A year out from our 50th reunion, we have an amazing 260 classmates already definitely or probably coming to Hanover! So now is the time to quit equivocating and let Dudley Kay know what your own plans are, whether yes, no, or maybe. Unless you have a better excuse than Jerry Zaks ’67 did for missing his 50th, you should sign up now. Jerry said in a recent DAM article that “[he] still beats himself up over missing his 50th reunion….It was the same weekend as the Tonys, and Dolly was up for eight awards, including his first nod for best director in 11 years. ‘I feel such a bond with my classmates and wanted to see everyone, so it was a huge disappointment to not be there.’ ” So, avoid that disappointment and attend! Did you respond to the questionnaire, write your bio-essay, and send in photos? The reunion book will be amazing, so don’t be left out! Unless you plan to stay in a dorm, you’d be wise to make your reunion housing arrangements ASAP. Jo and I can attest the Hanover Inn was booked solid within 20 minutes of opening up next year’s reservations. Remember: We overlap graduation week with our Connections class of ’19s!

Mini-reunions are still in the works, although we will have missed one of the best ones when you read this, as Peter Schaeffer reports our former president and solid contributor to good times for his class, Sandy Alderson, has once again made Citi Field and a New York Mets home game a reunion destination for a July 7 game against Tampa Bay. These gatherings typically draw several dozen classmates, and I look forward to passing on a description next column.

There are apparently some problems between the town and Dartmouth, as we will not be allowed to build the kinds of Homecoming bonfires we have enjoyed prior to this year. Peter Schaeffer weighed in on the subject with the following comment, which he agreed to print in this column, referring to our freshman creation: “We had a 69-railroad-tie-high bonfire, which at 9 inches per tie equaled 51 3/4 feet! Back in the days when our generation went to Dartmouth, they dismantled abandoned railroad tracks, tore down houses to use for filler fuel, and then went out and beat Princeton to win the Ivy League championship and the Lambert Trophy! I realize I’m commingling two different events, but I’m taking poetic license for a better story. Besides, as David Prentice and I were discussing the other day, at our age we can tell almost any lie about anything in our personal histories and practically no one can dispute it.”

Dudley Kay and Steve Cline are closing in on a mini for Charleston, South Carolina, with tentative dates of October 9-11. They have many interesting things planned, so check the ’69 website for details and make plans to attend.

Regrettably, we have learned of the passing of H. Flanders Fuenzalida on April 25 and Richard Neuhoff on March 21.

—Steve Larson, 837 Wildcat Trail, 10328 Big Canoe, Big Canoe, GA 30143; (360) 770-4388; wheat69@outlook.com