1968

Deadline approaching, so time to use my nationwide minutes. Eric Hatch has been somewhat of a poster child for a liberal arts education (i.e., interesting, sometimes apparently unrelated career changes). Masters at University of Virginia in English, followed by two years of high school teaching, then on to a Ph.D. in English, with dissertation on Henry James. College professor for three years, marketing and sales training and later a writer and communication manager at "Generous Electric." During that stint he won a Gold Quill Award, given for high-quality industry and corporate writing and publication. Eric moved into organizational change and development, first at GE until he was reorganized into private practice as a consultant; 9/11 dealt a blow to that career and he now has a photograph restoration business. Find out more at erichatchphotography.com The common (liberal arts) thread: critical thinking, curiosity, commitment to lifelong learning, passion. Wife Nancy, married in 1971, has steadily been a senior business analyst. They joke that she has been the bread-and-butter partner, he the champagne (occasionally bubbly, occasionally flat). Daughter Hilary went to the University of Cincinnati, and Jenifer is at St. Olaf. He heard that Chuck Adams has remarried and has a very young son. (Does this make Chuck the oldest classmate with the youngest child? Classmate responses welcome!) Eric also stays in touch with Dennis Donahue and Sam Swisher, who is a fellow (with your humble secretary) Colby father. So I gave Sam a call and learned from wife/special correspondent Polly Snyder that he was just a couple days into recovery from shoulder surgery. For what? I ask. He had been playing hockey 20 years ago or so and hurt his shoulder then. He recently went for an MRI and asked the doctor if bone chips in the joint might be the cause of the pain. "What joint? " was the response. So a rebuild was called for. Sam has been a planner and grants managemer for Framingham, Massachusetts, for 25 years, working on assorted community development type projects. He interacts with Cedric Kam of HUD from time to time. Sam and Pollys son Daren (Colby '06) was a history major and is currently a doorman in Brighton, Massachusetts, with hopes to move to D.C. Grant (Colby '02) did ski patrol at Heavenly for a couple years and is now at Drexel in medical school. Son Todd just finished freshman year at Middlebury. Polly is a psychotherapist by day and director of an English handbell choir in her free time. More news next column from my calls—and mail always welcome!

157 Sandwich Road, Plymouth, MA 02360-2503; (508) 746-5894; david.peck@childrens.harvard,edu