1962

Emily Dickinson opined, “There is no frigate like a book/To take us lands away.” A book, indeed! But what the Belle of Amherst could never have envisioned is the cyberspace phenomenon known as Facebook. Scouring the planet for classmate news, your dutiful secretary stumbled upon that online netherworld and discovered a goodly number of ’62s connecting as “friends.” A virtual community of Dartmouth Facebook friends is in its infancy and growing. You can chat, share photos, play a leisurely game of long-distance Scrabble (or Lexulous) with a classmate anywhere in the world without the hassle of lost luggage, security checks or canceled flights. In fact, you never even have to leave your house. Or, if you do, you can report back to your friends about where you’re going, what you’re doing and where you’ve been. Peter T. Knight “is working on basic documentation of the Digital Forest project, a statewide broadband network for government and residents in Acre, Brazil.” Peter lives principally in Rio de Janeiro, where since December 2000 he has been president of Telematica e Desenvolvimento Ltda. His company is involved in the “use of information and communication technologies to accelerate socioeconomic development.” Secondarily, Peter lives in Arlington, Virginia, and Deer Isle, Maine.

Alan Rapoport, currently professor of neurology at UCLA, posted news of a brief chance encounter. “We were in Houston, Texas, for a wedding two weeks ago and drove by the Galleria and who was walking on the sidewalk but Tom Komarek and the fam. We had a 10-second sighting and then a phone call.” Thanks to Facebook, millions worldwide now know that Al saw Tom in Houston.

Tired of the snow and ice of Pittsford, New York, Nancy and Mike Peters decided to spend a couple of months in Mexico. Mike wrote, “We’re staying in a condo in Chicxulub, Yucatan, a small fishing village a little east of Progresso on the coast. For March we are going to take an immersion Spanish course for four weeks in Merida and stay with a Mexican family. Maybe after this I will be able to pass Spanish III.”

From Winchester, Kentucky, John Coe gave an ice storm report. “Kentucky was hit pretty badly and there are still thousands without electric power. Here in Clark County a number of people had no power for several days. Tree damage was fierce due to the weight of the ice, which grew at least an inch thick on the branches. Many could not handle the weight. Winchester lawns now have stacks of branches piled up along the curbs waiting for city crews to come by.” Fortunately, John’s immediate neighborhood did not lose power.

Rog Usborne now and again checked in from Bonita, California, near sunny San Diego, which looks like a pretty great place to escape winter. And Paul Weinberg kept the Lexulous challenge alive, whether from his home in wintry Beverly, Massachusetts, or his hot spot in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

So join the fun. Hook up with your classmates on Facebook.com. See you there.

307 Sewickley Ridge Drive, Sewickley, PA 15143; (412) 741-9088; jbhaines@comcast.