1951

On Washington's Birthday Amy and I went to a Dartmouth Seminar sponsored by the Alumni Association of New York. This was in conjunction with a visit to the exhibition of "The Treasurers of Tutankhamun" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was a full day starting with a lecture on ancient Egypt by Matthew Wiencke, professor of classics at Dartmouth. After the morning lecture we broke for lunch, followed by a short afternoon talk. We then boarded buses for the trip from the Plaza to the museum. The exhibit was fascinating and I still am marvelling at the works that were created so many thousands of years ago.

Also attending the seminar were several classmates. Jerry Mitchell and wife Nan were there on business. They put together a tour, through their Dartmouth Travel Bureau, for Friends of the Hopkins Center and brought a group of 40 to the seminar. Dave Krivitsky and Nina were also in attendance. Dave is president of Native Textiles, manufacturers of lace and tricot fabrics. Terry Fogarty took time off from the practice of ophthamology to take in the Tut exhibit with wife Monika. Terry has been a member of the faculty of New York University Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital for many years in addition to having a private practice.

Last month we mentioned Jim Asker changing his avocation to a vocation. I would like to share some of Jim's thoughts with you as I think they touch on things many of us have thought about: "Life has changed so much since I saw you and many other '51s at the reunion. At that time I was no longer working in the 'corporate' world. I was paying the rent working as a carpenter, doing some consulting in 'personnel,' unenthisiastically looking for another corporate job, and also trying to put a real estate deal together. As I recall, I was not alone pondering 'passages' and why I had spent so many years in the wrong career.

"Being out of the corporate world was less important than the change in values going on within me towards a career satisfying my needs and wants instead of an employer. Though I had made the first step in changing careers, I was still working for someone else.

"I come by carpentry naturally. Carpentry has been my hobby and avocation since I was very young. Well, now my avocation is my vocation. What fun getting paid for doing what I like to do. And now I'm in business for myself. The Jim Asker Company celebrated it's first anniversary in January 1979. I started (very scared) by myself and have been busy ever since. I now have two employees. Most of my work comes from architects and designers, the balance from customer referrals.

"I'm having all the typical problems, making all the mistakes, getting 'up to here' with taxes and government forms. But I'm having fun using my hands when I do some of the work and using my mind for design and to run the business. Life is so different!"

Dave Sargent has been named general manager of the grocery products division for Howard B. Johnson Company. A graduate of the Harvard Business School, Dave has been employed by H. P. Hood since 1965 in several managerial capacities. He resides in Sudbury, Mass., and will be based at the chain's corporate headquarters in Braintree.

So long for now.

2 Peter Cooper Rd. New York, N.Y. 10010