Class Notes
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News is sparse this fall day. Hopefully, you're sending in news about yourself and your classmates with your '02-'03 dues payment.

Separately, you'll soon be getting a complete report on September's class council meeting. Carl Shedd, who is single-handedly chairing our 50th Reunion book, was elected to council membership. Thanks to Carl for noting an incorrect class Web site address in the November issue. The correct URL is listed above.

The AYA's legacy report came through with news that Tom Heenan's son Peter is a Trumbull College senior, while Avrum Novitch's daughter Julia is a Saybrook freshman.

We received two Sacramento newspaper clippings with the bad news that Dr. James "Poin" Poindexter died with two other men in the crash of a private plane in Twin Falls, Idaho, on September 15, 2002. The plane, which was returning from a golf trip to Montana, hit the back of a fuel truck on attempting to land to refuel. Poin had practiced obstetrics and gynecology for more than 40 years -- delivering some 5,000 babies.

Joel E. Smilow, Secretary  Email: (Subject:  Re: Yale)

Don't forget to note and log in on our Yale '54 Web site (www.Y54-50th..org). Don Taylor's 50th Reunion survey form came in saying that he definitely will attend the reunion, adding, "Since
President Levin is picking up the tab, there is no excuse not to be there. I am expecting at least half the class to be there." That happens to be about what we need to break the 50th Reunion
attendance record. Hopefully, all classmates are starting to think along the same lines as Don.

The New York Times reported on May 3 that Dick Thornburgh led a National Research Council project aimed at finding ways to protect
children from Internet pornography. The report concluded that neither tougher laws nor new technology alone can solve the problem. Three
months later the Harrisburg Patriot News reported that Dick is also "now stepping into the heart of a corporate misconduct hearing. Now a lawyer at the Washington firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, Thornburgh was picked by the Justice Department to serve as the independent
examiner to look into World Com Inc.'s collapse, the biggest corporate failure ever. Thornburgh said he plans to assemble a team with extensive accounting knowledge and experience in probing
corporate fraud. His main task is to investigate allegations of fraud, incompetence, misconduct, mismanagement, or irregularities by WorldCom's current or former management.

A long article about Dr. George Spaeth appeared in the February issue of Ocular Surgery News. The headline summary saluted George for more than 40 years of trying to help people. "Following the Quaker influences in his life, that is all he ever really wanted to do." Bob Mitchell enjoys being back in Alaska (Anchorage) as a "retiree" who is very busy with consulting projects, singing with three different
Alaskan groups, volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, and attending AYA assemblies as a delegate from the Yale Club of Alaska.

I'm sorry to advise that Alfred Puchner died of pancreatic cancer on August 13, 2002.