Class of 1975

I am regularly introduced to authors from our class. The fact that they must be introduced to me by others does not speak well of my flagging reading habits. This time Don Drakeman states that he has “just read Susan Cory’s dynamite debut murder mystery novel, Conundrum, which was inspired by her 20th Harvard grad school reunion. Will the scene of her next crime be our 50th? [Secretary note: I think not!] Perhaps a classmate will be tossed off a Moosilauke cliff, where he meets a rocky end with the granite of New Hampshire in his…well, you know the rest.”

For those of you, like me, who were unaware, Susan has written several books in the Iris Reid mystery series. I think there are seven of them now. Iris Reid is a fictional Boston-based architect, much like Susan before she chucked it all to write the mysteries. Although Susan is real.

Dave Dunbar has been an invaluable resource with timely informative tidbits leading up to our 50th reunion. He recently took a break and participated in the Dartmouth Club of Los Angeles’ guided walking tour of downtown L.A. with his wife, Alison. Despite the tour starting in “Bladerunner-strength” rain, Alison and Dave enjoyed it immensely, especially the finish at the Bradbury Building. Jeff Barndt and his wife, Kathleen, were meant to attend but were unfortunately held up. Apparently, a good bunch of additional alumni participated as well.

Eliza and I recently entertained a visit by Al Markman and his wife, Wendy. We have not seen them since we all lived in Minneapolis about a century ago. Of course, they have not changed one iota. The Markmans are spending more time in Florida, and we hope to see them again in the not-too-distant future. It does appear that more of us are gravitating to these climes.

Perhaps the saddest duty of any class secretary is writing obituaries. Some hit awfully close because they were such close friends, but they all seem a little more personal at this stage. The obituaries can be found in the online version of the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Just prior to reunion I was touched by a note from John Upton, who informed me of the passing of John Lowell. He was John Upton’s roommate for several terms, fellow ski jumper, fraternity brother, and dearest of friends for the last 50 years. John Upton writes, “John, his wife, Carrie, Annie Stockmar Upton ’76, and I shared lifelong family adventures, including skiing in Vail, Colorado, for decades and recently traveling to Norway and floating the Grand Canyon. On John’s last day he was at home surrounded by Carrie, his three children, six grandchildren, their spouses, brothers, and family pets. May we all be so fortunate when our time comes.” Amen, John, amen.

Vox clamantis in Florida.

—Stephen D. Gray, 4396 NW 53rd Court, Ocala, FL 34482; (650) 302-8739; fratergray@gmail.com