Class Note 1951
Issue
January-February 2023
Continuing the theme of joy in old age, here are several more contributions from ’51 classmates who—well into their 90s—are still finding great pleasure in their daily lives, despite inevitable aches and pains.
Jack Woods has written an especially thoughtful reflection, “My Life,” celebrating his joy in living, despite the sad loss of his wife, Sue, several years ago. He reports, “I can still walk a reasonable distance without a cane, read most things without my glasses, maintain a conversation without my hearing aids, and drive my car after dark.” Jack enjoys his senior living community in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where he indulges newfound interests in writing and investigating the transcendental. Says Jack, “I’m open to the unpredictable rather than constrained and predetermined by the past.”
Marshall Cohen, also alone since the death of his wife, Margaret, in 2019, delights in seeing his children flourish. Also pleasing are friendships with academic friends and former students from his many years as a professor and dean at the University of Southern California. “Having the time to read and listen more broadly to the literature and music I love will always be there for me,” he says. “I am content.”
Connecting with family and friends, especially Dartmouth classmates, is a recurring theme as I hear from ’51s. Giles Hamlin lights up as he describes summers at a family cottage on a lake near Cooperstown, New York, that has been home to six generations of Hamlins. Giles carries on Jim Cavanagh’s tradition of staying in touch with members of his Dartmouth Medical School class.
Birding (Paul Meyer), fitness (Bill Birkenmeier), giving back and helping people in need (Doris Lindner, George Emerson), travel (Peirce McKee, Marilyn Fiertz), and drawing, painting, art (Jean Bowler) are other examples of pleasurable and contributive ways in which ’51s are enjoying this stage of life.
Come to think of it, a phone visit with a classmate is always a joy. Give it a try!
Sadly, we continue to lose members of the class. Don Clark, M.D., also a graduate of the Dartmouth Medical School, died last September.
—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com
Jack Woods has written an especially thoughtful reflection, “My Life,” celebrating his joy in living, despite the sad loss of his wife, Sue, several years ago. He reports, “I can still walk a reasonable distance without a cane, read most things without my glasses, maintain a conversation without my hearing aids, and drive my car after dark.” Jack enjoys his senior living community in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where he indulges newfound interests in writing and investigating the transcendental. Says Jack, “I’m open to the unpredictable rather than constrained and predetermined by the past.”
Marshall Cohen, also alone since the death of his wife, Margaret, in 2019, delights in seeing his children flourish. Also pleasing are friendships with academic friends and former students from his many years as a professor and dean at the University of Southern California. “Having the time to read and listen more broadly to the literature and music I love will always be there for me,” he says. “I am content.”
Connecting with family and friends, especially Dartmouth classmates, is a recurring theme as I hear from ’51s. Giles Hamlin lights up as he describes summers at a family cottage on a lake near Cooperstown, New York, that has been home to six generations of Hamlins. Giles carries on Jim Cavanagh’s tradition of staying in touch with members of his Dartmouth Medical School class.
Birding (Paul Meyer), fitness (Bill Birkenmeier), giving back and helping people in need (Doris Lindner, George Emerson), travel (Peirce McKee, Marilyn Fiertz), and drawing, painting, art (Jean Bowler) are other examples of pleasurable and contributive ways in which ’51s are enjoying this stage of life.
Come to think of it, a phone visit with a classmate is always a joy. Give it a try!
Sadly, we continue to lose members of the class. Don Clark, M.D., also a graduate of the Dartmouth Medical School, died last September.
—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com