1971

As I write this column, we are experi- encing one of the warmest holiday sea- sons in the Northeast in decades, with the mercury hitting 60 degrees the day before Christmas. I only hope that many classmates are enjoying the snows out West, where they’ve had a great, early winter thus far. Tom Wolf is preparing to take office on January 20 as the 47th governor of Pennsylvania. Tom actually graduated in 1972 as he took time off while in Hanover, spending two years in India in the Peace Corps. As he as- sumes office he will resign as chairman of his family-owned business, the Wolf Organization Inc., a building-products company specializing in kitchen cabinets. He had sold the company to a private equity firm in 2006, then was nominated in 2007 by then-Gov. Ed Rendell to be secretary of revenue for the state, a position he held for about 18 months. Tom had planned to run for governor in the 2010 election, but decided against that to repurchase the Wolf Organization, which was facing bankruptcy. He succeeded in turning the company around, in the process saving hundreds of jobs. Tom won the general election with 54.9 percent of the vote over Republican incumbent Tom Corbett. Congratulations, Tom, and best of luck in governing the Keystone State! The follow- ing press release reached my desk earlier this month: “Dr. Mitchel B. Wallerstein, president of Baruch College, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Wallerstein was elected as part of the section on social, economic and political sciences for his scholarly contribution in the fields of the international peace and security, human rights and trade security policy and for leadership in higher education. Dr. Wallerstein became the seventh president of Baruch College in August 2010 after serving as dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University from 2003 to 2010. Prior to that Dr. Wallerstein was vice president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the world’s largest philanthropic organizations, where he directed the foundation’s international grant-making program.” From Albert Lamarre: “In spite of receiving more rain than we’ve seen in about three years, five members of the class of 1971—Dick Wenzel, Malcolm Jones, Willie Bogan, Harvey Rosenthal and Albert Lamarre—made it out in early December to attend a reception for President Phil Hanlon at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. It was a fun and educational evening for all!” Finally, this from Don O’Neill, a neighbor of Jim Smith in Connecticut: In early November Jim was inducted into the Waterbury Hall of Fame, joining some 120 previous inductees. “These 120 members of the hall of fame are individuals who helped define Waterbury’s past successes.” Jim is chairman and chief executive officer of Web- ster Financial Corp., following the footsteps of his father, Harold Webster Smith. He remains active in the community as a board member of Saint Mary’s Hospital and the Palace Theater, as chair of the foundation in his father’s name that has worked to revitalize neighborhoods and provide affordable housing.

7 Leblanc Drive, South Hadley, MA 01075; weebs71@gmail.com