1937
One member of our class has no thoughts of retiring. On January 24 Mayor Edward I. Koch appointed Dave Todd to the chairman's post of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The New York Times story, sent to me by fellow-architect Bob McCoy, reports that Dave, who has been sitting on one side of the table for four years, has taken the long journey across a short space to head the commission.
His appointment to this full-time position was nailed by many as an excellent appointment. Mr. Barwick, a former chairman of the commission, said, "David is a wise man. He was never a flashy architect—he was a sound one. He's very deliberate." In an interview Dave said, "The thing I admire most about the landmarks law is that it not only makes room for but deliberately invites different points of view. On the regulatory side, I'm looser reined. We sometimes have a tendency to view every landmark as an equally sacred object." The Times reports that his best known project was the Manhattan Plaza housing complex, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues, and the Lehman College performing Arts Center.
The Todds live in a townhouse on New York's Upper East Side, where he indulges a fondness for gardening. Dave said, "I love tinkering. I love puttering. One thing that concerns me now is who is going to keep up the house?"
We were saddened to learn of the death of Millie, wife of Fred Bunce, after a long illness. She was with us at the 50th Reunion and many others. We will miss her and extend our sympathy to Fred.
A1 and Sherry Bryant's Christmas letter described their 50th wedding anniversary and dinner party at the Pinehurst Country Club, with relatives coming from all over the States. Among those present were Alan's brother, Len and Ada Bryant, and daughter Jane Quinn, financial writer for Newsweek and author of Everybody's Money Book. A1 writes: "My mind was set on walking before 1989 arrived, but my left heel won't go down nor my left knee bend at the same time and by now I want to do it right, so we'll try to be patient a while longer. My left hand is still curled and painful, but we're working on that too. Had we only known that the other licensed physical therapists were exercising all the wrong muscles and that a great stroke specialist was nearby, we wouldn't have to be undoing over two years' outdated and wrong treatment. But we're now on the right track, seeing progress, and looking forward to a victorious day in the future."
Anyone who feels sorry for himself, think of Alan and his courageous fight to regain his health.
A brief visit to Hanover for lunch with Jud Smith, Lem Bowen, and Bob McCoy revealed their pleasure at the fine record of the basketball team and the improving hockey team. Lem was en route to New York for an Alumni Council executive committee meeting.
Next event is the Class Officers Weekend on April 28-29. All '37 class members in the area and class officers and wives will gather Saturday evening for dinner at Carl and Carolyn's home at Eastman.
1415 Parkside Drive North, Wyomissing, PA 19610
