The November mini-reunion by Zoom is now in the history books, as are the many fall sports as we look forward to 2023. We are also reminded of the memories of the 1958-59 rugby team as brought to light by Will Gray’s terrific memoirs of how that club transformed itself from a backwoods club to a national and internationally recognized team. Those memoirs give a special credit to Dick Liesching, who brought extraordinary expertise and a driving passion for rugby from his hometown in England. While seniors Alan Gazzaniga and Sam Bowlby were wonderful teammates, the engine for this train consisted of John Hessler, Al Brown, Kurt Christiansen, Earl Glazier, Joe Graham, Al Krutsch, Dick Liesching, Mike Miller, and Will Gray. It was a powerhouse. They surprised English pundits by going 5-2 on their tour. Then they went up against established teams on a California tour. Overall, England plus California, the Dartmouth rugby team went 14-3, with 11 of those 14 wins being shutouts.They had put Dartmouth on the rugby map. Will gives special credit to Corey Ford, who believed in the team and rounded up the resources to make the history-making tours possible. After graduation Will served in the U.S. Navy as an officer on a destroyer, which included two tours to Asia. He then joined his family company, H.W. Gray, in N.Y.C. Will and spouse Barbara, who live in Setauket, New York, have three children. He has also been a volunteer coach of lacrosse for 42 years at his local high school. My thanks to John Ferries, who transcribed his encounter with Will Gray.An October gathering of classmates in San Diego brought together Kurt Christiansen, Mickey Cohen, Charlie MacVean, Herb Schoenberg, and Bob Werbel. They reminisced about those classmates who had lived in southern California: Jim Bybee, Sutton Clark, Bob Filderman, and Ron Kabot. Congratulations to Sam Werner for the recognition and receipt of the Clifford G. Shull Prize in Neutron Science as chronicled in our late summer newsletter.

Do “Stay Connected” and let me know of your happenings or classmate encounters.

—Charlie MacVean, 3528 Liggett Drive, San Diego, CA 92106-2153; (619) 508-4401; crmacvean@msn.com