Fellas, no matter your politics, you can’t accuse the college of boring you. I mean, who needs the Hop when we have Parkhurst wholly committed to full-time entertainment...? We would never choose sides in our editorial chair, of course, but the alumni body certainly has, uh, divergent views of recent actions/decisions by the administration, trustees, and Assoc. of Alumni. Would love to delve into an in-depth discussion of these issues, but—as you know—your WWW is impartial as the driven snow. Plus, that’s why we have the inCircle forum. We urge you to join up; it’s really very easy after the initial details are handled, and there is already plenty of exchange—though from a limited corps of ‘61s—posted for your perusal/ consideration/response. http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/default.aspx?id=313 

Our last issue covered a plethora of class business, an operational necessity. This time, we hope to better emulate People magazine. But first...! A quick item of business

  Bill Blue <cynblupd***earthlink.net> advises that: “After 41 years of corporate work, I officially retired at end of December.  I will continue to be involved with the College as District Enrollment Director in this southeastern part of California, enjoying the enlightened candidates with wide open eyes. My time from this point forward will be divided into three projects:

1. A board member and strategic planner for Animal Samaritans SPCA in the desert, creating the leading spay, neuter, vaccination, adoption and animal education facility and organization.  We have a great mission and team.
2. A docent for the Living Desert in Palm Desert; leading daily tours of elementary school children pointing out how animals and humans live in harmony in the desert. A well funded zoo.
3. An on-course ambassador for the Indian Wells Resort which was the host for the most recent PGA Skins Game.  We have a huge number of tournaments spawned by convention business at the Hyatt and Renaissance Esmeralda hotels, and two of the most beautiful courses amongst 120 in the Coachella Valley. All three are mental challenges and fun. I enjoy the periodic updates from you and other class officers and regret the distance to Hanover will reduce the potential for future visits.”

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Green Cards are still highly welcome, and here are the most recent:  Dave Skuce <david.skuce***UBS.com> offers: “A catch-up on my life: Had my 50th from high school in September. Six from Menlo-Atherton HS were ‘61s: Bill Bull, Barc Corbus, & Henry Heubach were at reunion; also Bill Wood who married a classmate of ours. Am recovering from rotary cuff surgery after my horse and I had a confrontation with an errant steer. That means no hunting or fishing for 6 months. We are still working on fund raising to complete the equestrian pavilion in memory of my daughter Jennifer. The building itself is complete and at 300’x170’ is the biggest freestanding building in NE California. Talk to Jon Sperling on a regular basis, also Steve Dale. Both are doing well. Took our kids & significant others to Italy this fall and attended a cooking school. Otherwise still working. But at my pace.” 

Tony Horan <anthonyhoran***yahoo.com> sent two Green Cards, one in October and another in January: “I have ‘published’ on blurb.com a synopsis of my book on the epidemic of prostate cancer diagnosis & over treatment. This is a pale shadow of the full length book with references, but it does give the essential argument. I am working on the true book on another website. This whole effort has caused me to rethink what a ‘book’ is. I took my usual week long hike this summer in King’s Canyon Nat’l Park and proud to report that my oxygen saturation at 8,000 feet was the highest of any of my 4 companions. My pulse was the slowest. [later] Marcie could not hike with me in the Sierras this summer, and so I went in for 7 days with a Princeton man and men’s book club from San Diego. My book on prostate cancer is now available on lulu.com (under the search term ‘an epidemic of prostate cancer’) for $10—a bargain considering what is at stake. I presented a record number of odd cases and useful tips (i.e., six) at the ‘round table’ of the Western Section of the American Urological Association.” 

In late November Arthur Bloom <arthurbloom1***comcast.net> very kindly notified us that: “Our classmate Jay McKenzie is currently recuperating from the amputation of a foot and part of his leg. He is at room 202, The Manor Care of Cherry Hill, 1412 Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034. The telephone is 856/616-9164. I am sure Jay would appreciate a card or a phone call.” Upon receiving Arthur’s notice, we published those details on the ‘61 ListServ. Hope some of you made contact, and especially that Jay is out and on the mend at this time.   

George Breed <ghbreed***aol.com> reports: “The decision to move to Jackson Hole in 2003 was well founded and is holding up well.  I first visited this arguably most beautiful spot in the Rockies in 1953.  The Tetons and I have a 55 year old love affair going on.  In line with the original LDS homesteaders if I ever become a polygamist it'll be because I feel an equal force drawing me to Verbier, Switzerland, a twin town to Jackson Hole.

With major help from the Alumni Office and minor help from me recent Dartmouth Graduate, Lydia Dixon ‘01 is founding a Dartmouth Club of Jackson Hole.  Sitting Wyoming Governor, Dave Freudenthal (Amherst College, but still doing a great job), has agreed to speak at the opening meeting.  The entire Tetons Area is lousy with more than 256 Dartmouth family e-mail addresses, not the least of which is the world's first extreme skier, Bill Briggs ‘54, the first person to ski down the Grand Tetons.  Visit your neighborhood theater to view the just released film, Steep, produced by Peter Charles Jennings's ‘90 widow and staring Bill Briggs, Doug Coombs, and others.    

Classmate Gerry Kaminsky, one of the brightest and most enduring stars on Wall Street and currently part of the village called Lehman Brothers, and the book, The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz, are my coaches as I become active in the field of Private Equity.  Of note is the respect Gerry carries at all levels in his office as a very fine human being as he goes about leading his large and enormously successful team.  I'm learning that you have to have the biblical patience of Job when credit is tight as it is now.  Temporarily I've had to get a local monthly paycheck job to pay my bills in the feast and famine world of Private Equity. 

Come visit, ski, ride a board or horse, hike, car camp, shoot wildlife with camera or rifle, raft to view wildlife or seek thrills, fish... it goes on and on when you visit the Discovery Channel that we live in here.  You can also join those of us who allocate 20 minutes twice a day for meditation.”

Bob Shearer <shearer3***earthlink.net> typed out an actual letter, hard copy on letterhead! “Bet that, living in old Kula, you thought you’d never get an invitation to an ice-skating party. But, seriously, folks: my wife Peggy-ann and I are on the mailing list for the charity hosting the event described in the enclosed brochure, where you will see, highlighted (in green, naturally), a fine tribute to Dick Beattie. I did not know Dick well at Dartmouth or since, but he is no doubt a modest individual who would never mention something like this himself. I thought the rest of the class might be interested.  Keep waxin’ down that surfboard; can’t wait for June, 2011.” And enclosed was the impressive invitation from the Association to Benefit Children (ABC) for the Holiday Skating Party at Rockefeller Center Rink on December 9, 2007. Highlighted is this notation: “ABC is profoundly grateful to Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and its esteemed chairman Dick Beattie, for generously underwriting the expenses of the Holiday Skating Party. Mr. Beattie is a guardian of justice, champion for children and an advocate for educational reform and women’s right, He is a citizen of the world and a man of honor.” 

We don’t always get a proper letter, or even a hand-scrawled green card; sometimes just a brief internet exchange between old friends keeps us in touch. Try this from gim “no capitals” burton <cgburton***prodigy.net> to old roommate Bill Bull: “tc's class diatribe [Dec. WWW] arrived recently. usually, i dont recognize any of the folks pictured therein. bunch of old fogeys.  however, this time i spotted a familiar face on page seven. could it be? surely the big big bad bullster must have aged even just a little bit. but no, there he was...skinny as ever, like 1957. (sorry, but cant say the same for the gent sitting next to you.) but, what the hey, most of us show the consequences of good life. or was that, perhaps, the (miller) high life? i see you stayed close to your roots - out there in earthquake country. i did likewise - and stayed in new england. no quakes, but it's gets chilly here. you do remember snow, don't you? retired from ibm three years ago and am living in southern ct. obviously, you have a place to crash if you have the occasion to come east. (same goes for your portly pal from punahou.) glenn gemelli stopped by this summer. we had a great visit. i try to get to the mini reunions in the fall. it's been great fun to re-connect with guys from the old days. hope we can find some time to get together.”  

Next one requires some stage-setting: there is a very fine book on Dartmouth football, Green Fields of Autumn (Acadia Publ. 2004; at Dartmouth Bookstore), by Sports Information Director Emeritus Jack DeGange and Pulitzer Prize awardee David Shribman ‘76, which portrays Big Green grid action from the outset in 1881 through 2003. In their thorough coverage of all facets of the fall pastime, the authors make sure to give credit to all individuals involved—not merely the mentors and thousands of Dartmouth men who have represented the college on the gridiron, but even the equipment managers. You got it: Art & Duke! In our era, doubt there was an athlete who had to change out of street clothes to play who did not come in contact with Art & Duke, down in the bowels of Davis Field House. Just think of those ubiquitous white socks we all wore w/our Weejuns... One day we were exchanging trivia with Oscar, probably rock & roll factoids, when we decided to test his Dartmouth sports minutiae. As Varsity Football Manager, O had almost constant contact with those two providers of sports equipment, mirth, merriment, and conventional & Upper Valley wisdom; so we posted this query: “Everybody knew them as ‘Art & Duke’; what were their real names? Bet you knew they were, in fact, Art Thibodeau and ‘Duke’ Duclos, but what was Duke’s given name?” 

O: “I didn't know I was taking a test (I would have flunked anyway). Ummm, let's see... ‘Mr. Earl’?”  

Leveled with laughter (Duke of Earl - get it...?), tc replied: “Well, his real name was Alfred, but everyone would agree your answer is vastly superior (and now I'm never gonna get that song outta my head...)!” 

Nonplussed, Oscar came back with: "‘They always call me Speedo but my real name is Mr. Earl.’"

Do not—repeat: not—challenge Oscar when it comes to rock trivia...!  BTW, Arslanian & Assoc. client Fabian Forte performs and hosts “Original Stars of American Bandstand” show at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theatre in Branson, Missouri. In addition to Branson, Fabian appears with the Golden Boys of Bandstand (Frankie Avalon and Bobby Rydell) at casinos and major venues throughout the U.S.  The video of the ABC News interview has been posted on Fabian’s website www.fabianforte.net.

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That's the bad news.  The good news is the cancer never reached my bone marrow which surprised all the doctors.  Also, the kind I have is a slow progressing kind that is very controllable.  They believe I will be in remission soon, and there is a good chance for a permanent remission.  I'm in the middle of Chemo now and not having any ill effects. I told the dr. "If I didn't know I was sick, I wouldn't know I was sick".

Spring 2008 Mini-Reunion

Well, since we opened this installment with business, better close with some as well. Pete and Maynard, in the spirit of the ‘61-’11 Connections Program,(Click on link for other Connections 1961-2011 Details.) announce:  We are going to have a mini-reunion here in the Upper Valley the weekend of April 25-26.  The main thrust of the event is a program with the class of 2011 as well as to continue our link to the Hopkins Center and our Legacy Endowment Fund.

Right now, the Saturday afternoon details are:

     •6:00: a reception at the Top of the Hop, with a cash bar for those over 21.

     •8:00: We'll go to the performance.

Other details are still in the planning stage. Everything else will be just with the ‘61s.  Probably a dinner Friday evening, a couple of events Saturday morning, and a breakfast/brunch Sunday morning. Cocktails and dinner Friday night would include some of the officers from the Class of 2011. For Saturday morning, we are discussing a possible tour of the steam tunnels under the campus ending up in the orchid garden atop the science building.

The Hop is reserving 30 tickets for the 61s, but they may have to release some of these after a month.  So, people who can come for this event should let Maynard Wheeler know as soon as possible.

And with that, let’s call it a wrap.

Aloha,