1963

This month there's news about our class itself that merits the topmost position in this column. Charlie Parton, our class president, stepped down from his post, saying that the press of other activities prevented him from giving the job of class president the amount of time and ef- fort needed in this reunion year. Charlie noted in his letter to the College that over the past 15 months he had completed a major job change (he is now executive vice president of Midlantic National Bank in Neptune, N.J.), and he has chaired the county United Way fund drive and the area Y.M.C.A.

"Adding these activities to those usual with family, business, and personal interests, I have neither the ability nor the inclination to con- tinue" as class president, he wrote.

Acting in response to Charlie's resignation, the other officers of the class assembled in Hanover in early October and elected Dave Schaefer to serve out the rest of Charlie's term, which expires at our reunion in June. Dave has most recently served the class as newsletter editor, but has also been president and secretary and he chaired our tenth reunion. We were all glad that someone with that kind of experience was available and was willing to be drafted.

Dave will have a fuller report on the meeting in his next newsletter, but there were a couple of other highlights that probably should be men- tioned here.

John Lehman, who is chairing our reunion this June, unveiled his theme and some of his preliminary plans. The theme, as you will probably know by the time you read this, is "Happy Days," and the styles of the late fifties and early sixties will be the motif for the social occasions, which will feature real rock 'n' roll and the chance for everyone to dress up again as preppies and greasers.

John emphasized that the reunion will be an "honest attempt to do the impossible to be all things to all people." The program will give class members a chance to give serious examination to, and reflection on, what has happened to the world and the College in the two decades since the„ "Happy Days" era when we were under- graduates. There will also be athletics for both serious and non-serious athletes and a full day of planned activities for children, as well as many opportunities to renew friendships while revisit- ing the College. The dates for this momentous affair, by the way, are June 18-20.

Also at the class meeting, Bob Finney and Bob Barnum were selected to head a nominating committee to come up with a proposed set of new officers that will be presented to the class for approval in June. These will be the officers who will be in charge of preparations for our 25th reunion, and the two Bobs said they intended to make an all-out effort to find those class members most willing and able to serve.

In other items of interest, the Washington Post did a set of articles on Michael Moriarty when Mike was in Washington to perform the lead role in Whose Life Is It Anyway? at the Kennedy Center. In it, Mike portrays a paralyzed sculptor who argues that it is his right to choose suicide.

In one of the articles Mike talked about a per- sonal transformation that has occurred in his own life over the past several years, a transfor- mation "from a belief that you have intellectual control over your life to a realization that you don't. The knowledge that despite what you've been taught, we can't organize the world or con- trol it. That's what makes people commit suicide. They put the final piece of the intellec- tual logic puzzle together and it spells 'The End.' "

The result of this realization, Mike told the interviewer, was a decision to "surrender." To what, his inquisitor demanded.

"To the Force," Mike replied, laughing. "Have you seen The Empire Strikes Back? Gee, it's wonderful."

Also, a clipping from the St. Lawrence PlainDealer discloses that Peter van Lent has been promoted to the rank of associate professor of modern languages at St. Lawrence University. Pete's specialty is French literature.

Here's still another idea for a reunion activity. Do something with your wife that you haven't done in 20 years take her to her dorm at mid- night and drop her off.

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