1959

On June 7, 1985, Naval Station Mayport (Fla.) dedicated a new Bachelor Officer Quarters (BOQ) in honor of the late Thomas C. Davis Jr., who died of cancer in 1980. His dad, Tom Sr., sent us a copy of the dedication program. Tom Jr., who majored in geology at Dartmouth, pursued that interest at the University of Alaska, where he earned his master's degree in 1961. Before entering the navy, Tom served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, conducting research on the Greenland and Antarctica ice sheets. He completed Navy OCS in 1962. His naval career included command of two destroyers and three LSTs, the latter two of which operated in Vietnam, one of them in the Mekong River. Tom was decorated with the Bronze Star for combat in Vietnam and with other awards for valor. At different stages of his career as a naval officer, Tom also taught air/ocean environment at the U.S. Naval Academy, served as a placement officer with the navy's bureau of personnel, and, later in his career, was the military editor of the Surface Warfare Magazine. The dedication program labelled Tom as "a treasured comrade and friend, a surface warfare officer who exemplified the highest standards of professionalism and courage for all naval officers to emulate." Tom's many friends at Dartmouth, especially those who knew him well, will echo that sentiment.

Jack Nason reports that in July JohnHessler was elected to the Dartmouth Alumni Council. John is a member of the Milwaukee insurance firm of Hessler and Bonady, Ltd., which specializes in life and health insurance. His wife, Janet, is in public relations with the Milwaukee firm of Zegman, Joseph, and Skeen. The Hesslers have a son who graduated from Davidson College near Charlotte, N.C., a year ago; a daughter, who is a senior at Mount Mary College in Milwaukee; and another son, who attends Drake University in Des Moines, lowa. Congratulations on your election, John!

From his wife, Pat, comes the news that Ed Hobbie, who has practiced law for two decades in Westfield, N.J., has been appointed judge of the municipal court there. Ed's general practice has included estate work, planning and zoning, and corporation work. For the past four years, Ed has been the attorney for the Westfield Planning Board. Ed earned his J.D. at Rutgers University in 1964. He and Pat graduated in the same class at Cranford (N.J.) High School, and they have three children, Laura (19), Ted (14), and Mark (10).

After two years at Dartmouth Medical School, Stu Hanson returned to Minnesota and, in the space of four years there, finished medical school, married his high school classmate the former Gail Taylor, and started a family (Marta and Peter). After three or four years of living in the Far East, the Hanson family returned to Minnesota where Stu's practice focused on lung diseases. He has taken on the role of health care administrator in a large group medical practice. Stu describes his involvement in public affairs activities promoting nonsmoking in words on which I cannot improve: "Last year, after a mini-sabbatical studying tobacco and public policy in Asia, I returned to Minnesota and became more involved in regional nonsmoking efforts. 'The Minnesota Coalition for a Smoke Free Society, 2000' and 'The Smoke Free Generation Minnesota' were formed in 1984 as nonprofit organizations. As president of both organizations, I may work myself out of a job by the year 2000! That is if Minnesotans stop smoking and my specialty of pulmonary medicine does not find some new lung disease to treat." Stu indicated in our 25th reunion yearbook that wife Gail, a former special education teacher, had embarked on a career in speech communication and management, and that daughter Marta was a Brown '85 and son Peter a Dartmouth '87.

Speaking of our outstanding 25th reunion yearbook, its coauthor, Sam Swansen, sends out the clarion call to all of you former members of the smooth and classy "Barbary Coast." The group is going to reassemble in June of next year to play at 1956's 30th! If you're interested in joining your old friends on a truly nostalgic and "fun" occasion, drop Sam a line, or give him a call. He resides at 221 Morris Road, Ambler, PA 19002, 215/643-5926, or you can reach him at his Philadelphia law firm, 215/972-3787.

On a sad note, we learned that on May 1 Ron Farnan died of cancer at the Washington, D.C., Home Hospice. He was 47. Our sincere sympathy goes to the members of Ron's family.

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