1966

One humanitarian note this month, and a couple of philosophical thoughts. Dr. Larry Hopperstead has recently been named director of trauma services at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Larry has been practicing emergency medicine and general surgery in Maine for the past 16 years. He graduated from Dartmouth Medical School and, after graduate work at the University of Chicago, returned to Hanover for his surgical residency. Wife Patricia is director of counseling services at Colby College in Waterville, Anders attends Drew University in New Jersey, and Kari is a student at Carleton College in Minnesota.

Ben Day was good enough to pass along a nice letter over e-mail. First he described his job: technical project manager at AT&T Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, currently responsible for new product development and global rollout of the Partner Communication System (a product for small businesses). His community involvement has included nine years on the school board, some as president.

Then he turned to his family: Sharon, falltime mom and sometime French and music teacher; Lauren, a high-school senior heading to Dartmouth next fall; Alexandra, highs-chool sophomore, excellent student, and great swimmer; and third-grade sports nut Jed.

Finally, Ben mused about, well, about things: "I often wonder whether another vocation would have provided a more effective channel for whatever it is I'm really on the planet to accomplish." Ben, you aren't alone.

And then there are the following deep thoughts from Bruce Thorsen, director of corporate finance for the U.S. Diversified Group of the Bank of Montreal/Harris Bank in Manhattan: "Reflecting on the meaning of life at age 50. Where are we? From Class Notes [we learn that] we have jobs (at varying degrees of "success"), and we have children (at varying ages of development). Should Class Notes be that routine and mundane? Aren't we more than a chronology of jobs and children? Have you started reading the last and final section of Class Notes (currently following the '94s), the obituaries? Route 66 leads there, too. Reflecting on the meaning of life at age 50-ish, let's encourage all to write and share their viewpoints of life and death, of experience and wisdom."

OK. You heard the man. Bare your soul, let it all out. And, yes, we still accept job and family info, too!

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