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NOVEMBER 2008
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/54/
PGBarker54@aol.com (203) 661-7611
INVOLVED
Our current stage of life demands many things of us. A proper diet. Exercise. Regular check-ups. Scaling back on bad habits and pursuits. At our 50th reunion, we got a bit cerebral and added “re-connect” which generated a spate of trips, regional gatherings and sporting events. Because of the input received for this issue of the newsletter, I am adding “involvement”. Many ‘54s in the professions continue to be involved in their particular specialties: physicians, attorneys, investment bankers, etc. What follows demonstrates the upbeat enthusiasm which can result from post-retirement involvement in a wide range of activities (you might want to find a world atlas for reference.) The underlying goal of all these means of extending our lifespans is to honor DOROTHY and JERRY GOLDSTEIN by conning them into throwing our 90th birthday party at their country estate - it’s only 15 years away!
INTERNATIONAL AID
Like a few other of our Classmates, DON BELCHER turned in the direction of medicine after graduation and military service. He received his MD from the University of Pennsylvania and, in time, he, SHEILA and their two children moved to Seattle where he finished his training. Then began a global calling of teaching and treatment on virtually every continent with Africa constantly beckoning for their return - see both Reflections and More Reflections for the fascinating details. Greencards were received from Don in April and late August and both bear unedited repeating:
(April) “Many retired physicians have wondered about short term volunteer work in needy places. I can highly recommend Medical Teams International, an Oregon-based NGO, as a well-organized and effective program that has a variety of opportunities. These range from 4 weeks to as few as under 2 weeks. I have been on several, including post-tsunami Indonesia and Haiti. It can be challenging since the workload and the resources are different, but it is mostly straightforward primary care with few emergencies. Another good site for general information is IMVA (International Medical Volunteer Association), a clearing house, plus helpful educational materials. I have been stretched by these experiences, but got much more in return. John Dickey always exhorted us to ‘give something back ....’”
(August) “As far as personal news, I am just back from 10 days of volunteer work in North Vietnam, partnered by the Seattle Community Colleges and a Vietnamese NGO. 23 of us did a variety of community improvement activities (fluoride dental treatment for first graders and built a new kindergarten building) in two minority villages - Hmong and Thai, about 60 miles outside of Hanoi. I worked with five Vietnamese physicians in setting up and treating about 700 patients. We were able to trek into the villages, set in mountains, terraced rice fields and tranquil vistas. It was fun because we had a dozen pre-health career students as volunteers who were willing to do anything and everything, along with 200 villagers. This kind of cross-cultural experience had a large impact on their awareness and interest in service-related careers. Glad to be back in the cooler Northwest.”
Somewhere in the midst of these caregiving ventures, Don also found time to co-host the ‘54 adventure in the Seattle/Vancouver area with ED SCOTT . Would that the world had an abundance of dedicated men in the shape of our own Dr. Don Belcher.
ONCE MORE INTO THE BREACH ..........
Our “man in ...........” is DAVE MARTIN. Once again, he was summoned to action by the U. S. State Department. This time it was a trip to monitor the September 28 parliamentary election in Belarus. Prior involvements have included Ukraine (six times), Azerbaijan and Serbia. Obviously, these forays are not without a certain degree of danger. Happily, Dave returned intact and he and CRISTA proceeded to their annual packing-up in Wisconsin for the return trek to Arlington, VA. Dave mentioned that the OSCE (Office for Security and Cooperation in Europe), under whose aegis he went to Belarus, is planning to have inspection teams in the U.S. to monitor our Presidential election - an indication of the changed world view of us developed in the past few years.
Closer to home, Dave’s grandnephew, Tyler Maloney, was admitted under early admissions to the Class of 2012. Dave suspects that he will be a walk-on crew star.
GITMO
In April, BILL MURANE traveled to Guantanamo Bay to see clients of his law firm who were being detained as “Unlawful Enemy Combatants.” What follows are his reflections on that trip:
“Guantanamo Bay is a large natural harbor on the southeastern tip of Cuba. It is occupied by the United States under a 1903 indefinite term lease from Cuba. In World War II, it was a major naval refueling station. More recently, it has served primarily as a U.S. Coast Guard base, until the World Trade Center attack. Starting in 2002, Guantanamo Bay has been a detention facility for holding individuals captured primarily in the Middle East and Central Asia who were classified as ‘Unlawful Enemy Combatants’. My partner, Trip Mackintosh, and I recently met with three of our clients who were so classified.”
(Note: Bill is an attorney with the Denver law firm of Holland & Hart. The firm represents some of the Algerian detainees held at Guantanamo. Much of the information about them is classified and subject to a court-issued protective order. The information contained in Bill’s reflections has been derived from non-classified sources, including the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York.)
Bill continues: “At its peak, the Guantanamo Bay facility, known as ‘GITMO’, housed upwards of 600 detainees, of which 250 remain incarcerated. Of these, around 60 have been declared eligible for release if a country willing to accept them can be found, a task doubtless made more difficult because the United States has refused to rescind their classification as ‘Unlawful Enemy Combatants.’ Some detainees fear torture if they are returned their countries of origin. One source estimates that charges may be pursued at GITMO against some 60 to 80 detainees, leaving well over a hundred for which there is no plan except detention until the end of the so-called ‘War on Terror’ - that is, they may be detained indefinitely without ever being informed of charges against them.
“Detainees started arriving in Guantanamo in 2002. Except for conspiracy charges made in some early military court proceedings, which were subsequently dropped, the Department of Defense informed none of these detainees and those who followed of charges against them. The Center for Constitutional Rights recruited some 250 lawyers and law firms to provide pro bono representation to the detainees. My firm was one of them.
“Ironically, in late 2007, a small number of so-called ‘high value’ prisoners were transferred from secret CIA prisons to GITMO. They are held in a secret location at the base and have been charged with specific crimes, such as involvement in the attacks of September 2001. They have lawyers and the right to call witnesses. A new onsite courthouse is under construction for their trials. (Osama bin Laden’s driver is the first scheduled for trial.)
“The central issue in the regular detainee litigation which followed the 2002 incarcerations is the extent to which non-citizens are entitled to seek writs of habeas corpus in the courts of the United States. Essentially, issuance of the writ would require the President and his subordinates to explain to a court why an individual is being held. under the United States Constitution, the writ may only be suspended when ‘in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public safety may require it’. There has been no such finding.
“The Justice Department initially took the position that because the detainees were being held outside the United States, they were not entitled to challenge their detention in the American courts. In the case of Rasul v. Bush, the Supreme Court rejected this position.
“In response, the President issued an Executive Order establishing so-called Combat Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) to review individual detainee classifications as ‘Unlawful Enemy Combatants’. These tribunals consist of appointed military officers. Detainees charged with being Unlawful Enemy Combatants are denied access to legal counsel, are not informed of any specific charges against them, are not given the names of witnesses against them and are not provided with any exhibits or other sources of information upon which the Unlawful Enemy Combatant status designations are based.
“Again, the Supreme Court weighed in. It held in Hamden v. Rumsfeld that the President lacked the authority, absent an act of Congress, to establish the CSRTs. The Administration responded with the successful lobby to passage of the Military Commissions Act (MCA). The MCA establishes military commissions similar to the the CSRTs. Among other matters, the Act explicitly suspends retroactively the writ of habeas corpus for non-citizen detainees; it allows classified evidence which the accused can only see in summary form; and it allows evidence obtained by coercion or without warrant or probable cause. Each detainee’s status is reviewed annually, but again without providing him with information about the specific charges against him or the evidence justifying his continued confinement.
“The MCA defines ‘Unlawful Enemy Combatant’ as ‘... a person who has engaged in hostilities or who has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States or its co-belligerents who is not a lawful enemy combatant (including a person who is part of the Taliban, al Qaeda or associated forces.’
“The MCA has been challenged in the case of Boumediene v. Bush, which was argued before the Supreme Court in December 2007. A ruling is expected by June. I hope to update these reflections at that time.”
Bill’s Personal Observations
“GITMO is a grim place. Visiting lawyers like me are housed on the leeward side of the Bay. Each morning, we would travel by ferry to the windward side of the Bay, where the main GITMO base is located. There we were met by our chaperones, young Navy ‘Habeas Escorts’. After confirming our security and visitation clearances and being photographed, we were taken by bus to Camp Iguana, aptly named because those reptiles are all over the place. We met our clients individually in windowless small buildings along with an Arabic interpreter whom we had hired for the trip. The clients were shackled by one ankle to the floor. We were allowed to bring food and water to the interview. On the floor a painted arrow pointed toward Mecca. Similar arrows are in the prisoner cells.
“While I am not permitted under the Protective Order to disclose information obtained from our clients, the bulk of the ‘Unlawful Enemy Combatant’ detainees have been incarcerated for five or six years without being informed of a single charge against them. According to the Center for Human Rights, many were tortured after their capture, in transit to GITMO and after their arrival at the detainment facility. The torture was of both a physical and psychological nature. There is significant concern that potential witnesses have also been tortured and have done their captors’ bidding to stop the pain by accusing others.
“Some compliant detainees are housed in what is known as Camp 4, where they can mingle and have access to a limited library. Other detainees are confined, sometimes as punishment, to Camp 5 in windowless 8x12 foot cells for 22 hours per day. They communicate with each other by shouting through openings in the cell doors. Their only permitted reading is the Koran. They cannot see the sky and are permitted to bathe twice a week. They are permitted no outside visitors except lawyers, doctors, embassy personnel and Red Cross representatives.
“I am a United States Air Force veteran and a loyal American. But what I saw and what I have learned about the GITMO process is not consistent with my own views of what the rule of law is and should be. I hope our efforts to obtain an impartial hearing for our clients and safe passage for those ultimately released will ultimately bear fruit.”
In a July update, Bill reported:
“In June, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in the
Boumediene case, a major Constitutional law ruling. By a sharply divided 5 to 4
decision, the Court held that Guantanamo detainees have the right of habeas
corpus in the Federal courts. This has set off a major scramble as the Federal
Court District in Washington, D.C. struggles to apply the Supreme Court’s ruling
to the some 270 cases where the decision is applicable, including four of the
cases we are handling. A Military Tribunal at GITMO is also moving forward with
trials of some of the ‘high value’ detainees, most notably those charged with
involvement in the September 11 attacks.”
Meanwhile, the situation continues to capture national headlines. At this writing, a Federal judge in Washington has ordered the release of 17 detainees, Uighurs from western China who fled their country to Pakistan because of persecution for their Islamic beliefs. None have been released because: they cannot return “home” for fear of torture and/or death; no other country will accept them; the question of whether they would be “dangerous” if released in the United States; and speculation that the current administration will delay in order to hand the problem to the incoming administration. It is hoped that Bill’s on-the-ground descriptions and his opinions will give you a more focused aspect on this historic challenge to the rule of U.S. law.
BACK TO SCHOOL
Upon the recommendation of a friend and a thorough vetting of his resume, BRUCE CLASSON attended the Army War College at the Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania. The institution was founded during the French and Indian War and is attended for a year’s period by officers with the rank of colonel and above. Military attendees are generally regarded as being on a fast track in their careers. Bruce’s participation was in the final week. Approximately 340 attend with 15-20% from foreign countries and 10-20% civilians. The equivalent of a Masters’ program, the War College is taught by a professional faculty who present courses in theory, strategy, politics and related topics. There is an extensive library. Morning lectures were presented by personalities whose names have been headline material in the past - Scowcraft, Orenstein, etc. The reason civilians are permitted this opportunity is both public relations and a means for injecting the opinions and experiences of successful businessmen into the dynamics of military “business.” BOB LEVINE had a similar experience a few years ago. If you have interest in this adventure, contact either Bruce or Bob for advice.
JUGS AND POOLS
STEVE MULLINS is always good copy. In order to legitimize his compulsion for collecting, he has published a 464-page, six-pound book entitled A Century of Royal Doulton Character and Toby Jugs. Along with his co-author, he has assembled an extraordinary amount of descriptive data, photographs and historical perspective on the Jugs in particular and on the “collecting phenomenon of the twentieth century.” According to appended biographical information, Steve’s collecting spans sixty years, beginning when “a camp counselor in Canada enticed him with a Royal Doulton brochure .....” Now that he has moved into the 75 - 79 year age group, he has been collecting something else - swimming records:
World Masters Championships in Perth, Australia
(April)
-3rd place: 200 meter backstroke
-5th place: 200 meter and 800 meter freestyle
-7th place: 400 meter freestyle
Masters National Championships in Fort Lauderdale
(May)
- 1st place: 1650 yard freestyle, 500 yard freestyle, 200 yard freestyle
- 2nd place: 1000 yard freestyle, 200 yard Individual Medley
- 3rd place: 50 yard freestyle, 100 yard Individual Medley
Meet in Evanston, Il (May), joined three Illinois teammates to break 10-year-old national records for the 400 yard and 800 yard freestyle events.
Consider all of the above from the perspective of what we all viewed during the Summer Olympics and you will appreciate the stature of this ‘54 athlete.
THE GUYS
Five months ago, Dr. BILL COHN wrote: “Bachelor for over a quarter of a century. Retired for 15 years, and I recommend it. My daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughter (6 & 3) are well, living in Surrey, BC. It’s a bit over a two-hour drive for me from the Seattle area, and I get up there ‘most every week. Health is reasonable, with an occasional hiccup. Mostly enjoy chamber music and am on the board of the Seattle Chamber Music Society where I can rub shoulders with esthetes and genuine artists. I am tolerated as a half-step above Philistine. Wah-Hoo-Wah!
With obvious pride, TOM MALCOLM: “Our granddaughter, Corrine Malcolm of Hayward, WI, spent her junior high school year in Latvia, living with two different families, courtesy of the Rotary Club. While there, she won the Latvian cross country skiing championship. The headline in the Latvian national newspaper read ‘AMERICAN GIRL LATVIAN CHAMPION!’. Returning home, she won the Wisconsin State championship (skiing) for girls. Alas, she’s attending Montana State University in Bozeman.”
In Colorado, MEAD and DIANE METCALF have bought a house on the 16th fairway of a golf course in Crested Butte. They are spending most of their time there and return each weekend during the summer for symphony concerts.
When his three-year commitment as Chairman of the Gemological Institute of America ends in December, RALPH DESTINO will become emeritus consultant to the Institute. Will the honors never cease?
In reference to how we handled our laundry in the early 50s, GEORGE HASKINS chimed in: “A couple of weeks ago we were having dinner with son Steve’s family prior to the granddaughters leaving for college - Vanessa is a junior at RPI and Ashley a freshman at Syracuse. The subject of college student laundry came up. I recalled how one male in my son’s generation had reported most of the freshman men he knew (having no prior laundry experience) had pinkish briefs after a couple of weeks. I was asked about my experience. Like SAM CHASE, I mailed my clothes home on a weekly basis in a strapped, brown fibreboard case. Mom washed and ironed it and sent it back - usually with some homemade fudge or cookies tucked inside. Clean bed linen and towels were delivered to the dorm weekly by Gordon’s Supply. Times have changed.”. How many of you could have come up with Gordon’s Supply?
Another 50-year memory was prompted by the report of DON McCUAIG’s passing. From MIKE BIGGS: “In our freshman year, a senior, Tom Flack ‘51, who had gone to my high school (Acalanes in Lafayette, CA) got me a blind date at Holyoke and, as I remember, she not only weighed over 180 pounds but had a mustache and eyebrows like John L. Lewis. On the way back to Hanover, Don McCuaig got a ride with us and sat in the back seat of Tom’s ‘36 Plymouth. In Bellow Falls, in a thick fog, Tom saw a Vermont ‘fahma’ driving straight at us in a pickup truck, so he drove off the road and we ended up upside down in a ditch. Both Don and I were asleep so we didn’t suffer any injuries. Another Dartmouth student - can’t remember who it was - picked all three of us up and drove us back to Hanover. Tom died many years ago - Type 1 diabetes - but I always wondered what happened to Don. Now I know.”
BILL and CARRIE PETTY offer a sunny Florida reprieve from the cold of Minnesota for their six grandchildren. “Frankly, I never thought it would be this good at this age. We are healthy, wealthy (well, barely upper-middle class) and wise (no, no claims here). I guess one out of three is pretty good!”
BOB RIGGIO is listed as a board member of The Rogosin Institute, a medical organization in New York City devoted to research into and treatment of kidney disease.
BARRY NOVA made news in Greenwich, CT as the President of the Greenwich Choral Society. He has been stressing the need for a local center for the arts and is using the highly active choral society for leverage - both rehearsal fees and paying audiences. Barry is also a recognized factor in Greenwich politics.
REUNION
You will be hearing about our 55th reunion more and more as we move toward it. June 15, 16, 17 with a cocktail party for early arrivals on the 14th at STEVE and CAROL MULLINS’. The finishing brunch will be held at the Norwich, VT home of DAVE and ROSEMARY MANDELBAUM. Chair JOHN FENN has negotiated us into air-conditioned dorm rooms with bathrooms very near our Class tent. We will be sharing the time on campus with a few older classes, so if exquisite dorm rooms don’t appeal to your sense of saving money, reservations at local hostelries should be arranged soon. Beyond the many activities offered by the college, the committee is planning a panel discussion based on DAVE McLAUGHLIN’s book, Choices Made, to be chaired by DAN McCARTHY. Getting a little obtuse, how about a Jeopardy style session with questions related to the time we were on campus? Or maybe a yelling match based on some topic where there are strong differences of opinion within the Class? Your suggestions are welcome.
RISING FROM THE ASHES .....................
Two fraternity houses which have been absent from the Hanover scene for years have made amends for outrageous behavior and will return to the social fabric of Dartmouth - Zeta Psi and Beta Theta Pi. Zeta Psi was derecognized in 2001 and is currently making significant physical upgrades to the house in preparation for potential re-recognition in the fall of 2009. The Zete alumni body has been the driving force behind the reincarnation and the new construction has uncovered all sorts of hidden things and covered-over paintings, etc. When the work is completed, Zeta Psi will be the only house on Webster Avenue with the attraction of “newness.” Beta Theta Pi was de-recognized in 1996. The college had leased the house to a sorority and the lease has now ended. Once again, alumni were the driving force for “renewal”. The Beta rush was led by an “interest group” comprised of ‘09s and ‘10s, some of whom depledged other houses to be part of the Beta “scene.” The aim here is to reestablish the fine reputation the house had during our time. Interesting to note the long period of time which has passed since the two derecognitions, considering the fact that those student/brothers whose behavior was responsible for the derecognitions have long since left the scene.
PURE GUTS
VICTOR MAHLER suffered a massive stroke on September 8th. He is at the Mary Manning Walsh Nursing Home (1339 York Ave., Rm 421, New York, NY 10021). The indefatigable MIMI is constantly at his side and reported some improvement in his speech and movement of his limbs. Vic took this latest blow already encumbered with almost total blindness, so he is no stranger to handling whatever life hands him. He has been a regular at the monthly New York luncheons, remembering along with the rest of us. Mimi sent the following dictated message from Vic:
“Dear Friends:
I am now able to communicate with you and want to say thanks to all of you who have been so thoughtful of me. I received so many generous thoughts that made me happy and, to my surprise, even visits.
I am fortunate to be in a happy place with a good rehabilitation program where I have to work hard - and I feel the progress. Previously I was at NYU Hospital and the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation.
I feel very fortunate that I can express myself again and look forward to seeing you. It’s been quite some time since my stroke on September 8.
Mimi joins me in wishing you well and a happy autumn.
Thanks to you all again,
Your classmate, Victor”
IN MEMORIAM
ROBERT OAKLEY COLLINS
“Oakie” Collins died at his home in Santa Barbara, CA on April 11, 2008. In his chosen career, he had the unique experience of a blend of the joy of discovery and the gratification of recognition from his peers. He joined us in the fall of 1950 from Waukegan, IL and proceeded to excel in his History major, being named to Phi Beta Kappa and a Rufus Choate Scholar. His memberships in Kappa Sig and the Mountaineering Club were pleasant distractions from the books. Following graduation, he was dogged in his goal of “making an original contribution to learning.” As a student and as a professor, Bob ran the gamut of Balliol College at Oxford, Yale, Williams and Columbia, earning his doctorate at Yale. He was in the vanguard of those discovering that Africa actually had a history and was constantly drawn back to the Dark Continent for expansion of his body of knowledge.
In the early 60s, Bob joined the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara, an institution with a department preeminent in African Studies and on the cusp of building a “vibrant educational empire.” On his way to becoming Associate Graduate Dean, he participated in the gathering of nine campuses and tens of thousands of students and faculty. He was bumped up to Dean in 1971. In the midst of all this administrative and teaching load, Bob became enamored of white-water boating and became a professional guide during the summers. After retirement in 1994, he was constantly recalled to teach two of his most popular courses and also found the time to write fifteen books. His prominence in his area of study was acknowledged with consultantships to the State Dept., NSA, CIA, oil companies and film productions.
Bob is survived by four successful children, Kevin, Catherine, Randolph and Robert. His wife, Janyce, accompanied him through his odyssey through life (“in charge of keeping me organized”). She predeceased Bob by a few years. A remarkable classmate who left his mark.
REV. ROY RIDDELL COFFIN, JR.
Rip Coffin was truly a unique man. His life choices were multiple and the ultimate route he chose reflected his inner strengths and inherent goals. He and John Heston from the sextet of Haverford School graduates roomed together as the only ‘54s on the second of tiny Ripley Hall. He enjoyed Dartmouth like the rest of us, joining in at the Zeta Psi house and developing his swimming skills from the point of “most improved swimmer” to the college record in the backstroke. Equipped with his degree in Government, Rip satisfied his military commitment with the Navy on the West Coast, then spent two years at the University of Michigan, emerging in 1959 with an MBA.
Washington beckoned and Rip applied his newly acquired analytical skills to a series of government agencies: A.E.C., Bureau of the Budget, A.I.D. and the O.E.O. A chance blind date brought CAROL into his life and they married in 1963, thence bringing forth three “good-fun-but-challenging” children. From that point, much of Rip’s writings spoke of a “journey” and a “pilgrimage”. Beginning at Dartmouth, then from the experiences of the Navy, New York City and Washington, he realized an awareness that all people don’t think alike and that often differences in attitude, e.g., the activists of the early 60s, can lead to dire circumstances. “We can never be complacent about the World around us!”
In the early-to-mid 70s, his journey turned to the spiritual and he earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 1977. His calling turned out to be one of assisting congregations in transition from one pastor to another. The MBA and the hands-on experience in Washington gave him a leg up on dealing with the dynamics of change. In 1988, the pilgrimage was strengthened with a doctorate of ministry from the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington. In More Reflections, he wondered whether one could be an interim pastor without ever having been a pastor - but it worked. After retirement in 1994, Rip formed a consulting practice with two partners which served non-profit organizations with finding direction and dealing with transitions, Consultants On Purpose. Travel, family and various key functions with church-related activities continued to leave little “white space” in his date book.
The Faith that Rip had discovered was sorely tested in 2008. His and Carol’s daughter, Cindy, had fought cancer through 2007 but she exhibited the Coffin “grit” by continuing her triathlon competitions for cancer survivors. The disease took her in January with Rip and Carol at her side in Madison, WI. As the year progressed, we received news of gradual deterioration in Rip’s health, culminating in an incurable esophageal cancer. Through this most trying period, he joined the Class on a cruise, presided over the Mullins wedding in Mexico and traveled to Nantucket for a family reunion around the the roots of the Coffin clan in America. These events and other reflections were chronicled in a journal which Rip circulated in August (copy available from newsletter editor). He was taken from us on September 10. His memorial service was celebrated by the Bishop of Washington with over 300 in attendance. The Class was represented by Bob and Kit Dean and former teammates John Heyn and Steve Mullins. Among the hymns was “Dartmouth Undying.”
A personal note. While I did not know Rip on campus, we connected years later when we discovered that we were distant cousins, both tracing back to Tristam Coffin in the early 1600s, one of the Founders of the Island of Nantucket. In the past few years, we had communicated because of his role as Chair of the Caring Committee and my newsletter job, leading to the warmth of shared experiences and family. Rest in Peace, “Cuz”.
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Word has been received that PAUL MACKEY died on October 4. His life will be celebrated in these pages when more information is available
EDGAR ﾔPOSSUM '54aWARD OF NEWSLETTER EDITOR