Class Notes 1977

The year 2025 got off to a good start with all of us having survived for a few months then, boom, double-barreled right between the eyes. We regret to inform you that Michael Zischke (of the famed Orinda, California, Dartmouth dynasty) and Jeff Lyon, WDCR stalwart and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, father of four who we just chatted with, are both suddenly gone—a sucker punch to the gut for sure. You can read about their wonderful lives on Dar7mou7h.com, along with the stories of many of our 50-plus classmates who have moved on. We are still missing a few obits—if you know where to find them, please send to class compassion angel Gloria Martinez (gloriamartinezsalzle@gmail.com) to post.

Melancholy matters must motivate us to carpe that diem with a vengeance and deluge our ’77 cohort with love, phone calls, texts, and visits. Bring on the uplifting events laden with uproarious ’77s such as The Brigsy celebrating Mike Brigham, The Buffalo toasting Rory Laughna, and The Betsy applauding Ms. Stueber’s Mandel Award. Spurred by the news about Jeff, I called his Exeter classmate Michael Walsh to make sure all was well with Mike—and, great news, it is. He’s planning to connect this spring in Houston with his many lads, including Chuck Dana, Bobby Huggard, and Billy Donovan in spirit. A cryptic text to bunkie Edy Ullman scored an invite to her annual N.Y.C. cool girl meetup with posse Kathy Phillips, Cathy Burnweit, Penny Kurr Rashin, Liz Kadin, and Pam Perkins. Recently, Doug “6ix” Ireland, Betsy Stueber and our own precocious Mark Harris corralled a few of us (Amy Cholnoky, Leslie Bradford, Pam Perkins, and Bob “Weezer” Overhiser) on a cocktail hour phonathon to thank generous classmates, letting me catch up with Kevin Carlie (and, by proxy, brother Mark), Bill Ablondi (and, by proxy, George Kohl), Dan Mahoney, David Cutler, Max Anderson, Johnny Macomber, Gary Schillhammer, Treff LaFleche, John Bird, class songbird Jennifer Leigh Warren (who has the most melodious voicemail greeting ever), and class creative wizard Bill Replogle. Paul Storfer is doing his best to meet us in Santa Fe, New Mexico. George Eger can’t make Santa Fe but hopes to attend our 2027 50th.

Is all this camaraderie igniting some major ’77 FOMO in your soul? Good! Pick up the phone and call a classmate. Register for our August event in Santa Fe on dar7mou7h.com. You’ll party with many of the esteemed personages mentioned above and the spirit of Georgia O’Keeffe to boot.

By now you’ve been bombarded with email invites to create your page in our class of 1977 BrightCrowd digital yearbook. It’s fun, it’s easy, and, best of all, it’s free! If you can’t access, contact one of the editors—cbmuller1@gmail.com, edy2ullman@comcast.net, or apduffy@optonline.net—to hook you up. It’ll get you psyched for Santa Fe this August and our 50th Reunion, live in Hanover June 2027.

Be seen, be heard! Send news and pics.

Not getting class emails and e-newsletters? Call the alumni help desk at (603) 646-3202 to update your email and address.

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net
 

“The Brigsy” is still going strong, turning it up to “Eleven” at Massachusetts’s Stow Acres on a beautiful September day. Several participants, including Doug “6ix” Ireland and Cort Delaney, reported another memorable day of golf, camaraderie, and fond remembrance of Mike Brigham. Attendees included Todd Morris ’76, Jim Beattie ’75, Jeff Morris ’75, Tom Bird ’78, Jill Rogers ’78, Gary Rogers, organizer Mark Berthiaume, Fred Kramer, Peter Bernhard, Andy Sherman, Tom Barnico, Kevin Young, Jean Brigham (Mrs. Brigsy), and Martha Laughna (Rory’s wife). My personal fixer, counselor Cort, teamed up with Freddy and Kevin and was carried to a respectable outcome by the inimitable Peter B.

Wes and Martha Chapman; Tom Barnico; Martha, Sarah, and Mary Laughna; and Jeannie Brigham and I convened on a spectacular October Saturday to commemorate the life and times of our dear departed Rory “Buffalo” Laughna and to celebrate the seventh “annibrewsary” of True North, the official ’77 brewery founded by Gary, Rory, and Jill in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Wes (or was it Tom? or was it Gary?) fondly recalled Buff’s gloriously hirsute noggin peeking out from a blankie as he lay napping on a dorm room floor, inspiring his apt nickname and the statue enshrining his fame and good hair at the entrance of True North.

The “77Reconnecting” class Zooms continue apace with creator Carol Muller offering a continuing stream of engaging topics and experts, most recently an overview of our planned 70th in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by cochairs Ted Lapres and Amy Cholnoky (more info on that below). Go to dar7mou7h.com for info on upcoming class Zooms as well as links to videos of prior Zooms. The Dartmouth College Class of 1977 Facebook page’s rules of engagement have been enhanced by the executive committee’s newly tapped social media maven Susan Gabrels. Our page (check it out today!) will become more relevant in reaching each other as we gear up for our 70th birthday bash in Santa Fe August 2025 as well as our 50th reunion in Hanover June 2027.

Speaking of Santa Fe, a recent survey of classmates indicated a whopping 69 percent of you are considering joining the class this August for our collective 70th birthday. General socializing, hiking, and tours of Los Alamos and Georgia O’Keeffe’s digs clocked in as the most compelling activities. Some of you might be wondering why Santa Fe in August—isn’t it too darn hot then? Event cochair and enthusiastic Santa Fe resident and spokesmodel Ted Lapres begs to differ, adding, “The 10-year average temps in August are 54 to 84 degrees. Santa Fe attracts the Texans and Arizonans escaping the sweltering Southwest summer due to the cooling influence of our 7,000-feet elevation and the surrounding mountains. Santa Fe’s climate is more akin to summer in Colorado.” So there is really no excuse. You gotta join us in Santa Fe next August.

Be seen, be heard! Send news and pics. Not getting class emails and enewsletters? Call the alumni help desk at (603) 646-3202 to update your email and forwarding address.

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net

It’s one year out from our ’77 class collective 70th birthday bash in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the planning team has shifted into high gear. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, August 20, to Sunday, August 24, 2025. The team (Chuck Dana, Cathy Burnweit, Gloria Martinez on the ground with Edy Ullman, Leslie Bradford, Nancy Vespoli and me attending in spirit) led by Ted Lapres and Amy Cholnoky convened a reconnaissance mission early June in Santa Fe to firm up venues and activities for the long weekend celebrating our seven decades of the good life. La Fonda on the Plaza in the heart of Santa Fe will be our HQ for the weekend. A multitude of group gatherings and fun activities are being fine-tuned to make sure we have plenty of togetherness while allowing individual time to explore this mystical and magical locale. Cultural activities include a tailgate at the famous open-air opera, an outing to Bandelier National Monument followed by a peek at Los Alamos for you Oppenheimer fans, Friday evening at the hopping Railyard District and a closing Saturday evening gala at the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum. Individual activities include guided hiking for all skill levels, horseback or bike trail rides, golf, yoga at HQ, and hot air balloon rides. The goal is to have something for everyone and every budget, so mark your calendars. We want you all to join us. The team will be emailing a short survey before Labor Day to determine your preferences for the trip, so check your inboxes and please respond ASAP.

The ’77 Guides and Seekers (G&S) network, established to help classmates connect with classmates who’ve had a medical or emotional crisis to share relevant advice, has officially launched with details available at dar7mou7h.com. G&S godfather Peter Mills has valiantly volunteered to confidentially connect guides (been through it) and seekers (about to go through it). Amy Cholnoky (seeker) and I (guide) recently performed a successful test case, spending an hour discussing preparations and expectations for her imminent hip replacement. Last year I was the seeker and Nancy Vespoli was my guide prepping me for my new joint. The concept is brilliant and the process is highly elucidating and comforting. Thank you, Peter, for your empathy and problem-solving skills helping classmates help classmates!

Speaking of new looks and new parts, Carol Muller is coordinating another very timely Zoom in September: “77Reconnecting: Quality of Life Surgery—Cataracts and Joint Replacement: When Is It Time?” featuring our own brilliant and did I say good-looking experts Eric Donnenfeld, M.D., and Vincent Pellegrini, M.D. (a.k.a. “Stork” and “Vin”), on Thursday, September 12, 8 p.m. EDT. Check your email for Zoom link and signup. Thank you, Carol, for keeping us connected with fascinating topics and speakers!

Be seen, be heard! Email news and pics. Not getting class emails and e-newsletters? Call the alumni help desk at (603) 646-3202 or go to https://alumni.dartmouth.edu/update-your-information to update your profile.

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net

Jay MacNamee reminisced about high school and college classmate Rob Kemeny: “Like celestial bodies traveling through space, some friends seem to pass into the orbit of our lives on predetermined ellipses, their paths defined by their unique eccentricities. When entering our sphere they become essential to our identities, social well-being, and happiness. We enjoy them immensely while they are in our circuit, then Kepler’s second law kicks in, hurtling them away from us, not to be seen again for many years. If we are lucky a few of these friends have lengthy plasma tails that continue to glow long after their bodies have passed out of sight.

“Rob Kemeny was just such a friend. There are things about him I’ll never forget: his unreserved generosity, unwavering loyalty, unrelenting kindness, and unbridled enthusiasm. We always had a blast together: partying on the team bus; partying at his family’s Lyme, New Hampshire, woods cabin; partying at the President’s House on Webster Avenue. (Hmm…is there a pattern here?) Even when things were not going Rob’s way, he always kept his spirits up. (Many hijinks and memories redacted here.) Now when I look up at the night sky I see remnants of Rob’s brilliant plasma tail being drawn inevitably into the darkness. He and I are, indeed, still friends. My spidey-sense is telling me that, at last, everything is okay with him.” For the full remembrance contact jbmacnamee77@gmail.com.

Breeder of exotic roaches and prince of patents John Storella is passionate about everything he tackles, recently screaming at me “We’re on track to beat the Bartlett Tower Society membership record at our 50th reunion!” Bartlett Tower Society (BTS) includes alumni who’ve made a planned gift to Dartmouth—a bequest, a 401k beneficiary designation, etc. We need nine more members to beat the record. To join BTS contact gift planning: giftplanning@dartmouth.edu or jrstorella@icloud.com.

Peter Mills elicits your participation in his brainchild: “We are launching the ‘Class of ’77 Guides and Seekers (G&S) Network.’ This idea sprang from my experience in 2019 when diagnosed with a serious grade of prostate cancer and my wife and I went into panic mode, researching alternative treatments, interviewing surgeons, and more. I found it enormously helpful to talk with people (often found via friends of friends) who had been through treatments and were willing to share information. It was a terrifying month, made less so by helpful advice. I thought classmates could connect with classmates who have been through a medical or emotional crisis and share advice.” We are launching a version with Peter as the clearinghouse for G&S. Anyone wanting to be a guide or a seeker, contact Peter at pbmsv@icloud.com and he will confidentially make the relevant connection. G&S relies on trust and confidentiality. To date we have 45 self-identified guides with myriad experiences from cancers, orthopedics, traumas, substances, and heart health to aging and more. Contact pbmsv@icloud.com to guide or seek.

Not getting class emails and e-newsletters? Call the alumni help desk (603) 646-3202 to update your email and forwarding address.

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net

On September 11, 50 Dartmouth alumni (including 15 ’77s) enjoyed golf, lunch, and good cheer at the Stowe (Massachusetts) Acres Country Club for the 10th annual Michael Brigham Foundation for Kidney Cancer Research fundraiser. Mike died in 2011 following a courageous battle. Family and friends honor “Brigsy’s” memory by funding kidney cancer research at Dana Farber. The foundation, established with an initial gift from Al Gordon, has benefitted from 10 years of golf and events, generating substantial research funds. Speakers included Brigsy’s wife, Jean, and Mark “Bert” Berthiaume, recalling his great friend, and others dearly departed, including Rory Laughna. Also attending were Tom Barnico, Johnny Carroll, Ron Dove, John Hart, Sam Hoar, Bill Hooper, Bruce Hutchinson, Fred Kramer, Bob Overhiser, Gary Rogers, Pete Volanakis, Ted Wingate, and Martha Laughna representing our dear Rory.

Barry Harwick kicked off the class’s relationship with the incoming ’27s at matriculation on September 10 as part of the College’s ongoing “Class Connect” program, which connects classes 50 years apart, helping them forge a meaningful relationship culminating at a 50th reunion (ours) coinciding with a graduation (theirs) in 2027. Barry gave each ’27 a commemorative sticker designed by our own Bill Replogle. Barry spearheaded the second “Class Connect” event at the October 20 Homecoming parade, with Dee Dee Simpson, Allan Muir, Dan and Brita Lucey, John and Cindy Douglass, Vince and Nancy Bird Pellegrini, Mark Farnham, and Wayne Gray leading the ’77 and ’27 contingents to the bonfire and instructing the “newbies” in safe flame lighting.

Scott Cameron writes: “I volunteer in Virginia conservation policy, showing government contractors how to better serve clients and the environment. An environmental issue facing the commonwealth is the expanding network of data centers, which use enormous energy from non-fossil sources, increasing industrial utility-scale solar projects, causing erosion, and polluting rivers and Chesapeake Bay. More than 20 percent of Virginia’s farmland could one day be covered in solar panels. If you see similar problems near you or have relationships with companies that might be persuaded to be mindful of the damage data centers cause, I’d like to chat. You can reach me at scottjcameron@verizon.net.”

On September 27 our class programming committee, led by Liz Kadin, Gina Russo, and Carol Muller, organized a “77Reconnecting” Zoom on volunteerism. Mark Beams, Kent Dauten, Penny Kerr Rashin, and Dr. David Woody chatted about their various volunteer experiences, including tutoring teen mothers, leading a large urban homeless recovery center, serving on a school board, leading boards of directors for nonprofit organizations, and advocating for mental health issues. Attendees were impressed by the dedication and commitment of our talented classmates. Major takeaways: choose an activity that engenders passion; maintain curiosity and willingness to learn; and volunteering equally benefits recipients and givers. The Zoom recording is on the class website (1977.dartmouth.org). Contact Carol Muller at cbmuller1@gmail.com with programming suggestions or to participate in class programming.

Not getting class emails and e-newsletters? Call the alumni help desk at (603) 646-3202 to update your email and forwarding address. Send news!

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net

Susan Dentzer tipped me off that ’77 dominated at the 2023 Geisel Alumni Awards, with Eric Donnenfeld and Dan Lucey scooping up two of the eight awards. Excerpts from the citations follow: “Eric Donnenfeld ’77, MED’80 [’05 parent], exemplifies a broad range of contributions to the field of ophthalmology, including scholarship, technological advancements, and experienced, empathetic patient care. Eric is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at New York University Medical Center. As an internationally recognized expert and pioneer in the field of eye surgery, Dr. Donnenfeld was among the first five people in the world to perform both laser vision correction and laser cataract surgery.”

“Daniel R. Lucey ’77, MED’81/’82, has spent 40 years fighting epidemics through patient care, research, education, and public health policy. This work began in 1982 with AIDS in San Francisco, before HIV was discovered, and overseas every year from 2003 to 2020 with SARS, MERS, avian and pandemic flu, Ebola (with Doctors Without Borders), Zika, yellow fever, chikungunya, plague (with the World Health Organization), and Covid-19.”

Speaking of Susan Dentzer, no stranger to well-earned recognition, the College named one of the first four Trailblazer scholarships in her honor as the first female chair of the board of trustees. Give a rouse for Eric, Dan, and Susan!

After musing if their August 1978 wedding might hold the marriage marathon record for legalized loving longevity between classmates in a prior DAM column, Libby Leach Maloney and Joseph Maloney ’78 unleashed numerous responses in both the mixed-class category (Lee Ann Disharoon Tolzman and David Tolzman ’76 in June 1975, Kim Rosenau York and Bruce York ’76 September 3, 1977; and Marion McClure and Gene Cartwright ’76 August 4, 1979) as well as in the ’77 pure play category, including but not limited to Marge Landsman and Steve Winer August 6, 1977; Ann Munzer Beams and Mark Beams one week later August 15, 1977; followed by Carol Muller and Al Henning September 4, 1977; Gina Tugwell and Tom Russo June 10, 1978; and finally Maud and Jeff Wells December 15, 1979. We know there are many others to celebrate, so please speak up and take a bow! And blissful snaps and claps to all for long-lasting unions of decades and decades!

Recognizing the great class of 1977 is in that phase of its lifecycle where our numbers are diminishing at a concerning clip, the executive committee has formed a compassion committee, aptly named “Hear7 to Hear7,” a resource to capture information on classmates who have died and to provide class condolences to the bereaved. Class necrologist Gloria Martinez is leading this effort, along with Carol Muller and class ministers Ann Munzer Beams and Nancy Bird Pellegrini. If you have news of a classmate’s death, please share it with Gloria at gloriamartinezsalzle@gmail.com. Class webmaster Peter Mills also maintains an updated list of memorials on dar7mou7h.com in the “In Memoriam” section, as well as many other nifty class resources. Check it out early and often.

That’s it for now, sports fans. Don’t be shy. Send in news and pics for future columns and newsletters.

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net

Always looking for ways to avoid the mean streets of Oakland, California, while seeking distraction from his empty nest, longtime ’77 executive committee (EC) member and Bartlett Tower Society representative John Storella, being a lawyer and all that, updated and refreshed our class constitution. The effort, aided if not abetted by a constitution committee of EC members Peter Mills, Carol Muller,and Leslie Bradford, was guided by class president Jim Guth and unanimously adopted by the EC in January. The amended constitution updates terminology, streamlines operations, and promotes democracy. It was presented to the class for approval this past spring. Changes were detailed in a recent newsletter and can be found at www.dar7mou7h.com.

After decades of ’77 service as president, vice president, reunion chair, webmaster, and more, ’77 Alumni Council (AC) representative Nancy Vespoli concludes her three-year term in May. Nancy will hand the AC rep reins to class co-minister Nancy Bird Pellegrini, an equally dedicated ’77 who manages to shoehorn class responsibilities into her busy (chaplain, doctoral student, runner, choral performer, wife, and four-time grandmother!) schedule. Let’s have a round of claps and snaps for both Nancys and be sure to keep an eye on the precipitous drop in Nancy V.’s already enviable handicap. Not to be outdone by these multitaskers, Barry Harwick will also be joining the AC in May as representative of the Upper Valley.

Knowing a good thing when he sees it, W. Joseph Maloney ’78 married Lisabeth Leach (Maloney) right after graduation. Celebrating 45 years together, they wonder if they hold the record for dual Dartmouth couples? Can any of you match or exceed this record of bliss (the mind invokes iconic mergers such as Muller and Henning, Tugwell and Russo, Iselin and Welles, Larrabee and Greimann, and others?). Please let us know, and a photo (emailed please) might just win you a few column inches in an upcoming newsletter!

Head agent Doug Ireland (dougmireland@me.com) is still looking for your favorite 50th anniversary memories and photos as our 2027 50th reunion approaches. Writing those words, we realized this means that 99.9 percent of us graduated, vacated, or escaped high school 50 years ago! Immediate contact with Garden City High School of New York class of ’73 compatriot in low-level, white-collar crime Bill Replogle confirmed we have a reunion in July. “Plogle” (and maybe 10-percent me) immediately launched into mad creator mode generating numerous, shall we say, indelicate branding options for our class (Trojans was our mascot, ahem). This is just a public service nudge to be on the lookout for your own high school 50th festivities likely coming soon.

Gretchen Heller Farmer died peacefully in her sleep on New Year’s Day following a fall while traveling in Thailand with her family, including son Austin and cherished baby granddaughter Lily. Gretchen will be missed by many, including her teammates on Dartmouth’s inaugural women’s ice hockey team.

Not getting class emails and e-newsletters? Call the alumni help desk at (603) 646-3202 to update your email and forwarding address. Got news? Email me! Got milk? Better drink it!

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net

Our 45th June reunion was a wonderful affair, sadly missed by many. Class chaplin Nancy Bird Pellegrini happily spent most of the weekend in Providence, Rhode Island, with hubby Vincent Pellegrini Jr. DMS’79 as he was awarded the 2022 Distinguished Clinician Educator Award given by the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA). The award is nominated by peers within the AOA and emphasizes the critical role that clinician-educators play within academic health centers. Pellegrini served as chair of academic orthopedic departments at Penn State, the University of Maryland, and the Medical University of South Carolina from 1992 to 2019. Since 2019 he has been professor and vice chair of education and research affairs in the department of orthopedics at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and a professor in the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine. An avid mentor, Pellegrini has trained more than 100 orthopedic residents and 20 resident research fellows and has also been recognized as an AOA “Pillar of the Orthopaedic Profession.” Way to go, Vin!

As you all know, Dartmouth is a unique but very identifiable state of being, and as such it is contingent on all of us to be on the lookout for potential ’77s and recruit them into our fold. Previous ’77 adoptees include Scott Thayer (enthusiastic exchange student from UCSD), Bambi Mosenthal Wood (sister of Scott ’75 and Toddy ’76 and wife to Sandy Wood), Gail Gentes (sister to Bill Gentes and much better half of Phil Hanlon) and Marcia Kelly (who’s kept spouse Barry Harwick on the run for years). In their duties as head class agents Betsy Fauver Stueber and John Ogden spotted another keeper in the form of Mark Harris,’77Dartmouth College Fund (DCF) liaison. Mark was ever-present at reunion and has helped John and Betsy overachieve their DCF goals for years. “My favorite thing about Dartmouth is not just getting to know incredible people, but also learning their stories and hearing the ways that Dartmouth is threaded through their personal and professional lives, even 45 years later! I spent two years working on Dartmouth friends groups alongside Gary ‘Hoss’ Rogers, Doug ‘6ix’ Ireland, A.P. ‘Duff’ Duffy, Pete ‘the Greek’ Volanakis, and other ’77 athletes. Competition breeds results (like 77 gifts in the first 77 days of the year) and the class of 1977 steps up!” A Hartford, Connecticut, native and Bucknell ’04, Mark and wife Jen (a Vermonter!) are raising the family (Merrine, 7 and George, 4) in Woodstock, Vermont. If you’d like to welcome Mark personally, ping him at mark.w.harris@dartmouth.edu.

From N.Y.C. Tom West shared that Kevin Rover’s wife, Kristin, hosted a memorial service for Kevin October 15 at Union Square Cafe. It was a lovely, sincere, therapeutic gathering attended by Alan Trefler, Tom Meyer, Richard Mark, Maura Haraway, Jon Uota, Tom, and son Thomas Rover ’16. Kevin died at the Silverado Memory Care Community in Virginia in July.

Mary Collins McDougall of California died in August following a courageous battle with multiple system atrophy (MSA), leaving husband Don, three sons, and six grandchildren.

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net

Dartmouth ’77’s 45th June reunion in Hanover was a resounding success. More than 200 classmates and guests convened to reconnect and celebrate each other and our College. The festivities kicked off Thursday at Cathy and Pete Volanakis’ Occom Ridge home featuring a wide selection from True North Ales provided by Jill Eilertson Rogers ’78, Gary Rogers, and Rory Laughna (who passed away just before reunion), complemented by an array of fine wines from Kim and Mac Taylor. Afterwards we flocked to the class tent to enjoy piles of pizza and subs sponsored by Bill Donovan’s family.

Friday lunch on scenic Tuck Mall was wicked awesome barbecue coincidently provided by Wicked Awesome BBQ. Following lunch, class president Dee Dee Simpson convened the class meeting, and a slate of new class officers was elected, headed by incoming president Jim Guth. Incoming officers and executive committee members are listed on the class website at 1977.dartmouth.org. A moving memorial service, conducted by Ann Muenzer Beams and codesigned by Nancy Bird Pellegrini, was held outside Rollins Chapel, honoring and remembering each of the 54 classmates who have died.

Saturday afternoon included a tour of the Hood Museum with chats by learned “docents” George Shackelford, Pam Perkins, Max Anderson, Robert Dance, and Jean Rosston. Saturday evening culminated in a chilly but festive dinner on the lawn of President Phil Hanlon and Gail Gentes, including a respectful but fun roast of Phil and Gail by Ted Lapres and Chuck Dana followed by Phil’s dead solid perfect rebuttal. The next big ’77 event is celebration of our 70th birthdays in August 2025 in Santa Fe, New Mexico (exact dates TBD), and we hope you all plan to attend.

The class thanks the very agile and creative reunion committee led by Leslie Embs Bradford, including Chuck Dana, Ted Lapres, Amy Cholnoky, Bill Replogle, Liz Kadin,Pam Perkins, and A.P. Duffy, for two years of party planning while chaos reigned. Dee Dee Simpson and other outgoing officers are also thanked with enthusiasm.

Special thanks and appreciation are extended to treasurer Rory Laughna, who departed this earth prematurely on June 13. He loved this class, and we loved him right back. Some parting words from Tom Barnico’s masterful eulogy follow. “People loved his good humor and winning way. I can still hear him saying to the 20-year-old me: ‘Ah, T., I don’t think that’s a good idea….’ A close friend wrote: ‘Strong as a lion, but gentle as a lamb.’ His teammates elected him president of the Dartmouth rugby club. This was no minor office on a campus where contact sports were a requirement for graduation. His fraternity classmates loved him like the brother he was. They were 22 young men from across the country who came together at Dartmouth in 1973. And 50 years on, here we are together again, to see off the first of us to go. When the great team in the sky made its first draft pick, it picked our best.” Nineteen of Rory’s Theta Delta Chi brothers plus seven other alumni attended his sendoff.

—A.P. Duffy, 66 Saunders Drive, Wilton, CT 06897; (203) 979-2234; apduffy@optonline.net

The New Hampshire Business Review has named Joanne Conroy as one of the most influential leaders in the state. Joanne is CEO and president of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health (D-HH), which is the state’s only academic health system and its largest private employer. She has overseen a dramatic turnaround in D-HH’s financial performance, the announcement of two major new expansion projects, and a strategic planning process that will guide the organization into the future. A physician, Joanne is also a professor of anesthesiology at the Geisel School of Medicine.

America’s Physician Groups (APG) has selected Susan Dentzer as its new president and CEO. APG represents more than 335 physician groups that provide coordinated, patient-centered healthcare and is accountable for the cost and quality of care for nearly 90 million patients nationwide. Most recently Susan was a senior policy fellow at the Duke University Margolis Center for Health Policy. This year she also earned her second Dartmouth degree, a master’s in healthcare delivery science from the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies at Dartmouth.

American Stage and Studio@620 in Saint Petersburg, Florida, began its celebration of Black History Month with an evening honoring four great artists, including Jennifer Leigh Warren for her contributions to the arts and activism. The event featured Jennifer performing Lift Every Voice and Sing and speaking on a panel titled “Why We Tell the Story.” Jennifer played the role of Eloise Amponsah, pageant recruiter and former Miss Ghana 1966, in American Stage’s recent production of School Girls; or, the African Mean Girls Play.

Leslie Embs Bradford, our 45th reunion chairman, writes: “ ‘Dar7mou7h’s’ 45th reunion live in Hanover is less than three months away. It’s Thursday, June 16, to Sunday, June 19. A recent classmate survey indicated more than half of respondents are planning to attend, with another 27 percent considering attending. Registration opened March 1 with an early bird rate effective until April 15, then the regular rate will be valid until June 6. Go to dar7mou7h.com or check your email soon for a preliminary schedule and registration link or go directly to https://alumni.dartmouth.edu/engage/reunions to register now.

In addition to reunion activities on campus, optional pre-reunion outings include a Wednesday night sleepover and Thursday hike with the ’76s and ’78s at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge and a ’77 Thursday Baker Hill golf outing.

Our 45th reunion officially kicks off at Chez Volanakis Thursday evening for a brew and wine tasting featuring award-winning bespoke beers and ales from ’77’s own True North Ales as well as wine selections recommended (and we hope donated) by class oenophiles. There will also be significant and tasty hors d’oeuvres.

Other weekend highlights include Saturday lunch on Baker Lawn with fellow cluster classes ’76 and ’78 and a gala cocktail reception and dinner on Gail and Phil Hanlon’s presidential lawn Saturday evening. Make your plans today to venture to Hanover and join the fun. Our goal is to make an inclusive, safe, and fun weekend for all ’77s and their guests. We want to see you there!”

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, DC Advisory, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Eric Donnenfeld has been named the No. 1 eye doctor in the country in a recent article in Newsweek titled “America’s Best Eye Doctors 2021.” See the piece here: www.newsweek.com/americas-best-eye-doctors-2021. Eric graduated from Dartmouth Medical School in 1980 and is now an emeritus overseer of the Medical School. In addition to his private practice, Eric is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at New York University Medical Center.

Diana Taylor has become the new chair of the board of directors of the New York City Ballet. She is the first woman to assume the role in the company’s 73-year history. She was surprised when the search committee approached her to ask whether she would be interested in the position. “I practically fell off my chair.” Her experience in finance, though, prepared her for the job. Diana served as the New York superintendent of banking in Gov. George Pataki’s administration and then as a managing director for a private equity firm. Leading the ballet at this juncture will involve advising the company on numerous pandemic-related issues, including decisions around mask mandates and testing protocols as the season progresses.

Betsy Fauver Stueber, who lives in Ohio, was in Ann Arbor, Michigan, having brunch with her family at the world-renowned Zingerman’s Deli on the Sunday after the University of Michigan beat Rutgers in football. Betsy’s nephew, Andrew Stueber (No. 71), starts for Michigan. As family pictures were being taken, Betsy heard a voice calling her name. Looking around, Betsy discovered that the voice belonged to John Storella,in town with his wife from California to visit their daughter, who is a junior at Michigan. They had been at the game on Saturday. Betsy and John loved this “small world” meeting.

Robert Dance recently saw Barbara Dau ’78 at the Wadsworth Atheneum for the opening of the exhibition of female baroque artists, “By Her Hand.” A few days later Robert had lunch with Jim Lloyd, who was visiting Connecticut from his home in Kansas City, Missouri, to meet his first grandchild, Wallace. Jim is getting close to retirement, wrapping up a last consulting obligation next year he hopes. He and his wife, Laura, are “finally making some post-children friends thanks to leaving our somewhat corporate Episcopal church for a free-spirited little Anglican congregation.”

Dartmouth ’77’s 45th reunion June 16-19is happening. Chair Leslie Embs Bradford and her small but growing committee have lined up a fantastic weekend, including Thursday evening bespoke brews at Chez Volanakis featuring Gary Rodgers’ and Rory Laughna’s True North Ales, a welcome home Friday evening at the DOC House, and a Saturday night festive at the (Hanlon/Gentes) President’s House. Let’s get back in touch and actually touch each other in person. We want the entire class, even reunion first-timers, to feel happy and safe to return to Hanover for old friends and new friends alike. Mark your calendars accordingly! Anyone who wants to ensure that a fun time will be had by all by helping in organizing should contact Leslie.

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, DC Advisory, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

In May Andy Moerlein presented a solo exhibition at Boston Sculptors Gallery. The work in the show, Wood Stone Poem, addressed Andy’s fascination with Chinese scholars’ rocks and explored the art of bonsai and poetry as new directions for his inspiration. In conjunction with the show, Andy held four discussions that brought art curators, bonsai experts, poets, and artists into conversations with the sculpture. These various practitioners discussed their fascination with the collection and display of stones, the cultivation of exceptional trees, the art of poetry, and the use of ancient traditions by contemporary artists to create work that addresses today’s world. See andymoerlein.com to hear the recorded talks.

Anne Quirk’s third book for middle school readers, that’s grades five to eight, came out in July. In Larger Than Life: President Johnson and the Right to Vote, Anne considers the monumental career of Lyndon Baines Johnson. She invites young readers to investigate the events and vital issues that led to the passage of the 1964 Voting Rights Act. She also introduces the key players of the period who helped reshape much of America and redefine its character.

Edward “Ted” Boucher died in May in his hometown of Rochester, New York. While at Dartmouth Ted developed his love for hiking, winter camping, and outdoor adventures as an avid member of the Dartmouth Outing Club. After graduating with a degree in geology, Ted continued his education at Columbia University, where he earned a master’s in marine geophysics. Ted returned to Hanover to earn an M.B.A. from Tuck School. He spent most of his professional life at Caldwell Manufacturing Co.; he became CEO and ultimately chairman of the board. He is survived by his wife and children, who say he was never too old to join a water gun fight.

Mark your calendars for June 16-18, 2022! The green light is shining at the end of the tunnel, and we will be together again! That’s right, gang, our 45th reunion is coming in less than a year, and we want you to join us in Hanover! Your reunion committee is hard at work planning lunches, dinners, music, tents, consciousness-expanding activities, and entertainment, not to mention late-night pizza! We have all been missing friends for so long—gather your besties and let’s enjoy some good times together. Stay tuned for more info. If you want to help make the reunion something you would enjoy, contact Leslie Embs Bradford at leslie.e.bradford@gmail.com.

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, DC Advisory, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Max Anderson gave a class Zoom about his work as president of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation and Community Partnership, dedicated to promoting the work of Black artists from the South and supporting their communities by fostering economic empowerment, racial and social justice, and educational advancement. Max is the former president of the Association of Art Museum Directors and has been director at five art museums, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Dallas Museum of Art. Max hosts a weekly podcast called Art Scoping, available wherever you listen.

George Shackelford led a class Zoom on “Monet: Invention and Re-invention.” George is the deputy director of the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, an extraordinary small museum of 350 masterworks housed in two landmark buildings. In 2016 and 2019 George organized international loan exhibitions of the work of Claude Monet inspired by paintings in the Kimbell’s collection. Monet: The Early Years focused on the period 1858-1872, when Monet invented himself as an artist. A second exhibition, Monet: The Late Years, examined how Monet at age 73, after being stalled for several years, radically re-invented his art—a process that culminated in the great paintings he gave France after World War I.

Mark Farnham let coach Carl Wallin cajole him into joining Thor’s Stone Athletic Club in 2017. On December 14, 2019, Mark set a new world record of 232.5 pounds in the bench press for the Amateur Master’s 198-pound, age 60-64 class of the Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate. Mark notes, “The important score is three children each with a nice spouse, and 3.8 grandchildren.”

Kaua’i Island Utility Cooperative, which Jim Mayfield founded 22 years ago, signed agreements with the AES Corp. this winter for the development, construction, and operation of the cooperative’s solar pumped storage hydro project, also known as the West Kaua’i Energy Project. This project will move Kauai beyond 80 percent renewable generation and meet more than 25 percent of its electricity needs.

With their four Dartmouth children now in the working world, Chris Jenny says that his wife, Andi, observes he is “basically flunking retirement.” Chris serves on five corporate boards as well as the board of New England Baptist Hospital. He minds his portfolio of venture accelerator interests and recently served as president of friends of Dartmouth football and chair of the Dartmouth athletic advisory board. Chris adds that they are always looking for reasons to return to Hanover. Something tells us the College will be calling on Chris for more!

We mourn the loss of Bill Donovan last December after a heroic battle with cancer. Whether crossing the College Green, on the ice, or delivering The Sunday Boston Globe to fellow students, Bill was a bright and shining star, a friend to all, the very fabric of our class. Our condolences to Bill’s wife, Taki, and their three children. We miss him.

The class birthday bash in Santa Fe, New Mexico, scheduled for August has been canceled.

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, DC Advisory, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Bill Greenbaum enjoys life in New York City, even though he and his wife, Dassa, see mostly their apartment and nearby parks. They like biking in Central Park. In August they traveled to Lake Minnewaska and “the unforgettable Innisfree Garden.” Bill is an independent financial advisor in New York and New Jersey who geared up for Medicare’s annual enrollment period, which started on October 15. He looks forward to being a class agent again and joining our next class Zoom.

The College sponsored a virtual series on the global impact of the U.S. presidential election. One episode addressed how the election might influence international relations in Europe and the Middle East. It featured Dee Dee Granzow Simpson as a panelist. Dee Dee is a former U.S. foreign service officer and delegate to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty negotiations. More recently she has served on the U.K. board of the International Rescue Committee, which assists displaced people around the world. In another episode, Jose Fernandez spoke on the impact of the election on trade relations with Central and South America. Jose is a former assistant secretary of state for economic, energy, and business affairs during the Obama administration and an emeritus member of the Dartmouth board of trustees.

Lea Sewell writes that she has “unretired!” She had taken an early retirement offer at 64. She had done some travel and volunteering before the winter and “the plague” arrived. She put those retirement delights on hold to work on a Covid vaccine trial with her previous employer, Pfizer. Lea says this “is how I can serve—I’ve done trials for 20-plus years. There is much to inspire right now.”

Peter Mills and John Storella, freshman and sophomore roommates in Gile Hall, enjoyed a delightful lunch while social distancing in John and Lisa’s backyard in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, California. Shaded by fig, magnolia, and apple trees, they had a wide-ranging conversation about Lisa’s medical policy nonprofit; John’s biotech patent legal practice; the retirement of Peter’s wife, Mary; and, of course, Covid and politics. “It was a really nice way to share thoughts and de-stress during these complicated times.”

John Bird lives in a retirement home in Birmingham, Alabama, which had three Covid cases before Halloween. John is deaf and has glaucoma, but enjoys excellent medical care. This summer’s Black Lives Matter movement has made John “appreciate the advantage of growing up in a nuclear family. The statistical disparity is staggering: In 2019 28.2 percent of all white births were illegitimate, while 69.4 percent of Black births were illegitimate, according to the Center for Equal Opportunity. Our leaders must address this disparity, which has serious ramifications for poverty, crime, education, and ultimately equality of opportunity.”

Jonathan Park, Ph.D., passed away this summer from injuries sustained in a car accident. Jon worked in cytogenetics and laboratory management at Mary Hitchcock Hospital for 35 years. In retirement, he was an active Freemason and enjoyed his home in Norwich, Vermont. He is dearly missed by his wife, Linda, son Justin, daughter Hilary, and their families.

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, DC Advisory, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

This winter George Shackelford (who knows a little something about Impressionism) joined Hood Museum of Art Director John Stomberg for a private visit to the exhibition Monet: Places at the Denver Art Museum. Attendees included Brian Deevy and John Grant. This spring Dartmouth on Location took the show online for a series of programs on “Impressionist Paintings You Should Know,” highlighting collections across the United States.

In May President Phil Hanlon gave a Zoom talk for the class about the “uncharted territory” the College is navigating. “Profoundly dedicated educators” have made the switch to online learning possible. The faculty report more one-on-one meetings with students than ever. The College projects significant losses for this year and next. Hiring and salary freezes have been implemented. Another major round of budget cuts will be imposed this summer. Nevertheless, Phil reiterated the College’s commitment to need-blind admissions, noting that the admitted class of 2024 is the most socioeconomically diverse in history. Ninety-six percent of admitted students are in the top 10 percent of their high school class. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of a liberal arts education to prepare leaders—at all levels of society and throughout the world. A major challenge facing the College is how to maintain the unique sense of community and place that distinguishes Dartmouth from its peers.

In June Dee Dee Granzow Simpson, Dr. Dan Lucey, and Susan Dentzer joined Dr. Steve Mentzer on a class Zoom call about the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Steve is a thoracic surgeon and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. He discussed the research findings he and colleagues recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Steve’s group of international researchers recognized early that Covid-19 produced unique signs of disease in the lungs. This realization spurred a hunt for autopsied lungs from Covid-19 victims in Europe. The lungs revealed numerous blood clots, illustrating that Covid-19 is a vascular as well as respiratory ailment. In addition to the relentless assault it makes on the immune system, it can cause massive organ failure and death. Dan, Susan, and Steve agreed on the need “to keep vigilant” by wearing masks, washing hands regularly, and socially distancing as Covid caseloads continue to rise in more than half the states. These precautions are especially necessary for the 60-plus set, such as us, whose immune systems become less robust with age.

On July 1 Gina Russo will become the chair of the board of advisors of Dartmouth’s Hood Museum. She looks forward to working with Director Stomberg and his amazing team, plus other board members, including Maud Welles. The Hood concluded a multi-year renovation and expansion in early 2019. This project reimagined the physical spaces of the museum and the way in which the collection was hung and interpreted for the public. Increased gallery spaces, a public concourse connecting to the campus arts district, and three state-of-the-art, smart classrooms are all hallmarks of the new Hood. Please try a virtual visit at hoodmuseum.dartmouth.edu.

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, DC Advisory, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Lucy Townsend is a caterer and event planner in Cooperstown, New York, looking forward to serving Derek Jeter when he is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer. Her largest event, “Belgium Comes to Cooperstown,” featured a plated eight-course dinner for 800 guests. Her most stressful event was a lobster bake for 100 people. One propane burner broke down and she was able to manage only four lobsters at a time, while clams, potatoes, and corn steamed in a convection oven. Her most memorable compliment came from Jacqueline Onassis: “Lunch was divine!” The key to success: “Stay calm when you’re not.”

The Wall Street Journal named two Kimbell Art Museum projects in its Top 10 U.S. art exhibitions of 2019. Critic Karen Wilkin listed Renoir: The Body, The Senses and Monet: The Late Years as two of the most striking and compelling exhibitions of the year. George Shackelford organized both shows. The Renoir exhibit gave viewers the opportunity “to savor [Renoir’s]…marriage of inventive color and mass.” The Monet exhibit was the highest-attended exhibition at the Kimbell in two decades.

The Washington Post featured a lengthy, front-page profile of Diana Taylor in its style section. The article focused on “her personal stature, her formidable resume, and her independence” on the campaign trail for former mayor Mike Bloomberg. The piece offered a unique view into one woman’s personal and professional journey at a time of fundamental change in our society. The essay touched on Diana’s Dartmouth experience (“I absolutely loved it; but it was hard.”) as well as her career and charitable activities since college. To read the article, search for our classmate’s name at washingtonpost.com.

Aimee Ballantyne is the CEO of her own company, called Friends in Stitches Recovery Bee, LLC. Its mission is to recycle fabrics and return to traditional values such as hand-sewing. The online website, friendsinstichesrecoverybee.com, keeps the community informed about the business with no carbon footprint. Aimee operates the business out of the house she co-owns with classmate Wayne Ballantyne. She plows every penny she makes back into the company. It stays solvent by sending many prints right back into the community in the form of cottons delivered to local dog groomers, who cut them into bandanas for newly groomed pooches.

We have recently learned that Linda Peppard Hart-Buuck died in January 2019. After Dartmouth, where she was a proud member of the ski team, she earned master’s degrees in anthropology and special education, worked in special education, and was an avid community volunteer, all the while raising three sons on her own due to the sudden death of her first husband, Glen Hart. Her bubbly personality and ever-present smile eventually drew the attention of Charlie Buuck, whom she happily wed in 2007. One fellow member of the ski team described Linda as “the epitome of tenacity and optimism.” Friends say Linda lived every day to the absolute fullest and was an inspiration to all.

— Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, DC Advisory, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

In September I attended the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum in San Francisco. More than 500 alumni came to hear presentations by noted alums, including Jeff Crowe ’78, Roger McNamee, Tu’82, and Jim Coulter ’82. I ran into Peter Mills, who is the CEO of a new company, Track3t, that can precisely and continuously locate inventory, equipment, and tooling as it moves through a factory or warehouse. Peter commented, “You’d be amazed how many companies lose their stuff.” Who knew? Peter’s patent application was issued in September; he is currently raising money. John Storella was also at the forum, interested in innovations in biotech and cleantech. As a reminder, the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship has announced the creation of the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame. We are invited to nominate alumni who have had an extraordinary impact on their industries. Nominees can come from any industry. The honorees will be announced at the next Entrepreneurs Forum in September 2020.

Stevenson “Steve” Upton and his wife, Anita, now live in Manchester, New Hampshire. Steve, a retired lawyer, has through many years assembled in his home an archive of original, pre-1950 materials (photos, works of art, letters, documents, etc.) regarding foreigners in late Qing and Republican China. His archive has been visited by many professors from China and Japan, as well as from the United States and Canada. Several museum curators and university librarians have also visited the archive. Dartmouth alums and their spouses are very welcome to visit at any mutually convenient time. Steve is the editor of Foreigners in China Magazine, an e-magazine that is distributed around the world to more than 300 people, most of whom are professors of Chinese history. The yard behind the Uptons’ home is visited by many animals. Steve and Anita call it “Chipmunkland.”

Bill Greenbaum is a licensed independent health and life insurance broker in New York who is in the process of establishing an insurance brokerage firm. Bill’s vision is to create an organization that will provide career opportunities for others and develop long-term relationships with clients. Bill is a good listener and derives great satisfaction from helping others make important financial decisions. Jonathan Gage continues to practice cardiology and teach medical students in New Haven, Connecticut. “Practicing medicine is consuming but still quite a lot of fun.” He and his wife, Janet, are happily “recovering” from the renovation of their old farmhouse. They enjoy watching the development of their daughter’s work as a goldsmith with her own atelier and visiting their son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter in Singapore. Jeffrey Perry has published his 15th book of poetry. It is called Redefining Justice: The Art of Listening. You can follow the link to secure a copy: lulu.com/shop/jeffrey-v-perry/redefining-justice-the-art-of-listening/hardcover/product-24257104.html. Jean Rosston spoke at the Hood Museum’s fall symposium titled “The New Now: Art, Museums, and the Future.” Jean was part of the panel that explored how “Curators and Conservators Collaborate.”

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—Eric Edmondson, DC Advisory, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson @gmail.com; Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Joe Hoffman registered to ride in the Prouty Ultimate in July to raise money and awareness for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Known as the Prouty, this is the biggest charity challenge north of Boston. The money raised funds for groundbreaking cancer research and important patient supportive services. Joe has signed up for the toughest event of the Prouty—200 miles of cycling through the hills and valleys surrounding Hanover, 100 miles on each of two days. Joe is dedicating this effort to “the many oncology patients I have had the pleasure of being associated with both as a clinician and a researcher and to friends and family who have been affected by cancer, especially my wife, Lynn, who was diagnosed four years ago with breast cancer.”

One of our class projects promotes undergraduate participation in the Prouty by funding three prizes given to Greek life organizations (GLOs): the Iron Butt Award to the GLO with the most members who ride the ultimate, the Volunteer Participation Award to the GLO with the most Prouty volunteers, and an award to the GLO that raises the most donations.

Jennifer Leigh Warren performed at Sacramento Music Circus, playing Dragon in Shrek the Musical with Carol Muller, Al Henning, and Bob Rennicks attending. Jennifer spent the rest of the summer in a new musical called Passing Through at Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. This fall Jennifer will reprise her role as the Blues Singer on tour with A Night with Janis Joplin, which will include a performance at the Lebanon (New Hampshire) Opera House on September 17.

An enthusiastic team of ‘77s spent a productive three days in early June scouting locations in Santa Fe, New Mexico, for our next big class birthday bash to be held on August 27-30, 2020. Co-chairs Ted Lapres and Amy Cholnoky were joined by treasurer Chuck Dana, explorer extraordinaire Leslie Bradford, and former Santa Fe resident and man about town Don Wiviott.

They dodged thunderstorms and hail to visit almost a dozen potential sites for daytime and evening events. They struggled mightily to locate the best coffee, margaritas, and authentic Frito pies in town. Opportunities to immerse yourselves in art, culture, music, and local history abound, as do recreational possibilities in places such as Bandelier National Monument. 

The weekend is still coming together, but will likely include a welcome party at the hotel HQ on Thursday night, a big outing on Friday featuring hiking and some fascinating local history, an art crawl and cocktail party on Friday night, a myriad of activities from which to choose on Saturday, and a sit-down dinner and birthday party at a special location on Saturday night. Stay tuned—there’s much more to follow as contracts are signed. You won’t want to miss this!

Plus, there will also be a special option for those arriving early to gather on Wednesday night: a chance to experience the world-famous Santa Fe Opera in its spectacular open-air setting, with Dartmouth-style tailgating before the show!

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, Signal Hill Capital LLC, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

This month we focus on performers, shows, and exhibitions. Richard Stillman is an actor, musician, singer, tap dancer, and storyteller. Most weeks find him performing in a variety of venues from schools and senior centers to assorted theaters. In 2009 Richard returned to the Dartmouth stage as a guest artist in The Grapes of Wrath. In 2014 he won the Best Concert Award for his show, The Spirit of Vaudeville, at the United Solo Theater Festival in New York City. Last year Richard won the GigMasters Rising Star Award as top banjo player. He performed in a production of Mother Courage at the Nebraska Repertory Theater this past fall. Set in the Civil War, the show featured Richard as a nasty Irish sergeant in the Union Army, a lecherous colonel in the Confederate Army, and finally a banjo-picking rebel soldier. The last “seemed charming at first but turned out to be a rapist. I usually play kinder characters.” In January he played in a concert of storytelling and music from around the world with longtime partner Gerald Fierst. Richard accompanied the tales with guitar, mandolin, bagpipes, and a pentatonic lyre he made in the woodshop at Dartmouth.

Jennifer Leigh Warren performed as the Blues Singer in the Broadway streaming of A Night with Janis Joplin, which began on January 19. Jennifer was also part of the cast of Fox Studios’ live television adaptation of Rent, broadcast on January 27. Jennifer played the roles of Mrs. Cohen, Mrs. Jefferson, and the “Christmas Bells” homeless woman. She was “thrilled to have the opportunity to bring life to these characters and excited that a new generation is being drawn to the theater.” Jennifer is best known for originating the role of Crystal in the hit musical Little Shop of Horrors, her performance in the original cast of the musical Marie Christine, and her show-stopping performance as Alice’s Daughter in the original Broadway musical Big River with the song “How Blest We Are,” written especially for her by Roger Miller.

George Shackelford has organized an exhibit titled “Monet: The Late Years,” which will be at the de Young Museum in San Francisco from February 16 to May 27 and at the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, from June 16 to September 15.

The exhibition features 50 paintings by Monet dating mainly from 1913 to 1926, the final phase of the artist’s long career. “Boldly balancing representation and abstraction, Monet’s radical late works redefined the master of Impressionism as a forebear of modernism.”

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, Signal Hill Capital LLC, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Jeff Stone and his wife, Susan, recently enjoyed a Dartmouth alumni travel trip to Uganda. Bushwhacking through the aptly named Bwindi Impenetrable National Park to reach a troop of mountain gorillas was the highlight of the expedition. Nearly as cool were encounters with many primates, daily game-watching opportunities (rhinos, lions, elephants, giraffes, birds), climbing to the top of the thunderous Murchison Falls, and a rare meet-up with some very short-statured Batwa people, native to the Uganda-Congo border. A real draw was the company of faculty trip leader Nate Dominy, whose commentary added perspective and detail.

Ellen Sen is still an engineer with GE Aviation, working on helicopter engines, volunteering with Girls Inc., a nonprofit promoting “strong, smart, and bold” young women through after-school mentoring and leadership programs. She and her husband, Ron, enjoy traveling to visit their four kids and two grandkids. Ellen keeps up with her roommate Janet O’Neill Selling. Janet and her husband, Tom, are “promoting the works of Luisa Piccarreta, an Italian woman under consideration for canonization by the Catholic Church.”

John Storella, who practices patent law with early-stage biotech companies in Berkeley, California, met up with classmates at a Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Forum in San Francisco. Doug Ireland has created a career-focused card game called Launch Mode that makes fun of the wackiness of searching for a job. It was spawned from his work counseling young people prepping for the job market. Find it online through retailers or at www.youlaunchu.com. “Whether you’ve applied for a job, had a job, or lost a job, you’ll get a kick out of it.” Peter Mills is working on a new business called Track3t that enables companies to track precisely their inventory, equipment, and tooling as they move through a factory or warehouse. He loves to bicycle around the Bay Area with his wife, Mary. Mary McDougall is a vice president at Astia, a social enterprise that provides access to venture capital and networks for women-led ventures. She attended the forum to meet female entrepreneurs and to recruit male and female alums who wish to help as Astia advisors and Astia Angel investors. Learn more at www.astia.org.

Bernie Lambek, who has practiced law in Montpelier, Vermont, for the past 26 years, has written a legal mystery titled Uncivil Liberties. The story focuses on the circumstances surrounding the death of a young and promising gay high school student in a small Vermont town. As the community deals with her death, issues arise about hate speech and free speech, cyberbullying and privacy, and religious and sexual freedom. “A splendid legal mystery with savvy political ethics and vivid characters,” writes Howard Norman; an “intriguing book, especially for addicts of courtroom drama,” says Simon Mawer. See more at www.bernielambek.com.

Please mark your calendars right now for our 65th birthday bash. It will be held on August 27-30, 2020, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The more classmates who come, the more fun we will all have. See you there!

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, Signal Hill Capital LLC, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

We located two more class authors. John Bird compiled a collection of 23 oral histories in Twin Killing: The Bill Mazeroski Story. John spent a decade researching, publishing, and promoting the book, which became a regional bestseller. John considers Hall-of-Famer Maz, the master of the double play, “perhaps the best fielder ever.” Peter Kenworthy wrote a short historical fiction novel titled Bank Job, based on an infamous bank robbery in Telluride, Colorado, in 1929. The bank president pulled off the heist, saving depositors’ funds before the institution collapsed. Peter spent three years doing the research and writing, while holding down a full-time banking job, raising a family…and procrastinating. “I once heard it said that the hardest thing about writing is cleaning the refrigerator. Too true.”

Tim Carroll missed reunion “for the best possible reason: baseball.” His son, Ryan, was the starting catcher for the Wellesley (Massachusetts) High School varsity team in the state Division 1 championship game—“an unforgettable experience after an improbable playoff run.” Ryan will matriculate at Dartmouth this fall, while his twin sister begins at Cornell, the alma mater of Tim’s wife. Tim anticipates some intra-family fun during green-red athletic contests.

In June five ’77 women gathered in Andover, Massachusetts, for their 45th high school reunion at Abbot Academy. Sarah Bayldon Beaman is an information technology specialist at the U.S. Department of Justice, lives in Falls Church, Virginia, and commutes—30 miles round-trip by bicycle each day. She has three children and one new grandchild. Being a grandmother is “fantastic!” Jenifer McLean Cooke lives in Andover and teaches English to young elementary school learners. She has recently enjoyed traveling with husband George and their two grown children. She is brushing up her French for their next expedition. (Parlez-vous français?) Down the road in Watertown, Massachusetts, Bets Kent revels in her first two years of retirement and marriage, while learning the craft of basketry at as many workshops as she can manage. Lucinda Leach teaches art at Edmund Burke, a progressive independent school in Washington, D.C. She and her photojournalist husband, Jeffrey Macmillan, have raised three sons: an illustrator, a cinematographer, and a painter/print-maker (Dartmouth ’14) who is now a teaching assistant in the art department at Dartmouth. Betsy Fauver Stueber lives in Cleveland. She serves on several nonprofit boards and as our head class agent along with John Ogden.

We reached out to Chicago classmates. Our thanks to Doug Cogswell, the lone respondent, who recounted being recruited to Chicago 26 years ago for a quick technology turnaround. It was, but others followed. The current one has taken longer; this is year 16. Doug became heavily involved in his mega-church (20,000 weekly attendees) and co-led the effort to break it into 60 sub-communities, where fellowship really happens. He has also led initiatives in Zambia to connect local churches to improve educational, health, and economic opportunities in rural villages lacking governmental alternatives. Go to www.ZealForZambia.com for information. His grandson “was born wearing a Red Sox jersey.” Play ball!

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, Signal Hill Capital LLC, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Classmates are sharing transitions. Please send us your news for future columns. John Ogden writes, “My wife recently retired, my kids have mostly left the nest, things at work are not as fulfilling as they used to be, and I am one of the oldest people in the room.” The work he has done through the years for the College connected him to classmates and a little of his youth. Most importantly, it gave him satisfaction knowing that he was helping to ensure the vibrancy of Dartmouth for the next generation of students. When asked to become one of our head agents, he happily said, “Okay.”

When Frank Governali retired the first time, 13 years ago, he wondered what it would be like not to have a Goldman Sachs identity and to be his kids’ primary caregiver. He questioned how he would fit into his small Maine community. He started volunteering everywhere and approached his new life like a job. (He admits that keeping a mobile file for each of his three kids was over the top.) Now he feels he did not so much retire as trade one demanding job for another. As he prepares to retire for real, he knows some truths: He likes to define his own schedule, but wants volunteer commitments that require frequent attention. Contributing his time and talent is more important than giving money, although the second usually follows the first. He wants to learn and remains open to change.

Jenny Clarke took a sharp turn because she was bored with her big law firm practice. An older friend, still thrilled with his work, inspired her. Jenny accepted a job running a prestigious but “slightly shabby,” civil rights law firm in Philadelphia at 10 percent of her previous salary. “It was terrifying because I didn’t know what I was doing.” She learned: When “little Pennsylvania defeated political gerrymandering; that was us.” Now she wants to hand the organization over to someone younger and cooler. She now would like to mentor “anyone who could reach their full potential if only they knew how.”

Laid off in 2010, Pam Gruninger Perkins had spent her entire career on the programming side of the nonprofit world. She felt her chances for a new position might be better if she switched to development. When opportunity knocked, she walked through the door and talked herself into a great job at the Rockefeller University. She cultivates new donors, particularly parents who want to know more about the latest research on childhood and adolescent health and behavior.

Leslie Embs Bradford’s daughter, Allie ’13, married the son of the mayor of Toronto last fall, with good friends Nancy Parssinen Vespoli, Dee Dee Granzow Simpson and Diana Taylor in attendance. Leslie’s son, Tyler ’14, walked her up the aisle. Leslie is battling breast cancer, but chuckled, “Have wigs, will wedding!”

Susan Van Wie Kastan has married guitarist Reeves Gabrels. As she has taken her husband’s name, henceforth she is Susan Van Wie Gabrels.

Congratulations!

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, Signal Hill Capital LLC, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

According to Max Anderson, you can acquire good taste. Max is featured in the October 5, 2017, “Style” section of The New York Times in an article titled “Is Good Taste Teachable?” He explains how in his book, The Quality Instinct. Based upon his long experience as the director of museums ranging from the Whitney in New York to the Dallas Museum of Art in Texas, Max sets forth guidelines for developing aesthetic judgment that even you can master. (Hey, can’t hurt, might help.)

Earlier this year Tom Russo received the Gabelli Prize from the Columbia School of Business “for his longstanding efforts as a ‘global value’ equity investor.” When pressed by your dedicated class secretaries for comment, Tom credited Gina Tugwell Russo, “my partner from day one for whatever success there may have been.” Gina’s passion for art history, inspired at Dartmouth by the great John Wilmerding, has led her back to Hanover; she has become a trustee of the Hood Museum of Art. A savvy investor herself, Gina delights in their “grandchild dividend,” Alexander.

Joanne Mather Conroy has also come full circle. She has been named CEO and president of Dartmouth-Hitchcock, New Hampshire’s largest private employer and its sole academic medical center. Trained as an anesthesiologist, she entered hospital administration almost a decade ago. Joanne believes that the most successful healthcare providers aren’t just medical professionals, but people who serve their patients in multiple ways and that D-H isn’t just a collection of individual facilities, but a healthcare system.

In January Rory Laughna became CFO at True North Ale Co., founded by Gary “Hoss” Rogers and his son, Jake. The company has just completed a state-of-the-art brewery in Ipswich, Massachusetts, with four 30-barrel brews in tanks. There’s a taproom on premises so plan to stop by for a (leisurely) visit or sample their products throughout Boston’s North Shore.

Don Givler writes, “If I had been able to design my ‘dream job,’ this would be it.” Don, like wife Amy, is a family physician. He teaches at Louisiana State University Medical School, cares for “salt-of-the-earth, working, poor patients” in northeast Louisiana and spends two months every year in Kenya running mobile medical clinics with LSU medical students. Don enjoys teaching and feels he’s pretty good at it. He loves his patients. He pushed the LSU administration for years to pursue the Kenya mission and is thrilled to have this annual opportunity in his “sunset years.”

Please send news. It’s hard to craft an engaging narrative out of nothing. The alumni magazine forwarded info about Tom and Joanne. Leslie Embs Bradford spotted Max in the Times. Rory and Gary provided artisanal beer at reunion so we knew to pester them. We prodded Don after he sent a nice note—about us. We value modesty and appreciate privacy, but we would like to hear from you. After all these years, we would still like to know how you are. Enjoy the holidays!

—Eric Edmondson, Signal Hill Capital LLC, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Our 40th reunion is here! Classmates are flocking to Hanover. We’ve reached out to the first 15 people to register to learn why they are excited to attend. The first in the class, the No. 1 registrant, was Jeff Riedinger. When we googled Jeff we discovered that he’s the vice provost for global affairs at the University of Washington, with an expertise in land reform, sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. What he told us was that he usually spends June meeting with colleagues or conducting research around the girdled earth. Consequently, he has been unable to participate in reunion festivities for a long time. He’s making an exception this year to honor Phil Hanlon, the “accomplished and highly respected classmate who is president of Dartmouth.” Jeff admits to being older; he keeps hoping to become wiser.

The No. 6 registrant was Steve Silver. He thinks he’s finally eliminated, or at least suppressed, the Dartmouth animal facets of his personality. (Can you share the formula, Steve?) The proof: A really “great woman” has agreed to marry him. Steve plans to bring her to reunion and hopes meeting the rest of us won’t cause her to reconsider. Steve has purchased a construction equipment rental business near his home. There’s “no travel, low stress and great cash flow,” which gives him time to play golf with classmates Steve Jones and Bill Replogle. This is “the kind of job I always wanted.”

No. 8, Missy Attridge, always enjoys reunions, both “reconnecting with old friends and delighting in getting to know classmates I had not previously known well.” She finds this reunion especially appealing, because her ’07 son will be attending his 10th reunion at the same time. This means “we can always hang out at his tent, but I suspect our food will be better.” (From what we hear, that’s certain.)

Kim York, at No. 9, is “super excited” for reunion. This year our class will be joining the classes of 1976 and 1978 at reunion. Because Kim is now married to a ’76, “the three-year cluster is perfect” for her. Kim still loves to ski and travels north regularly to the couple’s condo in Whistler, Canada. She recently saw Rocky Geyer in Seattle and reports that he continues to do fantastic work in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. By the time Kim reaches Hanover she will have also seen Jean Rosston in Zurich, Switzerland.

Evy Chan was No. 11. The last reunion she attended was our 25th; this one will feel like “coming home.” The folks who lived in Woodward, Ripley and Smith have arranged to be housed together—it’s a reunion within the reunion. Evy notes with pride that Phil was a “Ripley Boy.” Through the years Evy has worked in Asia, Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, Spain and the United States singing and promoting “forbidden music.” (Ask her to explain when you see her at reunion.)

Whatever your reason, come see why we’re getting better all the time!

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, Signal Hill Capital LLC, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Our 40th reunion is coming June 15-18! Our tent will be in front of the gym, with the tents of the classes of ’78 and ’76 nearby. Register at alumni.dartmouth.edu/reunions/1977 and then contact your roommate, teammate, frat brother, old flame or anybody else you would love to see. We want everyone! There will be a craft beer, wine, coffee and cheese tasting on Thursday evening at Pete Volanakis’ home, a Friday pop-up arts celebration in the new Black Family Visual Arts Center (organized by Nora Odendahl), a Saturday “cluster” lunch on Baker lawn with a performance by the ’76, ’77 and ’78 Aires and Distractions, an “Imagine” panel moderated by John Donvan featuring classmates who have reinvented their lives, a dinner on Phil Hanlon and Gail Gentes’ lawn on Saturday evening, and a memorial service for those who left us too soon. You won’t want to miss any of it.

Here’s a sneak preview of what classmates have been doing. Tom Foster has taught history at Choate for 34 years. If you would like to improve your knowledge of U.S. history or political science, Tom can provide a syllabus. Betsy Fauver Stueber helps the Cleveland Book Bank, which gathers gently used children’s books and distributes them to underprivileged kids. Although Dan Mahony still has a day job, his passion is making wine. You can taste the fruits of his labor at the Thursday evening tasting. Not to be outdone, Mac Taylor bought Morrell’s wine bar and store at Rockefeller Center. In addition to his longtime finance career, Mac assists Leslie Bradford, Kent Dauten, Pam Perkins and Bob Baum with reunion fundraising. Jill Shaw Woolworth and her husband, Rick ’74, have enrolled in a yearlong program in the Distinguished Career Institute at Stanford. They will spend a year in Palo Alto, California, taking courses with a group of 30 others. Edy Ullman attended the celebration of 40 years of women’s rowing in Hanover this fall with classmates Terrie Alafat, Nancy Fisher-Allison, Marianne Enos Walsh and Maud Iselin Welles. Edy’s favorite quote from the event was, “Rowing made us what we are today. If you can survive a 2K, you can do anything!” Stacy Miller LaBare enjoys her Tennessee mountain house with husband Dennis and a pack of dogs. They ski, bike, hunt and scuba dive. She has just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail, which she began on her freshman trip 47 years ago.

Sadly, Rick Bruno lost his battle with cancer last November 25. Rick, along with George Burnett and Rick Serko, were the stalwart threesome of Mid Mass. Rick invited everyone in the dorm daily to group dinners at Thayer—he left no one out and was a friend to many. He will be missed.

Online registration for reunion is live and waiting for you! Come celebrate friendships, old times and new beginnings, because we’re getting “be77er all the time!”

—Robin Gosnell, 31 Elm Lane, Princeton, NJ 08540; robins.nest@icloud.com; Eric Edmondson, Signal Hill Capital LLC, 425 California St., Suite 19, San Francisco, CA 94104; eweedmondson@gmail.com; Drew Kintzinger, 2400 M St. NW, Apt. 914, Washington, DC 20037; akintzinger@hunton.com

Please bear with me as I fill in for yet another issue as we continue to search for a new class secretary. Let me know if you are interested.

As I was sitting in the physical therapist’s office awaiting my appointment, as I am sure many of us are doing these days, I picked up a copy of the August New Hampshire Home. The first article I came upon mentioned Treffle La Fleche of LDa Architecture and Interiors LLP in Cambridge, Massachusetts, showing a gorgeous home he designed on Squam Lake. It “combines a traditional New England aesthetic with modern appeal.” The owners said, “Treffle really listened to what we wanted. He has a great way of telling stories about how to use a space. They make you understand what needs to be there for it to work.” Congratulations, Treff! The home looks spectacular.

In between physical therapy appointments, you might want to treat yourself to a Mad Mini. According to Mark Robinson, “Mad Minis are a result of our search for a fun, great tasting dessert made with responsibly sourced, clean ingredients”—real ice cream, no artificial ingredients and only 60 calories each. Mad Minis are the first product of Little Something Foods, LLC, which Mark cofounded in 2013 and is currently managing.

Our most important class news of the moment: the Dartmouth 40th reunion with ’76 and ’78, June 15-18, 2017! We are getting “better all the time!” Reunion chair Jim Guth is already running with it full steam ahead. The reunion committee is expanding daily, with Lucy Townsend, of L.M. Townsend Catering in Cooperstown, New York, providing Jim and the reunion committee with her valuable event planning advice as she has done so well for so many past reunions; Amy Cholnoky, fly fisherperson extraordinaire; Ellen Sen, GE rocket scientist; Penny Rashin, upcoming ladies golf touring pro; and Liz Kadin, super financier, at her side.

Bill Replogle, chief mechanic of Sparky’s Garage, a creative, think tank, advertising agency, is already thinking better all the time for our 40th! Betsy Stueber, Rory Laughna and Liz Kadin are pulling together an “Imagine” panel, to explore second careers. Bob Baum and Pam Perkins are strategizing with you agents out there to make sure our gift to the College is of Dartmouthian proportion. Ann Duffy is awaiting your poetry and reunion book club suggestions. Dee Dee Simpson and yours truly are searching for the best lobster and steak in the Upper Valley. Dee Dee will also be organizing the ’76-’78 women’s breakfast, while Eric Edmondson will be in charge of the men’s breakfast! Ha! Bets Kent, Holly Benson and Leslie Bradford will assist in all and any ways possible. Pete and Cathy Volanakis and Phil Hanlon and Gail Gentes have graciously invited us to their homes for Thursday’s and Saturday’s dinners.

Jill ’78 and Gary Rogers, class brew- and webmaster, are organizing a craft brew tasting on Thursday night. By the way, classmates who are dedicated homebrewers are invited to brew for the event and proudly serve their wares! Gary, a homebrewer for more than 30 years who will be opening a craft brewery in Massachusetts early next year, will have several kegs of his beers on tap. Sam Hoar, Rory Laughna and Pete Volanakis have already signed on. How ’bout you? Contact Gary (garyallenrogers@gmail.com) directly for more information and to register.

Join the 40th reunion crowd! I am sure you have something to offer that will make this reunion better than ever. And, don’t finalize your flights until you check our schedule—there will be class events running from Thursday afternoon through late Sunday morning.

—Nancy Vespoli, 604 West Lake Ave., Guilford, CT 06437; nancy.vespoli@snet.net

Mark Robinson has a lot of news to impart: “Wife Clare (Williams ’80) and I have had the pleasure of visiting Hanover on numerous occasions through the years to visit my mom and dad ’45, who retired there in the mid-1980s. Visits took on a multi-generational dimension in the 2000s when our youngest, Matt, became a ’13. That was a real treat for all. We enjoyed watching Matt’s rugby games, oftentimes officiated by Sam Hoar. For the past several years I have gotten together with fellow Zetes Ray Bankert, Tom Cohn, Scott Farr, Tom Pell and Rich Sarner in the annual Zeta Psi golf outing in Hanover—to play golf and tell exaggerated stories over dinner and around the beer pong table.”

“I am still at it, work-wise. After spending 20-plus years in a family manufacturing business, my career took me to a private equity-backed manufacturing company in need of a turnaround and then to an ice cream novelty startup business. Most recently I launched a new company to make and market fun, all-natural, portion-controlled desserts, the first of which is Mad Minis—small, Oreo-like ice cream cookie sandwiches. We launched in 75 stores in New England in 2015 and expect to have 1,000 retail locations nationwide in 2016. Getting a frozen product made successfully and consistently, into retail stores with limited shelf space, that the consumer will love and buy repeatedly has been challenging and fun! This year will determine whether Mad Minis resonate with the consumer. We need all the consumers we can get! Check us out at www.madminifoods.com or facebook.com/madminifoods and, more importantly, try our product and let us know what you think.

“We see other ’77s and their wives here in the Boston area: Frank McNamara and Lisa ’78, Bart Geer, Tom Barnico, Rory Laughna and Gary Rogers and Jill ’78. We also see Jane Kirstetter Ingram ’78 and her husband, Jeff, when she travels back to New England from her new residence in N.Y.C.”

Dr. Darrell Groves writes that he is working as an assistant professor in educational leadership at Clark Atlanta University and as an adjunct professor at Mercer University. “My wife, Barbara, retired last year from the Food and Drug Administration and our daughter, Ayanna, is now completing her master’s at Georgia State University in psychology after completing her B.A. at Emory University, where she played tennis for two years. I continue to be very involved in my church, sing in one of the choirs, stay involved in community service and play league tennis. We recently attended the birthday party for Clifton Marshall and had a great time! My wife and I look forward to visiting Hanover next spring for a reunion with the Dartmouth Aires!”

Bill Hammett of course is “still loving life in Sonoma, California, after 22 years here. Proud of my three sons (including Sean ’14) making their way in the world. Racing in the 24 Hours of Lemons series; gotta love the adrenaline rush. Just married Julie deLeuze, a fantastic girl, and looking forward happily to my 60s and beyond.”

Reunion chair Jim Guth exhorts you to mark your calendars to reconnect with classmates at our fantabulous 40th reunion in Hanover on June 15-18, 2017. “Class of ’77 activities will be held with the classes of ’76 and ’78. You don’t want to miss this one!”

—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com

Sad news from our class treasurer, Pete Volanakis: “I received news that our classmate Dave Funsch passed away on December 7 from a massive heart attack. Dave was my high school classmate (Fair, Pennsylvania). Dave was a good guy, quiet and very, very smart. He was a doctor in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, who received his M.D. through the Navy and traveled through the Middle East. At Dartmouth he was a member of Beta and majored in mathematics and economics.”

Island news from Will Davis: “My wife, Mary Rose, a Cornell graduate and I moved to Lihue, Kauai. I am working as a healthcare professional at Bayard Health Care and privately as a swim instructor and masseur. Swimming and surfing with sea turtles and soaking up sunrises on the beaches is invigorating. Our residence and much of the island is getting solar panels.”

Postscript: In Mary Rose’s Cornell Alumni Magazine, there is a copy of The Dartmouth, the oldest college paper in America (5 cents) dated November 18, 1940. The headline was “Cornell concedes 3-0 Dartmouth victory.”

Place-kicker Bob Krieger kicked a field goal while Cornell end Nick Drahos caught an apparent game-winning touchdown. However, referee Red Friezell admitted his error of a fifth down and Cornell sent a telegram to Dartmouth offering congratulations. Cornell quarterback from the “fifth-down” game, Walt Scholl, would fly over the Mediterranean 72 times, ultimately earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.

—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com

Dr. Diane Arsenault sent in a newsy email. Diane mentioned that she was part of the St. Paul’s School advanced studies program, along with numerous classmates: the late Susan Kmon, Janice Lee Swain, Jay Swain and Mike McLaughlin. They get together once or twice a year.

Diane recently met with Dr. Bill Levinger, an anesthesiologist in Leominster, Massachusetts.

According to Diane, “I am a certified hospice and palliative medicine physician and hospice medical director. It is invigorating work, part of the holistic part of being a family physician. My husband and I will build a retirement home near our home in Campton, New Hampshire. My husband is a certified registered nurse anesthetist and our two children have followed us into the medical profession. They are darn good, amazing young people what every parent hopes their children will become.

We’ve done medical missions in Zimbabwe and Guatemala and hope to increase the frequency of mission work in the future.”

Dave Bennett III is enjoying life in the Steel City. Dave is “happily married with three adult children. Tennis has succumbed to an overused shoulder, but golf is okay as long as I don’t take it too seriously. I’ve been working in a family business with my brother for more than 35 years, with another seven or so to go. Summer trips continue to the summer cottage in northern Ontario. Fond memories of the girls of Topliff, all-nighters sustained by James Gang and rowing the Connecticut in the fall morning air!”

Brad Brinegar’s cup has been overflowing lately. From 2000 to 2012 Brad built McKinney into an advertising powerhouse; in 2012 it was named most effective agency in the world. Prior to McKinney Brad was CEO of Leo Burnett USA. Brad has taken on a new challenge, leading a collaboration of the Barbarian Group, Iris Worldwide and McKinney to build visibility and growth for Cheil in North America.

Brad reflects on his time at Dartmouth: “My anthropology major taught me to put myself in other people’s shoes. It is pretty unusual to be in a situation where you are the audience for the ad you are creating; you have to understand the motivation of people who may not be anything like you. It’s also a pretty important skill for leading people and selling ideas.

“The Jack-O-Lantern introduced me to the intersection of art and commerce (though to call the Jacko either would be a stretch) and was the first inkling that I might be able to make a good living doing something that I really loved.

“Crew taught me lessons that I use every single day. I was a walk-on with no team sport experience; the way I grew I was totally uncoordinated when I got to college. So I was mature enough to appreciate the experience. I learned about collaboration and alignment. There is no room for individual stars or lone wolves in a boat. Everybody pulls together or the boat slows down. I learned about preparation and commitment.”

—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com

News from Chris Jenny: “Life is good at the Jenny farm, but we find ourselves a bit nostalgic as our four kids make their way out into the wide, wide world. Alex completed his first year at Tuck, Chris is in San Francisco working for Tesla, Lauren is living with some Dartmouth pals in Boston (working for Putnam Investments) and Lizzie will be a first-year (when did we lose the term freshman?) at Dartmouth this fall. My firm, the Parthenon Group, merged with EY and I will soon be heading off to the next chapter in life after 20 years with the firm. Lots of new directions and adventures planned, including serving on several corporate and nonprofit boards, ramping up my venture investing and traveling the world with Andi. Hope to see my classmates this fall at the newly renovated Memorial Field for what could be another Dartmouth football championship season.”


Ted Boucher checks in from Rochester, New York, where he has been involved in a family business for some time. According to Ted, “We manufacture and sell hardware to door and window manufacturers. The original business, started in 1888, made counterbalances for windows that slide up and down. Headquarters and a manufacturing plant are in Rochester, but other manufacturing or distribution facilities are in Maryland, West Virginia, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Juarez, Mexico, and Coventry and Cheltenham, United Kingdom. I’m now semi-retired, as I brought in a non-family member to be CEO several years ago. I stay active consulting to him and as chair of our board, also non-family members.”


Sad news: Susan Kmon passed away March 25. A native of Manchester, New Hampshire, Susan was an English/Renaissance studies major at Dartmouth and she studied abroad in Strasbourg, France. Susan will be missed.


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com


Doug Cogswell checks in from Chicago: “I own and run a data analytics and software and service company (www.advizorsolutions.com). I have three grown kids. Dan is married and lives in Boston, doing energy research at Samsung with MIT and Stanford. He just got a paper published in Nature magazine, has a Ph.D. and postdoc from MIT. Heather is in Washington, D.C., doing public health research with the World Health Organization and USAid. She has an M.P.H. and an M.B.A. from Johns Hopkins. Brenna is in Boston doing online marketing for CitiAmerican and ChaseUnited emails. On the side I’m leading an effort to create community in large churches—you can check it out at www.208at9.com. We are affecting megachurches around the world. As part of this I led a trip with 11 volunteers to rural Zambia for a couple of weeks this past June—the ‘Zambia update’ page has some good pictures and video on what we did over there. Still joyfully married to Kim for 34 years and still ski, water ski, play ice hockey, backpack and generally enjoy life.”


Don’t forget the August 20-23 class of 1977 60th birthday celebration at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Any questions, email Betsy Fauver Stueber at stueber@aol.com with “Class of ’77 60th birthday” in the subject line.


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com


Remote news from David Pierce: “Son Aidan ’18 has joined Alison ’15 this fall. My wife and I reside in Hong Kong, but my new role with Harald Quandt Capital should have me in the Northeast once a quarter.”


Sad news: Dr. Andrea Jordan died June 15 from complications from a fall in her home. A published expert in her subspecialty of cytopathology, Andrea majored in English at Dartmouth and was active in track, the College Committee on Standing and Conduct and Aquinas House.


From Thad Seymour: “Last June I celebrated 33 years with my wife, Katie, proving that a first date at Winter Carnival can yield great dividends. I’ve spent the last six years helping to plan and build Lake Nona, a large new community near Orlando International Airport. We were featured in the June 30 Fortune, ‘How to Build a Great American City,’ and in a Harvard Business School case study, ‘Designing a Culture of Collaboration at Lake Nona Medical City.’


“I have had fun creating a not-for-profit, the Lake Nona Institute (www.lakenonaimpactforum.org), a think tank on health innovation; Susan Dentzer has been a speaker and moderator and did a phenomenal job. And a ‘new home of tennis’ is being built at Lake Nona (100-plus courts). Everything I know about tennis I learned from my sophomore roommate Al Gordon.”


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com


Fred Kramer’s cup of good news runneth over: “My daughter Lauren got married in June and is a nurse at Mass General. Son Jeff is a math teacher at Advanced Math and Science Academy, a charter school recently voted best in the state. My firm ADD Inc. continues to grow in both Miami and Boston; one of our recent projects, a residence hall for Mass Art, was one of four projects recommended by the Council of Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat for the Best Tall Building in the Americas!”


Rob Zimmanck also sends good news: “I have been a practicing and teaching internist in Park Ridge, Illinois, for 30-plus years. I just finished a stint as chairman of the board of Advocate Physician Partners. Married 35 years to Kay; we have sons Rob, age 31, an anesthesiologist in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area, and Donny ’07, Th’09, age 29, an electrical engineer in Petaluma, California. We brought Rob and his wife, Kim, to Donny’s graduation. Kim got to play beer pong in the Psi U basement. Kay and I do one triathlon a year. We are happy to finish!”


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com


I hope wherever you are you have been enjoying summer! In the East it’s been a bit of a washout—lots of rain and clouds. But it always brightens my day to hear from classmates. Thanks for keeping in touch, but we need more of you to come on board! Now you have two options, as Bob Leach is now writing our class newsletter; he can be reached via e-mail: rleach@manulifeusa.com.


Life is great for our class newlyweds Nancy Bird and Vin Pellegrini. They were recently in Florida where Vin was installed as president of the American Orthopaedic Association. They will be traveling throughout Europe this fall with Vin’s new position. Nancy reported that Cindy and John Douglas will be spending the month of July in England—now is the time to get across the pond!


Jackie Ackerman is proud to join those of us who have had children matriculate at Dartmouth! Her daughter Torrey will be a member of the class of 2013. Jackie looks forward to seeing other ’77 parents on campus this fall.


Peter Mills checked in from Los Altos, California, where he has resided for 28 years. Peter is “happily working” in the product design business for Speck Design in Palo Alto, and his wife, Mary, is a human resources consultant. Bicycling is a passion and he manages 100 miles a week! Two nearby ’77s whom Peter is in contact with are Kip Sides and Bob Williams.


The Eastern Association of Women’s Rowing Colleges recently held an alumni event in Camden, New Jersey. Dartmouth’s boat contained nine alumni from varying years, including a few Olympians. Representing 1977 on our alumni boat was Nancy Parssinen Vespoli.


Dr. Jonathan Bagger was recently elected to the board of directors for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute. He is the vice provost for graduate and postdoctoral programs and special projects and a professor of physics and astronomy at Johns Hopkins University. Since graduating from Dartmouth John’s career path included a year at Cambridge University, earning a master’s and doctoral degree at Princeton, time spent at Stanford and on the faculty at Harvard before moving to Johns Hopkins. 


Bambi Wood had some exciting news about her husband. Sandy Wood, head coach of the University of Rhode Island women’s tennis team for the last five years, was named A-10 Coach of the Year, after leading his team to a 15-4 overall record, including a 4-0 victory over St. Bonaventure in the A-10 Championship. URI entered the championship as the No. 4 seed, it’s highest in program history! Sandy plans to go out on top and retire after this great accomplishment.


Recently I saw my Dartmouth roommate Daryl O’Brien Palmer for the college graduation of her oldest daughter Jessica. I’ll never forget walking into 109 North Mass in September of 1973 to meet Daryl for the first time, and we have been close friends ever since. Anyone else out there still close to his or her freshman roommate? I’d love to hear from you!


—Kelley Cimina, 6 Martins Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073; (610) 356-4685; cohasset73@ comcast.net


Well, it finally had to happen. The well had just about run dry after two years of writing this column. Life has been very busy, so I haven’t been able to search for news and not much has been sent my way. I promise to do a better job next time around—but I’d love it if you could help me out and send news! 


By the time you read this I will have completed my section of the Appalachian Trail! After hiking a few days this summer with my daughter Kim ’06 as she through-hiked the trail, I decided I would help the Dartmouth Outing Club try to reach its goal of covering the entire length of the trail in one day on October 6 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the club. My chosen route covers 10 miles of the area known as the Delaware Water Gap on the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border. I hope some of you were able to participate in this special event—let me know if any other classmates hiked that day and where. 


It was great to hear from Rich Sarner. His son Bryan is attending St. Lawrence University and Rich ran into Mary Beth Lindenthal at Parents’ Weekend. Rich shared his memory of the first ’77 classmate he met when arriving at Mass Hall the night before leaving on his freshman trip: “My parents had just dropped me off and left me in a room, empty except for Mike Zischke’s partially unpacked stuff when it first hit me that I didn’t know anyone at this place. No sooner did I have that thought than David Karoff walked through my door wearing a bandana on his head, and we shared his bottle of Slivovitz brandy!” David was one of six freshmen from Cohasset High School entering Dartmouth that fall. Our little class of 130 produced Nina Steele Wellford, Dan Jones, David Jones, Paul Donovan, David and myself!


John Bird’s father, John C. Bird ’44, sent me a copy of the book Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Included in the book are a few pages that summarize what John did to get Pittsburgh Pirates great Bill Mazeroski into Cooperstown in 2001. Being a baseball nut, I will enjoy the read. Speaking of books, anyone looking for an interesting read, pick up Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains. Our new president Jim Yong Kim’s beginnings with the Partners in Health is prominent in this story. 


Have a great fall and hope to hear from you.


—Kelley Cimina, 6 Martins Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073; (610) 356-4685; cohasset73@comcast.net


Another snowstorm in the Mid-Atlantic region—Philadelphia has had more snow this year than any time in recorded history! Everything looks quite lovely, except for my bank account. I just brought one of my golden retrievers home from the veterinary hospital after his second surgery in three years for a bowel obstruction—Valiant will eat anything that’s not tied down. Has anyone else out there had this same experience? I told my husband we could have taken a fabulous trip to the islands for 10 days with what we just paid!


Heard from Bill Replogle recently: His brother John ’88 was recently nominated by the Alumni Council for a trustee position. Bill is a fellow Cohasset, Massachusetts, native. He now spends most of his time in northern Virginia and D.C. and lives along the Potomac River in Leesburg, Virginia. He’s been doing some songwriting with another one of his brothers. Bill mentioned he would be seeing Hugh Frater soon for some golf.


Congratulations to Philip Hanlon! He was recently named the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of Michigan. Philip started as an associate professor of mathematics in 1986 and became a professor in 1990 and an associate dean from 2001 to 2004. Following graduation from Dartmouth he received a doctorate from the California Institute of Technology and taught applied mathematics at MIT and the California Institute of Technology.


Jon Collen has joined the law firm Tressler LLP as a partner in the Chicago office. John’s area of expertise is bankruptcy law and he has been recognized for his work in Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases and debtor/creditor law. He is also a widely published author in the field and has written the book, Buying and Selling Real Estate in Bankruptcy.


Peter White has joined TD Bank as head of sponsor finance. Peter has 30 years of experience in banking and leveraged finance. Prior to joining TD Bank he served as managing director at BankBoston, FleetBoston Financial, GE Capital and CIT Group.


By the time you read this Dartmouth Alumni Magazine will be available online at dartmouthalumnimagazine.com! And the class of 2014 will have been admitted—doesn’t that make you feel old?! I had the pleasure of interviewing 11 prospective applicants this year and all I can say is I’m glad I’m not applying now—these students are amazing! Let me know if your son or daughter was accepted! 


—Kathy Kelley Cimina, 6 Martins Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073; (610) 356-4685; cohasset73@comcast.net


Greetings to all. My husband and I are now officially “empty nesters” after 30 years of having a child in our home—my oldest was born in 1980! They say that children keep you young, so I guess I’m ready for grandchildren. How many of us have grandchildren? Ellen McLaughlin Saturley asked the same question as she notified me that she and her husband, Bill, became grandparents in April. William Emory Davies, their dual-citizen grandson, was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and they have twice traveled there to welcome him to their family. I know that John Douglass and Cindy Strange Douglass are expecting their first grandchild from daughter Emily. Cindy and John, Daryl O’Brien Palmer and her husband, Tom, Vin Pellegrino and Nancy Bird Pellegrino, my husband, Dave, and I all got together at Vin and Nancy’s home on the Severn River outside of Annapolis, Maryland, in mid-May. The girls caught up while the guys played golf. In spite of Vin’s hectic work and travel schedule—he and Nancy were leaving for Japan a few days later—he still has a mean golf game, honed at Dartmouth when he played for the golf team. I tried to get my fellow Distractions to sing a few of the old songs, but they would have nothing of it!


Speaking of Distractions, another one of our original group, Jean Rosston, wrote from her home in Switzerland: “A reunion someday of the old-time Distractions would be fun! Give me some advanced warning and perhaps I could make it—from Zurich to wherever in the USA takes some planning! I am still singing with a very good city chorus in Zurich. We could even organize a reunion here in Switzerland—I could also arrange a personal tour of our fine arts museum, including behind the scenes!” We’ll have to work on that one!


Jeff Lyon checked in from Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, with news of his recent visit to campus. On Sunday, June 13, his son, Jason, graduated with the class of ’10. Jeff enclosed a family photograph representing 61 years of Lyons at Dartmouth. Besides himself and Jason, daughter Jill is a ’13, daughter Kate is an ’05 and his father, Ed, is a ’52. 


I also received a family photo from Anne Goode Stalker from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Her third child, Peter, just graduated from high school and is attending Colgate this fall. Two of her daughters have finished college, graduating from Bucknell and Dickinson. Anne plans on spending two weeks in August working in a Chinese orphanage with her 12-year-old daughter, Helen, whom she and her husband, Peter, adopted from China 11 years ago. Anne has been getting a lot of skiing in: 77 days last year and 82 days this year. She mentioned that number was significant as she was married to her husband, whom she met at a Dartmouth/Princeton rugby game, in 1982.


Thanks for the news—it’s great to hear from you.


—Kathy Kelley Cimina, 6 Martins Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073; (610) 356-4685; cohasset73@comcast.net


The late Harrison Wilson must be smiling broadly from above with the turnover-free tour de force son Russell turned in orchestrating a stunning Super Bowl win for the underdog Seahawks. Russell is an undersized quarterback at 5-feet, 10 5/8 inches, but has more leadership qualities than bigger men at his position.


The Winter Olympic Games from Sochi, Russia, saw an American podium sweep for the daredevil discipline of freestyle skiing. Proudly brandishing his silver medal was Peter Kenworthy’s son Gus.


Peter’s Bones Gate brother Rob Kemeny has submitted for our approval some 1 Tuck Drive memories (rated PG, of course). According to Rob, “There is a room in the house called the blue bedroom. Robert Frost stayed there because he loved the view and the large tree in the back yard. Walter Cronkite, an ardent Democrat, was sitting in the library with my mother and father. After several cocktails my mother told Walter that some time ago Richard Nixon sat right where he was now sitting. Mr. Cronkite, visibly shaken, stood up, raised his arms above his head, made two peace signs and then started to exorcise the spirit of Nixon from the room, yelling, ‘Out, out damn….’


“Back in the mid- to late-1970s the second favorite place to eat after Thayer was the President’s House. It was called a ‘Kemeeni chow down’ and I hosted many, many fraternity members, women and whoever was in the vicinity at the time to a late-night breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and whatever else was left over in the fridge. The record was probably 75 people and some may still be in the house as they went on self-guided tours afterward. Good thing the folks traveled so much.”


A literary email arrived from Joey Gleason, whom you can like at Facebook at J. Boyce Gleason. His book Anvil of God garnered a coveted starred review from Publishers Weekly and a “highly recommended” from the Historical Novel Society. Joey used a sabbatical from work in public affairs and crisis management to fashion the first three chapters of Anvil of God. After that, there was no looking back. Joey now consults on his own when not working on book two of his series.


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com


Sad news first: Richard Likes of Holts Summit, Missouri, has passed away. Cause of death: lung cancer. While at Dartmouth Richard hailed from Kirkwood, Missouri. Our prayers go out to Richard’s family.


Suffering from E.M.S. (empty mailbag syndrome), I decided to telephone my freshman Topliff roommate. We spent an hour or so catching up. Tom Surprenant, a native of Newport, Rhode Island, came to Hanover from Portsmouth Abbey, where he was a three-sport man.


At Dartmouth “Soup” was active in rugby and as rush chairman at Zeta Psi, whose faculty advisor was classics professor Dr. Matthew Wiencke; Dr. Wiencke became Tom’s honors advisor in classical archeology. Tom was able to travel to Italy and to Greece on foreign study, getting a chance to study sites and antiquities, as a bonus going to the best museums in London, Paris, Munich and Rome. Tom also got to examine remains from ancient Etruscan, Roman, Greek and Minoan cultures.


Soup’s first job after graduation was logistics management for Outward Bound in Hanover. Years later Tom would build his own log cabin surrounded by 90 acres on the Chippewa River in Wisconsin, where he can stalk the elusive sharp-toothed muskie. After Outward Bound Tom earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has been a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, since 1987 and the proud resident of a houseboat since 2008.


Tom pays the bills by acting as general counsel for a local construction company. His labor of love, though, is acting as a founder and head of Songs of Hope. This wildly successful effort brings foreign youngsters to St. Paul, where they can perform songs only after rigorous rehearsals. Countries represented by campers known as Hopers include Russia, South Korea, Madagascar, India, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Singapore and many more. After 22 years there are 500 alumni Hopers. Some visit each other, rekindling the once-in-a-lifetime experience of sharing similarities and dissimilarities. Tom has received an award noting his efforts for international peace from the lieutenant governor of Minnesota, but Tom prefers to take pride in the glowing testimonials of Hoper alumni. You can read some on the Songs of Hope website.


Congratulations to Tom Surprenant for his creativity and persistence in thinking globally and acting locally!


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com


Newly minted newsletter editor Dee Dee Granzow Simpson and I will try our best to keep all of us connected with our class. I am proud to continue the literary lineage of class secretaries Griemann, Wingate, Wingate, Muller, Ireland, McDonald, Carter and Cimina, and pleased to report that our record-shattering total giving for a 35th reunion is a remarkable $3,610,000! Thanks to all who gave their time, talent and treasure. Quick introduction: If you did not know me at college, call me Birdman. (Oddly, our class alumni representative Jeff McKee calls me “Mazeroski,” the 2001 Baseball Hall-of-Famer I wrote a book about.)


After Andover, where I now also write class notes, at Dartmouth I was a history major who, despite leading a freshman trip, spent most of his time underground at Zeta Psi. Lucky enough to study French in Blois, spring 1975, I could not miss the John Rassias (adopted ’49 and ’76) lovefest on the Baker-Berry lawn, where Susan Dentzer got icon hugs as Tom Cohn applauded. Bourges language study abroad veterans Rich Sarner, Rika Pierson Clement, Mark Robinson, John Storella, Thad Seymour and Steve Cordy all seemed to enjoy catching up. A California contingent included my summer ’75 roommate Peter Mills, Bill Hooper, Tom Ropelewski, Eric Edmondson, Kristin Bjorklund, Al Henning,Carol MullerandDoug Ireland; Jim Mayfield flew in from Hawaii, Frank Long from Tempe, Arizona, and Don Wiviott from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Across the pond came a host of financiers led by Nichole Lewis-Oakes, Andrea Korman Lowe and Allen Sinsheimer. I had never met former London Goldman Sachs man Mark Luning, now in Naples, Florida, until we banged stools at Lou’s at 7 a.m. Making new friends at reunion, such as David Karoff, is easy and worthwhile. At least 11 medical doctors were in the house: George Andreae, Larry Appel, Cathy Burnweit, David Cutler, Will Danford, Peter H’Doubler, Peter Gutschenritter, Steve Mentzer, Vincent Pellegrini, Kathy Phillips and Walter Wingate.


There were lumières and Dartmouth Aires. Steam tunnels explored, Ann Duffy’s award. Percussion on the Green, friends finally seen (Mike Huffman, Saturday afternoon). Artists and authors, filets and lobsters. Diana Taylor and the mayor, “the Commons” we knew as Thayer. Bartlett Tower ascended; reunion, ended. We reflected on salad days when we became green, not too many rules, really, just a puzzling friend-wrenching Dartmouth Plan, a mulligan called NRO (non-recording option), drinking age 18, no lab science requirement, all this after the end of the draft and before AIDS. I suppose we all eventually found order from chaos.


In closing, thanks to Ann Muenzer Beams for a lovely memorial service recognizing all our fallen comrades who are now in a better place: Charles Alpert, Ricardo Angulo, Michael Antonio, Derika Avery, Peter Beutel, Wilson Bostic, Michael Brigham, Jeffrey Brooker, Lawrence Cubas, Kevin Curley, Lili Dollar, Edwin Estepa, Joseph Flounders, Robert Grafford, Adrienne Hewitt, Lynda Huang, James Jennings, Gary Komarow, John Kulik, Mark Lebowitz, Scott Newton, John Olbrych, Richard Roy, Sheila Russell, Peter Smith, Harry Turner II, Neal Webber, Grace Williams, Jeannie Williams, Harrison Wilson III and Helena Witte.


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com


Once again down to the wire, waiting to see if anyone will send me some news! But I must get this done before my power goes out. I’m awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Irene and hoping my basement doesn’t flood. It’s been a crazy time here on the East Coast, with our earthquake this week, now a hurricane and the wettest month in Philadelphia’s history—we’ve battened down the hatches!


John T. Bird sent me a mint condition Carl Yastrzemski baseball card! He was recently in Cooperstown, New York, for the Baseball Hall of Fame induction weekend, where he ran into Lucy Townsend. Lucy caters events for the hall of fame and, as John noted, “She is totally unfazed by the prospect of a last-minute party for 650 on the heels of a soiree for 350, all flawlessly executed in 98 degree weather!” I mentioned to John that I had visited Cooperstown a couple of times and that Yaz was my idol and the reason why I am such a huge baseball fan, hence the card! He also sent news of Alan Trefler from The New York Times. Alan is founder and CEO of Pegasystems, a business technology company. In the article Alan talks about the value of making mistakes and learning from them, recalling it was helpful when he played serious chess as a young man. John commented that Alan was the best chess player at Dartmouth, and was in his English Freshman Seminar, along with Amy Cammann Cholnoky.


Gotta love Moms! Charles “Chip” Swicker’s mom sent me in some news! He recently completed a three-year tour on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon and has moved across the Potomac to his new assignment as Senior Naval Advisor at the State Department. 


I just received the Sept/Oct issue of our alumni magazine and read with interest the class of 76 account of their 35th reunion this past June. Nancy Parssinen Vespoli, our reunion chair, is working hard on plans for our 35th next June. Mark your calendars—our reunion will be June 14-17, 2012. We are the first class to have our 35th officially on the weekend, as opposed to mid-week, so there are no excuses for not being there! Visit the class website (www.dartmouth.org/classes/77) and Facebook for the latest updates, including lodging, if you don’t want to stay in the dorms. If you’d like to help with any plans for our reunion, visit the website and let us know.


I’m heading up to Hanover for Class Officers Weekend the end of September and looking forward to President Kim’s visit to Philadelphia shortly after that—I’m going to get my Dartmouth fix! Plan on coming to our reunion to get yours!


—Kathy Kelley Cimina, 6 Martins Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073; (610) 356-4685; cohasset73@comcast.net


By the time you read this we will be less than two months away from our 35th reunion! By now, if you haven’t seen all the details via our class Facebook page, class newsletter or any of the other mailings sent out, you must be living under a rock! Seriously, please take a moment to respond—you don’t want to miss out on all the fabulous festivities planned and the chance to reconnect with classmates back in Hanover. 


I was happy to hear back from some fellow Distractions after my last column! Kathy Martin is still practicing at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Unfortunately she will be unable to make our reunion, as she and her husband will be visiting their daughter Hannah in Tanzania and will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, followed by a safari. Hannah is graduating from Williams College and is planning on following her mother’s footsteps into medicine. Garth and Lindsay Larrabee Greiman will be attending reunion. In 2010 they sold their home in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and moved into a condominium in Harvard Square. She has kept her voice intact by rehearsing and performing with a five-woman a cappella group in Boston. Carol Akerson hopes to attend. She is married to Rich Kelly ’69 and had a great time at his 35th a few years ago. Carol reminisced about a luncheon some of us in the Boston area attended in the spring of 1973 to meet other incoming freshmen. I remember meeting Kurt Reimann and Ron Smith at that luncheon, thinking they were two of the biggest guys I’d ever seen! Of course, they were freshmen football recruits, along with Bruce Taylor, also in attendance! 


Good news arrived from T. David Reese on the birth of his first child. He wrote: “My wife, Jennifer, and I welcomed Thomas Carlton Reese on October 6, 2011. At a time when most members of our class are having grandchildren, we are considering the merits of orthodontic pacifiers and the admission standards for the Dartmouth class of 2034! If the reunion committee is planning on an award for the member of our class with the youngest child, we should claim the award. I suspect that Dan Mahoney thought he had a lock on it—sorry, Dan!”


Donald Gaylord checked in from Sao Paulo, Brazil! “I arrived here in October 2011 after training in Washington, D.C., for four months to head up the Open Source Center’s new office here. I love it—I’m following the Brazilian media, writing reports for people back in D.C. and learning Portuguese. Unfortunately my wife, Suse, daughter Jess and son Alan remain back home in North Carolina. I won’t be able to attend our 35th. I have some home leave coming, but I’ll be using it to attend my parents’ 60th anniversary. It will also be my father’s 79th birthday—he taught English at Dartmouth from 1966 to 2005. 


Hope to see you Hanover June 14-16!


—Kathy Kelley Cimina, 6 Martins Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073; (610) 356-4685; cohasset73 @verizon.net


The Sunday, November 18, “The Boss” featured in the “Business” section of The New York Times was none other than Michelle Valensi Stacy. (I recommend googling the piece.)


Michelle is president of the Keurig unit of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Keurig makes machines that change the way many of us consume coffee. In 2008 711,000 single-serve brewer containers were sold in the last three months of the year; in 2011 4 million were sold in that holiday period! Michelle’s story, titled, “Stepping Back to Lead Better,” is an inspirational story of a business leader whose path to the top was helped, not hurt, by her decision, especially on two occasions, to put family first. At Dartmouth Michelle was a religion major, an unusual springboard to the boardroom.


Jeff Lyon’s youngest daughter, Jill ’13, is set to graduate in June. His oldest, Kate ’05, lives in N.Y.C. and has worked for many years at ABC; Amy, class of 2007 at Cornell, was a three-year starter in basketball and has worked in retail for many top sports franchises; and Jason ’10 is climbing the business ladder in Stamford, Connecticut. Jeff is a serious hiker who has climbed Mount Moosilauke 30 times. He is ready for June to harvest his organic garden, as the last of 16 years of Ivy League tuition checks begins to bear fruit.


Former alumni magazine intern made good: Brad Brinegar, the proud CEO of McKinney (recently named the most effective independent advertising agency in the world by Effie Worldwide), was thrilled that last July South Korea’s Cheil Worldwide acquired the Durham, North Carolina-based agency. The firm’s terse motto of “Listen, Provoke, Love, Simplify, Believe” now ends with “Tuhon,” Korean for the relentless drive to achieve extraordinary results despite all obstacles.


Johns Hopkins’ Larry Appel, M.D, M.P.H.,received notification of a sterling honor last fall: membership in the Institute of Medicine for his landmark research in preventing heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Larry is convinced that an essential way to bring down the mortality rate of disease is for the patient to take charge of his health as much as possible. Larry’s M.D. is from NYU and his master’s in public health is from Johns Hopkins. Congratulations on your innovative approach to research and your well-deserved honor, Larry.


The travel bug first bit Jeff Lelek during the language study abroad in Blois in spring 1975. Coming out of a two-year retirement, Jeff is relocating from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to Moscow, where he will work for TNK-BP (the third largest oil company in Russia and 10th largest private oil company in the world). Farewell, Jeff…do svidaniya.


November news but still compelling: Our class of 1977 congratulates president-elect and classmate Dr. Phil Hanlon. Michigan’s loss is Dartmouth’s gain.


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209: (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com


Hope everyone had a great holiday! As you read this it’s mid-February and here in the East we are experiencing the “crunch of feet on snow,” in the immortal words of one of my favorite songs, “Dartmouth Undying.” If you were in the Glee Club, the Aires or Distractions you sang these words more times than you care to remember and they are in our muscles and our brains! I hope by now many of you read our recent class newsletter online, compliments of our newsletter editor Bob Leach and our class webmaster Eric Nelson. We’re working hard to get class news and information out to you online. It’s not too early to start thinking and planning for our 35th reunion in 2012. Soon Amy Camaan Cholnoky will put out a class questionnaire online, so be sure to look for it and respond, as there will be options as to when our reunion will be held. 


If you can’t get to Hanover for our reunions (and we hope you can) one way to stay in touch is through mini-reunions. Information will be forthcoming about CarniVail, a Dartmouth reunion held annually in Vail, Colorado. But I heard from one classmate who has kept a group of friends together through the years with their own mini-reunions! Wes “Chainsaw” and Martha Chapman, who reside in Hanover, organized a Salmon River canyons raft/kayak trip in August, attended by fellow Theta Delt brothers Tom “Tadpole” Barnico with wife Katie, Rory “Bodacious Buffalo” Laughna, Orville “Ornery Orv” Lunking with wife Angie and children Garrett and Vienna, Gary “Hoss” Rodgers with wife Jill ’78, Don “Zulu” Thomas and Pete “Peilican” Volanakis with wife Cathy. This was a reprisal of a 50th birthday tour of the White Mountains that this same group did five years earlier. On the third night out the group celebrated Wes and Martha’s 32nd wedding anniversary, collaborating on their version of the theme from Green Acres. Quite a creative group! On a more serious note, in October Wes, Gary and Jill and Pete climbed Mt. Whitney, a 1,449-foot peak in the Sierra Nevada range in California. Mt. Moosilauke is a piece of cake compared to Whitney!


One classmate I can always count on to keep in touch is John T. Bird! As you may know, John is single-handedly responsible for getting the great Pittsburgh Pirates ballplayer Bill Mazeroski into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This past September Pittsburgh’s ballpark, PNC Park, dedicated a statue to Bill Mazeroski on his 74th birthday and John sent me a picture of the statue, knowing the big baseball fan that I am. John wrote what is considered the authorized biography of Mazeroski, titled Twin Killing: The Bill Mazeroski Story. John noted, “Maz has raised millions for charity since his 2001 induction into the Hall of Fame and it’s a continuing honor to be his biographer.”


Keep your news coming—nothing too big or small for us to share!


—Kathy Kelley Cimina, 6 Martins Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073; (610) 356-4685; cohasset73@comcast.net


Our 35th reunion will be history by the time you read this! I’m sure it will be our best ever! I will also be history, as my five-year reign as class secretary ends with this column. Thanks to everyone who has contributed news to me—it has been a pleasure to serve and connect with so many classmates. Please remember that no news is too small to share and your classmates really are interested in what you and your families are up to! You can lay to rest that often-asked question, “I wonder what happened to my freshman-year roommate?” by sending the new class secretary your news.


In 1973 Jeffrey Cutts graduated from Kimball Union Academy (KUA) in Meriden, New Hampshire, before coming to Dartmouth. After graduation Jeff returned to KUA to teach and coach for a few years before moving on to several other private schools and eventually the business world. In 2006 he was named the chair of the board of trustees at KUA. He was recently honored for his contributions to the school: exceeding annual fund goals, increasing financial assistance for deserving students, purchasing, renovating and re-purposing residence halls and faculty homes and improving learning spaces with state-of-the-art technology. His daughter Sarah graduated from KUA and is now a senior at Hobart & William Smith Colleges. 


On a sad note, Peter Beutel passed away after suffering a heart attack on March 8 in New Canaan, Connecticut. Peter was an oil analyst for more than 30 years, starting with a position at E.F. Hutton in 1979. He was president of Cameron Hanover, an energy research and risk management company based in New Canaan he founded in 1994. He was the editor and publisher of the Daily Energy Hedger and often appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg Television and Fox News. Peter is survived by his mother and three sisters. His father, William Beutel, graduated from Dartmouth in 1953.


Hope everyone has a fabulous time at our reunion. Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend, but I can’t wait to hear about it in our next column written by our new class secretary and check out all those incriminating pictures on our reunion Facebook page! 


—Kathy Kelley Cimina, 6 Martins Road, Newtown Square, PA 19073; (610) 356-4685; cohasset73@verizon.net


A 40-year best friendship is a wonder to behold, something Dr. Gary Schillhammer and architect Geordie Selkirk cultivate.


“Hammer” lives not far from the Canadian border, in fact there is a glacier gleaming in his back yard in Arlington, Washington, though he is a general practitioner working nearby in Darrington. A couple of years ago we were watching a high school baseball game featuring his youngest son on the mound and Hammer casually mentioned that he had delivered a good many of the members of the home team!


Geordie e-mailed me that he had seen Gary last May; Geordie’s 16-year-old son hiked the W route in Patagonia, Chile, in July, and Geordie’s 12-year-old daughter “is enjoying growing up, singing and playing.” From Geordie’s bio at the Freelon Group: “At the University of Washington, in Seattle, Geordie earned a master of architecture with an urban design certificate. Prior to joining Freelon, while in private practice, he earned an M.B.A. from UNC at Chapel Hill. He is a LEED-accredited professional and a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Urban Land Institute.”


I missed the reunion class photo for good reason, as it interfered with catching up with Bart Geer at recently renovated Zeta Psi, where we were the old guys. Bart never let on as an undergraduate that he had an aptitude for investments, but now Bart heads up BlackRock Basic Value after a successful 10-year tenure as manager at Putnam Equity Income. Congratulations, Bart.


Time to toss kudos to a couple of summa cum laude classmates. First, John F. Brenner, partner at N.Y.C. firm Pepper Hamilton (which has been around since 1890 and boasts 500 lawyers nationwide), has been named to the New York Super Lawyers, an honor bestowed on fewer than 5 percent of all the lawyers in the state. John’s law degree is from the University of Virginia. Second, George Shackelford, curator at the Kimbell Art Museum at Fort Worth, Texas, received his Ph.D. from Yale in 1986. George is considered an expert in French art of the late-19th and early-20th centuries and has served as curator or co-curator for numerous successful shows, including the best-attended art show in the world in 1998, “Monet in the 20th Century.” Furthermore, in 2005 George was honored by France with the prestigious title Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres (knight of the order of arts and letters).


Another ’77 who has enjoyed Texas-sized success wherever he has been is director of the Dallas Museum of Art, Maxwell Anderson, the subject of a September 10, 2012, interview in The Dartmouth. Maxwell boils down his daily challenge to “how to make old art alive and make new art relevant.” When confronted with Dartmouth’s “Year of the Arts,” this former head of Madison Avenue’s Whitney and the Indianapolis Museum of Art simply argues for a century of the arts!


Kent Dauten, managing partner of Keystone Capital, was recently honored by the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois with its 2012 Amicus Certus (true friend) Award for the work and support he has given this agency. Kent is also active in fundraising for the College. Thank you, Kent.


—John T. Bird, 1920 Chateau Circle, Apt. 306, Birmingham, AL 35209; (205) 276-4609; jtbird.com@gmail.com