2935

This is the first column by the new class secretary, and I begin with the sad news of the death of my predecessor, Dave Buxbaum. Dave died in Yarmouth, Maine, on May 26.

Early in May Dave's son, Don, notified George Colton that his father was not well and would have to give up his duties as secretary. Now for how I got this job. George Colton is a neighbor of mine. When George learned that Dave was incapacitated, he and Ruth were about to depart on a Norwegian cruise, hence George turned to me, a few doors distant, saying, in substance, that as nominating committee chairman their journey to the fjords was at risk unless he could find someone to assume the duties of scribe. The Coltons' trip, by the way, was a huge success, a likely topic for the mini-reunion Bill Fitzhugh is promoting for the first weekend in October. My Dcredentials for this assignment are marginal, at best, two or three reunions, Alumni Fund, class dues, returning tuition loans, occasional football game, that's about it. All of my close friends from the Great Class are gone, and except for George and a handful of other guys, my knowledge of those left, is non-existent.

So with that introduction, here are a couple of class items: Another honor has come to polar scientist Line Washburn, the Vega Medal awarded by the King of Sweden on behalf of the Swedish Society for Anthropology and Geography. Line continues to be engaged in active research on Cornwallis Island, latitude 75 degrees north, in the Canadian High Arctic.

By the time this reaches print, Bill and Myra Mathers will have held their annual picnic for "Local Class '35" at their home in Sutton, Vt. The date was July 11. A year ago Bill was limping around, since he's had two knee replacements.

People who run this magazine say 250 words max (my counter is over 300), regardless, I need column material, snail or e-mail, addresses below.

7 River Mead Road, Peterborough, NH 03458;

Polar scientist Line Washburn was honored by the King of Sweden with the Vega Medal. PAUL CUMMINGS '35