Class Note 1957
Issue
March-April 2026
Class Note 1957. I am going to try to act like a class secretary since we haven’t yet found anyone to replace the irreplaceable John Cusick. I miss John, as I’m sure many of you do. I’ve started calling ’mates from a list of longtime donors, thanks in part to the encouragement of our treasurer, Barry Rotman.
I’ve enjoyed making contact and catching up on classmates’ lives. I welcome any of you joining me in this, even if you just want to do so in one column.
The first person I reached was Walt Burgin. Walt said that he is in rough shape following the loss of his wife, Barbara. Barbara died in October, but he had just held a memorial service for her the day before I called. Walt met Barbara on a blind date set up by his Mercersburg Academy roommate and later Dartmouth roommate, Fred Eichorn.
They married soon after graduation. While in graduate studies in mathematics at Prince-ton, Walt got a call from his alma mater saying Mercersburg was in desperate need of a math teacher. Walt responded, found that he loved teaching math, and made that his career. He went on to teach at Exeter, then returned to Mercersburg as headmaster, greatly increasing the endowment while he presided. After retirement Walt and Barbara spent 20 years in Washington, D.C., and then moved to RiverWoods, a senior community in Exeter, New Hampshire.
Clyde Brownstone remains very active, though retired from the manufacturing company he presided over for many years. Much of his energy goes into managing the Brownstone Family Foundation he and Dianne established. Among their contributions are the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, the N.Y.C. mounted police, and an endowment for a visiting professor in Dartmouth’s Jewish studies program. He has created a special fund for senior N.Y.C. police officers who want to attend graduate school.
Much of his focus has been the Crime Stoppers program, which offers rewards of up to $3,500 for anonymous information provided to the tips hotline leading to the indictment and conviction of a violent felon. Clyde said that 10 percent of the murders in N.Y.C. are solved through the hotline.
—Bruce Bernstein, 235 Walker St., Apt. 156, Kimball Farms, Lenox, MA 01240-2747; bhbernstein75@gmail.com
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I’ve enjoyed making contact and catching up on classmates’ lives. I welcome any of you joining me in this, even if you just want to do so in one column.
The first person I reached was Walt Burgin. Walt said that he is in rough shape following the loss of his wife, Barbara. Barbara died in October, but he had just held a memorial service for her the day before I called. Walt met Barbara on a blind date set up by his Mercersburg Academy roommate and later Dartmouth roommate, Fred Eichorn.
They married soon after graduation. While in graduate studies in mathematics at Prince-ton, Walt got a call from his alma mater saying Mercersburg was in desperate need of a math teacher. Walt responded, found that he loved teaching math, and made that his career. He went on to teach at Exeter, then returned to Mercersburg as headmaster, greatly increasing the endowment while he presided. After retirement Walt and Barbara spent 20 years in Washington, D.C., and then moved to RiverWoods, a senior community in Exeter, New Hampshire.
Clyde Brownstone remains very active, though retired from the manufacturing company he presided over for many years. Much of his energy goes into managing the Brownstone Family Foundation he and Dianne established. Among their contributions are the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, the N.Y.C. mounted police, and an endowment for a visiting professor in Dartmouth’s Jewish studies program. He has created a special fund for senior N.Y.C. police officers who want to attend graduate school.
Much of his focus has been the Crime Stoppers program, which offers rewards of up to $3,500 for anonymous information provided to the tips hotline leading to the indictment and conviction of a violent felon. Clyde said that 10 percent of the murders in N.Y.C. are solved through the hotline.
—Bruce Bernstein, 235 Walker St., Apt. 156, Kimball Farms, Lenox, MA 01240-2747; bhbernstein75@gmail.com