1970

Very little grist for the mill once again. I'll optimistically attribute this to the fact that I write this in late August. I hope those who read it now, a month or more into autumn, have, as have I, been basking in a relaxing sunny summer too carefree to give much thought to sending along news.

Fortunately for all, two classmates have taken a few minutes to write, thus sparing you my musings on the joys of my summer—gardening, surf fishing for summer fluke, crabbing, moonlight strolls with my sweet bride, The Kite Runner (a thoroughly memorable read) and cold beers aplenty.

Jon "Torga" Nistad wrote just before reunion (see Scott's column in the Sept/Oct issue for why, if you weren't, you should have been there) to say that he and his son had just won the backdraw of the National Father/Son Indoor Tennis Tournament—"our best result ever." Congrats! Guess that also explains why whenever I saw you at reunion you were on your way to or from the tennis court.

A long e-mail arrived from Jay Langley, who with his wife, Catherine, was a last-minute reunion attendee. Jay and I were roommates, Tabard brothers and best man at one another's weddings, so I'm certain he'll not protest too much if I share some excerpts from his e-mail verbatim in the hope that his words will ring true to some who have not been to reunion, at least not recently: "You know many more of our classmates than I do, and it was surprisingly agreeable to meet some of them literally for the first time. I'm one of those fellows who has looked at the Class Notes all these years and wondered, 'Who are these guys?' It was interesting to meet some of them, even a few names' from the Alumni Magazine. I expected to hate a few, but enjoyed almost every moment of almost every conversation."

Jay and I also share a passion for gardening, so we, along with fellow Tabard brothers Tom Tiemann and Wayne Osmund, spent a chilly reunion afternoon at the College's not-well-publicized (or 'funded) organic farm a few miles up River Road. At our class reunion dinner Jay and I beat quite a few ears about the farm and were pleasantly surprised at how many classmates had stories about their own gardening experiences; most said they would have enjoyed visiting the College's couple acres had they known about it. In his e-mail to me Jay opined that it might be a unique "opportunity for our class to help Dartmouth grow' in an area that it seems to have pursued with uncharacteristic sloth. Wouldn't a bigger—or at least a better—Dartmouth organic garden project be in keeping with the spirit of the '60s and '70s we all keep tucked away somewhere inside?" I sure think so. We're still searching for an appropriate class project, so if the organic farm appeals to anyone out there, please let us hear from you.

6 Pump House, Springhouse, PA19477; jonoplinger@yahoo.com; P.O. Box 607, Grantham, NH 03753; hollansx@earthlink.net