1957

Peter Nessen has the distinction of being the only registered Democrat in the new Massachusetts administration headed by Republican Governor William Weld. Pete was an assistant secretary under Governor Dukakis but, according to a Boston newspaper, was eased out against his will for producing a report that characterized the state's complex human services function as a black hole sucking up state dollars." Nevertheless, "he earned the respect of human services advocates for his iconoclastic style and sincere interest in providing assistance. The head of a local human services advocacy group called Pete "charismatic and a breath of fresh air [willing] to go out and rethink... what the program is all about." When not in government, Pete is a management consultant, described in a newspaper profile as "slight and balding, a natty dresser who wears a signature sprig of evergreen in his lapel." The day Bob Macdonald phoned from Boston with the news about Pete, one leg kept reminding him where he took a puck trying to stop a goal, and the back of his neck and shoulder felt sore where some guy slammed him into a post. Bob plays September-April in an older fellers' hockey league which requires two referees per game to keep the peace.

Clyde Brownstone wrote that in December Howard and Carol Abrams purchased De Jong's, a department store in Evansville, Ind. After graduating from Dartmouth, Howie progressed through the merchandising side of Bloomingdale's. In 1983, he was made president and CEO of De Jong's by Hartmarx Corporation, which had purchased the three store chain some years earlier. In a change of strategy several years ago, Hartmarx decided to concentrate on men's apparel and to sell or liquidate its women's clothing chains. As president, Howie was offered the opportunity to buy De Jong's. Articles and editorials in local papers show that the stores return to local ownership was cheery news for Evansville. The continuity of Howie's management is protecting 250-300 jobs and contributing to the economic stability of the downtown area, both of which were evidently threatened. To mark the change of ownership, De Jongs inaugurated a "Lend a Hand" program in which a percentage of each pre-Christmas purchase was donated to any charity designated by the customer. Keep in touch.

Adam Block, 90 Tanglewylde Avenue, Bronxville, NY 10708

Bill Hibbs liberated a bulldozer and drove it like a tank through a blockade of campus policemen. -Mort Kondracke '60