1955

As you read this column, only seven months remain before our 50th reunion on June 10-12, 2005. Having spoken to many '53s and '54s, their only complaint was that the weekend was too short. John French has made available an extended period where, in the less frantic environment of the Woodstock Inn, classmates can continue their remembrances and enjoy the facilities of golf and tennis.

There was no other time in our lives when friendship was the tantamount goal, no teachers to satisfy, no employers to mollify, just a time when studies were done, we could relax with peers, enjoying their company, talk of the future and the past and engage in competition whether athletic or mental.

That same time is fleeting, my friends, for the 50th may give us the last opportunity to meet with those we cheered, jeered or just commiserated with. It's not Dartmouth we shall see, but in our class, the men of the College we shall see—as if it were yesterday.

It is seldom one hears of classmates moving from Florida back to the north. George Peters (Sonny) and wife Cynthia are such, and proved to be the ultimate hosts when at Eastman they provided Jill and me with a moose walking slowly by their kitchen window. A recent neighborhood gathering surprised the Peters when, unbeknownst to them, Bruce Alexander proved to live only the short distance away.

Our ever-so-enthusiastic alumnus Joe Kagle has done it again with a March 17 (St. Patricks Day to non-Irish) column in the WacoTribune Herald titled "Ask me why I wear green." If only Joe could solve the political problems of his beloved Georgia.

Our president, Woody Goss, with the approbation of the nominating committee, has appointed John Callahan as our next representative to the Alumni Council. Congratulations, John.

Modesty is a challenge to all news reporters. If it were not for friends, or even in this case a brother-in-law, we would be bereft of type. Lee Spelke won the National Squash Championship in March at Chicago for the 70+ group. By winning, and then placing second in the world, he has a shot at the No. 1 ranking. Lee was a former chairman of the Massachusetts Audubon Society and still is a board member.

Lyn Brock continues his fine work with Rotary International and its children's inoculation program in Third World countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The advantage of mini-reunions is the ability to spend more time on a one-to-one basis. Such talks are rewarded by a recent floral acquisition from Jane Conlan in North Carolina. The state is doing well thanks to all our rain, and after the summer doldrums a return package will be sent. Wayside Gardens couldn't have done it better.

Dick Barr was a pleasant surprise at Borders in West Lebanon, He still resides in Londonderry, Vermont. Barging in Burgundy is this years trip orchestrated by Dan Nixon. For the past 10 years a group of 55s and wives—including Pete Fishbein, Paul Zimmerman, Jerry Kleinman, Barry Rubens and Dave Page—has wined, dined and conversed either here or abroad.

Apologies to Ken Lendstrom. I spelled it right.

Merle Clyde Falby died on April 9, unexpectedly, in Clearlake, California.

217 Perry Road, Woodstock, VT05091, (802)457-1228;hasbrch@valley.net