1987

I am writing this on my way to Richmond, in part to visit old friends, and in part to avoid a certain large-scale gathering in New York. I have my audience in mind, so no more about that here.

While I'm avoiding the convention in New York, there's one of our classmates who is waging an ongoing campaign in hopes of gaining America's support. Keith Boykin is currently on American Candidate, a reality show on Showtime, where 10 people run a simulated campaign. The show runs at 9 p.m. from August 1 to October 10.

A former editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth, Keith worked on two political campaigns and served in the Clinton White House, so he knows something about politics. He wrote me in an email that his time at Dartmouth has helped him on the campaign trail: "I was a government major at Dartmouth, so I learned a lot from my classes and professors that has helped steer me throughout my life in politics. In almost every election, people vote on the economy and domestic issues, so I tried to focus my campaign as much as possible on those issues."

He also said that working on the presidential campaigns helped him understand that, "Most people don't have a lot of time to pay attention, so I've learned over the years that you have to get to the point as quickly as you can." I'm officially endorsing Keith in this campaign—the winner gets two hundred grand and a national media forum—and he writes, "The public votes on the candidates in the final two episodes, so I could really use support from my fellow Dartmouth alums."

Someone wrote in and responded to my friendship question.

Debbi Jayne Seaver writes: "To me, the most important aspects of friendship are feeling relaxed and happy in each other's company and making the effort to be in each other's company. I am thrilled to say that my Dartmouth friends and I are still in touch and that we actually manage to see each other pretty often. A group of us have planned to celebrate our 40th birthdays together next year. I just returned from a trip to California, where I met up with Shannon Finnegan and her family. Shannon quit lawyering a few years ago to be home with the kids and they all seem quite happy. Although I am mostly home with my kids, I still teach an occasional yoga class and do massage, and this past winter I taught skiing at Deer Valley."

More friendship stories? Send them along.

And now for some sad news: our president Christen O'Connor has stepped down due to a family situation that required her full attention. Amy Baker, our co-newsletter editor, will take her place. Christen said, "I truly enjoyed serving the class and am quite proud of our accomplishments and the recognition we have received over the past three years. I know Amy will do a wonderful job and I have full confidence that she and the other officers will lead our class with distinction from now until our 20th reunion." I for one am amazed by what Christen has accomplished as president; she brought a commitment of spirit and intelligence to everything she did regarding class, and I hope she'll continue serving the class in some manner, well, forever.

296 Union St., Brooklyn,NY 11231; jtsnyk@yahoo.com