Greetings from Hanover and our 45th Reunion which is occurring as you read this. Hope you had a chance to make it. Look for the August issue for more Homecoming comments. First, a thump on the table for Rand Beers nominated by President Obama to be Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs in the Department of Homeland Security. He will head the offices of cybersecurity and communications, infrastructure protection, intergovernmental programs and risk management and analysis, "among others." Randy, best congratulations on your work for this country.
Dr. Bill Fitzhugh replied to an email from me that he could not make it to reunion since he would be in of all places, Mongolia. Talk about a put down. And then I learned all the fascinating details of what he does. He has been a curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History since 1970, conducting research into arctic and subarctic archaeology and anthropology, preparing exhibitions, lecturing, writing, and working on educational programs. During the 1970s and '80s his work was primarily in Labrador, in the 1990s in Russia, and since 2001 in Mongolia and Quebec. He has produced major exhibitions and catalogs on North Pacific cultures, Yupik Eskimos of Alaska, the Ainu of Japan, Vikings and other subjects. In 1988, he founded the Smithsonian's Arctic Studies Center. I asked Bill about global warming and he said that today the warming cycle "is greater than cycles known from pre-industrial times and is being accelerated by the great increase in human produced CO2 levels. If history is a fair guide, we can expect deep and profound changes in the arctic and elsewhere. The 21st century is not likely to be a time of status quo in any area, so it is only prudent to take immediate steps to lower greenhouse gases, reduce consumption of scare resources, and research for new technologies that increase energy efficiency." Bill is currently doing work on his discovery of Basque whalers who operated in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the 16th Century. I asked him how he finds this material and he gave me a very clear paragraph on his work - and I wish I had space for all of it. Bill, great pioneering efforts and thanks for your input.
Alan Nadel has been practicing Neurology in Memphis for the past 32 years and is working "as hard as I want to" at present. Since 2001 he has been active in an international men's group, The Mankind Project, which teaches and promotes lives of accountability and integrity. His wife of 40 years, Zoey, is an accomplished professional artist (see www.galleryzoe.com to be impressed) and they have one son, Craig who has his own music business. I asked Alan about our grey cells and whether in his professional judgment a 45th reunion can be a problem for some and he said, "at this point in our lives, it is too late to worry - go drink!!!." Yes sir. Hunt Whitacre