1951

Frank O'Neil has been named vice president of corporate communications and government affairs of PPG Industries. He had been the company's vice president of corporate development for the past five years.

In his new post, Frank is responsible for communication with employees, shareholders, investors, government, and the business community, the general public, and the news media. He joined PPG in 1951 at the Buffalo, N.Y.,glass sales and contracting branch office, and he later served in various sales management posts. He was elected vice president of the glass contract and supply department in 1965. Frank subsequently served as vice president, flat glass group, glass division; vice president, planning and foreign operations; and vice president, international,. flat glass division. He was named vice president.of corporate development in 1979 and assumed responsibility for PPG's federal and state government affairs in 1983! Frank and his wife, Rose Marie, have eight children and live in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mount Lebanon.

In a "short" but full telephone conversation, Shorty Allison reports that he is enjoying life, summering in Massachusetts and wintering in Florida, as well as working with his various foundation interests.

Jim Robinson has been reelected to the board as chairman after serving as a board member for three years of the Forman Schools of Litchfield, Conn. Founded in 1930, the Forman School is coeducational for residential students in grades 9 through 12.It is a leading prep school specializing in the training and education of bright children with a specific language or learning disability especially dyslexia.

At a training workshop held at the Forman School, nationally known experts and teachers gathered to discuss ways that dyslexics, especially teenagers, can reach their intellectual capacity. All agreed there is much that both public schools and parents can do, that they are not now doing, to teach dyslexic children. The main prescription: old fashioned phonics, a system of learning to read by sounding out words by letter and syllable. Says Forman headmaster Richard Pierce: "What Forman is trying to do is affect the national education scene by educating people to what dyslexia is a difference in how people process information and making available to teachers of both public and private schools the knowledge we have." An estimated 25 million Americans have dyslexia, a condition that has been detectable for years by a battery of tests. Dyslexics, who are often left-handed or ambidextrous, tend to reverse letters (b and d), twist words (was for saw), confuse word order (please up hurry), subtract from left to right, or have difficulty with sequential thinking. Despite these problems, they may be intellectually brilliant, with oral skills so keen they are able to bluff their way through early grades. Dyslexics can be high achievers like Edison, Einstein, General Patton, Nelson Rockefeller, and Bruce Jenner. But they are often misdiagnosed as retarded or emotionally disturbed.

The dyslexic in high school has special problems. After years of being told that he is slow or stupid, he can have a very poor selfimage. Forman provides an array of sports training to improve physical self confidence. But the biggest challenge for teachers is to devise a curriculum commensurate with the student's real intelligence. At Forman, students listen to a recording of, say, Romeo andJuliet while reading the play. Computers are becoming an important teaching tool because they promote sequential learning and logical development. For the students able to handle calculus but not the sequences of numerical calculations, the computer allows them to bypass their basic problem. Dyslexic students can now take untimed SATs for college admission. Some 30 institutions have special programs for dyslexic students, including Boston University, which provides a standard curriculum and allows more time to complete it.

Headmaster Richard G. Pierce sent me a most complimentary letter about what Jim Robinson is doing for the school. Jim's son, Lee, is an alumnus in the class of 1979. Also enclosed was. a lovely, thoroughly descriptive booklet of the school, its program, and its purpose, and I invite all classmates who have further interest to write for additional information.

The past and the future meet in the unique home of Partem Keese '50 and his wife, Karen. Located highon a California hilltop, it consists of several connected tents complete with electricity and running water.

10014 W. North Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53226