Class Note 1981
Issue
September-October 2020
No one does it alone. At times of greatest difficulty, someone helps, some thoughts inspire, and hope and community coalesce. This is the essence of the big question about the concept of “trail magic,” a term used by long-distance hikers to describe an unexpected occurrence that lifts spirits, inspires gratitude, or otherwise eases the strain of an arduous journey, like the one we all find ourselves on during this time of pandemic and social awareness.
Philip Gibbs relates, “Most of this pandemic has been pretty lousy. I have friends who are sick and relatives of friends who have passed away. That said, perhaps we will appreciate some of the things that really matter. My trail magic moment occurred when my daughter, who is doing her sophomore spring term in her bedroom, said to me, ‘I’m okay; there are people with much bigger problems.’ Good kid.” Weyman Lundquist seems to have both received and created trail magic. “My trail magic was getting Small Business Administration approval for a Paycheck Protection Program loan for my company, West Coast Magnetics. With close to 100 employees in the United States and 150 south of the border, a lot of people are relying on me. It has been a wild three weeks, very stressful. I have been able to dial back the cortisol with regular trips to the bay to race with my buddies on my hydrofoil windsurfer.” John Curtis suggests a cyclical nature to the beneficence of trail magic. “As some of you know, I stepped in to rescue a botanic garden several years ago. During the pandemic we elected to remain open. A worker emailed: ‘The garden is looking lovely. We had a nurse visit and become a member almost in tears, thanking us for being open and providing a much-needed escape.’ After working with the local police on how to stay open to support visitors’ well-being and getting staff behind our approach, this email was the trail magic to keep me hiking.”
Greg Slayton sees magic all around him. “Early one morning many years ago our 5-year-old (Christian ’15) asked why I was leaving so early for work. When I told him I wanted to be sure we could send him to Dartmouth, he volunteered to stay 5 years old for the rest of his life so I wouldn’t have to work so hard.” The Covid-19-inspired question caused Betsy Slotnick Rubinstein to write an appropriate 19-stanza poem that will be reproduced in the ’81 newsletter. She ends her oeuvre with: “For all the magic that has shone, Upon this unmarked trail, Has lit our path, will lead us on, And proves we will prevail.”
Lastly, I wish to thank heartily my fellow co-secretary Veronica Wessels, who ends her five-year stint with this column. She has injected her obvious passion, top-notch organizational talent, and a very special level of creativity to her role. Thankfully, she will continue involvement in various communications initiatives for the class. Cheers, Vee!
—Emil Miskovsky, P.O. Box 2162, North Conway, NH, 03860; (802)345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 864-4491; vcwessels@rogers.com
Philip Gibbs relates, “Most of this pandemic has been pretty lousy. I have friends who are sick and relatives of friends who have passed away. That said, perhaps we will appreciate some of the things that really matter. My trail magic moment occurred when my daughter, who is doing her sophomore spring term in her bedroom, said to me, ‘I’m okay; there are people with much bigger problems.’ Good kid.” Weyman Lundquist seems to have both received and created trail magic. “My trail magic was getting Small Business Administration approval for a Paycheck Protection Program loan for my company, West Coast Magnetics. With close to 100 employees in the United States and 150 south of the border, a lot of people are relying on me. It has been a wild three weeks, very stressful. I have been able to dial back the cortisol with regular trips to the bay to race with my buddies on my hydrofoil windsurfer.” John Curtis suggests a cyclical nature to the beneficence of trail magic. “As some of you know, I stepped in to rescue a botanic garden several years ago. During the pandemic we elected to remain open. A worker emailed: ‘The garden is looking lovely. We had a nurse visit and become a member almost in tears, thanking us for being open and providing a much-needed escape.’ After working with the local police on how to stay open to support visitors’ well-being and getting staff behind our approach, this email was the trail magic to keep me hiking.”
Greg Slayton sees magic all around him. “Early one morning many years ago our 5-year-old (Christian ’15) asked why I was leaving so early for work. When I told him I wanted to be sure we could send him to Dartmouth, he volunteered to stay 5 years old for the rest of his life so I wouldn’t have to work so hard.” The Covid-19-inspired question caused Betsy Slotnick Rubinstein to write an appropriate 19-stanza poem that will be reproduced in the ’81 newsletter. She ends her oeuvre with: “For all the magic that has shone, Upon this unmarked trail, Has lit our path, will lead us on, And proves we will prevail.”
Lastly, I wish to thank heartily my fellow co-secretary Veronica Wessels, who ends her five-year stint with this column. She has injected her obvious passion, top-notch organizational talent, and a very special level of creativity to her role. Thankfully, she will continue involvement in various communications initiatives for the class. Cheers, Vee!
—Emil Miskovsky, P.O. Box 2162, North Conway, NH, 03860; (802)345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 864-4491; vcwessels@rogers.com