Hello, classmates. As we move inexorably toward our 50th it’s worth savoring what our class has done through the decades through its scholarship efforts. We’ve received several letters of gratitude from current students our class helps support. Betel Koc ’25 reflected on how she watched a doctor she interned with “diagnose and treat patients with compassion and expertise”; Lucinda Gullisaon ’26 is happy to be at the College with “others [who] are also engaged and eager to learn”; and Mahin “May” Alam ’26 won the prestigious Gilman scholarship and plans to study abroad next fall in Berlin. Sara Hoagland Hunter writes that she attended a moving celebration of the life of Polly Hill, mother of Rick Hill and Jody Hill Simpson ’74, and wife of the late Richard Hill ’41, a member of the board of trustees from 1973 to 1983. Sara also noted the September launch of her newest book, Married Days. She describes it as “more I Love Lucy than spiritual guide.” Nationally syndicated writer David Shribman calls the book “a witty and wise look at the madcap madness of marriage.” Our class VP of communications Kipp Barker has an appeal we hope you will pay attention to: “It is amazing to think that it has been more than 50 years since our class finished its freshman year. Some of us have done a great job keeping in touch with these friends, while many others have lost touch with classmates. It is time to reconnect with our college friends as well as make new friends among those folks we did not get to know. I am leading an initiative called ‘Project Reconnect’ with the purpose of reaching out to members of our class who we’ve lost touch with through the years, hoping to rekindle friendships that were so important to us. In the next several months a team of your peers will reach out to hundreds of classmates to rekindle old friendships and create new ones. If you would like to participate in this initiative, feel free to reach out to me at kippbarker@yahoo.com or call me at (425) 219-0971.” In a proposal in the Journal of the American Medical Association, two distinguished informaticians outlined what they called “essential electronic health reforms for this decade.” Don E. Detmer, M.D., M.A., is professor emeritus and professor of medical education at the University of Virginia. Andy Gettinger, M.D., is a professor of anesthesiology emeritus at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. Detmer and Gettinger noted that despite distinct advantages that electronic health records (EHR) bring, the structure of healthcare services in the United States “has made it difficult to exploit their most desirable features. Instead of supporting clinicians seeking to deliver care more effectively and efficiently, current EHR design and configurations attempt to manage clinicians and how they do their work.” Please send news of yourself or classmates to steve@stevebellcommunications.com. Don’t be shy. If your news is more extensive and comes with pictures, don’t forget Jim Burns’class newsletter. Ciao for now.

—Steve Bell, 15 Harbour Pointe, Buffalo, NY 14202; steve@stevebellcommunications.com