1977

This month, you'll have to indulge me. I didn't have much time to ferret out news from classmates because Joyce and I spent much of July on vacation, including six days in Paris and Versailles. For the benefit of fellow Louis villian Bob Connolly, that's France, not Kentucky. I ended up in traffic school after my last trip through Versailles, Ky., where the gendarmes do not wear cute caps.

While Joyce was presenting a paper on the Restoration playwright Aphra Behn at a seminar at the Sorbonne, I and the other spouses fended for ourselves in the City of Light. I took several long walks, exploring the boulevards, visiting museums, people watching from streetside cafes, and being flashed along the banks of the Seine. For her part, Joyce believes she was propositioned by a very charming rogue on one of her own strolls, who was visibly disappointed when she didn't understand his evidently irresistible line. Of course, the other explanation for both incidents is wishful thinking.

When we got together with Evy Chan later in the week, Evy advised that both incidents simply validated our Parisian experience. "It occurred to me that the reason I was so pleased by the fact that both of you were, er, 'accosted' while here is that at our age (even though I most certainly don't act it sometimes!) but especially after 20 years of marriage as is your case, such unexpected 'strong interest' on the part of 'outside' parties can only put a little zing into what may have become rather routine in your common life! So I say again and again, good for the French to have perforfned such good citizen service on your behalf!"

By the way, Evy appears to have added a little romantic "zing" in her own routine these days, but that's for her to share. For the record, she is very busy these days promoting the Austrian composer Franz Schreker throughout Europe and the United States. When we met, she was just back from Karlsruhe, Germany, to see a Schreker opera, the culmination of one such project, and had another in the works in Paris. She was also planning trips to Budapest in July and October for other projects, and was looking forward to the final stage of the Euro conversion to carry only one currency for her travels in western Europe. Evy also helped me perfect the French cheek kiss greeting, which I enjoyed trying out on several red-faced colleagues when I returned to the office.

We also had the good fortune to have several adventures during our stay with Tercelin Kirtley '98, who calls both Bardstown, Ky., and Paris, France, home. After majoring in theatre at Dartmouth and graduating this past December, Tercelin recently completed a course of study in mime with one of the masters of the art. I interviewed Tercelin six years ago when he was a senior at Bardstown High. The unadvertised reward one gets from interviewing prospective Dartmouth students is seeing them blossom during their four years at the College and go off in so many different and fascinating directions. Then there's also the bonus of knowing someone in Paris with a car!

In anticipation of our not too distant 25th Reunion, our newsletter editor Bob Leach and I are compiling a list of e-mail addresses for our class. If you wish to be included, please send me a note at my new e-mail address below.

To avoid future episodes of family travelogues masquerading as class notes, please send your cards and letters to:

14102 Beckley Trace, Louisville, KY 40245;