1965

Greetings! Some news this edition from classmates who have followed various paths 'round the girdled earth."

John Rogers writes from Gainesville, Florida, that he is still working in biotechnology in a startup (gene chips). He does not foresee retirement soon unless forced by market forces. His wife, Beverly, is designing science curriculum for young children at the Florida Museum of Natural history. Their three sons all have different, interesting, wonderful careers (finance, music composition and music performance). John and Beverly have one apple-of-the-eye grandson so far, and they at least have more contemplated. John's avocation is music; he is a member of a blues band, the Blues-O-Matics. John is dubious about the return on investment so far in our national investment in the Middle East, thinking we have at least to this point squandered enormous stores of goodwill, substantial financial resources and many lives with very limited effect so far.

Jim Ramsey went to Normandy for D-Day celebrations June 6. Jim has an interesting perspective because of personal linkages there. He stayed with a family courtesy of Sister Cities Nashville/Caen, whom he met last year on a similar trip to the invasion beaches—Michel at Francoise Fortier. Jim's namesake, Uncle Jim Ramsey, was hit at 07:15 hours on Omaha Beach and died later, likely as a collateral result of those wounds. Caen is where Jim did his FSP back in the fall of 1964, so he enjoys revisiting the place 40 years later. Jim recalls that in 1964 they were still rebuilding from the 1944 bombardment, and William the Conquerors castle was in rubble. They were finding unexploded bombs every day, announcing in the morning paper that at noon another would be detonated, "not to worry." Then, at noon a far off "boooooooom." Cranes were everywhere in 1964, but now it's all rebuilt. The countryside still looks like 12th-century Normandy, except for the old Roman roads paved now as miniature superhighways (you can tell the Roman roads, because they are the straight ones). The bar his '64 group hung out in is still there and still works as it should, but the pinball machine ("le flipper") is gone. Eh, bien.

Steve and Linda Waterhouse again arranged for a lively, fun Vail winter package back in March attended by many classmates and family. And a group of classmates including Pete and Marcia Frederick, Steve and Donna Farrow, Mike and Jeannine Orr, class president Hank Amon and others gathered the first weekend in May at the Allenberry in southeastern Pennsylvania and enjoyed touring the Gettysburg Battlefield, the play SmokeyJoe's Cafe and a variety of sports and good fellowship

on a lovely spring weekend. In the spring2004 issue of Independent School (the national quarterly of the National Association of Independent Schools), Dave Weber has an article that advocates having high school-aged kids write stories—true stories, grounded in memory. Check it out.

Hope to see many of you in Hanover for our fall mini the weekend of October 15-17.

2921 Deer Hollow Way, #414, fair-fax, VA 22031; mcgrutherk@aol.com