1965

In addition to sharing the expenses and making fuller use of a short boating season, one of the benefits of owning a sailboat jointly with another family is that the hard work of sanding off the bottom paint, compounding the hull, and revarnishing the brightwork gets shared. While my partner and 1 were sanding and painting together recently, we compared notes on the frustrations of carving out corporate staff positions which actually render useful work. As we verbally ran through the gamut of other professions, from farmer to foreman to friar, we realized that no matter what manner of occupation we might puruse, the times are rare when we can look back upon our achievements to find lasting substance. As you read on to learn what our friends are doing in their chosen fields, I hope you will gain a sense of sharing not just the peaks, but also the long spells in between when the questions of direction and purpose surface.

Bob Frohboese seems to have made a change in career and is now fending off some of those questions. He is working hard as the ski school director at a small ski area in Colorado by the name of Wolf Creek. Bob says it better be the type of work he wants to do because it pays only one third of what he made teaching at the University of Utah. Brad Gerrish of Snohomish, Wash., fame is still enjoying "family practice" medicine. Throwing himself into his work resulted in what should now be a complete family with one son after two daughters. It's hard to judge whether Kent Salisbury has achieved a sense of completing his family task yet. With four daughters and nary a son, he and Martha are all wrapped up in the western North Carolina mountain country around Asheville. Kent is the cardiologist for his three-man medical group but plays the off-hours role of park ranger, teaching his kids the difference between land turtles and copperheads. As I recall, copperheads are the creatures that don't wee on your jeans when you pick them up. The Salisbury's welcome all visitors to their cabin retreat.

The New York mountains have drawn Nicholas Rummo to the Mt. Kisco Medical Group which he joined last August to practice internal medicine and pulmonary diseases. Are all of you doctors out there able to look back at the end of each day with a sense of worth and accomplishment, or do you too have your moments of doubt?

One institution that deals openly with our needs for affirmation is the military. In addition to decorations, awards, and ribbons the armed forces give out Certificates of Merit such as the one Ward Hindman received from the Air Force Systems Command. This must have been connected with his appointment as project officer for a major Defense Intelligence Agency study. Greg Fahland's wife Chris writes from Beloit, Wisc., that Beloit College students question whether their new dean of students is too strict and entirely unreasonable. At least they know you're there, Greg!

Before returning to sea duty with the Navy, Don Miller wrote that he had heard from Phil Cagnon - who is in Texas with the FBI asking lots of questions and waiting for his first child to be born. I hope Don will write us a long letter discussing what it is like to go off to sea now compared to back when he didn't have a wife and two children to leave behind.

Russ Capelle had an extremely hectic Bicentennial Year responding to a variety of inner-self notions. Our last mention of Russell had him teaching in Rhode Island. Since then he has done some consulting in New Jersey and is currently a visiting professor for the department of geography at UNM. In between there somewhere he acquired a large house in Bethel to run as a boarding house, organized a craft shop, and filed for divorce. Found any answers yet, Russ?

While Jim Griffith is having doubts about his move to a vegetable farm on Methodist Hill in Plainsfield, Vt., because of a rainy climate that builds up longings for the Mojave Desert, Ed Holmes is over in the deserts of Saudi Arabia with McKinsey and Company longing for something with which to quench his thirst.

From the note on the back of his class dues notice, I can tell that Jack Kabak has spent many hours dealing with the issues of his homeland, South Africa. The political situation in southern Africa led the Kabaks, with initial regrets, to seek a permanent home elsewhere. Apparently they enjoy living in northern California where Jack has entered private practice with two other ophtalmologists in Pal Alto while wife is working with learning-disabled children in San Mateo.

Those of you who would like to look at the evidence of what two classmates have accomplished have a chance to do so this month. Claude Liman has just published a book of poems called Landing about his experiences as a landed immigrant in Canada. Under the pseudonym of Robert Sand, Bob Eckert has Published Portrait of a Young Man Naked, a book of unusual poetry. Bob lives in Geneva, Switzerland, where he is an international lawyer for the UN. I have information on how to obtain copies of these books.

Well, folks, while you're sanding, painting, digging, pedaling, walking, or loading, keep in mind that you're not alone in your ruminating and that we'd like you to share with us your thoughts as well as your money (Jack Hosmer asked for that last plug).

Secretary, 22 Surry Drive Cohasset, Mass. 02025

Head Agent, Kennebee Rd., P.O. Box 192 Hampden Highlands, Maine 04445