The Class of 1964 is publishing a book containing 55 classmate-written essays about the Vietnam War, which continues to affect our lives and society. This project required input from essay-writers and four co-editors, who clarified, corrected and improved their classmates' work. The focus of Dartmouth Veterans: Vietnam Perspectives, is how Vietnam changed our lives. Here we highlight the co-editors, Dave deCalesta, Fred Gray, Jim Stewart and Bob Woodruff, who worked diligently with me to make sure that every essay is a source of '64 pride.
Bob Blackman recruited Dave deCalesta to Dartmouth, where, with encouragement from Bob Cahners, he competed in weight throws for the track team. That's a full schedule for a pre-med, Tabard house-manager and psychology major. He took a post-bac year at the University of Rochester, where he worked in a hospital and met Kathryn, a nurse who became his wife. After Vietnam Dave went to grad school and earned a Ph.D. in Wildlife Ecology. He's taught at North Carolina State and Oregon State, worked for the U.S. Forest Service and consulted for forest landowners. He's retired, but keeping busy writing. His first novel, Reunited was published in June 2013. He and Kathryn have a son Daran, an O.D., a daughter Kerry, a math teacher, coach and marathoner and twin grandsons.
Jim Stewart liked skiing and hockey, was impressed with Dartmouth interviewers, so with neighbor Bill Dubocq came to Hanover. He belonged to Zeta Psi, the Dartmouth Ski Patrol and ROTC. Back from Vietnam he worked for Kidder Peabody until 1974. Then he traveled to Colorado, California, Mexico, Central America and Europe. In Spain he joined in the running of the bulls in Pamplona. He reentered the workforce as a distributor for Johnson & Johnson in Florida, where he still lives. He enjoys golf and kayaking. He supports a local soup kitchen for immigrants and dedicates himself to the VFW, where he's been commander. His daughter is a nurse. His wife Jane manages a hospital information technology department.
From St. Andrew's School (Delaware) Woody Woodruff came to Dartmouth, following his father, Bob '37. He majored in English, favoring medieval literature, and managed the editorial page of The D. He continued with medieval literature at Columbia University until drafted by the Army. On return he apprenticed as a carpenter, then ran a chain of eight weekly newspapers in St. Petersburg-Clearwater with his father. After they sold the newspapers, Woody was a journalist in Washington, D.C., earned an M.A. in journalism at the University of Maryland and then taught and practiced journalism simultaneously. Now retired, he's in a doctoral program at the University of Maryland journalism school. He and wife Lucy Duff met at a political rally. Their son Jesse is a conservation biologist.
Fred Gray worked as a writer, editor and director of technical operations for AP and Reuters for 35 years (see DAM Mar-April 2012) and may have thought he was done editing. He and Phil Schaefer are the only non-veteran editors. Dartmouth Veterans: Vietnam Perspectives is expected to be available in February 2014.