Greetings, fellow ’70s. Forty-five years ago, November of our senior year, the football team took an 8-0 record into Princeton’s Palmer Stadium in search of a perfect season. It was not to be, as the Tigers prevailed 35-7. A small but spirited group of ’70s, including some of the combatants from that fateful day, returned to Princeton in 2014 and witnessed a much different outcome as the Big Green totally dominated and won going away, 41-11. Dartmouth finished with an 8-2 record, our best in years, and the future looks bright. Pre- and post-game festivities were led by Star Johnson (with a major assist from Susan and Wells Chandler ’68) and included Sally and Ernie Babcock, Claudia and Pete Donovan, Carole and Jon Nistad, Faffy and Jim Decker, Charles Dorkey III, Jeff Dahlman and Ann and Bill Wilson. 


Just as Ann and I did three-plus years ago, another classmate has succumbed to the charms of North Carolina’s triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) area. In some respects this is a homecoming for Jim Zimpritch, who attended Duke Law School after Dartmouth. Upon graduating from Duke Jim spent 41 years practicing corporate and business law at Pierce Atwood LLP in Portland, Maine. Jim and his wife, Lyn, a pediatric anesthesiologist, have settled in Durham and are already engaged in the Duke and Durham communities.


The term “irrepressible” hardly does justice to our own Dr. John Chittick, founder and executive director of TeenAIDS-PeerCorps. While Ebola and Islamic extremism have limited John’s travels on the African continent, it also seems to have led to a realization that, in his words, “My work is all about training peer leaders to save innocent young lives from a deadly threat—whereas ISIS terrorists are all about training their young disciples to kill innocent people and likely die in the process.” John also proudly notes that the majority of his work is done in the United States with American teens and college interns. To learn more about John’s work go to www.teenaids.org.


Sadly, I end this column with notice of the death of two classmates. On October 25, 2014, Keith Jackson succumbed to a heart attack in San Diego. He is survived by his widow, Janice Rozzelle, and son Khalil Jackson. Terry Spencer passed away on November 25, 2014. He leaves his widow, Judy, and children Gina, Joseph, Morgan and Samuel. The class extends sympathies to the Jackson and Spencer families.


By my most recent count there are still 417 living classmates who I have not heard from, so please help me keep this column going by sending something, anything about your life. In the meantime have a wonderful 2015.


—Bill Wilson, 304 Highlands Bluffs Drive, Cary, NC 27518; wilson8689@aol.com