Spring 2005 Class Notes

Stay in touch with Middlebury! If no class secretary is listed for your class, just send your news directly to the Alumni Editor, Middlebury Magazine, Middlebury College, Meeker House, Middlebury, VT 05753.

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Please send your news for the next class notes column.

—Class Secretary: Mrs. J. D. Coombs (Miriam Sweet) (978-369-5595), 13 Highland St., Concord, MA 01742.

Winter seems to be a good time for reflecting on "the Old Days."

Nathalie Lewis Emery is my most frequent correspondent, and I seem to have a regular place on Betty Pease Felt's Christmas card list. Betty, incidentally, admits that she now has to use a wheelchair to get around, but that leaves her hands free for bridge! Mary Stolte Toomeyseems never to have mastered the computer, but she leans on her son for the e-mail to advise that all is well with her correspondent. Ruth Atwood Muller, the Grand Dame of Harvard, Mass., is perhaps the most active of us all. She still drives her car, around town at least, and is a master of the bridge circuit. Your secretary may soon have to be replaced. He has succumbed to macular degeneration and has to type these notes in very large type, even then not confident of the spelling.

—Class Secretary: Mr. E. Parker Calvert (calverte@aol.com), 6251 Old Dominion Dr., #225, McLean, VA 22101.

Alice Cady Russell writes from her retirement home in Columbus, Ohio, where she is still busy in the art room and in playing chimes: "Perhaps a leaking heart valve was responsible for my short stay in a Columbus hospital in October of 2004 with congestive heart failure. They say my previous good health is why I am recovering so fast. At only 93 years of age, there must be some classmates still active, but none apparently who share news. Let's hear from you!"

Rosemary Faris Baer writes: "Still get tears seeing photographs like Handelman's cover on the calendar, showing Chipman behind the campus, and his 'Blue Mist,' the photograph for October (which also appears in the fall Magazine as a two-page Northern Exposure) with McCardell Bicentennial Hall and Bread Loaf itself. The new library looks wonderful. I'd be lost, though." Quoting from Middlebury's Dean of Library and Information Services Barbara Doyle-Wilch in the fall Magazine article on the new library, Rosemary says, "my mindset is much more linear than the hyperlinking mindset of the students."

REUNION CLASS

Do you ever look at the college sports results in the newspaper? If so, you'll now and then catch a glimpse of Middlebury. Try it. * A note from Marge Clark Headley describes life in a retirement home in San Ramon, Calif. She loves it and claims it's like living on a cruise ship. She is involved in several organizations, both within the retirement home and outside. * A picture from the Leadville, Colo., newspaper shows Charles Kuster in the Memorial Day parade, in full color. It is reassuring to know that some of us can still join a parade.

—Class Secretary: Alma Davis Struble (Mrs. Robert), 1977 Marlboro Rd., Kennett Square, PA 19348.

Please send your news to Louise Hubbard McCoy at the address below, or send it directly to Middlebury Magazine, Meeker House, Middlebury College, Middlebury,  VT 05753. As we grow older, it is important to keep in touch with your classmates. I (Louise) am busy and content here at North Hill in Needham. I serve on many committees, attend concerts, and take local trips. On behalf of the class, I would like to express our appreciation to Maggie Leach Harris and Louise Hutchinson for their fine work on class notes. We hope to continue hearing from them regularly. * Agnes Harris Taylor continues active in her church in Rutland, Vt. * Marion Cole Morhouse reports that her most notable activity this past year was attending a four-day 90th birthday celebration in Montreal with all of her 57 descendants (including four great-grands) and spouses. She anticipated visits with daughter Wendy and a trip via train to daughter Jane's for Christmas. * We regret to report the death of Mary Dansereau Howard on August 30, 2004. A memorial appeared in the winter issue. The condolences of the class are extended to all of her family.

—Class Secretary: Mrs. Louise Hubbard McCoy, 865 Central Ave., #L403, Needham, MA 02492. 

Our Class of 1937 Scholarship Fund now totals $127,000, making it possible for us to offer scholarship aid to a deserving student every year. Your annual gift keeps the fund growing. Did you know that 72 years ago, 188 high school and prep school graduates matriculated at Middlebury, and that of that number 156 graduated in 1937? As of January 1, 2005, there were 51 "survivors" in our class. The Alumni Office provided these statistics in answer to a question by Juno Jones Corbett, who likes to keep up on our class history. Juno reports that, after a severe "bump on the rump" last summer, she received steroid injections and now gets around on a swift "wheelie" walker. * Phil Brown, reporting reasonably good health, journeyed to Vermont in August to visit his wife's grave, then continued to Wayne, Pa., to see his newest great-grandson, Tyler—who, at nine weeks was "already a Red Sox fan." * Gladys Caldroney has had two recent hospital stays, one for chemotherapy treatments and the other because of congestive heart failure. She says she's not complaining, because she enjoyed fairly good health for most of her long life. * We've been sharing memories with Win Wordsworth about "Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye." One summer, as part of my journalistic duties, I wrote advertising for the popular bandleader, who later became a TV celebrity. Meanwhile, Win had a band of his own, using the tag line, "Music of the Day Styled the Wordy Way." His style was similar to Sammy Kaye's and he knew several of the band's sidemen. When Kaye needed a sax man and vocalist in the 1980s in Florida, he recruited Win and also used some of Win's early arrangements. Win's memories include piloting a B-29 bomber in World War II, running a successful furniture business, and shooting his age last year (88) on the golf course. He and wife Jane enjoyed a summer cruise to Italy, Turkey, Greece, France, and Spain. When not in Florida, they may be at their other home on Cape Cod. * Frank Piskor glories in the accomplishments of his children and grandchildren. Daughter Nancy Piskor Twichell '73 was one of 11 high school teachers in Massachusetts honored by the Harvard Club for "inspiring excellence and curiosity in students." Joanne, who has been a librarian at Phillips Exeter Academy for 20 years, is a weekend mountain hiker with husband Kevin. Among Frank's grandchildren, one is a science teacher planning on med school, one a biology student in Germany, and one a junior at St. Lawrence Univ., where Frank is president-emeritus. * Last year, Hans Roepke flew from Germany to the U.S., his first visit to the States in 10 years. He had hoped to take in the Middlebury campus to see all the recent changes, but his schedule wouldn't permit it. He considered his visit as "sort of a farewell tour to various friends," during which time he refrained from too many political comments, even while enjoying the campaign as an outsider. He returned home considering himself "very lucky to be in fairly good shape." * Writing from her new home in the same town (Harrisonburg, Va.), Kay Stackel Leonard said, "For me, Midd is still an important interest of my life. I still have many good memories of the time spent there, and many good friends." She now lives in a personal care building and is still able to walk about. * While recounting my own hurricane experiences with Ruth Furness Lombardy, she recalled being in Montpelier, Vt., with late husband Frank Lombardy '35 during the 1938 hurricane. They were outside, battling flying garbage cans and garage doors, while returning from a town meeting. * Nancy Blanchard Britton encourages everyone to have all the medical tests covered by Medicare. A bone density test revealed osteoporosis, and other tests helped to diagnose diabetes a few years ago. Nancy happily reports that she still enjoys her pre-breakfast walks. * We regret to report the death of Caroline Elliott Dorst on October 2, 2004, in Boscawen, N.H. A memorial appeared in the winter issue. At Middlebury Caroline studied French and music. For many years she taught in schools and privately, and she had further studies at Williams College, Bennington College, and in Paris. Her daughter, Tina Larochelle, wrote that Caroline "valued her Middlebury experience, and it had a great influence on her life." The class extends its sympathy to all of Caroline's family and friends. * Our thoughts and prayers are also with Barbara Weaver Street, who last September lost husband John M. Street, a much-loved physician in New Milford, Conn., for many years. * Susan Hathaway Hopper's daughter, Virginia Hopper Hoverman '69, sent us Susan's funeral service program, with this note: "As you know, she loved Middlebury College and the Class of 1937. I am glad Mom is free from the dementia that haunted her last years. Knowing you and her other classmates was a great joy in her life." Ed. note: As we go to press, the sad news has been received of the death of Walter Brooker on March 30, 2005. In the summer issue, we will take the opportunity to pay our respects to Walt for his many years as a loyal alumnus and as a dedicated member of the Middlebury College Administration. 

—Class Secretary: Marshall Sewell, 20 Morning Glory Ln., Whiting, NJ 08759.

Please send your news. Your classmates look forward to hearing from you.

—Class Secretary: Mrs. Charles M. Hall (Margaret Leslie), 510 Wake Robin Dr., Shelburne, VT 05482.

Evelyn Wheeler Stagg is happy to be in sunny Florida during the winter months. Her daughter visited in January, and Evelyn usually makes it to Vermont in the summer. * Betty Letson and her sister, Frances, entertained relatives from Enfield, N.H., at Christmas dinner for seven. * Pat Brewer Chadwick enjoyed a trip with her sister-in-law to New Haven, where they visited Morey's for lunch: "Lots of atmosphere." Times have certainly changed, because I (Jeanette) remember being turned away at the door for being female. * Bertha Waite Markland went on an Elderhostel trip to Cape May, N.J. It was billed as a Dickens Christmas tour. There were many interesting fellow travelers, including Jennie-Belle Perry '38 Barr's brother and his wife. Bertha found the trip "just wonderful." * Frances Barrett Johnson writes that her son, Eric Johnson, has coauthored a book to be published soon, Terror—Mass Murder—Everyday Life in Germany. Frances says the book is written along the lines of Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation. * Carol Miner Gustafson is making a good recovery from an eye operation she had just before Christmas. She is already back to her many activities, including two bridge clubs. One of her main activities is participating in a cancer group, called "sharing village." Started five years ago, it has grown to be a big outreach group, especially for breast cancer survivors. They have meetings for 300 women, who share helpful information. * Olive Holbrook Nagle enjoyed a birthday party in October, arranged by longtime friend Jean Freeman. Their friendship began many years ago, when they lived in the same apartment house. A younger professional person who travels a great deal, Jean always has the time and ability to care for Olive. Thank you, Jean. * Ruth Coleman Skinner fell just before Christmas, injuring her pelvis. She is recovering with the help of pain pills and her granddaughter, a recent graduate of UVM whose boyfriend lives close by (it always helps). Ruth's family is so complicated, with five greats so far, that I am going to ask her for a complete family tree. Ray Skinner, her late husband, came from a family in Lyme, N.H., where the name Skinner still graces the church horse stalls. I'm sure New Hampshire genealogists will be as grateful as I. * Jeanette Olson Gould spends her spare time knitting "squares" that are joined to make afghans. They are very popular at the local Veterans' Hospital. If you want to do something for our wounded soldiers, pick up your knitting needles and get directions at the Keep America Warm program on the computer. * Tom Murray writes that he is "planning on the 70th" Let's all join him. * Best wishes for a happy, healthy new year to you all. Keep in touch, because we want to know the latest about every classmate.

—Class Secretaries: Ms. Jeanette Olson Gould (jogvt@aol.com) (978-263-8151), 1055 Depot Rd., Boxboro, MA 01719; and Mrs. Raymond J. Skinner (Ruth Coleman) (rskinner@kingcon.com), Brainerd St., P.O. Box 52, Danville, VT 05828.

Reunion class  Please mark your calendars and plan to return to Midd June 3–5 to reminisce, rejoice, rest, and review the many changes at the College on the Hill, made in the past 65 years. Inger and Ed Morse, Curtis McDowell, Martha Taylor Elliot, and the Pratts are all planning to attend reunion, and we plan on seeing Ed Reichert at that time. * On Pearl Harbor Day, Laura Smith Whitworthwas blessed with the arrival of a new family member. She now proudly displays a photo of herself holding her one-day-old great-grandson. Since moving into a retirement home four years ago, she keeps busy with a number of volunteer activities—care giver, hospital gift shop, historical society, music festival, etc. She plans to attend the 65th. * David and Mary Ruby '41 Goodell have moved to Brighton, Mich. He writes: "Following successful knee replacement surgery in September, at our children's urging, we moved to be nearer one of them—our eldest, who has his dental office here but lives about 20 miles up the road." * We send the condolences of the class to Frank Nitchie on the death of his wife on December 3, 2004. He reports that he had been occupied the past nine years taking care of her, since she suffered a stroke. He says he had tremendous support from their children and friends. He's not sure whether or not he will make it to Midd for our reunion, but he will try. He's already planning to return in '06 for the graduation of a grandson, Douglas Campbell. * Art Andres reports on an interesting career. After leaving Middlebury, he worked for about three years and then became a fighter pilot in the USAF. He flew P-39s in New Guinea and then went to the training command, teaching West Point Cadets at Stuart Field in Newburgh, N.Y. Art spent the next 35 years in the appliance business division of General Electric, ending his career as a vice president. Now retired to Osterville, Mass., he divides his time between the Cape and Naples, Fla. He still plays about 150 rounds of golf per year, but complains that his game is deteriorating rapidly. He has six children, 19 grandchildren, and four great-grands. "So far, I've been lucky," he says. * Margaret Heald Lawton and Laura Fenn Fuller both live at the Pines, a senior living community in Burlington, Vt. Margaret writes that it is doubtful she will make reunion, but they may be able to attend the banquet. It would be a real treat for all of us to see them both again. Margaret's husband, Erle, died in June, after which she moved to the Pines. She's happy that she doesn't have to be concerned about the yardwork, shoveling, etc., that went with owning a house. We hope that Margaret and Laura will be there for our banquet. * Ken Temple writes that he is well and enjoying his home in the mountains. From his window, he has seen mountain lions, small herds of deer (15-20), and large herds of elk (150-200). He's teaching bridge to a group of retired ladies. He doubts that he will make the 65th. * Senatro LaBella has moved to a furnished apartment in New Hartford, N.Y. This move is temporary until an opening appears in a building where he has applied for an apartment. He would like to attend the 65th, but is doubtful that he will be able to make it back, as his physician doesn't want him to drive by himself. His partner of 47 years is no longer with him. Anyone in that area who could bring a passenger to reunion?

—Class Secretary: Dr. Loring W. Pratt (roachpond@ aol.com), 37 Lawrence Ave., Fairfield, ME 04937.

When Ronald Liebowitz was inaugurated as Middlebury's 16th president last October, some alums from Wake Robin attended the weekend festivities, including a tour of the new library and the spectacular Bandaloop performance. Packy (Ruth Packard Jones) also attended the women's rugby match in which her granddaughter (Elizabeth Monk '05) played. Over the holidays, Packy had a great two-week trip, visiting family in Pennsylvania, California, and Arizona, where she had a lovely day in the Organ Pipe National Park. * Elsa Norgaard Cullen has problems with osteoarthritis, as many of us do. In her Christmas note, she was enthusiastic about the wonderful holiday she enjoyed with all three generations of the family and the three birthdays celebrated. * Jack Hicks joined his daughter, her husband, and their son for a family reunion with in-laws in Columbus, Ohio, over the holidays. * As usual Merritt Garland's Christmas letter contained "more about the Garland family than you ever wanted to know!" Sallee no longer drives, so Merritt is not only "chief cook and bottle-washer" but also chauffeur. He still gets to his cabin, although not as often. * Peg Waller Glazier reported on their two-week boat trip from Amsterdam, down the Rhine, through a canal to the Danube, and on to Vienna. The boat was very comfortable, offering the conveniences of a "home away from home" for the full trip, with daily shore trips provided. * Marie Stockmayer Boltz is comfortably situated in Farmington, Conn., with all three of her children and three grands nearby. She fell and broke a hip in June; at last report she was getting along with a walker. * Mary Kiely White reports that they are unable to travel very much and they miss it: "However, we enjoy our lives at this retirement home and count our blessings every day." * Shaubie (Margaret Shaub) was recently recognized as Volunteer of the Year by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra Association. This is in addition to her work as accompanist for the Champlain Senior Chorus. * Peg (Margaret Wiley) Thomsonis another of our classmates who continues to make an active contribution to the music of her community. * Debbie Mayo Beattie enjoys life at her assisted living residence. She's near to her former home, so she can see longtime friends and neighbors. She enjoyed the holidays with her family. * Charlotte Gilbert Lightfoot flew to Vermont last July for a big family reunion in Dorset. She had been unable to attend for the past few years, due to her husband's illness. She stayed seven weeks and hopes to return next summer. During the Christmas season, she was entertained all around by several family members. She always hears from Mary Kiely White at Christmas. * Connie Girard Brown spent two weeks in Virginia over the holidays, visiting with family. Her son has a lovely new home outside Williamsburg and her daughter lives in Fredericksburg. At Christmas she received notes from Grimmy (Edith Grimm Miller), Babs (Barbara Warren Loftus), and Ginny (Virginia Brooks Hutton): all seemed to be doing well. * In December, Jack Burbank planned a surprise 85th birthday party for Westie (Helen West Burbank) at the Waybury Inn. Westie was really surprised! Jean Connor, Ruth Hardy Scheidecker, Packy, plus Peg Wood Erickson '42, enjoyed a great afternoon. A few days later Westie and Jack flew to Santa Barbara, Calif., to enjoy Christmas with son Doug and family. She visited several interesting museums, including John Steinbeck. * Last summer at the Stratton Community Theater, Bill Littlehale memorized 97 lines in six weeks in order to perform in Arthur Miller's play, The Last Yankee. He also chaired the nominating and election committee for the playhouse: "It is quite amazing how much divisiveness can be found in artistic endeavors." * Classmates have heard little from Judd Hubert since our graduation, but he has been accomplishing a lot. With his M.A. in French (Columbia, 1942) and Ph.D. (1951), he spent more than three years in the Air Corps as an interpreter for French cadets. He has been happily married to Renée Riese for 55 years. Their daughter, Candice, is a naturalist. Judd retired from the Univ. of Calif., Irvine, in 1987, after having taught at Rutgers, Harvard, UCLA, and Illinois–Urbana. He has published (in French) books on Baudelaire and Racine, and (in English) on Molière. Since retirement, he has done books on Shakespeare, Corneille, and, in collaboration with his wife, The Cutting Edge of Reading: Artists' Books. A senior Fulbright Fellow in 1956, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1962. Renée became a Guggenheim Fellow in 1965 and a senior NEH Fellow in 1987. They travel, especially in France, publish articles on artists' books, keep up with avant-garde writers and artists, and collect rare books, mainly 17th-century French literature and Surrealist illustrated volumes. * The sympathy of the class is extended to the family of Barbara Grow Grim, who passed away on November 7, 2004. A memorial appeared in the winter issue.

—Class Secretaries: Ruth Packard Jones (Mrs. Charles), 4106 Wake Robin Dr., Shelburne, VT 05482; and Roger M. Griffith (rmg19@adelphia.net), 35 Skyline Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

As usual we were blessed with many Christmas letters and family news from classmates, providing us with a quick look at what our classmates—all in their mid 80s—are doing. Although the ranks are thinning, it is really amazing how many of us from the class of 1942 are still going strong. * An early card from John and Mary Eimer Leinbach brought a letter with lots of news about the remarkable things that children and grands are doing. It also reported that Mary (the playgirl of the Western world) is busy with golf and bridge, singing in the church choir, helping others, and advising youngsters on colleges, while John was recently selected honorary president of the Alumni Association of Amherst College, where they will be attending his 70th reunion this year. His book, My God Can Lick Your God, is being published by X-libris. * Jack and Nancy Rindfusz Bates checked in from their retreat in North Carolina. "We are in the right place," Nancy reports. They both sound good on the phone. They miss the regular contacts with the class as secretaries that they (and now we) enjoyed for so many years. * News of the death of Bill Andrews in December saddened us. Meg (Buscher) is staying in their retirement home in Connecticut. She has an active support group, because Bill had six children and Meg has two and all but one live within an hour's drive. * A new year's note from Harriet Tillinghast Fuller brought an expression of sympathy on the passing in August of Dotty Milligan Schuck. Harriet also included a picture of a river barge, as she and husband Denny have enjoyed traveling on America's rivers, most recently the Missouri. * Harry and Sue Hulings Ottinger from Albuquerque rewarded us with their Christmas letter. It told of two auto accidents (that made Harry the nurse, cook, and chauffeur for four months) and news of all of their children and grands. They enjoyed a vacation with the whole family in Maine. Granddaughter Caitlin, a junior at Middlebury, is studying art this spring in San Francisco. * Ginny Smith Baker reports that all was well and sent congratulations on our 60th wedding anniversary. * From her new base in New Hampshire, Nancy Hall Whitehouse reports that a tablemate at her first meal there recalled working one summer in college at the Cliff House in Ogunquit with Louise Sargent Jenks. * Chuck Beach claims to be "still creaking along," while Helen Hooley Young in Florida is "still using a cane" after a fall at her summer cottage in Norwich, N.Y. * Nina Camuti Danielson wrote from her new address, a retirement home near Princeton, commenting on her 17 grandchildren. Her only (so far) great-grandson will be two in April. * Joan Calley Cooper reports that she "finally made the big move to a retirement residence in San Francisco. I'm adjusting. Location is gorgeous, food is good, the old folks are pleasant."

—Class Secretaries: Phil and Betty Blanchard Robinson (sec42midd@aol.com), 410 Buffington Rd., Syracuse, NY 13224.

Mildred Carson Bonow has her own apartment at Covenant Village, a retirement community in Cromwell, Conn. Although macular degeneration precludes her driving, she uses the bus without difficulty. She says she has made an excellent recovery from her stroke last year. * Roger Easton writes that he and Barbara traveled by train to Philadelphia, where they had dinner with Bob '54 and Betsy Heath Gleason '58. Sciatica has been limiting Roger's activity somewhat, but he says that Barbara does a great job bringing in wood to keep the fire going and the solar power equipment working. * In 2004, Ginnie Clemens Lowman and Rod traveled to Auckland, New Zealand, to attend the annual meeting of the Olave Baden Powell Society, which supports the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in 144 countries around the world. Touring the North and South Islands, they were particularly impressed by the mountains along the west coast of South Island, pierced by scenic fiords, with 30 times as many sheep as people. In the fall, they attended the annual Alumni Leadership Conference at Bread Loaf and had a tour of the new College library, about which Ginnie was very enthusiastic. She has recovered nicely from a hysterectomy. She and Rod walk a mile or so after breakfast daily, carrying bags and picking up bottles, cans, and trash along the roadside. Would that there were more like them! * Dick and Lee Van Leuven '45 Morehouse have sold their Lexington, Mass., house and moved to a small house in the assisted living section of a retirement community (60 Quarry Hill Rd., Camden, ME 04843). They expect to spend June to November at their home on Vinalhaven Island, accompanied by their grandchildren. * Ted Peach has taken a breather from hauling crushed stone for his driveway in Nevada City, Calif. In order to reduce the danger to their house from forest fires, he has been clearing brush within a 200-foot radius and cutting some trees to leave a 10-foot distance between their canopies. He reports that Nancy is doing well, playing the flute and baritone horn, and singing alto in the choir. She's now on a special anti-colon cancer diet. * Peggy Bowles Smith says she's doing "alright," with some difficulty with balance and slight macular degeneration. Her work on book sales for the Friends of the Library in Guilford, Conn., is more of a year-round job than is generally appreciated. * In talking with Russ and Bounce Dale and discussing the loss of Kay Sempepos Silliman, I heard the story of how Bounce got that nickname. Margaret Dounce and Kay Sempepos arrived at Jewett/Wilcox on the same day and introduced themselves. Bounce recalls Kay standing in her doorway, cigarette in hand, mulling over the name Dounce, and saying, "Dounce, Bounce—that fits you," and from that day forward Bounce was her name. Even in Longmeadow, Mass., she's still known by that name. Although having problems with arthritis, Russ continues his tutoring in the schools and his advising to small businesses. * Kay's co-secretary skills have been sorely missed. Fortunately, several women are willing to help keep classmates informed. For the time being, the female contingent (like ancient Gaul) will be divided into three parts. Loie Groben Doe will be the chief editor, contacting roughly a third of the class, and Bouckie (Helen Bouck Hildebrandt) and Skip (Louise Wilkin Dimond) will each undertake to communicate with a similar group, channeling news items to Loie for compilation of the quarterly report for this column. Loie will be happy to receive any news from any of you at any time. Please keep one of us informed of changes in your address or phone numbers. We are in need of phone numbers for Phil Backup, for Barbara Roberts Ormsby, and for Marty Newton VanGaasbeck in Florida. * Frances Head Gale died peacefully at her home in Gloucester on February 4, 2005, with her family at her bedside, after dealing courageously with Alzheimer's disease for nearly 15 years. Skip Dimond reminisces: "It was always good to arrive at Bread Loaf for a homecoming or mini-reunion, and see the Gale's camper parked in front of one of the lodges. It meant that, once again, we would be getting together with smiling Fritz Gale for lighthearted talks, good humor, her warm recollections of our good times in the Class of '43, and her sharp observations of the current political situation. When Fritz and John visited me at my home on Cape Cod, we always had a wonderful time watching the variety of sanderlings and sea birds on my beach and trying to solve the New York Times Cross Word Puzzle, while John cooked up his gourmet fish chowder for our dinner. We shall miss those happy get-togethers with Fritz, but how fortunate we are to still have her in our memories."

—Class Secretaries: Mrs. Lois Groben Doe (loisumbie@aol.com), 4 Simon Atherton Row, Harvard, MA 01451; and Dr. John S. Gale (jsgale@shore.net), 24 Beach Rd., Gloucester, MA 01930.

We regret to report the death of Peter Jennison on December 20, 2004. Peter became part of the history of our class when, in our sophomore year, he appeared as Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner at the Playhouse on Weybridge Street. In our 50th Reunion Yearbook, he reported he had reprised that role 46 years later in the New Woolhouse Players production of the play. A loyal alumnus, Peter presided over the reunion dinner at our 55th reunion and returned, although in poor health, to do the same at our 60th reunion with grace and humor. * After traveling in Eastern Europe in May before our reunion, Ricki Wheaton Evanskayaked among the islands off Deer Isle in July and August. * Ruthie Waldmann writes that she has replaced golf and bowling with Aquasize, "and the switch has done wonders for my back and shoulders, as well as doing a better job for physical fitness than aerobics." Now that her two nieces have both moved to the Dallas area of Texas, she hoped to be able to visit them soon. * By chance, Betty Broadbent Brown recently met Dave Stebbins. Dave's news is that son Andy '82, who is teaching English in Hong Kong, and his wife had a baby boy, their second, on November 12 in Australia. They hope to settle in Perth at the end of the school year. * Betty Mercer McChrystal enjoyed a family vacation in Yosemite National Park, Sequoia, and Carmel last August. In September, she and Bill spent a week in Laguna Beach, Calif. * Muriel Roome Wakeman went to Italy in October, writing that she toured the Amalfi coast and Tuscany in unusually warm weather for that time of year. * Chuck and Ruth Huff Allen added three girls to the family in 2004—granddaughters in January and June, and a great-granddaughter in March. In October, the Allens celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. * Speaking of great-grandchildren, Bill and Ingrid Monk Stevenson welcomed two more into their large family, one in March and one in November. The Stevensons celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in April. * Nancy Read is apparently happily settled in her new home in Sun City Center, Fla. "You know I am not one to mind testing the water. I just jump in and, so far, it's working well." * Marjorie Jolivette Manning reports that she is "holding the fort alone now, since my dad's death at age 103." Her four children and seven grandchildren are scattered across the country, mainly in the West. * Congratulations to Sanford Young for his December 8 induction into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame, for his extraordinary service to golf. In addition to serving as president of the Connecticut State Golf Association, Sandy was a driving force behind the creation of the Connecticut Golf Foundation, a committee member of the U.S. Golf Association, and a one-time scratch golfer who qualified for two U.S. Amateur Championships. In helping found the Connecticut Golf Foundation in 1998, he directed fund-raising efforts that now make it possible for 25,000 kids to have access to a growing series of golf programs. After living in Darien for 40 years, Sandy moved to North Carolina in 2002. As you will recall, Sandy earned varsity letters in baseball, hockey, and golf while at Middlebury. * Two Middlebury undergraduate grandchildren of Barbara and Hugh Taft—Jonathan '05 and Joya '06—recently visited their parents, Jeffrey and Pamela Taft-Dick '73, in Sri Lanka, where Jeffrey is country director of the World Food Program. Their visit happened to be at the time when the tsunami wreaked havoc on so many countries on the Indian Ocean. Barbara told us that she and Hugh were unaware of the catastrophe when Pamela called to say they were safe. The whole family was planning to go the next day to one of the beaches that was destroyed by the giant waves. We can all rejoice that Hugh and Barbara were spared the unthinkable tragedy that might have happened.

—Class Secretaries: Dr. and Mrs. Neil Atkins (Marylu Graham) (nmatkins@prodigy.net), 70 Hilltop Pl., New London, NH 03257.

REUNION CLASS

By the time this issue of Middlebury Magazine reaches you, you will undoubtedly have heard a great deal of encouraging information about our 60th reunion. We on the more elderly side will be on the receiving end as to elevators, convenience to meeting locations and to vehicles for tours. Therefore it should be a wonderful experience—hope you are making every effort to come. * We are happy to hear that Dave and Jane Robertson Palmstrom hope to make it to reunion. * Plans are in the works for Ray Walch to attend our 60th. Ray is proud to announce that they have 10 grandchildren, five girls and five boys. He's also proud to report that he still takes no medicine. * Muriel Cormack Mottola reports that she must miss reunion, because her "favorite grandson is getting married that weekend." * Mike Mann is not sure yet about reunion. Since the recent replacement of his right hip, he reported that only time will tell whether the left one needs to be done this spring. He writes from Slingerlands, N.Y.: "I shall be forever grateful that I was able to attend Middlebury, even though my education was interrupted by WWII. I was lucky enough to survive the war, returned in one piece, and completed my college experience in 1947. In short, I have a soft spot in my heart for Middlebury." In turn, Mike has served as class agent for many years, was the alumni interviewer for his area for students applying to Middlebury, served on the committee for our 50th reunion, and has been a generous supporter of the annual fund: "I have tried to repay Middlebury in some fashion for what the College did for me." * "We are enjoying sunny Naples, Fla., again this year," writes Marjorie Harwood Greer. She is looking forward to seeing everyone at reunion. * Marian Bailey Allen and husband Bob anticipated the April wedding of grandson Bo (Robert Cullen Briggs), who has completed Stetson Law School in St. Petersburg, Fla. * Nona Fife Peck reports that she and her brother, Harry Fife '50, went to DC for the dedication of the World War II Memorial. Harry served in the Air Force, while Nona was at Great Lakes doing physical therapy. Nona planned to return to her Lake Dunmore cottage in May. * A phone visit with Roy and Beverly Boynton '48 Kinsey found both active and involved in their growing community of Fountain Hills, Ariz. Beverly chairs the County Park System board and volunteers at the Chamber of Commerce. As chair of the Mountain Preservation Committee, Roy has diverse responsibilities with priority given to trail making. The Kinseys visit with Pres '47 and Joan Spross Carr '48, who retired to Vancouver, but spend most summers in Sun City. * Alice Southworth Twible reports that uninvited guests Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne left havoc behind them. Alice is an active voice and handbell member in the First Baptist Church; Harlan was the speaker at the annual Veteran's Day ceremony in Sarasota. * Jean Bender Heermans reports the birth of her first great-granddaughter in January 2004. Jean's new retirement complex address is 3895 Old Vineyard Rock, #322, Winston-Salem, NC 27104. * Marjorie Watson Haller has moved into a retirement community: "It is independent living and I am really enjoying it. My apartment is roomy and sunny and I was able to bring everything I wanted to keep with me." * "Big life change for us!" writes Lee Van Leuven Morehouse. "After 54 years in Lexington, Mass., in a Dick-designed house, we have moved to Quarry Hill in Camden, Maine, closer to family and to our beloved summer house on Vinalhaven Island. There are still cartons to unpack and much downsizing to accomplish." Lee says she is still cooking, but meals are available when needed. * Warmest congratulations to Robin Willits and Phyllis Killam-Abell, who were married last October. He also reports the weddings of son Roy in August and of granddaughter in September. Robin has been retired for a number of years; Phyllis continues to teach part time at UNH and serves on the New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women. * Congratulations also to reunion gift committee members Bob Clement, Charlotte Hickcox, Mary Wiszotsky McClellan, Jean Williams Schoch, Ruth Collins Shikes, and Alan Wolfley for their valuable efforts to encourage giving, be it ever so small. And thanks to Carol Chamberlayne Kimballfor volunteering to serve as a greeter at registration. A pre-60th reunion gathering this spring is being hosted by either Phil Dunham (Brattleboro, Vt.) or Mary Wiszotsky McClellan (southwest New Hampshire).

—Class Secretaries: Ann Robinson Walker (wwalker @medleas.com), 181 Medford Leas, Medford, NJ 08055; and Mr. Alan Wolfley (aw451bg@aol.com),

22 Canaan Close, New Canaan, CT 06840.

John and Connie Smith Carpenter are happy and relieved to be settled at Wake Robin, a continuing care facility in Shelburne, Vt. They had a busy year with their move and with trips to Arizona, Cape Cod, and New York City, the last to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Connie and John keep very busy with golf, indoor and outdoor tennis, and weekly ping-pong. Connie reports: "There are a good number of Midd grads here and we hope to have President Liebowitz speak here soon. We head for Panama in January." Kathy Rowley Tuttle writes that she recently got together with Connie for lunch at Wake Robin. * Cindy Darby Westmoreland reports that husband Neal is recovering nicely from a formidable operation. She fully expects him to be his usual rowdy self in a few months. We are all pleased to hear Cindy's good news. * Jeanne Picard Johnson and Art have moved from Charlotte, N.C., to a retirement community called Loomis Village in Massachusetts. The move was effective November 15. Their new address is 20 Bayon Dr., Unit 217, South Hadley, MA 01075-1799. * Averyand Peg Rowland '45 Post are still enjoying their lifestyle at Kendal in New Hampshire, their retirement community. They have four daughters and twelve grandchildren, a lovely family indeed. They still travel to their cabin in the White Mountains during the summer months. * During the fall, Billand Jan Shaw Percival spent 29 days in Europe, touring Spain, Portugal and Italy in detail, with day trips to Morocco, Gibraltar, Vatican City, San Marino, and Lugano, Switzerland; eight countries in all. There were many vistas which will be long remembered, including Franco's Valley of the Fallen in Spain and Venice in Italy. We shall also remember a quite brisk swim in the Mediterranean Sea while on the Costa del Sol. * Doris Smith Earnshaw is an editor and contributor of a recently published book, The Berkeley Literary Women's Revolution: Essays from Marsha's Salon (McFarland). She reports it's "about my days as a grad student at UC Berkeley." * Jean Robbins Stratton writes: "Last summer we went on a Quaker Pilgrimage to England, staying in the Lake District for a week, absorbing history of the late 17th century and walking through meadows of sheep. We saw Scotland by train for our second week. In August we were vacationing in Maine, with family and Betsy Barclay Wales, my longtime friend from Midd." * Jimmie Smith Murphy sends a "proverbial organ recital: My aortic aneurysm has had its annual check-up and is found to be static; arthritis in knees and lower legs is painful and impedes walking normally, but no surgery is planned. Larry's rotator cuff impingement in left shoulder necessitates our giving up the canoeing which we dearly loved. Sad, but we are grateful for all the years we could enjoy it. Otherwise we are fine and enjoying life on the coast of Maine." * Alice Thorn Laquer reports that last spring they enjoyed a cruise to the Panama Canal and Costa Rica. After 47 years in their home, they plan a move in the near future. Two of their six grandchildren are in college in Philadelphia. * Leila Taylor Baggett reports that son Dave was a great help preparing for four Florida hurricanes. "We were blessed to have been spared any damage. Trees came down all around our neighborhood." She reports that son Rick and family moved back from Cuba last June; they now live 90 minutes from her home. Two grandchildren are in college, one in high school, and two in elementary school. Leila is "looking forward to seeing any Midd friends that come this way—and to our next reunion."

—Class Secretaries: Bill (wcpercival@aol.com) and Jan Shaw Percival, P.O. Box 337, Cataumet, MA 02534.

Last summer, several classmates held a mini-reunion at the home of Jean Mace Burnell on Marrowstone Island, just a ferry ride offshore from Seattle. The island gathering included Jean, Phyllis Howland McIntosh, and Flo King Millsaps. On another day, Jean, Phyllis, Flo, and spouses went by ferry to Port Townsend to meet Jan Rogers Enzmann, who joined them from her home on Whidbey Island. Phyll reported that the ferry crossings, the views, and the beaches were lovely. They enjoyed a crab feast, a visit to an old fort, and shell collecting on the shore. Phyll now has a basket of sand dollars on her hearth as a reminder of those walks with Middlebury friends. The Enzmanns celebrated their 50th anniversary recently with a family gathering atop the Space Needle in Seattle. * Graham and Sally McCullough Sterritt missed the mini-reunion because they were scheduled for a week in Maine, where Graham was taking a refresher sailing course at the Wooden Boat School, while Sally was reading, relaxing, and wandering about the village. * We are happy to report that Lynn Bruhn has been recovering nicely from an operation, getting stronger every day. Keep it up, Lynn! * Mary Pitz Hunt is recovering her strength since a bout of pneumonia last spring. Her family and friends all help, she says, and she looked forward to some snowshoeing on flat trails this winter. * Suzanne Gard Knox says that she is "finally getting used to living single," since the loss of husband George in July 2002. "It helps that both of my daughters are in this area. We are all going up to New Haven, where my son lives, for Christmas. I'm still involved in dog activities." * We were sorry to learn from Joanne Buckeridge Booth that Hank Cady has been in rather poor health at his retirement center in Oberlin, Ohio. We wish him well. * John Moriaritysends a remarkable report: "My son, John, who resides in North Carolina, joined two of his three brothers by undergoing a triple bypass operation. Since this century began, my wife and three of our four sons have had bypass operations." * Carl Parkinson and wife Helen celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary with a cruise from Florida through the Panama Canal to San Diego: "We really enjoyed seeing one of the Wonders of the World." * Bobbie Bates Lauterwasser and Herb celebrated his 80th birthday with a family gathering at their cottage on Lake Kanasatka in New Hampshire. At year's end, the Lauterwassers traveled to Seattle, saw Mount St. Helens and Mt. Rainier, visited Victoria and the Olympic Peninsula, then returned to visit old friends where they used to live in New Jersey. After five years of living in New Hampshire, they are enjoying good health and life in a retirement community. They rejoice to be nearer to their family and to be active in church choir. Herb is still helping to build Habitat for Humanity houses in their area. * Marion Durkee Stillman's motto is "keep moving!" Marion seems fine after breaking her ankle, having surgery, then therapy. She enjoyed trips to concerts at Tanglewood in the Berkshires, plus a summer trip to Mexico. Visits to family were planned in Florida in January and in San Diego in February. * Anne Macomber Wood is another active traveler. She visited friends in Florida last spring, her son and family in Ohio last April, and went to London with a neighbor last fall. * Alice DeLorenzo Stansbury completed her botanic landscape course in time to visit Houston in January. She plans a trans-Canada trip in May and a brief visit to Maine in the summer. * In their Christmas card, Bill and Jeannette Atkins Louth shared five beautiful shipboard studies of clouds over water. Their closing words express a wish suitable for all: "May the heavens shine down upon you and may you encounter only friendly clouds in your life."

—Class Secretary: Virginia Stowell James (jinnyjamvsj @att.net), 373 Reeds Gap Rd., Northford, CT 06472.

Secretary Nourse reports: Having sold their Connecticut home in March '04, Nan and Joe Foxare now full-time residents of Venice, Fla. Nan walks three miles daily, while Joe maintains his 18-plus handicap by playing golf several times a week, occasionally with Buzz Tilton '53. One of the hurricanes made them evacuate to higher ground, but that proved unnecessary. Family and travel beckon—Boston, Provincetown, Baltimore, Poulsbo (Wash.), and even Alaska this year! * A brief message arrived from David Smith: "Sore back, new knee, still in Maine, can't complain." * "In 1948," writes Bob Kellogg, "we never imagined today's college—or world." Living in Middlebury, he and Marya (Steele) "see endless sports (even women's ice hockey), music and art events, attend lectures, plays, and symposia. We both ski some, sing in a college-sponsored chorale, and volunteer at the Sheldon Museum." * In beautiful San Antonio, Texas, retired Dr. Dick Wolff indicates that he and Sybil have slowed down a bit since our 50th, thanks to "age and medical problems." However, they still do a lot of work for the Methodist Church. On their last trip to Vermont they searched for the burial site of one of his wife's great uncles, who died in Libby Prison during the Civil War. Dick writes that Vermont records are fabulous and that many books have been written about Vermonters who served in the Union Army. * I had a great chat with Graham Shovelton, who has lived in Huntsville, Ala., since 1956. His wife and two sons are graduates of Auburn University; both sons live in Alabama. Tom Johnson's name came up; he and Graham were Alpha "Slug" fraternity brothers. Graham does a lot of choral singing. * I asked Stew Washburn for his take on the Red Sox celebration parade and here's a small portion of his reply: "Ah, but what joy 2004 did ultimately bring! As excitement, the ups and downs of regular season paled in comparison with the ALCS; down three games-to-none and down by a run in the last of the 9th when, unbelievably, the 'good guys' came to life, crumbling the Evil Empire. To many, including me, the ensuing World Series sweep earned only #2 ranking; we'd already accomplished our #1 priority!" Our thanks to Stew, also, for recruiting Jean Webster Skoien, of Tampa, Fla., to serve as another class agent. Thanks, Jean! * Rasjad Moore writes: "I am now in the process of shifting from the asparagus farm north of Perth to an aged person's unit in the village of Gingin. Only those of us who seek the geographical cure know how hard it is to reduce one's belongings (and papers) without some angst. I am so glad I found your unopened letter and hope this much belated reply finds you in good nick." Rasjad had received a letter from me belatedly because he had been in Malaysia and the letter was forwarded to a friend's address and held there. Rasjad recalls the time in 1971 when he was in San Francisco, visiting a friend on the production team of American Graffiti. While the friend was going over the script, he asked Rasjad what college he went to. "I didn't realize until the film was released that he had apparently suggested to the director that the actor playing the mature high school teacher would say, when asked where he went to college, 'Middlebury, a little college in Vermont' (or words to that effect). Fortunately, it was a good film and a powerful statement about youth in the sad years of Vietnam." His new address is Unit 2, 14 Barlee St., Gingin, Western Australia 6503. * Secretary Ness reports: Margery (Bunny) Lehmann Stillman died last fall as the result of a car accident in a rural part of Middlebury. Her funeral was held at Mead Chapel. This totally unanticipated tragedy has left her family heartbroken. The class extends deepest sympathy to her husband, Allen, and their two daughters. * Marvelous caricatures of Duke and Nancy Richardson Powell appeared on their Christmas card, depicting the two of them atop a large collection of furniture, appliances, etc. The caption under the caricatures said, "The Powells Are Downsizing." For a number of years they have been on the waiting list for RiverMead, a retirement community in nearby Peterborough, N.H., and they are hoping that 2005 will be the year a cottage will become available. * Anne Saurman Myers and her husband are enjoying a busy and healthy retirement in West Harwich on Cape Cod. Traveling frequently to visit their five children, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandson takes them to Minnesota, western New York, and South Korea. They even attended a Robert Frost Symposium in September at Bread Loaf. * Let's hear from all of you who have had cataract surgery, which must be the operation of choice among our age group. I've had two this year; Sue Cook Turnbull had one in December before heading for the Boston area to spend two weeks with three of her daughters. Sue also wrote that Glo Pilini Miller visited her in Kansas City for several days last spring. * At Christmastime, Perry Maurer Thompson wrote to tell me that my modest co-secretary, Bart Nourse, who wears a second hat as class agent, was awarded the Sid Kay Agent of the Year award at the Alumni Leadership Conference in September. Bart has raised our class participation percentage substantially and continues to strive for 100 percent participation. Let's all help him achieve this goal—every year.

—Class Secretaries: Elizabeth Bredenberg Ness     (elizabeth.ness@att.net), 412 N. Wayne Ave., #109, Wayne, PA 19087; and Bartley Nourse (brierpatchcc1@ juno.com), 73 Brier Ln., Brewster, MA 02631. 

In honor of our 55th reunion, Virginia Anthony Soule wrote that she was pleased to establish a charitable gift annuity, which was a win/win process: eventual money for the College and immediate return for her—as well as a charitable tax deduction on her contribution of greatly appreciated stock. * Dixon Hemphill, who attended the 55th with his wife, "greatly enjoyed seeing old friends. The campus has changed since I was a student, but the additional buildings have only improved its appearance. I'm proud to be a Midd graduate." * Alice ("Hotch") Hardie sends "an addendum to the class notes of our favorite class secretary for the women, Patty Allen Guthrie, to record that loyal friends Janet Correll Shahan,Mary Seacord Shahan, and Janie Baker were faithful attendees at our 55th." * Jane Baker reports that "2004 has been a good year, except for the political scene. Our 55th reunion brought many old friends together. Revisiting London was glorious. Crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 and cruising in the Caribbean provided both abundant fun and food." * Virginia Dunn Beach reports: "We now live at Quarryville (Pa.) Presbyterian Retirement Community. We attend morning chapel six days weekly and enjoy fellowship at all meals. We're located in beautiful Amish country and are delighted with our situation." * We send the condolences of the class to Priscilla Noyes Crosson on the death of her husband, Charles, on October 5, 2004, after a lengthy illness. We are happy to hear that Keetsie is looking forward to our 60th reunion in 2009! * We are sorry to report that Walter Savage has been in and out of hospitals since early August. Although he had been through a long siege, he was entering rehab upon last word and we wish him a very speedy and complete recovery. Under the circumstances, he has requested to be relieved of his secretarial duties. It is our hope that another loyal classmate will step forward and volunteer to assist with gathering news of 1949.

—Class Secretary: Patricia Allen Guthrie, P.O. Box 1804, Wolfeboro, NH 03894.

REUNION CLASS

Secretary Paterson reports: Attending an Elvis Concert last night (done by a very capable Elvis imitator) made me yearn for the good old days of Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby, et al., when music was not played too loudly, and lyrics could be understood. I got together recently for an annual golf event with John O'Connor. * Jackie Brooks Davison moved from Lexington, Mass., to Gainesville, Fla., in August (just in time to witness our unusually volatile hurricane season). She writes: "Starting a new life near my daughter and her family is an extraordinary experience. With three young adult grandchildren, I have instant escorts to theater, ballet, local music programs, and even the Ukrainian National Dance Company." She also tells of a return visit to Lexington where she found that her former house had been replaced by a much bigger 21st-century edifice. Jackie also commented on Florida's election procedures, confirming my impressions of the past several years that Florida is a world unto itself when it comes to counting votes. * Responding quickly to our request for news, Andy Namm said he will attend our 55th. He sent along a picture taken with Thomas E. Dewey Jr., as they toured the campus of City Tech, the college founded 57 years ago by Andy's father and New York's former governor and presidential candidate, Thomas E. Dewey. Andy is chairman emeritus of the City Tech Foundation. * Another response was from Claire Dufault Wilson, reporting that she is still active in her public library, and that she is "well and content." * From Sid Kay's November letter, we note that he and Sandie are now residents of Hendersonville, N.C. * Still living in New Jersey, Gloria Bou Kelly reports: "Feeling great. All five children are grown." * "For the last 27 years," writes Nancy Warman Pihlcrantz, "I've lived in Traverse City, a northern Michigan bay front resort area and center for the arts. Since retiring in 2001, I'm pleased to remain active as a grandparent, householder, Democrat, Unitarian, and clinic volunteer. Visitors are welcome (nancypihl@juno.com)." *  This April, Jean Blanchard Parsons and her husband planned to move to a "neat new retirement home not far from where we live now. Thought we'd better do this while we are still pretty healthy." She wasn't sure yet about reunion—"depends on the move and on grandchildren's graduations." * Dewitt Drohat and wife Phyllis enjoyed Thanksgiving and Christmas week at home, with nine family members visiting—two sons, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren (under 8). Doc writes that his sons are excellent skiers and that their sons are beginning. * After 55 years, Joan Metzger Brisbin reports that she has left Huntington, W.Va. She spends winters in Florida and summers in Snow Hill, Md. She regrets having a conflict with our reunion. * We regret to report the death of Al Craz on June 27, 2004. Al was an active member of Alpha Sigma Psi and was extremely active in College affairs during our years there. In recent years, he had the imagination and fortitude to conduct a second career as a paralegal. * As our 55th reunion approaches, we would like to remember classmate Homer Gray. Homer demonstrated his love of Middlebury and commitment to education by providing a generous bequest to the endowment that will support future generations of students. * John Corbisiero reports some health concerns which may keep him from attending our 55th, but his letter recounts a beautiful summer trip: "Aileen and I spent two weeks in Hawaii this summer. Although we had been to Hawaii several times previously, this was the first time we were able to see the entire, beautiful island of Oahu. We were able to visit the battleship Missouri, which served in the invasion of Okinawa in WWII and was the place where the Japanese surrender occurred. The Missouri is especially memorable for me because during the invasion it was stationed in the bay just a short distance from my ship, SS Clovis Victory. All night long it tossed those 16-inch shells on the Japanese forces entrenched on Okinawa. The firing blast was so great that the Missouri produced waves which rocked our ship each time it fired." John also recounts a visit to Washington, D.C., for an Air Force reunion attended by General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a member of John's fighter squadron during the cold war. * Best wishes for a healthy, happy, and successful 2005. We hope to see all of you at our 55th.

 —Class Secretaries: Margaret Stearns Burdett (blueburd@verizon.net), 5 Upper Bay Rd., Sunapee, NH 03782; and Walter Paterson (wpate86259@ aol.com), 11301 Heron Bay Blvd., #2916, Coral Springs, FL 33076.

Secretary DeLaney reports: When we talked in January, Lee Webster McArthur and husband Bob were about to leave their home in New Jersey for a Midd Alumni College gathering with John McCardell in Beaufort, S.C. Many people know John for his achievements as our recently-retired college president, but some may not realize he is also well regarded for his knowledge of American history. By way of introduction to the history and culture of the Carolina Low Country, the four-day course included lectures, tours, and wonderful southern hospitality. Willand Carolyn Bennett '61 Jackson also planned to be in attendance at Beaufort. The McArthurs planned to connect with Jim '50 and Beth Huey Newman in Hilton Head. Thankfully, Jim is finally cancer-free and on the road to recovery, after a rough two years of multiple surgeries. * In October Dave and Charlotte Clark Hay celebrated their 75th birthdays leaf peeping in Vermont. The fall color was spectacular this year! An added treat was watching sophomore granddaughter Emily Read play on the Midd field hockey team. * Jim and Mary Sellman McIntosh were also on campus that Homecoming weekend, having driven down from their vacation home in Lincoln, Vt. * David and Joyce Boardman Kurr stopped in Middlebury on their way to see granddaughter Caroline Adler, a sophomore at Colby. * Everyone who toured the new Middlebury library found it very impressive. Harvey and Lois Behrman Watson were found in the audiovisual room named in honor of Lois for her generosity to the library initiative—an outstanding space that can seat as many as 30 people. She was looking forward to hosting President Liebowitz for lunch in the new year at her home in Stuart, Fla. * John and Helen Reid Gilmore had planned to spend Christmas in Vail with family, but—thanks to Delta Airlines—spent the holiday quietly at home in Greenfield, Mass., after a fruitless round trip to the Harford, Conn., airport. Nevertheless, they had much to be thankful for, as John has continued, if slowly, to recover from spine surgery last summer. With Helen retired from the teaching profession, they planned to spend February at their vacation home on Florida's Sanibel Island, hoping it would still be intact after the series of hurricanes in that area. * Joan Allen Armourconfesses to being the proud owner of two new knees, as of December 1. We heard that husband Norm '53 was doing very well with the Armour household duties. Fortunately for him, Joan is making a great recovery! * Helen Guernsey Bates thanks friends who sent notes or e-mail regarding the passing of Norm Bates '50 in February 2004. For Christmas, her family planned to be together for three days at a ski lodge in the Cascades. In March 2004, Helen visited Jane Ayer Leavitt in Santa Barbara, where Jane teaches English as a Second Language to beginning students of all ages and backgrounds. * Word has been received of the death of Andrew Yang, on September 12, 2004, in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Sympathy is extended to his wife, Renee, and their two children and four grandchildren. * Roland Coates imagines that many of us have occasion to say "I don't know how I ever had time for work." Roland is busy with lots of activities—watercolor painting, golf, tennis, gardening, cooking, etc. He's also a cancer survivor. "All in all, life is great: grandchildren, family, wife, friends—who could ask for anything more?" * Now retired and living in Portland, Maine, Philip Clarke flew to NYC in March 2004 to be installed as the pastor emeritus of the Park Avenue United Methodist Church of NYC (the church he served as senior minister for 43 years, 1956–1999). On August 19, 2004, Phil married Bettie Lee Carothers Thomas, who wore his DU pin in the early '50s and whom his DU brothers serenaded in the spring of 1950. "It took us a while to get it together—50 years plus—but not nearly as long as it took the Red Sox to win a World Series," Phil told his old roommate Ken Nourse '52, when writing him in late October to congratulate him on the Red Sox victory. Of course, he added, "Just wait 'til next year!"

—Class Secretaries: Charlotte Clark Hay (Mrs. David W.) (dchay22@webtv.net), 4454 Shady Ct., Rolling Meadows, IL 60008; and Robert DeLaney (wooded@ together.net), 1131 River Rd., New Haven, VT 05472.

Secretary Cahill reports: Barbara Oetjen Cocchini spent last summer on Lago Maggiore and Isola d'Elba. Last spring she did a 23-day cruise from Buenos Aires down the coast to Antarctica and up through the Chilean fjords to Santiago. This spring she plans another cruise, from Copenhagen through Scandinavia to St. Petersburg. She has expanded her business to a new company, Nippon Housing, to serve Japanese clients. Her son runs it very well when she is traveling. She also plays piano and has sculpted an angel for late husband Aldo's grave. * Carol Whitham Brewster enjoyed a recent walking trip in Tuscany. She's happy that son Toby and his wife and four boys have moved closer to her in Brunswick, Maine, where they both work at Bowdoin College. A writer of poetry, Carol included "December in Maine" in her Christmas card. * Dick Ragle is "working out at the Anchorage Senior Center to keep the 81-year-old joints from seizing up." He continues to teach geology courses at the Univ. of Alaska, Anchorage. * "We believe in 'gittin' while the gittin's good," writes Carol Holmes Phillips. "My women's group, the Vibrant Souls, hiked in Arizona in November and plan a ski trip in February in Colorado to Copper Keystone and Breckenridge; biking in April along the C&O Canal in Maryland/Virginia, and biking with Elderhostel in Provence, France. Why would I want to go to heaven? It's heaven right here—with senior discounts." * On June 11, Sally Baldwin Utiger will be inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Sally! That is truly an honor. * After over 50 years in Topsfield, Mass., Peter and Ruth Eldridge Race are moving to a new home in a retirement village in nearby Groveland on May 1 (3 Nichols Way, Groveland, MA 01834). * Heard from Emmy Lou Webb Leavitt, after sending a snap of our mini-reunion last May. She has met Louise Erb Mayr's sister a few times, since they found out they live close to each other. * On a very sad note, we send deepest sympathy to my roommate of three years at Midd, Paula Loughran Zahniser, on the loss of husband Frank on Thanksgiving eve, after a courageous battle with cancer. Frank was a familiar face on campus, coming over from the Univ. of Rochester at least once a month for three years to woo Paula. * Don '51 and Jackie Willaredt Lelong made a sentimental journey through New England last October, staying at Bread Loaf while they toured the Midd campus. They find Sun City (Georgetown, Texas) is a great place to stay active in mind and body. * Dee Rowe was inducted into the Worcester Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame on November 18. A very successful coach at Worcester Academy and at the Univ. of Conn., Dee is doing well, healthwise, and was returning to Midd for two weeks in January to teach. He and Ginny (Reynolds) '53 enjoyed the holidays on Cape Cod with most of their 16 grandchildren. * Jim and Jane Rupp Cooke were at it again this winter, skiing up a storm at race camp at Stowe. In early December, they enjoyed watching the Midd hockey team beat Salem State 9–3. * William and Zoe Birren Kirby have four grandchildren (ages 2, 3, 4, and 5). Maxim and Lucas live in Boston, while Caroline and Wallace live in Darien, Conn. Bill writes that, after six years, his eye problem has been solved, so he "can now ski again." He also reports that he recently "bought new skis and boots from Tom Jacobs's ('51) company, Inside Edge." Bill has donated a conservation easement to about 300 acres of Vermont forested woodland to the Vermont Land Trust, allowing future generations to enjoy and appreciate the land in an undeveloped state, just as the Kirbys have preserved it over the last 50 years.  * Long before news of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison reached the American news media, Rose and Haven Whiteside were working to document prison conditions, set up legal proceedings, and reunite detainees with their families. According to their group, the Christian Peacemaker Team, many civilians are arrested in the confusion by mistake and kept in prison for months without formal charges, while their families have no knowledge of their fate. The Whitesides left their Tampa, Fla., home to travel to Iraq for five weeks in December and January.

—Class Secretaries: Jeanne Parker Cahill, 10 Old Planters Rd, Beverly, MA 01915; and Joe Davis (sensei@valley.net), P.O. Box 3, The Ridge, Orford, NH 03777.

We would like to announce that Sue Taylor was presented with a Sidney G. Kay '50 Class Agent Award last September at the Alumni Leadership Conference. Thanks for your hard work, Sue, and thanks to all classmates for their wonderful support. * After being a leadership consultant and educator for years, Pat Cavanaugh Boss came out of retirement to become the coordinator of the English Learner Development program at Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif. Pat works intensively with about 80 students, the majority of whom speak Spanish as their primary language. In 1983, Pat was named Contra Costa Teacher of the Year. * Jean Overhysser Arneberg caught up with Lou Limbach Spangler in California last June, then had special visits with Marty Ladd Allee and Pat Pattyson Eckley in November. While in Vermont during the summer, she saw Ann McGinley Ross, Pat Hamilton Todd, Biffy Darling Sherburne, and others. * An elated Nancy Faust Dougherty reports that she is the grandmother "of a totally adorable grandson." This spring she is headed for a visit to Spain—"a longtime dream." * As a leader of Veterans for Bush 2004 in Phoenix, Paul Fuetterer was pleased with the outcome of the election. He planned to attend John McCardell's history course in Beaufort, S.C., in mid-January. * According to a Warrenton, Va., newspaper, Al Bragg is often seen around town with his aerial motorcycle, which can stay in the air for more than two hours, as well as clock 60 mph on land. Al's Web site (www.flitebike.com) calls it "the motorcycle of the sky." This could revolutionize commuting in the future!

—Class Secretaries: Verne Goodwin (vpgoody@aol .com), 4410 Columbine Dr., Vail, CO 81657; and Ann Golding Davis (sensei@valley.net), P.O. Box 3, The Ridge, Orford, NH 03777.

Secretary Ryan reports: As I write this, I think back—a long way back. Fifty years ago at this time, I was, like many of us, on a troopship going somewhere. In my case, I was crossing the north Atlantic in January, rather than going west to Korea or Japan. Most of us were very fortunate, slipping in between Korea and Lebanon, and out before Vietnam. * Got Christmas cards from the Davenports, Fays, Gleasons, Moffitts, and Wyckoffs. All who wrote continue to be happy and active, out there doing good things. * Emily and I and my sister and brother-in-law recently enjoyed a three-week driving trip from Prague through the southern Czech Republic, Slovakia, southern Poland, and eastern Germany. The architecture, particularly of Prague, Cesky Krumlov (close to the Austrian border), and Cracow, is superb, stretching back more than a thousand years. These cities had been relatively untouched by World War II (although Berlin was certainly changed, and has changed a lot again since I was there in 1955) and, with the end of communism, are happily welcoming tourists. Good car (a Skoda diesel), good weather, good people all along the way. A great trip! * While passing through Cheyenne, Wyo., recently Emily and I stopped and had a delightful luncheon with Ginny and Bill Kane at Little America, a fascinating resort on the outskirts of Cheyenne. Good lunch and good conversation with two very bright people. The four Kane children are all productive members of society (a professor, a brigadier general, an attorney, and a public relations expert); two live fairly close (considering that distances in the West are somewhat different than they are in the East). * Had a good conversation with Norm Kittel, whose health has improved remarkably in the past few months. Thank heaven for medical science! He is still very active in civic affairs in Yachats and in Oregon. * Dana Preston is happily retired in Chicago, after leaving Amoco Oil just before its acquisition by BP. Dana started with Amoco in New York and was transferred to Chicago in 1968, a city which he really enjoys. Retirement, he said, consumes all of his time. "Now I don't just scan the newspapers, I read them!" I spoke to him just before he and his brother were heading south to Florida for a few weeks. * Pat Paullin Dinsmore, of Lexington, Ky., has a new grandson in North Carolina. Since she was too busy to get out Christmas cards, she said, "they may be mailed in celebration of Groundhog Day this year." Pat is planning a lot of driving in the near future, from Kentucky to North Carolina, to Michigan, and to New York (for the Shakespeare Festival). She also plans to take up sky diving again. * Dick Davenport is happily enjoying retirement from his oil business. Betty recently had a knee replaced, but even that went remarkably well, under a new, computerized surgical system. They were about to travel south for golf in South Carolina. It's hard to believe that I saw the Davenports 50 year ago (including their eldest, an infant) in southern Germany. * Christa Von Rumohr Donnelly writes of her enjoyment of our 50th reunion. She hopes to see everyone at our 55th. * Jane Coffin said it was great to see so many classmates at our 50th. Jane is still giving evening classes in watercolor and drawing at Keene High School, while enjoying genealogy research. * And now a few words about one of our favorite professors, David K. Smith, whom I called to wish a happy new year. As you may know, he lost his wife, Carol, last year. Christmas, he said, was good, with all the family members in attendance. All recognized Carol and the marvelous influence that she had had on all of them. Additionally, a grandson attending school nearby has moved in with him. And then we talked about the lack of snow in Vermont, the price of gasoline in Middlebury ($1.99/gal. for regular), the need for more competition, where the price of crude oil is likely to go, and what happened to Bush during and after Yale and Harvard Business School. D. K. is still sharper than most of us. * That's all from Texas! Keep those cards and letters coming. And stay active, stay connected!

 —Class Secretaries: Mrs. Robert B. Nickerson (Nancy Whittemore) (nancy@nickersons.org), 4 Osprey Ln., Mystic, CT 06355; and Mr. Thomas C. Ryan (trn@aol.com), 3 Knipp Rd., Houston, TX 77024.

REUNION CLASS

Our 50th reunion is fast approaching, June 2–5, 2005! By now you have received the fabulous yearbook that Nancy Walker Faulkner and her committee put together. What memories it evokes! From all reports everyone loved reading the current bios. If you haven't sent yours in yet, please do, as it will be published in a separate book after reunion. You also should have received a Class Survey that needs to be sent back ASAP in order for Gail Howard Flanagan to tally the results. * Blair Bunting Darnell lives close to the Rio Grande on the edge of the Albuquerque River at the Alamo Horse Farm, which she runs. Daughter Emily is an early childhood teacher and a representative for New Mexico. * One of our missing classmates has been found! Robert "Benty" Entwistle is living in Naples, Maine, with his wife, Woodsie. He's now working in client development for a firm started by his son-in-law. Called Targeted Learning, it's a "classic digital age not 'brick and mortar' company, so everyone works at home." After years of travel, it's great working at home. Bob still skis at Sugarloaf, has four daughters living nearby in the greater Portland area, one son in Reading, Mass., and the other working at Alta, Utah. * Alan Gould arranged the 20th consecutive theatrical performance and fifth open captioned presentation designed for deaf/hearing impaired theater patrons on April 16, 2005, at the Wilton Playshop's production of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None/Ten Little Indians. Alan recently received the first Special Recognition Award by the Connecticut chapter of SHHH (self help for the hard of hearing people) at a well-attended ceremony held at the Westport Public Library. * We're still looking for volunteers to help with the memorabilia display at our reunion. Contact John Baker or Pat Makin if you can help in this area. Please call all your former close classmates and encourage them to return to Middlebury. It's going to be a fabulous time! We look forward to seeing everyone in June.

—Class Secretaries: Pat Hinman Makin (pmakin@ adelphia.net), 11 Rockholm Rd., Gloucester, MA 01930; and Frank E. Punderson Jr. (pund@together. net), 1209 Cider Mill Rd., Middlebury, VT 05753.

As we begin to plan for our 50th reunion in a little over a year from now, we have another preview mini-reunion planned for September 2005 at Timberlock, Dick Catlin's Adirondack camp. Those of us who attended last September had a great time hiking, boating, white-water rafting, visiting the Adirondack Museum, taking long walks, and enjoying each other's company in a beautiful setting. We also began to talk about reunion planning: the yearbook, social activities, and, of course, fund-raising. We're going back to Timberlock September 8–11, 2005. As of this writing, there are 25 folks signed up and we have room for 25 more. Singles and spouses are all most welcome. If you are interested, please get in touch with Bill or Mona at the addresses below. You'll be mighty glad you did!

—Class Secretaries: William F. Houghton (willho@ aol.com), 16940 Knolls Way, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023; and Mona Meyers Wheatley (mwheatley@ wris.net), 32 Hummock Pond Rd., P.O. Box 3038, Nantucket, MA 02584-3038.

Last October, Xanie Post Koontz went to Brazil with the Connecticut Audubon Society, her first trip to South America. "My companions were friends who, 60 years ago, were kick-the-can playmates." * Bruce Hathaway is traveling a lot and is still at the Kennedy Center four days a week. "Whenever I threaten to retire, they discourage me," he writes.

—Class Secretaries: Mary Ellen Bushnell (Bushnell@mit.edu), P.O. Box 504, Peterborough, NH 03458; O. Sam Morton (sammorton@aol.com), 12411 Perthshire Dr., Houston, TX 77013; and S. Wyman Rolph (s.rolph@comcast.net), 2329 Park Ave., Richmond, VA 23220.

David Krugman is happy to have son Andrew '90 and family living nearby. Andrew, who teaches history at Kingswood Oxford in West Hartford, also coaches soccer and tennis. Andrew's wife, Karalyn Kinsella, practices pediatrics in Cheshire. They have two sons, Jack (3) and Sam (1). * After a long career with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, Nancy Dwyer Lenz is "in the early countdown to retirement (hopefully January 1, 2007). Trying to figure out how I can have more fun on less money!" * Jamie Eppes reports that he's "still fixing up our house for sale in spring or summer. May then move to New England." * Bob '54 and Betsy Heath Gleason "had a great experience last November, taking our granddaughter (15) to 'do' NYC for three and a half days. Next grandparent trip is scheduled for April 16, when we'll take two grandsons (12-year-old cousins) to the Grand Canyon and environs." * Great news from Scotty Greer: "On October 14 the little white ball finally behaved and, after 50 years of hacking away, fell in the hole off the tee for a hole-in-one! I was tempted to pick it out of the cup and walk off the course forever, but thought better of it and hope to keep swinging for many years to come."

—Class Secretaries: Stephanie Eaton (stephanie.eaton@leg.state.nh.us), 243 Pleasant St., Littleton, NH 03561; Joseph E. Mohbat (jmohbat@msn.com), 551 Pacific St., Brooklyn, NY 11217; and Ann Ormsbee Frobose (frobose@llnl.gov), 2370 Meadowlark Dr., Pleasanton, CA 94566.

Robine Andrau, of Scituate, Mass., traveled to France with Jim and Anne Weston McGowan in 2002, viewing Impressionist paintings in Paris, Etretat, Rouen, Giverny, and Honfleur. A developmental editor of textbooks with Boston-based publisher PWS for 17 years, she's now a senior developmental editor at the National Fire Protection Association. She enjoys spending time with her two daughters and their husbands and children. Another project is "renovating the upstairs, with plans to set up a B&B in the near future, so keep that in mind if you're considering a beach weekend." * Our college soccer-team captain Dave Collin took part in the 50th anniversary of soccer at Midd, during the 2004 Homecoming. As a freshman, Dave played in Midd's first NCAA recognized soccer game. He and wife Connie missed our 45th, because it conflicted with her reunion at Skidmore. * In Goshen, Vt., Judith and Dick Conrad run Judith's Garden, a bed-and-breakfast in the Green Mountain National Forest. Located on an isolated dirt road near Bread Loaf, it offers hiking, swimming, golf, foliage walks, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. Their breakfasts offer a variety of home-baked delights. * After seven years of teaching at Southern Methodist Univ., Martha Gerhart resigned last spring "to return to a freelance lifestyle. Concurrently I moved to a comfortable first-floor condo (no more stairs for this 66-year-old!), where I have a fine piano and a fine space for vocal coaching at home. My days are filled with working with all kinds of singers, both students and pros, as well as working on Vol. II of Italian Song Texts from the 17th Through the 20th Centuries, which I hope will be completed in summer 2005. (Vol. I was published in 2002 by Leyerle Publications.)" * While husband Jeff still works full time, Gretchen Jordan Heebner volunteers for the Morris Arboretum of the Univ. of Pa., an interdisciplinary center integrating art, science, and the humanities and displaying thousands of plants and trees in a 92-acre Victorian garden. * Byron Koh continues to teach literature at Springfield (Mass.) College. He says that this spring term may be his last. He enjoys visiting with his granddaughter, but wishes she lived closer than Seattle. * Pamela Payne Lewis, a teaching prof. of public speaking at the Heinz School of Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon Univ., reports: "For the first time I was politically active during the November elections and worked very hard for John Kerry. The experience was an eye-opener, and I have new respect for folks who ring doorbells and make phone calls for causes of any kind. It's hard work! I'm glad Kerry carried Pennsylvania, but deeply disappointed that he lost the election." Pam and Gordon's sons live in Maine and California. * Now retired from both his Army career and the U.S. Automobile Association insurance company in San Antonio, John Mentor and wife Irene enjoy traveling and caring for granddaughter Becky. They have traveled extensively in Europe, but "with the dollar going down, are now staying closer to home." They occasionally see Don and Jan Brouse Taylor when on their way to Puerto Vallarta for winter vacations. * Last fall, Pat and Fred Swan enjoyed a two-week tour of Kenya, sponsored by African Inland Missions and led by a retired missionary. They visited several mission sites, as well three game parks where they saw a variety of big game animals at close range. * This winter, the Southern Vermont Art Center hosted an exhibit of the art of Eleanor Vinke Sweeney. "After many years of almost exclusive black and white photography," the Art Center reports, Eleanor "has recently turned to the art of the Polaroid transfer—the process of separating an underdeveloped Polaroid peel-apart print, pressing the negative onto a receptor sheet, such as watercolor paper, to transfer the print dyes into the surface. Sweeney uses a number of cameras to create the 35mm slides she works from, including an $18 Holga camera that, she says, 'has mysterious light leaks and produces unexpected effects.' Sweeney has also been experimenting with using multiple images. 'It seems to reflect the passage of time,' she explains, 'and the endless ways of looking at or thinking about something.'" Last September, Eleanor attended Alumni College at Bread Loaf, where she took a pastel course taught by Midd faculty member Jim Butler. She recommends Alumni College to all. Eleanor also spends a day each week with her two grandsons. * Steve Turner is "plugging along" as a writer, while wife Anne is the Santa Cruz library director. They had a pleasant December evening in Santa Cruz with Nancy and Ren Curry and Judi and Ralph Stone '61, "in spite of commiserating about the sad state of our nation's politics." * Sharon Spade William (M.A. Spanish '61) has been teaching a college-level course to assist health-care providers in interactions with Spanish-speaking patients and clients at the Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Mass. * Granthia Lavery Prestonwrites: "Retirement allows time for those things that get pushed aside while raising kids. For me, that means more time to enjoy my violin in both small chamber groups and in the large 70-member Vermont Philharmonic." Granthia is pleased to announce that "79 percent of our classmates contributed to our 45th reunion class gift. That identifies us as one of the stronger classes." She and Ren Curry are our class representatives to the Gamaliel Painter Cane Society. Fourteen in our class are members, in that they have included Middlebury in their wills or as a beneficiary of retirement plans, or have made planned gifts. For information about joining the Gamaliel Painter Cane Society, contact Granthia or Ren, or phone Dan Breen toll-free at 866-496-MIDD.

—Class Secretaries: Lucy Paine Kezar (lpkezar@ rcn.com), 134 Main St., Kingston, NH 03848; and William W. Hussey (billhusseyMidd59@aol.com), 203 E. 72nd St., #6B, New York, NY 10021.

Reunion class Lindy Hill Reed participated in the March for Women's Lives in DC, took grandson Grant on an intergenerational Elderhostel trip, and visited Boston and Vermont. After two days in Singapore, she spent three weeks in Western Australia. In between travels, Lindy volunteers with Planned Parenthood, does some workshops for Population Connection, and many AAUW and church activities. * Sally Giguere Giglio's most exciting trip was to China. She reports striking contrasts between the modern, bustling cities and rural farm villages. Their guide arranged a day in a village outside Xian, where they were welcomed by the mayor, party leaders, and schoolchildren. Their group will help support the school and hopes to support an English teacher, because knowledge of English offers many economic opportunities to Chinese youth. * Calvin Schmeichel is still running the Branch Farm B&B in Saranac Lake, N.Y. Fourth grandchild David Miller Welsh was born on December 12 to Karen Schmeichel Welsh '88. * Last summer, Angie Larossa Randall had a great experience, being a "grandmother" in a four-day program re-creating life in Jesus' day. Each "family" had a mother, grandmother, and about 12 children of various ages, representing the tribes of Israel. They did many family activities, such as making bread, stringing beads, tie-dying, and clay forming. And Jesus came along and taught. * John Emory delayed his Christmas note so he could report the arrival of his first grandchild on December 18, born to his daughter, Elizabeth Emory Gabrys '91. * Polly Johnson Stephens reports that husband Mel resumed his job as ski instructor at Mt. Snow, after a yearlong battle with prostate cancer. During his illness, Polly worked part time doing home health care. With his recovery, she jumped at the opportunity of a part-time position in human resources at Coldwell Banker's real estate corporate HQ in Waltham, Mass., giving her flexibility to continue with other activities. * Dud '59 and Nona Lyons Livingston's Christmas card was a photo of the two them by themselves in a white-water raft! They report "same old, same old"—rafting, fishing, skiing, tennis, as the seasons allow. * Helen Smith Folweiler-Chipman reports that she and hubby Dave are, at last, living in the same house. She sold her home of 41 years for more than the asking price—in less than 10 days! Now living in Padanaram, a shore-side village just south of New Bedford, Mass., Helen bought a pied-à-terre condo for their trips to Boston. Last year they skied in Jackson Hole, spent a week sailing in Nantucket Sound, and spent Thanksgiving with family in Seattle, followed by a drive down the Oregon coast through the redwoods and California wine country. * Last year, Linda and Bill French survived their first winter in Rumford, Maine. They are ready to ride with the 50/50 Club: folks over 50 who ride less than 50 mph. Bill was re-elected president of the Village Improvement Society, is a church trustee, and was appointed to help interview and hire a new town manager. They both worked on a local state senate campaign, which took them to most of the 30 towns in the candidate's district. They traveled to Tortola, Virginia Beach, and Pensacola. In Mud Season they never had to walk up the hill; their truck was able to make it up every time! * Janie Cain Bell says she's the "poster girl" for annual gyn exams, because of the way her Stage 1 ovarian cancer was discovered last April. After major surgery, a summer of chemo, and incisional hernia surgery in November, she is now fighting fit. According to Janie, "six months earlier would have been too early and six months later would have been too late." An active ESL tutor for Literacy Volunteers of Morris County (N.J.), she also volunteers, in early 19th-century costume, as a spinner at Waterloo Village, a restored canal village in northwestern New Jersey. An avid knitter, she reports it's great fun to start with smelly fleece and end with a finished product. * In January '04, Jim and Louisa Potts Salmon cruised to Antarctica. The scenery was magnificent and the penguins adorable. Once they had visited their seventh continent, they started over in September with a cruise on the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland, to Bruges, Belgium. This time the magnificent scenery included castles and cathedrals. * Visiting areas in Europe on their list of "things we would like to do someday," Elaine and John Cowan cruised from Amsterdam to Lisbon, visited Brugge, the home of lace and chocolate, Ouistreham to see the 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry, the Normandy Beaches and the American Cemetery, Mont St. Michel, La Rochelle and Bordeaux, the Basque Country and the Guggenheim Museum, Santiago de Compostella. Sampling a variety of port wines in Oporto, Spain, they concluded that they still do not have a port palate. * Betsy Cilley Goeke's weekly routine includes exercise class, Tai Chi, a recorder group, and volunteering at Saugus Ironworks and the Science Museum. The choral society continues to provide the musical challenge that is not found in a church choir. In August, Betsy, husband Bob, and daughter Beth '99 went to Cold River Camp for a week, a family tradition for the past 26 years. They spent Thanksgiving in Germany with son Rob. Thanksgiving dinner was a picnic between acts of The Valkyries. * Joyce and Bob Millett said goodbye to the house in Ho-Ho-Kus that has been in his family for 75 years and moved permanently to their condo near Madison, Wis. They spent their fifth summer in Algoma, on the Lake Michigan shore. Two of their children and grandchildren live nearby. They also visited their son in Seattle and toured Vancouver, B.C., took a bus and ferry to Victoria, returning to Seattle on a high-speed ferry across the Strait of Juan de Fuca and down Puget Sound. * In September, Pat Knox Davies participated in the Super Seniors World Tennis Championships in Philadelphia. Over 1,000 players from more than 50 countries participated in this largest tennis event in the world. For Pat, playing there was a celebration, five years after she had surgery and started chemo. In the main draw Pat lost to a grass court player from Perth, Australia. In the consolation draw she went on to the finals, with wins over women from New Zealand, Brazil, and Switzerland. She lost in a close match (6–3, 6–3) to a woman from Great Britain. Even more gratifying were her back-to-back wins over players currently ranked No. 18 and 3 in the USA senior division in the National Hardcourt Tournament in Folsom, Calif. * Our sympathies go to Anne Horton Ridley on the unexpected death of her husband John in December. We were also sorry to learn that Dean Bernasconi died on February 6, 2002, after a valiant battle with cancer. Reunion is coming. If you cannot attend in person, please send Jean Seeler-Gifford a current photo, so you can be there in spirit. See you at Midd in June!

Class Secretaries: Jean Seeler-Gifford (jeandave@        mindspring.com), 1529 Steeple Ct., Trinity, FL 34655; Dick Wilkinson (moviejhope@aol.com), 992 Sherwood Forest Rd., Annapolis, MD 21401; and Jan Fisher Barstad (proimage@amug.org), 2107 S. Ventura Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282.

Richard Harris manages one of the largest and most successful citizens' water quality monitoring groups in southwestern Connecticut. If you're interested in learning more about monitoring programs, contact him at rharrishw/rw@aol.com. * We regret to report the death of Ernest Mazaika on October 28, 2004. His late father, Ernest Mazaika Sr., graduated with the Class of 1932.

—Class Secretary: Steve Crampton (sccrampton@ aol.com), 259 Hines Point, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.

Secretary Roësset reports: Congratulations to Judy Thomas Durkee and son Daniel, who ended 2004 ranked No. 1 in the state of Colorado, 3.0 mixed doubles champions. They won four tournaments and 16 matches in a row! * Now retired from teaching high school German, Barbara Burr Dechet loves skiing and enjoys being a docent at the Portland (Ore.) Art Museum. While husband George is still a full-time urologist, they "try to do a big hike each year, last September the Mont Blanc circuit in France, Italy, Switzerland. Fabulous! Children living in London, Atlanta, and Salt Lake. Our two granddaughters are beautiful, of course." * Al and Anne Thornton Bridges, landlocked Vermonters for 19 years, went in search of oceans in 2004, visiting Baja California in February, Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park (Maine) in September, and Laguna Beach in October. Anne says beach walking is great for a successful recovery from her double knee replacement, but that setting off alarms in airports with "metal knees" is not! * As loyal Boston sports fans, Brian and Alice Couperus Gross were thrilled with the championships of the Patriots and the Red Sox. Alice is still working at Winchester Hospital, trying to conquer the online documentation that was introduced in October, which has meant less time to dedicate to patients. They took a riverboat cruise on the waterways and canals of Holland and Belgium with Bucknell friends, through their Alumni Campus Abroad/Lifelong Learning program. There were daily lectures by a Bucknell prof. and other guest speakers. Highlights were the Dutch Masters, the Keukenhof Gardens, and the Delta Project—a massive dam and flood barrier engineering masterpiece. They also did a family Disney Cruise for a week in the Caribbean, just days after three devastating hurricanes had blown through. She highly recommends the cruise as a wonderful vacation for multi-aged family groups. * Everett and Kathy McKinley Harriswent to Colorado for 10 days in September, which she says is a beautiful time of year in Estes Park. Rocky Mountain National Park is as enticing as Vermont, she says. They loved their hike along the Ute Trail, the elk, and day trips to Boulder and Denver. She's still driving every Thursday to David Weinstock's poetry group in Middlebury, a welcome break from domestic matters and home projects of which there were many in 2004. Kathy reports that she and Everett had a visit from David and Jo Rhoades Bahn. Jo and Kathy were roommates at Midd. * Victor Micati, a retired senior executive of Pfizer, was recently appointed to the board of directors at Enzon Pharmaceuticals. Vic is a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, a director of Ilex Oncology, and a member of the advisory board of Almirall, a Spanish pharmaceutical company. * Nora Wright has been renovating her ancient Vermont home, with a total rebuilding of the kitchen. The end seems finally to be in sight. Meanwhile she is simply happy to have a front door again and not have to climb in and out a window. Fortunately her recent recovery from hip replacement surgery left her sufficiently limber to manage the window egress/ingress maneuver (though she tried to do it when no cars were passing by). An article I (Boz) read recently said that what is "in" now in upscale housing is triple appliances in the kitchen, basement basketball courts, separate exercise rooms for children and parents, indoor spas, two or three laundries, an elevator, multiple plasma TVs, and prayer rooms. I remonstrated with "Scotti" about her failure to take all this into account during her renovation and got the following reply: "Yes, I guess I didn't think things out too well, but I'm considering multipurpose rooms. For example, the new toilet could double as a meditation/prayer room (a soft seat, maybe, on the throne to make it more conducive to higher thoughts), and my cellar (which floods in the spring) could perhaps become a wadingpool/ jacuzzi. I'm a little at a loss about the dishwashers, since I am the only dishwasher in the house, but maybe washing them in different sinks would count. Iwill actually have a laundry room now, though, so I am not a complete loser." Actually, other than this being conspicuous consumerism at its worst, I would think all these multiple TVs and exercise rooms, etc., would further fracture family life, with people living concurrent but nonintersecting lives within one household. Sigh.

—Class Secretaries: Liza Dunphy Fischer (bfisch@msu .edu), 11630 Center Rd., Bath, MI 48808; Bill Dalsimer (dalsimer@optonline.net), P.O. Box 1316, Southampton, NY 11968; and Judy Bosworth Roësset (jbozroesset@aol.com), 11909 Arch Hill Dr., Austin, TX 78750.

In a public ceremony at the Vermont State House on October 29, 2004, Governor Jim Douglas '72 and the Vermont Arts Council presented the 2004 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts to Jane Choate Beck, founder of the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury. The award is bestowed upon a Vermont artist who has achieved national or international stature for making a significant contribution to the advancement of his or her chosen art form. Jane is the first person to receive this award who is not a full-time practicing artist. For 25 years, Jane has traveled the back roads of Vermont to record oral interviews of everyday Vermonters. As founding director of the Folklife Center, she has been instrumental in keeping Vermont's folk art, crafts, and family stories alive and she has been a force in establishing a rich  multimedia archive based on these interviews. Through her work with the Folklife Center, she has produced and won awards for a variety of media productions, exhibitions, and publications dedicated to preserving the folk art and cultural traditions of Vermont. * Carol Keyes Ferrentino is still coaching figure skating part time, while husband Andy '62 enjoys retirement by playing golf and volunteering as a math tutor at Montgomery College. "We travel to our vacation home in Wintergreen,  Va., every other week to escape the DC traffic and chill in the beauty and peace of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with hiking and golf in summer and skiing in winter. Our daughter, Allison, is finishing her MBA at Wharton." * After 25 years as an elementary school counselor, Sally Brooks House retired four years ago. Now she has finished the initial training to become a life coach and she has enrolled in a leadership program connected with the Coaches Training Institute. "The rest of my time is spent with my grandchildren, an art class, two choirs, and two book groups, plus three hours of weight training a week." 

—Class Secretaries: Christopher J. White (crnbrycst@ aol.com), 347 Duck Cove Rd., Bucksport, ME 04416; and Janet Brevoort Allen-Spencer (janballen@att.net),    2 Arizona Pl., Huntington Station, NY 11746.

When NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on January 12, NPR's All Things Considered brought in Don Yeomans to discuss the mission. A senior research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Don is also an expert on Halley's comet, and director of Near Earth Object's office. If all goes as planned on the 268-million-mile journey of this spacecraft, it will crash into Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, creating a massive crater and releasing particles that could provide a glimpse into the origins of the solar system. We'll have Don explain it. * Another classmate with an interesting career is Charles Cox, who visited with the Vecchiollas recently. He has over 38 years of experience in overseas development work. A Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador in the late '60s, he became the regional director for the Peace Corps in Peru and Brazil. In his association with Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance (VOCA), he served as VP for operations for the worldwide program, covering some 85 developing countries. In the early '90s, he was VP for programs in Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. VOCA merged with Agricultural Cooperative Development International (ACDI) in 1997, with Charles as VP for global operations. In his current position as regional VP for Latin America/Caribbean programs, he's supervising a seven-year project in sustainable agricultural production and marketing through cooperatives in the Brazilian portion of the Amazon Basin. He also supervises a similar project in Bolivia and manages two worldwide USAID cooperative agreements, the Farmer-to-Farmer Program and the Cooperative Development Program. * On July 1, David Holmes was appointed VP for programs at Foundation for Excellent Schools, a nonprofit based in Cornwall, Vt. For the past 13 years, he had headed Suffield Academy, an independent school in Connecticut, where he oversaw the construction of 15 new buildings and developed the nation's most comprehensive program at the high school level to foster leadership development. * The Greenwich (Conn.) Time newspaper recently honored John Vecchiolla as Community Leader of the Year. According to the Time, John has held leadership positions on many local boards and committees and has volunteered his time and talents to numerous organizations. His work on the board of education found him chairing the building committee and steering a 10-year $42-million construction project. A state representative reports that John "never missed a building committee meeting and never lost his temper. With John's patience, legal perspective, tenacity, and understanding of building projects, our committee finished this project on time and on budget." The Greenwich chapter of the American Red Cross has also benefited from having John on its board. John and his law firm have done a significant amount of pro bono work for the Red Cross and for numerous other organizations in his community. John and wife Sharon celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary in January. 

—Class Secretaries: Marian Demas Baade (mcbaade@aol.com), 4 Red Rock Rd., New City, NY 10956; and John Vecchiolla (vecchiolla@juno.com),    193 Byram Rd., Greenwich, CT 06830.

REUNION CLASS

Enthusiasm is building for our 40th reunion, June 3–5. Last fall, Bill Mueller, Ann Gruhn, Eric Hager, Fred Stetson, and Martha Saenz met at Bread Loaf to lay out a strategy. Agreeing to cochair the social activities were Fran Love and Bill. Fred and Martha are heading up the class reunion gift effort. Joining the team is an "army" of other volunteers: Tana Sterrett Scott, Andy Johnson Perham, Judy Sheldon Mills, Peter Holcombe, Ed Weissman, John Hastings, Tim Carey, Nancy Smith, Doug Rhett, Breck (Carolyn Breckenridge) Gregg, Angie Goldschmidt Fryberger, Jerry Thayer, Paul Prentiss, Fred Berner, Peter Branch, and John Elmendorf, as well as your class secretaries. Early indications are that we may have a record turnout, so if you haven't yet made plans to attend, we encourage you to do so. * In the course of contacting classmates to encourage them to return, your secretary ("T") had a wonderful talk with Peter Koedt in Durango. Peter and I both arrived at Middlebury in the fall of 1961 after an all-night bus ride from NYC. Neither of us knew a soul at Middlebury and recalled being terrified of what lay ahead of us. Peter only stayed with us a year, then had a great career in the custom log home contracting business. Recently, he finished his degree in psychology at Ft. Lewis College and hopes to join a group practice soon. He can't join us in June, but sends his best to all his Hepburn buddies. * Our sympathies to Tana Scott, whose husband Chaplain Charlie Scott died in October. We are also sorry to report the death of Judy McCandliss Orr on November 12, 2003. And we learned this winter that Hazel Brown left us some years ago. * On a brighter note, John Elmendorf reports he has a new granddaughter, Courtney, born in August. * In other news, Carol Haas Kelley and husband Marv '64 are returning to New England. Last fall, Marv accepted a job at his alma mater, Northfield Mount Hermon. Carol writes: "Marv is now in planned giving at NMH, where we lived and worked between 1970 and 1980, so this transition is a happy homecoming for us. It just may take some time for us to live in the same place!" Carol continues to enjoy her position at Xavier Univ. in Cincinnati, where she will remain until their house sells. * Susan Apple writes: "Still loving Montana and being in close contact with all my children. With both girls (Lisa '89 and Susannah) here in Bozeman, I have Sam (8), Lila (6), and Sophie (3) at my beck and call, which is the best ever." * After 23 years at Columbia Univ., Steven Roser relocated to Atlanta, Ga., in January 2004 to assume the position of chief, division of oral and maxillofacial surgery, at Emory Univ. "We miss New York, but are excited about the new relationships we have formed in Atlanta." * "New job, new home, same love of the mountains," writes Sally Brinkmann Blaser. "I bought a place in Lafayette, just outside of Boulder, last July. Then I started a new job as bilingual case manager for Clinica Campesina, a medical clinic serving a client base that is 85 percent monolingual Spanish-speaking. The job is intense, but very rewarding. My growing family is doing great. Recently returned from a hut trip to Francie's Cabin, south of Breckenridge. Teleskiing at 11,300! What a thrill!" * Bonnie Garrretired from the Chicago Public Schools in January 2004 and moved to Santa Fe, N.M., the next month. "I keep up with several classmates, including Angie Goldschmidt Fryberger and Barbara Clive Fagan. Carol Dickerman has been a regular visitor, both in Chicago and now here." * During her second year of working half time, Carol Burr reports that she and Roger have been increasing their travels. In 2004 they visited Argentina, walked Tuscany, followed the Tour de France, toured Ireland, and cruised the Amazon. While still directing multicultural and gender studies and teaching literature, Carol is enjoying being grandmother to Olivia (4). * Kudos to our "retired" Fidelity exec Randy Brock, who upset Vermont's popular state auditor in November. Not as successful was "T" Tall, who lost his bid for the Vermont House, but he reports the experience as being one well worth the effort.

—Class Secretaries: Polly Moore Walters (Mrs. Kenneth) (polly@frii.com), 100 Grandview Ave., Fort Collins, CO 80521; and R.W. "T" Tall Jr. (ahmic@ shoreham.net), 204 Clark Rd., Cornwall, VT 05753.

Tom and Carolyn Sharp Hamilton retired six years ago to a community in southwest Florida on Charlotte Harbor. Punta Gorda provides them the climate, community involvement, opportunities for personal development, and outdoor environment they love for kayaking, fishing, and sailing. After last summer's bout with Hurricane Charley (including evacuating four times in six weeks to Carolyn's 87-year-old parents' home 80 miles north!), they are actively participating in the planning and rebuilding of their community. In November she and Tom spent three weeks in Asia: Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ubud in Bali—all places they had lived or worked or played during the late 1980s. They also went to Siem Reap in Cambodia to visit the temples and experience history at Angkor: "It was a joy to retrace our old steps, visit old friends in the region, and also get away from Punta Gorda, which still looks like a disaster zone in many places. The trip soothed our souls and replenished our energy for continuing the rebuilding of our community." * Other travelers include Dudley and Rita Crocitto King, who spent two weeks in Tuscany last October, enjoying the wine and regional dishes with four friends. At home in Hilton Head, they keep busy with their 12 grandchildren. * Jennifer and Mike Keefe live seven months of the year in Lake Geneva, Wis., and five months in Aspen/Snowmass. They have a daughter, Isabel (3), in addition to Mike's four adult children—Rob, who works with Mike in real estate; Alex, a prof. of eastern religions and culture at Ohio Univ.; Tom, a professional photographer in NYC; and Katy, an artist/clothing designer in Chicago. Mike writes that he's "very active in my business but have managed to find a way to get away for the winter. Lake Geneva is 75 miles from the Chicago loop and our business activity has been intense. It would be fun for us to show off our area to anyone traveling that way, or take a few turns in the mountains. We're in the book." * Jane and Chip Elfner have also found a way to spend time in two locations. Retired, they divide their time between town (Boston) and country (Keene Valley, N.Y.). Each summer they have a mini Midd reunion, with recent visitors including Ken Andersen, Chap Garrison