As I write this column many of our classmates are preparing to descend on Hanover for the Homecoming game against Harvard in what has proved through the years to be a most enjoyable ’69 reunion and class meeting. Details of the event will be available on the website and in a later column and newsletter.


I will miss this gathering as I am six weeks out of an open-heart surgery procedure successfully performed by our classmate Dr. Craig Miller of the Stanford University Medical Center. When my local cardiologist informed me in the fall of 2011 that the bovine valve I’d had in place since 1999 was failing and would need replacement I contacted Craig for a second opinion. He graciously took the time to review all my medical history, going back to a 1961 open heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic to repair the original valve. After an April meeting with him we decided to replace the valve surgically in September. The professionalism, care and concern shown by Craig and his staff at Stanford were the reasons I walked out of the hospital four days after surgery and feel 10 years younger today. Craig’s skill as a surgeon and his empathy as a doctor are unparalleled in my experiences…and I have seen many very capable doctors. My thanks to Craig and for all the kind thoughts expressed by classmates.


The authors to whom I referred in the last column are Richard Babcock with his new novel Are You Happy Now? a comic story about the difficulty of understanding what it is we really want, and Greg Curtis’ new book The Stewardship of Wealth, a work defending the role of the country’s super wealthy and the importance of their financial advisors.


Andy McLane has provided updated information on his status; look for the details in Allen Denison’s next newsletter. The abbreviated version is that he is gradually working toward retirement after 34 successful and rewarding years of private equity efforts with TA Associates. His role is now as a senior advisor in the office but he also spends considerable time serving on boards, including several not-for-profit activities. Retirement will include continuing to live in Weston, Massachusetts, where he and Linda enjoy rowing single sculls on the Charles River, traveling to areas where they enjoy their other favorite recreation—skiing and hiking and going to warm Caribbean islands in the winter. 


Our class agent for the Dartmouth College Fund, John Myers, congratulates the class for its generosity in the past year when it exceeded our goal of $220,000 and hit a final tally of $300,476.


Regrettably we must report that our classmate James Safford died last April. His obituary will appear in the newsletter and on the ’69 website.


Please keep the information flowing to Allen Denison, our webmaster Peter Elias and me.


—Steve Larson, 9101 W 146th St., Overland Park, KS 66221; (360) 770-4388; wheat69@earthlink.net