1966

It may seem a bit strange but our own Jim Cason is something of rock star in Asuncion, Paraguay.

For 38 years Jim was a Foreign Service officer. He met thousands of people, made hundreds of speeches and experienced and studied dozens of cultures as he served in a veritable travelogue of exotic cities—Milan, Lisbon, San Salvador, Panama City, Maracaibo, Montevideo and La Paz. He rose steadily through the ranks to become political advisor to the commander on the U.S.Atlantic Command and to NATO's Supreme Allied Command Atlantic. He was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Honduras and Jamaica and chief of the U.S. interests section (the closest thing we have to an embassy) in Cuba. But never once did he sing in public.

Then, as the capstone of a distinguished career, Jim was named U.S. ambassador to Paraguay in 2005. The bright lights called. It was in Asuncion that he took to the stage.

"I've never been to a country where I can't speak the language," Jim says, by way of explaining his study of Guarani, a language spoken by 90 percent of Paraguayans. Through his lessons he discovered the "really beautiful music" of Paraguay, and with the urging of friends started performing folk songs in the Guarani language and recorded an album. "What I've been trying to do is to show respect for Paraguay and for its culture."

Proceeds from the 2,000 copies of the album, Campo Jurado (Field of Promises), sold so far go to English-language study grants for poor Paraguayan students. Want a quick peek at the ambassador, who retired in October 2008, in concert? Check out You Tube at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BuFAjQfNYQ.

To buy a CD and help the cause, contact Jim at jimcason@yahoo. Bravo, Mr. Ambassador!

Bill Jacoby has hung his law shingle in bucolic Claverack, New York, but he spends lots of time thinking about the rooftops of New York City, 100 miles south. Bill, a former director of an East Harlem community development corporation, is now with a renewable energy company that's spun-off a start-up to build wind turbines on urban rooftops. That's right—windmills. He reports that they will be combined with solar to maximize the energy output. Hold on to your hats for more!

You know that many graduates consider college their second home. Well for the class of 1966 that is now quite literally true. Our second home is the new Class of 1966 Lodge, a handsome two-story log structure lovingly built by students and some alumni a few miles east of campus in Etna, New Hampshire, just off the Appalachian Trail.

As a multi-year class project a committee chaired by Jim Lustenader with Dick Birnie, Chuck Sherman and Jim Weiskopf will be raising the funds to underwrite the construction costs and endow a maintenance fund to keep the lodge in top condition for countless adventurers. This will be our class gift and legacy. We will first celebrate the whole endeavor at a class of '66 cookout at the lodge on Homecoming Weekend. Missed that? Check out a photo and info on our class Web site.

93 GreenridgeAve., White Plains,NY 10605; (914) 761-2709; lgeiger@aol.com