Class Note 1953
Issue
May - Jun 2019
One of the beautiful things about a liberating education is that when you no longer can ambulate with the same dexterity as you did previously, and have time to ruminate when “retired,” you write to share your experiences. Through the years classmates who are amateur writers have provided lessons of life, great adventure stories, and thoughtful discourses on society. Ambassador Peter Bridges has inspired a raft of young people with his experiences as an officer in the foreign service.
Dick Calkins, an attorney, has written a wonderful book, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. It is an important book to read if you have any interest in our system of justice. In fact, it is an important commentary on our entire social system. I enjoyed it and could not put it down. It read like a novel, yet it is a real-life drama. I recommend it enthusiastically. Donna Riley has written another very important book, Learning the Hard Way: A Caregiver’s Struggle with Alzheimer’s. Ultimately this book is not exactly a blueprint of how to live when a spouse becomes an Alzheimer patient, because each person’s journey is somewhat different. It is, however, a liberating document that lays it all on the line with a loving understanding of the patient and profound consideration of the welfare of the caring caregiver. It is a book that should be read by all, as we are all affected in some manner by this horrible disease. And Bruce Sherman has written How Grandparents Can Handle Grandkids’ Issues, From Cults to Visitations. Bruce writes that the book is a “reflection of the increasing role being played by grandparents as a result of soaring divorce rates and dysfunctional families.” You can read my critiques in full for the first two books on Amazon.
This has been a very tough two months for the class as we have lost classmates Warren Babcock, Russ Cook, John Cunningham, Stanley Kimmel, David Martin, and David Stowe. They will be missed. We send our sincere condolences to their families.
—Mark H. Smoller, 401 Lake Shore Road, Putnam Valley, NY 10579; (845) 603-5066; dartmark@gmail.com
Dick Calkins, an attorney, has written a wonderful book, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt. It is an important book to read if you have any interest in our system of justice. In fact, it is an important commentary on our entire social system. I enjoyed it and could not put it down. It read like a novel, yet it is a real-life drama. I recommend it enthusiastically. Donna Riley has written another very important book, Learning the Hard Way: A Caregiver’s Struggle with Alzheimer’s. Ultimately this book is not exactly a blueprint of how to live when a spouse becomes an Alzheimer patient, because each person’s journey is somewhat different. It is, however, a liberating document that lays it all on the line with a loving understanding of the patient and profound consideration of the welfare of the caring caregiver. It is a book that should be read by all, as we are all affected in some manner by this horrible disease. And Bruce Sherman has written How Grandparents Can Handle Grandkids’ Issues, From Cults to Visitations. Bruce writes that the book is a “reflection of the increasing role being played by grandparents as a result of soaring divorce rates and dysfunctional families.” You can read my critiques in full for the first two books on Amazon.
This has been a very tough two months for the class as we have lost classmates Warren Babcock, Russ Cook, John Cunningham, Stanley Kimmel, David Martin, and David Stowe. They will be missed. We send our sincere condolences to their families.
—Mark H. Smoller, 401 Lake Shore Road, Putnam Valley, NY 10579; (845) 603-5066; dartmark@gmail.com