1977

January 1998 was time for my biennial trek to San Diego for a seminar and an opportunity to catch up with Steve Solomon, his wife, Esther, and now young Lewis, age seven months. Steve and Esther are amazed how their condo has seemed to shrink over the last few months. In addition to the usual wining, dining, and breeze shooting, I was treated to a morning hike overlooking the Pacific coast in the Torrey Pines State Preserve, north of Lajolla.

Frank Long and his wife, Debbie, are celebrating the arrival of their fourth child and first son in October. The Long family Christmas card describes this event and other noteworthy family achievements entirely in verse.

Scott Cameron also weighed in on our apparent topic this month, having young'uns. "My wife, Holly Horning (Smith '83), and I are experiencing the joys of parenthood, at the hands of 10-month old Carson Stirling Cameron (His Yalie uncle calls him 'Bluto,' but what can you expect from a Yalie?) He's awfully cute, which is a good thing since he's also awfully messy. When not changing diapers (an activity which has generated new-found admiration for my own parents), I am representing Governor Pete Wilson's interests in Washington, D.C., on environment, energy, and natural resource issues. My job is to protect California from congressional creativity, to try to get federal environmental agencies to be cooperative but not overbearing, and to send lots of federal dollars westward. I also serve as the job development officer for the Dartmouth Club of Washington. My wife, Holly, who, by virtue of the role of mother, I am reliably informed has the most important and demanding job on the planet, somehow still finds time to pursue her career as an image consultant, including getting herself quoted regularly in the local Washington press. She also manages to keep the household on an even keel, despite the best efforts of our 23-pound smiling, toddling tornado. Everyone says our little fella is an absolute angel by baby standards, which makes me wonder how parents cope with one or more 'normal' children or how single parents cope at all. Our two Siamese cats KJ and Boomer seem to have adjusted well to having a new primate in the house, except they've both put on weight. Then again, so have I."

Jennifer Clarke reports, "In early December a group of '77s and '76s attended the inauguration of our intrepid LSA professor (Bourges, winter 1975) Nancy Vickers as president of Bryn Mawr College. Dartmouth trekkers included SusanDentzer, Susan VanWie Kastan, John 'Goose' Gleason '76, Beth Upton '76, my husband, Al Barstow '75, and me. The afternoon went from high pomp (lots of cool gowns and hats on the representatives from scores of colleges and universities), to the bawdy (ask one of us about Goose's dinner toast), to the maudlin (lots of handkerchiefs out as Nancy marched by and even more drinking late night cognac). It's rare to celebrate the triumph of a friend and mentor with such pure pride and joy. We just wished that the whole Bourges gang could have been there!"

Alan K. MacDonald, 14102 Beckley Trace, Louisville, KY 40245;