1952

For those of us who can not put down tales like Robert Trover's Anatomy ofa Murder and John r Grisham's The Pelican Brief, the life of John C.McDonald as Essex County (N.Y.) district attorney is compelling. John was born in Port Henry near Ticonderoga in Revolutionary War country and, except for Dartmouth, his Korean War Marine Corps service, and Albany Law School, Essex County has been his home.

John was appointed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1972 and ran successfully many times thereafter. Finally all of the cases, and a particularly growing number of child cases, had a cumulative effect on him. "It was time to move on," he says. His new practice does not involve criminal law.

Now John can spend more time at home with his wife of 30 years, Anne. He sees more of his children Mary Pat, Johnny, and Bridget 89, from whom he is looking for grandchildren. "I'd setle for a grand-dog at this point," says Anne.

He also keeps up with classmates. He attended Jack McNary's marriage to Betty Lyons last spring in Brunswick, Maine, with JayAnderson and Charlie Curtis.

Harvey Kelly called and mentioned by the way that he won the Cryptic Mason of the Year Award from the General Grand Counsel International. "If this were a beauty contest and not a fraternal-charitable thing, I guess I'd be somewhat more than Miss New York, but not exactly Miss Universe." Crazy thought. The Cryptic Masons are a branch of the York Rite and fund research for Parkinson s disease and do other good work.

Harvey does a lot of good things, like St. George's Society of New York, a British charity helping people of Commonwealth descent. He is a C.L.U. with Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, of three decades' standing. He participates with Jim Fowler in a 107 year old amateur comedy club and he plays pool and body surfs.

After a year at Tuck he was summoned by the draft board and taken into the U.S. Army with Jim Branch. He is a lifelong resident of New York City and is married to Gail, the real Miss Universe.

John McCrillis reports that Jim Branch was elected on October 1 to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame. The citation reads in part, "He developed [Sno-engineering] into the preeminent mountain planning firm in the world. Jim was a strong advocate of environmental protection but took umbrage with those who obstructed development for no discernible good reason. Every ski operator knew Jim Branch."

10 Grove Street, Pittsford, NY 14534; (716) 385-1010; fax, (716) 385-8958

John obtained the conviction of a serial killer who roamed the Adirondacks bringing fear and death to many. Henry Williams Jr. '52