Class Notes
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by Barrie Rich

By the time these Notes arrive, all classmates will have received their application form for the Princeton game mini-reunion, their class dues form, and the AYA annual contribution package. Hopefully our class will continue its active support to Yale as we have in the past.

In August your secretary and Marguerite spent an enjoyable visit with Isabel and Carl Shedd at their turn-of-the-century camp on Upper St. Regis Lake in the Adirondacks. While not on an island, there is no road to the camp so one must take a boat to get there. All in all, they have three boats: two smaller ones for his and hers and an older polished beauty Chris-Craft for meeting guests. The real gem is their 30-foot wood-hulled Item sailboat. We were amused to learn that Carl had previously published an illustrated book on all the camps on the lake which stood in good stead, when working those long hours putting together our classic 50th reunion book, Friendships. Once again, thanks so much, Carl.

Next we drove to Tupper Lake to visit the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks called "The Wild Center," founded last year by Obie Clifford with the help of many others. Open all year, the Wild Center serves as a base camp for the Adirondacks. We were met at the front door by Obie, who showed us all around. One can explore the 30-acre campus as well as the large main building. There is a theater with two great films, one about the scenery and one about how global warming and acid rain are harming the Adirondack Park. There are hundreds of wild animals and other hard-to-see residents of the woods and waters. Our favorites were the river otters cavorting in the stream inside the building and sliding over limbs. Obie and his team are to be congratulated on such a worthwhile effort. Do visit this wonderful museum if you are anywhere in the area.

Apparently Esther and Shelby Pruett arranged a great class mini-reunion recently in Chicago. According to George Spaeth, he and Ann had a wonderful time seeing Nancy and Leigh Quinn, Becky and Dudley Shepard, Jane and Bill Hopewell, Carol and Haydn Owens, Polly and BoBo Dean, Marie and Peter Mulloney, Jacqueline and Connie Fowkes, and Meredith Grider.

Bill Carpenter writes that he is living in Naples, Florida, and is serving as a director of the Pelican Cay Foundation Board. He also serves as the president of the Yale Club of Southwest Florida. Peter Grant says he has licked some health problems and enjoyed a fascinating visit to Spain. Leslie and Bob Blankfein are happy to report that in January their son David completed a PhD in analytic philosophy at the University of Virginia, focusing on the jurisprudence of private law. He is currently attending Yale Law School.

Sandy Muir reports that he is still teaching several classes a year. He loves the ambiance and appreciative idealism of the younger generation. They remind him of the young adults of the 1940s and 1950s. The summer was spent in northern Michigan where he and Paulette saw Buddy Thompson, John Franciscus, and Ben Chapman.

There are several deaths to report. Bill Hutchinson died April 29 in Wallingford, Connecticut. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years and retired as a pilot with the rank of major. He then went on to work for the Meriden, Connecticut, Board of Education. He also founded the Wallingford Junior Football League. He is survived by his wife Carol, five children, and 14 grandchildren.

On June 15 Larry Riggs died in Houston , Texas . Following two years in the Army he moved to Hobbs, New Mexico, working in the oil industry. In 1970 he relocated permanently to Houston, working for Tenneco Oil. He retired from Tenneco Inc. in 1996 after 35 years. He was particularly active in his church and its choir. He is survived by his wife, Freddye, and three daughters.

The many friends of Jay Greer were deeply saddened by the recent death of his wife, Wendy. Our sympathy and prayers go out to him in this time of need.

Contact:
Barrie Rich
4522 Woodmere Rd.
Tampa, FL 33609

 by Barrie Rich

These notes are being submitted the week before the Yale-Princeton game. More than 100 classmates and friends have signed up for the skybox and post-game reception, which is a record. Hopefully the weather and score will be favorable. Carl Loucks and his reunion committee of Bob Newman, Don Gray, Bruce Monde, Dick Bell, and Howard Brenner have made great strides in organizing our 55th. The main topic of our discussion panel will be medical care for the aging, a subject close to all of our hearts. With a recession in hand, they are making every effort to keep costs as low as possible. It is hoped that as many classmates as possible will make the effort to attend.

Rev. Walter M. Stuhr writes that he has just celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a Lutheran minister and his 55th wedding anniversary to his wife Barbara. Congratulations to you both. Bill Grant writes that he and Rhondda are off to Cyprus , Syria , and Turkey as part of 30 members on a Yale Department of Religious Studies tour headed by Professor Stephan Davis. Bob Blankfein and Leslie are happy to report that their son David completed a PhD in law at the University of Virginia and is currently attending Yale Law School .

David Banker writes a sequence to earlier class Camp Dudley notes, that both he and Peter Banker attended the camp many years ago, but adds that he cannot recall running into any future Yale classmates at the time. He reports that brother Bindy Banker emerged from his second major heart operation in early September, very much alive and still his feisty amusing self. With Peter gone, he and Bindy have become increasingly close.

Richard Murphy advised that he and Luda were members of an international delegation sponsored by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs to observe the parliamentary elections in Ukraine held on September 30. They became quite involved in the electronic voting in Kiev . He concludes that Ukraine is making gradual progress toward completing democracy. This was their ninth trip to Luda 's native land.

The AYA, under the leadership of Executive Director Mark Dollhopf '77, recently began what is hoped to be the first of many Global Alumni Leadership Exchange programs. This one was with the Australian National University in Canberra . Our own John Scales was one of this original group. The essential purpose of the trip was to convey to their Australian hosts the significance, benefits, and enjoyment of alumni activities and contributions. John was asked to make a presentation regarding community service programs as his club had done in Pittsburgh . In addition John writes they visited various government buildings and met with government officials. They also had a grand two days on the beach in Kioloa. A similar trip has been planned for next summer to Tokyo .

On October 25 the Class of 1954 lost one of its more prominent members, P. Cameron Devore. Cam, a resident of Seattle , was a nationally known expert on First Amendment law, and that was his focus for the four decades he worked for the Davis Wright Tremaine law firm in Seattle . Following Yale he attended Cambridge University and graduated from Harvard Law School . He then moved to Seattle , where he made a national name for himself when he successfully argued that advertising, too, could be protected by the First Amendment. He wrote a book with federal Judge Robert Stack on commercial law, entitled Advertising and Commercial Speech: A First Amendment Guide. In addition to law, family was his great love. He is survived by his wife, Roberta, two sons, and a daughter.

Richard-Louis Grosse died on June 13 at his home on Tybee Island , Georgia . After Yale he graduated from the Georgetown School of Foreign Affairs, and received MAs from both Columbia and New York University . He then joined the U.S. Foreign Service and served as vice-consul in the Belgian Congo and U.S. consul in Bonn . In 1963 he moved to Savannah and worked in the import/export business for many years. He became active in many civic affairs, including singing with the Savannah Symphony Chorus and for 42 years as a choir member and soloist. He also served as an elder in the local Presbyterian church and was a delegate to the World Council of Churches. He is survived by his wife, Mary, four sons, and nine grandchildren.

Contact:
Barrie Rich
4522 Woodmere Rd.
Tampa, FL 33609
gaiusiv@aol.com