I am writing on a snowy February morning, knowing that you will be reading these notes on a warm spring day, just weeks before our 25th reunion. With the reunion in mind I wrote a few classmates to ask about reunion plans. Kim Bomar responded that she plans to be there with her children, along with Nicola (McLeod) Pitter and her kids. Kim added, “I was struck by how beautiful the place was when I went to my 20th. I had forgotten. Lots of physical changes to the campus that I’d like to see too.” Steve Dettelbach wrote that he is likely coming by himself to reunion and is most looking forward to “seeing old friends and all joining in making up stuff we did together at Dartmouth that we all know sounds 20 times more rebellious and crazy than we really were!” Steve also answered my update request, sharing that “I am still back in Cleveland, Ohio, and after the reelection I am continuing the second term serving as the president-appointed U.S. attorney for the northern district of Ohio. That does me no good at home, however, where my lovely wife, Karil, and two incredible kids (Allie, 9, and David, 7, who, thank God, look just like their mom!) could not care less who is the ‘head fed’ here and still have me firmly ensconced in my rightful place at the bottom of the pecking order!”


As much as I’m looking forward to our reunion, I wonder if anyone else shares my reunion worry of becoming tongue-tied? Maybe it is the wave of nostalgia, the over-stimulation or an inability to speak clearly after less than six hours of sleep. Whatever the cause, here are four ways to combat this problem. First, you can accomplish something so noteworthy that classmates will approach you to discuss your feat. I’ll suggest that Mary Pavel falls into this category by recently being named the staff director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Congratulations, Mary! Second, you can try the approach of Sonja Kuftinec and her husband: Produce the most-recent ’88 baby and bring the adorable bundle along with you. Harris Matija Kuftinec Arsham is a good-looking baby (see the newsletter for proof) and sure to be a conversation starter. Third, I asked Steve to suggest some tips; he offered this list. 


Conversation starters: “Forget you. Just tell me about your kids.” “Look at this place and these people. Can you believe how stupid we were not to appreciate our time here more every day?” “Need another drink?”


Lines to avoid: “You don’t know who I am, do you?” “You look like you had a rough night last night.” (It was okay to ask this when we were younger and there was no chance that this is just how we look normally!) “Hey kid! I remember your dad when he had hair.” Or “I remember your mom when she had brown hair.”


Lastly, you can dust off some synapses and improve your name-recall speed by watching this video: http://bit.ly/Dartmouth88 made by John “Ozzy” Osborne. People I hadn’t thought of for ages brought instant smiles and memories: Kathy Beams, Jonathan Danziger, Elisa Murray, Jen Wertz and Tom Ward! It was great to see you on my computer and I hope to see you each in person soon. I’m sure we will all recognize one another, as no one has aged a bit. 


Cheers.


—Jane (Grussing) Lonnquist, 4510 Drexel Ave., Edina, MN 55424; jjlonnquist@earthlink.net