Class Note 1989

When I started to write this, I was asking fellow ’89s what were two words that would describe Summer Carnival, but the coronavirus epidemic hit and suddenly that seemed less important.

I’ve been heartened to hear of all of our classmates who are on the frontlines helping patients and fighting Covid-19. Thank you to every ’89 and Dartmouth alum who is working against this. With almost all of us sequestered to our homes, connection is the one thing I crave, as I’m sure many of you do. And although we can’t meet for a cup of coffee or lunch, our weekly Zoom calls have been a great way to connect with classmates around the world, from Europe, across the United States, and over in Asia. And we’re happy that our girls are both home with us—we’re passing the time baking pretzels, making different dishes, and reaching out to family and friends way more than we used to.

I look forward to when we can get back together in person, visit family in different cities, go back up to Dartmouth—or even more than around the block. Whenever that is, I’m looking forward to it and in the meantime will be on Zoom every Saturday at 4 and 11 p.m. Hanover time.

I talked to Frank von Hippel recently, as he has a new book that should be out in May, The Chemical Age: How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth. Frank is teaching at Northern Arizona University, where his “research is in the area of ecotoxicology, primarily working with vulnerable communities impacted by pollution.” Frank also hosts a monthly podcast called the Science History Podcast. Frank also related, “My wife, Cathy Compton von Hippel, is also a member of our class. We have three kids. Our oldest, Max, is a first-year Ph.D. student in computer science and math at Northeastern; our daughter, Sophia, is a sophomore at the University of Arizona; and our little guy, Sam, is in sixth grade. I’m a close friend of Harvey Fracht, who is now a corneal surgeon in Pennsylvania.”

Kathy Appruzzese Sherbrooke has also finished a new novel, Leaving Coy’s Hill, and “the opening has been accepted into the spring issue of Embark Literary Journal, an online journal dedicated to showcasing select unpublished works of fiction. I’m thrilled to share it with you!”

I regret to inform the class that Jay Warden passed away on March 1 due to complications from influenza and pneumonia. Jay’s full obituary is on our 1989 class page, and you can send me any remembrances of Jay to add to his page.

—Ned Ward, 2104 Graham Ave., #B, Redondo Beach, CA 90278; ned@nedorama.com