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March 2008
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/54/
PGBarker54@aol.com (203) 661-7611
NEWSLETTER, NEWSLETTER!
This edition of the cleverly named 1954 Newsletter marks the beginning of our foray into the area of electronic publishing. Of the 593 on the current mailing list, some 342 of you are reading this either on your computer screens or, more likely, in hard copy printed from the Class website, complete with color photos and the extras which webmaster PERRY DAVIS magically inserts. Some 20 of you email types have opted to continue receiving the newsletter in its snailmail form and that option is always open to all - just notify me at the address above.
Getting to this point was a bit of an adventure. Perry gets the letter up on the website within a few days of my mailing it to him, so I had to develop a way to notify '54s that it was "up". This required an up-to-date list of email addresses. Over 80 of the addresses listed in BILL WHITE's fine 2004 directory had changed! Attempts to verify were met with a melange of responses from "timed out", "not a subscriber", "mailbox full" to the puzzling "addressee doesn't like you!" Then it was to the telephone - the best part of the process. I talked mainly to charming wives. There was, of course, the occasional "It's some guy from Dartmouth!" hollered over a bosom-nestled receiver. Even here, many numbers had changed and obscure recorded messages basically told me to go away. The bottom line assumption here is that there are far more '54s in the Federal Witness Protection program than we had thought.
A final note. I discovered, to my delight, that 70 of the 593 on the mailing list are widows! If you take the high percentage of wives/signif others who read the letter, the majority of the readership is female! See later for an attempt to play to the girls.
Why Green?
The College has a feature on its website called "Ask Dartmouth". A recent question addressed was "Why is Dartmouth's color green?" The answer is not as exciting as you might want it to be. In an 1866 rowing race involving Dartmouth and a number of other Eastern colleges, Dartmouth was one of a few, if not the only school without a color to identify it. Harvard had chosen crimson, Yale blue, Hamilton orange, Williams purple, Amherst yellow and Brown - not surprisingly - brown. Dartmouth students gathered the following fall to discuss an appropriate color and green was settled upon because, as Frederick G. Mather, Class of 1867, said "Indeed, it was the only decent color that had already not been taken." If you are into that sort of thing, a piece of the original green silk ribbon used to establish "Dartmouth Green" is now housed in the college's Rauner Special Collections Library (formerly Webster Hall.) This summer, I plan to paint my entire house (on the outside) Dartmouth Green, mainly because all the other decent colors have been taken.
The Guys
JIM COLBY, BILL GROVER and STEVE MULLINS have all proudly proclaimed that they have become first-time grandfathers. That's terrific and there are many years of delightful doting ahead. Then, of course, there is the planning for attendance at the high school graduation of the newborn tykes - let's see, that should be around 2025/26 and our trio of Classmates will be pushing age 92/93. Great motivation for staying in shape and taking the right vitamins.
DON KENNEDY has been known to occasionally to make remarks which might be construed to be somewhat to the right, politically speaking. As an acknowledgment of this and as a tribute to Don's capacity for writing (ever read his Tip of the Iceberg?) the Editorial Page Editor of the Ahwatukee Foothills News in the Phoenix area has invited him to write a monthly op-ed column. In Don's words: "kinda exciting for an old geezer, don't you think?" Yeah - go for it!
During the common four/five year period we shared in Hanover, none of us got to know all 721 Classmates. As an exercise, try writing down all the names you can remember - dorm, fraternity, teams, classes, Tuck/Thayer/Med, etc. I have no idea what a good number might be, but the newsletter has served as a means for increasing the number of '54s you now know. Two men from whom we haven't heard in 50+ years have emerged from "oblivion", each of the "Mc" persuasion - TOM (TJ) McCARTHY and BOB McKEEVER:
-TOM and I began by remembering the two songs created by Frank Logan '52 - "Little Red Squirrel" and Robert Frost's "Fire and Ice" put to music. He then went off on an eloquent mixture of memory and philosophy: "Some say the Earth will end in Fire - Some say in Ice - But from what I have tasted of Desire - I hold with those who favor Fire. My wife MARY has for the last few years asked (and she will be obeyed) that for her birthday, all she wants is for all in our family to recite a poem. I faked it last year and was told that it would be better if I tried harder. So .... I learned the second verse of Frost's poem and I was a hero. I added a little exegesis about how ice can be construed as disdain for the problems that our earth is facing and got off with mild applause. Daughter Christine, the neuro psychologist, posited that absent some health problems, I could have had a distinguished academic career." TOM is in Westport, CT, retired from a career in Finance and Financial Services and would be delighted to hear from Phi Psi brothers. Contact me for email and home addresses.
-I interviewed BOB McKEEVER on his cell phone with the sounds of Molly's basketball game in the background. Molly is 8 and is one of five grandchildren who range in age from 3+ to 17. There are two daughters nearby and a son in Colorado. After Tuck and service in the Army Ordnance Corps, BOB went to New York Law and began a livelong career related to the law. After passing the NY bar, he was appointed an Assistant District Attorney (ala "Law and Order"). He was introduced to MARTHA by "NIPPY" (Meredith) ROBBINS, wife of BILL ROBBINS '54 and they were married in 1962. During 1965-1968, he served as assistant counsel, NY State Commission of Investigation, dealing with local jails and penitentiaries. Then came a 3+ year period, practicing law with his father in Port Chester, NY. The career wanderlust hit again and he switched to Court Management, having taken a crash course on the subject (the MBA had to help). Eventually, he became a Chief Judge and Deputy Chief Court Administrator for the State of Maryland. Sadly , Martha was taken from him by a swift onslaught of cancer in 1999. Forging on, Bob immersed himself in the management of information and records from criminal trials, becoming Chair, then retiring in 2002. Coaxed out of retirement in 2004 to develop an information requirements system, he became a "double-dipper" (salary plus pension) and finally called it quits in 2004. Bob now lives in a retirement community in Parkville, MD and is happily "over-busy" - teaches a computer course, serves on a political panel and dabbles in photography. Contact me for email and home addresses.
After exploring the '54 website, BOB SILVERBERG first found that perusing the list of deceased Classmates "another rude awakening" but then realized that visualizing the men memorialized was "better than a class book". Bob and ROBYN live a paradisi cal life in a house overlooking spectacular views in the Phoenix area. Two successful children, two accommodating dogs and a motor-home provide more satisfactions than most people deserve......
An '54 Author
Dr. BILL GOULD has had a most satisfying, variegated and challenging life. He continues his practice of dermatology (grace-noted by the psychological implications) , happily plays jazz piano with groups in the Northern California area and now, has brought forth a novel, A Little Score to Settle. My reading of it found it to be quirky, unpredictable, diversely sophisticated and basically, a "good read." The Story - "In 1961, Harold Binder's dad, Otto, did the unthinkable: defying convention, he abandoned his wife and six-year-old son to go west and take up the life of a cowboy. Now a forty-eight-year-old, successful doctor of medicine, Harold still longs to know his father and yearns to find the real Otto to replace the fantasy figure he's created in his mind. But as he discovers the bizarre facts of Otto's existence, personal issues derail Harold's search. Rejected by his wife Joyce who has recently learned that he has been having an affair with one of his patients, Harold now lives in a leaky tent on the empty lot across the road from his home on the San Francisco peninsula. During this unsettled time, he gets to know Mario Vogelsang, a friend of his mother's with an unnerving interest in Harold's life. Before long, Harold realizes that coming to terms with the past, no matter what it reveals, may be the only way to come to grips with the present. A Little Score to Settle is the story of Harold Binder's lifelong obsession to uncover what became of his enigmatic father and to find clarity - a clarity that he hopes will spread to all aspects of his life, where once there was only shadow and delusion."
Bill's urge to write was hatched in a sophomore creative writing class at Dartmouth which resulted in a few short stories published in BOB RAFELSON's Dartmouth Quarterly. The next two decades involved medical education, military service, a family and various writings. In 1975, when wife Sue was treading the halls of Stanford Business School, Bill got serious about writing and earned an M. A. in Creative Writing at San Francisco State. "That experience taught me more about how to read literature."
For those of you who sense a novel inside you, Bill comments: "It's hard to know why people write fiction. It's certainly a lonely process and it's also pretty egotistical to think that anyone cares to read what's going through your particular, and probably peculiar, brain." So let's all play to Bill Gould's ego by going to amazon.com or barnes& noble.com and joining Harold Binder in the search for his father.
More Guys
From GEORGE HASKINS: "IRENE and I spent a couple of weeks touring Italy in September - Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Rome, various Tuscany villages, Cinque Terre, Florence and Venice. Great trip and nice to finally see those excavated ruins and artistic treasures we've been reading about for nearly 70 years. Now spending the winter at our second home on Seabrook Island (outside Charleston, SC). Very good golf venue. Several other Big Green alums here including TOM CORCORAN. Keeping our fingers crossed that our granddaughter Ashley will be getting an acceptance letter from Hanover for the Class of 2012."
In 2000, following a decision to settle in Bellevue, NE, Colonel (ret) BOB McCARTNEY determined to reestablish the Dartmouth Club of the Plains. Considering that only 84 Dartmouth alums live in Nebraska, it was a daunting task, but by dint of drive, determination and U. S. Air Force honed organization/management skills, he got it done! At the end of February, he hosted a small dinner at the Omaha Press Club for alums "wanting to become involved with recruiting and interviewing prospective Dartmouth students." The other Omaha area '54, Dr. JOHN PEMBERTON, winters in Rancho Santa Fe, so Bob was on his own, elder-wise. In the late 70s, Bob was the popular newsletter editor for the Class. His wry sense of humor pervaded his Christmas letter:
-no trips except the one NANCY took in the driveway which fractured her hip - the screws in her repaired joint will likely set off airport metal detectors. Lots of ramps and stair-lifts to improve around-the-house mobility. Then something about "chewing gum and walking at the same time."
-moved from Cadets Programs to Transportation Officer for the Nebraska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Cubmaster of Cub Pack #60 in Papillion. Having his parents' '64 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible restored. Extended the deck to be able to cook out for the large groups of '54s who are invited to stop by. "Retirement is tougher than working for a living!"
More Rafe
After reading the RAFELSON vivid description of his trip to the Republic of Georgia, JOE MESICS wrote: "Since Bob Rafelson was taken by Georgia and the people he found there, I recommend a picture for him, depicting some of them, The artist is a Russian turn-of-the-century painter name of Repin. It's titled The Cossacks' Answer to the Czar. It's a kind of 'boys will be boys' depiction of a bunch of guys 'round a makeshift table, responding to an armistice proposal by the Czar, probably Peter the Great. Things are burning in the background and many have bandaged wounds, indicating that they've had a fracas and feel pretty good about the results. The range of uniforms is wide with many ethnic types apparent. The scribe, probably the only literate one, could be an Amos Tuck grad. A few White Lightnings have been enjoyed as well as a satisfying smoke and the boys are tickled by this proposal that they definitely intend to repudiate. It's a 'little guy versus the big guy' scene. and thus, appealing to guys our age. I had it in my office on Park Avenue. Need more be said? Now it hangs in my den here and my grandsons examine it on almost every visit as do I on occasion." I sent the note to Rafe and he responded: "Thanks for the interesting Mesics letter. Sounds like an interesting guy. Problem is I not only lost my memory but that I even had one. As for me, got a new knee a few weeks ago, all the better to kick some imaginary ass. Bob" Sounds like Joe and Bob could have a fascinating lunch ........ Also, PERRY DAVIS spotted Bob's February 75th birthday noted in a NJ paper among those of well-known actors, musicians and industry executives.
Travel
DICK and BARBARA BARKER developed such an appreciation for islands and the go-withs on their Tahiti/Hawaii anniversary trip that they didn't bother unpacking and went to Nassau for three weeks! Leaving ZIBBY at home to work on her new book, Dr. BOB ONEAL loaded the car with his favorite jazz tapes and motored from Ann Arbor to South Carolina to stump for Senator Obama. On the way there and back, he had two visits with fellow U Mich medical intern, Dr. TOM SCOTT in Huntington, West Virginia and then managed a detour to see PETE (Benny) DAVIS in Henderson, South Carolina. Lots to reminisce about with common friends from Hanover, Psi U and New Trier High School. "It was great to see both of them and made me realize how very important it is to maintain these friendships at this time in our lives and how fortunate I am to have the time and health to make these visits. "CLIFF and JOANNE EVANS are heeding two of the avalanche of Dartmouth Continuing Education brochures we all receive and going on a Linblad Expedition to Alaska in May, then on a Dublin excursion at the end of May (Joanne's maiden name was McQuillen). "As a concession to age we are, for the first time, taking out trip insurance. "On FLEUR's Christmas present cruise in the eastern Caribbean (to and from Fort Lauderdale), she and JAY met up with BETTY DesCOMBES - "looks great and is a delightful addition to any table". Jay was very high on the value offered by Regents Seven Seas Navigator relative to price and service. STEVE and CAROL MULLINS head to Perth, Australia April 8 for the World Masters Swimming Championships. Now the youngster in his age group, Steve has visions of sugarplums ..... DICK SHELLEY, having "retreated from the expense of a posh Downtown Historical District apartment to a two-townhouse duplex (rent one side and live comfortably in the other)" is planning a trip from New Bern, SC to Hanover this summer. "Eager to check out the changes."
Athletics
The 2007 results are in and JOHN SCHREIBER placed second in the nation in the 80 Meter Hurdles for Men 75-79. Just think about it! You're 75 years old, wearing shorts and track shoes and you are going to run about 87 yards, full-out, with runners on either side of you and need to jump over "fences" every several yards! Remarkable! John also finished seventh in the Long Jump, soaring almost twelve feet. Your editor, albeit aged 74 during the season, finished fifteenth in the Hammer, seventeenth in the Weight Throw and doesn't want to talk about the Shot, Discus or Javelin.
Now a full-fledged stringer for the newsletter, KIT DEAN provided a blow-by-blow description of another tremendously successful golf/tennis gathering at the Tampa Palms Country Club in early March. 38 '54s and wives nearly filled the inn and enjoyed the amenities, including the addition of custom-made omelets and waffles at breakfast. It almost sounded as if the golf and tennis were merely excuses to gather with a compatible bunch of people who had the Dartmouth experience in common and their life experiences o share. SHELLY WOOLF repeated as majordomo and had BOB BERRY and ALEC GRAY as commanders of the athletic pursuits. The organizing and management of "fun" is often quite complex, but everything worked just fine - even the weather. Golf "winners" included several linksters of both genders, depending on the structure of the various competitions while tennis was easier - Shelly Woolf and MIMI PAGE won the tournament. The group went to see the musical Jersey Boys at a local theatre. At the final banquet, JIM TOFIAS received the first-ever Dartmouth Daisy Award for his kind help with the tennis tournament and BOB DEAN was awarded the Schenck Shaft/Pope Putter golf trophy for attempting to hit off the tee that marked a ball location at mid fairway. First-timers included HERB and KATE GILDAN, newlyweds PHIL and ELIZABETH KAISER and BOB ('53) and IRIS FANGER. Cameo appearances were made by BILL GARLAND and KY LEWIS. Regulars not mentioned above were: RON and CAROLE DOUGHERTY, MORT and JUDY GALPER, YNGVAR HVISTENDAHL, DON and JOIE KELLER, TOM and LIZ KELSEY, DICK and AUDREY LEWIS, DAVE and JEAN LYON, BOB and PATTY OSMOND, FRED PAGE, HARRY and CAROL ROBINSON, WIL and ZELDA WILKINS, GARY ZWART and Mesdames FAY BERRY, MARY GRAY, JOAN TOFIAS and ELISABETH WOOLF.
Condolences were sent to SUE ROCKEFELLER and family on the passing of HARRY. He had been a regular fixture at the Florida gathering and reveled in the attention lavished on him by the ladies when he ran the croquet match.
Photos have been given to webmaster DAVIS and can be viewed by clicking here for photos of the event. The inn has been booked for February 22-26, 2009, so watch for early information from Shelly and join in!
Men in Supermarkets
Early in my marriage (now approaching 30+ years), I mentioned to GAIL that I seemed to be doing all the grocery shopping. Her response was "All my husbands did the shopping ...." And so it went. As I make virtually daily visits to our local Food Emporium, I am recognized by the check-out people and know exactly where everything is located - except the always elusive soy sauce. My reason for mentioning this is that over this score-and-a-half years, I have become most aware that there is a disturbing disdain with which we macho shoppers are treated by the women shoppers. Sometimes it takes the form of a glare, but more often it is more subtle - the tall well-coiffed blonde on her cellphone on one side of the aisle with her cart on the other, making passage impossible. One suspects that there is a woman in the back with earphones, mike and a camera trained on me, who says things like: "all right, he's moving toward aisle #3 - let's use the 'can't decide which soup ploy'." Without belaboring the point, I invite comment and opinion from the female majority of the newsletter's readership. If this effort produces a sufficient response, perhaps we can develop a section devoted to our distaff classmates. Requests for anonymity will be honored.
College Doings
As a bit of a communications hub for the Class, I have fielded strong feelings about the Board actions, the lawsuit, the administration, search for a new president, etc., ranging across the entire spectrum of "pro" and "anti". You have ample information coming at you from various sources, including full-page ads in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, so nothing further here - EXCEPT the upcoming election of the new officers and executive committee of the Association of Alumni which will run from April 28 through June 5. You will receive printed ballots and also be able to vote on line. This will be the second alumni-wide association vote ever held. There are two 11-person slates, "nominated" and "petition". Our very own Dr. JOHN STEEL is, predictably , a petition candidate. Study the ballots and position papers when they arrive and VOTE! whichever way your intellect moves you.
Two More Things
SABE ABELL is vice mayor of Vero Beach, FL and is dedicating himself to the prevention of the paving over of the remaining groves in the area. A well-known author dedicated to similar good works, Carl Hiaasen, is a neighbor. Sabe keeps his toe in the Dartmouth waters as an interviewer.
PETE KENYON would like to hear from Classmates about deceased '54s worthy of being honored by having an internship named for them. Think about it, even consulting the Deceased list on the '54 website, and pass your suggestions to Pete.
IN MEMORIAM
SAMUEL BROWN CHASE
Sam died in mid-March 2007 in Belgrade, Montana. Former Montanan Dr. JOHN PEMBERTON pays proper tribute:
"Sam was a wonderful person, a great friend. We both arrived at Dartmouth in the fall of 1950. Both of us were from Montana, Sam from Great Falls, I was from Butte. We felt that we had arrived in a different world, New Hampshire. With our common interests, we became close friends, eventually roommates, sharing an off-campus apartment with BOB OSMOND and LARRY McCURDY. In the early years, Sam was very active in tennis and skiing. Defending his western heritage, he always supported Great Falls Select, the preferred beer - when available.
Sam joined Phi Delta Theta in the fall of sophomore year. Even though neither of us ever lived in the fraternity house, we spent quite a bit of time there and it became the focus of our social life. A very colorful experience.
Sam married MARTHA Trippet of Los Angeles the summer of 1953 She was a wonderful lady, bringing along a fine element of stability. After a year in Wigwam, they went on to the University of California where Sam earned a Ph.D. in Economics. He became a respected, quite well-known economist, particularly in the banking industry. Much of his professional life was spent in Washington, DC where, among other endeavors, he was a partner in Golumbe Associates.
In retirement, they moved to Belgrade, MT. As I recall, a part of the film The Horse Whisperer was shot on their property. TISH and I had dinner with Sam and Martha at the Gallatin Inn a few years ago. He was still the same interesting person with a great outlook on life. "
From Sam's daughter, Candy: "Dad's mind was engaged, his thoughts deep and his humor sublime. We miss him terribly."
DONALD WALTER MARTIN
Don passed away on December 20, 2007 in Eureka, CA. He came to campus in 1950 from North Haven, CT with the high-reflex skills of tennis, rifle and fencing. DICK BARKER was his freshman roommate and next door was DICK PLUMMER. The three of them ended up on Dartmouth's Rifle Team. In 1953, Don transferred to the University of New Hampshire, graduating in 1955. He spent his career as a planner and administrative analyst for Rockwell International. In 1986, he married ROSEMARY and they enjoyed their combined families. Both Don and Rosemary were avid shooters, especially in muzzleloading techniques and had many friends with similar interests. A more consuming interest was photography, which Don used as a "means of personal expression." He regarded the images of the world which he captured as a way of giving back "a small contribution to the archives of our changing environment." A good man with compelling diverse interests.
HARRY CALEB ROCKEFELLER, JR.
After a month's struggle with pancreatis, Harry succumbed to heart failure on January 10, 2008 in Melbourne, Florida. Harry was Navy-to-the-bone, having a year as Seaman, First Class under his belt before joining us in Hanover. An Economics major, he moved from the NROTC program to commissioning as an Ensign on the day before our graduation. His submission to Reflections in 1979 listed no fewer than fifteen postings in the 25-year period including select training and assignments to the newer technologies of naval warfare and surveillance - ballistic missiles, satellites, nuclear submarines, etc. In 1979 he expressed as his principal concern "the ever-present danger of nuclear warfare."
Harry and SUE were married in the early 60s and nurtured a family which eventually presented them with three grandsons and a great-granddaughter.
Harry retired from the Navy one month after our 25th reunion as a high-ranking Captain and parlayed is experience into the U.S. Space Program. A stroke slowed him down in 1990, but his spirit and faith sustained him and he survived. Six years later, he and Sue moved from Alexandria, VA to a retirement community for retired military officers in Viera, FL - a place that had attracted their attention years before. Their proximity to the Kennedy Space Center gave them front row seats for Space Shuttle and Atlas and Delta rocket launches. Harry was active in their church and served many years on the Vestry. He and Sue were happy participants in the '54 golf/tennis gatherings in Florida. In More Reflections, he reiterated his principal concern about nuclear warfare, "not from the super powers, but from terrorists."
Memorial books have been placed in Baker Library in the names of Sam, Don and Harry.
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EXTRA EXTRA!
At half-time at the Cowboys-Patriots game at Texas Stadium last October, the attention of the thousands on hand was directed to RON DOUGHERTY, President of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ron was in the limelight to extol the career accomplishments of former Coway Michael Irvin and to induct him into the Hall with the presentation of the coveted ring.
Irvin's 11-year career with the Cowboys ended in 1999 and included impressive stats for the retired wide receiver: 1523 yards on 93 catches in 1991, selected to five straight Pro Bowls, recorded 1000-yard games in all but one from 1991-1998, 750 career receptions for 11,904 yards, 65 TDs and named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s.
Ron virtually put Canton, Ohio on the map when his dedicated, aggressive civic efforts won the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his town. When asked which of the many photos he would like to see in the newsletter, he said:
"The one with the Dallas Cheerleaders in the background."
And there's more!
LYON GREENBERG's family bought out the Dartmouth Co-op and outfitted his six grandchildren appropriately for his 75th birthday in January. Green prevails - all six have Dartmouth parents, three have both parents from Dartmouth and two Dartmouth grandfathers!