Class Note 1957
Issue
January-February 2025
Editor’s Note: Secretary John Cusick wrote this column before his passing September 25, 2024. His wife, Lyn, sent it in with this note: “John was determined to leave his Class of 1957 its submission for DAM.”
Dartmouth announced Dan Hutchins’ offer of free CPRPrompts apps to alumni who have had training in the past but are reluctant to act in an emergency because they fear forgetting the skills required. CPRPrompts coaches provide instant voice prompts for rescuers to recall the skills needed to save victims of heart failure, drowning, and choking. As an aside, Dan’s works might once have been limited to paper how-to pamphlets or books, now available to many digitally.
So, while we ponder “what is a book?” we continue to thank our ’57 authors for their creativity from yellow-lined pads to hunt-and-peck Underwoods to Olivettis and Selectrics to MacBooks to…ChatGPT?
New 1957 bookshelf responses include Bob MacDonald writing to ensure we include Martin Anderson’s The Federal Bulldozer, which becomes the first book on the first shelf, just before Gordon Bjork, whose four books—Private Enterprise and Public Interest; Life, Liberty, and Property; Stagnation and Growth in the American Economy 1784-1792; and The Way It Worked and Why It Won’t—bump Russ Brignano and Bob Creasy. We’re at 19 authors and 38 books!
Other responses were significant, but already included in our total: Chic Shaver’s marvelous letter asking us to include Larry Selig’s third book, Steve Katz letting us know he’s scheduled for cochlear implants and giving a shoutout for the value of Bruce Sloane’s book in making his decision and, from two of our famous writers, Gary Gilson and Chris Wren, expressing appreciation for Michael Lasser’s fourth book. Gary spoke eloquently of the quality of major songwriters in Michael’s book, while Chris treated us to the image of walking through his Vermont farmhouse, breaking into song. There are wonderful connections going on here—gifts, really. It’s like Bob Copeland sending a copy of his precious Webster’s Dictionary, Second Edition, to Cinda Ely, or Judy Stempel sending me a copy of Jack’s pristine ’57 graduation ceremony program.
Let’s return to the title of Michael’s latest book, Say It with a Beautiful Song, and try to do just that. With a grateful nod to Kitty Kallen, “Little Things Mean a Lot.”
—John W. Cusick, 105 Island Plantation Terrace, Vero Beach, FL 32963
Dartmouth announced Dan Hutchins’ offer of free CPRPrompts apps to alumni who have had training in the past but are reluctant to act in an emergency because they fear forgetting the skills required. CPRPrompts coaches provide instant voice prompts for rescuers to recall the skills needed to save victims of heart failure, drowning, and choking. As an aside, Dan’s works might once have been limited to paper how-to pamphlets or books, now available to many digitally.
So, while we ponder “what is a book?” we continue to thank our ’57 authors for their creativity from yellow-lined pads to hunt-and-peck Underwoods to Olivettis and Selectrics to MacBooks to…ChatGPT?
New 1957 bookshelf responses include Bob MacDonald writing to ensure we include Martin Anderson’s The Federal Bulldozer, which becomes the first book on the first shelf, just before Gordon Bjork, whose four books—Private Enterprise and Public Interest; Life, Liberty, and Property; Stagnation and Growth in the American Economy 1784-1792; and The Way It Worked and Why It Won’t—bump Russ Brignano and Bob Creasy. We’re at 19 authors and 38 books!
Other responses were significant, but already included in our total: Chic Shaver’s marvelous letter asking us to include Larry Selig’s third book, Steve Katz letting us know he’s scheduled for cochlear implants and giving a shoutout for the value of Bruce Sloane’s book in making his decision and, from two of our famous writers, Gary Gilson and Chris Wren, expressing appreciation for Michael Lasser’s fourth book. Gary spoke eloquently of the quality of major songwriters in Michael’s book, while Chris treated us to the image of walking through his Vermont farmhouse, breaking into song. There are wonderful connections going on here—gifts, really. It’s like Bob Copeland sending a copy of his precious Webster’s Dictionary, Second Edition, to Cinda Ely, or Judy Stempel sending me a copy of Jack’s pristine ’57 graduation ceremony program.
Let’s return to the title of Michael’s latest book, Say It with a Beautiful Song, and try to do just that. With a grateful nod to Kitty Kallen, “Little Things Mean a Lot.”
—John W. Cusick, 105 Island Plantation Terrace, Vero Beach, FL 32963