1978

Well, the plan to start off the new decade was to write a class column in Turkish, so I could get away with some good stories about my classmates. You would think that after a year and a half over here. I might have picked up enough to really have at it. However, language lessons have generally gone over my head—l am a real embarrassment to students of the world. But worse yet, I have really little info to go on this time. How 'bout some help out there!! You may still get some Turkish lessons from this end. Give me another year.

One thing is for sure: my new job is working out real well, though I will be moving out of Ankara during late winter/early spring. It will be a real shame to move away from the crowds, the noise, all the wild city driving, and the terrible winter smog, not to mention getting out of the main office (you know, out of sight, out of mind). Yes, unfortunately I have been assigned as project manager for a development program located in western Turkey on the Aegean coast in a small Turkish resort town. I was told to find "suitable" housing (along the water, if you were smart) and go set up a nice program. So, happy campers, if you are looking for beachside accommodations, think about this part of the world. My only fee is news, fit (or unfit) to print.

Heard from Scott and Mary KendallBrown via Christmas card route. Scott became president of a small protovoltaic equipment company in Denver, and after a five-month commuting relationship, Mary moved out from Ohio in October. You would think that a famous ex-ski racer like Mary would be happy as a clam to be out in the real mountains .. . but the Browns are expecting their first child in April. I suspect-, that they are still quite happy, though Mary did say that the temptation to be out skiing at 10,000 feet was driving her crazy, especially with all the good snow. I will not make any comment about good planning...

Next on the Christmas card route were Ed and Genet Ide Duke, still writing from Rapid City, S.D. They sent a real cute picture of their kids, Nick and Lucy, along with comments about being super busy. Nick looks exactly like his father, and Lucy much like Genet. You guys, please don't let them grow up to be geologists (there's a song about that, isn't there?). Genet mentioned that she had been teaching two courses at South Dakota School of Mines, and I assume Ed is still affiliated with the program there, as well.

Got a card from another famous ex-ski racer, Chris Simpson Brent, still living in the San Francisco area, and still working with IBM, I presume (maybe instrumental in Big Blue restructuring—somebody has got to help the stock price). The card included a picture of "groundbreaking ceremonies" at the new (sometime in the future) Brent residence. They have promised a guest room, but from the picture, it looks like there is still a ways to go. Good luck (and I will take you up on the offer, Chris)!

Upon returning to Turkey after a month vacation in the States, I was browsing through back issues of my professional journals and came across an article in Geology about the geology of the Gasherbrum Peaks (over 25,000 feet elevation) in the Himalaya of Pakistan co-authored by Peter Kelemen, Josh Lieberman, and Peter Zeitler (among others). I did note that Peter K is presently working out of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, Peter Z is at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania (last I heard of Peter Z was that he was still in Australia, so there must be some story here —stay tuned), and Josh is at the University of Bern, Switzerland. The rocks used in the study were collected during the 1984 American Gasherbrum IV expedition by Peter K and Josh.

That's the news (olds?) for now. Note the new mailing address, and remember JayBrown, class Alumni Fund coordinator, and the College. It is that time of the year.

Tunus Cad. 76/5, Ka-vaklide vaklidere, Ankara, Turkey