I hope those of you who made it to our reunion returned home basking in a “Partycipatory” glow and that you will consider sending me some reunion nuggets for my next column! But first, please enjoy the following news from several classmates who have not appeared in our class notes in quite some time, if at all.


Belinda Heckler Mulliken writes, “Life in the arboretum of Palo Alto, California, continues to amaze. Eucalyptus trees bloom with pink and white blossoms smack in the middle of the winter holidays. As a former New Englander, I wonder if I’ll ever get used to it. The locals send emergency messages about pending big storms, which amount to just a few inches of rain! It’s a far cry from our days on the Hanover Plain, where a storm might mean so much snow you could practically sled out of your dorm window or require boiling water to open a frozen car door.”


Belated congratulations to Stephen Blackmer, who was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Church in the fall of 2013. “In that role,” says Stephen, “I’m continuing my labors on behalf of the natural world, seeking to link conservation with spiritual and religious life. I’ve started a new kind of church in Canterbury, New Hampshire, called Church of the Woods that strives to do exactly that. Along with being chaplain and pastor, I’m ramping up a nonprofit organization called Kairos Earth. It’s an exciting, challenging and promising new adventure.”


From N.Y.C. Jeanne Straus shares the following news: “I spent early March with fellow ski team members at this year’s CarniVail celebration in Vail, Colorado. Karen Loeffler came all the way from Alaska to be part of the festivities, which featured members of Dartmouth’s 1977 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women championship team as well as members of the College’s 1976 NCAA men’s championship team. Pam Merrill, former women’s ski team coach, rallied seven Dartmouth women to the event, including (besides Straus and Loeffler) Virginia Quinn ’76, Mary Kendall Brown ’78, Christine Simpson Brent ’78, Cate Sprague Gilbane ’78 and Deborah Hart Goth ’80. When not reuniting with old ski team buddies, I run a company consisting of 17 local weekly newspapers and websites and enjoy spending time with my two grown children, Rachel and Colin, and my significant other, Steve Blum (a Yalie!).”


And from across the pond Scott Foster writes, “I am off to my 40th high school reunion this weekend. I’ll be with a lot of folks I haven’t seen since I was 18 and look forward to strolling down memory lane. I still live in Paris with my wife, Elodie, and our five kids. The eldest is off to college this year while the youngest, age 7, still has a ways to go. I run the United Nation’s energy program, the UN Economic Commission for Europe, in Geneva, Switzerland, which means extended weeklong commutes. The work itself is very interesting, though the work-life balance isn’t.”


That’s all for now, friends. Until next time, refresh, enjoy and travel on!


—Stanley Weil, 15 Peck Road, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549; (917) 428-0852; stanno79@gmail.com