1956

As reported earlier, I spent time in Tucson during the early spring, staying with old friends of B.E. Bergesen, a high school buddy of my host, John McElroy, who always wanted to go to Dartmouth, but whose family talked him into Princeton. John and I ventured up to Phoenix for lunch with Bill Behrens, after which we happened in on a St. Patrick's Day celebration at an appropriately Irish attitude adjustment establishment called Houlihan's. A great time was had by all.

Late spring was exciting for all the Olsens. Second son, Chris '86, was married in May to Maria Leonard in D.C. First son, Jeff'B4, and his wife, Hilary, presented us with our first grandchild, a boy, on the last day of May. And, a little over a week later came the graduation of our daughter, Kate '90. A big year for all concerned. After this final graduation, Anne and I look forward to an improving cash-flow situation.

Received word recently that Ronald C.MacKenzie was granted the National Kidney Foundation's Gift of Life Award for volunteer work in the fight against kidney disease. Ron was instrumental in filing and passing legislation in the Massachusetts state senate enabling organ donor decals to be affixed to state drivers' licenses. Under his leadership as board chairman, the foundation almost tripled its gross income.

Em Houck sent a very interesting article from the Indianapolis Star on John Van deKamp's race for the California governorship, most appropriately entitled "Big Green barges onto ballot." In this case, "Big Green" refers not to a small college on the Hanover Plain but to a sweeping environmental protection initiative drafted by John's staff and one of the central themes in his campaign.

Along with the article came a photo of Em and Roger Hurwitz, both of whom played on the Indianapolis Racquet Club's team which won the state and Midwest tennis championships and went on to the National Championships of the Volvo Men's 4.5 Senior Leagues last November in Las Vegas.

Art Zich reports that all's well in Half Moon Bay, Calif., despite the October quake which left behind "a buckled hottub floor, some disarranged pictures, and a very frightened golden retriever named 'Jyaudz' (Chinese for 'potsticker')." Art was off in the wilds of Botswana for the National Geographic when the quake hit. Finally got an all's well from wife, Janet, via computer E-mail. Janet is associate news director for Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Their daughter, married to a Harvard Ph.D. in herpetology, is working on her Ph.D. in biology at Cornell.

"All in all," Art says, "a good life ... If we were pray-ers, we'd pray for rain ... and for John VDK to be elected governor. It's not just that he's been a damn good AG. It's that the alternatives are disastrous!" Unfortunately, subsequent developments will keep John off this fall's ballot. Maybe next time.

Till next time.

Tradd Street, Charleston, SC 29401