Class Note 1969
Issue
May-June 2020
In the winter of our relative discontent (epidemics, market crashes, politics), our class remains on the move and our correspondents roam around the girdled earth. Dudley Kay sends word that after 16 years of courtship, he and the lovely Jill (Ford) married in December! The beautiful couple will honeymoon on rivers in Europe, so we anticipate the arrival of very cool postcards. People do still send postcards, right?
Peter Schaeffer, on eastern Long Island, reflects that growing up in suburban New York his gang played hockey on frozen ponds every winter. “In the 28 years I’ve lived here on the island we’ve only had one winter when we had enough freezing weather to sail an ice boat.” Peter has given a big assist in finding missing classmates, is doing well, and sends his best.
Tom and Jan Cronan “have officially become snowbirds” on St. John in the Caribbean, enjoying warm sunny weather and doing repairs in the wake of hurricane season. Tom says their home stood up well, but Irma and Maria were devastating for many islanders. There are still houses with “blue tarp” roofs, as supplies and contractors remain scarce. Many islanders left, having lost nearly everything, but many more are resilient. “At the end of the day,” Tom says, “it is a wonderful adventure. We get up every day to one of the most beautiful vistas on God’s green earth.” Tom cannot confirm, but he is told that the Dartmouth Club of the Virgin Islands has the largest membership of all!
Norm Jacobs sends word that his tour of Vietnam and Cambodia was a terrific experience. (Several other classmates have said good things about the Vietnam tours.) Norm also alerts us that we will celebrate a ’69 BBQ Boston mini-reunion on May 30 at the Cambridge Boat Club. RSVP to njacobs@spiritproducts.com.
Dona Heller and Norm have also scheduled the 75th birthday party for May 21, 2022, in New York City, along with many other activities during the weekend! Stay tuned for details.
Ted Adams is our other Asia correspondent, having covered China, India, Bali, and Singapore. Insights: China has a surprising merchant culture, a little like Las Vegas, and India, with dozens of languages and dialects as well as religions, is more challenging still. Bali is a land of beauty, and Singapore is quite modern and relatively easy for Americans to navigate, being a business hub.
Larry Ebner writes of his affection for Dean Thad Seymour and his sadness upon Uncle Thad’s passing. Sharing our love of history, he also boosts the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland, as a hidden gem for tourists. Also with sadness we report that classmate Phillip Morris passed away in Missouri, and we are seeking his family or friends. If you can help, email your secretary at the address below.
—John “Tex” Talmadge, 3519 Brookline Lane, Farmers Branch, TX 75234; (214) 673-9250; johntalmadgemd@gmail.com
Peter Schaeffer, on eastern Long Island, reflects that growing up in suburban New York his gang played hockey on frozen ponds every winter. “In the 28 years I’ve lived here on the island we’ve only had one winter when we had enough freezing weather to sail an ice boat.” Peter has given a big assist in finding missing classmates, is doing well, and sends his best.
Tom and Jan Cronan “have officially become snowbirds” on St. John in the Caribbean, enjoying warm sunny weather and doing repairs in the wake of hurricane season. Tom says their home stood up well, but Irma and Maria were devastating for many islanders. There are still houses with “blue tarp” roofs, as supplies and contractors remain scarce. Many islanders left, having lost nearly everything, but many more are resilient. “At the end of the day,” Tom says, “it is a wonderful adventure. We get up every day to one of the most beautiful vistas on God’s green earth.” Tom cannot confirm, but he is told that the Dartmouth Club of the Virgin Islands has the largest membership of all!
Norm Jacobs sends word that his tour of Vietnam and Cambodia was a terrific experience. (Several other classmates have said good things about the Vietnam tours.) Norm also alerts us that we will celebrate a ’69 BBQ Boston mini-reunion on May 30 at the Cambridge Boat Club. RSVP to njacobs@spiritproducts.com.
Dona Heller and Norm have also scheduled the 75th birthday party for May 21, 2022, in New York City, along with many other activities during the weekend! Stay tuned for details.
Ted Adams is our other Asia correspondent, having covered China, India, Bali, and Singapore. Insights: China has a surprising merchant culture, a little like Las Vegas, and India, with dozens of languages and dialects as well as religions, is more challenging still. Bali is a land of beauty, and Singapore is quite modern and relatively easy for Americans to navigate, being a business hub.
Larry Ebner writes of his affection for Dean Thad Seymour and his sadness upon Uncle Thad’s passing. Sharing our love of history, he also boosts the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, Maryland, as a hidden gem for tourists. Also with sadness we report that classmate Phillip Morris passed away in Missouri, and we are seeking his family or friends. If you can help, email your secretary at the address below.
—John “Tex” Talmadge, 3519 Brookline Lane, Farmers Branch, TX 75234; (214) 673-9250; johntalmadgemd@gmail.com