Happy New Year! I can hardly believe that 2010 has finally arrived. For my co-secretary and I (as well as many of you) 2010 means we will turn 50. Your class officers hope that the new year is filled with good health, wonderful memories and great satisfaction in all that you do. Please take the time to share some news with us this year.


In 2009 Cathy Judd-Stein and I embarked on the “1982 birthday e-mail program.” Many of you received birthday e-mails from us this past year. A few classmates were not thrilled to be reminded about their birthdays, but most of you seemed to appreciate the gesture. So if you want to get a birthday e-mail this year, please make sure the College has your current e-mail address. You can update it online. Here are some interesting birthday facts from our class. 


There are exactly 21 days in the year where there are no class birthdays. The award for the day with the most birthdays goes to January 10, when nine of you were born. What was going on with their parents around April 10? Easter? Passover? Relief that income tax returns were filed? The silver medal goes to September 3 with eight class birthdays. Then there is a three-way tie for third place between January 11, May 9 and October 13 for seven birthdays each, although May 9 holds another record since the seven May 9 birthdays were the same year (which was not the case with the other dates).


One of us was born on January 1, but none of us was born on the Fourth of July. We have three Christmas Day birthdays and two of us were born on New Year’s Eve (ruining their parents’ party plans). Two classmates were born on February 29. Yes, 1960 was a leap year! Some of you have already hit the mid-century mark, while some of you can put off that big birthday for another year or two (yes, Tee Lotson, I will be calling you in January 2012). I, for one, know the date and place not only of my birth, but also of my conception. Yes, it’s a long story (feel free to e-mail me). Suffice to say I was conceived in September 1959 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on the night of the Miss America pageant. Any wonder I’m gay?


Finally, it is my pleasure to announce the newest member of the great class of 1982: Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim. Dr. Kim actually graduated from Brown University in 1982, but your class officers moved quickly to make him an honorary ’82. During Homecoming Weekend in October, over thirty members of our class gathered in the Russo Gallery of the Haldeman Center’s Kemeny Hall for a formal induction ceremony. President Matt Hoffman welcomed Dr. Kim and presented him with his own copy of our 25th reunion book. Tee Lotson gave a moving speech about our class and its uniqueness. Guests enjoyed food, drinks and bagpipes played by Julie Hahnke. Photos and a video of the event are posted on the class Web site. Those in attendance included Cheryl Bascomb, Rachel Froman Bettencourt, Gail Koziara Boudreaux, Brook Tolley Confort, Mary Conway, Sheila Kay Cooper, Vaune Dugan, Donna Fagerstrom, Annie Bork Frazier, Lillian Cousins Giornelli, Herb Hardwick, Corinne Heyes, Gray Reisfield Horan, Marty Jacobs, Tom Lane, Bill Lipfert, Ann MacAffer, Jonathan Marvel, Sharon Flynn McClymonds, Sherri Carroll Oberg, Gina Kunz Podlesak, Kim Quirk, Kate Pesek Sackman, Gail Sullivan, Brian Tompkins and Judi Davidson Wolf. Kudos to mini-reunion co-chairs Philippa Guthrie and Martha Solis-Turner for organizing the event! Now can we get Dr. Kim to chair the 30th reunion committee? 


—David Eichman, 9004 Wonderland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046; dme4law@sbcglobal.net; Cathy Judd-Stein, 15 Lakeview Road, Winchester, MA 01890; cjuddstein@yahoo.com