Greetings! We’ve just passed the summer solstice as I’m writing this, and by the time you get this it will be close to the summer’s end. Thanks to a few of you for helping me out with news. I was able to put together a few bits and pieces, so here they are. Nessa Flax is writing and editing in the Upper Valley. She has a regular column in a local newspaper the Journal Opinion in Bradford, Vermont, titled “Rambling Reflections.” She is also involved in writing and editing projects, including copyediting a novel by a lawyer, playwright and professor at UMass Boston. Nessa reached out to Nils Rosenquist, who has his own law firm in San Francisco, where he lives with wife Sally, who works at Gumps. Nils has taken up fencing again at the Halberstadt Fencing Club, the oldest in the city. He says that there are not many older sabre fencers and it is taking a toll on him. He says he is “buying ibuprofen by the caseload.” He and Sally head to England to visit Sally’s family as much as possible.

I spoke with Wendy Simila Snickenberger, who is in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Her three children are all out of college. Her oldest son, Alex, is in N.Y.C., son Mark is in Boston and daughter Sally is teaching in the Boston area and working on her master’s in education. Wendy pointed me in the direction of Jan Hudson Cubbison, who spent multiple terms in Hanover on exchange from University of California, San Diego. Wendy mentioned that Jan’s husband, Gene, had received a breaking news Emmy for his coverage of the Cocos fire last year in southern California. When I checked up on that Jan let me know that she had also received Emmys in 2004 and 2007 for world news and breaking news. (We know what they use for bookends.) Jan has had her hand in various facets of broadcast news over the years and is now an executive recruiter in the high-tech industry. Jan and Gene have lived in the San Diego area for 28 years. Jan mentioned that she managed to get together with Fern Bennett Phillips and her niece when Fern was in San Diego for a conference.

Brad Agry is in N.Y.C. and passed along news that last fall he ran into Ted Scheu, who was in New York doing a series of presentations to increase kids’ enjoyment and appreciation of poetry. Ted lives in Middlebury, Vermont. In Ted’s words, “I write poetry for kids (humorous, but dealing with real kid issues) and I spend about 100 days each year as a visiting author and teacher in elementary schools around the country helping kids find their own writers’ voices. I’d do this job for nothin’, it’s that much fun. I finally found what I want to be when I grow up, and I don’t even have to. If any classmates have grandkids (I was too late for the ’76 kid cycle) who’d like to have a bunch of fun at their school, get in touch. My books (six collections, two dozen anthologies) are available on Amazon. More info: www.poetryguy.com.”

I contacted Dave C. Clark in St. Louis, Missouri, who told me that he now has two grandchildren and John Haffenreffer, also in the St. Louis area, has three. Clarkie reports that in September he will be performing the ceremony at his nephew’s wedding in Napa, California. I know Clarkie didn’t go to divinity school, so I believe he may have sent in three box tops and received his certification from the Cleaver online divinity program. I believe that Jerry Mathers will be the ring bearer. Clarkie also mentioned that he’d like Howard Lay and Greg Cronin to at least raise their hand and let people know what they’re up to or contact him.

I appreciate the help of everyone who contributed information and look forward to hearing from more of you before my next deadline on August 28. Take care and enjoy what is left of the summer.

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