1939

777 West Street Pittsfield, MA 01201

We regret to report the deaths of OllieBabcock in Florida on May 17 and ColbyHowe in California on October 5. (Obits in this or a succeeding issue.)

On the other side of the ledger the fall mini-reunion was a success, despite the gridiron loss to Princeton. We counted 62 on hand, including some we haven't seen much of lately. These included Don andGinger Wheaton, the Gordon Kings, BudBlunts, Harry Gates, Pep and TrapperGray, Bill Depuy with Jo Hamilton, Budand Marybelle Richardson, and Joe andMary Pyrtek.

Joe was the recipient of our Classmate of the Year Award and it took Lou Highmark a considerable length of time to lay out Pyrtek's accomplishments. We learned of a chair in surgery at the Hartford Hospital in his name that is being funded in the amount of one million dollars by donations of over 1,300 of his past patients. And Joe told us that he has written a personal thank-you note to all 1,300-plus of them.

The fall executive committee met at the Sheraton with Bates, R. Brooks, T. Brooks,Coulson, Cumming, Depuy, Emmons,Gates, Goding, Highmark, Howe, Jackson, Kaiser, MacMannis, McCarthy,Miller, Prescott, Pyrtek, Ruoff, Tarlow,Tomkins, Tower, Webster, Wheaton, and Wolfe in attendance.

Mert Tarlow was welcomed as the newest member of the committee. Treasurer Miller's statement showed that dues this year were eight percent greater than last year, and that we are on target for our 50th year gift to the College.

Major gifts chair Tomkins said that from an income tax standpoint it would be advisable to contribute to our 50th Reunion early-bird fund (now at approximately $100,000) in 1987 rather than 1988. Bill is setting up a 15-man committee to raise the reunion funds.

Bob Davidson, editor of our 50-year book, advised in absentia that only 20 percent of our classmates have responded to the questionnaire and even fewer sent in black-and-white photos. He requests that all comply at the first opportunity. Bob was traveling through the British Isles at the time of the meeting.

Widow's chair Betsy Wyman-Emmons was pleased to report that participation in the last fund campaign by widows was up from 25 percent to 34.

Andy Ruoff and Bill McCarthy, co-chairing the 50th Reunion, assigned the following slate of chairmen with the approval of the executive committee. Treasurer, Coulson; uniforms and identification, R. Brooks; tent activities and picnic, Prescott and Tower; liquid refreshments, McLaren; catering, Ruoff; banquet and cocktail party, Bates; publicity and toastmaster, Davidson; memorial service, Kaiser; slides, movies, class picture, Webster and Hird. In addition, there will be eight regional chairmen whose major responsibility will be to encourage attendance at reunion. To date Mert Tarlow in the Boston area and JohnDavenport in the Cleveland area have been assigned.

As we write this in October, it's hard for us to believe that it's time to close this piece with a Yuletide wish. Still, in the Berkshires we have already suffered through a 17-inch blizzard on October 3. It took a summer awning and a glass dining table on the terrace, and a profusion of tree limbs, and flattened the lilacs and other greenery. So have a Merry Christmas.