Most of us will reach full retirement age this year, according to the Social Security Administration. In response to my recent email pleas for news and greetings to a few classmates on the occasion of their 66th birthdays, John Eckels kindly responded. John explained that he burned out and retired when he was 60 years old. John was a chemistry major at Dartmouth and then went to Dartmouth Medical School. After further medical training at the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine and 30 years of practice in anesthesiology in the San Francisco Bay Area, John retired and followed his partner to sunnier Southern California. John now enjoys his work as cook, cleaner, repairman, gardener and part-time cultural glutton for reading, music and theater. John never played the organ in any official capacity, but it has always been his main avocation. Now he thoroughly revels in the freedom to practice the organ for hours daily, and he plays better than he did at Rollins Chapel so many years ago. John recently celebrated his birthday in Arizona with his father, Jim Eckels ’45.

Be safe and send news.

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