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NOVEMBER 2006
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/54/
PGBarker54@aol.com (203) 661-7611
HOMECOMING!
Not since the late 90s has Hanover seen the Class of 1954 in the numbers that appeared on campus for Homecoming 2006. 74 Classmates, spouses, widows and a couple of guests. In an extraordinary show of strength and pride, the events of the weekend found a heady 85% of our officers, executive committee and functionaries in active attendance. The move of the Class meeting from Saturday morning to Friday afternoon actually attracted more than prior years. While we are basically a tribe of retirees, even the working stiffs made the effort to join in. Good for us!
President JAY DAVIS's agenda was robust and threatened to intrude on the traditional pre-parade cocktail hour. Secretary TONY KANE presented and received approval of the 2005 minutes, then called for a moment of silence for the seven Classmates we lost during the past year. He also took the occasion to encourage NYC area Ô54s to join the often raucous monthly luncheons at the Yale Club.
ALEC GRAY, our post-ROBINSON successor to the Treasurer’s post, rose and issued the traditional cry of “We’re solvent!”. Total expenses for the year ended June 30 were $19,600 and consisted of only four items: the Alumni Magazine, newsletters and mailings, Homecoming meeting and related mailings and the various Class sponsorships. With sizable cash balances sitting in the bank between the expenditure dates, Alec asked for guidance on investing the funds in order to generate some additional income. He received permission to invest in the bank’s CDs. Any suggestions for safe investments with higher returns should be relayed to Alec (wagdart54@earthlink.net).
Head Agent HUGH NOLIN proposed a Class contribution goal of $260,000 and a participation goal of 75% for the 2006/2007 Dartmouth College Fund campaign. Both recommendations were approved. Consider making your contribution with several checks, dedicating each to the memory of a deceased Classmate - the college notifies widows of the gifts and it is a fine way to keep the Ô54 spirit alive. Jay Davis promoted the thought of additional giving to “Friends” organizations, generally those with which we had campus associations, e.g., sports teams, band, Sanborn House, etc.
I was unable to attend Homecoming due to a family wedding, so my newsletter report of “No Report” was delivered by my representative.
Dr. JOHN FENN held forth on the panoply of Class mini-reunion activities. Skiing, per Jay, is planned for January 7-10 in Vermont and March 4-8 in Telluride, CO. SHELLY WOOLF announced the golf dates as March 11-16 with 47 people already signed up!. The fishermen have their own unique communications system ("gill talk") and will reveal the dates when they feel like it. Holiday luncheons are December 6th at the Weston Country Club with the '53s and December 7th at the Yale Club in New York (without the '53s).
STEVE MULLINS is the honcho for our joint 75th birthday party in New Orleans. Steven is well-versed in the Big Easy and presented the outline of a program for the period April 12-16, the time of the French Quarter Festival. His plans include a full menu of constant jazz, a swamp boat tour, the D-Day museum, a Jazz Cruise on the "Creole Queen", Brunch at Brennan's and a possible overnight cruise up the Mississippi. A dozen of those present indicated an interest and there will be enough more from the Class to make it a memorable celebration of our three-quarters mark. Steve will begin booking events for 30 couples, then adjust as we approach April. Laisse le bon temps rolare!
Web Master PERRY DAVIS (in absentia) received a rousing round of applause for his continuing inventiveness in expanding the content of the Class website. The usage level of the site (hits) by Classmates is incredibly higher than all other non-reunion classes except 1993 - something to do with "wikis". If you scroll down to the very bottom of the website, you can see the number of hits to date. My November 12 peek showed 7595 looks at the information and photos. Make it a practice to log in when you are checking your email - the address is at the top of the newsletter.
TOM TYLER encouraged estate planning to include the college. BOB ADNOPOZ explained the continuance of the Class Awards program with the presentation of an inscribed Matthew Pierce pitcher. Bob's the man to whom you send recommendations for the award.
DON BERLIN gave an impassioned appeal for positive consideration of the proposed alumni constitution. At this date, with the votes tabulated, it is appropriate to thank Don for his persistence in supporting what he and many others considered the right thing to do. The project became the basis for many spirited e-conversations among '54s who had not communicated in quite a while. There will be an open Alumni Trustee seat next year when Nancy Kepes Jetton completes her term. Will we see a petition candidate? Stay tuned.
PETE KENYON and DICK TROWBRIDGE have the best Class assignment - working with today's students. Pete talked about the process whereby we select student interns to support financially and the athletes who chose Dartmouth because of our encouragement. Those gathered for the meeting were treated to off-the-cuff presentations by some of the interns described in the September newsletter and reporter DICK BARKER opined: "... were predictably bright, articulate and interesting ....."
In regard to the 55th reunion, chair John Fenn noted that: "Yeah - it's out there. We're working on it." NATALIE is working with John on a spectacular gift for the wives. Menus appropriate to our (then) 77-year-old digestive systems will be considered as we near 2009.
JOHN HESTON lead the assemblage in a hearty rendition of "Men of Dartmouth" and, with heads held high, the group moved into the rhythm of the Homecoming Friday night drinks, parade and bonfire routine.
Saturday morning offered the opportunity for over 50 Homecomers to gather at the new dorm, Goldstein Hall to listen to DICK PAGE describe the process which produced the bust of Classmate DAVE McLAUGHLIN. All agreed that the sculptor had captured the essence of our friend, even down to the distinctive eyebrows!
The strivings of Buddy Teevens' charges on Memorial Field were relatively futile, but the post-game confrontation between the teams at midfield was exciting and mildly entertaining. Nothing on the order of the U. of Miami riot, but more a proper objection to the Holy Cross players stomping on the Dartmouth logo.
Saturday's dinner was and connective. Intern DJ Wolff '07 was impressive in his presentation and will, hopefully, encourage more of our Classmates to contribute generously to our Class Projects funds. The high point of the evening was the presentation of the Class of 1954 Award to GEORGE SHAW - see Page 7 for the citation. George had piloted his company jet into Lebanon Airport from Denver with passengers wife CAROLE and ROSEMARIE and BILL MURANE. Bill was a wonderful undercover source of information for the citation and Carole was delightfully proud of her generous husband.
It was a fine Homecoming. Make an effort to join us there next year.
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What began as a casual thought turned into a groundbreaking collaboration between ED SCOTT and DON BELCHER and a wholly enjoyable two-city mini-reunion in the Northwest. Eleven Classmates and nine wives attended part or all of the tour. A special aspect of the gathering was the opportunity for '54s and their wives to meet other Classmates whom they had never met before. Minis are great connectors.
The Seattle "leg" (Belcher-managed) included visits to those places we generally associate with the area - aerospace and the significance of Boeing. A boat ride out to Blake Island presented memorable views of the Seattle skyline, followed by dinner in the Tillicum Longhouse and Indian dances. Brings to mind the experiences of KEN SCHRAMM (dec) who dedicated his life to the aboriginal peoples of the area.
The Vancouver experience, under the guidance and planning of Ed Scott, was eased by Ed's pre-thinking the special aspects of being in Canada and advising thereupon. The three-plus days featured lots of fine eating, separated by fascinating tours of things Vancouver. Much time was spent in traveling by cable to high places for impressive views. The Anthropological Museum and the Vancouver Art Gallery allowed some insight to the "place". Shopping, a necessity of travel to new places, was a popular activity. Some of the visitors stayed on a few extra days in order to explore further.
Don and Ed spent countless hours in arranging this connecting event. As important was the imagination they used in making the occasion one that will be remembered for many years. The Class of 1954 is deeply grateful.
[Photos below]
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New Jersey's Star-Ledger ran a story about the George Washington Bridge on the occasion of the span's 75th birthday. Opened in October 1931, it brought was justified by the anticipated growth in the automobile population and gave credence to The Port Authority. Professor Emeritus JIM DOIG was quoted, propounding: "Until the George Washington Bridge was under way, the Port Authority was viewed by people in the New Jersey area and New York, too, with a lot of skepticism." While we bridge-crossers of today take innovations like the GWB for granted, Jim chronicled the major attitudinal changes required in his 2001 history of the agency, "Empire on the Hudson."
The periodical "Occum" recently featured an article entitled "A More Useful Citizen". It concerned a $2.5 million commitment from BOB CLEMENTS and his family to endow the Robert Clements Professor of Democracy and Politics. In an interview as to why he had taken this action, Bob, a government major, responded: "In the past few years, there are many signs that American democracy is not functioning as well as it used to. The way government is now practiced, particularly at the Federal level, is excessively confrontational and unresponsive to the major issues of the day. Too often, special interest groups take advantage of an open political system to press parochial agendas at the expense of the public interest. My family feels strongly that the response to these concerns starts with the education of current and future leaders, as well as current and future voters. So we funded this chair. It is our hope that we can bring to Dartmouth a professor who can engage not only students, but a national audience on issues fundamental to a healthy democracy."
DAVE and LOUISE RANSOM will climb anything in sight. Deciding to organize these impulses somewhat, they determined to climb to the highest point in each of the states in our great nation - "mountain's majesty, amber waves of" and like that. They discovered, however, that it is not all that easy to find such highest points. When they came up empty on Rhode Island, Dave called his topographically knowledgeable son whose research eventually identified the highest point in the Ocean State as an overpass! Hard to make this stuff up ...........
Joints
BILL PIERCE, while East for his grandson's graduation in Maine, stopped by for a visit with BOB OXFORD in NH. Bill had another total knee replacement year ago, so his softball umpiring was on hold this summer. In the same vein, Dr. JAY CHANDLER underwent a left knee replacement and began the lengthy rehab process in September. Apparently it's going well, because he and FLEUR stepped up to host a post-Princeton gathering of 54s and 82s. [Photo below]
Honest BOB JEFFREY checked in to correct my reporting of his college record in the weight throw being with the 56-pound weight. It was a somewhat lighter 35 pounds. The question is whether Jeff will point to the newsletter as proof of his young physical notoriety. Today, in the 70-74 year age group, I'm throwing a piddling 16-pounder, but it feels like 56! Can't wait to get older ....
For those who had the opportunity to have Professor Herb West for his legendary course in Comparative Literature, there is an opportunity to acquire a copy of his farewell lecture, delivered to an audience of 1000 adoring undergraduates in 1964. Some enterprising '65s have published a book, "Herb West's Farewell Address" and it can be had for $28 directly from the publisher. It includes highlights of his forty-two years in Hanover, many of which will spark memories with many of you. The publisher is Westholm Publications, 298 King Street, Cohassett, MA 02025. Orders placed before December 31 will avoid the $3 mailing fee.
Reflecting on the sad story of RICH ROGIN's accident and current state, DAVE MANDELBAUM remembered "I knew Dick when I was thirteen in 1946 and we and seven or eight other boys were on a 1,500 -mile bike trip staring from Saybrook, CT, through New England, up to Montreal and to the Thousand Islands. Time passed and I met up with him again in Hanover. He was a brilliant man. 1,500 miles??
DAVE GLEASON took his company, Austin Powder Company, global in 1985 and he has since "filled many passports", getting to Hanover only infrequently. Try this for "Around the Girdl'd Earth":
Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Morocco, Belize, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Canada, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Hungary, Holland, France, italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Germany, Russia, Greece, Albania, Switzerland, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, Japan, China, Thailand, Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, jordan and Arabia. Dave has set up factories in many of these countries and is presently looking at a deal in the ukraine, with Geoff Berlin, DON's son, helping him. "All this travel has destroyed an already bad golf game."
PETE and SUE GUTLON have decided to make their Florida apartment their year-round residence. They love the place and Pete's health problems will be easier to deal with. Any 54 in the area should call and visit.
HELP!!
In September, I emailed a mini-editorial to Classmates about the evolution of the voting system for Alumni Trustees. Individual email addresses were laboriously input from the Class Directory compiled by BILL WHITE and WAYNE WEIL a short two years ago. 73 of the addresses proved to be wrong! So .... whoever is reading this - '54, wife, SO, cleaning lady - run (don't walk) to the computer and send an email to me and Tony Kane (akane32@nyc.rr.com) with the current email address for that location. And, if the resident '54 hasn't been mentioned in the newsletter in a while, tell me something I don't know about him! Thanks - we communicators work best when we can reach you.
The monthly '54 luncheons at the Yale Club in New York are, at times, intellectual challenges. And, alternatively, just a bunch of guys enjoying the swapping of yarns and memories. Notes from the last few:
-Dave McLaughlin's greatest contribution to Dartmouth may well have been the foresight that created the North Campus. Without it, today's college would be only a shadow of itself. LO-YI CHAN's genius provided the glow of greatness.
-No-one feels guilty about using the address labels we all receive from charities to which we do not contribute.
-Should we consider including wives in gatherings which have been traditionally all male? Most thought we should.
-While the lawyers, investment managers and consultants usually have to leave to return to work, BARRY NOVA had to return to Greenwich to sing - The Choral Society and the Retired Men's Chorus.
-Republicans are different from Democrats
-Most of us don't imbibe at lunch, with special dispensation for the newsletter editor
Class Notes
Secretary Tony Kane's deadlines for his submissions to the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine are more than two months in advance. It has been agreed, therefore, to post the Class Notes to the '54 website at the same time they are mailed north. So to keep current, keep that hit rate high for the website!
Campus Doings
A team of Dartmouth students joined in a competition with other teams from the northeast at Williams at the Ethics Bowl. The wrassling involves "knowledge and wits" and tests reasoning skills. The winners of the regional competition goes to the national Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl which is held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Association of Practical and Professional Ethics in Cleveland. Who would you nominate for our '54 team if they opened up the games to seniors?
The Amos Tuck School is a small school, but there are those who love it. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the institution at #2 in the world and #1 in the U.S. On the other hand, BusinessWeek placed Tuck at #11. If you average the rankings of six top-tier publications, it comes out at third to Wharton and Chicago. And they don't even have a winning football team!
This summer, twelve Dartmouth students drove a renovated bus across the country with waste vegetable oil as its fuel. The oil was scavenged from fast-food dumpsters all across the USA. Apparently, the scent of the emissions generally gives a good indication of the food with it was associated - Mexican, Chinese, etc. The experimenters were fortunate to receive a rooftop solar panel from Cypress Semiconductor, whose CEO is Trustee TJ Rodgers. A fairly troublesome and inefficient exercise, the point is made that alternate fuels do exist, sometimes as throw-offs of everyday life. 8-9 miles to the gallon is balanced by the low cost (free) of the fuel or even the price (90 cents) paid by manufacturers of shampoo and cosmetics.
Travel
JOHN STEEL put SUELLA on a plane to Turkey to continue her conquest of titles in senior tennis.
DICK DEANER has an arch style to his descriptions of the touring he and BEV venture out on: "On the Grand Canal in Venice reigns a beautiful old palazzo reborn as the Westin Europa & Regina Hotel. We enjoyed especially the dining room and bar from which we had close-up views of Venetian life - gondolas, vaporettos, barges, tour ships. On rainy days, we sat with an espresso or a glass of wine and a plate of olives and watched the plastic-wrapped tourists sitting very still so as not to rock the gondola - peering out at Venice from beneath umbrellas. Some gondoliers sang "O Sole Mio' to their passengers for an extra 50 euros. Some gondoliers, we were told, earn enough money in 20 years to retire and buy a farm in Tuscany. Occasionally, we would spot a triple threat gondolier: smoking, cell-phoning and rowing." Old pros, they enjoyed Harry's Bar and St. Marks Square, avoided the Guggenheim Museum and viewed priceless artwork in the no-charge churches.
JAY and MARTHA DAVIS took an ILEAD (Institute of Lifelong Education at Dartmouth) two-week trip to Portugal and southern Spain last may. "We had to take a couple of courses at ILEAD on Spanish history before going, but the real learning took place on the trip. We stayed in historic buildings - Pousadas and Paradors - and were absolutely fascinated by the Moorish/ Christian/ Jewish architecture and history of the country. Recommend it highly." This fall, Jay taught his most popular course, "Stone Walls and Cellar Hole" for ILEAD. His reputation has spread and many are disappointed when the course fills early. There are over 100,000 miles of stone walls in central New England and Jay is the consummate expert.
JOEL and JUDY LASKY took three weeks of their life and joyfully smeared it all over Florence, Venice and a goodly portion of Tuscany. Other than the nightmare of daring to drive in Italy, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves and it was likely that the italians enjoyed them. Places and points of interest included the Duomo, Michelangelo's David, the Uffizzi Art Museum, a restored 19th century synagogue, Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" and innumerable facilities for the consumption of wine and fine food. And shopping.
Contacts
HERB HILLMAN reports that SABE ABELL is now a city councilman and vice mayor of Vero Beach, FL. One of his objectives is to keep a lid on growth in the area. This autumn, ANN HILLMAN is appearing as Cora in the Stowe Theater Guild's presentation of "Mornings at Seven."
During his summer hiatus in Sunapee, CHARLIE MORRISON spotted all sorts of '54s: DANA LOW, cousin NANCY BONNEVILLE and husband BILL at a performance of Il Trovatore in Lebanon (Leb!?); ANNE HARTMAN wearing a boot on an injured foot; WALT and ELLIE ANDERSON in New London, plus an encounter with DICK TROWBRIDGE. Charlie continues to do a fine job as class notes editor for us in Tuck Today.
From DICK BARKER: "Some years ago, DICK PAGE nominated me for membership in The Only Child Society of Cape Cod and the Islands. It's pretty exclusive with a strict limit of 75 members each of whom claims no siblings. Its sole purpose is to gather for an annual cocktail party at a member's home in the summer. JIM and HEATHER BERRY were there." Jim was in our Freshman Greenbook and went on to become a recognized cartoonist. You may recall the individual cartoons he drew of us for a fund drive, with each of us emerging from a phone booth in a Superman suit. Turns out that Heather and BARBARA grew up in the same neighborhood in Toronto. The Berrys summer in family digs in West Harwich which date back to the 1650s and winter in Boynton Beach, FL.
60 years ago, a pretty 9th-grader named Joanne McQuillen dumped CLIFF EVANS for reasons since forgotten. Being alone in his early 70s was not appealing to Cliff and when Joanne moved to the next town, having moved to California to be with her children , the magic returned. A couple of dinners and the Dartmouth charm prevailed. They were married November 4 and plan to live their new lives in "dog years". Nice concept. Cliff took the risk of introducing his bride to the motley '54 Phi Psis at Homecoming and everything clicked.
CLASS OF 1954 AWARD
GEORGE GUILFORD SHAW
George .... you entered the Hanover Plain in mid-century, bearing the nickname "Smiley". Little or nothing in the intervening 56 years has dimmed that smile - as a matter of fact, if anything, it's broader! On campus, you sampled a bit of everything that Dartmouth had to offer, from athletics to the Kappa Sig house to the rich dorm life we all cherished. Your quote in our 50th's More Reflections - "Dartmouth provided an excellent foundation for all that has transpired since 1954" - was likely determined by two roads less taken - an Architecture major and training with a squad of '54s in the Army ROTC unit. Both were uniquely small in membership and allowed you to follow your own muse, at your own pace, into the future.
Forsaking a career as an Army Ordnance officer, you probably broke some new ground by mustering out in Japan following your tour in Korea. After a leisurely tasting of the culture, including trips to Hokkaido and Honshu, you put on tour backpack and spent six months trekking the expanses of Southeastern and Middle Asia. Then, to complete the odyssey, you managed your way back to the States aboard a Hungarian refugee ship!
The Ohio boy was home and it was time to settle down. What else to do but found a construction company in Colorado and find an extraordinarily beautiful woman to share your life? Carole fell for your worldly savoir-faire and agreed to become your life mate. Shaw Construction was born in 1961 with the building of a home for a Dartmouth friend. That worked out so well that you burst forth to become the "go-to" firm in Colorado for excellence in the construction of a vast array of projects: municipal buildings, aviation facilities, churches, theaters, concert halls, hospitals, hotels and, of course ski areas. Your client list runs to many pages and their testimonials pay tribute to the quality inherent in your finished work. Shaw Construction met every challenge Colorado put forth, so you expanded to new offices in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The geography of your business compelled you to take to the air in three company aircraft, with you as a qualified pilot. While you have taken a slight step down from active management, it is likely that your employees can always expect a visit from "The Boss".
Fortune has smiled on you and, Smiley, you have smiled back. Your success has put you into a position to provide succor to your fellow man and you have in myriad ways.:
-You and some partners guided the National Outdoor Leadership School out of bankruptcy and nurtured it back to spirited health. Today, it is the premier training organization in the country for evolving wilderness survival experience into leadership skills in the modern world.
-You assist nonprofit organizations with their construction projects and have the unusual experience of sitting on the "owner's" side of the table.
-Your fleet of aircraft is regularly volunteered for emergency evacuations to a number of hospitals in addition to Angel Flight and Air Life Line.
-For many years, you have supported and participated in the activities of Lalmba, an organization which trains physicians and provides medical supplies to the Horn of Africa. Most importantly, Lalmba sees to the current and long-term care of Africa's AIDS orphans, often pairing them with elderly widows. Your mastery of elementary Swahili has eased your forays into the Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
-And the boards of a multitude of hospitals, schools, charitable and health organizations have benefited from you knowledge, your experience and your faith in people.
Your family includes a successful son and daughter and two grandsons who dote on their overactive grandparents. Your competitive spirit extends to winning sailboat races in Marblehead, Massachusetts and to regular rockem/sockem hockey games in Denver versus much younger men.
George, you are an extraordinary man and Classmate and we are proud to present you with The Class of 1954 Award.
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Photos from the NORTHWEST MIN-REUNION
September 20-26, 2006
Seattle to Vancouver
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Bob Dean, Ron Dunton and Hugh Nolin |
| maybe Al and Sal Terrill or the Bill Cohns |
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Don Belcher and Hugh Nolin |
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Photo from Jay Chandler's receptions for 54s and 82s after the Dartmouth-Princeton game on 11/18:
Chandler, Davis, Heyn and Adnopoz