1970
It is the dead of winter as I write, but hopefully by the time you read these notes there will be signs that the end is near, with longer, fairer days at hand. Several of our classmates have been in the news over these past few months with achievements of real note. I think you will agree.
A recent article in the San FranciscoChronicle featured Thurman ("T.J.")Rodgers who is so busy as CEO of Cypress Semiconductor in San Jose that he barely found time for the interview. His three-year-old company is thriving during the current Silicon Valley shakeout on account of a diversity of product lines and an ability to pursue market niches. Cypress manufactures 71 chips, including static RAMs, PROMs, and PLDs, and assembles these with robots in San Jose, rather than with cheap labor in Malaysia or Singapore. Industry analysts are predicting a $l0 million profit for the company in 1987. Any of you computer jocks or stockbrokers who are salivating by now should write me directly for a copy of the entire article. T.J., you've come a long way from using your ingenuity to concoct unbelievable homebrew for those brave enough to have joined your parties in the Wigwams.
Incidentally, Cypress Semiconductor markets heavily to telecommunications companies, and so I wish to refer JohnMcKernan to T.J. For leads. It turns out that John is quoted in the December 30, 1986 issue of the Wall Street Journal as hoping to develop Maine into a telecom- munications empire during his tenure as governor. The rest of this particular article was generally quite personal in tone, to the extent that now nearly all America knows that John will have to enter his bedroom in the governor's mansion through the bathroom. This is indeed provocative news from such a heady source, but it may be of somewhat more interest to John's friends from the Dartmouth freshman basketball team to know that he has already made plans to set up a hoop on the driveway at the mansion.
John, we promise to leave you alone in this column from now on more or less so you can concentrate on responding to shoddy journalism elsewhere. Nevertheless, I would encourage our classmates who are now among your constituency to consider communicating with their class secretary. All modesty aside. Doesn't it seem more likely that the good governor will check out this column before reading each of the thousands of letters which must be addressed to him in Augusta?
Although it may not have been front page news, we join the happiness of Douglas and Roberta Simpson in welcoming their daughter Elizabeth Lynch Simpson, who was born on September 20, 1986. Doug is practicing law as a Senior Associate counsel with the Hartford Insurance Group, and the Simpsons reside conveniently in West Hartford, Conn. Special thanks to Roberta for writing with this news and thereby serving as an inspiration to other Dartmouth wives out there. Yes, it is perfectly acceptable for you to submit news to your class secretary on behalf of procrastinating or bashful husbands. After all, you're going to be outliving most of us anyway, so we might as well start getting acquainted.
The Alumni Office is quite concerned that a few members of our class are already missing, and therefore unable to enjoy news contained in these notes, fund raising appeals, etc. Lost members of the class are: David R. Barton, BarryW. Doyle, William D. Engle, M.D., Stephen C. Eurenius, Randall R. Faurot,George K.C. Hayes Jr., Michael D. Massengill, George J. Metaxas, Pierre d.Payne, Armand J. Rachele, Rajesh Singh,Frederick N. Thomas, Robert W. Watson, and Charles R. Wilson. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of any of these individuals is requested to notify either me or Kelly White, Department of Research and Records, Dartmouth College, Blunt Alumni Center, Hanover, NH 03755 (Phone: 603/646-2154).
Speaking of missing persons, your class secretary recently encountered former classmates at a reunion held by the school where I spent the four years before Dartmouth. Among those present was a certain Greg Banks who had sat behind me for four solid years (alphabetical seating, you know). It became evident years ago that this young lad was not too bright when he asked me where on earth Dartmouth College was located, upon learning that I'd be going there. It seems that Greg is now affiliated with the Mary Hitchcock Clinic and lives with his wife in Hanover, where they are good friends with Karen Endicott, the Alumni Magazine's new class notes editor. Therefore it seems fitting to welcome Karen unofficially to the class of 1970 extended family. It's obvious that our class now holds all the inside pull we'll ever need with the Alumni Magazine, so I hope to hear some ideas on how we can make the most of this connection. Just kidding, Karen, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your guidance in getting this column rolling, and sometimes even submitted on time. Good luck in your new job.
Several of you apparently felt I stopped a bit short in recounting the story of the naming of Modesto in my last column. It was specifically suggested that I should have gone on to explain how our beloved county came to be named after your fa- vorite Polish saint, when no Polish saints ever came within 10,000 miles of here. Well it seems that a certain California In- dian was named by the padres at a nearby mission in honor of St. Stanley on whose feast day he was born. Badly treated by the padres, Estanislao turned against them, but eventually fell in battle against the Mexicans along the banks of a river which thereafter took his name. By the time the Americans came along and decided it was time to do things their way, the entire region honored this warrior, so with one final linguistic/cultural alteration, a county was formed with the name of Stanislaus.
Really; folks, aren't you getting fed up with this drivel on Modesto? Why not put an end to it all by taking pen in hand and writing your class secretary news of your life? If I'm not mistaken this month's column sets a new record for not so subliminal suggestions that you do just that. So please face up to this responsibility, and then be assured that I hope each of you is well and enjoying your other activities. Cheers!
Box 3934 Modesto, CA 95352-3934
