1952

From a farming livelihood to one of directing environmentally conscious backpacking tours may not sound like a giant-step change in career direction. Add some change in geography from farming in Vermont to backpacking in New Zealand's South Islands and you have the formula which Alan Riegleman has employed to avoid retirement. He treats small groups of traveling backpackers (probably including a few retirees who have the time) to a unique adventure in a pristine world. Since 1985, Alan has been spending our Northern Hemisphere winters in New Zealand conducting summer tours arranged by his company, New Zealand Travelers, Inc., which has roots in his return destination, Shelburne, Vt.- P.O. Box 605 for you interested tourists. In search of that important change in our 50s, Al traveled there, became immersed in its rugged yet gentle beauty, and returned frequently to enjoy the unique character of the country and its people. The backpacking tour venture evolved as a unique combination of business and pleasure.

Received a Christmas newsletter from Pete and Midge Zischke around Valentine's Day (so much for the news part). They must be accumulating frequent flyer miles' faster than the speed of light, having spent most of 1988 away from Orinda, Calif.— skiing in Snowmass, horse-packing in Wyoming, and hiking in Switzerland. Hanover in April 1989 was on the itinerary with hopes of visiting with Bill Breed, FrankLogan, and Tony Quimby. Among Pete's 1952 sightings in recent months in the San Francisco area were: Pete and BarbaraMcSpadden, Dick McDonough, JohnBartlett, and Jack Shuman. The latter two and Pete Zischke have been involved together in an investment club for over 30 years. John is the club's president this year. Edythe and I took in the Saturday seminar portion of the Dartmouth-UN weekend in early March. There was an excellent turnout which included Lloyd and RuthFisher and Steve and Ann Mandel. The Fishers' daughter, Patsy '18, who works in Mike Choukas's '51 Alumni Office, had a role in the weekend preparations. We managed to link up with Steve and Ann, the mayor of Darien, Conn., for lunch in the delegates dining room. We chose to attend the global environment portion of the seminar, a subject which would have drawn more yawns than questions just a few years ago. It was a rewarding and lively workshop during which much was said about the past and future efforts on regional, national, and international levels. It is a complex subject intertwined with economic and political considerations and much remains to be done.

Sorry to report that Joe Dobos passed away at his Hillsborough, Calif., home on February 28 after a short illness. Joe had practiced internal medicine for many years in the San Francisco area and served as an associate professor of medicine at the University of California School of Medicine. —Jay H. Anderson, 124 West 60th Street, Apt. SOA, New York, NY 10023