Class Note 1980
Issue
January-February 2024
Although I’ve retired from most of my health and medical writing, let me share this item with the class: The U.S. surgeon general has identified loneliness as a major public health risk, on par with smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Since Covid, I’ve seen the magazine I’ve written for since 1983 fold and was laid off with many others from teaching yoga at my local Y, so I’ve struggled to stay connected. I have come to cherish all the mini-relationships I’ve developed with local businesses, tellers, cashiers, old friends, and strangers I see regularly on the streets of my small town.
The greatest boon to my local social life has been my friendly old beagle Jack, who is very well known around town, and I like to tell people that we were hired by the chamber of commerce to provide “local color.”
I asked others in the class of 1980 to tell me how they stay connected. Merle Adelman does a lot of volunteer work for the class (thanks, Merle!) and hikes and bikes with friends all year long. “I really look forward to getting together with local classmates and to broader class reunions!” she writes.
Jim Pulia is pursuing Italian citizenship in Siena, Italy, where he did his language study abroad program. “I still have a friend there, and I’m pretty sure my kids will be happy to visit me in Italy.”
Christine McDade is working at a new job in Cambridge, Massachusetts,and “loving it!”
Evan Petty is not even considering retirement. “The ‘Great Recession’ did a number on my savings, so I’m going to be working as long as I can.”
Dennis Geist retired from a career in academic and government science in May 2020. He is now volunteering for several organizations, including a conservation nongovernmental organization. “I get pissed if I can’t do two fun activities a day, including biking, fishing, bad golf, hiking, birding, cross-country and downhill skiing, and keeping the estate from being swallowed in weeds.”
Bennett Samson went from full-time work to consulting, which he finds isolating. He reserves one or two days a week for sailing, which allows him to share his passion with others. He and his partner just got an allotment in a community garden, which will introduce them to a new circle of friends.
Marty Peterson, married to Andy Shaw ’76, is torn between staying in a job she loves and joining him in retirement. During these significant transitions, she points out that it’s easy to lose oneself in one’s relationships and it’s important to pay attention to what’s important—which she admits is challenging.
Lynn Carman Bodden delivers groceries to the food bank twice a week and looks forward to reading to elementary school kids.
As of this writing, Kevin Boyle was taking a bike tour through Portugal while Cathy was taking a Portuguese class at the University of Coimbra.
—Rob Dinsmoor, 14 Rust St., South Hamilton, MA 01982; (978) 269-4069; dinsmo@earthlink.net; Wade Herring, P.O. Box 9848, Savannah, GA 31412, (912) 944-1639; wherring@huntermaclean.com; Kal Alston, 948 Euclid Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210; alstonkal@gmail.com
The greatest boon to my local social life has been my friendly old beagle Jack, who is very well known around town, and I like to tell people that we were hired by the chamber of commerce to provide “local color.”
I asked others in the class of 1980 to tell me how they stay connected. Merle Adelman does a lot of volunteer work for the class (thanks, Merle!) and hikes and bikes with friends all year long. “I really look forward to getting together with local classmates and to broader class reunions!” she writes.
Jim Pulia is pursuing Italian citizenship in Siena, Italy, where he did his language study abroad program. “I still have a friend there, and I’m pretty sure my kids will be happy to visit me in Italy.”
Christine McDade is working at a new job in Cambridge, Massachusetts,and “loving it!”
Evan Petty is not even considering retirement. “The ‘Great Recession’ did a number on my savings, so I’m going to be working as long as I can.”
Dennis Geist retired from a career in academic and government science in May 2020. He is now volunteering for several organizations, including a conservation nongovernmental organization. “I get pissed if I can’t do two fun activities a day, including biking, fishing, bad golf, hiking, birding, cross-country and downhill skiing, and keeping the estate from being swallowed in weeds.”
Bennett Samson went from full-time work to consulting, which he finds isolating. He reserves one or two days a week for sailing, which allows him to share his passion with others. He and his partner just got an allotment in a community garden, which will introduce them to a new circle of friends.
Marty Peterson, married to Andy Shaw ’76, is torn between staying in a job she loves and joining him in retirement. During these significant transitions, she points out that it’s easy to lose oneself in one’s relationships and it’s important to pay attention to what’s important—which she admits is challenging.
Lynn Carman Bodden delivers groceries to the food bank twice a week and looks forward to reading to elementary school kids.
As of this writing, Kevin Boyle was taking a bike tour through Portugal while Cathy was taking a Portuguese class at the University of Coimbra.
—Rob Dinsmoor, 14 Rust St., South Hamilton, MA 01982; (978) 269-4069; dinsmo@earthlink.net; Wade Herring, P.O. Box 9848, Savannah, GA 31412, (912) 944-1639; wherring@huntermaclean.com; Kal Alston, 948 Euclid Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210; alstonkal@gmail.com