Before leaving office Doug Thompson drafted me as your new secretary. As one of the 49 ’49s who entered in March 1945—and received his B.A. in June 1948 after my first year at Tuck—I am unknown to many class members, so please help me out over the next five years.


Sally and Slade Gorton attended our 60th reunion. It was their first time back in Hanover since our 25th reunion, a year after they and their three children bicycled from Seattle to Dartmouth, despite Slade getting hit by a car in Pennsylvania. With 18 years as a Republican Senator from Washington and, later, a principal player on the 9/11 Commission, Slade has had a memorable political career. He is still active as a lawyer and member of several interesting boards.


I caught up with Clarke Church at the 60th. Ten years after Clarke retired as a top sales executive at Procter & Gamble, he and Jane moved from Cincinnati to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to be near their son, who had terminal cancer. Clarke and Jane stayed on to help raise his family, but they still spend four winter months in Vero Beach, Florida.


Sue and Tom Towler are moving into the same retirement home in Sarasota, Florida, that Bruce Crawford and Joan Shiel reside in. This is the Towlers’ fifth move in Sarasota and their 22nd move overall in 57 years of marriage. Can anyone in the class top that number of residential moves, especially with the same wife?


Pete Lord died of cancer just prior to our 60th. Pete was a close friend and regularly attended our reunions. Fortunately I had a chance to reminisce with him at length during last fall’s mini, where he recounted his grim WWII experience in Europe, his courtship of Ann (who had late-stage Alzheimer’s and has since died) and his adventures as mayor of Windsor, Connecticut. Our sympathy to his five children.


As a computer-phobe who still doesn’t use e-mail, I will really appreciate your updates by snail mail, phone or fax.


—John Adler, 530 Old Post Road, No. 3, Greenwich, CT 06830; (203) 622-9069; (203) 629-4865 (fax)