Class of '64 (March April 2004 issue)


The 2003 holiday period, during which this is being written, has been thankfully slow. We had many significant losses this year; one can only hope that 2004 is better for the class. While we're at it, would it be too much to hope for a bit more peace around the world?

Art Simington kindly sent me an update on his activities and those of two Alpha Theta brothers. As to Art himself, he is still a pediatrician in Keene NH, although no longer in primary care. He teaches on the faculty at Dartmouth Medical School and serves on the National Board of Pediatrics Committee preparing recertification exams. Art sings in a chamber group in Keene. In 2000, along with 60 other alumni, he joined the Dartmouth Glee Club for a performance at Carnegie Hall, commemorating 135 years of singing at Dartmouth. Hiking is a major part of his life: "I'll probably wear my hiking boots into the operating room (carrying my squash racquet) when I probably get my first knee replaced in the next few years."

Retirement? The thought comes to Francis (Bud) McGrath occasionally but only in the middle of Maine winters, where he is a professor of English at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Bud teaches Irish literature and culture and just completed a term as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He visits Ireland every two or three years for conferences, research, and to keep up with the pub life. In 1999 Bud underwent an angioplasty, bypass surgery (the angioplasty didn't work), and a divorce, a combination he would not recommend to anyone. "Since then, however, life has been great again. I recently remarried and I think I got it right this time. Gena and I live on a small farm north of Portland. We share a passion for horses and have six of them at the farm. As we age reunions seem to acquire increasing importance. Perhaps they help us affirm a life we once lived and confirm our memories of it as we hope to forestall its conclusion."

In response to Art's singing claims, Barry Lawson wrote, "If you can still sing, I guess I can still play baseball. I played on a team in the Vermont Senior Baseball League this summer. What kick! Batted over .350, played first base, and suffered minor injuries every week. Loved every minute. There is still time for golf, horseshoes (remember: small town), and rooting for the Sox." Barry and Lynne live in a Greek Revival Farmhouse in Peacham VT. He has been operating Barry Lawson Associates since 1978, focusing on group facilitation, mediation, and public meeting moderation, doing a fair amount of work for the U.S. Dept. of Energy. This year he is a visiting scholar at the College, working on a project to develop a digitized atlas of the Upper Connecticut River Valley.

Looking forward to seeing you in Hanover May 28-31 for our 40th! Check the Class Web pages for final details.

Gus Buchtel, 2861 Gladstone Avenue, Ann Arbor MI 48104-6432; gusb@umich.edu or http://happy.dartmouth.org/classes/64/news.html.