My archaic AOL mailbox announced “you’ve got mail” several times during the past couple of months. Happy news from Ben Johnson. He is celebrating the first anniversary of his marriage to Katie Polaski in May 2014, a first-time marriage for both. Katie is a ballet teacher and owns her own studio, Ballet Prestige, in Rochester, New York. They got engaged in St. Petersburg, Russia, and honeymooned at a French chateau between Bordeaux and Cognac. They drank wine and explored Saint-Emilion. Ben worked at Leo Burnett advertising in Chicago for 24 years, followed by five years at Morgan Stanley and now eight years at Merrill Lynch, although he makes time to work on the ballet studio business, for tennis and for redoing his home. Congratulations, Ben and Katie. Don Middleton wrote from Pittsburgh, where he is still teaching at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center St. Margaret family medicine program and serves on the curriculum committee at the school of medicine. Don also produces a yearly, free downloadable app for the iPhone and Android on immunizations, known as Shots Immunizations by the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, and gives talks on vaccinations nationally and internationally. He is no longer in clinical practice, though, “driven out by the senseless electronic medical record” from a successful family medicine practice. His wife of 46 years, Nancy (“I don’t know how she put up with me for that long”), spends most of her time doing volunteer work, including Meals on Wheels. They have three grown children and six grandchildren ages 1 week through 8 years. Don and Nancy enjoyed a recent visit with Sarah and Jim Snyder at their beach home in Barnegat Light, New Jersey. Don invites anyone visiting Pittsburgh to stop by the new, downsized, “getting-ready-to-be-an-invalid” home. Dan Hedges and wife Adele were featured in a February Texas Lawyer newsletter story titled “Love in Law: Legendary Lawyer Couples Talk About Life and Love.” Great story of how they met at a Texas law school moot court competition. Adele so dazzled Dan that Dan’s team lost the round. But Dan’s team won the competition. Larry Griffith shared a report on the 17th annual class Western ski trip last March. Thirty-two classmates, friends and guests attended, including 14 classmates: Gerry Bell, Nancy and Dave Dibelius, Rich DuMoulin and son-in-law Tim Konrad, Peter Fahey, Peter Emmel, Kathy and Paul Fitzgerald, Julia and Larry Griffith, Bev and Jim Lawrie, Rick Pabst, Scott Reeves, Susan and Hap Ridgeway, Cindy and Dave Stanley, Tom Stonecipher and friend Lisa, and Steve Schwager. Peter Emmel won the Horse’s Ass Award for his photography. Next year’s trip will be at Big Sky, Montana, March 5 through 12, 2016. Sad news as well this column: John Mrozak died in March after a long period of illness and disability. Tom Couser wrote a touching eulogy that is available on the class website. Tom noted that Jon Hull had monitored John’s situation through the recent years and kept concerned classmates updated.


—David Peck, 54 Spooner St., Plymouth, MA 02360; davidbpeck@aol.com