Class Note 1970
Greetings, fellow ’70s. Earthquakes in Virginia! Tornadoes in Massachusetts! A hurricane (Irene) that shut down the New York City transit system! Yikes! As Jimmy Buffett once intoned, “Yes, it’s been quite a summer.” I hope as you read this things have quieted down and crisp autumn air is upon us, at least those who live in the Northern Hemisphere. If you live south of the equator, look out!
So who, you ask, are the ’70s living in other latitudes? According to alumni records only two of our 17 classmates residing outside North America can claim that distinction: Bob Bourdon in Wanganui, New Zealand, and Juan Cariaga in La Paz, Bolivia.
Back in the USA it turns out that T.J. Rodgers isn’t the only ’70 making a name for himself in the wine business. Wine Press Northwest recently named Fraser Vineyard the 2011 Idaho Winery of the Year. According to a feature article in the Boise Weekly, Bill Fraser and his wife, Bev, started planting grapes and making wine as a hobby. Now retired from the construction business, Bill and Bev are making some serious, award-winning wines, among them a 2007 cabernet sauvignon that won “Best Red” and “Best in Show” awards at the 2010 Idaho Wine Competition. Check out their website at fraservineyard.com.
John Engelman ’68 passed along a photograph of Al Brown and his son Dan ’03 taken on the occasion of Al being awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service as a battalion surgeon in Afghanistan. Dan, a highly decorated Marine captain, has served tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Congratulations and our thanks to both father and son.
Word out of Westport, Connecticut, is that Steve Doig was honored in May by the Sportsmen of Westport for his gridiron and track exploits while at Staples High School as well as his postgraduate journalistic successes including a Pulitzer Prize. Steve and Ellyn’s son Matt is following in his father’s footsteps as a journalist in Florida and has been nominated for two Pulitzers.
Robert Lovewell was kind enough to drop me a line from Concord, New Hampshire, and confided that in this economy he feels fortunate to still have a job. I’m sure that is a sentiment shared by many.
Finally, our deepest sympathies to John McCravey and his family on the tragic death this summer of his son Gus while studying in Spain. Several classmates traveled to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to attend Gus’s memorial service.
By the time this column goes to press Dartmouth will have played its first home football game under the newly installed lights at Memorial Field. And, assuming you read this in time, don’t forget Homecoming on the weekend of October 22. I will be there with pen and paper ready to record your story for a future column.
—Bill Wilson, 304 Highlands Bluffs Drive, Cary, NC 27518; wilson8689@aol.com
