1959

Harry Jeffrey, an accomplished professor of American history at California State University in Fullerton, specializes in 20th-century U.S. political history. Classifying himself as a moderate Republican, he has served in some interesting "brain trust" and administrative posts under one president and at least two U.S. senators. He even lost a tough race for Congress in Orange County in 1976. In December 1985, Harry returned from what he describes as a two-week fact-finding/observation trip to South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, where he was part of an 11-person American delegation composed mainly of academics and lawyers. Harry characterizes the trip as "exhilarating, exhausting, and deeply troubling" and concluded from it as follows: "The limited reforms of the government of South Africa will not come quickly enough or be far-ranging enough to meet the rising tide of expectations for major changes. I foresee increased protest and violence which will be met by an increasingly harsh crackdown by the government, army, and police."

Another classmate who views the African scene from a little closer up, and from a slightly different perspective, is DickWatson. After 20 years in the life insurance business, Dick decided to make a significant change in the direction of his career. He completed the normal course of study in a theological seminary and became an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church, which he is now serving in a volunteer mission post in Mutare, Zimbabwe. From his vantage point as executive secretary to the bishop of the diocese of Manicaland, Dick observes that the church is trying to "re-trench" itself in this poor, recently war-torn country. One of the obstacles to its doing so, he says, is a glaring shortage of priests-only 14 to handle some 50,000 people. He also notes that a diminishing white population forces African Zimbabweans more and more into leadership roles, for which they need training. Dick adds that if there is anybody "out there" who can volunteer a few short weeks or months to help train these people in administrative or management techniques suitable for an emerging nation, he'd be glad to put them to work. It is easy to tell that Dick is excited about his job, which is the first of its kind in his four-year-old diocese. Of his surroundings, Dick says that the topography, the climate, and the people are all beautiful, and that the culture is warm, friendly, and appealing. The simpler economy and life-style he likens to that of the forties in the U.S.

Speaking of Episcopal ministers, C. Read Heydt became rector of Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson, Ohio, in September 1984. He says he has truly enjoyed his experience there, in a town which "was modeled by its founders on the New England villages they left." Divorced in 1982, Read looks forward to the frequent visits from his sons, Charlie (eight) and Michael (five), whom he forthrightly describes as "bright, boisterous, and beautiful."

Elsewhere in Ohio, John A.C. Greppin is professor and director of the linguistics program at Cleveland State University. John earned his Ph.D. in Indo-European Studies at UCLA in 1972. He had two new books out in 1985. One was a Classical Greek-Classical Armenian dictionary of pharmaceutical terms, which he says is "perhaps sixth century." The other is a handbook of Armenian dialectology. John's daughter, Sally, a graduate of St. John's College in Annapolis, was married in March 1985; his son, Carl, is at Princeton.

Steve Levine, M.D., practices gastroenterology in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Philadelphia, Pa., and is a clinical professor of medicine at two respected medical colleges. His sons, Mike '87 and Zach '89, are enjoying the North Country, and daughter Liz (Smith '85) is about to embark on a course in architecture "down under" in Sydney, Australia.

Howie Greene, a consultant in education who is the author of Scaling the IvyWall: Admissions to the Selective Colleges, notes with what has got to be some professional pride that his son Matthew was accepted on early admission to the class of 1990. Howie is presently writing two books on college admissions and educational planning for Little, Brown, publishers. He mentions that his older son, Adam, spent time in Australia last summer with Fred Davidson, where Fred, judging from the pictures Howie saw, "appears to be thriving."

Jack Nason, who turned over the reigns of the 1959 class presidency to Dave Allen at our 25th reunion, continues to serve the College in his spare time as the admissions office enrollment director for Pennsylvania. He sees to it each year that some 450 applicants get interviewed and that the major schools are covered by alumni enrollment workers. Speaking of reunions, Jack mentions that the Nasons are now gearing up for wife Laura's pending 25th at Sweet Briar in June and complains that 25th-reunion contributions will drive him into bankruptcy.

Bob Gwynne is a student services counselor at Madison (Wis.) Area Technical College, where his activities center around helping adults to obtain high school equivalency and to develop new career plans. He is also involved in many other activities, including housing, testing, educational/career planning, high school relations, outreach, and placement, to name a few. Bob earned his M.A. in the field of guidance and counseling at the University of Colorado in 1965. His wife, Jessie, is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan and of Union (N.Y.) Theological Seminary. They have three children, Owen, 20, Neil, 18, and Gail, 16. Bob says he attended a Bach concert at Ripon College back in December and found himself seated in the same row as Bill and JeanWoolley, whose son was playing the violin. Bob says Bill has earned a fantastic reputation at Ripon, where he has taught history for some 16 years and has received at least four awards for outstanding teaching. Bob teaches a fourth-grade church school class, where one of his students is Gene and Barbara Wegner's daughter, Sunny. Gene is an M.D., practicing radiology in Madison.

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