Class Note 1970
Issue
Nov - Dec 2016
Greetings, fellow ’70s. As promised in my previous column, here a few more anecdotes from our June reunion. Friday evening we teamed up with the ’71s and ’72s to host three bands playing from the steps of Alumni Gym. Classmates Russ Pinkston and Peter Logan headlined a reprise of the Night Watchmen (a.k.a. Tracks). Believe me, these guys still have it! Russ is professor of composition and director of music studios at the University of Texas in Austin and Peter is an attorney in San Francisco.
It was great to see Phi Delt brother Bill “Dab” Dabney for the first time since the 1960s. Dab was there with his lovely wife, Mary Kent Dabney, who, it turns out, was Dab’s Winter Carnival date during our undergraduate years. Dab married. Mary Kent did not until she and Dab got back together a few years ago. Any single classmates looking for love may want to consider searching social media for that long-lost carnival cutie. Dab and Mary Kent live in Bozeman, Montana, where he is in real estate development.
During our class meeting nominating chair Denny Brown presented a candidate slate for the five officer positions that require an affirming vote. Four of the incumbents stood for reelection unopposed: president, Jeff Demerath; vice president, Mark Heller; treasurer, Dave Noyes;, and head class agent, Dave Graves. Yours truly decided that after six-plus years it is time for fresh perspective, and I passed the secretary’s pen to Gary Miller when this column was completed. Gary already holds the positions of class webmaster and newsletter editor so I prefer to think of him as our vice president of class communications.
Shortly after reunion I had a long conversation with 1970s newest published author, John Morse. John’s novel, Half Staff 2018: A Chilling Look Into the Future, is a fast-paced thriller about a domestic terror plot. I have read it and highly recommend you download the ebook version or order the hard copy online. John retired from Lockheed Martin in September after several years in program management and is hard at work on his second book. He and Carole split time between their home in New Jersey and a lake house in southeastern Massachusetts.
It is my sad duty to report the deaths of three more classmates: Ray Hall in June 2014, Philip Robertson in May 2016 and Dana Durgin also in May 2016. That brings our fallen to 81, or slightly more than 10 percent of those who matriculated 50 years ago. To the rest of you, stay healthy, there’s a lot of living left to do.
Authoring this column has given me the opportunity to stay in touch with many who I counted as friends 50 years ago and, more importantly, connect with an entire set of interesting people who I somehow missed as I was frittering away my undergraduate years in the Phi Delt basement. It’s been a privilege and I ask that you continue to share your stories with Gary Miller. Out.
—Bill Wilson, 304 Highlands Bluffs Drive, Cary, NC 27518; wilson8689@aol.com
It was great to see Phi Delt brother Bill “Dab” Dabney for the first time since the 1960s. Dab was there with his lovely wife, Mary Kent Dabney, who, it turns out, was Dab’s Winter Carnival date during our undergraduate years. Dab married. Mary Kent did not until she and Dab got back together a few years ago. Any single classmates looking for love may want to consider searching social media for that long-lost carnival cutie. Dab and Mary Kent live in Bozeman, Montana, where he is in real estate development.
During our class meeting nominating chair Denny Brown presented a candidate slate for the five officer positions that require an affirming vote. Four of the incumbents stood for reelection unopposed: president, Jeff Demerath; vice president, Mark Heller; treasurer, Dave Noyes;, and head class agent, Dave Graves. Yours truly decided that after six-plus years it is time for fresh perspective, and I passed the secretary’s pen to Gary Miller when this column was completed. Gary already holds the positions of class webmaster and newsletter editor so I prefer to think of him as our vice president of class communications.
Shortly after reunion I had a long conversation with 1970s newest published author, John Morse. John’s novel, Half Staff 2018: A Chilling Look Into the Future, is a fast-paced thriller about a domestic terror plot. I have read it and highly recommend you download the ebook version or order the hard copy online. John retired from Lockheed Martin in September after several years in program management and is hard at work on his second book. He and Carole split time between their home in New Jersey and a lake house in southeastern Massachusetts.
It is my sad duty to report the deaths of three more classmates: Ray Hall in June 2014, Philip Robertson in May 2016 and Dana Durgin also in May 2016. That brings our fallen to 81, or slightly more than 10 percent of those who matriculated 50 years ago. To the rest of you, stay healthy, there’s a lot of living left to do.
Authoring this column has given me the opportunity to stay in touch with many who I counted as friends 50 years ago and, more importantly, connect with an entire set of interesting people who I somehow missed as I was frittering away my undergraduate years in the Phi Delt basement. It’s been a privilege and I ask that you continue to share your stories with Gary Miller. Out.
—Bill Wilson, 304 Highlands Bluffs Drive, Cary, NC 27518; wilson8689@aol.com