Sadly, we open this new year of class columns by recording the death of a courageous classmate. Bob Richman passed away on July 19 from effects of cancer.(His obituary will be in this or a later issue.)
This past summer has been kinder to the rest of the class. Bob Howe sent us a note from Lake Toxaway, NC, where he was summering. He recounted the tale of a class mini-minireunion on the occasion of Roger and Margaret Stanwood's visit. Dot and Henry Conkle completed the group, which enjoyed the usual spirits and a steak cookout. Skip and Penny Morse could not join the gathering due to lastminute complications.
While mentioning mini-minis, your scribe enjoyed hosting one in York Harbor, ME, built around a visit from George and Ginny Neiley. They had come east following a trip to Boulder, CO, to take part in the wedding of their youngest child, Nancy, to Ed Harbor of Memphis, TN. On hand to greet them in Maine were Bert and Sally MacMannis, Bill and Bunny Webster, Dusty and Happy Rohde, and the Jacksons. A day later Bob and Cocky Davidson stopped by for lunch en route to the Cape (where they also lunched with Betsy Wyman), having dropped off two grandchildren in Phillips, ME.
Hort Wainright, responding to a '39 birthday card, reported that Duke and Julia Lyon dropped in at their quarters at Cape Neddick, ME, on their way from a family reunion at Duke's son's at Great Moose Lake in central Maine. Duke was scheduled for a visit to YaleNew Haven Hospital on July 10 to have a complete hip socket replacement, which we trust was a howling success.
Al Abbott writes on the back of his dues slip: "Received class birthday card for the second year with that gorgeous Indian head! Met up with John Evans a month ago at the Burger King in South Burlington." And speaking of the latter, he lets us know that "my life is thoroughly satisfying. I 'supply' a small church nearby (Northfield, VT) on Sundays, officiate at weddings and funerals, and spend as much time as I can with three of our 'local' children and their families. When our spirits lag we drive to Hanover and are refreshed all over again." John sent along a clipping from ModernMaturity magazine's June-July issue featuring a picture of a lithe-appearing Bob MacLeod and entitled "There's No Generation Gap Here." The article notes that Mac is the first to admit that, at 64, he's an unlikely candidate to head up a magazine for teenage girls. And now we quote: "But the editor-publisher of Teen magazine has no problem keeping up with the needs of his 1,000,000 young readers." The article goes on to mention that the magazine receives 25,000 letters each month which Mac monitors closely to keep up to the minute on the thoughts of teens. The publication tackles such difficult subjects as sex education, teenage pregnancy, incest, and death. In spite of openheart surgery, Mac remains involved with every aspect of the magazine's production. Says the piece, " 'I tell my staff to think of the magazine as a third parent,' he says. 'We speak to our offspring only 12 times a year. I tell them to make every word count.'
Jim Parks writes of closing up his winter home in La Jolla, CA, journeying to West Glacier, MT, for the summer months, and stopping in on Pat and Colby Howe en route. The Howes were then expected for an August visit. Perhaps Colby helped Jim with his usual chores splitting and stacking wood. Jim reports on some poor golf, some good fly-fishing, and lots of walking through Montana real estate. Returnees to Hanover may get a glimpse of Jim one of these falls or springs because he just became a grandfather via his daughter who lives in Woodstock, VT - incentive enough for a Hanover return.
John Page is properly excited about the arrival of identical twin grandsons, who put in an appearance on February 27 to double the number of issue of his eldest son, Jonathon '68. This makes a total of eight grandchildren in all. John and Ellen are still enjoying life in Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.
Through the good offices of George Hanna we learned of a party attended by 300 at the American Bar Association convention to honor Stan Brown, who has served the association since 1946. He has held many prestigious positions with the ABA, including the secondhighest post, that of chair of the house of delegates, from 1976 to 1978. Brownie was narrowly defeated for the presidency of the ABA in 1981 due primarily to the small size of his home state and his consequent small constituency.
As an honoree at the ORT Real Estate and Construction Industry Division luncheon in New York City, Al Tishman received an "antiquity" dating from the reign of King David. He was their choice for 1981 "Man of the Year" and was prominently pictured in the American ORT Federation Bulletin.
Bob Cushman sent greetings homeward from a self-driven canal barge in France. He reported hitting his bald spot on the companion way and taking orders from two skippers, which he had discovered was quite relaxing.
Sam Thurm, who teaches at George Washington University, has lunched with Lou Oberdorfer in the nation's capital, golfed with John Steele in the same general area, and spent the day at the Brooklyn Bridge Centennial in June with Bill and Lois Bachman. He promised us a picture of the latter, which we have yet to see.
And finally, kudos to Jim Corner and his hardy band who did such a magnificent job in producing $118,927 in last year's Alumni Fund drive. And did you know that our class was once again honored as one of the top classes at the Class Officers Weekend luncheon. Kudos to Prexy Bert MacMannis and all you guys.
777 West Street Pittsfield, Mass. 01201