Kirk Hinman, our dedicated class treasurer, sold his family business, Rome Strip Steel Co., to Worthington Industries of Columbus, Ohio, in January 2015 and retired. Kirk and his wife, Linda, are fine, but they are now tackling a difficult, new challenge. In September they learned that their only grandchild, Spencer, has a rare, fatal, metabolic and neurological disorder called Sanfilippo syndrome. It is a cruel disease, where children develop normally for a few years, then gradually begin to lose their faculties—speech, eyesight, mobility—and suffer seizures, hyperactivity and dementia. Life expectancy is early teens. In the midst of their grief, Kirk and Linda have stepped into a new role as advocates for Spencer and other children. They have lobbied Congress to pass the 21st Century Cures Act to support research on rare diseases. They are also banding together with other Sanfilippo families to increase awareness and raise funds for critical medical research and clinical trials. Because Sanfilippo is a disease that affects a small percentage of the population, a so-called orphan disease, there has been very little interest from biotechnology firms. Families are the driving force in progress to date. Kirk and Linda are spreading the word about Sanfilippo and urging everyone to check out the Cure Sanfilippo Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization working with the affected families to find a cure. Kirk’s daughter and Spencer also have their own webpage for anyone interested in learning more: www.curesff.org/meet-the-families/spencer. Kirk noted that dealing with this disorder is unknown territory for his family, so they are also connecting with people in the world of pharma and academic medicine. Kirk and Linda are channeling their grief into productive and meaningful activity to help Spencer and other children suffering from Sanfilippo syndrome. They are focused on bringing attention to this and other orphan diseases.

I’m writing this at the end of December for the magazine that will have arrived in our mailboxes in February. Forty-five years ago today during Christmas break sophomore year I boarded a plane for two terms of foreign study in Mainz, Germany, as so many Dartmouth students have done over the decades at destinations around the world. Using Germany as a base I ventured north above the Arctic Circle in Norway and south to Crete. This incredible, seven-month adventure led to a lifelong interest in languages, foreign cultures and travel. It also resulted in my choice of German as my major, and it laid the foundation for my career in international business. Under the inspired tutelage of professor of German Dick Macht ’59, our intrepid foreign study group examined German culture and literature and honed our language skills. Among our spirited team members were John Pruitt, John Sheldon, Tim Kelley, Sam Ruyle, Fred Mauet, Chuck Higdon ’73 and Dan Riley ’73. If not for Dartmouth and this eye-opening program, my life would surely have taken a very different path.

Be safe and send news.

—Rick Sample, Retreat Farm, 1137 Manakin Road, Manakin Sabot, VA 23103; samplejr@msn.com