1957

Bert O'Neill has laid out a challenging schedule for his first year of retirement from Amdahl. Last September in Japan, visiting in-laws and historic sights. This January at Aspen. April in Boston (urging on a marathon-running daughter). Then the New England coast and New York City. August? Italy. Between trips, back in Silicon Valley, Bert does "some consulting on how to work with the Japanese." To top off the itinerary, way back last spring he returned to where he had served in Europe after graduation and found his "favorite restaurant still serving trout a bleu."

Alan Dessoff (dessoff@erols.com) has used the class listerv to call for a D.C. gathering in mid-April. Those attending (as of January—with spouses and others) will be Adam Block, Walt Burgin, BobCopeland Bill Fiero, John Lange, ShermMills, Bob Mowbray, Brace Sloane, JoeStevenson arid Dan Frankel, if there's golf.

Both Bruce Sloane (sloane@crosslink.net) and Bob Copeland (copeland57@aol.com) have suggested getting '57s together again at one of their places near D.C. when the weather gets warmer. Classmates not on the listserv are urged to look them up and reach out to ask about when and where. This is one of the few times when a plan nurtured via e-mail is begun early enough to permit mention in these Notes.

There has been less conversation about the report of the Committee on the Student Life Initiative than there was about the orig- inal announcement. Here are excerpts from four responses. Note that I have wrenched them out of context! Once again, thanks to the listserv. Herb Hansen surmises that the College has decided to "set up residential hubs just like they do in the exclusive preparatory schools and some urban universities, with masters living in to insure the residents behave themselves, because, let's face it, if we don't monitor the Little demons they will behave in a childish manner."

Tom Schwarz recalls pledge trips, including a challenge to use road-repair barriers to stop traffic in Manhattan, as memorable learning—dare we say "bonding"—experiences. Bob Copeland regrets that "there seems to be no way to promote class/college spirit any more." He wonders about the effect of having first-year students "perform a certain number of hours of college service, however that might be defined." Clif Olds writes that the implementation of a report's recommendations has "changed the profile of the student body, and—in most people's eyes—improved it" at Bowdoin, where he teaches, by replacing out-of-control fraternities with a system of less exclusive "social houses." He points out that "the trustees, many of whom were fraternity presidents when they were undergraduates, unanimously approved the report." Randy Aires has begun his second "and last" retirement with a new e-mail address (ginran@supernet.com) and a question: ""What things should I be looking for in retirement?" He seems to have answered his own question; he has been to Northern Ireland recently, formed a concert-giving violin-cello-piano trio and cruised in the Windward and Leeward islands.

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