We live in a big country. With coast-to-coast separation it is common to lose contact with friends far away. Bob Taub was one of my closest friends at Dartmouth—fraternity brother, roommate, usher at my wedding. Why then did we lose contact after he moved to California? No good reason. The standard excuses: local involvements, busy lives, inertia. Reunions often save the day but in this case Bob never made it back to Hanover. So it is with great joy that I report renewed contact with Bob. One benefit of being class secretary is the motivation to make contact. Bob and his wife, Tama, now live in Venice, California, where he retired several years ago after a career as a hematologist. Now he only attends medical conferences. His activities are focused on his children and grandchildren living nearby. He enjoys sailing and crew racing. Bob says he will try to make it to the 60th reunion. 


I interrupt to announce the Barbary Coast Jazz Band playing in honor of one newly fallen classmate. We all honor the passing of Alan Nicholas Dekker. We bow our heads in silent tribute.


I encourage everyone to make contact. We all love to hear from old friends and classmates. Phillip Coyle has done so. Phil just had his book, titled The Challenges of Nuclear Non-Proliferation, published by Rowman and Littlefield.


I close with the last stanza of a 1996 poetic limerick, “The Essence of Friendship.”


Our old friends we really do treasure,


Stupendous folks by any measure;


In groups large or small,


At a home or a ball,


All our friends give us hours of pleasure.


—Joel D. Ash, P.O. Box 1733, Grantham, NH 03753; (603) 863-3360; joel@poeticlimericks.com