Out with the old, in with the new—happy 2024! Time to start the planning in earnest for our 50th next year. You may have seen Lon Cross’ note regarding honorary degrees for one of our classmates. Feel free to throw a name or two into the hat. You can contact Lon, Al Austin, or me.

I received a very nice note from Brian Kingsbury recently. He reminded me that he received his diploma in August 1976, which is “what happens when you skip your senior spring to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.” Brian is now retired after spending his career with Safeway Stores overseeing operations in eastern Washington and the Idaho Panhandle. He says, “I can state with no equivocation that a liberal arts degree, which teaches you how to think, was invaluable. I was tasked with making decisions on everything; it just didn’t stop. I never had enough time to specialize in any one area. It was like being a CEO of a small company.”

He now spends a great deal of his time devoted to Make-A-Wish Alaska/Washington: wish granting, governance, and fundraising. However, he still finds time to pack in those outdoor activities. In fact, he raced in France at the Ironman World Championships back in September and hung in there for third in his age group—holy moly! He says it was a “tough course. Hot humid day and a bike course that must have been used on the Tour de France. It was, well, a killer! Awesome views of the Mediterranean Alps, but what a beat down.” He anticipates being in Hanover in June 2025 and would like to see as many of us as possible.

Vox clamantis in Ocala, Florida.

—Stephen D. Gray, P.O. Box 771918, Ocala, FL 34477; (650) 302-8739; fratergray@gmail.com