1955

Having recently learned that Blake Irons had joined the ranks of the retired, I called him to find out how he was getting along. Blake did take early retirement in June from Aetna Insurance Company in Hartford, where he worked for 28 years and had responsibility for their mortgage loan activity. He reports that so far he is really enjoying retirement, and is keeping quite busy golfing and working around the house in Simsbury. Blake and Sherry have three daughters, Jennifer, Catherine, and Adrienne. Two of the girls are married, one living in Chapel Hill, N.C., and the other in Hartford. The third, Adrienne, works for Aetna in Charlotte, N.C. The Ironses enjoy spending several weeks at Edistow Beach, S.C., each year, with visits with their family on the way. Blake sees Don Mix regularly and encouraged me to call him for an update.

I did contact Don and learned that he had suffered a mild heart attack in July, from which he has recovered very well. According to Don, he is now much more of a type "B" and has adopted a more relaxed lifestyle. He is a vice president of the Connecticut Bank and Trust Company in Hartford, which has recently been taken over by Fleet Bank. Don's responsibilities are in estate and trust planning, investments, and administration. Don and Peggy, who works in the West Hartford town clerk's office, have three children: Clifton, who was married in September and works in health care administration near Hartford; Douglas, who has a store in Boston called Images and Frames; and Sarah, who works in a daycare center in Massachusetts.

Due to the scarcity of voluntary input for this column, I have been selecting names at random from the class for involuntary interviews. This month, the victim was John Cant (formerly John Orth). John has spent his entire life in the Buffalo, N.Y., area, where he has been president of Lancaster Knives Inc. since 1963. Like many small businesses in the Northeast, John's company is suffering from the recession and aggressive foreign competition. John and Connie have two children: a daughter, Debbie, who is married, lives in Winchester, Mass., and is expecting the first Cant grandchild early in 1992; and Scott, who, after trying his hand as a ski instructor, now works with John as vice president of operations. John is still the ardent sportsman we knew in Hanover. He enjoys duck hunting and is an active supporter of Ducks Unlimited. And he tries to get in one or two serious fishing trips a year, either to Michigan or Quebec for Atlantic salmon, or, failing that, giant square tails. Connie is an active volunteer with several local organizations and they both keep active with tennis, golf, and a daily three-mile constitutional. John sees HerbDarling frequently.

Jim Knox has become president and chief executive officer of USMX Inc., a Denver mining concern. Jim has been an officer and director of Knox, Kaufman, Inc., a geological consulting and exploration management company, and has worked as a geologist for several other energy companies. Jon Kropper has resigned as president and chief executive officer of Hadco, a manufacturer of printed circuits, to spend more time with his family.

110 Valeview Road, Wilton, CT 06897