1958

Earlier this year the State Department honored Steve Dawkins with its Distinguished Political Advisor Award. The recognition was based on his work over the years with four Navy admirals in Naples, Italy, and Sarajevo, as well as his work in the Pentagon with the U.S. Army chief of staff. Steve continues to work six months each year at the Center of Naval Analyses, a Navy-funded think tank near the Pentagon. He and Jane spend the winter months in Key West. As he said in his e-mail, "Life is good."

In July there was the third gathering (1997, 1999 and 2001) of "old Sigma Chi roommates." Dick Darby reports that he and Vicki spent four great days with Joe and Sara Newman, Bruce and Nancy McDonald and Jim and Olga Cash at the Cashes' getaway on an island, reached only by boat, in Georgian Bay, north of Toronto, Canada. The time was spent catching up on past years, jobs and grandkids. They were joined on the island by a bear just to add a bit of drama. Even with that, it must have been a terrific time since they have moved the schedule forward and the next "reunion" will be in 2002 in Medford, Oregon.

During the past months several asked if I ever heard from Bill Manning, so I gave him a call at his office in Rochester, New York. After a month of telephone tag, we made contact, and Bill brought me up to date on his activities. He is still running Manning & Napier Advisors Inc., but it is no longer engaged simply in financial advising. Several years ago Bill opened his own venture capital operation. He now works with Kent State University, software companies out of Syracuse University and Los Alamos and even has an office in Moscow. In 1998 he opened a trading office in Bangkok and has traveled extensively in the Far East. In addition he has been in the travel business, as well as the discount brokerage business. As if this was not enough to keep a person busy, he lectures at advanced financing seminars around the country and taught the advanced financing techniques section in the advanced management program at the University of Rochester. Retirement is not in the picture at the present because what Bill is doing doesn't seem like work. He and Marilyn do take time to enjoy and spoil their nine grandchildren. Bill hasn't seen too many '28s but did bump into fellow Alpha Delts Dick Warner, when they were enroute to Moscow, and Tom Andrews, at a seminar in Minneapolis.

A friend of the family introduced us to his date at a recent gathering. Upon learning she was a native of Savannah, I mentioned I had a classmate from that city, and it turned out she lived around the corner from, and was great friends with the children of Arnold and Lorlee Tenenbaum. Arnie sold his company, Chatham Steel Corp., two years ago but is still running the operation. He plans to retire in another year or so, and he and Lorlee will spend more time with the four children and four grandchildren and at their home in Santa Fe.

By the time you read this I hope we will have crossed paths at the mini-reunion.

4 Willow Spring Circle, Hanover,NH 03755; ralph.n.manuel@valley.net