Today I share the sad news of the passing of Tim Reynolds. Back in the day I saw Tim daily in Robinson Hall, where he was devoted to Dartmouth Broadcasting. He was also an integral member of the Marching Band and a huge supporter of the music scene, working with many campus musicians and bands. Priscilla Huff remembers her friend: “Tim loved the radio station. He happily shared his love of cheesy ’80s rock bands such as Journey and Styx (much to the chagrin of Eric “Big E” Wellman, the program director of 99 Rock). But he also understood it wasn’t just another activity, this was a real business and we had to be professionals. He’s one of the reasons why working at WDCR and WFRD was a great training ground (and I’m still a broadcast journalist today). Tim took that focus into a career that started in TV ad sales and expanded into the digital world of social media and consulting. I’ve heard from many of his colleagues from Rhode Island, New York and Tennessee, and they all miss him, saying he was wonderful to work with. I remember Tim’s dedication and focus the most. Serving as the general manager—making sure the bills got paid and the shifts got filled—it’s honestly an immense job. Tim working with Neel Chatterjee, they just made it all happen. With several cups of terrible Folger’s coffee every day.” More Dartmouth memories about Tim can be found at https://www.wfrd.com/2019/02/19/remembering-tim-reynolds-91/.

In much more joyful news, Dr. Aileen Yingst lives in Brunswick, Maine, is a senior scientist with the Planetary Science Institute, and partners with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the Mars rovers. She was the associate principal investigator last year for the rover Opportunity, known as “Oppy,” which was deployed to Mars in 2004. Aileen analyzed data Oppy sent back and planned her next move. According to News Center Maine, “A global dust storm in June [2018] marked the beginning of the end for Oppy. The rover used solar power to survive, but the dust storm made conditions unbearable. On Wednesday, February 13, NASA stopped its attempts to contact the rover, ending her mission. Dr. Yingst calls Oppy an overachiever for far surpassing her original 90 Martian-day mission.” Aileen is working with the current rover, Curiosity, which is designed to explore the planet’s habitability. She’s having fun with the job, even naming parts of its travel path after places in Maine and at Dartmouth. Yes, there is a Hanover Quad, Robert Frost Pass, and Moosilauke Basin on Mars!

I saw Beth Donovan Morin and Leslie Verkauf Cohen in February. Beth is teaching high school health and global health as a second career, and will be doing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Science Ambassador fellowship related to teaching public health to high school students this summer. She is enjoying being an empty-nester, has a new puppy, and spends many weekends visiting her kids. “With five kids, we were literally at a college every weekend of the fall.” In February Leslie marked 25 years at HBO, where she is VP of film programming. She and her husband, Dan, have a freshman daughter at Tulane University and a son who is a sophomore in high school. Leslie said she “recently saw Dartmouth alum Rashaad Ernesto Green ’00 and his film, Premature, at Sundance. I had licensed the short film on which the feature is based for HBO years ago.”

Finally, our class is having a collective 50th birthday party at Homecoming (October 11-12) and you’re all invited! Book your hotels now, and we’ll get the details out soon.

—Deb Karazin Owens, 166 Colonial Drive, Fairfield, CT 06824; djowens@optonline.net