1967

In the ordinary case, I'd be sitting down to write this column at the end of August, with visions of Labor Day, peppered Maryland crab feasts, and the annual Bacchanalia we call the Berks County Bar Association Picnic dancing in my head.

But they've gone and changed things (again?) at the Alumni Magazine, and now my deadline for the October issue is August 15. That means I'm writing this on July 27, as I scurry around trying to nail down the loose ends in my office so I can get away with the family for two weeks on the coast of Maine.

For me, it has been a summer of trying to restore a little of the old physical fitness, which must have something to do with the fact that, like many or most of us, I'm now hurtling through my 40th year, heading for that watershed birthday. Maybe the fact that it's an Olympic year has something to do with it, too. In any event, after many years, I've rediscovered the bicycle and concluded once again that it's a noble way to travel. In the month between June 4 and July 4, I put 600 miles on the old machine, climaxing the effort with a 200-miler from Reading, Pa., to Poughkeepsie, N. Y., on July 2, 3, and 4. It reminds me of undergraduate days, when from time to time John Kornet and I would drop everything on the spur of the moment and take off for a couple of days of churning up and down the byways of New Hampshire and Vermont. It's great to be doing it again.

I do have a few items of news, too, for a change. Some of my old mailings keep filtering in just enough to keep me out of hot water with my editors. My warmest thanks to this summer's contributors.

John Rhead sent me a short note and a long clipping from the Columbia (Md.) Flier. John's practicing psychotherapy in the Columbia area, and he recently moderated a panel on spiritual dimensions of family therapy at a symposium sponsored by George Washington University in Washington. Out of that symposium came the newspaper article, which went on at some length about John's "spiritual perspective" and drew from John a mild rebuke which also appeared in print. Anyway, John's note speaks of many changes in his life, including the end of a marriage. Also, he's a cofounder of the "Psychocycle Riding Club," a group of psychologists in Maryland who gather periodically for motorcycle jaunts on the country roads of Maryland "Leather jackets not required."

Bruce Chasan left the U.S. Attorney's office in Philadelphia in April and joined the Philadelphia office of the New York law firm of Wilson, Elser, Edelman, and Dicker. Brace's wife, Carmen, is director of public relations and marketing at Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia, and daughter Emily, two, keeps them on their toes. The Chasans "still love to visit New Hampshire every summer."

Bob Umb denstock sent me a letter. The return address was Ross, Calif. The postmark (July 17) was Hicksville, N.Y. The letterhead on the hotel stationery was Newfoundland. The first paragraph of the letter identified it as "column filler from offshore on the Grand Banks of N'f'land."

My curiosity by now fully aroused, I read on: "Still making a living on the salvage and diving training I got from the navy so long ago. Basically, I am a marine casualty specialist. My partner and I provide project engineering, project management, and technical advice to clients in shipping and offshore oil when they are faced with a largescale salvage or wreck-removal operation. The work takes us worldwide and always offers new challenges."

Bob and Linda live just north of San Francisco with their two children, Tyler, five, and Kelsey, three. Linda has put her graduate degree in foods and nutrition to work as a consultant in weight management and dietary programs suited to various training regimens. "The concern for fitness has provided great demand for her expertise."

On the side, Bob and Linda are avid cooks and recently developed a few menus to be included in Time-Life's new series of cookbooks. Bob stays in touch with Bill Reilly and sees Charlien Hoeveler, Steve Heiser, and Paul Leach occasionally in the Bay Area. "I also suspect," he concludes, "that many old friends live in or pass through the S.F. area, and it would be nice to hear from them."

That's it for the October issue. I hope to hear from many more of you between now and the time October actually rolls around. Hope you all have a good late summer and early autumn. Anyone have any thoughts about football weekend get-togethers??

660 Penn Sq. Ctr., Box 61 Reading, PA 19603