1975

1975

Many of us are now among the retired or near retired, but Jack Foley has made it official. He had a very long, successful, and laudable run at Clark University. After 45 years he is hanging up the cleats. We often hear stories of budding entrepreneurs writing business plans on the back of a napkin. However, 27 years ago Jack and Clark’s president jotted down notes on a napkin that became the blueprint for a transformative relationship between the university and community.

From the periodical Clark Now comes this, “From those scrawled lunchtime notes emerged the vision for the University Park Neighborhood Restoration Partnership, a nationally acclaimed model of collaboration between Clark, the Main South Community Development Corp., and the city of Worcester that has yielded affordable housing, youth development and education opportunities, and small-business creation, helping transform a struggling neighborhood into a more vibrant place to live, learn, and work.”

When I saw Jack’s picture in the article, I saw the same smile I remembered from his Dartmouth days. It prompted me to take a look at my yearbook, which I keep at close quarters to my desk. With one quick look I was transported back to the early 1970s in Hanover and realized that we had some classmates with amazing hair. After all it was the age of Aquarius, or nearly so. Our yearbook is full of great hair, check out Vernon Chadwick, Joel Cardis, Bob Hittle, Rich Laffin, Rich Lane, Bill Ray, and Fred Pelczar. Having been married for 46 years, I know better than to call out any of the women in our class—all of whom look amazing!

I also had a quick catch up with Jim Bildner, who continues to do some amazing work through Draper Richards Kaplan and the Kresge Foundation. In a world that seems increasingly chaotic, Jim and Jack represent only two of our many classmates who have devoted countless hours making our communities better, more humane, and productive places for all. Thanks, guys, and to all the other women and men of 1975 who are doing the same.

Vox clamantis in Tejas.

—Stephen D. Gray, 3627Avenue M, Galveston, TX 77550; (650) 302-8739; fratergray@gmail.com

Stephen D. Gray