1933

Our telephonic Trip Around The Class brought contact recently with a pistol named Jack Brooke, whom we reached at his home in Swannanoa, N.C. Fascinated by his statement in our 25th Class Report that his life had changed shortly before with a "shocking realization and understanding of Bible truth and the gospel of salvation through the shed blood of Christ on Calvary's Cross" and an accompanying determination to bring this message to thousands, I asked him if he still felt the same. With volubility and a voice of youthful vigor interspersed with explosive laughter, he responded with an enthusiastic affirmative.

Having left Hanover after the end of sophomore year because of family financial problems, he had gone into selling and had risen to TV sales manager for American Broadcasting. Chancing into lunch meetings of the Christian Broadcasters Club, he began to study the Bible with them, became intrigued, and "took Jesus Christ as his personal savior and lord."

Then began his mission of evangelization. He retired in 1973 at 63 and moved from the metropolitan hurly-burly to the beautiful Carolina mountain area near Tryon. There he renovated and sold old houses, lured active businesses, but maintained his religious mission with active family participation from his first wife, Annette, deceased in 1992, his two children, two grandchildren, and seven greatgrandchildren. Supported by a second bride, Inez, he teaches a Bible class in the local Baptist church and rates his conversion as "the best thing that ever happened to him." His influence is international, since two of his great-grandchildren are in Thailand, helping translate the Bible into Thai. He actively supports the College, heading local alumni programs, but has reservations about current administration policies.

A move further south permitted us to talk with Russ Ackerman and his wife, Helen, in Daytona Beach.

After graduation Russ returned to his Connecticut's beautiful Litchfield County. There he worked for a local utility and then in the grain, feed, and hardware business, where he was master of all he surveyed. In the town Helen filled every public position in the calendar (don't ask which party!). Finally, the New England winters got too tough to handle, so they moved south and have lived happily ever after.

3043 West Lane Keys, NW, Washington, D.C. 20007-3057