Class of 1976

Hello, classmates. Since most of you are apparently too modest to send news of your current exploits, it’s time to generate a little fun content for this column. Two activities central to our College experience were what were then called freshman trips (now called first-year trips) and language study abroad (LSA). If you don’t want to divulge today how many rounds of golf you play each week or how often you watch your grandchildren, at least send remembrances of one of those experiences. Who did you go with? Who did you meet for the first time? Were you a freshman trip guide in later years? What was most memorable about your experience? What friendships did you make? Scott Simons and Jim Burns led two trips. Fern Bennett and Mike Feasel met on their trip.It’s good to reminisce, especially leading up to our 50th. Twenty-four classmates and 12 guests reminisced after traveling from across the country (including Arizona, California, Washington, Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Utah, New Mexico, Connecticut, Colorado, New York, and West Virginia) to enjoy the stunning beauty of Sedona, Arizona, during a fun-filled weekend at the end of February. The weather was bright and beautiful throughout, making it ideal for outdoor activities. The only exception was a cloudy night during a planned stargazing session at the Lowell Observatory. Kipp Barker reported that 10 of the 24 classmates in attendance (42 percent) were among the 177 female pioneers from Dartmouth’s first fully coeducational graduating class. These remarkable women included Adrienne Alexander, Carolyn Johnson Allenby, Brewer Doran, Kathy DeGioia Eastwood, Elise Erler, Gretchen Kent Kerr, Naomi Baline Kleinman, Betsy Rumely, Marian Shelton, and Annie Stockmar Upton. Attending as well were Rich Auletta, Brian Bachelder, Kirk Barker, George Chimiklis, Dave Dobson, Geoff Lamb, Steve Melikian, Michael Montgomery, Dan Pulvers, Tom Sorci, Ken Wright, Rick Zimmerman, andLaurie (Ganong) Jones, wife of classmate Dan Jones. Stay tuned for more mini-reunion destination trips in the future. Ted Scheu reports that he, Craig Stone,andDr. John Olsen spent four glorious days of skiing and storytelling, with extra catch up and laughs, in mid-March in Kalispell, Montana, at Whitefish Mountain. John and his wife, Kristie, moved there from the Seattle area following John’s retirement from his cardiology practice. “We skied on mid-winter snow and set records for vertical feet skied—at least records for me and John trying to keep up with Craig.” Next up for the trio, along with Nick Scheu ’78 and Craig’s brother, is an 11-day trek around Mont Blanc in the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps in early September—the Tour de Mont Blanc. “Our newest supporter and info source for this serious adventure is Martha Johnson Beattie,who did the same trek last year,” Ted wrote. A final note, if you are a Robert Frost fan, have a listen to Eric Copenhaver’s entertaining audiobook on the poet, via Spotify, The Rob I Knew. Ciao for now. Please send news of yourself or other classmates to steve@stevebellcommunications.com. If nothing else, the updates will serve as ice breakers at the 50th.

—Steve Bell, 15 Harbour Pointe, Buffalo, NY 14202; steve@stevebellcommunications.com