1985

Happy New Year! As I sit here watching ESPN's Big Monday (what? and who cares? you say), I'm consumed by the need for a good intro Here goes:

We have a lawyer classmate in RoanokeWho feels his golf game is a jokeHe said his driving and putting were offWhich caused a recent loss to Steve Moff

This golfing barrister is none other than Dave Carson, a partner with Johnson, Ayers and Matthews. Dave and wife Regina welcomed third child Wes Carson on November 2, joining sister Paden (6) and brother, Ford (4) in the Carson clan. When not lawyering and parenting, Dave does manage to tee it up, inspired, he claims, by an outing he enjoyed with Steve Moss. (Moss as an inspiration is a troubling notion).

A classmate just tied the knotA wife named Joohee Lee he gotI'm talking about Muromcew, yes AlexI bet on their honeymoon they had Corn Chex

I received an e-mail from Alex announcing his recent betrothal to Joohee Lee. Classmates in attendance were Ty Eaton and Rich Lindahl. When not appearing in lame poems, Alex is an international equity portfolio manager for Loomis Sayles in San Francisco.

I got an announcement from John Parolist It was the first thing he ever sent meI opened the envelope with furious actionAnd read of the arrival of his son, Jackson

Yes, I received my first note ever from John Parolisi. While I'm sure John is a huge fan of my columns, I think he was really publicizing new son Jackson Donald Parolisi, born September 14.1 bet John wanted me to convey that Jackson weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces and measured 22 inches. I also suspect that John wanted me to let everyone know that he and wife Julie '89 live in Chicago. Well, hey, I will not be used as a mere mouthpiece. I'm nobody's fool. Well, maybe somebody's fool.

Sports Illustrated had a list of the top 50Of each states' athletes who were niftyWhile on "Vermont guess who I sawNone other than our Tiger, Gale Shaw Yes, sports fans, I may have been the only one to read the list from each state but diat's what serious journalists do: Leave no stone unturned during the pursuit to inform you, my bored classmates. But consider who I found at number 30 on the list of Vermont's greatest athletes, right between Felix McGrath and Dave Jareckie. For the truly dense, that would be Tiger Shaw (see clever poem above). No word from Tiger if he's bummed to be ranked below Suzy Chapstick (No. 27).

David Kovar sent me a long storyOf a trip that could have been qidte goryA tale of an amazing excursionBut thank goodness for the short version You'll recall David sent his story before and I lost it. Fortunately the Cliff Notes survive: "In August, a 33-year-old Alaskan firefighter entered the Australian desert to find himself. The local authorities found his gear and bike abandoned by the roadside and launched an unsuccessful 10-day search. The firefighter's parents called the State Department, which called the Ist Special Response Group, of which David is a member, for help. After five long days in the desert, David and his fellow rescuers found the lost man, alive though very hungry." This story received a lot of press in Australia and may appear soon on "Dateline." When not saving lives, David works in information services and facilities management in San Jose.

Jaguar fan Tom McDonald sent me a noteAbout his Naval and medical life he wroteYou may want more details in this rhymeSorry, too many words, next time

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