Class of 1972

Dear ’72s, in mid-November I met Sandra Irving for breakfast at the Hanover Inn. Murry Bowden ’71 happened to be in the Inn lobby. Sandra told Murry that she briefly mistook him for a friend for whom she was waiting, to which Murry replied, “I might not be your friend but I’m friendly.” I invited Murry to join us for breakfast. Later, I drove to Castleton, Vermont, to visit John Burke. We had a great visit, during which he relayed that one time during deer hunting season he stepped on a bear. Luckily, the bear was in deep hibernation and “Burkie” escaped unscathed.

During my breakfast with Sandra, I learned of a disturbing development relating to the Irving Institute. Our adopted, now deceased, classmate Arthur Irving, along with Sandra and daughter Sarah ’10, are among the largest benefactors in Dartmouth’s history. The institute is a forward-looking endeavor to explore the best sources of energy and is not a static enterprise. Currently, there is a group of students and professors calling for the removal of the Irving name if Irving Oil fails to meet certain demands or goals. Rather than vilifying a man and family who love Dartmouth, people should focus on having healthy discussions about sources of energy. I hope the Dartmouth administration will stand firmly with this loyal adopted son, adopted daughter, and alumna.

President Joe Davis organized a class Zoom call during which many classmates participated: Greg Yadley, Alumni Council representative; David Elsroad, head agent; Gary Dicovitsky, bequest chair and heavily involved in several class projects; Dan Cooperman, mini-reunion chair; and Bill Roberts, newsletter editor extraordinaire. They were joined by Bill Price, Lawrie Lieberman, Hans Stumm, Carol Zwick, David Stephenson, Charlie Shockey, John Sharer, Neal Traven, David Mechlin, Jamie MacArthur, Don Fennessey, Richard Wahlstrom, Sarah Mater, Peter Broberg, Andy Harrison, Irwin Korngut, “Fuzzy” Thurston, Larry Elia, Barbara Yadley, Rick Cowan, Paul Boylan, Phillip Goia, and Bob Nycz and enjoyed a spirited discussion. Give a rouse for Neal Traven, who won the Bob Davis Award for the most valuable contribution to the Society for American Baseball Research, which prompted several classmates to recite memories or statistics about our star pitcher, Peter Broberg, who admitted he has lost some steam on his vaunted fastball. Peter won the first game for the Texas Rangers franchise, hit a home run during his rookie season, and won his first game on July 4, 1971, in Cleveland. Also, Bob Nycz reported that he is teaching English in Haiti using the famous Rassias method for teaching language and relayed that he considered the late Professor Rassias a father figure.

—Shel Prentice, 2311 Tradition Way, #102, Naples, FL 34105; shelprentice72@gmail.com