Class Note 1973
Issue
September-October 2020
Tiresome summer ended!
Did readers catch the “Stagecraft” article and great photo of Lorna Mills Hill and her life’s work in this magazine’s May/June issue?
Shortly before everyone’s life went sideways, Don Lepley drove 300-plus miles from Lassen County, California, to the Bay Area, where he and Jim Dougherty caught the last pre-shutdown San Francisco Symphony concert. Don wrote: “The chief [Covid-19] impact on me was the extra load of emails and virtual meetings and telework adjustments, as the U.S. Forest Service picks its way through this turbulent time. I applied for retirement two years ago but chickened out—this time I’ve gone through with it. I may still have involvement with the botany program in Lassen National Forest, but for now I’m relieved to be off-schedule!”
As if the pandemic wasn’t enough, Sue Burt Stetson and Steve Stetson also experienced the severe tornado devastating the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area in mid-April. A large tree fell in their yard and many trees were uprooted directly behind them, but “miraculously we escaped any damage.” They moved to Tennessee three years ago to be near their grandchildren.
In Virginia, Greg Barry reported, “We’re both okay (wife Donna Sorkin, exchange ’72). We are living in McLean and walk daily (as we have been for 15 years) and are staying home. Northern Virginia has been hit fairly hard and we are mourning the likely cancellation of a trip to the Galapagos with my son and his wife, to say nothing of our trip to Norway during the summer.” Further south in Old Dominion, Dave Pelland shared, “We’ve hunkered down at home for the last two-and-one-half months. Fortunately, we did make our annual trip to Florida in late February-early March to see friends and take in some baseball spring training games before the pandemic hit. Happy to be retired and not trying to teach calculus online. If all goes well, by our 50th reunion the pandemic should be just an unpleasant memory.”
From upstate New York, Mark Elmer noted, “I am well enough, and although I did supervise one graduating math major this spring, I am happy to have retired. I live a quiet life with my pets, reading, some math, and birdwatching. I ride about the village on my recumbent trike. Before my daughter moves to Ithaca for graduate school in the fall, she is living with me, a happy shock to my existence!”
Charlie Boarman reported from St. Petersburg, Florida. “We have beautiful weather, golf courses remained open, bike trails and public space provided options to exercise. My wife and I have remained civil. Without a vaccine or effective treatment, this may be with us for another 18 months or more. It’s hard to predict the strain on the social fabric that would produce.”
While no virus-based classmate deaths have been reported thus far, 1973 spouses, family members, and relatives did succumb, as did alumni from across the decades; all the class officers extend heartfelt condolences to everyone who lost someone dear.
—Val Armento, 227 Sylvan Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403; valerie.j.armento.73@dartmouth.edu
Did readers catch the “Stagecraft” article and great photo of Lorna Mills Hill and her life’s work in this magazine’s May/June issue?
Shortly before everyone’s life went sideways, Don Lepley drove 300-plus miles from Lassen County, California, to the Bay Area, where he and Jim Dougherty caught the last pre-shutdown San Francisco Symphony concert. Don wrote: “The chief [Covid-19] impact on me was the extra load of emails and virtual meetings and telework adjustments, as the U.S. Forest Service picks its way through this turbulent time. I applied for retirement two years ago but chickened out—this time I’ve gone through with it. I may still have involvement with the botany program in Lassen National Forest, but for now I’m relieved to be off-schedule!”
As if the pandemic wasn’t enough, Sue Burt Stetson and Steve Stetson also experienced the severe tornado devastating the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area in mid-April. A large tree fell in their yard and many trees were uprooted directly behind them, but “miraculously we escaped any damage.” They moved to Tennessee three years ago to be near their grandchildren.
In Virginia, Greg Barry reported, “We’re both okay (wife Donna Sorkin, exchange ’72). We are living in McLean and walk daily (as we have been for 15 years) and are staying home. Northern Virginia has been hit fairly hard and we are mourning the likely cancellation of a trip to the Galapagos with my son and his wife, to say nothing of our trip to Norway during the summer.” Further south in Old Dominion, Dave Pelland shared, “We’ve hunkered down at home for the last two-and-one-half months. Fortunately, we did make our annual trip to Florida in late February-early March to see friends and take in some baseball spring training games before the pandemic hit. Happy to be retired and not trying to teach calculus online. If all goes well, by our 50th reunion the pandemic should be just an unpleasant memory.”
From upstate New York, Mark Elmer noted, “I am well enough, and although I did supervise one graduating math major this spring, I am happy to have retired. I live a quiet life with my pets, reading, some math, and birdwatching. I ride about the village on my recumbent trike. Before my daughter moves to Ithaca for graduate school in the fall, she is living with me, a happy shock to my existence!”
Charlie Boarman reported from St. Petersburg, Florida. “We have beautiful weather, golf courses remained open, bike trails and public space provided options to exercise. My wife and I have remained civil. Without a vaccine or effective treatment, this may be with us for another 18 months or more. It’s hard to predict the strain on the social fabric that would produce.”
While no virus-based classmate deaths have been reported thus far, 1973 spouses, family members, and relatives did succumb, as did alumni from across the decades; all the class officers extend heartfelt condolences to everyone who lost someone dear.
—Val Armento, 227 Sylvan Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403; valerie.j.armento.73@dartmouth.edu