1972

Hail, noble ’72s, well met! Some good news to share from the far-flung brotherhood.

Joe Davis wrote to tell me that as he was flying back from Wyoming one night recently (visiting a well his company is drilling there) he came across an article in Southwest Airlines magazine that quoted our esteemed brother Roger Ekirch, a distinguished professor of history at Virginia Tech and accomplished author. Roger’s book, At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past (W.W. Norton, 2005), delves into the history of sleep. It’s been very favorably reviewed and it, along with Roger’s other accomplishments, is well worth a Google!

Some exciting news from John Sharer about Bill Roberts: “In October 2008 the Lilly Endowment named Bill Roberts and St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Deerfield, Illinois (where he has served as rector for more than 20 years), as a member of the ninth class of the endowment’s National Clergy Renewal Program and a 2009 recipient of a sabbatical grant totaling more than $35,000, www.lillyendowment.org/pdf/ NCRP2008Winners.pdf. Bill will spend most of June in Wales discovering how the church in Wales is using the resurgence of the Welsh language for church growth. He will also take an intensive weeklong Welsh language course at the Llambedr campus of the University of Wales. Then, after a few days’ retreat at St. Matthew’s, Westminster, in London, his wife, Ingrid, will join him. Together they’ll explore the emerging church movement in the United Kingdom, visit longtime friends and enjoy the many attractions of the city. Toward the end of July they’ll take the Chunnel to spend five days in France to visit Ingrid’s French relatives and to parler français before their final destination: Francophone Madagascar. Their time in Madagascar will include establishing a companion relationship with a parish in Ft. Dauphin, addressing and preaching to a diocesan conven- tion, teaching at a conference of clergy and lay people and visiting the Perinet Rain Forest and Isalo National Park. In the meantime his parish will be using a church consultant to revisit its mission and vision statements.” Good to hear from you, John, and congratulations, Bill!

Bill!I had the good fortune to spend some time at a Dartmouth hockey game recently with old friend and classmate Mike Heeremans. Back in the day Mike, my roommate Pete Erspamer and I were sort of like the three amigos. Mike is recently retired from a distinguished career teaching in the Hartford, Vermont, school system. Mike and wife Lee Anne, who concluded one career as a teacher and has begun another as a nurse, is enjoying home projects that 30-plus years of teaching and raising a family put on the back burner. Sound familiar, guys?

Respected VP Bill Schur tells me he stays in touch with Phil Cohen, Mark “Loon” Stitham and Jim Tilden. He also ran into Gaylord Toft on Monroe Street the other day. Gaylord is doing well in the real estate business and looks “hale and hearty.”

I’m out of space, so until next time, be well!

P.O. Box 580, Hanover, NH 03755-0580; lauren.cummings@ dartmouth.edu