1963

In the period that many of us were dealing with our own slings and arrows, Dave Downey fought an uphill battle against much greater pain and suffering. He responded brilliantly with a moral courage, inner strength, and dignity that is impossible for anyone else to know. Dave did it quiedy but with open affection for his class and College. He died in November at the Manchester, N.H., Veterans Center after a decadeslong war with acute progressive multiple sclerosis. Dave was a Tuck graduate, a marine commander in Vietnam, a businessman, a husband, and a father. But as his illness worsened, he became wheelchair-bound and blind. During much of that time he managed to make it to football games seated in his chair on the field. His appearance at the 30th Reunion was dramatic and warmly received. He never lost touch with the class, never complained, and never lost his sense of humor. "Every day I think of you fellows rising and shining to face the morning commute," he wrote. "Then I roll over, take another littde snooze, and wait for a beautiful nurse to come and rub my back."

Jorge Dandier served as advisor to the United Nations moderator in Guatemala prior to the peace accord in 1996 between the government and the guerrillas. He's posted in Costa Rica as a senior specialist on rural development and indigenous peoples for the International Labour Organization. Jorge and Carmen took time off recendy for a six-week trip to Hyderabad, India, where daughter Anelise '93 lives with her husband, Darshan Bhatia '92. Andres '97 is at Thayer School. Carmen is helping to organize a fight against child prostitution in Costa Rica. She and Jorge plan to be at our 35th Reunion in June.

Barry Sharpless continues to win prestigious awards for outstanding pharmaceutical research. The latest is the Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry from the American Chemical Society for his efforts to develop easier, less expensive methods to make drugs. At Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif., Barry synthesized the natural cancer drug taxol. "I do chemistry the way I used to fish," he said. "I cared less for the size or quantity of the catch than for its rarity."

LA confidential! Southern California Edison, the region's largest electric utility, faces deregulation. To stave off competition, Steve Frank, president and CEO of Edison International, the utility's parent company, seeks marketing alliance with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. But so far, DWP has been resisting. Do they fear Edison's size and clout? No one is saying for sure. Will Steve take no for an answer? Stay tuned.

I'll bet you thought all medical lab tests routinely get scrutinized by expert technicians and sent back to your doc. Not necessarily so, says John Goellner, longtime surgical pathologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. His department often is asked by hospitals and labs to render second opinions on difficult analyses including pap smears. In addition to cytology, John examines thyroid and skin specimens. He and Ann live in Rochester. Rick, Geoff, and Jennifer are out working, giving John more time for his hobby of stargazing. He's planning to be at the 35th in June. How about you?

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