1977

Merrell Wiseman recently returned to Hanover for the first time since graduation. The occasion was a much-anticipated recital with soprano EvyChan, whom he accompanied on the piano. "Hanover looked much the same, though there were more women. Evy and I performed the same program in St. Paul, where we were entertained by Laura-Jean Rathman, whom I had not seen since college. I am currently a hospital-based pediatrician in Seattle, where I live with my partner Todd Mitchell, a landscape architect. I am still active in music, playing mostly the harpsichord, though I made an exception for Evy."

David Pierce wrote from Singapore: "We've managed to obtain government approval (required here) for a local Dartmouth club, of which I am the inaugural president. There don't appear to be any other '77s among the 30 or so alums in this fair city-state, although if there are, we are as likely to find them through the Class Notes section as any other means. If anyone knows of Dartmouth folk in Singapore, please contact me at . "So far in 1998 we haven't had any classmates visit us in Singapore, but I did manage to see Jose Fernandez in New York last spring—not easy given his hectic travels. In addition, Dan Lucey and his wife, Catherine, brought their two sons, Alex and Abraham, to Oregon in August to share a few very happy days in the Cascades with me, my wife, Wan, and our kids, Alison and Aidan.

"I am still managing private equity funds focused on China-related investments. So far the Chinese economy and our portfolio companies are holding up reasonably well, and we remain very bullish on China over the long term. Things are tough in Asia and may get worse before they get better, but we plan to hang in there. Bargain hunters welcomed!"

Congratulations to Barry Harwick, who recently was named the Herbert Chase '30 head coach of men's track, one of the first two endowed coaching positions at the College.

Magnetar Update: Astrophysicist and aspiring science pundit Rob Duncan was one of several scientists quoted in the wire services this past August after the earth was struck by "the most powerful burst of radiation ever recorded from beyond the solar system." Two satellites shut down to protect their instruments from an energy wave "strong enough to power civilization for a billion years." The source, once again, appeared to be a magnetar, the celestial object Rob and a colleague hypothesized based on evidence from a similar such burst in 1979. Rising to the metaphorical challenge of the occasion, Rob described the magnetic field around the star as so powerful that from 100,000 miles away "it could erase the magnetic strip on your credit card and suck the keys out of your pocket."

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