Class Note 1957
Issue
November-December 2024
It’s fun to have a theme for a Class Notes column, but I put significant items received that don’t fit a particular theme in a special folder to save for another day. Here’s a sample.
Two prominent ’57 families reported from Dartmouth’s Commencement last year. Randy Aires was in Hanover to celebrate granddaughter Ava’s M.B.A. from Tuck, while Sherman Mills was there to celebrate grandson Drew’s graduation with the class of 2023. Special note: Ava’s mother, Juliet, and Drew’s mother, Sarah, are both class of 1984. Extra-special note: Sherman’s grandson is the fifth generation to graduate from Dartmouth, beginning with Sherman’s grandfather in 1891, his father in 1919, Sherman himself in 1957, daughter Sarah in 1984, and now his grandson in 2023. Class record, perhaps?
It’s not always so momentous. It can just be fun, such as Calvin Towle wishing us well and hoping we can still run a mile in four hours or Dick Handy stating that time is a problem, but he still finds enough to complete The New York Times’ Sunday crossword puzzle every week.
Items can be informative, too. Here’s the late Art Koff, our class expert on aging: “There are several reasons why longevity in our class is longer than average. College graduates live longer than average, as do wealthier people who can afford proper food and healthcare. In addition, Dartmouth by comparison to other Ivies and colleges in general, has a much higher number of ‘outdoorsy students,’ which also skews to living longer.” Think Clarke Griffiths, Al Rollins, Bob Copeland, and the importance of the DOC.
On the other hand, items can be both heartwarming and heartbreaking, such as the affectionate tributes to Adam Block: Laura and Herb Roskind remember helping Adam through a most depressing time when his wife divorced him, and Howie Howland recalls that Adam successfully transferred his depression and loneliness into his signature banjo song, entertaining ’57 classmates at Homecomings and reunions for so many years:
Leftover biscuits
Leftover ham
Leftover gravy
In an old frying pan
Leftover coffee
Leftover tea
I’m all alone.
Cause she left over me.
—John W. Cusick, 105 Island Plantation Terrace, Vero Beach, FL 32963; (772) 231-1248; johnwcusick57@gmail.com
Two prominent ’57 families reported from Dartmouth’s Commencement last year. Randy Aires was in Hanover to celebrate granddaughter Ava’s M.B.A. from Tuck, while Sherman Mills was there to celebrate grandson Drew’s graduation with the class of 2023. Special note: Ava’s mother, Juliet, and Drew’s mother, Sarah, are both class of 1984. Extra-special note: Sherman’s grandson is the fifth generation to graduate from Dartmouth, beginning with Sherman’s grandfather in 1891, his father in 1919, Sherman himself in 1957, daughter Sarah in 1984, and now his grandson in 2023. Class record, perhaps?
It’s not always so momentous. It can just be fun, such as Calvin Towle wishing us well and hoping we can still run a mile in four hours or Dick Handy stating that time is a problem, but he still finds enough to complete The New York Times’ Sunday crossword puzzle every week.
Items can be informative, too. Here’s the late Art Koff, our class expert on aging: “There are several reasons why longevity in our class is longer than average. College graduates live longer than average, as do wealthier people who can afford proper food and healthcare. In addition, Dartmouth by comparison to other Ivies and colleges in general, has a much higher number of ‘outdoorsy students,’ which also skews to living longer.” Think Clarke Griffiths, Al Rollins, Bob Copeland, and the importance of the DOC.
On the other hand, items can be both heartwarming and heartbreaking, such as the affectionate tributes to Adam Block: Laura and Herb Roskind remember helping Adam through a most depressing time when his wife divorced him, and Howie Howland recalls that Adam successfully transferred his depression and loneliness into his signature banjo song, entertaining ’57 classmates at Homecomings and reunions for so many years:
Leftover biscuits
Leftover ham
Leftover gravy
In an old frying pan
Leftover coffee
Leftover tea
I’m all alone.
Cause she left over me.
—John W. Cusick, 105 Island Plantation Terrace, Vero Beach, FL 32963; (772) 231-1248; johnwcusick57@gmail.com