Greetings!


I sincerely hope that by the time you are reading this in April that the Northeast has seen the snow melt and the temperatures have returned to seasonal norms. I’m sure that the ski areas have taken advantage of the temperatures and conditions to extend their seasons, so I hope you folks have been able to at least take advantage of that. Fortunately, we have some news to report. Again, I ask you to be patient with timing when you send me information. Keep in mind that these columns are written six weeks prior to publication. Your best sources for quicker news can generally be found on the class of ’76 Facebook page, the class of ’76 website accessed through the College website or Judy Csatari’s class of ’76 newsletter. 


Congratulations are in order for Kenneth L. Mickens, Esq. He has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF), a nonprofit corporation based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that promotes energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy conservation. Kenneth is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and maintains a private legal practice in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He has been a member of the SEF board since 2010.


Neil Van Dyke passed along news that he and his wife, Carol Hillman ’78, sold their business, the Golden Eagle Resort in Stowe, Vermont. Neil and Carol had operated the hotel since 1979. Rather than retire, Neil has found what he calls a “dream job.” For more than 35 years Neil has been involved as a founding member and volunteer with Stowe Mountain Rescue and served as president of the national Mountain Rescue Association from 2010 to 2012. His new job encompasses what he has loved about his volunteer work. He has been appointed the Vermont Department of Public Safety coordinator for all backcountry rescue activities in the state. This involves working with state and federal agencies, local fire, police and EMS departments, as well as ski patrols and other volunteer search and rescue groups. 


The College passed along an article published in Georgetown Features (georgetownfeatures.com/from-aids-to-ebola-georgetown-doctor-treats-epidemics-all-over-the-globe) that outlines the contributions of Dr. Daniel Lucey, who has worked all over the world helping fight against the ravages of the deadly diseases that we have seen develop in our lifetimes—Ebola, SARS, MERS and others. Dan is an infectious diseases physician and adjunct professor with Georgetown University Medical Center. The article does more justice to his contributions than I can do here in the space allotted.


Finally, I’d like to thank all of our classmates who have helped me with the obituaries that we’ve had to deal with during the past six months. Without their assistance there would have been less detailed information passed along about the lives and contributions of our classmates who have passed. Please take a look at the obituaries that are accessible through the DAM website. Also there are opportunities to pass along remembrances and anecdotes about our classmates.


Take care, stay healthy and enjoy your families.


—Jay Josselyn, 2006 Golden Belt Parkway, Durham, NC 27703; (919) 452-3928; jayjosselyn@hotmail.com