COLBY Spring 2018
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by and about immigrants. Richard publishes reviews and other writings. He’s celebrating a daughter’s promotion to associate professor of molecular biology, a new granddaughter, and his partner’s new book being published in Australia. Y John Pomeranz looks forward to warm weather and a beautiful boating/ fishing season. He’s still working, “but not too hard,” and spends a lot of time with his three kids and their families, in NYC and in San Francisco. Y Celebrating their 50th anniversary, Jim Harris and his wife hosted a party in their hometown of Issaquah, Wash. They visit Kristi and Dick York once a month. Jim reminds us of our 55th reunion next year, and he hopes for 100-percent participation in class fundraising efforts. Y Gloria Shepherd toured southern Portugal and Andalucia, staying in pousadas and paradores. A highlight of the trip was a visit to Ronda with its beautiful gorge. Gloria also traveled to Havana, Cuba, to paint with a group organized by a publisher of several art magazines. Y Karen Eskesen lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where she paints and teaches watercolor painting. “Life couldn’t be better!” she exclaims. Y Nick Ruf writes about a personal experience: He details a horrifying, near brush-with-death story and finishes with coincidence, irony, and shrugging humor. The reader doesn’t know whether to laugh or cringe. Y In southern Maine, Larry Dyhrberg is writing a mixed-genre piece on the history of the Danish community in Falmouth for the town’s 300th anniversary celebration. Larry also reads to fiction classes at Falmouth High School, and he’s visited Allan Smith at his Canadian vacation home. Both of Larry’s daughters are now in college. Y Steve Schoeman writes that he and his wife try to live life to the fullest, always looking for new paths to explore. Y Jack Mechem visited Herm Hipson (affectionately known as “The Sandwich Man”) at his home in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., and with their wives enjoyed golf and a Red Sox spring training game. “Many riotous memories over PB&J sandwiches and beers!” Jack noted. Y Martha Farrington Mayo says conducting and particularly singing have been constants in her life. Starting in high school, she continued these interests at Colby and credits Peter Ré with great teaching and learning. Martha is involved in many community musical activities and organizations in the Bath, Maine, area. Y Enjoying the slow pace of life in Ft. Myers, Fla., John Brassem notes the lower cost of living and the wonderful weather,
except for occasional disasters such as hurricanes. John’s a high school teacher and a writer. He and his wife were visited by Robbie (Gilson ’65) and Bob Drewes and attended Red Sox spring season games with Mike Knox and his wife. Y Johanna Mangion, widow of Bob Mangion, writes that the third annual memorial poetry event in Bob’s name will be held in Kittery, Maine. Pulitzer Prize winner and former U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic will speak and read his works. Y Bob Dyer has been taking a senior college class with Harlan Eastman ’51, focusing on local history. At a Colby hockey game, Bob saw Colby’s team defeat the University of New England, and he spotted Cliff Olson in the crowd. “I’ll greatly miss Ed Phillips ’62,” Bob says, since “Ed would visit for morning coffee and talk about the Red Sox.” Y Florida resident Marjorie Convery plays golf often and is traveling to Scotland to visit St. Andrews, the Highlands, and Glasgow, where her grandmother was born. Y Charlie Fallon lost his wife, Marcia, to cancer in 2017. Since then, he spends time with his children and grandchildren and stays engaged as a volunteer driver for senior citizens. He’s learned to play pickle ball, traveled in New England and North Carolina, and experienced a biking trip in Virginia. Y There’s sad news to report: Bruce Lippincott died last November. Peter Whalley passed away in February of this year, and Don Haughs’s family announced his death in March. Please look for their obituaries in the back pages of this magazine.
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Dick Bankart classnews1965@colby.edu Oh boy! We are having fun exploring the world. Perhaps you should read Pam Plumb Carey’s new book, A Survival Guide for People Who Travel Together. Just published, it consists of funny “rules” for adult travel companions accompanied by anecdotes from trips with her husband, Charley ’63. The Careys were in Cuba this spring. Pam is soliciting more stories from “anyone with travel stories to share!” (pamcharley@ yahoo.com) Y If you need a travel agent for your next adventure, contact Rod Gould (rgould@smithduggan.com)—he is a partner in a company that represents tour operators and cruise lines. Rod tries to maximize his vacation travel. He did the South Pacific last February and is “cranking up for East Africa with our kids and grandkids this June.” Y Harold Kowal and Ruth spent several weeks on Bequia island last winter and will
return next winter. This summer they’ve rented a large old farmhouse in southwest France for seven weeks of exploring. He attended a Colby gathering with some frat brothers, including John O’Connor and his wife, Gretchen (Wollam ’66), and Stan Dubitsky. At another gathering Harold saw George Burks, who lives in Houston. George was the night DJ on the Colby radio station and had the largest collection of Frank Sinatra LPs of all time. Y Also on the radio is Peter Ives in Northampton, Mass. He does a weekly radio show, “The Rev and the Rabbi.” Peter is very involved with downtown Northampton community events. He and Jenny circle around New England visiting their four daughters and six grandchildren. He completed a 400mile bike ride to Washington, D.C., for the Climate Change March and notes he “could still play with the soccer team at Colby.” Y Our Florida crowd, Dave Hatch and Dale Rottner Haas, joined Ann and Bud Marvin to watch New England sporting events. Jay Gronlund also had some Florida time and got together with Rick Davis, Eric Spitzer, Bucky Smith, Sunny Coady, and Andrew ’64 and Nancy Greer Weiland. Y Tom Donahue has been volunteer teaching at Saginaw Valley State University. “Mostly courses of my own creation dealing with American literature and the westward movement.” This has led to a lot of history travel, including to northern Montana Indian reservations, forts, and battle sites. He has “become a compulsive student of The Great Courses.” Tomas continues writing on topics that spring from his travels. Y Marty Dodge enjoyed time at his timeshare in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He also enjoyed watching his grandson perform as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz in a play put on by the Winchester, Mass., community theater. His 2018 daffodil display exceeded 15,000 blooms this April. He anticipated joining the Colby woodsmen at competitions this spring. He’s completing interior decorations for his “home at the top of the world” in Wiseman, Alaska, this summer. Y Nancy Godley Wilson plans to join her husband, John ’63, at his 55th Colby reunion. She hopes to resume playing tennis once her knee surgery heals. They live on Deer Island, Maine, and make trips to the Colby art museum annually. They enjoyed a 12-day cruise on a five-masted schooner from Lisbon to Cannes, stopping at various islands, ending with a three-week holiday in Provence visiting friends. They “college coach” at the local high school, which keeps them in touch with what’s going on. Y Sally Thompson Bryan, widow of Ken, retired from teaching in Fairfax County, Va.,
and moved to Vero Beach, Fla. She plays golf and volunteers at the local elementary school two days week. She keeps in touch with several sorority sisters but would “love to hear from others.” Y Also in Vero Beach is Joan Stressenger Chesley, who sadly reports the loss of husband Roger last October. Y Your correspondent had lunch with Harry Marshall in April. Harry is a retired German teacher. He splits his seasons between Cornwall, N.Y., and a home in Radda in Chianti (Siena), Italy, he’s had for years. We share interests in family history, travel, and “investigating stuff.” Y Peter Mudge says “Hi.” Y Hail, Colby, Hail!
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George Cain classnews1966@colby.edu Greetings classmates! Here you go. What name do you hope to see? Is your name here? Nope? Can’t blame me. Time to see who did their homework. Y Gayle Jobson Poinsette seems to enjoy warm-weather, chicken farming in Vermont as a “tick control” pastime. Who knew about that trick? When winter comes and she heads for warmer climes, she keeps her flock safe from foxes, raccoons, etc. by storing them in her freezer. Y While on the subject of freezing, Fran Finizio stays warm by spending four months in Naples, Fla., where he played golf with Dag Williamson. Later they joined Dick Dunnel and Rick Lund as guests at a Red Sox spring training game. Y Stu Wantman spent a Jan Plan interning at the Waterville Sentinel. I believe his delivery route was Main Street and Mayflower Hill. This experience was so interesting that he started reading the paper back then, and he continues to do so today. Recently, he saw a Sentinel article about the death of a homeless man (near where the Bob-In was located). Thinking about “There for the grace of God, go I” (being so close to the Bob-In), Stu raised the funds needed for a burial from Bob Adams, Rick Lund, Gary Knight, Ann Ruggles Gere, and yours truly. Y Meg Fallon Wheeler is still laughing out loud that she doesn’t have to type out all this “stuff.” Aside from having a grandchild who actually sang at Carnegie Hall, she and Whizzer enjoyed following a very successful Colby men’s ice hockey team. * Y Talk about success… Peter and Diane Fioto Lardieri have reemerged after 52 years in hibernation. Sal Manforte, Jim Bither, and Rick Lund met the Lardieris in Sarasota, Fla., for dinner. Y Laurance Angelo, after 30-plus years in New York, returned home to Philadelphia, where he’s working on a book about neglected artists to be titled