1944

No way—and no reason to—keep our '44 stellar athletes out of the limelight. You saw in Al Hormel's newsletter that Jack Riley received yet another accolade when a special scholarship was set up in his name at the West Point prep school at Fort Monmouth, N.J. The Jack Riley Scholarship is intended to help a deserving candidate prepare academically for the academy. Jack coached at army for 36 years.

Then, from ice to hardwood, Joe Vancisin received a Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance Gold Key Award for 1997. Joe coached basketball at Yale for 19 years, from 1956 to 1975, and won two Ivy League titles during that tenure. He also coached the 1976 Olympic basketball team and served as executive director of the National Association of Basketball coaches for 17 years. Word is that he was in Atlanta this past winter being checked out for possible hip replacement surgery.

Also taking applause was John Berry in Dayton, Ohio, where he and his family received the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Miami chapter of the National Society for Fund-Raising Executives.

From Castine, Maine, Art Kiendl writes that his second wife died last year and he says it's no damn fun picking up the pieces after the deaths of two spouses. But he's back working as a volunteer senior adviser to students at the local maritime college, playing golf again, and getting in some travel.

Ah, and the snow-bunnies and their honeys partook in a ski-and-lunch-in at Okemo mountain in Vermont in January. Eighteen of the troops and 13 wives donned scarves and mitts for the affair: Joan and Eric Barradale, Peg and BerlBehrle, Helena and Russ Burdge, BillCraig, Sonja and Bruce Dean, WemoEpply, Mel Friberg, Libby and ClintGardner, Fritz Hier, Carolyn andCharlie Jack, Blanche and SwampyMarsh, Ann and Bob McLaughry,Maryann and Don Pfeifle, Ann andArnie Sanders, Ellie and JackStephenson, Suds Suddarth, Mary andJack Tope, and Joanie and DickWhiting. A half-dozen skiers, two-dozen socializers.

The Jack Snobble '44 Sweater Award went to Charlie Jack for "a lifetime of active devotion to the sport of skiing." The sweater actually belongs to Ric Bradley, but that's another story.

Class prexy Dick Whiting notes that like it or not we're all groping toward the next century and he and others suggest that maybe we ought to have fax machine and e-mail addresses. Good thinking. JimElliott has kindly agreed to assemble same and put out a list. Those interested should write Jim at 94 Apple Hill Road, Sunapee, NH 03782-2930, or call him at (603) 763-9323, or fax him at (603) 526-6651.

Next time you want to show your sweetie that your Irish eyes are still smiling, just call her "movourneed," which is Irish for "my darling."

That's it. Blessings.

P.O. Box 24, Lovejoy Hill, Cornish Flat, NH 03746