Class Notes 1951

Our classmate Haviland Smith, a retired CIA officer and longtime newspaper columnist, died in June.

Hav was often at the center of class reunion gatherings, regaling us with fascinating tales of recruiting CIA agents in hostile, heavily surveilled environments such as Berlin and Prague. More recently, we learned of his and wife Delores’ lives in retirement as farmers in Monroe Township, New Jersey. He was a prolific writer of op-ed pieces that demonstrate his wide-ranging knowledge and interests, especially in the field of foreign affairs.

Jim Rogers takes well-deserved pride in the longtime remarkable track record of the Twin Cities alumni club in fostering a flood of outstanding new high school graduates in the direction of Dartmouth. Although no longer as active as he once was, Jim remains strongly interested in and aware of the success of these recruiting initiatives.

Sandy McDonald, a decades-long Darien, Connecticut, resident, has pulled up stakes and moved with his wife, Gebby, to the Northampton, Massachusetts, area to be nearer their sons. I enjoy these continuing ties to Sandy; he and I were first grade classmates in Winnetka, Illinois, all those years ago.

Our esteemed class president, Al Brout, ably supported by his two Dartmouth daughters, continues to make it easy for us to stretch our minds and keep in touch with the College. If you haven’t been tuning in to Al’s interviews with an impressive sample of Dartmouth professors and key administrators, consider this a warm invitation to do so. I come away from each such conversation stimulated, informed, and admiring of today’s Dartmouth. Announcements of coming events are sent to each of us by email.

Ken Smith practiced law for 35 years. A new interest: He and his son have developed a strong interest in military artifacts. They attend five major gun shows annually and have now become dealers. Ken lives on Staten Island, New York, and is an active scuba diver.

I continue to be impressed with the extent to which members of the class of ’51 remain active, engaged, and contributing, even as we approach our mid-90s.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Quite a few of us “attended” Jack Giegerich’s memorial service in Radnor, Pennsylvania, via Zoom. Buck Scott was our in-person representative, and class president Al Brout delivered an excellent Zoom tribute to his predecessor and fellow recipient of our Spirit of ’51 Award. Al highlighted Jack’s lifelong commitment to self-education.

Another especially active classmate, Bill Leffler, has also died. Bill served for many years as a member of the class of ’51 executive committee, filling key roles as mini-reunion chair and class agent, promoting support of the Dartmouth College Fund. He too had been honored with a Spirit of ’51 Award.

We have also learned of the deaths of Charlie Blood, Bill Halpin, Dick Minor,and Roger Thomas. Full obituaries for these classmates may be found online at dartgo/51obits.

Still going strong: Chick Geilich (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida), Dick Terry (Arlington, Massachusetts), and Herb Knight (St. Charles, Illinois). Chick lost his wife, Nina, three years ago after 67 years of marriage. He continues to live in a stimulating retirement community and plans a visit to Boston to celebrate his 95th birthday with old friends, including Joe Spound. Dick, a longtime Celtics fan, is ecstatic at them winning the NBA title. He recently attended his 70th Harvard Business School reunion and looks forward to an annual trip to Maine with his extended family. Herb remains active, engaged, and contributing through involvement with the Illinois Math and Science Academy, Max McGraw Wildlife Center, and Rush-Copley Hospital. A longtime outdoorsman, he has given up hunting and no longer owns a gun.

Phone visits with these three reminded me of the richness of our 75-year ties and convinced me to pick up the phone more often to reconnect with treasured ’51 friends. Try it! It’s a great treat! I’d be glad to provide contact information.

Signs of the times: Jean and I have decided not to renew our driver’s licenses. A tip: This could be a prime opportunity to invest in Uber stock.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Jean and I are among the very lucky oldsters. We enjoy time with our growing family—we will welcome two more great-grandchildren in 2024. Our senior living community, the Mather, is full of interesting, fun, thoughtful old folks. Living just a stone’s throw from Northwestern University, we are able to attend lectures with stimulating faculty members and enjoy theater, music, and Big Ten sports. After life-changing heart surgery last year, I’m back to long walks and workouts in the Mather’s onsite fitness center. Life is good!

Also enjoying senior living: Al and Joan Brout, still in White Plains, New York, after selling their California winter home; Joe Spound, close to his roots in Needham, Massachusetts, and reporting varying degrees of good health (“I am glad for what works well, with good memories of that which doesn’t”); and Betty Sutton, still in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, close to family and not far from the house she and Jack lived in for many years.

Al and Fern Moses, on the other hand, are still in their Georgetown (D.C.) home, “but making regular visits to Maine and Israel. We were in Tel Aviv on October 7 when Hamas attacked.”

Reporting in regularly are two of our few remaining classmates still in Illinois: Herb Knight (St. Charles) and Herb Shay (Galena). Herb Shay is a voracious reader and a rare letter-writer; his regular updates and book recommendations are a pleasure.

Bob Damon, another Chicago-area lifer, now spends part of the year in Cypress, Texas, near family.

Our class Zoom gatherings just keep getting more and more interesting! (Joining in is a piece of cake; just ask a grandchild to help you click on the email link). Most recently, four members of the ’51 family still living in the Hanover area (Mike Choukas, Lu Martin, Henry Nachman, and Barbara Hall)reported on changes in the College and the community since our day.

Sadly, seven more of our classmates have died: Will Rowe, Chuck Nadler, Ted Corsones, Chris Fuller, Pete Stien, Bill Stout, and Jack Weingarten. To read their obituaries go to dartgo/51obits.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

These are precious days! There is something about reaching our mid-90s that really focuses our attention on unfinished business and unfulfilled “want-to’s.”

Like most of you, I’ve been thinking a lot about what would be wonderful in my remaining years. How does one use his limited time chips in ways that will be most pleasurable, satisfying, and contributive?

In past columns I have admired the wisdom of Dr. Atul Gawande, whose 2014 book Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters In the End makes the point that the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life—all the way to the very end. This month I picked up another marvelous book, The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found by Frank Bruni, a perceptive, articulate New York Times columnist. Not long ago Bruni began losing his sight. He has turned that experience into a life-changing journey of empathy, discovery, and renewal, approaching aging and mortality with joy.

Bruni describes his response to his losses: “Sometimes an ending is a new beginning. Sometimes a limit or a loss is a gateway to experiences you wouldn’t have sought, skills you wouldn’t have acquired.” Bruni sees challenges not so much as burdens, which indeed they are, but as influencers or determinants of how we spend our time, how we shape our lives, who we become. Key elements of this mindset: gratitude and appreciation.

As I look back at my recent columns I realize that I’m preaching to the choir. Jack Woods, Ed Landau, Dwight Allison, and others have shown us the way to finding joy in living and getting all there is to get out of life. As I talk to classmates I hear that joy expressed in giving back, volunteering, maintaining close ties to friends and family, discovering and exploring new interests and challenges, latching onto a sense of purpose. For starters, I recommend reaching out to a ’51 classmate. I guarantee you’ll come away enriched and rewarded.

I report with sadness the loss of six more classmates: Harry Berwick, Jim Bonnar, John Homsy, Ed Isbey, Paul Meyer, and Jerry Mitchell.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

“I love my life!” That’s how Dick McFarland summed up his current living arrangements and his continuing involvement in a satisfying array of activities in the Twin Cities. Since his wife, Joyce, died he has remained close to his kids—all four of whom live close by (one lives with him in his longtime home). Among them they file his tax returns, keep an eye on his medications, and fix anything that needs fixing. Dick tutors second-graders and is still active with three local foundations.

Art Worden is equally enthusiastic about his retirement years. His summary: “I’ve been blessed!” His year-around home is in Fort Pierce, Florida, and he spends much of the summer with family in Maine and his old hometown of Buffalo, New York, where he lovingly restores and maintains his 80-year-old, solid oak, 30-foot Tahiti ketch.

I recently reached Casey McKibben at his home in a retirement community in Portola Valley, California. He hung up his skis five years ago but still camps in his VW van, dances, and travels (he was headed for Scotland when we talked). Following service in the U.S. Marine Corps in Korea Casey spent his career on the sales and advertising side of the publishing business.

Another Californian is George Emerson, a resident of Santa Barbara, where he once served as president of the local Dartmouth club. His career was in marketing and financial services.

A recent New York Times article describes the key role played by Al Moses in acquiring the Codex Sassoon, the earliest and most complete Hebrew Bible in existence. It will be part of the core exhibition at the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. The Bible dates back to the late 9th or early 10th century. Says Al, “The Hebrew Bible is the most influential in history and constitutes the bedrock of Western civilization.” The Codex Sassoon is the fourth most expensive book/manuscript ever sold.

We have lost three more members of the ’51 family: Henry “Bing” Broido, Calvin Knights,and Judy Hood (widow of Charlie).

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

It was a treat to hear Betty Sutton’s voice calling from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, unchanged from all those years ago. She has moved to a senior living community near the house in which she and Jack lived. She delights in having all their sons nearby. Andy Pincus continues to write, despite having retired from his longtime job as a music critic at the Tanglewood music festival. He edits a newsletter for residents of his retirement community in Lenox, Massachusetts, and has written two delightful autobiographical reflections and reminiscences: “Crossing Trestles: How Did It All Happen?” and “Lenox Vistas: The View from Under Mountain.”

Mike Choukas is recovering “more slowly than I would like” after a bad fall but retains his upbeat voice and outlook. Signs of progress: He goes to every Dartmouth home hockey game. Among his caregivers: Barbara Hall,widow of David,who continues to brighten his life.

Sarah Breed, Charlie’s widow, lives in a retirement community in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Her interests include historic preservation and environmental protection. She also tends the Charles E. Breed Memorial Deck Garden.

Exhibit “A” for living life fully and with curiosity, interest, and engagement is Al Moses. He enjoys reading, writing to his grandchildren, and traveling (mostly to Israel) and remains active in Jewish affairs, business, investments, and philanthropy. A member of our class executive committee, Al is always among the first to report for duty when a ’51 event is planned. These events include regular Zoom gatherings at which guest speakers (often a Dartmouth faculty member) provide interesting and provocative insights into current issues. The virtual meetings offer a chance to visit with a changing group of 15 to 20 classmates. Also planned: a mini-reunion in Hanover this summer, for which Joe Spound has taken the lead.

Brookline, Massachusetts, is still home to Howie and Nat Allen. Howie came to Dartmouth from Brookline 75 years ago! He lives near his kids and enthuses about a new great-grandchild (as Jean and I do—she’s our first).

I’m sorry to report Cliff Barney died January 9 in Santa Cruz, California.

Eager to contact a ’51 classmate? I’d be glad to provide contact information.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Continuing the theme of joy in old age, here are several more contributions from ’51 classmates who—well into their 90s—are still finding great pleasure in their daily lives, despite inevitable aches and pains.

Jack Woods has written an especially thoughtful reflection, “My Life,” celebrating his joy in living, despite the sad loss of his wife, Sue, several years ago. He reports, “I can still walk a reasonable distance without a cane, read most things without my glasses, maintain a conversation without my hearing aids, and drive my car after dark.” Jack enjoys his senior living community in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where he indulges newfound interests in writing and investigating the transcendental. Says Jack, “I’m open to the unpredictable rather than constrained and predetermined by the past.”

Marshall Cohen, also alone since the death of his wife, Margaret, in 2019, delights in seeing his children flourish. Also pleasing are friendships with academic friends and former students from his many years as a professor and dean at the University of Southern California. “Having the time to read and listen more broadly to the literature and music I love will always be there for me,” he says. “I am content.”

Connecting with family and friends, especially Dartmouth classmates, is a recurring theme as I hear from ’51s. Giles Hamlin lights up as he describes summers at a family cottage on a lake near Cooperstown, New York, that has been home to six generations of Hamlins. Giles carries on Jim Cavanagh’s tradition of staying in touch with members of his Dartmouth Medical School class.

Birding (Paul Meyer), fitness (Bill Birkenmeier), giving back and helping people in need (Doris Lindner, George Emerson), travel (Peirce McKee, Marilyn Fiertz), and drawing, painting, art (Jean Bowler) are other examples of pleasurable and contributive ways in which ’51s are enjoying this stage of life.

Come to think of it, a phone visit with a classmate is always a joy. Give it a try!

Sadly, we continue to lose members of the class. Don Clark, M.D., also a graduate of the Dartmouth Medical School, died last September.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

When we left off last month I was describing President John Sloan Dickey’s remarkable impact on our class, notably in inspiring many ’51s to pursue careers in international affairs. I highlighted several of our classmates who made important contributions in this field, and I promised additional examples in this issue. Here are 13 more.

Haviland Smith, Dave McDonough,and Kendall Way had long and contributive careers in foreign intelligence with the Central Intelligence Agency. Dave lived in Greece, the Congo, Algeria, France, and Morocco. Hav spent 25 years with the agency, including time as a station chief. The CIA recognized him with its Medal of Merit. Ken was a case officer in Korea and received the Medal of Freedom.

International journalism attracted Dick Halloran. His special area of interest and experience was in Asia, especially Japan and China. He was honored with the Gerald R. Ford Prize for distinguished reporting on national defense. Pete Martin headed the Institute of Current World Affairs, which fostered the development of young journalists drawn to the field. Bob McCabe’sreporting took him to Southeast Asia, where he was Newsweek’s bureau chief in Hong Kong covering China. He later was a correspondent in Paris for Time magazine and The International Herald Tribune. Chuck Storer covered the United Nations for the Associated Press.

Other ’51 internationalists included Bill Pardee (USAID in Burundi); Frank Johnson, who manned the Soviet Navy desk in the Pentagon and was a guest lecturer at the Foreign Service Institute; Bill Merkle and Don Cox, who both volunteered in the International Executive Service Corps in retirement; and Frank Smallwood, who taught countless Dartmouth students for 50-plus years as the Nelson Rockefeller Professor of Government.

Ed Winsor was a professor at the Naval War College for nine years.

What an astonishing positive difference these distinguished classmates have made in international understanding!

We mourn the recent deaths of eight classmates and spouses: Bob Brod,Lois Broido (wife of Bing), Jim Cavanagh, Howard Fuller, Dave Hall, Joyce McFarland (wife of Dick), Ace Mueller,and John PerLee.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Charlie Russell is stepping down after five wonderful years as editor of our ’51 Fables newsletter. He volunteered when we really needed help and has entertained us with a blend of news, reminiscence, humor, poetry, and provocative opinion pieces. He and his partner, Peggy Reed, widow of Howie, are simplifying their lives. We say many thanks to you both and well done!

I was just short of my 17th birthday when I arrived on campus for our freshman year. It was something of a surprise that the College had teamed me up with a couple of returning veterans, Tom Brown and Bob Leavitt, as roommates. Our Middle Mass dorm room became a gathering space for veterans. Doc Ridlon and Ben Bidwell especially come to mind. It was a special group and an eye-opening part of this pea-green freshman’s liberal arts experience. Blake Ireland lived just down the hall. It was fun to connect with him by phone recently. He was in the midst of sorting through hundreds of wildlife photographs taken by him and his late wife, Anne, on seven trips to Africa, mostly to Botswana. Blake lives in Lexington, Massachusetts, when he’s not spending time with family at a longtime summer cottage near Squam Lake, New Hampshire.

“’51 Cares” continues to foster outreach to classmates who are experiencing tough times, in whatever form. Among those who would welcome a call or note are Berl Bernhard, Jack Giegerich, Bob Hopkins, Peirce McKee,and Loye Miller. I’d be glad to provide addresses. Howard Glickstein, honored recently with our “Spirit of ’51” Award, isn’t slowing down. He teaches, lectures, and works in law school clinics occasionally and is just back from sunning in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Next up: Dubai for the World Expo in the United Arab Emirates. On the way he will revisit his favorite three-star Michelin restaurants in France.

With sadness we report the recent deaths of Fumiko Halloran (widow of Dick), Joan Hopkins (wife of Bob), Nate Jacobson, Sam Sparhawk, and Joe Yukica, an adopted member of our class and Dartmouth’s head football coach from 1978 to 1986.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Thoughts on our recent 70th reunion: This was our best reunion—ever!

Fifty-six of us were back, including Howie and Nat Allen, Margery Atherton, Cliff Barney (making his first visit to Hanover since our graduation), Sarah Breed, Al Brout, Jim Cavanagh, Mike Choukas, Marcia Clayton, Jack and Carole Giegerich, Howard Glickstein, Barbara Hall, Giles and Jane Hamlin, Pete and Jean Henderson, Ed Landau, Shirley Langworthy, Bill and Ki Leffler, Doris Lindner, Sandy and Gebby McDonald, Peirce McKee, Dotty Mori, Al Moses, Lu Martin, Henry and Amy Nachman, Peggy Reed, Charlie Russell, Buck and Mary Scott, Jack Skewes, Joe Spound, Jack and Liz Weingarten, and Art Worden. Nine Dartmouth alumni “kids” accompanying their parents were great additions.

We all enjoyed a marvelous sense of friendship, celebration, connectedness, and closure. This was the perfect capstone to our 74 years together. Perennial reunion chair Henry Nachman served up a just-right combination of unhurried activities, informal visiting among longtime friends, and relaxation (including lots of time in the rocking chairs on the inn’s front porch). A weekend highlight was the presentation of Spirit of ’51 awards to Jim Cavanagh and Howard Glickstein. Both were warmly applauded for their contributions to our class and to the broader world. Sixteen past recipients or widows of past recipients were on hand. Rabbi Bill Leffler led a moving remembrance of 107 classmates who have died since our last reunion five years ago. Sadly, we have learned since the reunion of seven more deaths: Chip Blomgren, Chuck Eccles, Linc Fenno, Ed Landau, Wusan Lin, Len Smith, and Bob Wilbee.

In heartening news, it was a joy to see Mike Choukas and Barbara Hall, each alone since the death of their ’51 spouse, walking hand-in-hand as a very-much-in-love couple, symbolizing the ongoing hopes and joys of the ’51 family. And it was good to see Henry Nachman (three weeks after a stroke) and Jack Weingarten (three days after heart surgery!) on hand and looking fit. Al Brout stepped up as our new class president. Retiring president Jack Giegerich received well-deserved praise for his leadership since 2016.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Our final College-sponsored reunion (our 70th!) is on for the weekend of September 10-12! Henry Nachman and Mike Choukas, reunion co-chairs, have planned a relaxed gathering, centered at the Hanover Inn, where the College will provide complimentary rooms and meals for all ’51s and their families. Handy buses will offer convenient transportation to all events not held at the inn as well as a guided tour of Dartmouth’s expanded and greatly enriched campus. Two of our classmates will be honored with “Spirit of ’51” awards. The campus and surrounding New England countryside are at their magical best in early fall.

Most important, there will be lots of opportunities to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. My recommendation for guaranteeing a delightful weekend: Contact a ’51 friend whom you’ve missed seeing and invite him to join you for the reunion.

Speaking of welcome reconnections, I enjoyed recent phone visits with three ’51s and was again reminded of what remarkably interesting and contributive lives our classmates have lived. Rusty Thamarus, for example, was part of the two-year Dartmouth Medical School program and completed his M.D. at the University of Michigan. His medical career included both pediatrics and emergency medicine. An avid outdoorsman, he now lives at Trout Creek, Montana, where he has been a hunting and fishing guide, mountain climber, skier, and state champion triathlon competitor.

Emerson Pugh transferred from Dartmouth to Carnegie-Mellon University, earning a B.S. and Ph.D. in physics. He spent 36 years at IBM in senior technical management positions and authored several scientific and technical books. In retirement he lives in Cold Springs, New York.

And George Bikle received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in Far Eastern studies, going on to teach and write in California and Japan. He is the author of three books. His wife and two of their children have also had academic careers.

Five more members of the ’51 family have died. We send heartfelt condolences to the families of Tom Barnett, Wes Blake, Phelps Dewey, Spencer Grey, John Marshall, and Connie Skewes (wife of Jack).

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Al Moses chairs the board of the Liberties Journal Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based not-for-profit that “seeks to inform today’s cultural and political leaders, deepen the understanding of citizens, and inspire the next generation to participate in the democratic process and public service.” I am reading with interest the foundation’s quarterly journal, Liberties.

This month’s mail brought welcome updates from several widows, wonderfully involved members of the ’51 family. Sarah Breed has settled in Duxbury, Massachusetts, on the south shore of Boston. Elaine Bovaird divides her year between Jim’s and her long-time Winnetka, Illinois, home and Naples, Florida. Kathy Danaher spends time in both Los Altos, California, and Hawaii. Betty Sutton is staying put in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the house that she and Jack enjoyed for decades. And Doris Lindner still finds Hilton Head, South Carolina, to her liking. Fumiko Halloran sent a lovely note thanking the class for our recognition of Richard with our Spirit of ’51 Award, presented to him shortly before his death in late 2020. She recalls their first meeting in 1978 at a summit meeting between U.S President Nixon and Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka. The Hallorans’ years together as Asia scholars and writers were filled with such memorable occasions.

A friend made me aware of an inspiring story that captures the creativity and generosity of so many of our classmates. Herb Knight’s annual Christmas “Gratitude Party” to thank his local friends for their loyalty was canceled due to the Covid pandemic. Instead, Herb offered to match any contributions by these friends to a small, struggling neighborhood health clinic serving low-income families. The result: a game-changing gift to the clinic. I’d love to share in future columns other examples of imaginative responses to widespread human needs.

We hope that our last-ever formal reunion in Hanover on September 10-12 will take place despite the lingering virus. Stay tuned for the latest updates.

Recent deaths of classmates include those of Jerry Block, Frank Bruch, Bruce Bryant, Frank Johnson, and Ed Post. All will be greatly missed by their Dartmouth ’51 friends.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Six more of our classmates have died since our last report: Dave Ballantine, Jim Eldredge, Dick Halloran, Parke Sickler, Bob Sirkin, and Joe Welch. Their full obituaries can be found in our class newsletter, Fifty-One Fables.

As I learn of the remarkable impact made by each of these exceptional men, I am again reminded of the extraordinary good taste of the Dartmouth admissions staff in selecting our class 75 years ago. They chose a group of difference-makers!

Among the 20 ’51s whose deaths were reported in this column in the past year, I find two recipients of our “Spirit of ’51” award (Halloran and Welch). We lost two Ph.D.’s (Bill Friedlander and Mo Monahan), three M.D.’s (Eldredge, Sirkin, and Gil Merrill), and a distinguished judge (Bob Fullerton). Three men served our class as class officers (Halloran, Welch, and Jim Culberson) and the College as heads of regional alumni clubs (Fullerton and Sirkin).

These guys didn’t just collect degrees and titles; they made great impact in their professions and communities. Woody Klein and Dick Halloran were distinguished and widely honored journalists and authors. Bob Sirkin treated children with cerebral palsy. Bill Friedlander’s passion for science led him to discover new compounds and substances in a 40-year career with 3M Corp. Class of ’51 alumni served as senior business executives (Tom Trolle, Chuck Fitzsimmons, and Jim Culberson). Their community contributions were legend (Chester Cotter, Trolle, Welch, Culberson, Fullerton, and Sickler). And 15 of the 20 served in the U.S. armed services; several were highly decorated.

The richness of this group was also evident in the wide variety of its activities. Joe Sisson was a horticultural therapist in the mental health field. Jim Asker was in great demand as a woodworking artist. Bill Rugg was a widely admired regional planner. John Shultz owned harness-racing horses. Mo Monahan was a school superintendent and served in Hawaii’s House of Representatives, besides being a legendary canoe sailor. Bill Merkle helped businesses in Eastern Europe and North Africa. Dave Ballantine was a watercolor painter. We remember them all with gratitude and admiration.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

I am shamelessly borrowing from a recent class of ’52 column that analyzed the demographics of that class since its enrollment 70-plus years ago.

Here are our numbers: Our Green Book profiled 654 new freshmen arriving in 1947. Four years later, according to our Aegis, 546 of us graduated. Today, the number of living ’51s is 180, just more than one-quarter of our entering class and one-third of our graduates. Two hundred forty-two widows are increasingly active members of the ’51 family; six of them serve on the class executive committee. We have sent at least 150 of our children and grandchildren to Dartmouth.

We arrived from 38 states, heavily weighted toward the East and Northeast. Only seven entering students came from outside the United States. Fewer than a dozen were Black, Latino, or Asian. Contrast these numbers with the class entering Dartmouth this fall. The class of ’24 has 1,150 students—half of whom are women. They come from all 50 states (42 percent from the West and South) and 71 foreign countries. Fifteen percent are first-generation college students. One-third of the admits are students of color. Clearly, “global” and “diverse” are key characteristics of the new class.

Could we get in today? Doubtful!

Where have we gone and what have we done since graduation? Nearly 60 percent of us now live in California and Florida. Only four live outside of the United States. More than half (308) went on for advanced degrees, especially M.B.A.s (101, of which nearly half were awarded by Tuck). Class of ’51 members earned 53 degrees in medicine, 41 in law, and eight in theology. Thirty-three are Ph.D.s. More than 60 became professors, elementary and secondary teachers, or academic administrators. (Note: these numbers are close but not perfect; they come from multiple sources, prepared at different times.)

Perhaps the most striking contrast to today’s graduates: 73 percent of us served in the U.S. armed forces. Military service is rare today among new college grads.

We mourn the recent loss of six classmates: Jim Culberson, Chuck Fitzsimmons, Bob Fullerton, Bill Merkle, Bill Rugg,and Mo Monahan.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Most exciting news of the month: A note from Mrs. Joe Welch (Deirdra) describes their recent marriage and idyllic life in the totally rebuilt family cottage on Plum Island, just two miles from Joe’s longtime home in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Deirdra, a retired school superintendent, has been Joe’s frequent partner at class gatherings in recent years.

A recent issue of The New York Times book section featured a new book, Stronghold: One Man’s Quest to Save the World’s Wild Salmon, by Tucker Malarkey. The “one man” is Guido Rahr III, the son of our late classmate. Like his dad, Guido III is an ardent outdoorsman and conservationist. A photo accompanying the Times review shows Guido III, the spitting image of his father, casting a fly on the Columbia River in Oregon.

Dotty Mori, who lives just down the road from Hanover in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, reports her delight in finding several Native American artifacts donated by the Rahr family on display in the newly renovated Hood Museum.

Paul Staley was the author, with Bill Noel, of Questioning Corporate Hierarchy, published just prior to his death in 2018. The book reflects Paul’s highly successful tenure as CEO of PQ Corp. and asserts that freedom-based management should replace hierarchical control as the organizing principle of effective businesses.

Don and Jan O’Dowd sound all-too-familiar themes: “Our pace of life is slower in every way. We no longer travel far, most of our entertainment is in daylight hours, our walks grow shorter, medical appointments more frequent. We have stepped down from volunteer activities as younger, more energetic people take over. We still see lots of dance and theater programs—Santa Barbara, California, is a friendly place for the arts!”

Nearby family brightens the life of Ann Smallwood, Frank’s widow, who still lives in Shelburne, Vermont, near Burlington. “Thirty of us were on hand for a recent reunion. I’m awaiting my sixth great-grandchild.” Ann serves on the building committee for a new town library and is active in the local community center and chamber music festival.

We report with sadness the deaths of Woody Klein, Pete Smart, and Tom Trolle.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Nineteen of us were on hand for a picture-perfect Hanover mini-reunion in October. The event was beautifully planned (for the umpteenth year in a row) by Henry and Amy Nachman. Other attendees included Nat and Howie Allen, Al Brout and daughter Ellen ’81, Mike Choukas, Barbara Hall, Ki and Bill Leffler, Peggy Read and Charlie Russell, Mary and Buck Scott, Connie and Jack Skewes, Sam Sparhawk, and Joe Spound. I was pleased to see Jerry Mitchell and Loye Miller up and around as I explored the Hanover area. Both have been ailing. We were treated to an ideal New England weekend: warm days, blue skies, brilliant fall colors. It was Homecoming Weekend, including the traditional bonfire, parade, and a convincing 42-10 football victory over Yale. Ours was the oldest class marching in the parade. We all made it to the end, although I did hear someone in our group gasp to the Nachmans, who led off, “Smaller steps please, Henry!”

Bill Leffler was honored with our 36th “Spirit of ’51” award, recognizing his many contributions to the class and to every community in which he has lived. The full citation accompanying Bill’s award can be found on our new website (1951.Dartmouth.org) and in the next issue of ’51 Fables.

Our class executive committee voted to hold next year’s mini-reunion during the summer. Dates and planned activities for this warmer and less crowded event will be announced soon. Marcia Clayton, widow of John, was welcomed as a new member of the committee.

A highlight of the weekend was a private tour of the newly reopened Hood Museum of Art led by docent Susan Wright, wife of Jim Wright, the former Dartmouth president. This extraordinary new building has been expanded (five new galleries), beautifully reimagined, and integrated into the campus by means of a prominent new entrance and a giant picture window facing the Green. Charlie Hood, our late classmate, deserves great credit for his central role in planning the museum’s remarkable makeover. Among the featured paintings on display is a striking Peruvian religious painting donated by our late classmate, Dave Phillips.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

This has been an especially tough stretch for our class, as we have lost four good friends and classmates in recent months. We have learned of the deaths of Jim Ballard, Bill Goulburn, John Lewis, and John Ross.Jim will be remembered as one of the twin towers at center (along with Stretch Malloy) on Dartmouth’s basketball teams nearly 70 years ago. Bill was a longtime orthopedic surgeon in New Jersey and a wonderful contributor to his Dartmouth Medical School class. John Lewis, who left Dartmouth before graduating, went on to earn a Ph.D. and become a much-admired geology professor at Colorado College. And John Ross was a pioneering cardiologist at the University of California, San Diego. His research is now widely used in diagnosing heart disorders.

Full obituaries of these remarkable members of our class can be found now on our class website and will be included in Charlie Russell’s next issue of ’51 Fables later this fall.

Also coming up this fall: an especially enticing mini-reunion in Hanover from October 10 to 13. Don’t miss this chance to see firsthand the many exciting developments on campus, including the newly reopened and reimagined Hood Museum. Visits with other members of the ’51 family are the best reasons for making the trip.

A welcome note from Bill Birkenmeier recalls his close friendship with Dave Krivitsky, beginning when they were teammates on the freshman track team. Says Bill: “Dave was what I consider to be a perfect gentleman, with his sincere warmth and quiet dignity.” Bill lives in Fair Haven, New Jersey, and, despite aging knees, remains active physically.

Parke Sickler called to describe his recent very pleasing round-numbered birthday. Most ofhis family, which includes 13 great-grandchildren and ranges in age from 2 to 90, assembled in Brevard, North Carolina, to honor Parke.

Sam Sparhawk returned to his Vermont roots (Colchester, just outside of Burlington) a few years ago after many years in Philadelphia. He lost Wilma, his wife of 60 years, in 2018, but delights in their family, which includes a Dartmouth daughter and granddaughter.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Two of our especially active classmates have died. Dave Krivitsky was captain of our track team 70 years ago and never missed a class alumni gathering until the onset of dementia sidelined him in recent years. Jeff Hart, described in his New York Times obituary as an “influential and iconoclastic conservative,” taught English literature at Dartmouth for three decades.

Complete obituaries of Dave and Jeff will appear in the next issue of Fifty-One Fables.

The year 2019 is the year when most ’51s turn 90. A highlight of Eggert Benzon’s 90th celebration was a collection of memories contributed by old friends, including warm reminiscences of days on the Dartmouth sailing team from Dick Eitel, Sandy McDonald,and Bill Merkle. Eggert, a successful entrepreneur, has settled in Greenville, South Carolina, after previously dividing his time between the United States and his native Denmark.

Among the many ’51s who have put down roots in the sunshine is Joe Sisson,who recalls: “After my Army service in Korea we came down to Winter Haven, Florida, for a visit and forgot to come home.” Joe describes himself as a frustrated farmer. He earned a degree in animal sciences and worked in the feed business for many years. To his surprise and delight he later combined strong interests in horticulture and mental health by serving as a horticultural therapist in an innovative program at Winter Haven Hospital.

It was fun to catch up with Les Richard by phone. Les settled in Wisconsin after college and a stretch in Korea with the U.S. Army. He spent 40 years in senior research and development roles in the paper industry and is now retired in Appleton. A member of the Dartmouth Glee Club as an undergraduate, Les still sings in a men’s chorus and in his church choir.

Ken Smith still lives on Staten Island, New York, near where he grew up. He served in Korea as an officer on amphibious vessels. His amphibious landing ship carried a small helicopter and was active in land and sea rescue operations. He earned a law degree at Columbia and practiced in New York City for 40 years.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Al Moses is the author of a fascinating new book, Bucharest Diary, which chronicles his years (1994-97) as U.S. ambassador to Romania. That period has been described as central to Romania’s “journey from darkness to light” following the brutal years of the Ceausescu regime.

Al is widely credited with helping to nurture Romania’s nascent democratic institutions and set the stage for the country’s integration with the west. His understanding of and affection for Romania and Romanians make for engaging reading. Al currently serves as the chair of UN Watch in Geneva.

My last column inadvertently failed to include Mo Monahan in a list of highly decorated ’51s who served in Korea following our graduation. I’m sorry to have omitted Mo’s valiant service.

I checked in with members of the ’51 family living in the southeastern United States following last fall’s catastrophic hurricanes. Some had harrowing tales to tell, but, fortunately, all emerged unscathed despite widespread damage. Jim Cavanagh (Tallahassee, Florida) reports many downed trees and power lines. North Carolinians experiencing strong winds and flooding included Ruth Ann Southworth (John’s widow) in Wilmington, Ed Isbey (Asheville), Jim Culberson (Asheboro), and Betty Sutton (widow of Jack) in Winston-Salem. The same was true of Bill Stout (Savannah, Georgia), Chester Cotter (Beauford, South Carolina), and Doris Lindner (Joe’s widow), who was evacuated from Hilton Head. It is fun to reconnect with these old friends. I had not seen Ruth Ann since the early 1960s. And Ed and I cooked up a get-together in Chicago, where he regularly attends meetings of the ophthalmologists association. I would be pleased to provide contact information for classmates interested in reaching out to long-lost Dartmouth friends.

A nice letter from Rick Austin brought news of the death of his wife, Jo, last May. Rick and Jo lived in Peachtree Corners, Georgia. Rick, a lifelong squash and tennis star, took up golf after knee-replacement surgery; he and Jo were frequent partners on the golf course.

Other recent deaths: Nase Hurowitz, Bob Moore, Stan Shipper, and Bill Terry. We mourn their loss.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

In a column earlier this year I quoted Andy Pincus, whose research shows that two-thirds of us served on active duty following graduation. Parke Sickler points out that nearly 10 percent of these veterans were enlistees in the very selective U.S. Marine Corps, and many of them fought in Korea. Highly decorated ’51s in this group were John Hoskins, Bud Lang, Rob Jackson, Jerry Mitchell, and Dick Reed.

Bill Mulligan was a World War II veteran before enrolling with us in 1947 (U.S. Army in graves detection and identification). News of his death in 2012 in Monterrey, California, which only recently reached us, includes confirmation of his long-time service in the CIA, which honored him with its Distinguished Medal of Service.

Jack Skewes reports on a regular round of golf in Hanover with Mike Choukas, his North Country neighbor (“He often shoots his age”). Mike has at last hung up his hockey skates, but still skis “flat out,” according to Jack. Earlier this year Mike lost his wonderful wife, Nita, who was a regular hostess and day-brightener at our reunions.

The theater has been a long-standing joy for Jan and Don O’Dowd. Wherever they have lived they have launched or helped build theater companies. They are traveling less but still make an annual visit to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Don and Jan recently celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary at their home in Santa Barbara, California. Large-number wedding anniversaries are cropping up regularly among our classmates (Mary and Buck Scott also celebrated their 65th), a reminder of our advancing years. Another clue: Jean and I are part of a growing group whose “kids” have started to retire.

Katie Pfaff, Pinky’swidow, is an active volunteer. She helps look after a Syrian refugee family sponsored by her church in Stamford, Connecticut, drives seniors to medical appointments, and tutors young students. Doris and Joe Lindner and Elaine Bovaird also servetheir communities, Elaine following Jim on the board of the Winnetka Community House and overseeing the Jim Bovaird Memorial Gardens there.

We report with sadness the deaths of Ralph King and Bob Meyer.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Aram Chorebanian, Brooks Dodge, John Hoskins, Bill MacFadden and Paul Staley have died since my last column. We are saddened by the loss of these good friends—and so many others. We are also struck by the remarkable lives led by members of our class; they have accomplished much and contributed in many life-changing ways.

Aram, the son of Armenian refugees, had a 23-year career as a U.S. Army officer, followed by a successful real estate practice in Arizona. He was a sky-diver into his 80s (1,200 jumps!), a standup comic, actor and singer. (Pete Crowe and Joe Holton attended Aram’s Tucson funeral.)

Brooks was an alpine skiing legend. He competed in the 1952 and 1956 Olympics, was a member of the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame, a pioneer in extreme skiing, a competitive glider pilot and an avid bicyclist.

John had a distinguished career with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Southeast Asia and Africa. In retirement, he was honored for his many leadership roles in community and veterans affairs.

Paul was Dartmouth’s football captain in our senior year. He went on to a successful career in industry as CEO of PQ Corp., a chemical manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia. He served on numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards. (Buck Scott was at Paul’s funeral.)

Bill spent most of his post-Dartmouth years in Montana as an investment banker. He found time to play hockey for the Great Falls Americans, chair the local hospital and school boards and start the Eagle Mountain program for the physically and developmentally challenged.

I encourage you to browse through the complete file of obituaries on our class website (“Dartmouth College/My Dartmouth/Alumni/Classes/1951”—you can do it, I promise!). You will be glad to be reminded of these remarkable friends and classmates who added so much to our lives.

News will now have reached you describing the class’ first summer mini-reunion in Hanover August 7-10. Don’t miss it!

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Don O’Dowd is the 2017 recipient of our Spirit of ’51 Award, the 34th member of our class to be so honored. Don was recognized for his “extraordinary impact as a leader of four institutions of higher education.” Don and his wife, Jan, have also devoted themselves to the arts and the environment. The full citation accompanying Don’s award will be carried in ’51 Fables, our class newsletter.

Thirty-one classmates, spouses and widows were on hand to salute Don and enjoy our annual mini-reunion in Hanover. They included Nat and Howie Allen, Joan and Al Brout, Don Dworken and guest, Carole and Jack Giegerich, Barbara Hall, Pete Henderson, Bob Hopkins, Ki and Bill Leffler, Lu and Pete Martin, JoAnn and Peirce McKee (all the way from California), Loye Miller, Dotty Mori and daughter Nina, Amy and Henry Nachman, Peggy Read, Charlie Russell, Connie and Jack Skewes, Liz and Jack Weingarten, and Joe Welch and his guest.

Weekend highlights included a delicious dinner at Barbara Hall’s delightful Hanover home, a tour of Al Brout’s remarkable orchid collection (which underpins Dartmouth’s expanded course offerings and research in botany), dinner at Three Tomatoes in Lebanon, New Hampshire, and a thrilling overtime victory by the football team over heavily favored Holy Cross.

Our class executive committee met to discuss, among other topics, our year-old ’51 Cares initiative, which fosters outreach to classmates, especially those experiencing illness or loss. A concerted effort was made to reach out to ’51s living in Texas and Florida following last summer’s devastating hurricanes. All participants valued these reconnections among members of the ’51 family. I reached Tom Trolle in Vero Beach, Florida, following the Florida storms. “Are you in one piece, Tom?” I asked. “Yes,” he responded. “In fact, a few extra pieces floated over to our place from our neighbors!” Dick Bergman (Bradenton), Gay Cummings (Key Largo), Carl Glassberg (Sarasota) and Helene Berger (Miami) were all safe but experienced extended loss of power or water during those scary days.

We have learned of the recent deaths of four members of our class: Francis Burns, Joe Caldwell, Wilson Cross, Al Katz and Ev Odell.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

A call from Drs. Doris and Joe Lindner brightened my day recently. Both are retired from their medical practices, although Doris volunteers a day a week at a free clinic near their home in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Joe’s career in medicine included both private practice in internal medicine and executive search for senior healthcare professionals. The Lindners are a three-generation Dartmouth family: daughter Laura was a member of the class of ’86 and her daughter has been admitted but is taking a year’s deferral in order to try out for the U.S. Olympic ski-jumping team.

Mo Monahan reports from Hawaii: “I’m blessed with good health but my chocolate Lab thinks I’ve gotten much too slow on our beach walks.”

Our ’51 Cares initiative, which encourages outreach and reconnection among ’51 classmates and widows, continues to generate news of renewed friendships from 65 years ago. Herb Knight stretched a California trip to include lunch with Rob Jackson near Rob’s home in La Jolla. Bob Fox and Al Brout also met up in Southern California, where both were vacationing.

Jack Giegerich reached out to Ted Corsones and Elaine Bovaird (Jim’s widow), fellow snowbirds in Florida.

It seemed like picking up right where we had left off in Hanover when I spoke by phone recently with Len Smith, Sel Atherton and Nase Hurowitz.

Some calls bring news of loss or declining health but expressions of concern and support are invariably welcome. I learned from Howard Reynold’s wife, Shirley, that he has been hospitalized in Hamilton, New York, near Colgate University, where he taught experimental psychology for many years.

And Bob Hopkins is in regular touch with Jeanne Boynton, widow of Bill, who is recovering from surgery.

The leaders of our ’51 Cares team invite us all to connect with old friends in this way. It offers a lift to both parties! We encourage one and all to give it a try.

We report the recent deaths of Jerry Lindsay and John Rheinstein. Inge Thorpe died just weeks after the death of her husband, Merle.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

From the “We May Be Old but We’re Still Going Strong” file: When asked what gives him pleasure these days Art Worden responded, “I really love riding my motorcycle!” Aram Chorebanian’s great joy is skydiving—1,258 jumps and counting. Dick McFarland and Herb Knight are avid duck hunters. Ed Isbey is a fly fisherman. It was nice to hear from Ed. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, is semi-retired from his ophthalmological practice but still teachesDuke University residents and looks after his orchids. Medicine and Dartmouth are continuing themes in his life; his son, daughter-in-law and Dartmouth granddaughter are all M.D.s.

Al Brout exemplifies the best of our “’51 Cares” program, reaching out regularly to classmates. He arranged a breakfast with Dick Bacon and Milt Olander, “the whole ’51 contingent in California’s Coachella Valley.” Dick, a widower for eight years, plays golf most days. Milt settled in Palm Desert after a career in banking and commercial real estate. Another connector, Peirce McKee, has been in touch with fellow ’51 swimmers Frank Bruch, Rob Jackson and Chuck Ryan.

Howard Glickstein is still involved with the law and civil rights issues. He teaches a couple of seminars and is dean emeritus of the Touro Law Center on Long Island. Earlier in his career he taught at Howard Law School and was dean of the Bridgeport Law School. In the early 1970s he was staff director of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a key position also held by Berl Bernhard.In 2013 Howard received the Heywood Burns Award from the commission on civil rights of the New York State Bar Association.

Katie Pfaff describes a very full life of involvement with her (and Pinky’s) five children and as a volunteer tutor, helper at the local agency for the blind and driver of the elderly and disabled. She lives in Stamford, Connecticut. Joyce Leclair divides the year between Marian, Massachusetts, and Boca Grande, Florida, where she occasionally sees Elaine Bovaird.

With sadness, we report the recent deaths of Ray Lindquist, Merle Thorpe and Ed Weisenfeld.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

We demolished the old attendance record for a 65th reunion with 130-plus returnees, including 72 classmates and widows! We delighted in precious reconnections, remembered deceased classmates at a moving memorial service, were stimulated by presentations and campus tours and luxuriated in the comforts of the Hanover Inn.

The highlight of every reunion, of course, is the joy of seeing old friends. Those on hand included Howie Allen, Helene Berger, Jean Bowler, Charlie Breed, Bing Broido, Al Brout, Bruce Bryant, Joe Caldwell, Jim Cavanagh, Aram Chorebanian, Mike Choukas, Marcia Clayton, Ted Corsones, Chet Cotter, Don Dworken, Dick Eitel, Chick Geilich, Jack Giegerich, Carl Glassberg, Ed Golden, Bill Goulburn, Babs Hall, Giles Hamlin, Pete Henderson, Bob Hopkins, John Hyland, Herb Knight, Ed Landau, Bob Langworthy, Bill Leffler, Pete and Lu Martin, Sandy McDonald, Peirce McKee, Bill Merkle, Paul Meyer, Loye Miller, Tyke Miller, Dick Miner, Jerry Mitchell, Bob Moore, Dotty Mori, Al Moses, Ace Mueller, Henry Nachman, Chuck Nadler, Howard Pearson, Andy Pincus, Peggy Read, Nancy Roberts, Charlie Russell, Dave Sargent, Dave Saxton, Buck Scott, Bob Shannon, Parke Sickler, Bob Sirkin, Jack Skewes, Ann Smallwood, Haviland Smith, Len Smith, Sam Sparhawk, Joe Spound, Betty Sutton, Bill Terry, Dick Terry, Merle Thorpe, Andy Timmerman, Jack Weingarten, Joe Welch, Art Worden and Jim Wylie.

Howard Pearson was honored with a “Spirit of ’51” Award, which recognized his pioneering work in pediatric hematology and oncology and his inspiring leadership as cofounder (with actor Paul Newman) and builder of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children with cancer. (Read an excerpt of his memoir at dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/hole-wall-gang-camp.) Eight of Howard’s Dartmouth Medical School classmates and widows were on hand in tribute to him. The full citation accompanying Howard’s award will be included in an upcoming issue of Fifty-One Fables, along with more details of the weekend. (Note: Howard Pearson died on October 16. In failing health, he had made a great effort to come to Hanover for the award.)

Three other classmates have died: Charlie Breed (who passed away in Hanover while attending the reunion), Walter Bush and Doug Gray. At Charlie’s funeral Henry Nachman delivered a tribute from the class. Dick McFarland and Jim Rogers attended Wally’s service.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

It’s not too late to register for our gala 65th reunion in Hanover (September 30-October 2). More than 120 classmates, spouses, widows and family members are making plans to attend—a marvelous turnout! Don’t miss this opportunity to reconnect with old friends; you’ll be glad you did. Detailed plans and schedules are in the latest issue of ’51 Fables.

Bill Dow (Devon, Pennsylvania) wrote to describe his life since graduation: U.S. Navy (destroyers), 16 years with Alcoa as a sales engineer and almost 30 years heading his ownmanufacturing business. And golf! Bill still plays regularly and through the years has served as an executive committee member of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania golf associations.

Reed Badgley’s memorial service was a fine celebration of his active life and varied interests, including jazz piano, magic tricks and poetry. Reed’s son, Forrest ’93, described his growing up as “like living with Count Basie, Harry Houdini and Robert Frost.” Vince Marriott’s widow, Isabel, flew in from New Jersey to honor their long friendship. I spoke for the class, recalling Reed’s composition of the tune “Boston, Boston, Boston (What a Town to Get Lost In),” a Glee Club staple.

Three classmates sing the praises of life in continuing-care retirement communities: Jack Woods (Basking Ridge, New Jersey), Parke Sickler (Brevard, North Carolina) and Bill Terry (Silver Spring, Maryland). Bill, who won a Blue Ribbon Award for best documentary film during his 44-year career with Warner Brothers Pictures, now volunteers as a docent at the Strathmore Music Festival (“Everything from Carol Burnett to the Baltimore Symphony”). Fred Ranney (Dayton, New Jersey) enjoys life as a school bus driver, computer consultant, wine taster and gardener.

Peirce McKee (Orinda, California), still a regular at his stock brokerage office despite recent back surgery, is in touch with Jim Bonnar (also Orinda) and Bob Closser (Mission Hills, Kansas). Jim plays tennis (doubles) twice a week, plays golf regularly and travels widely. All three will attend our reunion, Jim’s first ever.

Recent deaths include John Higley, Roger Johnson, Bill Pardee and Duke Windsor.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Bill Rugg (San Leandro, California) made a side trip to Hanover while traveling in the east recently. “I envy you guys who get back regularly,” he says. So here’s a perfect opportunity: Our big 65th reunion runs from September 30 to October 2. The College is picking up our room tabs at the Hanover Inn and covering most meal costs. Why not call an old roommate and reconnect? You’ll be glad you did!

Says Bill Monahan, “I’ll be there!” He and Pamela divide their year between Lanikai (Hawaii) and New Zealand. “My life revolves around beach walks, paddling outrigger canoes, tinkling our piano as Pam sings and reading a lot.”

A number of ’51 widows are making plans to come back to the reunion. Our reunion planning committee is rolling out the welcome mat for these important members of the ’51 family. Among those we’ve visited with lately: Joan Wolfe, Carol Morse, Dotty Mori, Babs Hall, Elaine Bovaird and Ginny Hilton. We hope to see you all!

Charlie Russell (Lebanon, New Hampshire) has published his first book, the labor of many years. Art as Adornment (Outskirts Press) is about the life and work of Arthur George Smith. Smith was prominent in the Modernist jewelry movement; his trade name was ArtSmith. When the artist died he left his archives and artifacts to Charlie, a long-time friend. Charlie reminisced recently about an especially close group of ’51s who spent their senior year living together in Wigwam Village, built for married students but unfilled in the days of few returning veterans. High-end living it was not! Tomato soup was a staple in the lives of these eight roommates (it was also the featured dish at a celebratory 50th reunion gathering). Besides Charlie, the group included Roger Johnson (Atlanta), Dave O’Neill (Dover, New Hampshire), Paul Meyer (Middlebury, Vermont), Bill Pardee (Ithaca, New York) and three now-deceased classmates: Roger Bradley, Howie Read and Les Viereck.

We report with sadness the deaths of Bill Blodgett, Whitey Brandfass, Ted Davidson, Bill Halpin and Ted Laskin.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Fifty-one out! It’s time to start making plans to return to Hanover for our free 65th reunion, scheduled for September 30 to October 2. The College will cover the cost of our rooms at the Hanover Inn, as well as most meals and other expenses. Fall color? No charge. Get-togethers with old friends? Priceless! We expect a big turnout. Don’t miss this special celebration!

As a preview, 44 of us gathered in Hanover for a mini-reunion on a picture-perfect fall weekend that all agreed was one of our best ever. Highlights included presentation of a Spirit of ’51 Award to Dick McFarland, a delightful dinner at Amy and Henry Nachman’s house, a barbecue picnic at the Tom Dent Cabin overlooking the Connecticut River, a convincing 49-7 football win over Sacred Heart and dozens of catch-up conversations among small groups of returning ’51s. The McFarland family turned out in force; on hand were Dick’s wife, Joyce, son Jim ’86 and wife, Janet, and grandson Matt ’16. Dick was recognized as a “legendary icon” in the Twin Cities, where he has been a leader in the financial community, the work of important local foundations, major not-for-profit organizations and local Dartmouth activities. Classmates on hand included Howie Allen, Sel Atherton, Al Brout, Mike Choukas, Chester Cotter, Don Dworken, Carl Glassberg, Pete Henderson, Bob Hopkins, John Hoskins, Herb Knight, Pete and Lu Martin, Sandy McDonald, Dick McFarland, Peirce McKee, Loye Miller, Henry Nachman, Charlie Russell, Dave Saxton, Jack Skewes, Jack Weingarten and Joe Welch. It was a special pleasure to welcome back four widows: Marcia Clayton, Babs Hall, Dotty Mori and Trula Jennings Smith (widow of Champ Smith).

To everyone’s delight, Charlie Russell volunteered to succeed Dave Batchelder as editor of our class newsletter. Charlie and Peggy Reid live at the Woodlands retirement community in nearby West Lebanon, New Hampshire, along with Jack and Connie Skewes and (soon) the Nachmans, whose Hanover house is on the market.

We report with sadness the deaths of Peter Dallman, Dick Patton, Hap Person and Karl Starch.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

I am often struck by the many ways in which the world has redefined and eliminated borders since our day. My son, John ’82, lives in Myanmar; more than 30 of his classmates have addresses outside the United States. (“The sun never sets on the class of ’82!”)

By contrast, seven ’51s live abroad: Wes Blake (Ottawa, Canada); Wusun Lin (Beijing); Bob McCabe (Paris); Dave McDonough (Bagna di Lucca, Italy); Mo Monahan (Motueka, New Zealand); Franz Pick (Munich); and Lucky Quesada (Lima, Peru).

Suzanne and Tom Barnett, on the other hand, didn’t even change zip codes when they sold their home and moved to a nearby retirement community. Tom’s description of downsizing, in words familiar to many of us: “We still have a ways to go on settling. Hanging pictures hasn’t begun yet, and though we lightened up big time on possessions prior to the move, we may have to skinny up a little more.”

Small world department: Jean and I recently visited former neighbors now living in a continuing care retirement community in Bloomfield, Connecticut. While there we bumped into Ilsa and Paul Orth and Connie and Jim Ballard. Paul retired from the bar at the end of 2014 after 60 years of practice, primarily in employment law. More recently he was especially active as a trustee, representing the interests of employees. He also taught law at night.

It was nice to hear from Suds Bissell (Wellesley, Massachusetts). He recently completed 50 years as a very active trustee of Anatolia College in Greece; his daughter succeeded him on the board. “Anatolia is part of my family,” says Suds, adding that, “These are very tough times in Greece.” Another ongoing passion for him: the stock market.

Another classmate who continues to be active and contributive is Herb Knight (St. Charles, Illinois). We meet for lunch periodically and it’s always fun to catch up. Herb is in regular touch with his old Tuck School roommate Dick McFarland (Excelsior, Minnesota), another remarkably giving citizen in Minneapolis and beyond.

Dr. Dick Schneider passed away in his hometown of Healdsburg, California. Dick had a distinguished career in medicine and was the author of widely respected texts in orthopedic surgery.

—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com

Petra and John Hoskins (Gahanna, Ohio) and Nan and Dick Pugh (Thousand Oaks, California) are among the early birds reporting their plans to be in Hanover for our fall mini-reunion (September 25-27). It’s always a delightful time, with fall colors, football and a leisurely pace that’s perfect for unhurried conversations with classmates. Come on back!


Shirl and Howie Reynolds (Hamilton, New York) have enjoyed the many advantages of living in a small college town. Howie taught experimental psychology at Colgate University for more than 30 years and stayed on in retirement to enjoy faculty friends, theater and musical performances and a rich array of campus offerings. He did graduate study at Rutgers, Syracuse and UC Berkeley. Two sons and a granddaughter have gone to Dartmouth.


Life in college communities (Yale, University of Connecticut, University of Florida) has also appealed to Ann and John Ives. Along with cultural offerings they have especially enjoyed a butterfly museum and intercollegiate athletics. Golf is a special favorite. John was a prominent hospital administrator and also taught in this field. In retirement he took up mediation and continues to “help out in a small way” in the Gainesville, Florida, court system.


Buck Scott (Wynnewood, Pennsylvania) writes a periodic newsletter that I enjoy. Canusamex (a contraction of the names of the three North American countries) is a testament to Buck’s wide-ranging curiosity and active mind. A recent issue covers topics from cheap gasoline to Pennsylvania politics to Mayan ruins. Buck’s long-standing interest in international affairs is stimulated by two of his kids, who live in Beijing and Hong Kong.


Another internationalist, Dick Halloran (Honolulu, Hawaii), worries about the mutual lack of understanding between China and the United States. “American ignorance of China is marked,” he observes, “but Chinese ignorance of America is monumental and is a source of great danger.” Dick lives 18 miles from Pearl Harbor, so the risks of miscalculation are close to home. He continues to write about this and other topics that interest him.


We report with sadness the recent deaths of four more classmates: Neal Crampton, Larry Kinnamon, Bob Rutstein and Kevin Travers.


—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com


Sandy McDonald has devoted more than 20 years to enhancing the safety and navigability of the harbors of Darien, Connecticut, and protecting the beauty of the nearby coastline. He chaired the Darien Advisory Commission on Coastal Waters and has been a leader in the Noroton Yacht Club, Darien Boat Club, Fairfield County Commodores Association, Darien Sail and Power Squadron and Connecticut Boating Council.


In recognition of his remarkable commitment and leadership, Sandy’s hometown of Darien proclaimed September 4, 2014, as Sandy McDonald Day.


Ralph Watkins and his wife, Barbara Massoff, are also water lovers. They divide their year between two oceans, at Westhampton Beach, New York, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. “Mexico is an especially happy place for us,” they report. “The sky is always blue, the food is delicious, everyone smiles. There’s lots to like about the ‘mañana’ mindset!”


Cherie and Bob Moore are active volunteers in Jackson, Michigan. Both are teachers and tutors of grade-schoolers in Jackson’s Winners Walk Tall program.


Also busy in retirement: Dick Terry (Arlington, Massachusetts). After many years in compensation management at Polaroid Corp. he now draws on that experience as a volunteer consultant to not-for-profit organizations in the Boston area, under the auspices of the Harvard Business School. Dick sings with the Mystic Chorale and serves on the board of Common Cause Massachusetts.


It is always a treat for Jean and me when ’51 classmates come through Evanston, Illinois, and stop for a visit. The latest: Patria and John Hoskins. They have moved off of the family farm and live nearby in Gahanna, Ohio.


Marr Mullen (Mercer Island, Washington) recently unearthed photos and clippings describing his days on the Dartmouth crew. In our sophomore year six of the nine crew members were ’51s: John Lewis, Guido Rahr, Andy Timmerman, Pete Krehbiel, Jack Lotz and Marr. Most of the members of that crew went on to row in the 1950 Henley Regatta in England.


And Andy Pincus (Lenox, Massachusetts) is still active as a music critic, covering Boston Symphony concerts and other programs at Tanglewood, about which he has written three books.


—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com


Squash is still an important part of Rick Austin’s (Loudon, Tennessee) life, even though a knee replacement ended his competitive playing 20 years ago. He and his two sons are members of the Jesters Club, an honorary organization of international players recognized for their contributions to squash. He is involved in Racquet Up Detroit, a program for out-of-school youth, now in 10 cities, which uses squash, in combination with academic tutoring and mentoring, to help young people achieve their full potential. (Visit the Internet for more details of this inspiring program.) Rick’s son Jim and grandson Patrick recently honored him by creating the Rick Austin Campership Fund, which allows four Racquet Up Detroit kids to benefit from a summer camping experience.


Geeb Goldberg still lives in Louisville, Kentucky. I enjoy his occasional bulletins. Under the heading, “It’s a small world,” he reports that his daughter-in-law is a member of my wife’s Evanston, Illinois, book club. I’m angling for a reunion.


Charlie Blood (Belgrade Lakes, Maine) describes his idyllic life: “Loving family, a little country church with many friends, excellent health and the joy of summers at our comfortable old camp on nearby Great Pond, where Shirley and I dabble in our woodlots. Passing my 85th birthday wasn’t hard at all!”


Dick Barnes (Washington, D.C.) lost his wife, Toni, last year; they had been married for 61 years. He remains active, attending events at the Brookings Institution (“my favorite think tank”) and the Carnegie Institute for International Affairs.


Still working: Dr. Jim Cavanagh (Tallahassee, Florida) is a full-time volunteer teaching anatomy at Florida State University’s School of Medicine. Aldan Markson (Maplewood, New Jersey) still has an active law practice, now devoted entirely to mediation and arbitration.


Recent deaths of classmates include Leonard “Red” Balaban, Ed Eichler, Bob Fiertz, Gary Mansur and Earl Reynolds. At Dave Batchelder’s memorial service this spring 11 ’51s paid their fond respects: Dick Dutton, Mike Choukas, Henry Nachman, Loye Miller, Dave Saxton, Howie Allen, Nase Hurowitz, Jack Giegerich, Bill Merkle, Ed Weisenfeld and Bob Hopkins. Bob joined family members in remembering Batch.


—Pete Henderson, 455 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com


Hanover never looked better than it did for our fall mini-reunion/Homecoming Weekend! We enjoyed shirtsleeves weather for much of it; perfect for strolling the ever-changing campus. Especially notable is the expanded arts complex: the Hood Museum is now connected to the new Black Family Visual Arts Center and will soon be joined to a refurbished Wilson Hall. Charlie Hood remains a major force behind these important developments.
Another of my favorite destinations is the Rauner Special Collections Library (known in our day as Webster Hall). Excellent portraits are on display of the six Dartmouth presidents (Dickey, Kemeny, McLaughlin, Freedman, Wright and Kim) who have led the College in the 66 years since we arrived on campus. Next door in Baker Library I found a marvelous portrait of our late classmate Ed Lathem, long-time librarian and dean of libraries at Dartmouth.
Loye Miller and Henry Nachman once again made impeccable arrangements for our class gatherings. The football team upset Yale in a thriller, 20-13. Signs of the times: We now rate 50-yard line seats! And only three hardy ’51s marched in the Homecoming parade (Howie Allen, Gebby and Sandy McDonald). The rest of us lingered over a delicious dinner in the comfort of the Nachmans’ home.
Presentation of the Spirit of ’51 awards was a weekend highlight. Deserving recipients were Peter Martin and Al Moses. Peter was recognized for leadership in two fields: journalism (senior editor of Time and Money magazines) and promoting international understanding as executive director of the Institute for Current World Affairs. Al’s award highlighted his extraordinary contributions as an esteemed attorney, diplomat and public servant. (See our class newsletter for the full citations.)
Other classmates returning for the weekend were Al Brout, Mike Choukas, Chester Cotter, Peirce McKee, Jerry Mitchell, Dick Pugh, Charlie Russell, Jack Skewes, Ralph Watkins, Jack Weingarten, Ed Weisenfeld and Joe Welch. We were delighted that Babs Hall and Dotty Mori were also on hand.
Seven of our classmates have passed away since our last column: David Angell, Sam Chu, Don Herdeg, Bob Matthews, Raphael Poritsky, Paul Simel and Frank Smallwood.
—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com



The mini-reunion on October 2-3 enjoyed colorful foliage and a hard rain for classmates who braved the elements to watch the Big Green continue its losing ways against Penn. Your scribe, fighting a bad cold, watched the game from the comfort of a Hanover Inn room’s TV. I later learned that otherwise healthy classmates did the same. As usual chairman Henry Nachman pulled together nicely catered, conveniently located dinners on Friday and Saturday as well as moving to the indoors Nita and Mike Choukas’ Chowda Party. Fifty attended and their names will appear in the ’51 Fables. Not attending was our president Jack Sutton, who for various reasons has reluctantly resigned. Vice president Loye Miller has succeeded him, completing a transition that our class has experienced before. The executive committee has chosen October 8-9, with Yale as the football opponent, for our next class mini. Agent Dave Saxton became the latest “Spirit of ’51” honoree at Saturday night’s class dinner. His citation, written by Loye Miller, will be in the next ’51 Fables.

Back to the issues of The Daily D in late 1949, November 29, to be exact: John Clayton is named New England’s Outstanding Player and will receive an engraved watch at a dinner in Boston on December 7. John cannot recall what happened to the watch. In the same issue we read that the varsity hockey team had its first Hanover workout on Storrs Pond, not Davis rink because Davis still isn’t ready! Just to prove that the life of an ink-stained wretch (read newspaper reporter) is not always dull, on December 2 Ted Laskin tells all to his faithful readers about his interview with the fabled Mae West in her dressing room back stage in a N.Y.C. theater. The future editor-in-chief obviously enjoyed his work. In January Congressman A.S. Mike Monroney, a Democrat from Oklahoma, spoke at “Great Issues.” It was a coincidence, of course, that his son John Michael Monroney was a student at Dartmouth. Go online for class news: www.dartmouth.org/classes/51.

—Peirce McKee, 239 Village Gate, Orinda, CA 94563; peirce.mckee@rbc.com


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Continuing with recollections of our junior year, 1949-50, a recent e-mail from Mo Monahan described his Christmas vacation that year. “What to do over a lonely holiday 5,000 miles from home? To the rescue came Guido Rahr and his very kind family. I went to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, before heading north to the family hideaway estate for the holidays. The bad news was that because Guido had gone to Exeter he didn’t know a single girl in his hometown. Very frustrating for a hot-blooded boy from Hawaii.” Currently Mo and his wife are raising their 15-year-old son Keoni, “who is brilliant in all water sports because we live right on the beach here in Hawaii and in New Zealand.” Mo looks forward to attending our 60th in June 2011. Entertainment for us in the cold winter months often came from reading the classifieds in The Daily D: “Winter Weekend! Girls! Laughs! Music! If you’re planning on driving to Bradford this Friday and want someone to go along who will sing, crack jokes or just plain push, contact Pete Martin, 410 Sage.” That was February 21. On March 2 the results of a referendum on a plan to eliminate discriminatory clauses from fraternities was announced: 90.1 percent of the student body voted and Proposal 2 received a majority. In part it said fraternities whose constitutions are restrictive as to race, religion or natural origin and are not doing all that could be done to eliminate such clauses will have their recognition withdrawn by the College.


On Friday, March 3, we learned that Ralph T. Hand Jr. and Frederick R. Swanson would lead the “wah-hoo-wah boys in antics next fall as co-chiefs of the cheerleading squad.” On March 8 a story appeared naming Jeffrey O’Connell best actor for the second year running in the fraternity play competition. New officers of the Dartmouth Outing Club were announced on March 18. Martin B. Persons Jr. was elected president and Samuel R. Roberts, vice president. Obituaries of Steve Balogh, Howard Bissell and Stan Van Den Noort can be accessed at www.dartmouth.org/classes/51. Lack Internet access? Write me for a printed obituary.


—Peirce McKee, 239 Village Gate, Orinda, CA 94563; peirce.mckee@rbc.com


Continuing to promote our 60th reunion on June 13-16, 2011 (the last June reunion we will ever have), your scribe will start off recalling his summer of 1950. I made the second and third most important decisions a young man can make by deciding what occupation to pursue and who to marry. After spending that summer in a Chicago department store’s men’s sportswear I decided on a career in retail store management. As for matrimony, Roxy Schmidt agreed to marry me but not until after graduation. Nels Brown recalls that summer like all the others, working on the family farm near Worcester, Massachusetts. The crops were vegetables, such as winter squash, the hours were long and conditions harsh. Needless to say, a career with the telephone company was a welcome change for Nels. Neal Crampton’s summer of 1950 was split between six weeks at Quantico with the U.S. Marine Corps and a month busing dishes at the Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod. Working next to him was Parke Sickler, another Marine who Neal encouraged to come to work there. Also in that dining room was Bernice Brown, a waitress who caught Parke’s attention. Serious dating ensued and resulted in marriage for Bernie and Parke in November 1951. Moving from the past to future let’s hear it from mini-reunion chairman Henry Nachman, who has some of the details of our fall event. It begins Friday, October 8 with cocktails and dinner at somewhere TBA. On Saturday before or after the Yale football game we may join other classes for a meeting with President Kim. That evening our banquet will be at one of our favorite locations, the DOC House. Scheduling the mini early in October improves the odds for mild weather and some colorful fall foliage, a great combination. Who knows, a victory over Yale may presage a winning season, not seen in Hanover since 1997. Be there so you can say you helped the team get a winning era off to a great start. Go online for Roger Des Prez’s obituary at dartmouth.org/classes/51.


—Peirce McKee, 239 Village Gate, Orinda, CA 94563; peirce.mckee@rbc.com


In 1950 varsity football featured a Homecoming win over Columbia, 14-7, with running backs Billy Roberts, Bobby Tyler and Ed Isbey leading the way. Johnny Clayton continued to improve his reputation as one of the East’s best T-formation quarterbacks. Entertainment of another sort was the Dartmouth Players’ performance of See How They Run, with Pinky Pfaff playing the lead. Interfraternity football playoffs concluded with Phi Psi squeaking by AD when John Boardman and Mike Choukas excelled for the winners. The Saturday after Thanksgiving brought a wind and rainstorm that pummeled the East Coast including Princeton’s Palmer Stadium. Not only did Dartmouth lose to Kazmaier & Co., 13-7, but football historians could not remember worse weather conditions. The Korean War grabbed everyone’s attention on November 29 as The Dartmouth’s headline screamed “Chinese Troops Flood Korea.” Instead of “Your boys will be home by Christmas,” Gen. MacArthur’s pledge in September, soldiers and marines were in retreat. Debaters Russ Dilks and Mike Iovenko led their team to victory, winning the Tufts College tournament for the second straight year. Herm Christensen, showing off his diverse interests, won a $5 prize by coming “closest” to guessing the Army-Navy game score. Reporting again from Washington, D.C., was our intern-for-a-year Mike Heyman, who wrote a column discussing the need for a Fair Employment Practices Commission. Dick Pugh was one of four men chosen in the New England district as a Rhodes Scholarship winner. On our way through California’s Calaveras County to the Bear Valley Music Festival in August, Jo Ann and I stopped in picturesque Murphys. In a restaurant called Grounds we lunched with Ted Laskin and his long-time friend, Gayle Nordby. Ted, a lawyer who hung out his shingle in the nearby town of Arnold 27 years ago, regaled us with stories about life in the mother-lode area. He had to leave us to attend a writer’s club meeting, which shows FTL’s mind is still fertile with thoughts to grab your imagination if not your agreement. Go online for an obituary of Aaron Rausen (dartmouth.org/classes/51).


—Peirce McKee, 239 Village Gate, Orinda, CA 94563; peirce.mckee@rbc.com 


Culminating five years of work, George Biggs (Georgetown, Texas) completed composition of his first cantata, “Watching for God at Dawn,” and it had its premier performance at his church late last year. This had to have been a life highlight! The work was performed by nine singers, a narrator and six instrumentalists. George has composed many choral works, vocal solos and instrumental pieces.


I watched The March on PBS recently, recalling the 1963 civil rights march on Washington, D.C. Who should appear in footage from that time but a young Berl Bernhard (Annapolis, Maryland), then serving as staff director, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Photos of Berl huddling with the Kennedys and prominent civil rights leaders reflected their uncertainty and apprehension about the likely outcome of that historic event. The narrative then switched to show an exuberant Berl in 2013 recalling the peaceful and impactful march.


I enjoyed reconnecting with Harry Berwick (Richmond, Virginia) recently. Harry spent many years in Boston as a senior analyst with Loomis Sayles, specializing in the retailing and consumer goods industries. In retirement he finds pleasure in gardening (he still mows his lawn), opera, senior classes and his church.


As he planned for retirement years ago Mo Monahan (Stephens Bay, New Zealand) asked himself “What do I like to do?” The answer: Get the hell away from noise, congestion, tension and acrimony and go to where there is peace, happiness and contentment! The solution: New Zealand, which has delivered on all of his goals. In a recent note Mo reminisced about arriving in Hanover from Hawaii in 1947 with Blaine Boyden and Jock McIntyre and being invited to the “foreign student tea!”


Wilson Cross (Durham, North Carolina) lives across the street from the University of North Carolina where he enjoys working from home in a one-man business selling a very specialized tool for installing or removing marine propellers. Boats and boating have always been a great love. “The world is my market!” he says.


Herm Christensen died unexpectedly on December 9 at his home in Atherton, California.


—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com


Nobody told Pete Martin (Orford, New Hampshire) that we are supposed to put our feet up and take it easy in our ninth decade. Pete has launched a new mini-foundation, the John Hazard Institute, to train young U.S. lawyers as international negotiators by sending them to law schools in “disagreeable” countries to learn the language and get a matching law degree. “My first fellow has just returned from Iran with an LL.M.,” says Pete. “Another is about to depart for Russia.”


Also still hard at it: Woody Klein (Westport, Connecticut) has just signed yet another book contract (No. 9!), this one dealing with racism. Woody and Audrey continue to do pro bono writing for several not-for-profit organizations.


Jesse Schoenbrod reports in from Pacific Grove, California, where he continues to work, currently as a lab technician.


Tapering off: Spencer (“nobody calls me Spud any more”) Gray (Chatham, Massachusetts) now volunteers part-time at the Chatham Historical Society’s Atwood House Museum, where he previously served as the director. Spencer’s earlier career included 20 years teaching English at Loomis Chaffee School and 20 years running three specialty clothing stores in southeastern Massachusetts.


Paul Orth (Farmington, Connecticut) has also cut back and now limits his law practice to “various pro bono trusteeships and playing judge as an arbitration neutral.”


I have just joined the board of the Evanston (Illinois) Community Foundation, a nice way to learn about and contribute to my new hometown. This led to correspondence with Dwight Allison (Dana Point, California), who once served on the boards of the Boston Foundation, the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin Counties (Florida) and the Council on Foundations (Washington, D.C.)—all at the same time! Dwight and Lyona sold their Florida residence last year and moved permanently to their summer home in California.


Charlie Russell and Peggy Read enjoy their home in the Woodlands, an independent living facility in Lebanon, New Hampshire, where their neighbors are Connie and Jack Skewes. Charlie describes the Upper Valley as “an astounding cultural milieu” with the bonus of watching Dartmouth athletics. 


Recent deaths: Chuck Fryer, Bill Harrington and Steve Prouty.


—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com


It was truly serendipitous when rain and cool weather prompted reunion chairman Dave Batchelder to opt for Collis Center as our indoor venue Monday and Tuesday evening. Wives, friends and children attending those dinners saw Collis as just another College building but classmates knew it as Freshman Commons, relatively unchanged from 1947-48. Eighty-eight classmates, seven widows along with wives, children and friends to equal 170, set a record for a 60th reunion. Beginning on Monday with registration at our headquarters in the new McLaughlin Cluster near Dick’s House, classmates were given opportunities to visit open houses and take walking tours before dinner. Tuesday brought us a panel discussion titled “World Perspectives,” moderated by Peter Martin, with Dick Halloran, Al Moses and Hav Smith. That was followed by a talk with President Kim and a luncheon at the Collis Center. Dinner that night was highlighted by a whole boiled lobster—what a treat! On Wednesday the first reunion class photo we have ever had took place on the Dartmouth Hall steps. The shoot was two-fold, classmates only and then everyone. Then came our memorial service with sensitive, thoughtful and stirring performances by our wearers of the cloth, Dick Bucey and Bill Leffler. It was a challenge for all of us to listen to class president Loye Miller read the names of 69 classmates who have died since our last reunion. The service concluded with George Biggs leading the Glee Club in its rendition of “Dartmouth Undying,” always good for a lump in your throat. Once again we journeyed to the Dartmouth Skiway for the class dinner, the Straw Hat Band and engraved desk clocks presented to those who made the reunion go click-click: Henry Nachman, Bob Hopkins, Dave Saxton, Joe Welch and other committee members. All agreed the getaway breakfast in the Hanover Inn was an elegant way to end our last June reunion. After 60 of these columns, about 4,000 birthday cards, 115 obituaries, countless phone and online contacts with classmates and the alumni records office I now write: 30. Finally, please welcome your next class secretary, Pete Henderson.


—Peirce McKee, 239 Village Gate, Orinda, CA 94563; peirce.mckee@rbc.com


Let’s hear a rousing cheer for Peirce McKee, who has presided over this space for the past 10 years! His updates and reminiscences have informed and entertained us all and have been vital contributors to our class’ cohesiveness and esprit. Many thanks, Peirce!


I’ll be trying to fill not only Peirce’s shoes but those of Dave Leslie, Loye Miller, Russ Dilks, Henry Nachman, Dave Wiggins, Bill Boynton and Bill Brooks, all of whom have served ably as our class secretaries since we graduated. A tall order! Your calls and letters will be essential to my pulling it off.


Speaking of cohesiveness and esprit, they were on full display at our 60th reunion in June. You will have heard by now in Dave Batchelder’s newsletter of the record turnout and the wonderful array of events and activities that we all enjoyed. Jean and I were wowed by the imaginative job done by Batch and his reunion committee, led by Loye, Henry, Bob Hopkins, Dave Saxton and Joe Welch.


We knew we were in the right spot when we saw Peirce and Sandy McDonald at their familiar places at the welcome desk. We were moved, as always, by Dick Bucey’sand Bill Leffler’sinspiring leadership of the memorial service, at which we remembered 279 deceased classmates. George Biggs once again led a chorus of classmates in song: Dick Miner, Wes Hannington, Pete Martin, Don Clark, Aram Chorebanian, Buck Scott and Dick Terry were all in good voice.


Joe Caldwell summed up the unanimous enthusiasm: “I know the College doesn’t schedule formal reunions after the 60th but Marcy and I will definitely be there for our 70th in 2021!” And all of us agreed that the College admissions staff had shown remarkably good taste back in 1947.


We have learned of the deaths of Bob Byall, George Marshall, Dick MacDonald and Mark Helfer.You can find their obituaries at www.dartmouthalumnimagazine.com, where your interactive comments and remembrances are welcome.


Please pass on your news. A phone visit with a ’51 classmate makes my day!


—Pete Henderson, 576 Maple St., Winnetka, IL 60093; (847) 446-5109; phenderson82@yahoo.com


Jean and I are well settled into our continuing care retirement community (CCRC) and we like it a lot. Several ’51 classmates have written to describe similar downsizings and simplified lifestyles.


Howie and Nat Allen were trend-setters; they left their longtime Brookline, Massachusetts, home for condo living in Jamaica Plain in Boston 10 years ago. Richard and Caroline Bergman moved down the road to a CCRC in Bradenton, Florida, following some health setbacks. And Ted Hazen, retired from the faculty at Texas A&M University in College Station, is in the queue for a CCRC now under construction. Ted is a biochemist; he received advanced degrees from the University of New Hampshire and Harvard after graduating from Dartmouth. He and his wife, Anne, are active volunteers, she in a local hospice program and Ted in a very busy food pantry.


Bob and Joan Crossley fell in love with the mountains of Wyoming on a vacation drive 20 years ago. Says Bob: “We stopped for a cup of coffee in Pinedale, and before we left town we had purchased a lot with magnificent mountain views.” Pinedale’s population has doubled (to 2,000) in the years since but “the pace of life still resembles that of the 1950s.”


Bill and Trudy Merkle (Old Greenwich, Connecticut) describe a breathless travel schedule, visiting their three sons and three daughters plus friends from coast to coast. Teaching literacy classes in English to local immigrants is another source of pleasure and satisfaction.


Jim Culberson (Asheboro, North Carolina) has reluctantly hung up his skis but still golfs regularly and “crossed off one of the items on my bucket list as I went pheasant hunting in North Dakota.”


Henry Nachman represented our class and spoke at an “especially moving” memorial service for Aaron Rausen. Aaron, a pediatric oncologist, devoted his professional life to finding cures for childhood cancers. A number of speakers at the service were former patients who “are here because of Dr. Rausen.”


Sadly, I report the deaths of ’51s Peter Hill, Charles Hines and Dudley Page.


—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Apt. 455, Evanston, IL 60201-4610; (847) 905-0635; phenderson82@yahoo.com


Jean and I connected with Bill and Ellen Blodgett (Lake Forest, Illinois) over dinner recently. Bill spent a year at Dartmouth, then transferred to Beloit College. He is still active in his own marketing consulting firm, serving major national food companies. Earlier he held senior marketing and sales positions with Pillsbury and Peavey companies. Bill crosses paths regularly with Bob Closser (Mission Hills, Kansas) during vacations in Hawaii.


Jim Balderston (Portola Valley, California) sent along a copy of the Virginia Law Weekly featuring a Page 1 photo of professor Jeff O’Connell (Charlottesville, Virginia) and a “thumbs up” review of Jeff’s annual appearance in Dandelion. Dandelion is an opportunity for University of Virginia law students to blow off steam in “sometimes ludicrous, sometimes hilarious skits.” Sadly, we learned at press time that Jeff has since died. Details will follow in the next issue of the alumni magazine.


Bob Hopkins (Darien, Connecticut) reports a mini-mini-reunion over a festive lunch with Connecticut neighbors Dave Batchelder (Salisbury), Dick Dutton (Washington), Sandy McDonald (Darien) and out-of-state import Dave Saxton (York, Maine). Batch and Dick get together almost every week.


Setting the pace for “getting all there is to get out of life” is Ed Landau (Worcester, Massachusetts). His remarkable career includes stints in medicine (professor of gastroenterology), landscape architecture (with a mid-life master’s), court mediation and adult education (as teacher and student). He is now actively involved with the Worcester Foreign Relations Committee.


Paul Meyer (Middlebury, Vermont), in a bit of a stretch, claims the distinction of being the first in our class to retire. “After realizing that college life was more fun than the business world,” he reports, “I ‘retired’ from Eastman Kodak in 1955. I acquired the necessary union card (a Ph.D. in very pure mathematics) at Columbia, then spent a very happy career as an academic.”


Chuck Ryan (Salem, Virginia) has recently re-retired after 26 years preparing tax returns. His earlier career (32 years) was in manufacturing management with Mohawk Rubber Co.


We report the recent deaths of Joe Baker, Bill Beasley and Blaine Boyden. Our class was represented at Bill’s funeral by Jerry Mitchell, Mike Choukas and Loye Miller. Peirce Mckee attended Blaine’s service.


—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com


Our Woody Klein just keeps on writing books and finding willing publishers. This one, his seventh, is titled The Inside Stories of Modern Political Scandals. Praeger is the publisher and some of the scandals are Bay of Pigs fiasco, Watergate, Monicagate and Enron. All of us have received Dave Batchelder’s November announcement of our 60th reunion to take place on June 13-16. This is, sad to say, our last June reunion. The 65th and 70th reunions are scheduled in September, which should inspire us to live that long and to be in shape to attend. Our 60th will include three class dinners, alumni college lectures, a state-of-the-College report by President Jim Yong Kim and a panel organized by Pete Martin titled “Dartmouth in the World.” Tennis, golf and bird-watching will be offered. Come to the reunion and renew old friendships as well as start new ones. Continuing the buildup to the 60th, my copies of The Dartmouth in 1951 reported that a casualty of our Winter Carnival weekend was the theft of Brooks Dodge’s skiing trophies that he had won that weekend. (I called Brooks while writing this column to learn that in the next week the thief delivered them to the DOC office in Robinson.) Professor Richard Goddard commented on the lack of snow this winter and said the 80-year average is holding up very well. Our freshman year, 1947-48, saw 110 inches, the second largest recorded at the Shattuck Observatory. The following year was only 46 inches. A Dartmouth rugby team was finally organized by Jack Skewes to compete in Bermuda in March against teams representing MIT, Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Players included Pete Bogardus, Ted Eberle, Bill Monahan, Vin Marriott, Johnny Clayton and Bill Leshore. Pi Lambda Phi’s entry in the fraternity play contest, The Girl from Vienna, earned much praise. Donald Gold was the author. Best actor honors once again went to thespian Jeff O’Connell of Psi Upsilon.


Go online for obituaries of Sam Hibben, Dick Ellis, Mike Monroney and Jim Thorpen, www.dartmouth.org/classes/51.


—Peirce McKee, 239 Village Gate, Orinda, CA 94563; peirce.mckee@rbc.com


Jeff O’Connell (Charlottesville, Virginia) and brother Tom ’50 have written another book, Five 20th Century College Presidents: From Butler to Bok (Plus Summers) (Carolina Academic Press). It focuses on five key roles of these remarkable men (including John Sloan Dickey): leader, manager, energizer, envoy and intellectual.


Paul Simel (Greensboro, North Carolina) is a retired ophthalmologist who has taught ophthalmic surgery on four continents. He and Fay have produced two more generations of physicians. Paul is in close touch with four former roommates: Eddie Landau (Worcester, Massachusetts), Chick Geilich (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida), Nase Hurowitz (Worcester, Massachusetts) and Howard Phillips (Sarasota, Florida).


Bill Rugg (San Leandro, California) and Norma have reluctantly sold their snowmobiles. They still travel the world in motor homes. He describes looking up at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro last spring and conceding, “Maybe yesterday but not today.”


Bill Leffler and Ki (Kennebunkport, Maine) have found a great travel scam: free cruises when Bill serves as the rabbi on ships for the Jewish holidays.


A birthday idea worth copying from Dave Barker (Hopkins, Minnesota): “At my age there’s next to nothing I want or need. I encourage gift-givers to send single-serve food products, which I deliver to a local food pantry. This year’s haul: 200 pounds of food!” Dave does still appreciate cake and ice cream.


Dartmouth flew its flags at half staff in memory of Mike Heyman, former chair of the College’s trustees. The late hockey and baseball coach Eddie Jeremiah was honored by a Hanover reunion of his former players, including Mike Choukas.


Fred Chandler (Winnetka, Illinois) died on March 23 at his and Jane’s winter home in Delray Beach, Florida. Bob and Joan Hopkins (Darien, Connecticut) have a place nearby and attended a memorial reception for Fred. Reed Badgley (Chicago) and I represented our class at the Winnetka funeral service.


Henry Nachman (Hanover) reports that our class’ scholarship fund has reached $166,500 and now supports three Dartmouth undergraduates.


A final word from Jack Weingarten (Norwich, Vermont): “The older we get the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.”


—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Apt. 455, Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; phenderson82@yahoo.com


A nice benefit of this job is the extra motivation it provides me to return to Hanover each fall for our annual mini-reunion and class executive committee meeting. As always, Loye Miller and Henry Nachman’s flawless arrangements made the weekend a breeze and a delight for all of us out-of-towners.


John Clayton’s surprise and pleasure at receiving the Spirit of ’51 Award was the highlight of the weekend. The occasion was made doubly happy for John and Marcia—and for us all—by the surprise appearance of their out-of-town children and grandchildren, who slipped in from offstage for the presentation. This was the 29th Spirit of ’51 Award to be presented since the initial award to Buck Scott in 1982.


The Claytons have sold their house in nearby Grantham, New Hampshire, and will soon move to Maine.


It was a treat to see Dotty Mori (West Lebanon, New Hampshire). She joined 50 classmates and guests for our mini-reunion dinner. She reported with pride that her and Al’s grandson Alberto has come to Dartmouth from his home in Italy and is a starter on the soccer team as a freshman.


Parke Sickler’s attendance pleased us all. He has made a marvelous recovery from last summer’s stroke. I’m betting that Parke (Brevard, North Carolina) holds our class record with six great-grandchildren!


Great news from Oberlin, Ohio, where Dick Dunn received the Oberlin College Award for Distinguished Service to the Community in recognition of his many years of civic improvement as city manager and an officer of the college.


We report the recent deaths of Earl Brabb, John Hatfield and Dick Price. Our class was represented at John’s service by Howard Fuller, Herm Christensen and George Bikle. Howard (Claremont, California), a retired United Church of Christ minister and John’s Dartmouth roommate and fellow glee clubber, officiated. Len Smith (Los Gatos, California) spoke at the service for Earl, his long-time close friend.


Obituaries for these and all other deceased classmates can be found on our class website (www.dartmouth.edu/classes/51) and will also appear in Dave Batchelder’s newsletter.


—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com