by
Barrie
Rich
By the time these Notes arrive, the class mini-reunion
in
Washington
,
D.C.
, will be over -- and for those 230 who attended, fond memories of a
great event will be lingering. Our gratitude and many thanks go to Dick
Suisman and Ken McDonald together with their whole team for
their hard work and organization. As advised last time, there will be a
formal dedication of the 1954 class football field before the Harvard
game at the Coxe Cage, followed by refreshments in our usual skybox
during the game and a reception afterwards. On Friday evening November
16, the night before the game, Charlie Johnson is to be honored
by the AYA with a Yale Medal at their annual dinner. Anyone
participating in the two-day AYA Assembly is urged to attend the dinner.
Others who will be in
New Haven
that evening and who wish to attend can make a reservation by calling
Joel Smilow at (203) 221-3068. Charlie will be the fourth of our
classmates to receive Yale's highest honor, along with Chris Forster,
Joel Smilow, and Dick Gilder. This is probably a record
for any class.
Betsy and Chris Forster celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary with a grand dinner-dance at the Yale Club in
New York City
on September 14. A large number of our classmates attended with their
wives. Congratulations go to the happy and well-liked couple.
Once in a while news is received from a classmate from
whom no one has heard a word for over 20 years. A call to Arthur Espy
revealed that he is single and still living in
Dallas
,
Texas
. He continues active in the financial field, always looking for the big
killing in some esoteric market. Right now it is early Chinese
government bonds, for which there seems to be a small but lucrative
market. We hope to see him at our 55th reunion. His two daughters live
in the
Chicago
area and are in the fashion line of work.
Marv Miller does not seem to know to slow down as
so many of us do as we get older. He retired early from a career in
banking to devote his energies to the arts in
Milwaukee
. He started working full-time with the Milwaukee Institute of
Development and Design, serving as chair of the board for some time. Now
he has an office there where he commutes five days a week doing
consulting for them, some financial brokering, and fund-raising. Nice
going, Marv!
Bob Johnson advises that all is well on Mason's
Island in Mystic,
Connecticut
, where there are a number of Yalies. With 16 grandchildren he and Susan
were running a virtual hotel there this summer. During the other seasons
they do a lot of traveling. He is treasurer and director of two
companies in
Essex
,
Connecticut
.
Carol and Gregg Riley have recently had a rough
time physically, she with a joint operation and he with two eye
operations for glaucoma. But both are now well on the way to recovery.
Sadly there are two deaths to report. John G.
Mitchell died July 7 in
Albany
,
New York
, while returning to his home in
Lyme
,
Connecticut
. John was the retired environment editor of the National Geographic
magazine, with a long and noted career in environmental journalism. He
served as editor-in-chief of Sierra Club Books and wrote numerous books
and articles during his career. John was born in
Cincinnati
,
Ohio
, and was a Mellon Fellow at the Yale School of Environmental and
Forestry Studies. John also served as president of the Staten Island
Natural Areas League. His wife, Allison, and two daughters survive him.
Professor James Dwight Dana died in
Appleton
,
Wisconsin
, on August 9. During his time at Yale he took two years off in the Army
and graduated in 1957. Jim then went on to receive a PhD in economics
from MIT. In 1960 he moved to
Lawrence
University
, where he spent his entire career. He was the John R. Kimberly
Distinguished Professor of Economics and for 21 years served as the
chair of the economics department. Jim was recognized as an outstanding
teacher and in 1978 received
Lawrence
's "Excellence in Teaching Award." He is survived by his wife,
Betsy, and three sons.
Contact:
Barrie
Rich
4522 Woodmere Rd.
Tampa, FL 33609
gaiusiv@aol.com
|
|
Email Barrie Rich
by
Barrie
Rich
These notes are being written two days following our
spectacular class mini-reunion held in
Washington
,
DC
, November 1-4, headed up by David Suisman as chairman and Ken
McDonald as vice chairman. They were ably supported by classmates Bill
Day, Bobo Dean, Ed Dunkelberger, Walter Pincus,
Peter Rosenblatt, Dick Thornburgh, John Terry,
Bill Usher, and Terry Williams. The multitude of events
ran smoothly so that everyone had a great time. The 225 who attended
were more than double that in
San Francisco
and there is already quite a clamor for another mini before the 55th
reunion.
We all stayed at the Marriott Hotel right in the heart
of all the events. Everyone who signed up for a visit to the White House
was accommodated. One of the highlights was the political panel
discussion held at the Metropolitan Club, organized by Walt Pincus and
Dick Thornburgh. The morning topic was "U.S. Intelligence and
Foreign Policy." Our moderator was Margaret Warner of PBS News and
the keynote speaker was Admiral Mike McConnell, the new director of
U.S.
national intelligence. Also on the panel were classmates Pincus and David
Gries, a former CIA officer, and another Yalie, Senator Sheldon
Whitehouse '78 of
Rhode Island
. The discussions were of the highest caliber and we all found them
highly stimulating and a bit frightening.
Another interesting event was a visit to the new
National
Museum
of the American Indian, arranged by Bobo Dean. Bobo has spent most of
his working career doing legal work for American Indians with a small
law firm in
Washington
, and is still working at it. The dinners were all memorable. On Friday
night Gil Grosvenor hosted us at the large and newly decorated
National Geographic Society building, where he spoke to us about the
society and showed a short film. The recently augmented 1954
Whiffenpoofs, who were in fine form, entertained us both Friday and
Saturday evenings. The new additions are Dick Hiers, Charlie
Johnson, Nicholas Peay, and Dick Gregory, who was
unable to attend. It was great to see Paulette and Sandy Muir
there all the way from
California
. They both add so much to any event.
Dick Harris has just published his second novel,
entitled
787 Superior Street
. It is a mystery tale moving across the northeast quadrant of the
United States
. His first novel, TWOgether, was released in May 2005. Dick
retired as president of the family owned B. W. Harris Mfg. Co. in 1995.
The Minnesota-based company manufactured clothing under the "Zero
King" label. In addition to writing he now spends his time on the
golf course and painting. Andy Vladimir writes that he too is
into writing, with two books out this year. One is entitled Selling
the Sea -- An Inside Look at the Cruise Industry. The other is the
sixth edition of his college textbook Hospitality Today.
Adrienne and John Carr have been having a great
time since they both retired from teaching at the Chandler School of
Theology at
Emory
University
. They have recently moved into a retirement community in the
Atlanta
area but spend very little time there. In 1990 they purchased a farm
surrounded by national forest, in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the far
northeast corner of
Georgia
. Most of their time is spent there with their five horses and some 150
guests a year. They love playing hosts and have it down to a science.
Upon leaving, all guests must strip their own beds and remake them with
clean sheets. They seem to love the rural life with guests of all ages.
Our classmate Joel Smilow has recently donated a
substantial undisclosed amount to the
Yale-New
Haven
Hospital
Cancer
Center
, which will now be named in his honor. This is the largest gift the
hospital has ever received and will go a long way in funding their drive
of $467 million for the construction of the new cancer research
center. It is Yale's goal to become one of the three top cancer research
hospitals in the country. On behalf of our class we thank you, Joel, for
your continued generous support of Yale.
Sadly, there are two deaths to report. On August 24
Temple
Brown
died in
New Orleans
. Following Yale he flew F-89 fighter jets and then entered the dairy
business for the rest of his career. For 50 years he was with Brown's
Velvet Dairy Products, where he was president for the last 30 years. He
served in leadership roles on numerous civic and nonprofit boards. He
was a past chairman of
Loyola
University
and the Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Foundation. He was also an avid
sailor. He is survived by his wife, Penny, a son and daughter, and four
grandchildren.
Peter A. Greeman died on October 22 in
Larchmont
,
New York
, where he was a lifetime resident. Following a tour with the Army where
he served at Redstone Arsenal in
Alabama
, he began a career on Madison Avenue in advertising. He joined BBDO
(now Omnicon) where he spent most of his career. Following retirement he
bought
Anderson
's, the local bookstore in Larchmont, taught at Mamaroneck High, and was
chairman of the board of Community Teachers Institute in
Washington
,
DC
. He was also a keen golfer. He is survived by his wife, Tammy, and
three sons.
Contact:
Barrie
Rich
4522 Woodmere Rd.
Tampa, FL 33609
gaiusiv@aol.com
|
Class
Notes