Class Note 1972
Issue
May - Jun 2019
It’s spring in Hanover, and some of our classmates are thinking back 50 years to the spring of our freshman year. Some of the memories remain strong.
Whatever your political leanings may have been in 1969, most of us remember the occupation of Parkhurst Hall by protesters led by the Students for Democratic Society. Bob Nycz recalls that night in May when the State Police were called in to remove the protesters. He remembers one of our classmates “being carried out with tears in his eyes and guitar in hand.” Bill Roberts remembers that of the 56 demonstrators taken out by the authorities, several were women from Mount Holyoke. He recounts that in history class the next day, “We voted on whether to discuss [the takeover] and the guy trying to start up the matter was outvoted! Whereupon he was roundly booed and he left!” Bill also recalls President John Sloan Dickey addressing a campus-wide meeting after the takeover and saying, “I may be a lame duck, but I’m not a dead duck!” Exactly.
Campus unrest was widespread that spring, and Neal Traven remembers that a story about the takeover made the May 19, 1969, issue of Newsweek. But John de Regt points out that not all the occupations were political protests. He says, “There must have been 100 occupations that spring, all about Vietnam, except the occupation of Fort Ticonderoga by an intrepid band of Dartmouth students. That was just for fun.” Oh, those Dartmouth hooligans!
And there was other fun being pursued that spring. Joe Davis remembers playing in his very first rugby game in a driving rainstorm alongside the Charles River in Boston with Scott Snyder, Dave Engle, and the late Dave Wright. “I think Lawrie Lieberman was probably watching and laughing at our efforts. Let’s just say that there was a lot I didn’t understand about rugby at that point.”
Bill Roberts recalls Green Key Weekend and the concert on Saturday evening featuring Richie Havens and Laura Nyro. They were quite the draw for Hanover! Haven’s rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” was epic, and Nyro was one of the most talented female songwriters of her generation (“Wedding Bell Blues,” “Eli’s Comin’,” and “Stoney End” come to mind.)
Zooming back to present time, our president, Bill Price has news from Seattle: “We held our first Seattle area ’72 lunch with six of us sharing stories: Barry Abbott, Brian Lawler, Thurm Lowans, Charles Breen,Neal Traven, and me. We remembered the unusual reverse alphabetical order when we received our diplomas, robbing Barry Abbott from getting up there first; compared Seattle’s snowy winter with those when we grew up, of course there was a lot more snow then; and talked about retirement, with Thurm endorsing it. We’re already planning our second get-together.” Well done, Bill!
Sadly, I must report the death of our classmate Bruce Routman. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to his family and friends.
I’m hungry for news, so please drop me a note.
—David Hetzel, 5 Chestnut St., Windham, NH 03087; dghetzel@gmail.com
Whatever your political leanings may have been in 1969, most of us remember the occupation of Parkhurst Hall by protesters led by the Students for Democratic Society. Bob Nycz recalls that night in May when the State Police were called in to remove the protesters. He remembers one of our classmates “being carried out with tears in his eyes and guitar in hand.” Bill Roberts remembers that of the 56 demonstrators taken out by the authorities, several were women from Mount Holyoke. He recounts that in history class the next day, “We voted on whether to discuss [the takeover] and the guy trying to start up the matter was outvoted! Whereupon he was roundly booed and he left!” Bill also recalls President John Sloan Dickey addressing a campus-wide meeting after the takeover and saying, “I may be a lame duck, but I’m not a dead duck!” Exactly.
Campus unrest was widespread that spring, and Neal Traven remembers that a story about the takeover made the May 19, 1969, issue of Newsweek. But John de Regt points out that not all the occupations were political protests. He says, “There must have been 100 occupations that spring, all about Vietnam, except the occupation of Fort Ticonderoga by an intrepid band of Dartmouth students. That was just for fun.” Oh, those Dartmouth hooligans!
And there was other fun being pursued that spring. Joe Davis remembers playing in his very first rugby game in a driving rainstorm alongside the Charles River in Boston with Scott Snyder, Dave Engle, and the late Dave Wright. “I think Lawrie Lieberman was probably watching and laughing at our efforts. Let’s just say that there was a lot I didn’t understand about rugby at that point.”
Bill Roberts recalls Green Key Weekend and the concert on Saturday evening featuring Richie Havens and Laura Nyro. They were quite the draw for Hanover! Haven’s rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” was epic, and Nyro was one of the most talented female songwriters of her generation (“Wedding Bell Blues,” “Eli’s Comin’,” and “Stoney End” come to mind.)
Zooming back to present time, our president, Bill Price has news from Seattle: “We held our first Seattle area ’72 lunch with six of us sharing stories: Barry Abbott, Brian Lawler, Thurm Lowans, Charles Breen,Neal Traven, and me. We remembered the unusual reverse alphabetical order when we received our diplomas, robbing Barry Abbott from getting up there first; compared Seattle’s snowy winter with those when we grew up, of course there was a lot more snow then; and talked about retirement, with Thurm endorsing it. We’re already planning our second get-together.” Well done, Bill!
Sadly, I must report the death of our classmate Bruce Routman. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to his family and friends.
I’m hungry for news, so please drop me a note.
—David Hetzel, 5 Chestnut St., Windham, NH 03087; dghetzel@gmail.com