Zooming downhill took on an entirely new meaning for annual fall Western ski mini-reunion veterans in November. With gatherings and travel stymied by Covid-19, the always resourceful Rick Pabst proposed a virtual version of the gathering. Instead of physical exercise, the event involved heady discussions on a variety of subjects, including one that will be of interest to all of us bright Dartmouth lads who’ve never stopped learning and have been (and will continue to be) spending much of our sequestered hours with books. Here are some recommendations from attendees.

Tom Stonecipher recommends American Nations by Colin Woodward, a description of the 11 founding cultures that formed our value systems and governing and societal beliefs; also Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, by which title she describes the relationship of Black and white Americans.

Reunion co-organizer Dave Dibelius recommends Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, an award-winning sci-fi novel that, though written in 1993, “provides a remarkable perspective on 2020.” More sci-fi comes from Jim Lawrie: the Bobiverse books by Dennis E. Taylor as read by Ray Porter.

Voracious reader Gerry Bell recommends current books on politics by Barack Obama, John Bolton, Mary Trump, and Bob Woodward; William Manchester’s The Glory and the Dream/Prologue, which describes situations in 1932 that are “beyond eerily similar” to 2020; and (for fun) Squeeze Me by Carl Hiassen, which is also recommended by Peter Fahey. Gerry and I also agree on Robert Crais.

Other mini-reunion attendees included Peter Emmel, Richard duMoulin, Sandy Dunlap, Paul Fitzgerald, Rusty Martin, Joe Lowry, Scott Reeves, Steven Schwager, and Paul Schweizer. Another virtual event is planned for March, and the Greenbrier 75th birthday reunion situation will be resolved at the February class committee meeting.

Several other classmates offered their book lists and suggestions. President David Peck liked Doris Kearns Goodwin’s The Bully Pulpit, about Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Progressive movement. James Noyes proposes Jane Mayer’s Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, which he describes as a “real-life version of Ludlum’s The Matarese Circle.” Newsletter editor Mark Waterhouse is currently enjoying Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition, which was researched in part at Baker Library. The very generous John Blair, when he’s not helping me with my golf swing, reads about food and nutrition (The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meats),politics and current events (That Used to Be Us, by Friedman and Mandelbaum), historical fiction (All the Light We Cannot See and Daring Young Men), and, of course, sports (The Boys in the Boat and The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever).

While we’re talking books, let’s note that Bill Zarchy’s new one is out. Look for Finding George Washington: A Time Travel Tale.

It is now, unfortunately, time to say goodbye to Charlie Lenth, Dick Stowell, and Mike Glass. We will miss them as we look forward to a better 2021.

—Jack Hopke, 157 Joy St., River Ridge, LA 70123; (504) 388-2645; jackhopke@yahoo.com