN FENN and DON BERLIN worked for two years to organize the gathering and, once again, the result was superb. Warming to her role as Exotic '54 Travel Stringer, KIT DEAN outdid herself:
"Thirty members of the Class of 1954 met in Seville, Spain on March 29 and boarded the Callisto, a small oceangoing ship that had hosted a memorable Greek island cruise some years ago. She even flew a D-54 flag! Almost all of those on that first cruise were back on board - some staying in their same cabins.
"On board were BOB and JEAN ADNOPOZ, DON and BARBARA BERLIN, RIP and CAROL COFFIN, JAY and MARTHA DAVIS, JOHN and NATALIE FENN, MORT and JUDY GALPER, RICK and ANNE HARTMAN, TOM and LIZ KELSEY, MANDY and ROSEMARY MANDELBAUM, DAVE and CHRISTA MARTIN, BILL and ROSEMARIE MURANE, BOB and PATTI OSMOND, DICK and JANE PAGE, HARRY and CAROL ROBINSON and TOM and KAY TYLER.
"First was a tour of Seville, then a trip down the river to the Mediterranean, docking Sunday night in Cadiz, Spain where BOB and KIT DEAN, who had plane connection problems, finally caught up with the ship.
"After a tour of Puerto Santa Maria where Columbus's main ship was built and through much of the gold of the New World was funneled, the Callisto set out for Morocco. Casablanca was the port, with bus trips to Marrakech, Rabat and tours of Casablanca. It was all fascinating. There were tiny hut villages and shepherds with flocks of sheep along the highway, living as they did thousands of years ago. Then in Marrakech there was a very modern development looking suspiciously like urban sprawl. We saw palaces, Roman ruins, the world's oldest university (200 years before Cambridge), gorgeous mosques with elaborate tile work, the Souk with a thousand craftsmen and at least a thousand motorbikes - many with lovely women in beautiful scarves and djellabas hanging on the back.
"Rabat was equally interesting - we explored the Kasbah and enjoyed a delightful Moroccan lunch - no belly dancers (only at dinner).
"A storm came up which delayed our departure. Everyone cheered the captain's decision not to take the small ship through the Straits of Gibraltar in really rough seas. JOHN FENN doled out the Dramamine and saw to a few falls while we enjoyed a delightful, relaxing day at sea.
"The final destination was Malaga with a trip to the Alhambra in Granada, Spain - the only Moorish governmental site preserved in the world. It was gigantic, fascinating - a World Heritage site - marvelous workmanship, full of fountains with water piped in from afar 1000 years ago.
"After leaving the Callisto, many couples went on to Barcelona for more sight-seeing: Roman ruins with 14th century buildings on top of them, cathedrals, museums, parks and good food.
"The trip was fabulous. What made it the most special was the closeness we all felt for one another. When we sat down for meals aboard ship, it made no difference with whom we sat. There was total comfort and ease, even dividing up from spouses and mixing together as a family. A joy."
Goings On
A year and a half ago BILL BULLEN "came in from the cold" and retired , curious about what we all found so invigorating about not working. Entire new vistas opened for him and the good life began. He and wife ELINOR whisked off to the Grand Bahamas for a three week vacation in early January of 2007. While Elinor worked on her water colors in the balmy weather of the Caribbean, Bill became a devotee of morning scuba diving. Two dives each morning with one going to the maximum depth of 100 feet. One morning, he joined a "dolphin dive" group and got up-close and personal at 55 feet with a couple of the playful creatures. At one point, the trainer signaled for Bill to remove his breathing device and tap his lips with two fingers. He was then fully smooched on the lips by a dolphin who turned out to be a male! The photo is posted on the Class web site. During 2007, Bill had both shoulders replaced and is now back to a competitive tennis game. Last March, a vacation in Naples prompted a lunch with IRV and LEE SHERWOOD. Born in December 1930, Bill is one of our older Classmates, but is not in the least deterred by Father Time.
Speaking of Irv, I received a note and a newspaper article about him from DAVE GLEASON. Headlined Red-Light Special with a subhead of Staying involved in the game he loves, Irv Sherwood has served as goal judge for Blades home games since the team's inaugural season, the story gets into the intricacies of calling goals. When he walks into the arena, he is treated like Mr. Everblades because of his expertise and his decade of volunteer service. The photo accompanying the article shows the ever-present twinkle in Irv's eye. Retired from his flight training and simulation company in Tulsa, Irv has distinguished himself in the Naples area as the president of Southwest Golf Charities, Inc. and has raised substantial funds for the benefit of local schools and charities.
PETER ROBINSON is gearing up for the International Geological Congress in Oslo this August. He "feels like I am in a cross-country ski race with 15 parallel tracks!" Those geologists ..... Actually, Peter and SUZANNE did a week of skiing near Rondane Park where the norm is "two parallel tracks (and no trees)".
RON and EILEEN GOLD made their annual pilgrimage to Cape Cod in late July where they enjoyed swapping stories with the Woolfs, Gorseys and Fangers ('55). ALEC and MARY GRAY were pleased to move from their Oviedo, FL home and go across town to bunk in with their son Mike. At the post-move dinner, Alec was sipping some Pinot Noir when a heart attack struck and a half glass of wine went unconsumed. After a stent insertion via angioplasty, the Grays returned to Minnesota with Alec opining that one shouldn't make a major move when over the age of 75. An alternative is when move-stressed, drink Cabernet and shun the Pinot. BOB and SALLY CANESTRARI delight in their four grandchildren one of whom is off to college in North Carolina. After 14 trips from Virginia to Marathon, FL aboard their sailboat, the Canestraris went for a power boat which they will live on during the winter months. They maintain contact with '54 Classmates (John) MAYS, DOIGs, SLOANEs, MAMLETs, BREGMANs and MAMLETs. The group last convened for a reunion in New York in 2007.
TOM HALL fills his time with two activities: cutting, splitting and stacking eight cords of wood and editing books and papers for New Testament scholars associated with Webster Institute's Jesus Seminar. "The firewood regimen dates to the early 70s; the editing - a natural outgrowth of some 35 years as an English teacher and 20 as a lay preacher - has been my primary activity since 1997. So far, I have polished the texts of 47 books and dozens of articles for scholars from the US, England, Germany, Finland, Australia and New Zealand. It has been both exciting and gratifying to be involved with authors who are creating new ways to understand a very old subject. Instead of getting groused at by a motley bunch of high school juniors and seniors, I get thanked by and often become close friends with some of the world's leading religious thinkers! And the fact that I am able to do so pro bono makes it sweeter still. A little haiku of mine sums it all up:
Reciprocity
He gave of himself
and the world gave back to him:
a blessed exchange."
After many tries, BILL GROVER managed to make contact with FRANK DENIETOLIS in Plymouth, MA. Joining us in Hanover, married and with 18 months of Army Airborne service under his belt, Frank's perspective on us preppy 17-year-olds must have been a bit jaundiced. Living in Wigwam, the Denietolis's welcomed their first child while Frank was pursuing the books. Let's see if we can coax him into a more active role in the Class. Send him a note at FNDEN@aol.com.
The Gillespies count variety as an important element in their post-retirement lives. JOHN's goodwill-hosting on Amtrak's Downeaster from Portland to Boston involves assisting the train crew (?), welcoming children with train coloring books and tourists with maps and information about what to see and where to eat. Our 55th reunion will have the Gillespie signature on food and drink (hooray!). As a member of the exec committee of the D Club of Maine, he organizes monthly lunches and the Food Committee of the Booth Bay Harbor Yacht Club benefits from his experience in menu planning and wait-staff training. SANDY edits newsletters for the garden club and the Maine Daylily Society, "a small division of the American Hemerocallis Society"(!) John has had replacements of both hips and knees and Sandy anticipates maybe joining him with all her crawling around in her garden.
If you still have the May/June issue of the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, go to Page 14 and read JOE MESICS' convincing letter entitled "Stop Recruiting". Assuming that most '54s scan the DAM and then recycle it, here's the letter:
"The campaign of Rutgers Professor William Dowling '66 to put academics ahead of athletics ('The Spoilsport', Mar/Apr DAM) will not spoil sport. It will bring intercollegiate play to where it can thrive as an educational experience.
"Here's how we might accomplish this goal - simply stop recruiting across the board. Stop recruiting future Nobel Prize winners as well as athletes who appear to show promise for winning games. Take basketball as an example. Admissions would select students on a basketball-blind basis. A non-recruited team of of walk-ons, well coached, would provide the spirit and talent to compete in the Ivy League against bought-and-paid-for jocks. There are plenty of talented but unknown high school basketball players who would blossom once given the walk-on opportunity. And once the word got out that Dartmouth does not recruit, a lot of great athletes would be eager to attend. To see the result of playing at a high level just for the fun of it, look at the Dartmouth Rugby Club."
Joe speaks from experience. Although he captained the Caldwell, NJ football team, he joined Doggie Julian's freshman team as a walk-on in 1950.
The Election
New officers and a new executive committee have been elected for the Association of Alumni (AoA). Those candidates nominated by the AoA prevailed over those nominated by petition with a 60/40 margin. The turnout of 38% of the alumni was minimal, but far higher than the last vote for a Trustee (28%). The new group took office immediately following the announcement of the results. TONY KANE and I broke our respective neutral stances with messages to those on our Email lists, favoring the Unity slate and a similar letter, supported by over forty '54s, was mailed to all Classmates. We received over 60 responses, most in agreement with our positions, but more importantly, it was good to know that '54s do read what we put out. Recently released statistics show that The Class of 1954 led all classes with a (pro and con) voting percentage of 67.6% !!! A phenomenal turnout.
In a front page article in The Dartmouth, a staff reporter quoted incoming AoA president, John Mathis: "As we move forward, our Association will practice collaboration and persuasion and, as promised, will take prompt action to ensure the dismissal of the lawsuit against Dartmouth." The suit has subsequently been dismissed with the permission of the court. The reporter was also able to wrest a statement from John McGovern '80, founder of The Hangover Institute, that the funds supporting the mailings of the Parity slate had been supplied by DonorsTrust, an independent Washington, DC organization with conservative ties. To read the article from The Dartmouth, go to http.://thedartmouth.com/2008/06/20/news/aoaseats/. MILT KRAMER would have been proud.
LUKE CASE, long our acknowledged elder pundit on things Dartmouth has opined that the "huge sleeping dog of uninterested alumni" has been kicked and aroused. It will be interesting to see whether the dog, having been taken for his walk, will begin to sniff around or just go back to sleep. In a letter to the editors of The Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, WES DINGMAN raised the level of discussion with: "I suspect that the motivation for this suit stems from a desire to take the 'liberal' out of a liberal arts education. Perhaps it would sit better with all alumni of liberal arts institutions to re-label these schools 'human arts' institutions, thereby signifying that all views, both conservative and liberal, are welcomed and examined for relevance and validity." As for us '54s, take the time to familiarize yourself with the current members of the Board of Trustees - a relatively young group of high-achievers. The Trustees have decided to maintain the freeze on naming additional charter trustees until a new president has been recruited and elected.
As a tribute to his service to Dartmouth as a former Trustee, Dr. JOHN STEEL garnered the highest number of votes for the executive committee of all those on the Parity slate.
The Wheelock Succession
Time for Number Seventeen. If you have never researched the subject, the sixteen presidents of Dartmouth College since its founding in 1769 were:
E. Wheelock/ J. Wheelock/ Brown/Dana/Tyler/ Lord/ Smith/ Bartlett/
Tucker/ Nichols/ Hopkins/ Dickey/ Kemeny/ McLaughlin/ Freedman/
Wright
The longest tenure was achieved by John Wheelock (36 years) and the shortest was The Reverend Daniel Dana (less than a year). In our time, John Dickey served for 25 years, John Kemeny for 11, Dave McLaughlin for 6, Jim Freedman for 11 and Jim Wright 9 (when he steps down in June 2009). These five had backgrounds in government, business and academia. Of the sixteen listed above, most distinguished themselves but a few were found wanting. So now, in the spring of 2009, we will welcome a new leader who will realize the myriad opportunities open to the President of Dartmouth College in this day and age.
Trustee Al Mulley '70 chairs the selection committee which is comprised of six Trustees, six faculty members, the president of the Student Assembly and the chair of the Alumni Council's Alumni Liaison Committee. A search firm headed by John Isaacson '68 has been retained to assist in the search. A series of forums have been held to elicit opinions from faculty, students, administration and alumni and the committee will digest the input received and issue a "leadership statement" to all constituencies at the end of August. The statement will describe the many qualities sought in the candidates to be considered. Quite simply, the new president will be challenged to maintain an acceptable balance between the college's history/traditions and its constant evolution. Given the predilections of the now aroused "sleeping dog" alumni body, it is likely that not everyone will be pleased.
An amusing story caught my attention while pulling this section together. After a long and distinguished career in the U. S. State Department, John Dickey was a little uncertain about his duties and responsibilities at the helm of the college, so he asked the advice of his predecessor, Ernest Martin Hopkins. After a brief silence, Dr. Hopkins advised him: "Don't have anything to do with murals." And so it goes ........
'54 Pride
During the parade of classes at Homecoming when the 1954 contingent reaches the area of the Green, it is always impressive to hear the step-up in the volume of the shouts and cheers for "54!!!" For decades, we have been acknowledged for the exceptional contributions we have made to the institution in leadership, financial support and, most importantly, innovations in student experiences. At the top of the list is our visible support of Student Intern Grants which provide "learning outside the classroom" experience for students selected by our blue ribbon class committee. Four interns have been chosen from an impressive list of applicants to pursue projects associated with the following foundations:
-Dickey - in memory of Dean F. Berry '54
-Andrew Young '09
An extraordinary eight-week adventure in Uganda, where Andrew
created and implemented a nutritional workshop and needs assessment
program for the population living with HIV/AIDS. He dealt successfully with
the language, cultural and philosophical differences he encountered. Most
importantly, Andrew was forced to take the initiative in bringing the program
into being due to the lack of preparation of his host foundation for volunteers
and the lack of indigenous resources for doing things we take for granted here
in the States. He acknowledged that the experience brought good focus to the
strengths he will be required to call upon to succeed in a career in program
development work.
-Tucker - in memory of Kevin I. Sullivan '54
-J. Watson Sallay '08
Watson's project will take him to Tanzania where his objective will be to
be trained in the repair of medical equipment used by hospitals and clinics in
the region. Following an introductory course in Swahili, he will be assigned to
a hospital as site engineer and utilize his background in digital electronics,
product design, machine design and systems engineering to both learn and
contribute. His objective is: "Training the staff in proper orientation and
maintenance of equipment so that they will continue to have use of it long
after I am gone." Watson plans to return to the Thayer School with ideas for
projects which could become new curriculum courses.
- Rockefeller - in memory of Rodman C. Rockefeller '54
-Jennifer Bandy '09
Capitol Hill beckons to Jennifer as she undertakes an internship with the
Department of State. She will be involved with the Bureau of European and
Eurasian Affairs within the Office of Regional and Military Affairs. As a
Government and French major, her academic interest in the intersection of
American public policy and international relations will gather dimensions
which she had not anticipated. Jennifer underlined the importance of the '54
support in the "expensive city" of Washington, D.C.
-Dartmouth Partners in Community Service (DPCS) - in memory of George D.
Voss '54
-Diana Jih '08
Diana's internship is an extension of the fine work she has already done
in her chosen field. She will intern with Slow Food Chicago in order to build
connections between local farms and communities to create fair and just
sustainable food systems. At the college, she has studied food politics
and will continue the major in her senior year. In 2006, she traveled to India
and worked for an NGO on water management. During the last winter, she
worked on a permaculture farm in Lesotho. In the Hanover area, she has
promoted relationships between Upper Valley farms through an internship
with Vital Communities in White River Junction. She also pitched in in New
Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. She hopes to be able to use what she learns
from her DPCS internship with Vital Communities in New Orleans.
While much has been written about our past Tucker intern, Emmanuel Mensah '09, , there is more. Go to the '54 web site and read about him under "Peter Kenyon's Report ...." He has been nominated for the Cardozo Award, given to only one member of the junior class for "outstanding contributions to the Dartmouth Community" His efforts in Ghana have relieved countless people of the agonies which arise from the Guinea Worm, a waterborne affliction. His educational programs and installation of simple water filtration equipment at watering holes has demonstrated to the indigenous people that the disease can be thwarted.
Tony Kane has taken on the role of mentor for the DCPS interns and reported on last year's intern, Christine Min. Her project involved her with Sanctuary for Families in New York City. The Sanctuary provides rehabilitative and legal services for people, mainly women and children, seeking to escape domestic abuse. Tony visited with Christine's supervisor and sat in on a session with a client preparing to bring court actions in an abuse case. His observation was that Christine was a major source of comfort and support to the woman as she endured the rigors of the situation. The Sanctuary has indicated that it will be happy to welcome future interns supported by the Class of 1954.
The Athletics Department reported the successful recruiting of our 2008 nominee, Sarah Alderman of Sparta, NJ. We sponsored Sarah's trip to Hanover to see whether her prominence at midfield in field hockey was a good match with the needs of the Green team. Bingo! She was admitted to the Class of 2012 as an early decision candidate!
Last April, the 25th anniversary of the Rockefeller Center was celebrated with a dinner in Hanover. Jay Davis reported that no other class was mentioned as many times as was 1954. Our support, leadership and dedication is providing the momentum with which to encourage other classes to join in. There are few opportunities to make specific differences for specific students and this is one of the "magic" ones. It is important that we each dig deeper financially and that we increase the number of '54 participants in order to show the strength of the pride the Class of 1954 takes in being alumni of Dartmouth College.
More Pride
BOB CLEMENTS has been named to Dartmouth's President's Advisory Council, a group of movers/shakers who bring the strengths of nonacademic accomplishment, experience and wisdom to discussions in Hanover. Bob was on the ground immediately prior to the Association of Alumni election and was able to pass on the concerns in Hanover to '54 folk.
DON BERLIN and RICK HARTMAN happily reported the results of '54 giving to the Dartmouth College Fund for the year ending June 30: 84% of the Class contributed, setting a new Class non-reunion year record for participation and also setting a new 54-years-out participation record. The total giving of $318,183 exceeded our goal by a fine margin. For the 55th reunion, a gift of $1-million is being considered. BOB BERRY and DICK PAGE will assume their usual Leadership Gifts roles. The two dozen '54s who make the one-on-one calls to Classmates deserve a round of applause.
This year's MILTON SIMS KRAMER Group award was presented to the Dartmouth Emergency Medical Services. This is the 23rd such award since a group of '54s established the honor in 1989. The Dartmouth EMS : (1) provides standby coverage at college/community events, (2) provides full-time weekend on-call coverage for the Dartmouth campus, (3) trains and certifies students and faculty, plus community members in CPR and First Aid, (4) maintains the campus Automated External Defibrillator program and training in its proper use, and (5) provides further training and education on campus.
1954 Authors
Following my March review of Dr. BILL GOULD's A Little Score to Settle, I received a note from JIM BOWERS (Spearfish, SD) mentioning the 2007 publication of his Voices from the Underground, a collection of 30 very dark short stories. Having read them, I would describe them as very, very dark. The cover shows a stone staircase leading to a partially open door to what one's own imagination can only wonder. A phrase in a reviewer's note cites: "He plunges deep into the psyche, confronts the beast within and emerges with redemption, hope and a bittersweet understanding of the meaning of life." Jim met his wife JYTTE in Denmark during his globe-trotting years, teaching English. Jytte has written three book-length manuscripts: Freedom's Candle: From Tiananmen to Vilnius, Under the Weeping Willow (a description of living in occupied Denmark during WWII) and And Then Came Eric (about raising their Down's syndrome son). English is not her native language and Jim is her right arm in seeking a publisher.
Jim's note prompted me to investigate the likely population of authors within the men and women of the Class of 1954 and the early returns are quite promising. (By the way, Jim claims that there are real Trolls living in the woods behind his home). So let me lay out what I have found, then encourage those of you who write or aspire to write to talk to me and get mentioned.
First, the known - reviewed in prior newsletters:
-Tian Ming: Destiny by T. Q. Kong '54
A partially fictional history of TQ's family, including his days at the Chi Phi
house. PATTI learned the tribulations of publishing when she took on the
task following TQ's death.
-A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas (Rogin) '54w The story of Abigail and
Rich's life after he suffered massive brain damage in an accident, trying to save
his dog on the streets of the Upper West Side of New York City. Abigail teaches
at The New School in New York and has published five other books.
-Choices Made by David T. McLaughlin '54
Dave's memoir written with Howard J. Coffin and published posthumously.
Choices Made must be required reading for the Search Committee because of
Dave's very specific commentary of the criteria for presidential succession.
-Numerous learned volumes on the History of North Africa by Robert O. Collins
'54
Now, the results of research and interviews:
-ZIBBY ONEAL '54w is a former member of the English faculty of the University of Michigan and, in semiretirement, teaches creative writing to seniors. Having been charmed by her The Language of Goldfish, I posed a few questions and her response displayed her style and skill with words:
"How and when I got started writing: This goes back to about third grade at Brownell Hall in Omaha. The school had boarding students and at the beginning of classes in the fall, these students stood up and told where they came from. I was envious. It seemed super-glamorous to come from someplace other than Omaha. I began to think that maybe I came from elsewhere too, and my parents hadn't bothered to tell me. I went home and asked Mother where I came from. She explained in dutiful scientific detail. This was not quite what I'd had in mind, but I knew a good story when I heard one. I went to my room and wrote it down. The next time we had Show and Tell at school, I read my story aloud. I didn't get to finish. The teacher said we'd talk about it later. But my classmates were interested. At lunch and recess, they asked me to read it again. After a few times doing this, I thought to charge for the reading and in this way, accumulated several Tootsie Rolls, chocolate chip cookies, etc. In a short time I saw that being a writer made one both sought after and well-paid and this confirmed me in my life's work, though the sought after and well-paid part has not turned out quite as I imagined.
"When I started writing for real, it was writing about adolescents that interested me. This period of life has always seemed to me a good source for fiction - so much happening for the first time, so much to understand and learn and cope with. The Language of Goldfish was the first of these. I had intended it to be a lighthearted, funny story, but in the course of writing it, that changed. My central character simply refused to be lighthearted and as I followed her into the story I could see she was leading me into places I vaguely recognized but wasn't eager to explore. Too bad. She insisted on going her own way. I was apprehensive. I couldn't believe that anyone would ever publish the book. It seemed far too dark and upsetting to be suitable for a young audience. But I was lucky. My agent sent the book to Viking and they took it! (I had an agent then because I'd already published a few books for small children.)
"Since then I have let the characters show me where I'm going. I know that sounds like a clichˇ, but it is the only way I know to explain what happens. Any plan I start with pretty quickly changes into something I hadn't planned at all. Some little bit of dialogue, some seemingly insignificantly event moves the whole story in a new direction. I have learned not to argue. In fact, I have learned to welcome these unexpected alterations. They lead me into the story I really want to tell."
Since we are all seniors, consider the above your first creative writing lesson and let's get after it! Zibby's books are available from amazon.com.
-During his career at Bankers Trust, BRUCE CLASSON wrote and published Commercial Credit and Collection Guide (1968). According to Bruce, four copies were sold - primarily to family members. After retiring, however, he felt the muse beckoning and attended a creative writing program (credit and collection not being creative). He currently serves on the board of the nonprofit outfit which presents the course. While his efforts to date have been creative, he has but a "drawer full of rejection notices" to show for them. Wife WILLIE, on the other hand, has written the lyrics and music to fifteen popular songs and they have been recorded!
-Bruce mentioned that he remembered that BRYCE BASTIAN had followed a similar route, so I called SUE. She told me that Bryce had taken a creative writing course at St. Lawrence, but once he got into doing it, he couldn't stand reading his own stuff, so he abandoned the pursuit. Sue, however, does a little writing. Her business, Wisdom Writers, produces the "stories and histories" of families, derived from letters, scrapbooks, genealogical sources, interviews, etc. A James Kunstler quote in her promotional material: "Chronological connectivity puts us in touch with ages past and with the eternities. It suggests that we are part of a larger story than our own individual lives, that we are part of a larger picture of those who came before us, of those who follow us in time, of those who care about us. Telling our stories is a way to respect ourselves. Connections with the past and future is a pathway that charms us in the direction of sanity and grace." JAY DAVIS availed himself of Sue's services and was surprised at some of the things he didn't know about his own family. Sue also wrote Fresh Widows following Bryce's passing - a 100-page book about the therapeutic value of widows finding each other in their common loss. Sue is looking for a publisher, but identifies a bigger problem which besets most writers - procrastination ......tell me about it ........
-Still in working mode, JEAN ADNOPOZ is an oft-cited expert in the mental health of children. Her IICAPS: A Home-based Psychiatric Treatment for Children and Adolescents was published in December 2007. She has authored several other books in the same arena broadening to situations involving urban violence and HIV/AIDS.
So - with a Classmate population of 550 and an almost equal number of spouses/signify others, there must be many who have published or aspire to. If nothing else, exposure to over 1000 intelligent Dartmouth types couldn't hurt - let me know.
More Goings On
The reviews of the Off-Broadway revival of Some Americans Abroad were less than heartening, but no matter, the New York critics truly love JOHN CUNNINGHAM: " ..... the ex-chairman of the department, the tactless and pompous Orson Baldwin (an amusingly snooty John Cunningham) .... John mentioned that he had one of those "moments" that actors would kill for. The audience is hoping against hope that a hapless professor will get to keep his job. John's character is maneuvered into delivering the bad news - and when he does, the entire theater gasps as one. Makes it all worthwhile.
ROCK GRUNDMAN sold his office building and moved his home address from Leesburg, TX to Pittsburg, TX. Dig out your Texas map.
It appears that no '54 with a law degree ever retires. BILL KASS continues to practice with a law school classmate in Boca Raton, FL. He and JOANNE enjoy good health. Bill's legal acumen stays high while his golf score wanes.
Most of our doctors also don't retire. MIKE FINIGAN is doing "the part-time doctor life in lung disease" as Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Rochester (NY) - practicing and teaching. Mike's schedule has sufficient flexibility to allow him time to tend to MARY ANNE's illness with the help of his "kids and nine grandchildren".
In the very same vein, BURT ONOFRIO is working part-time at Mayo Clinic Outreach facility in La Crosse, WI. "There are great opportunities for us neurosurgeons to continue as clinicians - first assistant to a former Mayo Fellow whom I taught. Until senility sets in, the older physician is always an abler diagnostician than the younger MDs." Wife JUDY is a sculptor and had a one-woman show at the Chazen Museum in Madison, WI last May.
A rare note from GIB DYKE: "Life very average - no great things to report. My wife DONNA died from lung cancer in 1995. Remarried a year ago - SALLY JANE. Small world - her father's a Dartmouth grad!" The '54 president of KKK and a Phi Beta Kappa, Gib was famous on the third floor of South Mass for acing every exam, regardless of the course or topic. Sally Jane is welcomed to the Class - does she write?
From PETE ANKENY: "I am very excited, proud and also feeling very fortunate that I have two grandchildren who were accepted for the Class of 2012 - Peter Ankeny, graduate of Green Mountain Academy, a skier and Heather Rilet, graduating from Deerfield Academy. Heather joins her sister Kendall who is a junior and member of the Dartmouth Sailing Team. Another granddaughter, Katherine Chote, was accepted by Dartmouth last year, but decided to go to Harvard in spite of her grandfather's protests and played an important role in helping the Harvard's women hockey team defeat Dartmouth in the NCAA semi-finals - can't win them all!
From the desert, HUGH ROBERTS reports that, finally, the Dartmouth Club of Las Vegas has been founded. Maybe 90 Dartmouth grads in the vicinity and most of them are "whippersnappers compared to me and BRUCE LAFOLLETTE".
Farmers BOB and KIT DEAN work the farm during the day and generally hit the sack by 9:30 PM. - another "profession" one doesn't retire from - particularly when there are animals that depend on you. Bob had some complicated cataract surgery in late May, but still voted in the AoA election by snailmail.
The off-the-beaten-track RON DUNTON wrote in late May: "TERRY and I are just back from ten weeks in the desert, canyons, mountains of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico with all the inevitable chores that accumulate in our absence. And as soon as we finish with them, we'll take off to spend a month or two in the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming with our four goats, named improbably after our motorcycles: Zuki, Beemer, Honda and Guzzi". I don't even know where to start on an appropriate wisecrack ......
The Airlady - GLO FRANKLIN -berated all Phi Psis with email addresses for not acknowledging DICK's ("Cat") published letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal. The letter read: "Upon reading Ray A. Smith's article 'A Short Story: The Rise of 'Floods', which reported on the current fad among young men for shorter pants, either hemmed or rolled up, it occurred to me that the same notion can apply to men of advanced age, as mused by T. S. Eliot's Alfred Prufrock in 1917 -- 'I grow old ... I grow old ... I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled' As usual, Eliot was ahead of his time." Ain't it the truth?
A man who wields a rather warped sense of humor, DON AUSTERMAN took us all on two-week surgical adventure beginning with a May 22nd email entitled "Various Organs". His "annual" visit to the operating room was for the purpose of removing his gall bladder and investigation of a spot on his liver. When I inquired about the assumed regularity of his visits to the OR at the University of North Carolina, he listed replacements of both knees and shoulders along with four heart bypasses - and he still chuckled. Following over six hours of surgery on May 27th, his son Chris reported that the procedures were successful. Daughter Karen noted that he looked better than he had two weeks after his last heart surgery in '06. Dublin roommate and '54 Classmate PETE SCHENCK then assumed the communicator role. In a telephone conversation with Don, Pete was told that he had an "eviscerated" liver. The spot was malignant, but the surgeons were confident that they had gotten all of it and the problem had been dispensed with. On the way to their summer digs in Jaffrey, NH, however, Don got an MRI at the UNC medical facility and a few small spots on his liver were found. After a short time on some meds with unsettling side effects, he is now headed to an oncologist at the Keane Hitchcock Medical Center for next steps. Demonstrating the hearty '54 spirit in spades, Don and his family, kids, grandkids, etc. took a late July cruise from NYC to New Brunswick and had a ball. Give him a call at (603) 532-8322.
BARB LEVINE wrote: "Still adjusting to Naples. Finally done remodeling. Dartmouth classmates in abundance in the area. March - London to visit old friends plus granddaughter at London College of Fashion. April - Galapagos trip with Oregon grandkids Emily (11) and Danny (8). Spectacular experience and great bonding opportunity. May - Swarthmore graduation for granddaughter Jennie, who became All-American butterfly in summer. BOB, meanwhile was meeting with the Bennington Museum board and gearing up for the '54 Fishing Team's annual foray in the wilds." Slowing down doesn't appear in the Levine's date book.
Bill Gmelin
In April, John Fenn received a letter from a man seeking the whereabouts of BILL GMELIN's son. Bill had been a fellow pilot trainee with the writer in 1955 at an airbase in Arizona. Tragically, Bill and his instructor were killed in a crash during their first night training flight. MARY JANE GMELIN was eight months pregnant with their son at the time of Bill's death. Mary Ann later remarried and contact with her has been lost. The "seeker", one Bill Sorenson, supplied a wonderful photo (back page) of Bill - second from right - and his fellow trainees. For those of you who new Bill, the grin is very familiar. John has put the search for Bill's son out to some of their Phi Sig brothers. Anyone with information, please send it to me.
REUNION!!!!
Mark your calendars! Peg your datebook! Plan for transportation! It's scheduled for June 15, 16 and 17, 2009. As Reunion Chairman JOHN FENN points out, we'll never have another 55th reunion, so make sure to get to this one. There's a committee working on the specifics and we already know that those wacky guys in Warren, PA, SOK SOKOLSKI and HAL CONARRO are on board with their Whirley products, suitably decorated with the '54 logo.
We have had the opportunity to look at the reunion schedules and costs for the classes of '52 and '53. Dave Siegal '53 was overly helpful in describing their registration procedures and how they dealt with situations which beset those of our age. Their reunion tab was $385, excluding housing and we will probably be in that area. Of particular note was how '53 dealt with the needs of attendees with "mobility problems". Mrs. Siegal had become so vocal on the topic that Phil Beekman, co-chair of reunion, gave her the job of suggesting solutions. We will take the '53 arrangements very much to heart in making reunion attendance easy for all. In addition to the multitude of things to do and see provided by the college, the Class of 1954 will present a number of activities which are pertinent to our own memories.
JOHN GILLESPIE's experience in things reunion will guarantee superb dining repasts and locations, including a lobster bake. A few noted guest speakers on campus have been contacted. Hats for men and women are already in hand. DICK BARKER has agreed to work the registration desk at reunion with the help of some gorgeous wives.
While we have a core group of '54s who have attended every reunion and many more who have been at most reunions, there is a body of you out there who have never come to Hanover for our regular celebration. So next June, when most of us will be 76 years old, maybe it's time to do it! Drag out More Reflections and make a list of who you would like to tip a cool one with and share life stories, then contact them. It's a bit of a circular thing that benefits all. Questions? Send 'em in. Suggestions? Send them with the questions.
IN MEMORIAM
ROBERT WILLIAM HIGBEE
Bob died of heart failure on February 6, 2008 in St. Petersburg, FL. He came to Hanover from Lake Bluff, IL where he had been a very active student at Lake Forest High School - three-letter man, band, orchestra, student council, paper and honors. A Tuck graduate, he spent time in the Air Force ROTC, DCU and the marching band. The Kappa Sig write-up in our Aegis listed his primary idiosyncrasy as "he does get hungry sometimes". During Carnival, he was "always on the drums."
A single-engine jet pilot in the Air Force, Bob claimed to be the first to ever fly under the Mackinac Bridge (unauthorized) and survived one air accident. Mustering out as a captain, he pursued a career with Armstrong Cork which rewarded him with consistent promotions and increasing responsibilities. In the late 70s, he formed his own M&A and executive search firm in Rowayton, CT which gave him the added plus of enjoying sailing on the Sound. He is survived by three children and four grandchildren. A satisfying life.
STUART JONATHAN BUGBEE, JR.
"Bugs" left us on March 23, 2008. After waging a successful battle with his heart for seventeen years (heart attack, pacer, defib, bypass) he succumbed to a final attack shortly after a hernia repair procedure. Traveling to Hanover from West Virginia, Jon spent his freshman year in Topliff rooming, eclectically, with Jerry Bregman and Pete Geithner. An Architecture major, he was a member of the French Club and a presence at the KKK house ("who can forget church services over milk punch with Brother Bugs officiating ...."). After service in the Army, Jon got after architecture with a passion and had the satisfaction of managing his own firm, then designing buildings in dynamic industries like aviation and casinos. He and BARBARA endured the loss of a daughter in 1994 and a son in 2003. In retirement, civic and religious institutions benefited from Jon's attention. A summer "island" home in Bristol, ME provided happy kickback digs. Jon is survived by Barbara , two children and four grandchildren.
DONALD DORSEY McCUAIG
Born in late December 1933, Don was the youngest member of our class. He was blind-sided by a heart attack and died on April 4, 2008 at his San Antonio home. From freshman roommate Alec Gray: "Don was brilliant, but very young and his immaturity got the best of him his sophomore year and he left the college for academic reasons. Hard to pass courses when you're spending all your time reading Mickey Spillane whodunits." His brothers at DKE remember a well-groomed, pleasant, open, giving guy with a breezy air about him. After he left Hanover, several remembered sleeping on the floor of his East 89th Street New York apartment (paid for from his job in the CBS mail room) while visiting the Big Apple. Don got his act together and graduated in 1957. With the immaturity out of the way, he earned an MPA at Princeton then experienced a consistent rise through various aspects of the oil industry, retiring as Vice Chairman of Commonwealth Oil & Refining. He and wife KAREN lived on a ranch near San Antonio and mixed animal husbandry with continued business interests. Don was a dedicated member of the Class of 1954 and contributed financially to the college and Storrs House. He is survived by Karen, four daughters and six grandchildren. High on the list of friends' memories was Don's sense of humor.
LEO CONRAD MURPHY, JR.
Born in 1924, Leo had over seven years' service as an aviator in the U.S Navy under his belt before enrolling at Dartmouth. He was our oldest graduating Classmate. He died June 25, 2008 after holding prostate cancer at bay for a good long time. Leo, while married to MADELINE and raising a family still managed to involve himself in college activities as a Kappa Sig, member of the Yacht and Flying Clubs and president of the Psychology Club. Using his Psych major primarily as a base for a range of mind-challenging career paths, he earned an MBA at Stanford, then a Masters in Library and Information Science at Rhode Island University. After twenty years in the nascent computer industry, he devoted most of his time to classroom activities with professorships at several institutions of higher learning. As a resident of Pawtucket, RI, he gravitated naturally to the water and was a founding member of the Rhode Island Lobstermen's' Association. He and Madeline lived life to its fullest and reveled in their five children, eleven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Leo was interred on Block Island.
Footnotes
Books have been placed in Baker Library inscribed to the memories of Bob, Jon, Don and Leo.
In a note from SAM CHASE's daughter, Candy Mills, she recalled her favorite Dartmouth story as recounted by Sam. During his years in Hanover, he regularly sent his laundry home to his mother in Montana by train! His Mom would then send the washed, ironed and folded clothes back to him by train. Maybe we should make the elder Mrs. Chase a posthumous member of the Class!
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William J. Gmelin
Photo received April 2008:
Air Force trainees at Marana Air Base, outside of Tucson, AZ in 1955. BILL GMELIN is easily recognized at second from right. Bill Sorenson, second from left, is seeking Bill's son in order to share this photo with him. Photo courtesy Bill Sorenson via JOHN FENN