When Delaware Gov. John Carney wanted to fill an open spot on the Delaware Supreme Court, he didn’t have to look any farther than Gary Traynor. “Gary is one of Delaware’s sharpest legal minds and has a diverse legal background that will serve him well,” said John. Gary was “thrilled” by the nomination, which the Delaware Senate confirmed in June. “My investiture ceremony in August was attended by many old Dartmouth friends, including several ’78s—Gov. J.C., Dave Mathews, Jay Murphy, Phil Jackmauh, Dan O’Connor and Rick Foster.” A host of other alums attended as well. Gary and his wife, Kathy, live on the beach with their dog Dewey. “As one of my colleagues remarked, I get paid to read, write and think about things. Life is good.” By my count the class now has three judges: Gary, N.H. Supreme Court Justice Jim Bassett and Federal Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses. Any others?

David Hathaway recently volunteered to become the class webmaster, taking the responsibility off the hands of yours truly. “I told Barbie Snyder I was a webmaster for three organizations, and she asked me if I would be willing to take on a fourth.” Thank goodness, the answer was yes! David married Carolyn Greene ’79 in Rollins Chapel, and went to work for IBM in Essex Junction, Vermont, creating programs to help people design computer chips. He retired after 32 years there. In recent years he has done some teaching at University of Vermont and a great deal of volunteering for the Green Mountain Club. An avid hiker, he has climbed the 100 highest peaks in New England and hiked Vermont’s Long Trail twice.

I was deeply saddened by of the passing of professor Vincent Starzinger, whose classes were the academic highlight of my Dartmouth experience. Mark Germano summed up my feelings exactly: “He was a towering, indelible and cherished figure of my college years.” I can see him in my mind’s eye, bullet-headed, crew cut, a commanding presence in the classroom, crisply calling on “Mr. Beyer” or “Mr. Kutcher,” waiting to pounce if your answer wasn’t up to snuff. Despite his distant demeanor, he clearly cared about stimulating students to think. And he occasionally allowed a glimpse of a softer side. Before taking “Constitutional Law” senior year, I joked with him that I had never received an A in one of his courses and hoped to this time. “I approach it, Mr. Beyer, with an open mind, some might say an empty mind,” he replied, with that tight toothy grin of his. I tanked the final, but was surprised to receive an A- in the course anyway. When I asked to see the corrected exam, he said with a straight face that his dog had eaten it, so he was forced to give me an A. “If that’s your story, stick with it,” said I. Farewell to the “Zinger”—he was one of a kind.

—Rick Beyer, 190 Bridge St., #4409, Salem, MA 01970; rick@rickbeyer.net