As anticipated in previous Class Notes, a small group titled “Greeting Grief: Openings to Possibilities,” facilitated by psychiatrist Ted Beal, M.D., (malbeal83@gmail.com) and psychologist Bob Sprafkin, Ph.D., (rpsprafkin@gmail.com) held its first Zoom meeting on July 9 focused on anticipating and planning for and processing grief experiences through mutual help, complemented by explorations of grief-related poetry and essays. Contact Ted to join future monthly meetings.
The celebration of our collective 85th birthdays in San Antonio, Texas, during Fiesta Week from April 27 to May 1 brought together 26 classmates and 22 spouses and partners. Ably organized by cotripmeisters Tom Komarek and Roger Usborne, the event included tours of the Alamo, the Mercado, a Riverwalk cruise, the Witte Museum and Botanical Gardens, the Pearl historic district, and a visit to the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas. There I was privileged to welcome everyone to the dedication of a plaque honoring my father, Lt. Harry L. Smith, U.S. Navy Reserve, skipper of the USS LCS(L) 57, and his shipmates who distinguished themselves by downing seven kamikazes during the Battle of Okinawa, for which my father was awarded the Navy Cross, crew members won Silver and Bronze Stars and Purple Hearts, and the ship received a Presidential Unit Citation.
Mini-reunion chairpersons Heide and Mike Schaefer will again organize the annual event October 10-12, Homecoming Weekend, when Dartmouth will take on Yale at Memorial Field. Mike expects between 44 to 50 attendees, with Marriott Courtyard in Hanover as headquarters. Contact the hotel at (603) 643-5600 for lodging reservations and Mike at mschaefer@october company.com, cell (413) 221-7128, for lodging alternatives and reservations for meals at (formerly) Thayer Hall and Jesse’s Restaurant for dinner on Saturday.
I regret to inform you of the deaths of William “Bill” S. Shanahan Jr. of Darien, Connecticut, on March 7; George M. Billings Jr. of Kissimmee, Florida, on March 20; and Robert “Bob” B. MacPhail of Henderson, Nevada, on May 18. Peter Nostrand wrote movingly of his trip to Henderson to hold his freshman roommate’s hand, reading Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” as Bob took his last breath.
—David L. Smith, 1810 Columbine Pl., Sun City Center, FL 33573; (775) 870-2354; david@davidl smith.com