This column is being written at the last minute before deadline to include a description of the weekend we just shared with more than 40 fellow alumni at a “Dartmouth on Location” program in Staunton, Virginia. The event was two days and two evenings of Shakespeare at the Blackfriars Playhouse, part of the American Shakespeare Center cofounded in 1988 by Ralph Alan Cohen ’67. The only classmates attending were Dudley Kay and Arthur Fergenson with Shirley. We five had a terrific time participating in pre-play discussions led by an extraordinary professor from Dartmouth’s English department, Brett Gamboa. His insight to everything Shakespeare and the inclusive manner he used to prepare for the plays we were seeing and critique them afterward were riveting and refreshing. Add to that the encyclopedic knowledge of the theater in general and these plays in particular that Arthur brought to the discussions and we had a marvelous weekend of meaningful discourse and good times. Dudley surprised us all and even himself with his recollection of themes and nuances in Shakespeare’s works. This event will be repeated next year and is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys theater.


In my last column I described Peter Robinson’s role in the U.S. Senate only to learn of his retirement a few weeks later. Peter sent me a link to C-Span where we could see and hear the tributes from Senate leaders Reid and McConnell for his outstanding work. Peter and Connie immediately began the retirement with a trip to Paris.


Our head agent for the Dartmouth College Fund, John Myers has provided the following update for our class: participation goal of 50 percent with current participation at 27 percent; the dollar goal is $550,000 and the current commitment is $486,322. While the dollar number looks good, we definitely need to improve our participation particularly since a generous anonymous gift of $250,000 accounts for more than half of our commitment. John asks all of us to think about making a donation. If you haven’t yet done so, please do and encourage your fellow classmates to do likewise.


One more benefit of my new Virginia location is a note from Julian Reeves, who says he used to race his Mercedes in a monthly autocross event here in Winchester. He now has a new Volvo and may well visit us and participate in the May event. 


The class listserv had a recent discussion on retirement with questions such as who has retired, how long ago, why and so forth with some very interesting responses. The first one follows with more in future columns. Mike Vasey was about to retire from teaching when he received his Ph.D., which qualified him for a position as director of the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. In this new role he believes he will be able to implement many of the concepts he spent years teaching. He now thinks he will work until age 72, then start traveling with his wife.


Please continue to keep Allen Denison and me apprised of happenings in your lives.


—Steve Larson, 465 Miller Road; Winchester, VA 22602; (360) 770-4388; wheat69@outlook.com