Class Columns: 1960s
1960
Paul A. Luscombe
737 Dowding Way
The Villages, FL 32162
(352) 750-2943
(352) 512-4142 (cell)
(352) 391-9169 (fax)
paulluscombe3@aol.com
President: Robert S. Brodie Jr.
Fund Managers: Lauritz K. Knudsen, M. Alden Siegel
Reunion Chair: J. Richard Booth
Web Page Administrator: Paul A. Luscombe
Back in the late ’50s, when Greek fraternities dominated the social landscape of Lafayette College, many groups opted to hire one of the off-season ski lodges in the Poconos in lieu of spending a similar amount of time on the Lafayette campus. Many a frat would attend the Interfraternity Spring Weekend Dance and then proceed as if by caravan to the likes of the Mt. Airy Lodge, where all sorts of activities awaited the members and their guests.
As the Class of 1960 committee reviewed the options for a post-Reunion reunion, the suggestions for a return trip to the Poconos and a stay at Skytop Lodge kept appearing on ballots. Don and Fran Nikles headed up our negotiating team and booked the Skytop facilities for the follow-up to take place immediately after the conclusion of the main event in Easton.
In all, 10 class members, along with their spouses, checked into Skytop Lodge on midday that Sunday. Since golf was included in the package, within an hour we had 16 golfers ready to play on the first tee, including many wives. Dick Booth resumed his leadership role from the big Reunion Weekend tourney. With daylight hours extending beyond 6 p.m., the golfers relaxed, and some completed full 18-hole rounds. Others stopped at the halfway house and stayed there until the rest of the golfers completed their games. Thus, natural forces created the basics for a late afternoon Happy Hour, which carried on every day thereafter as a part of the structure of the mini reunion.
Among the non-golfing alums, many took walks around the lake or just sat and relaxed. Charlie Raffay wrote, “We had plenty of time to sit around and talk about ‘the old days.’” He also commented that “we had great rooms, thanks to Fran, and the food and service was good.”
Charlie and his wife, Deanna, were on an extended jet lag after their 32-day land and sea excursion to the Black Sea and the Holy Lands, which ended just prior to our 50th Reunion. The trip was the beginning of the celebration of the Raffay’s 50th wedding anniversary this June. They planned to spend spring at their place on South Hutchinson Island, Fla.
Lew Fishberg echoed Raffay’s remarks about Fran: “She put everything together for us and sure did a great job. The weather and the place were just perfect.” He adds, “We had a scavenger hunt—for feathers and other junk to be found on the grounds—I think our team won!” He also recalls that “attendees had their own individualized suites, so we all had a chance to spread out a bit.”
Fishberg’s said of the Skytop experiment, “It was a great way to finish, on top of our regular reunion in Easton.” He also recalled walking around the lake with his wife of 42 years. “It was so peaceful.”
A highlighted afterthought from Lew: “It took quite a bit of planning to get my Model T up to Easton and make it through the entire parade. But it was sure worth it!”
Upon Alden and Doll Siegel’s return from a trip to Egypt, Alden summarized his memories of the Skytop experience: “Food was great, golf fun, and best of all was the pileup on the porch.”
I mentioned in my previous column that Don Ohnegian was disappointed to miss both our 50th reunion and our post-reunion get-together at Sky Top Lodge. But Don’s illness precluded him from making the trip from their home in nearby Ramsey, N.J., to Lafayette and the Pocono’s. I regret to inform you that Don passed away Dec. 13.
An estimated 500 friends and family attended Don’s funeral service, creating huge crowds in need of traffic control by both police and fire department personnel. Among the attendees were Alden and Doll Siegel, Don and Fran Nikles, Larry and Susanne Knudsen, Dick and Colleen Booth, and Phil and Bernice Bollman (who flew in from Pittsburgh). My daughter Alison and her husband, Erik Swift, attended as well.
During his undergraduate years, Don was an active member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity. He was team leader of our pledge class during the hazing period (especially Hell Week) when we were all freshmen. He served as news editor of the biweekly newspaper, The Lafayette, and directory editor of the yearbook, The Melange. He was a member of the junior class honor society, Maroon Key, Scabbard and Blade, Pershing Rifles, and Kirby Government and Law Society.
After graduating in 1960, while still serving the Army for seven years in conjunction with the ROTC program, he pursued his legal degree at Rutgers, which he received in 1964. During his legal career, he served on several municipal committees, such as chairing the Northwest Bergen County Utility Commission and the Supreme Court District Ethics Committee. He was a director of the Ramsey Savings & Loan Association.
In his later years, Don became a master gardener, “gourmet” chef and a world traveler. He coached Ramsey junior football and youth baseball for many years also. Wife Betsy, sons Peter and Scott, daughter Debbie, and eight grandchildren survive him.
Alumni Affairs sponsored many regional telecasts of the Lafayette–Lehigh football game. For the second year in a row, I attended the local version at Gators’ Dockside, a sports bar in Ocala, Fla. I chatted with Craig Anderson, Lehigh ’60. He played in the 1959 game, the last Lafayette–Lehigh game for all the football players from our class. We had a lot to talk about, since we won the game, 28-6. Don Nikles’ rushing yards and Dan Wooten’s field goal from midfield were just two of the highlights of the victory.
Craig mentioned that he was good friends with Bob Lewis, who played catcher for four years and was part of the Leopard team that played in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. Bob and his wife operated an antique store in the greater Washington, D.C., area. He also mentioned that Farhad “Fred” Farzanegan was active in senior tennis in the Tampa area.
Late in the fall, Bob Brodie and I had a mini executive meeting at Beefsteak O’Grady’s restaurant off the Florida Turnpike. We were joined by Bob’s wife, Sheila, and Dick Beck, my neighbor from The Villages, Fla. The Brodies were on their way to their warm-weather home in Naples, Fla.
I called Al Black during the Christmas holidays to alert him that the Lafayette basketball team was traveling from Easton to Spokane, Wash., to play nationally ranked Gonzaga University in a nonconference game. He mentioned that Spokane was too far and too remote to travel from his home in Blaine, Wash., a suburb of Seattle. He did mention, however, that he was in touch with Wade Nixdorff, in Issaquah, Wash., and they were trying to schedule a lunch together.
Duncan O’Dwyer is managing partner of the Rochester, N.Y., law firm Forsyth, Howe, O’Dwyer, Kalb & Murphy PC, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2010. Duncan attributed the firm’s success to the development of the Internet and the presence of FedEx, both of which have accelerated the process of legal research.
1961
Douglas A. Hobby
29 Rowan Road
Chatham, NJ 07928-2210
doug_hobby@hotmail.com
President: Joseph C. Nyce
Fund Manager: Ronald E. Geesey
Reunion Chair: Edward C. Auble
Web Page Administrator: John A. Harobin
When this magazine arrives, you should be about two months away from being an official member of the 50-Plus Club. How does that make you feel? Our reunion will take place June 9-12. If you have not yet registered, there is still time, and if you have decided not to attend, reconsider. Think about it; this could be your last chance to reconnect with some of your former classmates, fraternity brothers, teammates, choir members, or whatever. And if you have not been back to the campus in a long while, this is a terrific opportunity to see the many improvements that have been made to the College’s infrastructure, such as the new library, football field, athletic center, alumni center, Oechsle Hall, and Farinon College Center.
There is still time to contribute to the class gift, which the reunion committee confirmed as the establishment of a fund for sponsoring an international speaker series. What is great about this gift is that it dovetails nicely with the College’s strategic plan as it relates to global outreach while it also benefits both current and future students. A donor already exists for a new Global Education Center, which will begin construction in spring 2012. The former Phi Gam house will be rehabbed and become a residence hall that will house students of all nationalities who are focusing on global studies. It is hoped that our gift will be sufficient enough to fund the speaker series in perpetuity, which requires an ambitious fund-raising goal that relies on your financial support. So please be generous with your gift-giving this milestone year. Ron Geesey (rongeesey@verizon.net) has done a terrific job managing our effort, and you should have received correspondence from him concerning the gift giving process. If you still have questions, please contact Ron or the Lafayette Annual Fund office at (610) 330-5034.
If you do not already know, the College no longer holds a dinner for the 50th reunion class on Thursday night of Reunion Weekend. However, the reunion committee is planning a dinner for that evening to be held at a local restaurant. The purpose of the dinner is to accommodate classmates who arrive early, especially the golfers. Since this will not be a College-sponsored event, it will be pay as you go. Obviously, you will be receiving more information about the dinner.
The golf outing will be held Friday morning of Reunion Weekend at Morgan Hill Golf Course, Easton. We will use the scramble format, which should speed up play and make it fun for all, especially the less-gifted golfers. Although we will be joining golfers from the other reunion classes, we hope to have our own prizes and, perhaps, a separate post-outing luncheon.
Our speaker for the Saturday night dinner will be Ed Ahart ’69, chair of the College’s Board of Trustees. Ed will discuss the College’s plans and trends, with particular emphasis on the Global Studies program. Plenty of time will follow for questions from the group. I think you will enjoy the talk.
I hope you will understand and tolerate the fact that the remainder of my column will also be primarily focused on our 50th reunion, in particular on those men who have indicated that they expect to attend.
Ed Auble (edauble@aol.com), our reunion chair, is hoping for at least 80 returnees. This is a greater number than that experienced by the more recent 50th reunion classes. One reason for Ed’s enthusiasm is the fine work many of our class agents are doing recruiting for the big event. Bob Howard, for example, wrote that he expects many of his DU brothers to come. That group includes Tim Crotty, Tom Heist, Lew Gill, Ben Sack, Ed Vitale, Jim Westkott, and Gary Nielsen. Sounds to me like two foursomes for the golf outing. Bob is hoping that Dick Herbster and Frank McCarthy will also be able to attend. Bob is trying to locate Bob Ives, who lives in or near Chicago, but his address and phone number cannot be found. Mr. Ives, wherever you are, if you read this, please let me know how we can contact you.
KDR expects a strong representation also. Dick Kline reports that he, Dave Bilheimer, Al Bradford, John Harobin, Dick Heisel, Bill Mangels, and Fred McDowell plan to attend.
Not to be outdone by the DU and KDR contingents, Theta Xi also expects a good turnout of their brothers. At this writing, along with yours truly, Dick Webster, Dan Schutter, Dick Toro, Dave Phraner, Vic Lamberto, and Andy Cherrington plan a return to Easton, with at least three others on the fence. Phil Shevlin hints that he will make it back. Perhaps he is waiting to see if Auburn beats Oregon for the college football championship so he can boast about his school, where he held an endowed chair in chemistry for many years before retirement. Phraner plans to arrive from the Catskills, where he summers with family. Lamberto is a retired pediatrician and lives in New York City. He looks forward to the event and I believe he would like to see Walt Cartisser there. Toro is ‘retired’ and doing what he loves, environment chemical engineering consulting. I found that he and I have a similar problem: trying to keep up with computer technology. I have spent 40-plus years in the IT field, and when younger, found it difficult enough to keep up with the changes; now it is impossible. I learned, though, that by mastering some key words and phrases, as well as employing eye fakes, I can sometimes convince people I know what I’m talking about!
Class agent Bill Buehler reported from his home in South Carolina that a number of his fellow Phi Delts have said they will attend. In addition to himself, the expected returnees include Dale Adams, Fred Bailine, George Halak, John Cunningham, Warren Eberlein, and Dave Bloys. When last heard from, Adams was living in California, so he should be in the running for traveling the longest distance. Bloys, on the other hand, will be coming from Center Valley, Pa., and could bike over if he wished. Cunningham is now retired from Ciba-Geigy after a long career. He and wife Barbara live in Westchester County, N.Y., but spend their winters skiing in New Hampshire.
Class President Joe Nyce reports that he has been in touch with several members from Soles Hall concerning the reunion and has learned that Al Ruesch, Denis Gordon, and Dave Denzler plan to be there with him. Nyce believes that a few other Soles Hall classmates will attend. Ruesch is now retired after 39 years of teaching English and serving as department head for the Great Neck (N.Y.) Public Schools. He received his master’s from New York University. He and wife Ann live in New York City, but spend considerable time in Vermont. When we last heard from Denzler he was a professor at San Jose State University. Nyce believes that Charles Lane may also come.
We may have a strong showing from former Watson Hall members. Paul Nelson retired from a successful career designing computer peripheral equipment for several major companies, including Honeywell, Digital Equipment Corp., and Compaq. He and wife Mary-Verdella live in Boston. They have two children and three grandchildren. Paul noted that he once was a roommate of Ed Baumgardner at Lafayette and looks forward to seeing Ed. Steve Saft retired to southwest Virginia, where he is writing and publishing plays, poems, and novels. His first book of poetry, I Will Mean, is still available. Check Amazon for his works. Other Watson Hall members expected are Don Wiltshire, Richard Shusterman, Don Boardman, and Leo Pigaty.
Norm Gauss and fellow Kappa Sig Don MacDonald expect to be at the 50th. Norm was able to get in touch with Ron Smith, who is located somewhere in the wilds of western Pennsylvania. Ron married a gal from Easton who still has family in the area, giving them a convenient venue if they can attend. Norm contacted Jim Whipple also. Jim, now retired, was an aerospace projects manager (aka rocket scientist) with Martin Marietta. He plans to attend the reunion with wife Beverly, unless it interferes with her travel schedule. She is an internationally renowned sexuality researcher, who wrote The Erogenous Zone from research she did at Rutgers, and is a highly sought-after speaker.
We heard from Theta Chi’s Karl Reester and John Stanhope, and both said they will return. Stanhope lives in Georgia with wife Anne. He now has his own civil engineering consultancy and has no desire to retire despite some past health problems. Class agent Dave Dietz will be there also. We are hoping that at least a few more Theta Chi brothers will join them.
To date, Charles Q. Smith and Peter Hanson are the lone SAE brothers to indicate they will attend the 50th. Why is it that we suspect a number of other SAEs will return? Step forward fellows and let us know.
In the last issue, I noted that George Benson and David Thomsen headed up the Class of 1961 unit at last year’s Reunion Parade. George was quick to say it was David who provided the class flag. I spoke with David at the Lehigh game and learned that he is an approved contributor to Wikipedia, the open source, online encyclopedia. David has focused on researching and contributing information on Pennsylvania-related events and items. For example, he added facts about the town of Easton, several local bridges, the Lafayette–Lehigh football rivalry, and Dr. Francis March, professor emeritus of the English language and philology. He said it was a fun way to spend time when retired. George and David are active alumni and are often seen on campus. Both will be at the reunion, and I suspect that they will be in the front row of our class at the parade. In addition to Benson, John Hossenlopp, and Col. Sam Watson, who will do his best to make it, will represent the Deke house.
Tom Grimm is trying to reach George Beetle and would appreciate your help. Just send me a note. Tom will be joined by fellow Theta Delt Dick Crewdson. Dick lives in the Philippines, where he and wife Nancy manage a small software firm. If they arrive in Easton for the big event, the Crewdsons will be the heavy favorites to win the farthest travel award.
Alan Phillips is rejoining our class and will try to make the 50th. Al started his days at Lafayette as a member of the Class of ’61. However, his educational progress was sidetracked a few years and he graduated in ’63. Al wanted back in with us, and we are most happy to have him. He is an executive vice president with Sivco Inc., a petrochemical industry fabricator in Houston. He and wife Helen have four children.
Dick Remaly, retired president and CEO of Chase Pharmaceutical Co., lives in Tucson, Ariz., with his wife, Gail. He works as a seasonal forest ranger in Colorado. He also enjoys hunting. Dick will join twin brother (and Delt fraternity brother) Bill at reunion. Bill is on the reunion committee and will finalize the arrangements for the Thursday night dinner. Other Delts expected back are Jim Oehlert and Geesey.
Pete Myers continues to tutor kids in math and science at San Pedro (Calif.) High School and at the Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles Harbor. He also provides career guidance, which he claims is far better than what they get through the usual channels in high school. Pete is keeping his reunion plans secret, but there is reason to believe he may surprise us with an appearance.
We haven’t heard much from the men of Sigma Nu, Pi Lam, Phi Psi, and Chi Phi concerning their reunion plans. There is at least one exception: Phi Psi Harry Boyko intends to be there. So what’s up with the rest you fellows? We know many of you plan to make it back. Are you just being coy about admitting it?
Roger Estler died Sept. 17 at age 74. Roger attended Lafayette on a football scholarship and graduated with a degree in biology. Prior to his college career, he was captain of the ’54 Dover (N.J.) High School first undefeated football team. Upon graduation from Lafayette, Roger served as an officer in the Marine Corps for five years, including one year in Vietnam. He received numerous medals for valor and distinguished service. After his military career, he worked for Hercules Inc. as a sales engineer and then Gould Inc. as a district manager. After several other management positions, he opened his own financial services office in 1990 and retired in 1996. Roger and wife Trudy moved to Costa Rica in 1999, where his favorite pastimes were fishing and operating his boat, Shalimar. The past few years were spent in Cumming, Ga., addressing health issues. In addition to Trudy, his wife of 51 years, Roger leaves three sons and a daughter.
Thanks to those classmates who responded to my request for news. I hope to hear from more of you and to see you at reunion (with your golf clubs, perhaps).
1962
Jim Hartsel
10755 Moss Hill Lane
Cincinnati, OH 45249-3640
(513) 489-6786
jharts1940@aol.com
President: Jeffrey Ruthizer
Fund Manager: John R. Weis
Reunion Chairs: James A. Lyttle,
James M. Montgomery Jr.,
Gale R. “Sandy” Schwilk
Web Page Administrator: Jim Hartsel
We have a heavy mailbag this time thanks to your response to my emailed plea for news! Let’s get right into it.
Ken Poppe was quick to respond to my news request, and he reports that he still teaches history, now at a private girls school, after spending 40 years in public education. His wife, Mary, is also in education, teaching reading to middle school students. They traveled a lot the past few summers, visiting Italy, France, and Germany and spending last summer in Thailand, where a son lives and works. While in Asia, they took a side trip to China for a few weeks. Ken reports that much had changed in China since he visited in 1993, especially the exchange of bicycles for cars!
I had nice update from Joel Cooperman, who is an M.D. and who recently retired from the practice of radiology in Fair Lawn, Paterson, and Pompton Plains, N.J. Joel was the president of the medical staff at Barnert Hospital and chair of the radiology department for 20 years. He and his wife, Carolyn, will now be able to take extended vacations in Australia. They will move to an over-55 community in Woodland Park, N.J. Two married daughters have given them four grandchildren, and life for the Coopermans continues to look great!
Jim Lyttle and his wife, Marie, spent a week in Cancun in October with some Hawthorne (N.J.) High School friends and were joined there by Frank and Cheryl Sarubbi. The Sarubbis contributed so well to the merriment that they were voted honorary members of the Hawthorne High Class of ’58. Jim reports that the Class of ’62 SAEs held their annual fall football game gathering again this year, with attendance by Chuck and Tina Brick, Jim and Nancy Montgomery, Walt and Jeanette Doleschal, Harry and Judy Irwin, and the Lyttles.
Steve and Carolyn Altenderfer hosted a small ’62 gathering in Virginia in August. Five couples from Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, and Pennsylvania converged on the Altenderfer’s country home in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Those attending were Rich and Roxy Flickinger, Richard and Mary Gilbert, Ted and Beverly Elsasser, Bruce and Dana Applestein, and Jim and Kay Hartsel. Much food and beverage was consumed at the reunion HQ, a beautiful bed and breakfast specializing in gourmet dining. Side tours included Montpelier (home of James Madison) and Appomattox, Va. (see photo).
Our class president and perpetual motion machine Jeff Ruthizer emailed me in December from the Sheraton in Santiago, Chile, where he and Monica had just disembarked from a cruise ship after a two-week cruise from Miami through the Panama Canal. Jeff told me he was in Honolulu in November and had lunch with Hiram Fong. Hiram has never made it back to a class reunion but promises he will try to be at our 50th. He is well and sends his greetings to everyone.
Larry Wanderman, like Jeff, is a Florida resident, living just north of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (my home town), which isn’t far from Delray Beach, where Jeff lives. Larry and his wife have lived in a condo in Coconut Creek for five years and are active in community affairs. Clearly, they have “sand in their shoes,” which is what Floridians used to say when Yankees lived there long enough to become part of the community. The Wandermans have two sons: Howard ’95, in New York City, who owns his own company, and David, a pediatrician, who lives in San Francisco. A new granddaughter arrived in California, so the future is looking nice for the Wandermans.
Another classmate checked in from the warmer climes, Señor Jim Brown of Puerto Rico. Jimmy runs his construction company, Van Du Zee Inc. and plays golf when he can get away from work. He and his wife, Dot, are proud parents of four and have eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. I think I mentioned in a previous column that Jeff and Monica Ruthizer hooked up with Jim and Dot when the Ruthizers’ cruise ship stopped in Puerto Rico in 2009. Jim hopes to see us at our reunion in June 2012.
Neil Goldstein and his wife, Janet, are parents of three and grandparents of five, and they live in King of Prussia, Pa. Neil practices real estate law part-time and has had visits back to the campus as a mock trial judge, most recently in February. He also spent two decades as an Alumni Admissions Representative and has attended several of our reunions. His biggest unfulfilled resolution is to find a chance to visit his Lafayette roommate, Freeman Shore, in New York City. Neil’s real estate practice has taken him all over the United States and Europe. He considers himself truly blessed and hopes to see us at the 50th.
When the appeal for news went out to all of the Class of ’62, it stated, “If some of our class authors have written a book, please email an image of the cover.” Well, I received a nice message from Bill Lowe with a picture of the cover of his book No-Nonsense Innovation: Practical Strategies for Success. On the cover is a photograph (from a number of years ago) of two Bills: Bill Lowe and Bill Gates. Now you KNOW there is a great, untold story here, and I don’t know all of it, so I will quote from Bill’s message: “My book is focused on business growth strategies, based on my various experiences with the PC, etc. Cristina and I have a company called LRN2INNOVATE that uses technology to help solve our U.S. K–12 education crisis. We use thin-client devices (rather than PCs or Apples) to deliver curriculum to kids over the Internet, allowing them to proceed at their own pace and helping teachers to become more productive as one-on-one coaches. Much better, cheaper, and more reliable than PC-based solutions, so the “Father of the PC” is replacing the PC in the classroom. Our results in middle schools, including installations in large, troubled cities, have been terrific. We also use the solution in churches and community centers to help dropout mothers get their GEDs. We are happy to work with anyone who has a need for our solutions in their communities or any work they support that help kids improve achievement.”
All I can add to that is “WOW!” We need to ask Bill if the corporate jet on the book’s cover (see photo) is his or Bill Gates’! We all knew Bill would go far, but being known as the “Father of the PC” and rubbing elbows with Bill Gates is heady stuff. Let’s hope our Bill makes it to the 50th so we can learn more about his amazing career.
I also have been in touch with Matt Thomases, who has been busy improving his grandfathering skills. He did find time in late 2010 to spend several weeks in Israel assessing the prospects for peace, culminating with a lengthy and scholarly report, which I am reading. I will report on Matt’s cogent observations and conclusions in the next column.
I wish to share with you some information I received from Vernice Attuquayefio, the widow of our own Re Sumo Attuquayefio Jr., who passed away in June 2009. She was very appreciative of our remembering her husband in our column. You will be interested to know some of the facts about his most interesting life, so I will paraphrase from the July 2, 2009, funeral program:
Re Sumo was born in 1931 in Accra, Ghana, the second of eight children. After graduation from Lafayette, Re Sumo went on to earn two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from American University in Washington, D.C. His passions were reading, teaching, and discussing politics and religion. He retired in 2008 after teaching political science, international law, and statistics at Grambling State University for 40 years. He met his bride, Vernice Sweet, at Grambling, where she was the librarian. A devout Christian, Re Sumo was active in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Grambling, La., where at times he served as acting pastor. The couple had three children and three grandchildren. The funeral and interment were in Dallas.
Lastly, I must report that another great oak of our class has fallen after a life well-lived. Lou Mattis lost his courageous battle with cancer July 14. He retired in 1994 as chair, president, and CEO of Sterling Winthrop Inc., a worldwide developer, manufacturer, and marketer of pharmaceuticals and consumer health products. He was also co-chair of Sanofi Winthrop, a global pharmaceutical joint venture. He participated in the design and implementation of major corporate mergers, led several international joint ventures, and conceptualized and executed a $4 billion multinational alliance between Sterling and Sanofi, which was the first of its kind in the industry. Pharmaceutical Executive magazine named him Pharmaceutical Executive of the Year in 1993, and The A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University named him an outstanding alumnus. Lou served as a director of Salomon Brothers Asset Management and on a number of corporate, association, nonprofit, and philanthropic boards of directors. Following his retirement, Lou enjoyed raising (and riding) horses on his ranch in Carbondale, Colo., and scuba diving in Belize. His greatest joy, however, was being in the company of his family.
I thank John Rufe for alerting me to Lou’s passing.
I’ll stop here and wish all of you a great 2011 and ask that you send news items my way so we can continue to have a column that is informative and entertaining. Until next time, may God bless.
1963
D. Frederick Day
52D Springfield Ave.
Summit, NJ 07901
fred_day7@yahoo.com
Dr. Michael A. Stillman
131 San Marco Drive
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
drstills@aol.com
President: John H. Cooper III
Fund Manager: Robert T. Burns
Reunion Chair: Ronald A. Garfunkel
Web Page Administrator: L. Steven Minkel, steveminkel@aol.com
1964
Guest Columnist: Gordon R. Evans
President: Gordon R. Evans
Fund Manager: Jeffrey P. Brown
Reunion Chair: Jeffrey P. Brown
Web Page Administrator: Thomas L. Greenbaum, tlg@groupsplus.com
Steve Green stepped down as our class correspondent after 45 years. Steve has been on post almost since we graduated. When we selected our class officers just before we graduated, Steve was not our class correspondent. Our original correspondent did one or two columns and then resigned. Steve was asked to step in “temporarily” until a new person could be named and has occupied the position ever since. Saying “Thank You, Steve,” doesn’t seem like enough for all that he has done.
Dan Tuck sent the following note: “My daughter decided I was finally old enough to be a grandfather, so she presented me with my first granddaughter last April. Still trying to master golf after dropping out the last 10 years I was working. Got down to 100 twice but couldn’t break it this year. Anyone passing through Dover, Del., who wants a game, give me a yell. I may try for reunion this spring if I am fit, just to play that hilltop golf course in the sun sometime. To show my age, I had my first heart attack and stent in November to celebrate my birthday. Am up and about but still trying to sort out what that means going forward. The money I just spent getting the big chain saw repaired I may have wasted on my daughter’s farm. The weekend of the 45th reunion, Denise and I spent in New York City doing three plays in 27 hours. Otherwise, just chugging along.
Richard Koplin reports that he and his wife have been active at the College these past two years: “First, my daughter, Russell (Northwestern ’99), and I, along with Diane Shaw, the College’s archivist, researched and presented a series of lectures at Lafayette on David McDonogh, who was a slave sent north from New Orleans to attend Lafayette in 1838. McDonogh became a physician here in New York City and an attending at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, where I direct the cataract teaching program. My daughter’s presentation was the keynote at Homecoming, in association with the installation of the new sculpture, Transcendence, next to the library in honor of McDonogh.
“Most recently, on the business side, we’ve developed a unique relationship with the College. We’ve partnered with Yih-Choung Yu, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, and several computer engineering majors to complete research Yu began with his deceased business partner.” (See the article.)
1965
Marshall J. Gluck
1133 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10128-1246
mjg@robinsonbrog.com
President: Edward A. McNally
Fund Manager: Howard N. Heller
Reunion Chair: Stuart N. “Buzz” Hutchison III
As always, I hope that this will be a healthy and happy year for all. The mailbag is fairly light, and the only item I have to report is sad news:
Walter Gates passed away Sept. 16. Following his graduation, Walter obtained an MBA from the Wharton School and worked as a steel broker. I am sure those of us who knew Walter remember him as a very friendly and intelligent person, and we send our sympathies to his wife, Marsha, his two sons, Scott and Douglas, and his five grandchildren.
Since there are so many new things happening on the Hill, I recommend, when you have time, to take a trip to the College and see what is happening at the new facilities for film and media studies and theater, new residence halls, classrooms, etc.
Please do not forget to send me your news for my next column.
1966
Guest Columnist: Donald C. Frederickson
President: Bradford C. Pierce
Fund Manager: James R. Quin
Reunion Chair: David J. De Vries
Class of 1966,
It’s hard to believe, but another five-year reunion is upon us, our 45th!
Set aside June 10–12 on your calendars. Our reunion will have the usual festivities, including our class dinner Saturday night.
A group got together as a reunion warm-up before the Lafayette–Lehigh game including Jim Bernhardt, John Galson, Don Mills, Ted Geist ’67, David De Vries, Brad Pierce, Frank Hutchinson, and Don Frederickson, who will all be at the reunion.
We hope many classmates will send notes for future inclusion in this column and be back to share experiences at our 45th.
1967
Henry D. Ryder
30 McClelland Ave.
Pitman, NJ 08071-1059
hryder@verizon.net
President: William Vonroth Jr.
Fund Manager: Christopher Cathcart
Reunion Chairs: Laurence G. Cole,
Thomas Royall Smith, Karl W. Pusch
Web Page Administrator: Henry D. Ryder
I regret to inform you of the death of John Campbell St. Clair Nov. 17 due to complications from a heart attack. As an undergraduate, John was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and a four-year member of the College Choir. His singing while playing guitar could often be heard in the hallway of South College during our freshman year. Larry Morris remembers that “he had an extensive collection of records that he would play—loudly at times—and often sing along while playing his guitar. He introduced me to some groups and music that I never knew existed. He had a great sense of humor and love of life.” Following graduation as an economics major, John received his MBA from University of Rochester in 1969. He was working for ASRC Management Services as a senior capture manager dealing with government bids and proposals. He married his wife, Patricia, 41 years ago, with Doug Patterson serving as his best man. John was an avid landscape photographer and planned to do professional photography when he retired. He had an exhibition of his work at the Community Center in Gaithersburg, Md., last year. In addition to Patricia, their two sons, Kris and Bruce, survive John. We send our condolences to his family.
Gretchen and Doug Patterson have been dear friends of the St. Clairs since our days at Lafayette. John was best man in their wedding, and Pat served as a maid of honor. Doug just retired from his second career as a consulting civil engineer and land surveyor in Washington, Pa., and is embarking on his third, a part-time position in municipal management for a small township in southwestern Pennsylvania. He and Gretchen, who does real estate title search work for local attorneys, are working on their 43rd year of marriage and still enjoy it. They have two daughters: Pam, a high school math teacher in LaJolla, Calif., and Kim, who with her husband, Patrick, operates six routes for FedEx Ground in the Atlanta area. Both daughters have a boy and a girl.
Can anyone in our class beat this record of stability? Don Miller continues working full time for Raytheon, where he has been employed for 43 years. He and Nancy, his wife of 43½ years, have lived in North Reading, Mass., for the last 40 years and in their current house for the last 25 years. Don’s 1992 Toyota Celica has 236,000 miles and the original spark plugs and clutch. The Millers have three children: Sandy, a professional musician, who lives with her family in Santiago, Chile; Cynthia, also a professional musician, and husband Ben live in the Boston area so Ben can complete his post-doc at MIT; and Tom and his family are in Salt Lake City as he works on a three-year fellowship in pediatric cardiology. Don and Nancy have four grandchildren. Don races sailboats (Etchells and J-105s) competitively at the local level and will compete in the North American championships in both classes this summer out of Marblehead, Mass. Don is heavily involved in classical music, singing in both a church choir and an amateur group called Masterworks Chorale. He maintains his fitness (in addition to racing sailboats) by playing wallyball (volleyball on a racket ball court) and tennis once a week. Don writes: “I like the change of seasons in New England and have no intention of ‘moving south’ when I finally decide to retire. No mudslides, tornados, forest fires, or hurricanes up here. Just snow—and we know how to deal with that. And I do love the ‘chowdah’ in New England.”
After retiring from 30 years of teaching and coaching in Pennsylvania, Larry Morris is completing 14 years of teaching at Worcester Prep School near Ocean City, Md. He is now part time and teaches three classes of advanced placement U.S. history. He and Sherry have been married almost as long as Don and Nancy (41 years) but unlike Don, he has moved five times—in the same development!
Another classmate with over two-score years of married life is Bill Rappolt, who has been married to Pam for 42 years. They welcomed their second grandchild, William Wyatt Rappolt, last December. Bill continues to support the Lafayette field hockey team and is the official game-day announcer. Bill predicts that this team may be ready to take it all next season with an unbelievable freshman class arriving to reinforce a very good veteran team.
Jim and Monica Albus will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in May. Jim still works at his own pace, mostly on energy and environmental issues. Last year, he received his fifth patent and has three more in the works. Their son Chris is a computer engineer who recently relocated to Tampa, Fla. Their daughter, Regina, is a nurse, currently a stay-at-home mom with her three young children. Michael has four children and is a Navy pilot stationed in Whidbey Island, Wash.
Just about everyone Dennis Katz meets asks him if he is retired, which he finds strange because he doesn’t look that old. However, some degree of maturity is an asset to judges. He reports, “I’m still working full throttle as a U.S. administrative law judge in White Plains, N.Y., and I intend to remain at this post until they carry me out with a tag on my toe.” He has returned to the sport of fencing after a 30-year break. “My classmates may not remember much about the Lafayette fencing team, probably because we had our meets when the basketball team was playing, but they surely will remember that I was captain of the team for two years.”
Jim Hare is 90 percent retired from the Oregon Health & Science Center but continues lecturing to medical students part time. He lives one-third time in Portland, one-third time in Sisters (a high desert town in central Oregon), and one-third time with his girlfriend in Yuma, Ariz. His daughter, Anna, graduated from Stanford and is in medical school at Emory University in Atlanta. His son, James, transferred to University of Oregon.
Randy Thorton ’67
Randy Thorton has not slowed down much. He is still part-time CEO of Comdisco in Rosemont, Ill., and nonexecutive chairman of both Core-Mark International in South San Francisco and National Energy & Gas Transmission in Bethesda, Md. Recently, he joined the board of the Journal Register Company in Yardley, Pa., which has the challenge of transforming 18 daily newspapers and more than 150 nondaily publications and affiliated websites into a digital platform linking advertisers with their audiences. Sharing their time equally between Charlestown, R.I., and Vero Beach, Fla., Randy and Kate, who celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary in January, also work at several nonprofit efforts. In their free time, they dream about improving their golf games, constantly reminding themselves of the old Winston Churchill line that success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm. Daughter Rebecca works for executive recruiter Spencer Stuart in New York City and lives in Bronxville, N.Y., with her husband, Alex. Their younger daughter, Jamie, is unmarried, lives in Jackson Hole, Wyo., plies her talents as a private chef, and is building a catering business.
If you have not been receiving email updates from me regarding our class, please send me your email address. A reminder: Our 45th reunion is approaching, June 8–10, 2012.
1968
Howard S. Rednor
984 S. Broad St.
Trenton, NJ 08611-2008
seeligandrednorlaw@comcast.net
President: Robert E. Albus
Fund Manager: Steven P. Bottcher
Reunion Chair: William L. Messick
Web Page Administrator: William L. Messick, messy12@aol.com
Lloyd Levenson continues in the news. The New Jersey Law Journal published a short article concerning his law firm’s involvement in its Wellness Committee Challenge Walk. Three winners earned a VISA gift card for their efforts. The program was created to highlight the benefits of walking to employees at Lloyd’s Atlantic City firm. Walkers wore pedometers to gauge their daily walking activity, and employees of all eight of the firm’s offices participated. Lloyd also remains active in politics around the state. He was to head the committee preparing for the inauguration ball of the City of Trenton’s new mayor. His participation was the subject of an article in The Trentonian newspaper.
A. Barry Simpson writes that he has been retired for seven years from Rohm and Haas. Barry met his wife, Trish, a Mississippi native, 34 years ago while working in sales out of the Cincinnati office. The couple’s daughters have married, and Trish and Barry are expecting their first grandchild in April. Their son, a professional musician who plays the drums, is on a long-term job search. Barry works at Vision Video three days a week. He spends the other two days performing volunteer work and continuing his swimming. As you may recall, Barry was an outstanding swimmer for the varsity swim team. He promises to provide me with more information for my next column.
As indicated in my last column, I received news of John Magee’s death close to my filing deadline for the last Class Notes column in which information regarding John’s death appeared. I received a lengthy email from John’s wife, Margaret, too late for inclusion in that column, but I promised I would use the information in this column to more fully inform our classmates and John’s friends about the unfortunate circumstances of his death. Margaret advised that John was in good health and regularly treated with his physicians. The day of his death, he was in seemingly normal health and was driving Margaret around to complete errands. He suddenly complained of a pain in his chest and light-headedness, and the couple proceeded to their home to call a doctor. While Margaret was on the phone with the doctor’s office, John apparently collapsed and died. Ironically, the couple’s daughter, Emily ’10, had gone to Philadelphia for an interview for a job with Vanguard. She called John only an hour before he died to tell him about the interview, which had gone well. They were both elated and John was proud. The couple’s children are grown and spread all around the country. Son Adam is an attorney in Philadelphia and was with Emily at the time of her interview. Emily received a phone call telling her that she had gotten the job the day after John had died. The couple’s son Ethan is a geologist, also living in Philadelphia. Son Christopher is a ski safety patrol officer for Vale Corporation at Keystone Resort in Denver, Colo., and John, Adam, and Christopher had spent a week skiing together, so they were able to enjoy some special time shortly before John’s death.
Margaret advises that John loved lacrosse and played varsity all four years. He encouraged and followed the couple’s children as they played lacrosse, although Emily eventually moved to field hockey. John also enjoyed ice hockey and would attend as many games as he could. He loved to be on the water and would whitewater raft with his brothers and nephews every year. He also took his father, a Princeton graduate who died in 2001, and all of the children tubing on the Delaware to raise money for the American Red Cross. John taught all the children about the ocean tides and how to swim safely. John’s true passion was geocaching, a treasure hunting game using GPS coordinates and clues to find a cache. Once the cache is discovered, it is logged and the find recorded. John’s online name was Fibber Magee. He had discovered more than 1,400 geocaches all over the world. Wherever the Magees traveled, John would research geocache coordinates and would record the information. John’s brother introduced him to the sport. Whenever they were together, brother Doug, Bob, nephews, children, and everyone else would participate. A cache is being created in John’s honor. Margaret also wrote that during their 27 years in Easton they attended almost every Lafayette–Lehigh football game and regularly attended basketball games. Each time John was on campus, he would tell Emily stories about the Phi Delta house and his friends there. It saddened him when the fraternity was closed and the house converted to an administration building. Margaret indicates that they had a good life together, which ended too soon, but that John died exactly as he wanted, quickly and without pain.
Classmates, I must again complain about the paucity of information you have provided. This column can only be as successful as the class permits by providing me with information to publish.
1969
Michael L. Mouber
4001 Lincoln Drive West, Suite F
Marlton, NJ 08053-1525
(856) 985-1000
mlmlegal@aol.com
President: John C. Becica
Fund Manager: David W. Fraser
Reunion Chair: David A. Piacente
Web Page Administrator: John C. Becica, becica@juno.com
Two of our professors/coaches have passed away since the last column. The year that we started Lafayette, Olav Bernt Kollevoll began as director of athletics. He served Lafayette until his retirement in 1989. He died Sept. 11 at the age of 87. He had a distinguished career at Colgate University, where he attended college prior to coming to Lafayette. After retirement, he spent 22 years in Sarasota, Fla.
Dr. Elwyn Earl Tilden Jr., 96, passed away July 30. Professor Tilden obtained his bachelor’s at Harvard University and received his Th.D. at Princeton Theological Seminary. He taught at Lafayette from 1949 until 1978. During much of that time, he served as chair of the religion department.
A classmate of ours passed away Aug. 15. Walter R. Holbrook resided in Exeter Township, Pa. He was 72 years old. Walter received his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering. His wife, Marsha, and sons, W. Steven and Scott, survive him.
Edward W. Ahart, who is chairman of Schenck, Price, Smith & King LLP, Florham Park, N.J., was elected to the board of trustees of the Fannie E. Rippel Foundation. Edward chairs the Board of Trustees of the College.
Bill Wetmore was reelected as third executive vice president of the National Veterans Affairs Council in November 2010. He spends most of his time in negotiations, representing labor with the Department of Veterans Affairs. He also is involved in both litigation and legislation. Married since 1974 to Cheryl, he has two sons, a daughter, two grandsons, and three granddaughters. Bill indicates that he travels for work about 30 weeks a year, and that is why he has been unable to attend any reunions.