1985

Truth be told, this magazine column has a nasty habit of sneaking up on me. Seems I just finish putting one of these to press when my co-author John MacManus has his in print and I'm back in the queue. And like many of you fellow classmates with school age kids (whatever their ages), getting through June with the end-of-school projects, class parties, ceremonies, plays, performances, teacher appreciation, etc., etc., etc., just about wipes me out for the summer as well as for this column. An official "moving up" ceremony to commemorate completing one grade and entering the next? Absent a real academic or behavioral "whiff," that pretty much just happened every year when we were growing up—sort of like your birthday. On the last day of school in June the teachers were happy to simply turn out the lights, close the door and call it a year—"Have a nice summer, see you in September!"

I hope by the time you are reading this many of you have enjoyed a nice summer 2007. Can't say I know too much about what any of you have been up to because wherever you went and whatever you saw, you overlooked dropping me a postcard! Must be another sign of the times—the art of the handwritten note or letter is just falling by the wayside. Seems we are capable only of communicating and interacting through cyberspace. Now, don't get me wrong—I'm all for the virtual world—but there are still viable alternatives that we have to ensure the next generation is aware of and can utilize so that they do not panic when their Internet connection goes down (by the way, have any of you actually checked out your kid's handwriting these days?). We have no doubt brought this all on ourselves.

So onto news. Matthew Dickerson's Ents,Elves and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R.Tolkien (University Press of Kentucky, 2006) became the "millennial item" on June 2 of the Raynor Memorial Library at Marquette University. Translation: The library celebrated the 50 th anniversary of the June 7,1957, acquisition by the university of then Professor Tolkien's original manuscripts for three books—The Hobbit,Farmer Giles of Ham and Mr. Bliss—by cataloging the 1,000th item in their secondary collection that supports research in Tolkien's literary manuscripts. That 1,000th item was Matthew's aforementioned book (no translation or Cliff Notes available on that one). Pretty cool, eh? We have written about Matthew in prior columns—professor at Middlebury College, avid fisherman, dedicated family man, etc. He's definitely among our more famous classmatesmates—meaning news is written about him and is often sent to me by others.

Other news: Valerie Hartman Levy is among the nine dedicated members of the Women's National Basketball Association/Atlanta organizing committee. The group is working tirelessly to demonstrate through commitments to purchase season tickets that a WNBA team is viable in Atlanta! Having already surpassed their 1,000th season ticket pledge, chances look good for their success by their stated goal of 2008. Anyone in the Atlanta region interested in supporting the effort or joining the cause can check it out on their Web site: www.wnba-atl.org.

And finally, where in the world is...Mark Engel? Last seen (by yours truly) on the lacrosse fields in New Canaan (as a coach, not a player), with wife Anne and lots of kids in tow. Details please!

Only 1,034 days until our 25th—see you on the Hanover Plain in 2010 if not sooner.

All the best to all of you!

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