Springtime in Paris brings rain, transport strikes, and mail from classmates. One out of three ain’t bad.

After more than three decades as founder and head of the Southwest Environmental Council, Kevin Bixby now leads Wildlife for All, a national campaign to transform wildlife management in the United States “to be more democratic, just, compassionate and focused on saving biodiversity.” The work is “challenging but deeply rewarding,” he wrote. Kevin and his wife, Lisa LaRocque, who works in education and environmental issues, live in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where they built a passive solar adobe house and mastered local skills: “I’m proud to say that both of our daughters know how to safely move rattlesnakes off the front porch.” Kevin occasionally bumps into Tony Anella, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Class of ’78s who attended the 50th anniversary events on campus last year shared a wealth of reflections and emotions and a few laughs.

Sarah Bayldon Beaman found a “home base” in the Native Americans at Dartmouth (NAD) program, of which her best friend, Therese Ojibway,was a founder.“In our day and age [with] unpredictable dorm assignments after returning from a semester off, it was important to find a group that was more stable,” Sarah wrote. “NAD was that group for me.”

For Ricki Fairley, the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA) event in May had family ties: Her late father, Richard Fairley ’55, was one of the founders of BADA, and she co-chaired the event, which attracted more than 300 attendees. “I know my dad was smiling down on us,” Ricki says.

Jane Kirstetter Ingram, a three-season varsity athlete, felt “proud to be an early pioneer or ‘founder’ of women’s sports at Dartmouth.” She caught up at the event in October with Jackie Kaiko, Elin Peterson, Jill Eilertsen Rogers, Annie McLane Kuster, Mary Kendall Brown, Chris Simpson Brent,and Debbie Tarinelli.

For Mary Thron, coeducation weekend in November was the first in-person Dartmouth event she had attended since graduation: “I wasn’t sure I’d remember anyone or if anyone would remember me. I needn’t have worried—there were quite a few familiar faces even after 44 years.” The strong ’78 showing included Sarah BayldonBeaman,Chris Simpson Brent, Catherine Cates, Celia Chen, Lisa Crossley, Jeff Crowe, Sally Eastman, Karen Fagerstrom, Christine Hughes, Lisa Kaeser,Jackie Kaiko, Melinda Kassen, Annie McLane Kuster, Helen Lukash, Wendy Muello, Ellen Meyer Shorb, Carol Hillman Van Dyke, and yours truly.

Melinda said she came because“coeducation was such a major piece of my Dartmouth experience. Most of us had no clue before we arrived on campus how much being in the third class of women would impact our time at the College.” A highlight of the weekend was sitting in on an undergraduate class discussion of the early days of coeducation: “It’s always fun to be Exhibit A—a living, breathing fossil!”

I end with a note of sadness at the passing of Kathy Maher in January. Sincere condolences to her friends and loved ones.

Have a wonderful summer and please send news.

—Anne Bagamery, 13 rue de Presles, 75015 Paris, France; abagamery78@gmail.com; Rick Beyer, 1305 S. Michigan Ave., #1104, Chicago, IL 60605; rickbeyer78@gmail.com