1956

As summer draws to a close, it still feels good to think back on our escape from the South's seasonal miseries to Nantucket, where "hot" generally means something in the high 70s. In addition to a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display, the town celebrates the day with a water fight staged between two pieces of old firefighting equipment a hand pumper against an antiquated gas-powered engine, the latter driven annually into the fray y Flint Ranney. Don't know who won this year, but Ranney and his crew were clearly having a great time.

Somewhat earlier came an announcement that Brad Leonard had become Rhode Island's state budget officer. A native of Providence, Brad received his master's degree in public affairs from Syracuse and has worked in the state budget offices of Colorado and Illinois. Most recently, Brad served as deputy director in the U.S. Department of Interior, where he has worked with the Office of Management and Budget.

On a sadder note, word has been received that Tom Conlon died in May after a long battle with cancer. A philosophy major, Tom played on the varsity lacrosse team and was a member of Psi Upsilon and Dragon. He will be missed by all who knew him.

According to recently received information, Cy Field is still suffering (more accurately, suffering even more) from the rigors of the administrative responsibilities he has taken on at Oregon State. This guy badly needs a break. All friends and Phi Delts (the two being by no means mutually exclusive) are hereby urged to put appropriate pressure on Cy and Becky to get to our next (and his first) reunion. You need it, brother, and we all look forward to seeing you again. It's never too early to start making your plans.

As the Class of '56 continues inexorably to turn 56, we note that Rog Hurwitz, who still wields a mean tennis racquet, turned the mark on the first of the month, followed by that famed collector of antiquities, George Yeager, on the fifth. John Wetzel celebrated on the eighth and Darrel Clowes made it on the tenth. If only he'd take off the beard, Clowes might still look no more than 40. Murray Kaplan sailed in on the 28th, the same day that brother Harry Nutting arrived. Rigidly prescribed word limits unfortunately prevent me from getting the rest of you.

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