1985

Okay, it's happened. For the last six years as one of your faithful and reliable class secretaries, I have somehow managed not to forget the column deadlines and to actually e-mail my fellow alumni in advance to get the latest gossip/news hot off the press. Or at least as hot as news can be when we have to submit it 10 weeks in advance J. Well, brace yourselves—I forgot this month! So this column will be light on news and long on philosophical musings. Please forgive me.

First comes news from our president Margaret Marder. On the family front, the first husband David Marders parents have purchased a house in Hanover, so the '85 couple will be spending lots of time in Big Green heaven. I am so jealous, especially since as I write Houston's heat index is over 105 degrees. Margaret also reports that Davids new job is going well even though his hours are pretty long—definitely to be expected in the beginning of private practice.

On the good news too late front: Margaret reports that on October 4-6, the Dartmouth Gay and Lesbian Association (D-GALA) was to have held its first-ever all-class reunion, under the capable organizational leadership of David Eichman. We hope all went well.

Jeff Weitzmann has a "new" baby and a new job. Zachary Samuel Weitzmann was born on October 28, 2001, joining Eli and Molly' think I reported on this earlier, but when i need verbiage I'm happy to repeat such great information). Jeff's new job, which is indeed news, is that he has left Yahoo to become chief operating officer of Coupons Inc., a private company that provides tracking for online marketing and offline sales along with powering many print-at-home coupons we see on the Web or in e-mails. Hey, Jeff, I'd love a vacation on a beautiful Caribbean island—any coupons for that?!

Keith Goggin and wife Elisabeth are happy to announce the arrival of Timothy Jonathan Maximilian Goggin, born five weeks early on July 2. He weighed in at 3 pounds, 2 ounces, but all are doing fine. Congratulations.

Now comes the philosophical musing (otherwise known as filler). As I write this column, the Jewish High Holy Days are two weeks away. The anniversary of September 11 is also almost here. This time of year is supposed to be one of reflection and atonement for our sins. The goal is to be written in the Book of Life for the next year. What do those sins include? Well, the obvious answer for most of us is not to kill or steal or commit adultery or do anything else that breaks the Ten Commandments. For me, though, that is much too simplistic an answer. I think that everyday we make choices that either hurt or help our family, our friends, strangers and ourselves. Those choices can be as simple as yelling at our children when a soft voice would do the trick or cutting someone off in a parking lot to get a closer space. Sins? Not on the same scale as the commandments, but they do cause pain to other human beings and as such we should atone for them. So my hope for all of you in this season of forgiveness but not for get fulness, is that you make the daily choices that build up and strengthen you and those around you and that all of us work together to make this world a better place. L'shanah tovah (a good year) everyone.

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