Figure Eight Island, but I’ve never been invited there. He claims to see Willie T. Mitchener down there and supposedly a bunch of reprobates from the Class of 1975, Wells Goddin, Herrick Higgins, Willie Moncure, Rob Saunders, and David Jones dropped in unexpectedly. I think they were all there for a prayer meeting. Now, one interesting piece of news was that he said there was a George Cornelson sighting at a youth lacrosse tournament last spring. George has a son at The Hill School. Darn, our loss! I was in Stonington, Conn., over the Fourth of July visiting my sister-in-law and paid a visit to our class sailing celebrity, Clay Burkhalter. I really don’t get this sailing for days and even weeks on end with at the most two hours of uninterrupted sleep in a boat the length of a large pick-up truck in water that is deep, dark, and rough. He just won some race from Bermuda to Newport and back or something like that. It’s a big deal! Clay has branched out and has opened a great restaurant with his brother-in-law in Stonington called The Dog Watch Café right on the water. Worth a visit! I’ve got to put this material in, even though Larry VanMeter is bordering on overexposure like Barack Obama. I am seriously questioning whether or not he is employed, because he spends an awful lot of time here on the Holy Hill watching his son J.T. ’10 play sports. Well, Episcopal’s varsity football team had its first game of the season this past Friday, and J.T. plays both ways. Near the end of the first half, my son Hunter ’10 lofts up a pass into the end zone, and J.T. makes a spectacular catch in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown! Where was Larry? He was at the game but at the other end and missed the first VanMeter family touchdown since 1943!! Alex Liu was recently sighted on the East Coast at an exclusive Adirondack enclave. That is all I have on him except a group photo, which seemed to show that he had shed most of his college rugby
class
notes
Boota deButts ’76 caught up with Clay Burkhalter ’76 on the coast of Connecticut.
weight as well as most of his hair! I keep reading articles about John Lee Hopkins and his architecture firm. I am a closet HGTV watcher and subscribe to Architectural Digest and other related magazines. Not surprisingly, he is doing some really nice stuff in Hotlanta! Lee MacIlwinen writes that life is good. After having spent some time on the West Coast working for a Silicon Valley start up, Lee returned to Columbia, S.C., with his wife, Tai. “We’re expecting baby No. 2 in November – another boy! Our son, Jack, just turned 3 and keeps his mom and me busy playing ball and running around all day long. This summer Tai and I were able to squeeze in a vacation to Barbados and enjoy some R&R before things get busier around our house with a new baby. My oldest son is now a junior in college, and my daughter is finishing up her last year in graduate school. At work, I just moved into a new position to head up business development for one of CA’s product divisions [he’s been with CA for three years]. It’s been a challenging year for technology companies like CA, but we’re doing well and the job is fun.” I’m getting a little concerned about my classmates and their young children, especially when they have grown-up ones! I know in my household, besides being a medical miracle, there would be a lot of finger pointing. I guess it will keep them young, right Lee?! I heard from Frank Greenbaum. Frank is still in the Baltimore area spending most of his
time either coaching or watching his 12-year-old daughter play sports. Sounds familiar! He provided some news about Captain/ Farmer Gaylord Clark. According to Frank, and that in itself is a questionable source, Gaylord’s business seems to be going okay. He sells Alaskan salmon that he catches on the west coast and freezes/smokes them for sale. He makes a wonderful salmon paté and homemade crackers! He has also been raising chickens, turkeys, and eggs. I believe that Gaylord actually lives in Maryland, so I am unclear how he handles his bi-coastal business, or maybe he is just wintering in the Bering Sea. Most people prefer Florida, but not Gaylord. Jim Brown is enjoying the good life down on the farm outside of Lexington, Va., with his wife, Toni. Jim runs a conservationminded real estate firm in the area. He has two daughters, one of which he claims had a wedding this past summer befitting royalty. His other daughter is in college. Jim says he continues to play the guitar and Dobro in several bluegrass and singer-songwriter groups and, when he has the time, pursues his passion for photography. He invites anyone who is in the area to look him up. One of the neat things about this year is that Georg Schaefer’s daughter, Theresa ’12, is spending one year here at Episcopal. She is a tenth grader and a real superstar! Georg and his wife, Vera, live in Munich, and Georg is a big deal with BMW. He can get you a nice
beemer cheaply. E-mail him at Georg.Schaefer@bmw.de. Mine is on the way! Do you remember John Adams? Well, John lives in Beaufort, S.C., and has a lovely daughter, Mary ’11, an 11th grader here at Episcopal, and one at Wake Forest. Surprise, surprise, he also has an 18-month-old child and another on the way. They will be in the classes of 2026 and 2028 respectively! And he is a urologist. Finally, I heard from Fred Garth, who continues to live a charmed life. It started when he decided to graduate with our class instead of 1975. Most of the smart ones in that class graduated with us! Fred still lives in Perdido Key, Fla., with his lovely wife of 20 years, Blair, and his two fabulous daughters Teal (13) and Adia (9). He unabashedly plugged his second novel, “A Good Day to Live.” It should be on The New York Times bestseller list by the time you read this! He claims that although they live in Florida, they seem to spend more and more time at their place in Mt. Crested Butte in Colorado. Sounds nice. My family goes to Mineral, Va., more and more, so there! That’s it from the Holy Hill. Don’t forget to drop by my office the next time you are on campus. Anyone from the Legendary Class of 1976 is always welcomed.
1977
John Baicy (H) 336-774-8086 (O) 336-722-7768 jbaicy@ImmediaPrint.com 35th Reunion: June 2012
1978
Jim Clardy (H) 704-332-4195 (O) 704-339-2015 Jim_ClardyJr@ml.com 35th Reunion: June 2013
EHS The Magazine of Episcopal High School
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