1956

It was wonderful to see Cy Field at Reunion, and he was kind enough to send along a thank you note which read in part: "I am embarrassed to admit that this was my very first class reunion since leaving the College in June of 1956, although I have been back at least three times for short periods on matters relating to the earth sciences department. Duties accompanying my academic position here at Oregon State simply precluded my attendance at the normal reunion times. I assure you that this will not happen again, because although I will continue to assist the OSU department of geosciences as best I can in the years to come, my emeritus status and lack of salary (by choice) give me enviable flexibility in devising schedules that are of my choosing. I hope I will also be able to participate in some annual class of 1956 events that are unrelated to reunions. In brief, I would like to become a more active and contributing member of our class, in spite of my location."

Some of you guys on the West Coast give Cy a call and get him involved in the doings out there. The ironic and poignant part of this story is that my predecessor m this space and Cy's good friend the late Norm Olsen, had pleaded with Cy to come to the last two reunions; they had planned to at last get together in June in Hanover, but Norm was stricken with cancer and couldn't make the trip.

The National Association of Health Underwriters has named Chuck Soule, CEO of Paul Revere Insurance Cos. of Worcester, Mass., as the health industry s Person of the Year. It is their highest accolade. The citation read: "Mr. Soule's contributions to...industry organizations arc exceptional. His vital work with legislators and regulatory agencies has been significant to the survival of a business that has endured very difficult times."

Southern Illinois University reports that Lionel Bender recently retired as a professor of foreign languages. He joined the faculty in 1971 as an assistant professor of anthropology. Some 30 years ago he learned Swahili while teaching math East Africa. From there he became a renowned linguistics expert and authored many books and articles on African languages.

Best wishes for the coming holiday season to all stalwart members of the class. It was indeed heartwarming to see so many of you during the past year, and I hope to see and hear from even more of you during 1997.

P.O. Box 1031, Burlington, NC 27216; (910) 226-7216

Don Bavles enjoys serving as flight surgeon in a reserve Air Force unit that flies into tlie middle of hurricanes. KEN REICH '60