1976

How have the New Year's resolutions panned out? I have had the same resolution for the past three years, and by the time this column goes to print I hope I will finally have our basement finished. This old "Victorian farmhouse seems to have continual projects, but the basement has become a personal challenge!

I only have three columns left after this one (but who's counting?). Start thinking about whether you'd like to be the next scribe—just think, five free weekends in Hanover over the next five years!

I got two news items this month, and they were both very gratifying, as they came from "no-news" victims! Chris Bjelland wrote from Stavanger, Norway, where he is living with his wife, Terry, and his children. Chris was recently appointed to the board of directors of Den Norske Bank, Norway's largest financial institution. Norwegian banks are facing hard times similar to those in the U.S. Chris relayed the good news that he plans to attend our reunion in June. So...if Chris can come from Norway, that pretty well eliminates acceptable excuses for the rest of you!

I also heard from Jerry Daly, who has spent the past 12 years (since graduating from Tuck) in the golfing-footwear industry. He left Foot-Joy six years ago and is now vice-president of sales and marketing for Etonic Inc. in Brockton, Mass. He and his wife, Anne, have five (!) children, and he also plans to be in Hanover this June. Thanks for writing, Jerry.

I may not have news, but I do have questions: Is Randy Alford still in Evergreen, Colo., with his wife, Debi? What about David Allman? Is he in Georgia, working for Albritton Development? How do Paul Ames and his wife, Cathy, live in Lebanon, N.H., while working for Houghton Mifflin, and how can I do the same?

Is Ralph Andersen still in Barrow, Alaska? Is Chagrin Falls, Ohio, still the home of Byron "Whale" Anderson and his wife, Ann? Does Bovenzi Inc. still employ Peter Anderson in Leominster, Mass.? Can Jamie Angell see Mt. Rainier from his window? Does Fred Arand still grace the halls of Ernst and Young in Chicago? Does Barry Arnold ever "leave his (Singapore) home without it"? Or has he left American Express Travel Related Services?

Will Steve Askey and his wife, Carol, come to the reunion from Louisiana? Can Esso/BKK (Texan) do without Preston Baker and his wife, Nancy, for the weekend in June? Is New Jersey still the primary stomping ground for Rich Auletta, Norberto Aviles, David Balderston, and David Bandfield? Sorry folks, no excuses for you four missing the reunion!

Are Ben and Wendy Ayres still in N.Y.C.? Is Ben still at Riverdale Country School? Is Kirk Barker wide awake at Standard Coffee Service Cos. in Florida? Does anyone see Douglas Barr, who may still be in California, working for Software Publishing?

All of the above qualify as "no-news-is-no- news" classmates, so let's hear from you and the rest of you out there in the wide, wide world. Remember to make reservations for the June 19-21 reunion today! And good luck with your indoor projects on these short winter days.

"I always chuckle over the commotion city people make in their determination that their farmhouse shall be 'liveable.' They have no idea how liveable a farm house can be if you let it alone."—E.B. White, September 1942.

33 School Street, Needham, MA 02192