1953

What do Stuart Fordyce, Jim Penny,Kent Robinson, and Herb Solow have in common? It is not their careers, as they are respectively a scientist, advertising agency head, president and CEO of a children's apparel company, and independent producer of television and movies, turned writer. Their commonality stretches back over 30 years to the time when they collectively ran WDBS.

College radio was just out of its infancy and in its formative stages. In establishing the programming content, they were establishing the principles on which the station operated. Those were heady times and the leadership was provided by these classmates.

Stuart Fordyce was the technical director, an apt position, given where he has taken his career. After Dartmouth, he earned a doctorate at MIT, worked in research at Union Carbide for six years, and joined NASA in 1966 at the Lewis Research Center in Cleveland. He has been involved in research in space power, terrestrial energy, space propulsion, and on other frontiers in space technology. He is presently director of Aero Space Technology He and spouse Beverly live in Fairview Park, Ohio, near Cleveland. Their son, Cameron, works in Santa Barbara, Calif., for a firm that produces implant materials, and their daughter, Jean, studies communications and journalism at Ohio University. Stuart and Beverly's involvements include Unitarian Universalist churches, racial harmony in Cleveland, the environment, sailing, and music.

Jim Penny, Amherst, N.H., was the business manager of WDBS, although he quickly conceded that spouse Nancy ran the operation. They married just before senior year. Following Tuck and two years in the army, Jim joined US Steel in Cleveland. This lasted for five years, when their love of New England pulled them back to Keene, N.H., and various positions at Miniature Precision Bearings Inc. In 1973 they moved to the Nashua area and into advertising. During this period, their daughters matured and excelled. Erika, high school valedictorian, is now a nurse, after training at the University of Vermont. Pamela, also a valedictorian, has become an occupational therapist, after the University of New Hampshire. Debra works for Lotus Development solving customer software problems. Jim has set up his own firm providing research, counsel, public relations, and doing the creative work in support of his high technology clients. Once again Nancy is involved. Jim has been a class agent since graduation.

While most of us either have or yearn for acceptance and stability, Herb Solow, Malibu, Calif., describes his profession as one of rejection and change. He has been a theatrical agent and a director of production for films, TV programs, specials, and game shows. He has worked for corporations such as NBC, CBS, MGM, and Desilu, conglomerates such as Gulf and Western, and himself. He has been involved in the creation and development of "Startrek," "Mission Impossible," "Medical Center," and "Mannix," all household words. He has similarly been involved in "A Man From Atlantis," which didn't make it on TV. Theatrical and artistic forces conflict with corporate mentalities. Turmoil is created at that point in senior management where the two forces contact. Herb has held these positions. However, he has survived and succeeded, but has become more independent. He is now concentrating on a new challenge, becoming a writer. Spouse Pamela is an actress, the star of "The Young and the Restless." Daughters Jody will complete her doctorate, Bonnie graduated from Oberlin and is an independent writer, and Jamie, a trained child psychologist, is an aspiring songwriter. And to believe Herb started all this as director of programs for WDBS.

Kent Robinson, Chattanooga, Tenn., was the station director of WDBS. This was also an apt start as Kent is now president and CEO of Buster Brown Apparel Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gerber Products. Kent graduated from Tuck and held positions with Diamond International and Pure Oil before joining his present company in 1960. He interrupted his career with Buster Brown for a two-year sojourn in Honolulu with Amfac, returning in 1966. He became president and CEO in 1977. Divorced, he has two sons. Jeffrey is a travel/tour operator in Denver and Daniel is an engineer for General Foods in Houston.

We had great talent managing WDBS, a measure that has become obvious as the careers of these classmates have developed.

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