1958

It rained. However, the spirits of 194 '58s and another 200 spouses, family, and friends who gathered for our 40th Reunion were undaunted by the rain. The reunion committee under the superb direction of John Armstrong organized three days of seminars, picnics, receptions, and dinners that kept us on the run through the raindrops. The only loser was the golf event organized by Jake Jacobus. The Hanover course was best suited for windsurfing.

Skip Louis called his final class meeting to order (no easy task). The main order of business was the election of class officers. Dave Bradley presented the slated prepared by the nominating committee headed by Ron Snow. Nominated and elected were: president, Bob Eleveld; treasurer, Roger Bruttomesso; and secretary, Ralph Manuel. They will be supported by a 53 member executive committee. Dave Brock presented a draft of a new constitution for the class. It will continue the class tradition of making all classmates present at any class meeting eligible to vote.

The 'SB Reunion gift to the College was announced by Walt Vail. It represented a new record for a 40th Reunion class: $1,701,958. Class participation will be over 60 percent. Walt and Skip had the privilege of presenting the check to President Freedman at the final banquet, at which Carl McCall shared his insights on the current political map of the United States.

Will Durousseau kept alive his attendance record and started one for Laurie. Ray Robbins loves Switzerland, but he and Lenita have a place in Hanover for the day when retirement arrives. Sig Hudson brought Aegis yearbooks for 1914 and 1915. He offered to contribute the proceeds of their sale to our Reunion gift. Jill will be tending to Clay Freeman's six stitches taken in his shin, thanks to a spill at Susan and Pete Williamson's lovely Lyme house during the class picnic. Dave Pratt and Cheryl are building a new home in Boulder, Colo., to join their three children there. Pete Flowers and Anne continue to live in Lebanon, Pa., where he is a family practitioner.

Jim Crawford opened the memorial service in which the widows of John Graf, Joe Carter, and Bill Prescott (Ann, Dorothy, and Sally) participated. There was hardly a dry eye in Rollins Chapel as we remembered with thanks our 63 departed classmates. Rabbi Tom Liebschutz closed the service, chanting a psalm and offering a memorial prayer. Bevan French offered insights about his NASA geological work in outer space exploration. Steve Dawkins, Hal Bernson, Randy Austin, and Dick Jacob, under the gende prodding of Bill Hartley, shared their thoughts on "Keeping the Peace in the Twenty-first Century." Pete Herman led Walt Vail, Frank Gado, Joel Portugal, and Dave Bradley in a lively discussion of continuing ties to Dartmouth. Jim Spence gave us an insider's view of television network sports, while John Goldman spoke on the timely subject of what gets covered by journalists these days. Leon Sinclair sent shivers up our spines with an account of conquering the unclimbed south face of Mount McKinley. A packed house listened intently to the reflections of Bob Friend, Nick Stevens, Walt Fogarty, Bob Downey, and Jim Dougherty on "Is There Life After Retirement?" John Murphy asked Dave Brock and Tom Jackson, "How Does a Judge Keep His Humanity?" And in an appropriate concluding seminar, Al Gazzaniga led Bryant Barnard, Alan Baker, Dave Dingman, Bob Rudolph, and Sam Silverstein in a discussion of "The Role of the Physician in the Twenty-first Century."

This marks my final column. These six years have been fun and challenging. Get your future notes to Ralph Manuel at Culver Academies, 1300 Academy Road, #156, Culver, IN 46511-1234.

12 Perkely Lane, Riverside, CT 06878