1969

1969

CLASS NOTES

Since our last column we have compiled a veritable plethora (thank you, Howard Cosell) of heretofore littleknown facts and insights about classmates who have not received the attention they deserve. Randy Dominic has appeared as a Redcoat defending King George as well as a Union soldier with the legendary 20th Maine at Gettysburg. He also tracked and shot a rogue Cape buffalo. Larry Wiseman covered the 1972 Superbowl riot, trekked with Bill Moyers, and drank bad moonshine while filming a documentary on old-time fiddle music. Frank Wille was No. 1 in the draft lottery and flew more than 200 combat missions in Vietnam. No wonder his favorite song is “Amazing Grace”! Dick Walden is a fanatical golfer who plays almost every round with pre-1934 hickory shafted clubs that he restores himself. Bob Throndsen has retired as an award-winning broadcast journalist, having covered presidential elections, L.A. riots, the former Soviet Union, and thousands of stories during 40 years. Attorney Vaughn Taylor represented the biggest spy in Army history. Look it up. Also, as seasoned mariners, Vaughn and Linda rescued three commercial fishermen stranded 50 miles off Cape Henry, Virginia. Bob Sturges not only granted Donald Trump his first N. J. casino license, he also ended up owning a piece of the Miami Heat. George Stauffer was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship and a Fulbright. His lifetime in music and the arts is legendary. Tom Solheim has been a world-class athlete in the sport of curling since his mid-30s, and he is an international evangelist for the sport. John Singler is an expert on the languages of Liberia, and he has a celebrated collection of Liberian quilts, a unique form of African art. Kelly Simpson received word that he passed the bar in a 1972 phone call from Bob Woodward, then hard at work on Watergate. Pete Schenck spent more than a year of his law career in Sarajevo working on the prosecution of corruption and war crimes investigation and helping build a new criminal justice system. Rick Saunders, an eye surgeon, restored the sight of more children than we can count. He also became a pilot with a commercial license and a multi-engine rating—and this was before medical school. Another distinguished surgeon, David Rutlen, has run a half dozen Boston marathons in the past 10 years, and he’s done it wearing Luna sandals. You may not have invested time with your copy of our 50th reunion book, but you really will enjoy reading the stories of our lives, including yours. Every man and woman attending our reunions asks how there were so many classmates we didn’t know. It’s not too late. Read the class newsletter and consult the class website for times and places where we will gather next. In our class of1969 Dartmouth fellowship, there is no parting. Send news.

—John “Tex” Talmadge, 3519 Brookline Lane, Farmers Branch, TX 75234; (214) 673-9250 johntalmadgemd@gmail.com

John “Tex” Talmadge