Class Note 1979
Issue
November-December 2026
Class Note 1979. “Hello for the first time in this century,” writes Tom Smith. I knew Tom from the Choates, which I am no longer embarrassed to admit is where I lived (except for one summer when my always-roommate Nancy Lager and I had a room in Lord Hall, presumably because they thought we would not use the fireplace to cook stews in July—I can only imagine housing administrators kept the non-legacy students away from those nicer rooms for good reasons).
Now, however, I’m thrilled to have lived in the “Remote Choates.” Tom does a great job of summing up why, despite not seeming “cool,” living there was actually great: “I identify with what you wrote about the uncertainty associated with arriving in the Choates that first fall. Notwithstanding my insecurity, I settled down in Brown Hall and, with the exception of a summer term when the dorm was closed, never left. One consequence of staying in one place while others cycled through was that I ended up being great friends with lots of people in classes other than ’79.”
Tom sent photographs from a Choate’s “Gatsby” themed party, including one with his friend David Kelley. Whoa. They reminded me of other parties, including a medieval banquet which included one of our classmates dressed as an all-too-convincing executioner. (This was before the term became used in the corporate arena.)
Tom, who retired in 2019 after 37 years as an attorney for the State of New York, “was lucky enough to work on programs ranging from abandoned cemeteries to nanotechnology.” These days, in addition to recovering from a second hip replacement, he’s often on the “ ‘ABC Tour’: Traveling to Alexandria to visit our oldest son and his family, to Boston to visit our daughter, and Cincinnati to visit our younger son and his family.”
Tom signed off with the quotation: “Be firm, fly low, and stay cool.”
Bob Keefer decided to join the conversation about life as a ’79 in 2026: “I had intended to work until about age 70, since I loved my work and loved the people I was working with at Presbyterian Church of the Master, Omaha, Nebraska. My wife, already retired, insisted I retire so we could travel more.”
Pastor emeritus Bob made a point I’d never considered: “Having only four free weekends a year is a little constricting.” I never thought of clerics needing weekends off. “We do travel, and I also volunteer for civic and cultural organizations as well as the church. And I still get to work as much as I want: I’m enjoying playing ‘Have sermon, will travel.’ I don’t repeat a stock sermon; I prepare a new one for each occasion. That’s part of the fun!”
Bob signs off with, “No republic is safe that tolerates a privileged class or denies to any of its citizens equal rights and equal means to maintain them,” by Frederick Douglass.
How do you, dear friend, sign off? Let me know, okay?
—Gina Barreca, 394 Browns Road, Storrs, CT 06268; gb@ginabarreca.com
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More of 1979 Class Notes
Now, however, I’m thrilled to have lived in the “Remote Choates.” Tom does a great job of summing up why, despite not seeming “cool,” living there was actually great: “I identify with what you wrote about the uncertainty associated with arriving in the Choates that first fall. Notwithstanding my insecurity, I settled down in Brown Hall and, with the exception of a summer term when the dorm was closed, never left. One consequence of staying in one place while others cycled through was that I ended up being great friends with lots of people in classes other than ’79.”
Tom sent photographs from a Choate’s “Gatsby” themed party, including one with his friend David Kelley. Whoa. They reminded me of other parties, including a medieval banquet which included one of our classmates dressed as an all-too-convincing executioner. (This was before the term became used in the corporate arena.)
Tom, who retired in 2019 after 37 years as an attorney for the State of New York, “was lucky enough to work on programs ranging from abandoned cemeteries to nanotechnology.” These days, in addition to recovering from a second hip replacement, he’s often on the “ ‘ABC Tour’: Traveling to Alexandria to visit our oldest son and his family, to Boston to visit our daughter, and Cincinnati to visit our younger son and his family.”
Tom signed off with the quotation: “Be firm, fly low, and stay cool.”
Bob Keefer decided to join the conversation about life as a ’79 in 2026: “I had intended to work until about age 70, since I loved my work and loved the people I was working with at Presbyterian Church of the Master, Omaha, Nebraska. My wife, already retired, insisted I retire so we could travel more.”
Pastor emeritus Bob made a point I’d never considered: “Having only four free weekends a year is a little constricting.” I never thought of clerics needing weekends off. “We do travel, and I also volunteer for civic and cultural organizations as well as the church. And I still get to work as much as I want: I’m enjoying playing ‘Have sermon, will travel.’ I don’t repeat a stock sermon; I prepare a new one for each occasion. That’s part of the fun!”
Bob signs off with, “No republic is safe that tolerates a privileged class or denies to any of its citizens equal rights and equal means to maintain them,” by Frederick Douglass.
How do you, dear friend, sign off? Let me know, okay?
—Gina Barreca, 394 Browns Road, Storrs, CT 06268; gb@ginabarreca.com