Class Note 1969

By the time you read this column, our 50th reunion will be history and you will be hearing tales of the wonderful time had by all the attendees. I am sorry if you did not attend, as everyone there would have liked the opportunity to re-engage with you.

Your new class secretary, who will be replacing me after 15 years at this position, will join me to write as comprehensive a report on the reunion as possible for the column you will receive in the September/October issue of DAM. That issue should arrive in your mailbox in August.

All of us, whether attending the reunion or not, have received “The Book,” which many of your classmates have spent hundreds of hours preparing. For the final time, I will thank and congratulate the three men who did the most to make this reunion book a reality: David Prentice, Dudley Kay, and Henry Allen. Their nonstop efforts for the 12 months prior to its submission to the printer made this beautiful anthology happen. Of course, there were many more participants, among them, all of us who contributed to the content, and they deserve our gratitude as well.

Some of the noteworthy activities we will have experienced include a multi-faith, multi-cultural baccalaureate service, where our own Jim Kenney is the keynote speaker. Another featured speaker is Yo-Yo Ma, the Grammy Award-winning cellist who will deliver our main Commencement address. He will also receive an honorary degree from the College. Another recipient of an honorary degree in recognition of his lifetime of achievements and contributions to the College is Richard “Sandy” Alderson. Sandy has also been a great supporter of our class, serving as president prior to John Mathias and providing multiple mini-reunion opportunities at New York Mets baseball games. His generosity to the class is greatly appreciated.

Life continues beyond the reunion, as Bill Coulson has published a history article in the June edition of World War II Magazine describing his hike up the Galloping Horse Ridge battlefield on Guadalcanal. Bill provides a view of the land today, which is not much different from WW II days, and recounts the history of the battles that ensued there.

Sadly, we must report that Jim Willis passed away in May of last year. We also lost Kent Sargent and Bob McNair Jr. in March and April of this year. Obituaries will be on our class website.

I truly enjoyed being your secretary and am very pleased that, following in the tradition of predecessor Rick Willets, I provided every column required for the 15 years I have served. This is my 89th column, and my final effort will be the one describing the actual events of our 50th reunion. My thanks to all of you who contributed your stories during the past 15 years.

Please continue to send information about your trials and travels to Allen Denison for the newsletter, Peter Elias for the website, and your new secretary.

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