It was as universal as any time that I can remember. No matter who or where I probed, the topic was the same: “the weather.” And many suffered a summer of sweltering heat. In many areas the phone number of the air conditioning repair company was prominently displayed on the speed dial. The summer sizzle seemed to endlessly blanket certain areas, but there was almost no area that escaped its time in the sun. And on the West Coast, the first hurricane in almost 100 years stole the headlines for more than a week. As the storm shifted slightly to the east, San Diego escaped any significant punishment but did see more rain than it had seen in seven years. But in the deserts, the story was different. Because the ground is so hard packed and the storm dumped lots of rain during a full day, flooding was very extensive. The city of Palm Springs, California, was isolated as roads at either end of the city became flooded and unpassable. Larry Friedricks, who lives in Rancho Mirage, California, was stuck in his fourth-floor home for most of a day observing the water wash. It took several days for utility crews to clear roads and recover gas, water, and electrical lines uncovered by the big wash. The fires in Lahaina, Maui, was another disaster that was heartfelt by the many in all Dartmouth classes who have made Maui the go-to place for many years of visiting and vacationing. For those of us who have walked Front Street and sat beneath the Banyan Tree, the devastation has left us gasping. On a much more positive note, our hybrid mini-reunion, anchored in Hanover and by Homecoming, brought our class connectivity to a new level. I would hope that participants found it to be a thumbs up and that you have provided appropriate feedback to class officers. Please keep Sam Werner or me up to date on your latest activities.

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