1954
April and May were busy months for '54, the class of the presidents.
President Charlie Morrison, the ruler extraordinaire of the Eastern Massachusetts Alumni Association, presided over the annual Boston Dartmouth Dinner where President Davit} McLaughlin, ruler extraordinaire of all 's4s, led a group of 22 members of '54 (plus 16 spouses and friends) to possession of the Boston Attendance Cup- which cup Charlie Morrison couldn't find to present. John Gillespie arranged a mini-reunion cocktail party before the dinner, which was well attended, as attested by the accompanying photograph.
Class Officers Weekend in Hanover brought well-deserved honors to '54. The class received Honorable Mention in the Class of the Year competition. John Gillespie was honored as Mini-Reunion Chairman of the Year. In attendance at the various sessions of the class officers meetings were DonBerlin, Dick Pearl, John Gillespie, John Heston, Herb Hillman, Dick Barker, and, of course, your secretary.
I don't mean to make this column a tribute to John Heston, but in the last two months it appears that whenever two 's4s happened to meet, Heston was there. The Boston minireunion was held in his hotel suite; at Class Officers Weekend he was everywhere panel jnember, speaker, subject of speakers - and in the month of April alone John reports that he had dinner with Bob Adnopoz in New Haven; visited with Calvin Klein jean mogul Pete Gutlon in New York; saw NormVeasey in his Wilmington law office; had dinner with George and Sheila Haskins in Rochester; had dinner with Dr. Ed Horton and saw Tom in Hanover; and had dinner with Trustee Dr. John Steele.
In addition to his busy travel (and dinner) schedule the Hestons continued their very gracious tradition of entertaining '54 parents and siblings at cocktails during Freshmen Parents weekends. This year John and Betty hosted the following '88 freshmen and their '54 parents - Dick and Jane Brace and Dick Jr.; Lo Yi and Millie Chan and Leicia; Feteand Pat Dwight and Dick; Pete and DeborahGaithner and Daniel; Art Rauch and Janine Beth; and Dick and Judy Steinberg and David.
Tom Corcoran was the guest speaker at the annual ski team dinner in Hanover. Tom gave an outstanding speech, as befitted the occasion. This year the College's ski team placed fourth in the country and contained five members who were selected for ail-American honors.
A recent edition of "Buffalo Business" carried a flattering profile of Kevin Sullivan, from which the following is excerpted: "Kevin I. Sullivan is a busy man. Not only is Mr. Sullivan the president of Key Bank of Western New York, he is the chairman of the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA), a director of Western New York Economic Development Corporation, and the immediate past chairman of the board of directors of the Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce.
"But that's not all. Not by a long shot. Kevin Sullivan is also a trustee and vice chairman of the board of the Western New York Public Broadcasting Association, Inc., a director of the Downtown Buffalo Management Corporation, and he sits on the boards of another 20 organizations.
"Mr. Sullivan's participation on these boards is not just decorative. He doesn't serve just to be able to add an organization to a resume. 'l'm not comfortable with my name on a list unless I am contributing. In fact, I say no a lot more often than I say yes.'
"Kevin Sullivan has his finger on the pulse of Buffalo's revitalization. He was the Chamber of Commerce's chairman of the board during two of the worst years the community has seen in a long time.
" 'During my time as chairman, we lost both the Courier-Express and Bethlehem Steel,' he said. 'However, we did have some successes. We worked within the framework of a five-year plan. We didn't go all over the country trying to nail down a big catch. We were successful recruiting companies in Canada, and the Convention and Tourism Division grew and attracted some major events.'
"He cited the attraction of the Empire State Games as one of the most satisfying accomplishments of his tenure in the position from July 1982 until June 1984.
" 'I believe the Chamber is a viable entity and has a specific role to play through economic development efforts, the marketing of the community by the convention and tourism division, and governmental relations. We have the second largest Chamber in terms of membership in the United States (behind Houston). I think that shows the confidence local companies have in the job the Chamber is doing and the willingness those companies have to support the revitalization effort.' "
Kevin and Barbara, parents of two sons, live in the Buffalo suburb of Amherst, where obviously they are considered a valuable natural resource.
Have a pleasant summer and keep the news flowing!
A group of '54s gathered in Boston for a mini-reunion before the annual dinner of the Dartmouth Clubof Eastern Massachusetts, at which '54 won the attendance prize. Pictured, front row, left to right, areDick Eaton, Lou Milkey, Charlie Morrison, Jim Clark, and Phil Christophe. In the back row, left toright, are John Gillespie, David McLaughlin, Dick Leary, Dick Barker, Shelly Woolf, Rick Hartman,John Heston, Bob Dean, Fred Alpert, and Bob Adnopoz.
95 Plymouth Street New Bedford, MA 02740
Last year's Class Secretary of the Year, John Gillespie '54, was named Mini-Reunion Chairman of the Year for 1985 as organizer of "an energetic and creative mini-reunion program." The program included a mini-reunion at Rockefeller Center in June, fall tailgates, and special mini-reunion mailings "that call up instant green pride in every '54 who receives them."
