Fall
class notes 1940s
kept us sane and healthy. Dele and Sarah work
Jay, along with the three grands and Jay’s wife,
steadily and remotely, thank goodness. I hope
Valerie, were ever present, completely devoted
Robert Morehouse ’46: After a career in
passionately that the dear Class of ’61 is faring
to making the situation the best it could be for
international banking, mostly in Asia, Robert is
well in all ways. Helen Alpert Goldenberg
their mom. Tom and I consider ourselves so
living in Tokyo, keeping his Academy-trained
’61 reports that life has become a series of
fortunate. We are settling in to a new normal,
brain from rusting through long research
decisions to determine whether to go out or not
as is everyone else. We see friends on the golf
affiliations with Harvard’s Reischauer Institute
go out due to the high level of virus activity in
course, distanced, or we spend time together
of Japanese Studies and the Fairbank Center
her part of Florida. I’m trying to protect myself
(six is the limit on each other’s porches)
for Chinese Studies. Anthony Sporborg ’45
and be very protective of my gentlemen friend,
distanced and bringing our own food and drink
passed away in October 2019. You can read his
Stephen, who has several health problems which
for a bit of socializing. This will change once cold
obituary here: https://www.myeasternshoremd.
would make him sicker if he were infected. I go
weather sets in. We haven’t figured that out yet.
com/kent_county_news/obituaries/anthony-
to doctors, the beauty shop, the grocery store,
Diane Fallon Boylan ’62 writes: It’s 2020!
sporborg/article_2f8edcbb-46b2-59aa-8317-
restaurants for takeout only, and not much else.
Where has the time gone? I cannot believe I am
4c0e5d2eafcb.html
The big bright spot is Zoom where I participate
75! I feel as if I should be writing memoirs, but
in lectures, discussions, entertainment, political
space here is at a premium, so I’ll stick to this
candidate presentations, and visits with the
year. Basically, I have spent my time designing,
family. Thankfully, we, my daughters, sons-in-law,
planning and over seeing several projects at our
Judith Crounse Mordkoff ’55 passed
and four grandchildren are all well at this time.
home on Saratoga Lake. We have had a new
away on Sept. 21, 2019. During the COVID-19
Trying to hang on until we can all go out and
stairway to the lake built, as well as two new
quarantine Peter Mebel ’56 thought it would
enjoy people and other outside opportunities
decks, a stone refacing of the house and a new
be great to get his classmates together virtually
again. Best wishes for good health for all. John
roof over the patio. Currently, we’re revamping
so, with the help of Tod Wing ’56, an AA Class
Rich ’61 writes: My wife, Charlotte, and I are
the front porch which over the years became a
of 1956 64th Anniversary Zoom Reunion was
in an isolation unit with our younger daughter,
catch-all filled with books, vinyl, board games,
born. Eight other classmates joined in: Peter
her husband, and their four-year-old twins,
skateboards and odds and ends. I enjoy the
Ten Eyck, John Kerr, Paul Simpson, Peter Shields, Jeff Beaver, Skip Meislahn, Bob Wallace and Ken Lyons. They had a great
helping them accommodate to full-time remote
creative outlet these projects afford. It’s been
working. Our other daughter’s husband is a
fun! Charles Stewart ’63 reports that in July
working orthopedic surgeon, perhaps soon to
2020 he led his eleventh Youth Pilgrimage to El
time catching up on each other’s lives, and they
be recruited into COVID-19 service, so they have
Salvador, sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese
are planning another Zoom get together in
insisted on isolating themselves from us entirely.
of Central New York and Iglesia Anglicana de
September.
We are lucky, in normal times, to have them all in
El Salvador. The pilgrimage is open to all youth
the area. Darcy Pulliam ’61 shared an update
of all traditions. James Ellis Lowe II ’63
on her pandemic-related activities: In-person
died on April 9, 2020, one of the many victims
gatherings have finally, with tweaking, been
of COVID-19. He was 74 and at the time of his
Nan Meneely ’61 writes about all that she’s
rendered functional over the past few months.
death he was a resident of Wingate at Weston,
been up to: I collected 50 years of poetry in
My sister Faith (AAG ’58) has a huge field here
a skilled nursing facility in the Boston suburbs.
Simple Absence, which was published last
with shade trees by a pond, so we can distance
After graduating college, he had a successful
January and has been nominated by my
there for happy hour once a week, all bring
career in the medical equipment field, where
publisher/editor for a National Book Award.
your own everything. I have a wide circle of tall
he had the opportunity to visit Japan to
There’s no possibility it will get past the first
trees that are the venue of choice. I’m sitting
meet with suppliers. Late in his career he left
reader but the glow of the nomination is lovely.
there now, in my “witch’s circle,” tapping away
the medical field to open Gallery100, an art
I also wrote the lyrics for four compositions
on my laptop. There are numerous decks and
gallery on Broadway in downtown Saratoga,
by an Austrian musician/conductor, the music
porches around here on our rural compound, but
in partnership with Deborah Martin. Steven
written expressly for a great tenor who lives
they don’t seem roomy enough when a group
Ranney ’63 writes: Nothing seems to bring
nearby. The album they’ve made of it (I Sang
gathers. My eldest sister Joyce (AAG ’48, well,
our class together better than a passing. We
My Heart to the Moon) will start streaming
only one year) soon to be 89, has had to limit
have had three since our last news letter: George
(whatever that means) soon. Two years ago, I
her weekly dinner guests to mask-hardliners
Farley in September, 2019, Hiland Doolittle in
wrote the libretto for a children’s opera (Jack
(of which I am one). An update from Trudy H.
February, 2020, and Jim Lowe in April, 2020.
and Jill and the Happening Hill), the music for
Calabrese ’61: The biggest change in my life
Hiland left AA several years before graduation,
which was written by Sarah Meneely Kyder. It
has been the loss of Leslie Morgan VanDerzee
so he was not well known by our class. But
was performed by the Salt Marsh Opera for
Marvin ’61. After valiantly fighting a third type
George Farley, while being distant from our class
5,000 kids in schools all over Connecticut.
of breast cancer, she succumbed on Thursday,
since graduation, was well liked by our class as
My daughter Delia and her wife and three-
April 9, 2020. We had spent quite a bit of time
can be seen with 12 emails circulating around
year-old have, thanks to COVID-19 and a bit
together over the last year and had a very
after his passing: Paul Epstein, Hank Evans,
of unbelievable luck, moved into an empty
robust text dialogue going right up to the end.
George Chelius, Gerry Fassett, Chuck Stewart,
condo right below ours. Pure joy. And we got
She went out with as much dignity and as little
Art Thomas, Don Morris, Sandy Macumber, Dick
them out of New York City just in time. They’ve
fanfare as possible. Her children, Sandy and
Symansky, Howie Herman, Sandy Carpender
1950s
1960s
34
-
The Albany Academies magazine
fall 2020
