1955

Dick Brief sends the following item combining both good advice and news of his own good fortune in following it: "If you smoked cigarettes in college and after like I did (I quit 15-20 years ago), you might want to consider having a CT scan or X-ray. These diagnostic tests are not generally performed unless there is a reason. But when symptoms from cancer come, it is often very late in the game. I was lucky to have surgery and my prognosis is reasonably good." On a brighter note, Dick adds that his wife, Jean Margo Reid, has just become general counsel of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Inc.

The Wilton Bulletin of Ridgefield, Conn., recently carried a nice profile of Dick Blodgett as one of the "school builders who will be playing a crucial role in shaping Wilton school expansion. Dick who has served as the board of selectmen's representative on the Wilton Library board of trustees for the past three years, is the financial manager of the group, and his comments to the Bulletin well mirror the delicate balancing act faced by similarly situated school building committees: "There is a trade-off here," the paper quotes Dick between the wishes of the education establishment and the financial cost to be borne by the taxpayers, including those that are not in a good situation these days I think that's the crux of it."

Congratulations to Dr. Jerry Bernstein, who has been elected vice president of the American Diabetes Association, putting him on track to the presidency in 1998-1999. Jerry writes, "for those who may not be aware" (count this writer among them), diabetes is now our most expensive disease other than mental health, more than cancer and heart disease. We spend upwards of $130 billion (15 percent of national health expenditure) in direct and indirect costs." Given changes in healthcare delivery and the rapid growth of managed care, Jerry's new position clearly puts him in the forefront of a major medical challenge. We wish him well!

Jack Cornraan writes that he stepped down as executive director of the American Anthropological Association last November and that he, Rip Coffin '54, and a third colleague have formed Consultants on Purpose, L.L.C., to work with nonprofit organizations to adapt to change. Having run various non-profits for the past 20 years, Jack finds consulting "a most wellcome change," giving him time to take on a number of new projects, including a coauthored book on the aging of the babyboom cohorts. He also reports that his wife, Donna, has become Arlington County's expert on Medicine, Medicaid, HMOs for older people, and assorted other aging-related programs.

Eliot Hersey sends news of Glen Walthen from the Lewiston, Maine, SunJournal. The scion of a family that for generations has grown potatoes on one of the largest farms in the state, Glen has had to weather the consequences of increasing competition that has seen Maine the venerable potato state slip from first to eighth place in potato production in the United States. Happily, there is still a thriving potato processing business, Nightingale Enterprises, and we hope the latest downward cycle for potato farmers in Maine will soon have an upward turn.

Finally, it is my sad duty to report the recent death, after a long illness, of Dr. Sven Juri Kister. An obituary will appear in a later issue of this magazine.

Leon Martel, 600 West 111th St., New York, NY 10025; fax (212) 980-7014;