We were only 10 years old in October 1968 when we saw Dick Fosbury transform the high jump event with his gold medal-winning “Fosbury Flop” at the Mexico City Olympics. Was the domination by Soviet-bloc athletes in the javelin throw the inspiration for Tom Turnbull to take up the sport and eventually make a throw in college that is still among the best ever by a Dartmouth track and field athlete?

As 20-year-olds, we cheered as the Big Green football team recovered from a string of early non-league defeats with an October 1978 win over Yale in Hanover, the Elis’ only Ivy loss that year. The victory ignited a winning streak that helped Dartmouth gain its first league title in five years (and only title during our student years). Placekicker Chris Sawch earned First Team All-Ivy honors that season.

In October of 1988 the two most popular shows on television featured big stars who are still in the news but for all the wrong reasons: Bill Cosby and Roseanne. That same month The Golden Girls and Anything but Love were also ranked in the Top 10. Thirty-something Bob Berlinger would soon be directing episodes of both these shows.

Kudos to Bill Goodspeed. He barely edged out Deb Hart Goth and Cathy McGrath as the fastest to correctly identify the outstanding group of women in April’s column as cloaked, hooded, and smoke-intoxicated members of Fire & Skoal. So what’s the common thread that ties together this group of classmates: Frank Batten, Ted Blaisdell, Kevin Boyle, Mike Buchanan, Cas Caswell, Ronald Chen, Susan Clark, Paula Clemens, Guy Doyon, Gary Elovitz, James Gifford, Jon Herron, Corbey Low Hyman, Brian McConnell, Ed McNierney, Mike Morton, Elizabeth Miller Nestler, Jessie Brumbry Panek, Sam Roberts, Larry Rowe, George Sayen, Marcia Lawrence Somerville, Bob Stannard, and Beverly Foster Seinberg?

The first reader to send an email with the correct answer will win a gift certificate.

I’m sure that many of us have gathered with classmates to celebrate this big birthday year. The ubiquitous (and recently retired) Mark Alperin shuffled up his life of leisure to join me for my 60th. Despite his plea of “no surprises!” to wife Lisa, Rob Ruocco ended up welcoming a parade of unexpected visitors to his home in August. The wave included neighbor Craig Lambdin, kitchen-magician Chuck Wheelock, bicoastal Hans Morris, the ubiquitous Alpo, Iowan Chuck Blades, and a risen-from-the-dead David Marchiony. No animals were harmed in the celebration of Rock’s birthday.

We will close with a tribute to the stages of life, presented in limerick form.

We started as curious creatures,

And morphed into ambitious reachers.

As we exit the maze,

It seems the next phase

Will be lived as insufferable preachers.

—Frank Fesnak, 242 River Road, Gladwyne, PA 19035; (408) 859-9652; ffesnak@gmail.com; Wade Herring, P.O. Box 9848, Savannah, GA 31412, (912) 944-1639; wherring@huntermaclean.com; Rob Daisley, 3201 W. Knights Ave., Tampa, FL 33611; (813) 300-7954; robdaisley@me.com