1961

The excitement toward our reunion continues to build. Ron Wybranowski, our reunion chairman, is closing in on completing his reunion organization and the reunion program.

Bill Cogswell and Skip Bean, both year-round residents of the Upper Valley, have agreed to cochair the reunion food committee. Henry Eberhardt, longtime director of the Alumni Fund, has agreed to handle registration. So the key people on two of our critical reunion committees are only minutes away from seeing the proper people. Marv Witofsky is heading up the entertainment committee. LarryLevy is heading up the sports committee and planning both tennis and golf tournaments, Ron said. And of course all of you are very much aware that Alan Orschel and his 1961 book committee are going full steam ahead. As noted previously, Ron Boss is reunion fund-raising chairman, and Jeff Conn is reunion treasurer.

We'll be housed in the Gold Coast dorms this time. Friday night, our band and dancing will be at AD. On Saturday, we take over the Top of the Hop and Alumni Hall at Hopkins Center after a dinner at Thompson Arena, which will be specially decorated "so it doesn't look like a hockey arena," Ron said.

We will also have the opportunity to relive our freshmen trips, in the days just before reunion, probably Monday and Tuesday or Tuesday and Wednesday. So keep that in mind as you block out your 1986 vacation schedules. I'm certain I'll want to go. Maybe if enough of us are interested, one of the trips could be for bachelors only to more closely resemble our experience almost 29 years ago.

For those of you who have high school juniors this year, Ron already has made arrangements with the admissions office for interviews during the reunion period.

"Anybody with any specific comments or suggestions, please call me directly," said Ron. He has his office in his home, so you can get him most anytime at 203/ 227-4044.

Our own schedule is on top of one already planned by the College. For instance, the College already has scheduled runs - including a 10K; dinners on Thursday night and Friday night are College-organized, and the College has a schedule of reunion events apart from whatever Ron and his committee plan.

That's not to say that Ron is not planning departures from the standard. For instance, rather than going to Storrs Pond for a picnic, we'll have our Friday lunch in the Bema, weather permitting.

Another aspect of reunion is seeing the professors who taught us, and Ron is arranging to invite all the professors and professors emeriti who were present on campus when we were students to attend any of our events that they wish, not just some relatively brief cocktail party. But he encourages those of you who want to see specific people to extend your own personal invitations to whichever events you want, understanding that they do have an open invitation to our reunion. It's not too early to write now.

"With nine months to go, I feel pretty good about the way things are going," said Ron at September's end.

That same weekend, Alan Orschel was saying how pleased he was with the response to the confidential profile questionnaires, but that pleasure was tempered by disappointment in the number of completed autobiographies, and the content of those autobiographies. As of the end of September, with the deadline a couple of days away, Alan had 300-plus profiles or close to half the class. By the time you read this, Alan and his committee - and particularly Parker Borg - will have already gotten the survey tabulated and ready for publication in the 1961 book. And based on some informal tabulating of some questionnaires, the results may be surprising. We'll look forward to seeing those full results.

But as you read this it is NOT too late to send in your autobiographies, Alan said, but you gotta do it now. He predicted in September that he would now be only days away from going to the printer, but he said he wants to try to get in as many of you as is possible. He said in autobiographies completed so far, "some guys are remarkably introspective, and it's not an easy thing to write." But others are not saying anything in addition to answering the basic questions, and "that's kind of sad," Alan said. So don't be afraid to express yourself. And almost none of the wives had answered their questionnnaires. "We want the spouses," he said. "Please respond."

But do it as quickly as possible. You might even call Alan at 312/251-1902 to tell him it's on the way.

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