1989

In the movies, it was Tom Cruise. In real life, Scott Bonz is our very own "top gun." Scott, who made it back to Hanover for reunion, was named Naval Air Forces Pacific Pilot of the Year for 2003. Lt. Com. Scott "Junk" Bonz, as he was known, capped an impressive career in the air leading 25 missions in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over the last decade he's logged more than 2,200 flight hours and 480 carrier landings. Scott, who grew up in Strafford, Vermont, spent a year teaching in Taiwan after graduation and decided to become a pilot when he returned to the states. After getting his private pilots license, he applied to the Navy, and the rest is aviation history. He spent most of his career at the Naval Air Station in Lemoore, California. And I wasn't kidding about "top gun." Scott graduated from the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School and went on to be an instructor and squad training officer. According to his commanding officer, Scott "has earned the complete respect and admiration of every member in my command and the Commander Strike Fighter Wing Pacific community for his personal dedication, tireless work ethic and inspirational leadership. I know of no finer or more qualified naval aviator officer." Scott retired from active duty in May and will continue flying with the reserves.

Geoff Boyd says the top of Moosilauke is as beautiful as ever. My thanks to Geoff, who wrote in with some reunion observations and news. He says Ted Weiker, formerly an engineer building bridges in Europe, now runs a women's clothing design company. (He assured me he wasn't kidding.) And he says Dave Foulke finally got married and "for those of us who know him, that's definitely a surprise." Geoff also shared some news he learned at reunion about Phi Delt, which he says was restarted through the hard work of a group of alums, including a number of '89s. Apparently the Phi Delt alums actually showed up in Hanover to run rush and jumpstart the house. And in the category of strange but true tales, the College administration actually helped them celebrate the reopening of Phi Delt.

Geoff also shared the remarkable story of Bonnie Kramer Tonneson, who came from California to attend reunion after successfully battling cancer and spending much of the lastyear in the hospital. Her daughters, Devon and Isabel, were 3 months old and 2 years old when she was diagnosed last July. Bonnie and her husband, Mike Tonneson 'B6, were amazed by the overwhelming support they received from their Dartmouth friends during her illness. Ted Klinkenberg, husband of Katy Beierle Klinkenberg, ran up a skyscraper in Seattle in full fire- fighter gear and raised close to $6,000 in Bonnie's name for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. And Sam Zales '86, a classmate of her husbands, ran the Boston marathon as a fund-raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Many of Bonnie and Mike's classmates contributed to the fund-raising efforts. Bonnie was thrilled to make it to Hanover in June to be among old friends. Today she is in remission and back at home with her family. Bonnie reports that, "Life feels like it is returning to normal—which, with two children, really means sheer chaos."

Finally, our gratitude to the 1989 reunion giving committee, which, as I mentioned in the last column, helped our class raise more than half a million dollars for the College—a 15-year reunion record. Jim Katzman and Martha Boss Bennett chaired the committee, which also included our outgoing head agent John Drescher, as well as Bridget Fawcett, Brooks Entwistle, David Irwin, Ellie Mahoney Loughlin, Phil Loughlin, Jennifer Block Cromheecke, Todd Cromheecke, Mike Hafner, Keri Ueberroth, Kristen von Summer, Nancy Felix, Robert Albright, Russell Wolff, Ted Young and Karen Berlin.

5912 Aberdeen Road, Bethesda, MD 20817; jennifer.avellino.89@alum.dartmouth.org