Class Note 1961
Issue
July-August 2026
Class Note 1961. Ticktock and the clock won’t stop for the class of 1961 as it continues to tick on.
As the secretary of the class of 1961 for 25-plus years, I have been noticing a slow drift in our class discussions, focusing first on active retirement, then onto passive retirement, and now onto the passing away of our remaining classmates at a faster pace. As best as I can recall, I have never discussed class obituaries before, focusing more on current positives or current issues within the class and the College and letting Harris McKee, who is so professional and timely with the matter, deal with these individual obituaries.
However, I decided to make an exception when two classmates recently passed away, not because of these individual classmates but more because of their diversity with respect to the College, class, and me. The first is Ron Wybranowsky, who passed away last fall. Ron’s contributions to the College, the class of 1961, and the lives of many classmates are well known, well recognized, and much appreciated. We note especially that Ron assisted in the selection of the final pose used by the sculptor George Lundeen, who created the Robert Frost statue that has become such a positive and well-known fixture on the Dartmouth campus. Also, it was Ron’s photograph that was selected by the class as its official statue picture, copies of which George Lundeen autographed on a few occasions. The second is Bruce Forester, also much appreciated, who was a well-known psychiatrist, author of note of medical murder mystery novels, and always a source of advice and assistance to a countless number of classmates throughout the years during and beyond our days at the College. In fact, Bruce and his wife, Ericka, introduced my wife, Patti, and me several decades ago.
Well, the clock continues to tick on into 2026 and beyond. May it continue to move on but not too fast, for all of us within the class still living, and at least through our 65th Dartmouth reunion in Hanover September 27-29.
—Victor S. Rich, 94 Dove Hill Drive, Manhasset, NY 11030; (516) 446-3977;richwind13@gmail.com
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More of 1961 Class Notes
As the secretary of the class of 1961 for 25-plus years, I have been noticing a slow drift in our class discussions, focusing first on active retirement, then onto passive retirement, and now onto the passing away of our remaining classmates at a faster pace. As best as I can recall, I have never discussed class obituaries before, focusing more on current positives or current issues within the class and the College and letting Harris McKee, who is so professional and timely with the matter, deal with these individual obituaries.
However, I decided to make an exception when two classmates recently passed away, not because of these individual classmates but more because of their diversity with respect to the College, class, and me. The first is Ron Wybranowsky, who passed away last fall. Ron’s contributions to the College, the class of 1961, and the lives of many classmates are well known, well recognized, and much appreciated. We note especially that Ron assisted in the selection of the final pose used by the sculptor George Lundeen, who created the Robert Frost statue that has become such a positive and well-known fixture on the Dartmouth campus. Also, it was Ron’s photograph that was selected by the class as its official statue picture, copies of which George Lundeen autographed on a few occasions. The second is Bruce Forester, also much appreciated, who was a well-known psychiatrist, author of note of medical murder mystery novels, and always a source of advice and assistance to a countless number of classmates throughout the years during and beyond our days at the College. In fact, Bruce and his wife, Ericka, introduced my wife, Patti, and me several decades ago.
Well, the clock continues to tick on into 2026 and beyond. May it continue to move on but not too fast, for all of us within the class still living, and at least through our 65th Dartmouth reunion in Hanover September 27-29.
—Victor S. Rich, 94 Dove Hill Drive, Manhasset, NY 11030; (516) 446-3977;richwind13@gmail.com