1978

Like it or not, we are most of us in the process of turning 60! Lisa Miles McNamara celebrated by taking a hut-to-hut Nordic ski trip in western Maine with a group of friends that included Jane Kirrstetter Ingram and Jill Eilertsen Rogers. “We skied a total of 25 miles during three days and spent two nights at two different huts run by Maine Huts & Trails. It’s a wonderful backcountry experience without being too rustic. There are fantastic views of Sugarloaf, the Bigelow Mountain Range and Flagstaff Lake, great skiing and delicious meals provided by the Maine Huts & Trails staff. We had a wonderful time sharing our life experiences, laughing and playing various games. It was like freshman trip all over again!”

After working in Europe for a decade, Bob Gray returned to the United States last summer to become CEO of PR Newswire in New York, which he led through its sale process. That has ended successfully with the announcement that Cision will acquire PR Newswire, a deal expected to close in the next couple of months. “I’m really excited to be back in the United States, and now to have the opportunity to decide what I’ll do next. Goody and I have been married since 1987. We have three children—Priscilla, who has also moved back to the United States and is working in marketing in New York; Robert, also working in marketing and living in Brooklyn; and our youngest, Harry, who is a sophomore at Yale—and are really happy to be living in Darien, Connecticut, full time with all five of us on the same continent. We enjoy golf (Goody is good at it and I hope to catch up!) and have avoided that empty-nest feeling by taking on two miniature wire-haired dachshunds, Harvey and Banger.”

It is my all-too-familiar duty to report the loss of another classmate. Joe Bishop passed away on January 24 from an apparent heart attack. Joe’s work as an engineer specializing in control systems for electric power plants took him all over the world. He was very proud of his role in rebuilding the electrical grid in Iraq after the war. Joe was a member of the advisory board of Injustice Anywhere, a group that highlights wrongful convictions. He became a passionate advocate for Amanda Knox, the American student who was first convicted and then acquitted of murder in Italy. Knox was one of many to post moving notes of condolence on Joe’s Facebook page after learning of his passing. “Joey pursued with a passion causes larger than himself,” wrote classmate Cotton Smith, “a quality all too rare in the world.” Joe followed his grandfather and father to Dartmouth, where he was an enthusiastic rugby player, and he frequently returned to cheer the Dartmouth rugby cub. He was also a member of Beta Theta Pi. Joe had no spouse or children. My understanding is that he has been cremated and the family is planning a private memorial.

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