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SEPTEMBER
2004
AND
THE BEAT GOES ON ...
Things are the same, The sun rises and sets every day. Our Social
Security checks go into our accounts on the 18th of the month and summer is
beginning to merge into fall. But ...... something is different.
As the bells in
Enough
of the morbid, albeit well-written, philosophy. Let’s examine what lies ahead.
IRS publication #590 tells us, actuarially, how much longer we are expected to
live, barring complications. At age 71, the estimate is another 16.3 years, or
around 87. At 72 , the number is 15.5 years, or still fairly close to 87. An
open road of time! So let’s get after it! Time to try new things, take some
risks, get off our butts. In the following pages, you will find a multitude of
activities offered by the Class of 1954. Some are in process and others are both
planned and prospective. Give ‘em
a read and join in.
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But
first, let’s riffle through the mailbox.
-AL (LEFTY) and SAL TERRILL did the whole reunion routine by car - 33
days and 7,700 miles round-trip from
-the Classified section
of the July newsletter worked better
than anticipated. LYNDA SCHENCK found TOM HALL’s over-sized hat and it has
been returned to him; the silver Eleazer pin was claimed by a ‘54 whose wife
is still bonking him on the head for not clasping it correctly. We still need a
photo of JACK SHENEFIELD’s JOAN, being serenaded by the Aires.
-PETE SCHENCK, noting
that our head worker was Courtney Schenck, from
-ED SCOTT has donated
his senior cane, freshman handbook and Green Key hat to BOB LEVINE’s time
capsule. ISABEL had been after him
to clean up his den for years.
-the best excuse for not
attending reunion came from KY LEWIS: “Age has taken his beauty and sin has
left its sad scar.”
-reunion photos from several classes, including ours can still be viewed at:
-Classmates continue to
invigorate the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine through letters to the editor.
-retired Prof. BOB COLLINS, after descrying the ease with which students
can “write” papers by drawing from the Internet and Spell Check, closed with
the wry observation: “Voila! A
perfect paper or one very difficult not to give a very good mark, usually an A-.
The minus because the instructor is viscerally opposed to grade inflation.”
-on the same page, JIM DAVIDSON, amused by the story of a librarian
hanging a tiny rope ladder out of the window of
Baker’s Map Room to assist chipmunks escape, posited: “And I thought
I was nuts when I tossed a specially marked seat cushion/life preserver into my
swimming pool to help the occasional frog get out.”
-JOEL LASKY railed at the DAM for presenting a politically one-sided
story about “The Defector”, Randy Beers ‘64 and demanded some balance in
the magazine’s journalistic presentations.
-JON MOORE was mentioned in the DAM’s oldest classmates - the Class of
1929: “Bill Andres’ son-in-law, JONATHAN MOORE ‘54, was among four
-for the first time
since the establishment of the 1954 Memorial Book Program, PETE KENYON was
notified of the title of a placed book. In memory of JOE GRUEL, the book is
Palaces of Sicily by Angheli Zalapi and includes a plate with Joe’s name and
date of death.
-after sitting for 50
years with some LPs made of the Barbary Coast back in 1954, SKIP WEYMOUTH had
them committed to CD format and handed them to BILL MURANE and PETE “Crash”
BARKER at the reunion. Copies were mailed to non-attendees GEORGE HITCHCOCK,
DICK MILLER and BOB MARTIN and
members of other classes in that close-knit talented group. The resulting
reactions pushed Skip into a bit of a newsletter mode. A nice touch of special
memories.
-the Las Vegas Review
Journal featured a photo of HUGH ROBERTS, President of the Las Vegas
Philharmonic Guild, presenting a $15,000 check to the orchestra’s executive
director. Both Hugh and PHYLLIS have
gone out of their way to dispel the town’s reputation as “
-lacking the telltale
“red bullseye”, DICK STEINBERG wandered his vast gardens in
-the City of Canton,
Ohio cannot get through a year without throwing a dinner honoring RON DOUGHERTY.
This time around it was the
-28 couples, plus YNGMAR
embark on September 28th for a 9-day cruise of the
-Colonel BOB McCARTNEY
had to miss the 50th because , as Chief of Staff, Operations, of the
-like several
Classmates, DON and SALLIE AUSTERMANN have a cabin. Just the word “cabin”
evokes memories of earlier simpler times. Following reunion, they hied
themselves into the woods to savor the memories of new and old friends and great
stories, uninterrupted by email, fax or the lure of the computer. An electric
telephone and a Bose AM/FM ad CD player keeps them in slight contact with
civilization.
-the April issue of
Connecticut Magazine named JOHN MERRITT under “Top Docs.”
-the Milton Sims Kramer
Group Award this year was won by the Dartmouth College Ski Patrol, who play a
“critical, ongoing and often unheralded role.”
-BARRY NOVA was pictured
in the Greenwich Post, presenting the first ever map of the 66-year-old
-the Valley News
featured a photo of PETE BULLIS and the Black Eagle Band. All six of them have
the same glint in their eye.
===============================================================================
From the president:
Dear Classmates:
Our fabulous 50th reunion has come and gone and now it’s time
for us to look ahead to the next 5 years.
“What’s your ‘vision’ for the future?”, I’m asked. Well,
it’s simply this - while most classes experience a decline in participation in
class activities after their 50th, my hope is that our Class will experience a
minimal decline and possibly even maintain and improve on our past levels of
participation.
Why? Because, as Dr. Hallowell proved to us at our reunion,
connecting with our Classmates at mini-reunions is a joyful experience that adds
years to our lives. And what could be more important to us than that?
So, to keep the “regulars” coming back and to attract new faces to
our mini-reunions, we think it would be helpful to broaden and add to our venues
of mini-reunion options.
To that end, this newsletter contains a questionnaire about different
mini-reunion ideas. We’d like to know what your opinions and thoughts are. Or,
better yet, what a few of you might like to put together and OFFER as a
mini-reunion. If it’s got a compelling theme or a unique opportunity, people
will come and you’ll get great satisfaction and recognition for doing it.
Most mail surveys get a low response rate, but please surprise us and
give us a return of 50% or more. Mail
your responses to me and I’ll tabulate them and present the results to John
Fenn, our new mini-reunion Chairman, the other Class officers, the Executive
Committee and all other Classmates
present at our October 30th meeting in
To those who won’t be at the October Homecoming meeting, Pete Barker,
our peerless newsletter editor, has kindly agreed to provide me with space for
future columns in which I can update you on the survey results and progress
reports.
Many thanks, cheers and good health.
Jay
==================================================================================
‘54 Mini-Reunion
Questionnaire
1.a. Should we expand
the geographic locations of our future mini-reunions? Yes (
) No ( )
If yes, which regions do you think would attract a good turnout, i.e., 10
couples or more?
West
Coast - Seattle___________
Southwest,
e.g., Phoenix_________
Southeast,
e.g.,
Washington,
DC_____________
Florida____________
Mid-West_____________
Other______________________________________________
1.b. In the future,
mini-reunions could be held in the following kinds of locations. Please
check the one or two which appeal to you the most.
Near
or in big cities, e.g.,
Near
historical sites, e.g.,
Near
beautiful scenery, away from big cities, e.g.,
Near
big cultural events, e.g., Tanglewood, Shakespeare performances_______
Travel
experiences in the
Other________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
2. We currently have
golfing, fishing and skiing mini-reunions. Do you think we could
successfully add additional sports events that offer excellent creature
comforts?
Yes
No
Walking tours
( )
( )
Day hiking
( )
( )
Easy biking
( )
( )
Charter sailing
( )
( )
White water rafting
( )
( )
Other: _____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
3.
How interested would you be in attending mini-reunions that offer a
learning experience
with a professor or other expert as lecturer?
Very
interested ( )
Somewhat interested (
) Only slightly interested (
)
Not
that interested ( )
4.
How interested would you be in attending mini-reunions that offer a
cultural experience, e.g.,
classical music, art museums, theater, etc.
Very
interested ( )
Somewhat interested (
) Only slightly interested (
)
Not
that interested ( )
5.a.
We’ve now had 2 fully subscribed cruises in the
Very
interested ( )
Somewhat interested ( )
Slightly interested (
)
Not
interested ( )
If
interested, where would you most like to see the cruise go? _____________
__________________________________________________________
5.b.
The College offers trips as part of its Alumni Continuing Education
program. Would
you be interested in a College trip if you new that 10 or more ‘54s
were going, e.g.,
6.
Some colleges put together large events for alumni from the entire decade
of the 50s. If
there was a special event that was open to the classes of ‘53, ‘54
and ‘55, would
that make the event more or less appealing to you?
More appealing _______
Less appealing _____
7.
When we learn that a Classmate is undergoing a serious medical problem,
would you
be willing to support that person by writing, calling or visiting and
perhaps sharing
your experience? Yes (
) No (
)
If
yes, what is your area of experience? Prostate
______ Cancer ______
Heart
disease________ Other________________ None___________
Would
your wife provide a similar service, e.g., breast cancer? Yes (
) No (
)
Please
give us some information about yourself. Which of the following statements
comes closest to describing your participation in mini-reunions, past and
future.
Past Future
I
attend as many mini-reunions as I can - 2,3 or more a year
( )
( )
I
sometimes attend mini-reunions - one every year or two
( )
( )
I
seldom attend mini-reunions, but think favorably about doing so
( )
( )
Finally,
if you would like John Fenn to call you about putting a mini-reunion together,
check here ______________
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP. HOPE TO
SEE YOU AT A ‘54 MINI SOON!!!
NAME__________________________________
ADDRESS______________________________
EMAIL________________________PHONE____________________
Please
mail to Jay Davis,
===============================================================================
Michelle Madore Boillotat
Individual and Class Giving Officer
The
GREAT Class of 1954 set a new standard for 50th
Overall,
Your
gift to the DCF is most appreciated - THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Special credit goes
to Dick Page, Rick Hartman, Bob Berry and the members of the Reunion Giving
Committee who contributed their time and enthusiasm to help 1954 achieve
phenomenal success.
Your
annual support of the DCF directly affects the experiences of all
You
should be very proud of your accomplishment during your special 50th
Editor’s note:
Co-Chair Bob Berry asserted that: “The Committee generated a
contribution from almost every Classmate we were able to contact.”
IN
MEMORIAM
In
the early morning hours of
The
significance of David McLaughlin to the Class of 1954 is celebrated in his
depiction on the 1954 Class Award with his mentor and role model, John Sloan
Dickey, in the background. We, his
Classmates, had the privilege of watching Dave set gridiron records during our
campus days, and, 50+ years later, to hear his fine exhortation to civility in
his 50th year speech at our reunion. At
72, Dave was likely the most active of us all in his full-time leadership of the
American Red Cross. His corporate
and humanitarian careers are legion, including the particular distinction of
serving as the fourteenth man in the Wheelock Succession.
We applauded his winning of the Bartlett Cup at graduation and he more
than fulfilled the promise the award anticipated.
Almost
every one of us can tick off his multiple accomplishments as scholar/athlete,
military pilot, corporate executive, the
“A
citizen of the world” Jim Wright
“Those
long fingers and his bearing reminded me of The Last Victorian Man”
Joe Mesics
“The
man who pulled me out of the quicksand” Dick
Page
“In
this world over-cluttered with do-gooders, Dave was the rarest of the rare - an
accomplished and most successful doer of good” Luke Case
Dave
is survived by his wife, Judy, his two sons, his two daughters, Susan and Wendy,
and thirteen grandchildren.
A
memorial service will be held at the College at
Reunion Tennis Buffs
Front row: Red Grundman, Phil Cooke, Jerry Van Hook, Jim Davidson
Back row: Ann Hillman, Kathy (with Ernie), Mike Morrissey, Jay Chandler, Jim
Adams,
Howdy Russell, Frank Carey, Pete Ankeny, Jim Tofias, Ernie
Dahl, Bob Price