Glade & Glen, Issue 7, Spring 2024

signs of spring greet the campus after a

WE SAY GOODBYE and hello often at Hamilton. It is the nature of this campus to be seasonal and cyclical, and as much as we want to keep the people we love here forever, we also celebrate them when they choose a new adventure.

In that spirit, this issue of Glade & Glen is a recognition of comings and goings. We extend a huge thank you to our Alumni Council volunteers who have served us well. One last time, we express our gratitude to President David Wippman, who starts his next adventure in July. We also share some of the changes in our office on page 3, including a question-andanswer with new Director of Alumni & Parent Relations Jacke Jones. And, finally, we bring you the many beginnings and endings detailed in your class notes so you may recognize your friends’ big changes.

As I walk the campus, I see students showing signs of spring fever and anticipation of their own transitions, whether they are jumping into the world of work, enjoying summer vacation, or looking forward to a new academic year here in the fall. We wish everyone well no matter what the future holds.

And we also remind you: on the Hill, there are no true goodbyes. Like the seasons in their turn, we hope you will come back to us. Your influence will never leave us. In so many ways, departures are a sweet reminder that we gain so much whenever we can be together.

Green

long winter's nap.

We are Hamily

GLADE & GLEN

SPRING 2024

GLADE & GLEN IS PRODUCED BY THE COLLEGE’S ADVANCEMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICES.

CONTACT US

EMAIL: GLADEANDGLEN@HAMILTON.EDU

VICE PRESIDENT, ADVANCEMENT

Lori Rava Dennison ‘87, P’16

EXEC. DIRECTOR, ALUMNI OFFICE

Jen Mendiola

DIRECTOR, ALUMNI & PARENT RELATIONS

Jacke Jones

SR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ADVANCEMENT PROMOTIONS

Julie Gederos

SR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ADVANCEMENT EVENTS

Nancy Huckaby

ADVANCEMENT CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Briana Mahoney

EDITOR & ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ALUMNI RELATIONS

Jess Zielinski

NECROLOGIST

Christopher Wilkinson ’68

NECROLOGY EDITOR

Hal Higby ’68, P’99

INTERNS, ALUMNI RELATIONS

John Hern ’24

Tzu Han “Annie” Huang ’27

INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING

Gill M. King P’16

CONSULTING EDITOR

Stacey J. Himmelberger P’15,’22

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Bradley J. Lewthwaite

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Mona M. Dunn

LAYOUT ASSOCIATE

Phyllis L. Jackson

GUEST ILLUSTRATOR

Sawyer Kron ’25

The staff of Glade & Glen would like to acknowledge and thank Jeremy Katz in Archives for his invaluable assistance in researching information for this issue.

Hamil-toon

by Sawyer Kron ’25

The NEXT STAGE for SAGE

HOME TO HAMILTON HOCKEY for over a century, Sage Rink is currently undergoing exciting updates thanks to a $13 million investment by the College — and there is a proposed plan for more renovations and enhancements in the future.

Scan here to find out more about the project, and how you can help!

Introducing: Jacke Jones, Director of Alumni & Parent Relations

IN OCTOBER 2023, Jacke Jones began leading the Alumni Relations team while also continuing in her role as executive assistant to President David Wippman in his final year. True to her strong work ethic, Jacke navigates both huge roles with ease and care. She brings a wealth of experience about the inner workings of Hamilton with her and an infectiously cheerful approach to all that she does. We are excited to introduce her to you and welcome her to the Advancement Office.

Tell us about yourself and your family. We hear there’s someone out there who looks exactly like you. I was born and raised in Minnesota. You’re right: I have one sibling, my identical twin. I’m a mother to Aaron, age 32. My parents, family, and friends are still in Minnesota and I have a niece in Brooklyn. I love all things true crime and reality: books, podcasts, television shows.

You have worked with President Wippman for seven years at Hamilton and before that at the University of Minnesota Law School. What do you take away from working with him? What would he say he’s learned from you?

I’m fairly sure that our responses would be similar. It’s what has made working together for these many years so easy: We have trust, loyalty, a common goal, and are able to keep our cool no matter the situation.

Hamilton alumni are very active, loyal, and informed when it comes to the College. What are you curious about in terms of their needs and interests? Since coming to Hamilton, I have been impressed with the level of engagement that the alumni have. Hamilton gets woven in and through their lives well after they’ve left campus. From graduation through their 50th reunion and beyond, I’m interested in learning more about what makes Hamilton alumni never really leave College Hill — what it is that makes them feel and stay connected — and how Alumni Relations can promote, facilitate, and further those ties.

If you had one message to share about Alumni Relations, what would it be?

We are here to help you connect, share, and celebrate with each other and reinforce the strong relationships you formed at Hamilton and Kirkland.

Final question: what is your favorite spot on campus, and why?

It’s the view from the top of the Hill heading down into Clinton. As you drive or walk down the Hill and look toward the village, there is the most breathtaking view. The trees open up, presenting the most spectacular sight. It doesn’t matter the season, it's always beautiful. My first extended visit here, I was blown away by

how picturesque the view was. Now I get to see it every day when I’m heading home from work!

If you have questions for Jacke or the Alumni Relations Office, please send them to hamily@hamilton.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!

Advancement Office Comings and Goings

OVER THE PAST several months, we have had some important changes in the Advancement Office.

We bid adieu in retirement to Director of Gift Planning Fred Rogers P’21, who is now a translator/reviewer from French and Italian to English, and to Sam Welch ’86, associate vice president, constituent engagement and executive director of the Career Center. We thank them both for their incredible work for the College and will miss them dearly.

We also celebrated alumni employees who made some big moves. After almost eight years in the Career Center, most recently as director of operations and analytics, Shauna Hirshfield ’06 is now director of annual giving for our office. We also welcomed Julie Ross ’84, professor of law emeritus, Georgetown University, in February as our new director of gift planning. Finally, we wished good luck to Major Gift Officer Allison Mayberry ’93, who is now deputy director of leadership giving at Yale University. We congratulate all of them and look forward to their next chapters at Hamilton and beyond!

Thank You, Volunteers!

MOST OF THE TIME, the volunteers who make up our Alumni Council serve quietly and without fanfare. Throughout the years, countless members of the Hamily have served in so many capacities — from class leadership to wrangling class notes to organizing in-person events. Everyone who has raised her or his hand to help the College has provided a great service. On behalf of Alumni Relations, we thank you all!

This spring, we single out a few special people to thank because they are ending their terms on the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council. This group of wonderful alumni have helped us strengthen our ties to you, understand your perspectives and needs, and made changes to the council so we may better represent you in the years to come. We celebrate them here and will recognize them in person at Reunion Weekend in June:

THANK YOU!

Are you interested in supporting the Alumni Council? Take our volunteer survey (see the QR code) and a representative from Alumni Relations will contact you.

Nominations for Alumni Association Awards

Another way you can support Hamilton volunteers is by nominating fellow alumni for special recognition. Each year the Alumni Association gives awards to individuals for their service to the College. The awards are:

The Bell Ringer Award

The Alumni Association’s most prestigious award, the Bell Ringer Award is presented each year at Reunion Weekend to a member of the Hamilton family in recognition of lifetime contributions made to the College, its alumni, and the community.

The Jeff Little ’71, P’04 Volunteer of the Year Award

Named in honor of trustee (and volunteer extraordinaire) Jeff Little, this award recognizes an alumnus/a, parent, or friend of Hamilton who has made a substantial, lasting contribution to the College.

The Distinguished Service Award

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes a Hamilton employee who has substantially contributed to the College through distinguished job performance and through involvement in student, alumni, or other activities in the community.

College Key Award

College Key Awards recognize alumni, parents, or friends of Hamilton who have performed a service or activity that has directly benefited a specific volunteer program or the College. Any number of individuals may receive this award in a given year.

A list of past recipients and the criteria for these awards, along with a survey to submit a nomination, is on the website at hamilton.edu/alumni/awards

John Christopher ’83, P’14: Alumni Association President and Alumni Council Chair

Josie Collier ’97, P’14: Immediate Past President, Alumni Association

Samantha Skey ’94: Hamilton Career Network Chair

Parker Riehle ’88, P’20: Class Leadership Committee Chair

Tara Huggins ’14: Regional Affairs Committee Chair

DID YOU KNOW? Adirondack Adventure

THIS YEAR, ADIRONDACK ADVENTURE turns 40. We will celebrate its anniversary during Reunion Weekend. Here’s a short history lesson on its origins and alumni perspectives on its impact.

Adirondack Adventure (nicknamed “AA”) is a five-day outdoor program for incoming students. It was created in 1984 by Geri Knortz, associate athletic director. In its first year, the program served 24 students from the Class of 1988, who traveled to Raquette Lake for canoe camping. The goal of the program was to give incoming students a positive transition into college by making good friends and working with helpful, experienced leaders. By its 25th anniversary in 2009, 246 first-year students (over half of the Class of 2013) took 27 trips to locales throughout the Adirondacks, including hiking, climbing, canoeing, and kayaking outings. In 2023, 64 student leaders steered 276 participants through 32 trips.

Director of Outdoor Leadership Andrew Jillings has led the program since 1997. Under his guidance, AA has evolved into not just an opportunity to explore the natural beauty abundant in the six million acres of Adirondack State Park. It is also one of the few programs on campus to teach leadership theory and skills, providing student leaders with opportunities to practice what they learn in real time and to receive concrete feedback from peers and a professional through a process that encourages reflection and growth. For so many students, AA provides an indelible first impression of the College and the opportunities Hamilton students have to build lifelong friendships, face and overcome challenges, and form memories that resonate far after their first year.

QUOTES:

“AA was about learning about yourself, stepping outside your box, pushing yourself, and the outdoor experience was simply the medium. … I was so fortunate to serve first as a participant, then as a leader for a number of years. Now, when I speak to young people heading off to their college experience, I always encourage them to participate in the outdoor adventure program before college starts. … I have taken many aspects of AA into my life, including outlook on life, how I embrace challenges, and clarity in values. Thank you, Andrew, and thank you Hamilton for allowing a program like AA to grow.”

— David Shaye ’02, Assistant Professor, Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Massachusetts Eye & Ear, Harvard Medical School

“My Adirondack Adventure trip as an incoming freshman helped me gain confidence in my genuine self and helped me be okay with who I really was as a human being, rather than who I thought society wanted me to be. … It was my first true wilderness experience and the first time I had ever felt comfortable in my own body amongst a group of people I had only just met. That allowed me to enter college with confidence and with an incredible group of new friends. After graduating from college, I was able to pursue a career in this very field. … I attribute my successful career to my involvement in Adirondack Adventure and having Andrew Jillings as a mentor.”

— Rebecca Yaguda ’09, Backcountry Ski Guide at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

“AA was a push outside my comfort zone, a bear hug, confirmation that Hamilton was the place for me, and ties to fun and forever friends all in one. …If you’ve ever been in a canoe in the middle of Cranberry Lake in a torrential downpour while the winds kick in and a slew of freshmen look to you to figure out what happens next, you learn you can do hard things. If you’ve ever canoe-bobbed, polar-plunged, or played ‘Birdie on a Perch,’ you learn to not take yourself too seriously and to go for it. If you’ve ever portaged canoes, packed and unpacked vans, or set up and broken down campsites, you learn that as long as you have good people by your side, you can have fun doing just about anything.”

— Noelle Short ’05, Director of Special Programs at Franklin-EssexHamilton BOCES

1812 Leadership Circle Weekend

Photo Recap

EVERY YEAR, THE 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend is an opportunity for the College to recognize and appreciate your generosity. This year felt special because we celebrated the success of the Because Hamilton campaign and heard David Wippman‘s final 1812 dinner remarks as president of the College.

The weekend began when Campari USA CEO Bob Kunze-Concewitz ’88 welcomed alumni guests to the company’s headquarters for cocktail crafting workshops taught by Campari Academy bartenders and a DJ set by Sarge Kinlin ’16. At dinner on Friday evening, David Solomon ’84, P’16, chair of the Board of Trustees and Because Hamilton co-chair, welcomed guests with brief remarks before dinner. Later, President Wippman thanked the more than 29,000 donors who participated in the campaign. As he spoke, a scrolling list of donor names was projected on the wall; it took 16 minutes to play through all of the names. The dinner program ended with a thank you video from the campus community, a sing-along of “Carissima,” and footage from life at Hamilton. Then the Silver Arrow Band took to the stage and the dance party began!

On Saturday morning, our seminars included: Philip Klinkner, the James S. Sherman Professor of Government at Hamilton, moderating

a discussion about the upcoming presidential election with Glenn Altschuler, the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies at Cornell University and a Weiss Presidential Fellow, and Associate Professor Gbemende Johnson with the Department of Political Science at the University of Georgia and a former professor at Hamilton. David Solomon gave an encore of last year's popular “Off the Record” session. Gene Tobin P’96, Joan Hinde Stewart, and President Wippman took “A Hard Look At Higher Ed,” in a discussion moderated by Tom Schwarz ’66, P’01, president emeritus of Purchase College. Finally, Vice President for Libraries and Information Technology Joe Shelley moderated a panel on the dynamic landscape of AI in higher education with Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Ngoni Munemo, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Dean of Admission John McLaughlin, and Brian Tilley ’05, AI ethicist & product specialist at the American Medical Association.

The members of the 1812 Leadership Circle make so much possible for Hamilton. Thank you for all you do for the College!

Alumni enjoy one of the cocktail crafting workshops taught by Campari Academy bartenders.

Alexander Hamilton’s likeness topped one of many creative cocktails served at the Campari USA event

Photos by Owen Hoffman

As President Wippman spoke, names of the 29,000 donors who participated in the campaign scrolled up via a projected list on the walls.

President David Wippman delivered his final 1812 dinner remarks as president of the College.

Young alumni gathered for a photo in between dinner courses.

At the start of dinner, images of campus were projected on the walls of Gotham Hall.

David Solomon ’84, P’16 welcomed guests with brief remarks before dinner.

The Campari staff kept the six signature drinks flowing throughout the night.

FOR GRADUATES OF THE LAST DECADE

In the first 10 years after graduation, the minimum 1812 membership donation starts at just $100 in your first year and increases by $100 every year. 1812 Leadership Circle recognizes the College’s most dedicated supporters, whose generosity is an inspiration to others and who, collectively, are in the top 10% of donors to Hamilton annually.

From left: Dan Nye '88, P’24, Meagan Knuetter Nye ’90, P’24, Vice President for Advancement Lori Rava Dennison ’87, P’16, Kathy Nye, and John Nye ’87 at dinner.

Attendees kicked up their heels at the dance party following the dinner and ceremony.

From left: Deirdre Riehle ’90, P’20, Parker Riehle ’88, P’20, Jazmin Gatto de Torres ’02, and Vidal Torres ’00 were all smiles at dinner.

A virtual fireworks display went off just before the band began to play.

THANK YOU VIDEO

The campus community expresses gratitude for everyone who gave to Because Hamilton in this video:

From left: Joan Hinde Stewart, Tom Schwarz ‘66, P'01, Gene Tobin P‘96, and David Wippman took ”A Hard Look At Higher Ed.”

From left: Joe Shelley, Ngoni Munemo, Brian Tilley ’05, and John McLaughlin during the AI session.

Standing-room only: Attendees enjoy a moment during Saturday’s full lineup of seminars.

Gbemende Johnson, left, Phil Klinkner, the James S. Sherman Professor of Government at Hamilton, during their Saturday seminar.

Class Notes

1950

Class Correspondent: None at this time

Roe Brooks mailed this letter to the Alumni Office:

“ Ben Lyon asked members of the Class of 1950 to report. Ned Richardson was one of our most ardent religious class members due to his World War II naval military experience of always returning to his aircraft carrier! He had to compute how far they had flown, how far the wind had pushed them out of line with his carrier, and whether they had enough gasoline to reach the carrier — wherever it was — avoiding almost inevitable death. Understandably, he became a Hamilton mathematics major, a tough major, we would all admit.

“As a biology major, I did not believe God existed! For some reason, Ned chose to change my thinking. Calling me to his room, he said, ‘I called you here because I want to pray for you.’ To be polite, I let him do it! God changed me! That was Jan. 16, 1948, at 10:15 p.m.

“As a result, I became an evangelical theological teacher after completing a stiff theological degree in Boston! I became an evangelical theological teacher in Belarus, Russia, Ethiopia, Congo, Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and South Africa. I would go to Moscow on weekends from Belarus and Moldova to practice my Russian. The Moscow State University has a very foreboding, depressing appearance, but the Harvard Yard has been very uplifting for me!”

“When we moved from New York City to the University of Saskatchewan ‘temporarily’ in 1964, and then to the University of Windsor in 1970, where I am a professor emeritus of communication and media, I never imagined that I would still be in Canada in 2024, or that I would eventually become a dual citizen of my home country and my adopted country, paying taxes and voting in both. I remain grateful for the superb undergraduate education I received at Hamilton, which became the foundation for my graduate education at Columbia University and my academic career. In addition to those formative educational years in the mid-1950s, I have also come to value my U.S. Army experience in France.

“If you don’t remember me well, it is because I entered with the Class of 1954 but opted for the accelerated Korean War program and graduated with the Class of 1953. I marvel at the changes in Hamilton in the past 75 years and remain a loyal alumnus.”

Your class correspondent, Hans Ullstein, would like to have your updated email addresses so he can continue to bring fresh news to Glade & Glen . Contact him at buhu1@ aol.com or via Jess Zielinski in Alumni Relations at jzielins@hamilton.edu. Blessings to you all.

1955

Class Correspondent: Roger D’Aprix

Contact Information: rdaprix@roico.com

Class Correspondent: Hans Ullstein

Contact Information: buhu1@aol.com

Bob Abrams P’82 (Theta Delta Chi fraternity) is in his fourth year at Delany Senior Living in Bridgewater, N.J., and still liking it.

Stuart Selby writes: “As I enter my 90th decade, and despite the painful loss of my wife, Suzanne, to Parkinson’s disease three years ago and a double cardiac bypass soon after, I am thankful to be healthy, still driving, and still active in my community of Windsor, Ontario, right across the river from Detroit. I have remained in the senior residence I moved into when both caring for Suzanne and our suburban house became too much.

The tradition of class notes has always struck me as the three “A’s” — Activities, Accomplishments, and Accolades. It’s what the media would look like if the bad news were scrubbed clean. Reminds me of the kindly priest in my diocese in the bad old days of forbidden divorce and anguished Catholics, who used to secretly file parishioner’s petitions to Rome for annulments in what he called the “good news drawer.” After a decent period passed, he would notify the concerned couple: “Good news. Your annulment has been granted.”

Class notes are a kind of “good news drawer.” So I’m reluctant to depart from that tradition with the news that my wife, Terry, passed away in June of last year after a 67-year marriage that began shortly after my graduation. She was always my houseparty date and my girlfriend at Hamilton, and I couldn’t wait to

marry her. So much so that she was a mere 19 to my 23 — just kids. But what a woman! Recently, a friend emailed me with a kind question: How are you doing? Sounds like a simple query, but oh, it’s complex on so many levels. I won’t presume to advise anyone how to handle such a loss. It would end in a pile of clichés that we all know — time, distraction, support, faith, family, etc. In their own way, they all work. But nothing works like the empathy of someone who has been there, someone to tell you the truth of their experience.

Because of the friendships forged in a small college like Hamilton, I had a fraternity brother who could provide such support. He had lost his wife a year or so after our 50th reunion, from an infection contracted in the hospital after surgery. I’m sure my loss caused him to once again revisit his own pain, but he generously reached out to me once he knew. He had known Terry well. She was a source of Utica blind dates from among her many friends anxious to meet well-behaved Hamilton boys, which most of us were in the ’50s.

In the course of various emails, he shared wisdom and even a mantra someone had given him during the most intense period of his own mourning. It was a paraphrased quote, I believe, from author Thornton Wilder: “Let appreciation overcome grief.” I altered it slightly because she had always reminded me with our four kids that we were in the “memory business.” So on her gravestone, it reads, “Let memories overcome grief.” Still another gift of our Hamilton days and the men and women who inhabited them, and who live on in our memories.

On a more upbeat note, Ron Krauss P’87, GP’19 reported the happy occasion of his 90th birthday. Here’s what he shared as we from the 1950s adjust to the shock of living beyond our wildest expectations: “I hope that my fellow classmates were feted as well as I was on hitting the big 90 late last December. All 18 of my family gathered in Virginia [where Ron lives] for a party, some from Vermont, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Texas, replete with an A/V program, trivia/roast exploring my many foibles, and a wonderful album of photos from years past and tribute messages.

“I’m also reflecting on the wonderful tenure of retiring Hamilton President David Wippman, who piloted the College through the pandemic. A hard act to follow.”

And that’s the news from the good news drawer and the Class of 1955, a small band of gentlemen, scholars, and judges of fine whiskey.

1956

Class Correspondent: Greg Bathon

Contact Information: egab33@gmail.com

Bill Benson shares: “My wife, Mabry, and I have been hearing aid holdouts till just this year while our contemporaries have long had them. Then, within just a few weeks of using them, and while hurrying through airport security, she managed to lose one of the pair. We discovered this in the waiting area, which meant another trip back through the security line. Explaining the situation to the TSA guy shepherding bags through the X-ray, he said, let me look, bent down, and picked it right up, amazingly intact, not even stepped upon. With a flight to Maui coming up and another to catch the total solar eclipse in April, this was a cautionary note.

“Now hoping for more good luck in picking where to go to see the eclipse. At either end of the path of totality, and for personal symmetry, there was Mazatlan, Mexico, where we went for our first attempt in 1991 and were clouded out on the very last day, or Upstate New York, where I grew up — Watertown is right on the centerline. We ultimately decided on Texas, midway along the path and with the best weather prospects. Life is full of luck.”

Ed Bradley P’84, GP’17 sent a picture, offering it as a “filler” if we needed it. Ed, enough with the modesty. Pictures are essential to the new format for these notes. If you got’em, send ’em!

I get the occasional personal communication from Bob Connor, but if, like me, you would enjoy a newsletter from a Princeton classics professor with a wide range of interests and all of his highly polished marbles, get on the list for his Then and Now Newsletter. Here’s a small sample from the January issue, “Ponderable:”

“‘‘What is best in the new responds to an ancient need.’ — Paul Valery

“ Questions: What are these ‘ancient needs?’ Are they ones all humans experience but can’t articulate well since they are deeply buried

within us? Are they waiting for someone to bring them to light and give them voice? Is that what the new does at its best, and what ancient texts did in their day and may still do in ours?

“Journeys: Daniel Mendelsohn, now the editor at large of the New York Review of Books, led a series of seminars in 2024, which the Review described as a continuation of “his acclaimed literature seminars on the theme of ‘Journeys.’ This fall, over 1,000 participants joined his first two seminars — on Homer’s Odyssey and Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. … In February, Mr. Mendelsohn continued the series with three, month-long seminars, devoted to James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room , W. G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn , and Rachel Cusk’s Outline and Second Place.“ I signed up on the Review ’s website. Dan Mendelsohn reports on a journey of his own in his account of teaching a class in which his father enrolled: his An Odyssey: A Father, a Son and an Epic is on my reading list.

“ Poem of the Month: When we think of journeys, we usually think of goals, arrivals, and destinations. C.P. Cavafy provides an antidote (tr. Edmund Keeley) in his poem, “Ithaka.” Following is an excerpt. You can read the whole beautiful thing at www.poetryfoundation.org/ poems/51296/ithaka-56d22eef917ec.

… Hope your road is a long one. May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, what joy, you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time; may you stop at Phoenician trading stations to buy fine things, mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony, sensual perfume of every kind — as many sensual perfumes as you can; and may you visit many Egyptian cities to learn and go on learning from their scholars. …

Separately, Bob wrote about the February announcement of Hamilton’s next president: “Steve Tepper is a surprising choice for president of a traditional liberal arts college like Hamilton, but I find it a promising one. I knew him when he was running the University of North Carolina bicentennial, not long after I moved to North Carolina. I thought very highly of him then, but that was in the last millennium, before he went to grad school in sociology at Princeton, and then to Arizona State University, where he has directed programs in the arts.

“So I asked a spy at ASU who tells me that he has ‘done a great job as dean of the ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (art, art history, architecture, music, film, theater, dance, not to mention their unit devoted to the intersection of art, media, and engineering). But, if you look at his Wikipedia page, you’ll see he worked with people like Bill

Murray Hulse ’56 has a boat for sale, but it’s stuck in the garage on dry land. It belongs bobbing daintily in the water, at least most of the time.

Ivey at Vanderbilt and Stan Katz at Princeton, and so he’s sort of been the sociologist hanging out with humanists. He’s done great here.”

Concludes Bob: “This may be a big moment in Hamilton’s history; I’m optimistic that it will be a good one.”

Murray Hulse says: “After graduation, I entered the field of employee benefit consulting, first in Michigan and then in Boston, New York, and New Jersey. A ‘protege’ of John Baldwin, I became a serious singer studying voice for many years and performing with choruses, in theater, and as a church soloist.

“In 1990, I decided to turn a serious hobby of woodworking into a professional business as designer and creator of custom residential furniture and cabinetry. (As a sideline, I restored a 1936 Chris Craft and built a sailboat now ‘docked’ in the garage with a for-sale sign in Virginia, our home since 2002.)

“We’re deeply involved in our life in Charlottesville, with its beauty and culture. My wife, Dory, and I have participated in running musical organizations. Of course, the University of Virginia plays a large role in our lives and the community.

Ed Bradley ’56, P’84, GP’17 on the pickleball court with his daughter, Kathy Bradley Sullivan ’84, P’17, and granddaughters, Elizabeth and Katie.

Hard to know which is more elegant: Murray Hulse ’56’s little sailboat or his cabinetry.

“Age has limited my activities and I’ve closed my woodworking shop, but remain a dedicated supporter and spectator of musical performances. We enjoy visits from our widely scattered family and friends and now count between us 15 grandkids and five great-grandchildren. I’ve gotten to know a plethora of physicians who do what they can to keep me moving. We’re frequently reminded of the wonderful capabilities of UVA’s medical system, but I know I’m getting old when the first thing I think about while getting up in the morning is not dropping my hearing aid in the toilet.”

Mel Rosh writes: “Marilyn and I, like some birds, live up north in the summertime and enjoy the warmth of Florida during the winter months. I have been in retirement for the last 15 years. I thank Hamilton for its excellent science departments, which assisted me in getting into a fine postgraduate school (thank you, Dr. Hess), and, at the same time, gave me the tools to document my thoughts (thank you, English Department), both in my professional career and my relatively recent endeavor to try and make the world a better place for everyone.

“I just finished publishing the fourth book on my anatomical series of human endeavors. The tetralogy deals with the history of (1) religions, (2) marriages, (3) rearing of children, and, the most recent one, of (4) funerals and seeking a gateway to the afterlife. My previous books dealt with teaching children how to avoid addictive drugs and what to do if they find themselves in situations of danger, such as discrimination, prejudice, bullying, etc. A synopsis of my writings can be found on Amazon.com.

“And for my classmates who are blessed to have great-grandchildren, I wrote an early reader for children 8 years or younger, The Guest Who Came from Nowhere. This charming picture book is a real-life adventure story. The characters are real, and the book has been translated into 14 different languages.”

As for Fletch Waller and his wife, they’ve got it all, these two. Just like Bogey and Bacall. Hard not to be jealous of a guy who is spending the summer with a pretty girl at Cambridge lectures. Try.

Fletch writes: “Few will mourn the passing of 2023, a year of deaths, disasters, divisions, and disease. Throughout the world, miserable people are on the move, driven from the security of their homes by the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Humans can mitigate war and division if we choose; we can welcome and succor the stranger if we wish; we can bridge division if we listen; we can reflect and heal ourselves; we can be open, secularist, and humanist, instead of surrendering ourselves to judgment of others, to sect and creed. If we choose to.

“Ann and I intend to make 2024 a better year. She is creating a world events discussion program at the Women’s University Club and planning to walk with friends in Cornwall. I

plan to complete my history of the Seattle Chamber Music Society, and to finish the marble bas relief at which I have been chipping away.

“Seattle’s Winter Chamber Festival was in January, and we looked forward to again seeing musicians from around the world that we have befriended over the years and to meeting new, upcoming talents. In April, we plan to spend a couple of weeks exploring the Olympic Peninsula, the ‘Salmon, Cedar, Rock, and Rain,’ as a recent book put it, of this lush outpost of wilderness right here in our own backyard. July will bring the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Summer Festival, a highlight of our year, and then Ann and I depart for summer school at Cambridge University.”

Harry Presberg wraps things up for us: “I was attempting to remember the name of the marvelous, humane choir director. I tried out but couldn’t cut it for the first or second tenor. He invented a place for a third tenor, but asked me not to sing, if possible.”

Harry, Harry! It was John Baldwin! Go sing in the shower. The shower is in the bathroom.

1957

Class Correspondent: Chris Durham

Contact Information: cfdurham1010@gmail.com

Gentlemen of ’57: Another year is upon us and hopefully you are with sound heart and mind. Our holiday season was outstanding with visits from everyone in our extended family. Recently, I have spoken with many classmates. We all agree our years in the 1950s were blessed. Who remembers the fire hoses in South Dorm being turned on and water running down the stairs? And Dean Tolles’ shoes off and pants rolled up, pushing the water outside with a large broom?

The state of the world allows only one conclusion. Is it the only lesson of history that mankind is unreachable? The Ukraine War is in its third year and the ever-expanding war in the Middle East both raise the question. This is madness. “Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war” — Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which I read while at Hamilton.

I shall not comment on the politics in our nation and this year’s election.

New ventures. I have started painting using watercolors. This is a great diversion. And you have heard it first here. The Nantucket Whalers high school team is looking for a new coach. What better man for it than Grumpy Lobster Boat Captain Bill Belichick?

If you’re in the New England area, stop by for a visit and help recall those golden, bygone days on the Hill. Remember our 70th reunion in 2027.

Paul McGiffin GP’26 wanted to pay tribute to a meaningful professor: “Every Hamilton alum can name a professor who made a difference in his life. I wish to pay tribute to Channing Richardson, professor of international relations, who had a profound, lifelong effect on my life, although I never took a course from him in the four years I was at Hamilton, 1953-57.

“You see, in those years we had required Chapel on Sunday nights, and the Richardsons would invite any interested student to come to their house afterward to chat with the guest speaker, such as renowned theologians Paul Tillich and Robert McAfee Brown. I went to their welcoming home every chance I got.

“Channing’s wife, Comfort Cary Richardson, was the sister of Steve Cary of the executive committee of the Quaker American Friends Service Committee. The AFSC administered the Overseas Work Camp program that Channing encouraged one or two Hamilton upperclassmen to volunteer for in Europe and Mexico during the summer. Stew Pollock ’54 was the first Hamilton volunteer I came to know through our work on the Honor Court. He had gone to Mexico, but others like Al Prettyman ’56, Bob Moses ’56, and Chris Durham had spent a formative summer in France and elsewhere in Europe. I had been so impressed by their experiences that I decided to ask Channing how I should apply for the summer after my June 1957 graduation.

“Off I went to volunteer at a French orphanage for Algerian children and then a remote farming community in the Austrian Alps.The trajectory of my life was altered by that summer experience. And I have Channing and Comfort Richardson to thank.

“You see, after that summer, I spent threeplus years in the U.S. Navy, and when I was released from active duty, I began teaching at a California high school and volunteered once again with the AFSC to be on the San Francisco-based High School Committee, and then took over the job of administering the program for five years, from 1965 to 69. During the summer of 1962, I volunteered to participate in the inaugural Tripartite Work-Study Project for 30 young adults from the U.S.S.R., United Kingdom, and U.S., in Bristol, England. During the summer of 1963, I led the American delegation to the next Tripartite project in the Northern Caucasus region of the U.S.S.R. It

Raise a glass to Fletch Waller ’56 and his wife, Ann.

was there that I fell in love with an English volunteer who would become my wife the following summer.

“Needless to say, I owe so much of life’s richness of experience, employment and volunteer opportunities, and marital bliss to the Richardson’s. I wonder what life would have been like if I had taken one of his courses? If any other Old Guard alum has been influenced by a professor who changed his life in a meaningful way, I would like to hear about it.”

1958

Class Correspondent: David McMillan

Contact Information: edmcmillan@hotmail.com

Memories of late nights at the Park Hotel were stirred by the news of the death of John Graves. Around 10 p.m., John would pick me and Steve Hoffman up and, together, we headed for that venerable establishment in Clinton presided over by Onie McCabe, whose wife arrived to turn on the grill and prepare the best cheeseburgers I have ever known.

After graduation John went on to deal, while working with the World Bank, with the same issues we discussed in the Park: issues of economic justice and equity.

From the town of Mere in Wiltshire, England, Steve himself writes: “Medically, 2023 was a mixed bag of mostly good news for Jennie and me. Her lobectomy (lung operation) continued to heal nicely, as did a new knee replacement. My defective cochlear implant got replaced with one that I hope won’t malfunction and will see me out.

“I ended my short, but fascinating career as a life model with an appearance on Channel Four’s Naked Education series (don’t ask) and kept busy with volunteer work at the American Museum & Gardens and Saint Thomas Church, while presiding at the cash till at a charity shop in Salisbury. I also keep seven websites up-todate for various charities.

“The high point of the year was our first post-COVID trip, to Kansas to help my sister celebrate her 100th birthday, followed by visits in the Northeast to see old haunts and stay with family. It was particularly good to spend some time with our class correspondent, Dave McMillan, and his wife, Elizabeth, in their retirement community.

“We have now decided that it’s time for us to downsize and join fellow retirees — in our case, in a retirement apartment which we hope to move into this spring. We are looking forward to a complete change, from a small village to the center of a cathedral city. Daunting, but exciting!”

Closer to home, from Annapolis, Md., Perry Weed writes: “In December of this year,

Dorothy and I will celebrate a happy 54 years of marriage.

“Since my retirement, I have focused on economic issues in my reading and writing. Along the way I established and directed the very successful Economic Club of Annapolis, where we hosted a variety of speakers from academic, governmental, and private sectors. Our membership numbered more than 400, and bi-monthly meetings were so well attended that several times we exceeded the 100-person maximum of the meeting room that our local library provided.

“In recent years I have been writing articles, primarily op-eds, and our local paper, the Capital Gazette, has published more than 90 of them. I am still occasionally writing. I’m generally in good health, thanks to good doctors and good luck. I stay active and weigh about the same as I did in college. I will turn 89 in July and fully expect to reach 90, but I guess that is not entirely up to me.”

Class President Fred Brooks shared this update: “In June I traveled to the Hill for some of the Reunion Weekend 2023 events. I knew from my contacts that many in the Class of 1958 would be unable to attend. I appreciated the opportunity to speak with Hamilton administrators and members of the other classes.

“For various reasons, travel for many of our class members is difficult. Given this, I wonder if some may wish to participate in a ‘reunion’ using Zoom technology. If there is interest, I shall pursue this. Possibly we could invite President Wippman to speak with us as he concludes his work at Hamilton. If there is interest, please contact me by e-mail (fbrooksjr@stny. rr.com) or telephone (607-754-8277).

“As I visited the Hill for reunion, I was again impressed by the beauty and care of the campus, major factors in the recruitment of outstanding students and faculty members for the Hamilton community. A few years ago, members of the Class of ’58 made a major commitment to the College by providing financial support for the Hamilton College Arboretum Fund. Through continuing contributions and wise investments by the College, the fund continues to increase in both book and market value. The fund now provides annual resources to aid the College in its care for the campus and its enhancement of the campus through the arboretum.”

I will close with this: Elizabeth and I, in Slingerlands, N.Y., anticipate our 65th anniversary in June.

1959

Class Correspondent: Paul Bauer

Contact Information: pbauez@aol.com

Courtney Young P’94 wrote: “Children: Walter ’94 and Sais live in Montreal, Canada, while

Amanda and Steve live in Okinawa, Japan. Grandchildren: Dillon, Katherine Rose, and Julianna. Great-grandchildren: there are six. (Their names elude me.) My wife, Nancy, and I live on Albemarle Plantation, near Hertford, N.C. We summer in Canada Lake, N.Y. Our hiking accomplishments include the ADK 46. We have also climbed Mt. Elbert in Colorado and Mt. Whitney in California. Hiking the Grand Canyon was strenuous. The Colorado River is cold! Chaco Canyon is hot and dry, while Canyon de Chelly is lush and beautiful.

“We are in touch with Donald H. Savage. Don is a fellow classmate who resides near his son Neil in Pennsylvania. Our son, Walter, holds a doctorate from McGill University. He teaches Islamic studies at Converse University. We visited Walter at the American University in Cairo. A Land Rover took us to the Red Desert and the Black Desert. We peered into the endless wastes of the Wahiba Sands. Walter and I have visited the Ungava Peninsula in Québec, Canada, looking for caribou. We have also fished in Alaska, near Homer on the Kenai Peninsula. Walt and I still love fishing local streams in Northern New York.

“My wife holds degrees from Skidmore College and Montclair State. Nancy taught in Port Jervis, Suffern, Troy, and Monroe, N.Y. She also taught at St. Margaret’s School in Connecticut. I taught for seven years at the Emma Willard School in Troy. We developed new courses. One involved combining math and science. I taught math for 31 years at Nanuet High School. John Burke, rest his soul, was a wonderful principal.

“We currently race on Albemarle Sound. Past sailing adventures include the Florida Keys, San Diego, Cape Cod, and regattas in New Jersey and New York. I recall that Professor of Mathematics Stan Oglivy was a sailor? Dean ‘Squinton Winton’ Tolles and Sidney Wertimer were very compassionate. Public speaking was taught by professors ‘Fish Lips’ Lewis and ‘Mumbles’ Carson. Professor Frank Hamlin suffered with my efforts to learn French.”

Bill Wieting P’87 wrote: “Amey and I are doing OK — a bit less mobile than before, but just as alert and, overall, happy and grateful for our situation on the coast of Maine with enough firewood to hold us through the next couple of months. We had a power outage for more than 10 hours the day I wrote this and had fun limbering up the oil lamps (our 1891 house has cast-iron sconces in six different rooms and, at the head and foot of the stairs, we have lamps ready to go in all those places). We are glad to have enough light to read books, an electronic system to listen to music, and a cable link to send emails again, and readily admit our nearly complete dependence on Central Maine Power. I still haven’t learned to play the Steinway in the dark.

“We do hope to get back to the Hill in June for our 65th reunion, and I look forward (sort

of) to reading mellifluously the names of our most recently departed. It was interesting to note that the Class of ’59 had no new deaths listed in the last Glade & Glen . Probably just a logical or predictable result of our dwindling pool — a simple, statistical probability. One of these days there’ll be no deaths to report because there will be no remaining members of our class! What could be simpler. But I do look forward to seeing those few classmates — all of you, please! — in June again. I believe I have at least as many, and as warm, memories of our reunions as of our undergraduate days. The Hill is always beautiful and stately, but perhaps most attractive and lush in early June. I hope everyone will be back.

“The Lieder recital last August went very well; now we’re working on a program of English texts set by American and English composers, with lots of good stuff by Britten and Barber, Copland and Corigliano, Finzi and Vaughan Williams. Art songs just seem never to get sung — certainly not often enough — and if nothing else, singing remains excellent exercise! The open invitation to visit us in York Harbor remains open. ... Our ‘arms are ever warm.’”

Hans Solmssen P’90,’94 shared: “Sally and I had a wonderful summer with our extended family and, since that family keeps growing, last fall we embarked on a project to build a small guest house to accommodate that growth. In spite of supply chain issues, we were lucky to finish last spring. As graduation time comes around this spring, we look forward to one college and three high school events: Maine and Southern and Northern California! We are healthy and feel fortunate.”

Paul Bauer finishes this report: “As is my custom, I did not think carefully when I offered to be class correspondent. I now realize that the role includes an implicit obligation to correspond! This creates difficulties. I have had an uneventful life, so there is not much to share. Fortunately, I have an active imagination, or, as Mark Twain observed: ‘With each passing year I remember with greater clarity things that never happened.’

“A further advantage is that there are a diminishing number of eyewitnesses, so I am not concerned by Harry Truman’s wise insight, ‘Nothing ruins a good story better than a damned eyewitness.’ Additionally, as an unemployed, I mean ‘retired,’ engineer, I have neither the education nor the inclination to offer profound observations or penetrating insights. But most importantly, as the old adage – ‘Sicks munz ago i coont eevin spel ingunear, now i ar wun’ – makes clear, anything I do contribute requires torturous editing by the G&G staff.

“So here goes. I have always enjoyed reading about families with generational association with the school. But it wasn’t until years after I graduated that I learned I, too, might have been a legacy. I had always known that my dad left school and went to work when he was 11 after

his mother died. (Not an uncommon thing in those days. My wife Penny’s grand father is listed in the 1890 Carbondale census as ‘Age – 10, Occupation – Slatepicker.’ Slatepickers were children who climbed on the trams as they came out of the mine and removed the pieces of slate that were mixed in with the coal.)

“But toward the end of his life, Dad mentioned that shortly after leaving school, he took a job as an office boy for an architectural firm. The owner of the firm, a Hamilton graduate, took a liking to my dad and arranged for him to be a house boy for President [M. Woolsey] Stryker. The deal was that, in exchange for his labor, Dad would receive room, board, tutoring, and, when the time was right, acceptance at Hamilton. Dad said the routine was up in the morning for a couple of hours of chores, breakfast, which consisted of a half-slice of dry toast plus a cup of weak tea, then chores until lunch, which was a repeat of breakfast plus maybe half of an apple or a few grapes, then chores, tutoring, dinner, which was not much of an improvement on breakfast or lunch, tutoring, and bed. When I asked what happened, Dad said that after three weeks he was so hungry he was afraid he was going to faint, so he quit. Observing my persistently robust physique, I conclude that the starving scholar gene is not in the family DNA.

“Lately, I have reminisced about the early years after college. I don’t know how it was for the rest of you, but when I graduated I was flat broke and with a lot of obligations. So a few years later, when Penny and I were thinking of marrying and having squandered my $13/mo. on country club dues, I decided to come clean on my finances. Bottom line: we could get a nice engagement ring and have a madcap honey moon night in a local motel, or buy a token engagement ring and have a nice honeymoon. Fortunately for us, Penny chose the honey moon. After the ceremony we drove for a couple of days to the Castaways resort in Miami, which was heaven on earth. But lounging on the warm sand and enjoying the wonderful water prompted idle minds.

“Penny had a prosperous uncle who fished out of Bimini, Bahamas, a couple of weeks each year. He advised that if you want warmth, sun, and water, the only place was Nassau, and, when there, only eat at Blackbeard’s Tavern. Realizing that Nassau was just a short hop over the water, we decided to take a look. But the travel agent talked us into two nights in Nassau plus three in Montego Bay. Nassau was as advertised, and ditto Blackbeard’s Tavern. The only drawback was the tavern put such a dent in our food budget that we were reduced to eating Chinese takeout the rest of the trip.

“Then the British Overseas Airways Corp. plane to take us to Montego Bay was late out of London. Luckily, Myers’s Rum had a complimentary refreshment stand at the airport, so we found something to do to pass the time.

Truth be told, we were a little disappointed that the plane was only four hours late. Then the cabin crew, determined to atone for their tardiness, insisted on plying us with champagne, even those of us in steerage — a marvelous introduction to Montego Bay, which turned out to be better than all the rest. We rolled back home on a Sunday night with a paid-for car, $5 in our pocket, a paycheck waiting for me, and memories to last a lifetime.

“As a footnote, 25 years later, while living in Germany and with four college educations disposed of, a weekend trip to Amsterdam and a visit to Bonebakker Jeweler corrected the engagement ring deficiency.

“All’s well that continues well. I hope you all enjoy reunion. Unfortunately, I am not able to join you.”

1960

Class Correspondent: Robert Rockwell

Contact Information: robertrockwell1938@gmail.com

Since I have been emailing you updates that I have received from other classmates, I don’t feel the need to be repetitious. Thus, this will be brief. We had a class Zoom meeting on July 22, 2023, with five classmates attending. Out of that meeting came the idea of a follow-up Zoom meeting about a common concern: atrial fibrillation. George Manitsas and Ted Wright P’90,’10, who are cardiologists, discussed the condition and how to maintain a healthy heart. We had about 15 classmates attending. For our Zoom meeting on Jan. 12, 2023, Marty Hirsch talked about vaccinations and infectious diseases. Nine classmates attended. Some people who were not able to attend requested that I record the meeting. I got so involved with starting the meeting and chatting that I didn’t remember to press the record button until we were halfway through. I emailed a copy of the recording to those who expressed interest. Out of that meeting came the idea of having someone knowledgeable talk to us about the evolution and background to the huge split in the political points of view in the United States, and I was able to get James S. Sherman and Professor of Government Phil Klinkner to talk with us at our next Zoom meeting, which was scheduled for March 14. Jim Mitchell, John White, and John Ward emailed me with suggestions for reading.

Jes Salacuse P’89 writes: “Since I retired completely from Tufts University at the end of 2022, I spent most of 2023 working on a new book, The Institution Builders Toolbox–Strategies for Negotiating Change, which is scheduled to be published in June by Business Expert Press. Early in my career, a visiting dignitary in Nigeria, where I was working to establish the Northern Region’s first law school, said to

me: “What you’re doing here is institution building. You are an institution builder.” As I have reflected over my six-decade career on five continents, I have seen that institution building was a constant theme for what I was doing, whether it was helping to build a law school in Nigeria, establishing a development program in Sudan, advising on a new corporation law in Laos, or leading the effort to create a faculty senate for Tufts. Drawing on my experience, the book presents a rough theory, along with practical advice, on institution building that I hope readers engaged in or contemplating work like mine will find useful.”

Sad to report that Hadley Roe died on June 19, 2023. Hadley was captain of the tennis team, played football, and was a member of Psi U fraternity. He had a distinguished career as a lawyer arranging financing for maritime shipping corporations. [Please see the Necrology section for his obituary.]

John Ward shares: “(Regarding) my painting, I stopped doing it the year before I retired in 2003. But this year I had an exhibition of my work at The Thomas Center (originally a hotel, but now owned by the city of Gainesville, Fla.). I painted a new painting for the show because I didn’t want to show only the 11 old ones that the organizers picked out. It’s a small self-portrait that I found in my studio and apparently did in the period when I had stopped painting, but don’t even remember painting. … If you are in need of a topic for a Zoom meeting, I devoted much of my time researching the science of climate change and writing op-eds about it. Currently, I spend much of my time saving links to the vast treasury of music of all kinds that exists on the internet.”

Richard Brown writes: “My wife of the past 36 years, Marget Sands, who accompanied me to my last foreign service posts when she could get a break from her professorial duties at the University of Maryland, passed away last year at our retirement home in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I later sold our house there and now live with my sister and her husband in Evanston, Ill.”

Marston Jones reports: “Am in assisted living, riding my bike twice a day. Doing OK.”

John White writes: “Marilyn and I are still living in McLean, Va., where we have been living for 49 years. We’re doing well and have four children and eight grandchildren. I’ve been involved in many community activities over the years, including 45 years coaching and then fundraising for McLean Little League. They surprised me a couple of months ago by naming the pathway from the parking lot through the fields to the snack bar ‘John White Way.’ I included a picture of us with the sign, along with my daughter and her three children. Life is good!”

Don DiGiulian P’88,’93 shared a picture of Bob Kliphon, Peter Rasmussen P’89, and himself at Bob’s home in Fort Myers, Fla., on Dec. 26, 2023. Sadly, Bob suffered a stroke recently and is dealing with aftereffects.

So far I have been fortunate with my health. I just added darolutamide to my Lupron® routine, which brought my PSA down from 12 to 1.7, which is a good sign that my prostate cancer is in control for the time being. I sing in two

choruses, play my clarinet in the Skidmore Symphonic Band, plan services for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls (N.Y.) on their worship committee, and deliver three to four evenings a week for UberEats. So I am keeping busy.

1961

Class Correspondent: Tom Crane

Contact Information: tcranejr61@gmail.com

Hi, guys, and thanks to all who contributed to this seventh issue of Glade & Glen . While reading, bear in mind I’m sending this to the editor in early February 2024.

Sorry to lead off with such sad news, but Kirby Williams lost his dear wife, Liz, late last year. She died after a yearlong battle with cancer just short of what would have been their 57th anniversary. Anne and I were lucky to have known Liz having often had dinner in Paris and lunch in New York City with the Williamses. Delightful, accomplished, English lady whom Kirby had met and married in Paris shortly before he began his career there at UNESCO. Our condolences, Kirby. Hoping to see you soon on your next trip to the U.S. … or maybe on the next ’61 Zoom, time difference permitting.

Geoff Emerson writes from Hong Kong: ”Life is gradually recovering from three years of near shutdown due to COVID and political problems. Tourism numbers are picking up, though largely from day tourists from China and not from overseas, particularly America. Hong Kong has faced many difficulties in the past and we trust it will overcome the present one. As for me, I haven’t traveled out for nearly three years, except to the former Portuguese colony nearby, Macau — like Hong Kong, a special administrative region (SAR) of China. We often refer to Hong Kong as “Hong Kong SAR.”

The American Club continues to be active and though I am not a member (too expensive), I occasionally get invited to lunch or dinner there. It is a beautiful club located at the top of one of Hong Kong’s very tall buildings overlooking the magnificent harbor.”

Always enjoyed the Star Ferry rides, Geoff. (P.S. Geoff came to Hong Kong to teach for two years and is still there!)

Heard from Joe Schoonover. He’s living in Charleston, S.C. (Lucky guy!) His daughter lives nearby and she keeps him out of trouble. He says he’s in “pretty good” health. (I’ll take pretty good anytime at this age.) Stay that way, Joe. George Elferink writes that there’s not much new to report where he is in New Jersey. He’s finding lots of Netflix oldies to watch. We have enjoyed seeing/hearing George on our ’61 Zoom sessions, and it is nice to see his health has improved.

A self-portrait by John Ward ’60.

John White ’60 next to the street named for him, along with his wife, daughter, and grandchildren.

From left: Bob Kliphon ’60, Peter Rasmussen ’60, P’89, and Don DiGiulian ’60, P’88,’93 at Bob’s home in Fort Myers, Fla.

Peripatetic Joe Spaeth and wife, Sparkie, are about to hit the road again — first Cabo, then Puglia, Sicily, and Malta in the fall. Joe’s a big fan of our Zoom sessions and wishes we could get more participation. (Denny Baldwin welcomes any thoughts on how to do that.) Joe and Sparkie recently had lunch with Sev Marsted and Margie, and Denny Baldwin and Gail. (See the photo.)

Speaking of Sev Marsted: Sev, Tom Crane, and their wives, Margie and Anne, met up in Washington, D.C., in September to tour the town. Sev writes, “Unfortunately Margie immediately got COVID, spent the week in bed in their room, and Anne and Tom didn’t see her to say ‘hi’ until we all were leaving for home. The three ‘healthy’ of us, however, did the sights. Beautiful city, greenery everywhere, cars don’t honk, lots of taxis and Ubers, good restaurants. I highly recommend it for a visit. Skip the White House tour but do the Capitol, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, and Smithsonians. And be sure to have dinner at the Old Ebbitt Grill. Great food and Wellfleet oysters!” (P.S. Sev tested positive as soon as he got home!)

(While passing through the Capitol building with my Hamilton hat on I was approached by one of the interns. “Is that a Hamilton hat?” he asked. “Sure is,” I said. He introduced himself and sadly I can’t remember his name. He graduated last year and works in the office of one of the Ohio reps. He had no hat on but was proud to show me his Hamilton tie! Pays to advertise.)

Further to Sev, he recently mentioned that he and Margie had dinner with Charlie Svenson P’00 and his wife, Sally, in Lafayette, Calif., where the Marsteds and the Svensons’ grandchildren live. Lots of Hamilton bonding in California these days!

M. (for Monsieur) Jim Arnold has had a bit (his word) of an autobiography published in an online magazine in Paris. Here’s the link for those of you with enough French to get the gist: pluton-magazine.com/2024/01/25/high-profile-albert-james-arnold-professeur-emerite-universite-de-virginie-usa. Jim worked a great picture of Alexander Hamilton in front of the Chapel into the narrative. Nice touch, Jim.

Noel Turner finally recovered from gallbladder surgery in October. He says his gallbladder was the size of an orange and so full of gallstones the surgeon had to cut him open to get it out. (Oh! No laparoscopy.) Noel and wife, Elaine, can now plan a trip to Paris to celebrate their daughter’s 60th birthday. Anyone else have a child who is 60-years-old? Was enough for us to have four children over 50! Bon voyage, Noel. From Glendon College, York University, in Toronto, Jim Benson writes he’s been thinking of the nicknames of the profs back in the day: George Lyman Nesbitt, “The Smiling Shaft,” while handing back essays. “Kindly Tom” for Thomas Johnston, because he was. “Mumbles Carson” for Robert Rose Carson, teacher of public speaking. etc., (How about “Swampy Marsh,” Jim, whose full name I never knew?) Jim is mailing his 2024 election ballot to Oswego to vote against “you know who.” I told him to save room for me in Canada if the worst befalls us.

Fresh from a trip to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Bill Dehaven writes of this year’s duck and goose hunting adventure. “Accompanied by five other enthusiasts (unfortunately not Hamilton graduates), we ‘dodged’ the Miami-like weather (too warm) and were able to ‘harvest’ 21 ducks and one Canada goose. The duck/ goose hunting has been very disappointing for the last three years because of warm weather. The ducks have been staying in New York State, where there has been enough food for them and so no need to move further south. Our yield will provide enough for our Annual Duck Dinner at our local Sewickley club, with wives.” Sounds delicious, Bill. Pair it with one of the 2021 Oregon pinots.

Prez Denny Baldwin and Gail have finally completed their oft-delayed Mississippi River cruise, despite the historic low water and several resulting deviations. He writes: “All-in-all our trek on the great river from New Orleans (great fun) to Memphis (where we met up with old friends) was enjoyable, educational, and not lacking for plenty of good food. Although we had to bus there because of low water, we got to tour the historic Vicksburg Civil War battleground (very powerful) and, at various points along the river, a number of old Southern mansions (most of them still surprisingly elegant). The boat itself was first-rate. Named the Countess, it’s one of American Queen voyage’s newest, with all the bells and whistles for a paddle wheel riverboat, including (did I mention) good food, plus some talented entertainment and a hospitable staff.” (The Baldwins are quite the cruisers. Big Viking cruise fans, too.)

While watching the Kansas City-Miami NFL playoff game in Kansas City in January, where it was -7 degrees, I was reminded of an NFL game Bob Sanderson and I and our wives watched on Dec. 31, 1967. It was the championship game between Green Bay and Dallas, where the temperature was -13 degrees at game

time. We were in Chatham, Mass., to celebrate New Year’s in a summer house … with no heating. We had a small black-and-white portable TV, some cable wire, and a set of “rabbit ears.” Bob climbed on the roof of the house to lash the ears to the chimney while I yelled out to him which way to turn them for better reception. Oh, to be that young (and nimble) again!

John Hand and wife, Janet, have just returned from an enjoyable trip to Senegal in West Africa where they stayed with the same family they lived with as Peace Corps volunteers some 60 years ago. Were any of you volunteers? If you had considered it, you may find John’s blog on his experiences interesting. Read about them at john-hand.blogspot.com/p/peacecorps-1963-1964-senegal.html. Have enjoyed seeing John on our ’61 Zooms.

Bill Renert P’93 made another trip to New York City for last year’s 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend celebration. He thought the program was well done. He enjoyed David Solomon ’84, P’16’s remarks and David Wippman’s farewell address. Apparently the morning sessions were well done, too.

Had a text back from Chuck Woodworth last November after wishing him a happy Marine Corps birthday. I had last heard from him on a farm in Missouri. Here’s his latest, however: “We (with wife, Emily) are visiting the West Coast, where I have also forgotten how to drive in the mountains. Need to get back to the straight and level which has never been easy for this man. If you ever want to come to Missouri, first consider: why? I will.” Chuck’s now back in Texas, at least for the moment.

First-time news from Max Stachura: “After 60 years of patient care, teaching, and research, I retired on my 83rd birthday as emeritus professor of medicine (endocrinology/neuroendocrinology) and Georgia research alliance scholar (telemedicine), but I am still part-time teaching and consulting at the Medical College of Georgia - Augusta University. My wife, Sarah, and I are fortunate to have our three children and five grandchildren nearby in Georgia in Augusta, Athens, and Roswell. We adopted a rescue English springer spaniel. He and the grands are keeping us active. Last fall, while visiting Sarah’s family (in Geneva, N.Y.), we drove to Hamilton. Enjoyed walking around the campus, but especially enjoyed several coffee spots and chatting with welcoming students.” Great to hear from you, Max. Join us on the next ’61 Zoom.

John Schoemer P’85 and Kay had a quiet fall and holidays. They took a cruise on the Hudson River from New York City to Troy, N.Y., and back in early October, but unfortunately they were 10 days too early for the changing of the leaves. They did find one tree in Troy that had changed and they brought back a souvenir leaf. John has enjoyed getting on Denny Baldwin’s Zoom calls regularly. He finds it good to revisit old acquaintances.

From left: Joe Spaeth ’61, Gail Baldwin, Margie Marsted, Sparkie Spaeth, Sev Marsted ’61, and Denny Baldwin ’61 met for lunch this winter.

Hank Pinkerton P’85,’89 has met with the Alumni Office to firm up a gift in the form of a bequest to the Days-Massolo Center in memory of his son and Hamilton alumnus, Geoff Pinkerton ’89. I had not known that Hank’s son had died but found his obituary on the College’s website, published before Glade & Glen began, which you can find by searching at www.hamilton.edu/alumni/necrology.

Hank is currently offering his choral abilities, honed at the College under the direction of John Baldwin, at St. Luke’s Church in Philadelphia. He is participating in conducting a successful series of assault weapons buybacks to reduce the horrendous rate of violent deaths in the city and also participating in tutoring local gradeschool students in need of extra academic help. (Wonderful projects, Hank.) Hank still finds places to dine well in Philadelphia’s Italian district where his Hamilton-grad daughter, Janet Pinkerton ’85, lives.

Glade & Glen and the College’s magazine are now being cut back to two issues a year due to the cost of printing and mailing. On the upside, that means I need to bug you less frequently and you get longer time between issues for events to develop in your lives. We had 17-18 contributors to this issue and again my thanks to them. Would sure like to hear from those of the 80 of you we haven’t heard from so far. A couple of lines is more than sufficient. We just want to know you’re out there and how you’re doing.

1962

Class Correspondent: Sam Crowl

Contact Information: lear45701@yahoo.com

The big news since the last issue came, of course, from Taos, N.M., as the sweet, old heart of our class novelist, Bard of New Mexico, intrepid fly-fisherman, Prince of Wheeler Peak, and last living socialist (AOC excepted) finally burst. Let us hope that it did so, like Gloucester’s in King Lear, “smilingly.” John Nichols received glowing obits, not only the one from the Taos newspaper I sent you, but in The New York Times and Washington Post as well. I’m sure the one in Glade & Glenn will rival if not surpass those accounts. [Please see the Necrology section for his obituary.] His success as the most important Hamilton literary man since Ezra Pound dates from the excellent start he got from South 12 in the good company of your class correspondent, Chuck Kennedy, Houshang Elghanayan, and Eddie Taft. We plowed on while he skated rings around us while befriending the young and lost, spinning his tall tales in the Jest No stories in The Spectator, strumming his guitar, and winning every literary prize the College offered.

I only saw Nick once after we graduated, in New York City in the summer of 1964, but we

maintained a correspondence over the years that I was amazed to discover contained over 100 letters. Imagine how many others have files bulging with such treats. His letters, some typed but most handwritten, are full of his wonderful embrace of life and enthusiasm for the sheer joy of living even when the world turned sour. Those letters are surrounded with his famous cartoon faces resembling those of Maurice Sendak’s in Where the Wild Things Are. Nick was our wild thing swinging from the trees in Taos and bounding over boulders in the Rio Grande. In our last exchange he pleased me by saying the most dangerous thing he ever did (and would never do again) was appear in a play. Evidently Mike Kaiser and I terrified him in My Three Angels by repeatedly throwing him bad cues. The audience never knew as he danced on fancy free — as he continued to do throughout his life.

In other news, I received the annual family Christmas reports from Bill Willis and Ralph Oman P’04 (written by Anne). Both groups, consisting of kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, continue to thrive. Both communications are filled with a portfolio of family pictures. For me the standouts are the Oman’s dog, Olivier, and Bill’s great bird pictures, this time of a snowy egret doing some successful fishing.

That’s it. Send me some news.

1963

Class Correspondent: Doug Wheeler

Contact Information: douglas.wheeler@hoganlovells.com

Justin “Jace” G. G. Kahn, Sr. wrote to the College last fall: “Someone in the Spring 2023 issue asked about Bert Welti. While I cannot provide much current information, I did talk with him on the telephone a few years ago when I found an insert from him in a hobby magazine and learned he was still alive and reasonably well and had a daughter who attended one of the California public colleges or universities.

“Those who still remember him will recall he left the Hill at the end of his sophomore year. I had roomed with him the first half of freshman year before being obliged to leave, myself; probably we were assigned together because we both intended to concentrate in math and shared a hobby. When I returned for junior year he was already gone.

“Fast-forward five years to Cambridge, Mass.: I was seeing one of the secretaries in the Harvard English Department, and she and her flatmates were hosting a party. During the party I looked across the room and saw Bert bringing drinks to his date. It seems he had finished his math degree at University of California, Berkeley and gone to work for Southern Pacific Railroad, which was sending him to the business school for an MBA. More -

over, my hostess was his wife’s best friend from childhood.

“ William R. A. Boben ’60, P’85,’92 published a reminiscence of his holiday trip from the Utica, N.Y., Central Station to Grand Central Station in New York City and home to Pennsylvania in the May 2023 issue of Classic Trains magazine.”

1964

Class Correspondent: Jon Vick

Contact Information: jonvick@ascs-inc.com

Thanks to those who submitted notes this time around — the last set before our 60th “Last Reunion.” Or maybe not. Your notes are so well written that it makes the job of editing them very simple, a testament to Freshman English and the requirement for two “Yes” papers, which no one seems to have forgotten — some of us liked it so much we took it twice. Hope to see you June 6-9 on the Hill.

Steve Busky (smbusky@gmail.com) writes: “At 81, it’s incredible how fresh are my memories from ’60-’64, and how much of a blur is much that came after: four years of medical school, two years at Bellevue Hospital as surgical intern and resident, two years at the naval hospital at Camp Lejeune — the water tasted just fine — four years of urology training at Johns Hopkins, and then 39 years in a private urology practice in Baltimore. Along the way, several wives, a wonderful son, now two great-grands. Having failed retirement, I now work three days a week at the urology clinic at the Baltimore VA. All of my patients served honorably, but many have had ‘interesting’ lives after their service.

“I’m younger than most of my patients, so I can tell them what they’ll be going through, and they have taught me a lot about life that I couldn’t have imagined. I get to supervise residents who are smarter than I am, but only one in the last six years knew who Polonius was when I apologized for sounding like him. We need to push more for a liberal education before professional training. For fun, having sold my 48-foot cruising sailboat and quit my flying club, I make sure to walk my schnoodle, Hal, two to five miles a day, and I’m trying to learn to be a hand-tool woodworker and to get my wonderful wife to agree to let me back in her life. I’m very appreciative of being able to chat with some of my classmates (Bill Berg, Ty Brown, John Cowl, Ed Deci, Mark Evans, Charlie Fox, Rick Pfau P’95, and Tom Slaight) on Zoom once a week. I’ve learned a lot from life, and it’s been wonderful to look at current events through the lens of so much learning and experience.”

David Morris (dbmkirk@icloud.com), still writing after all these years, has a book under contract titled Ten Thousand Central Parks: An Anthropocene Parable. He adds: “I now split the year, with partner Margot Wolf, between

Manhattan and Coral Gables, Fla., trying to figure out how to be 80. Also revising my chapter for, improbably, the sixth edition of Bonica’s Management of Pain . I have no hobbies.”

[David also wrote: “Hi, Jon: I trust your class notes are a labor of love, or else Rick Pfau P’95 has something quite damaging on you. Either way, many thanks.” My response: Proverbs 10:9: “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” ]

Regarding our 60th reunion, Peter Weltner (stalkingquentincompson@gmail.com) writes: “ Pete Cass, if he is still with us (I have not heard from for years), and I are the only Sigs from ’64 alive. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make the reunion. My stenosis-plagued spine would not tolerate the long flight. For of course no reason, save misfortune and the turns of chance’s screws, our pledge class from the Sig house died way too young. Kit Miner and Cam Myers in December of 1962, of course, but others later, too. Cam Pilcher. Teddy Burns. More. It has been rough over the years. We were only 12 or 13 to begin with. (My closest friends in the house and the reason I joined it were the guys in ’63). Bob Colley ’66, P’19 ’s death has hit me especially hard. [Please see the Necrology section for his obituary.] I look forward to news from the reunion. Save for some bouts of doubt and disillusion about the place during my sophomore year, I loved the College.”

Peter also shared this piece, Remembering Bob Colley:

“Bob Colley and I met 64 years ago in freshman seminar during our first semester at the College. David Morris, Jon Hildreth, and others whom I became friends with then or later were also in it. It was one of the best classes I took at Hamilton. Memories of times long past can be hazy and imprecise, of course, but I recall Bob during that year in the class as quiet, slightly

shy, maybe a bit self-effacing, and almost naively sincere at times, but, most obviously, a genuinely good, nice guy. Colley pledged Sig when I did. It was then I learned how funny he could be and something of a hellraiser at houseparties and similar wild times. I like to think through it all we were good friends. There was something always generously sweet and gentle about him even in the midst of the Sig House’s occasional and risky bouts of chaos. Maybe that occasional excess, if that’s the right word, was one of the reasons behind his being rusticated by the College after our junior year, I think it was, as an underachiever. Bob Colley was a decent, talented, smart, kind, uncommonly generous guy, who gave to us who were lucky to have known him more than just his time and efforts on our behalf, though both were considerable. He touched us with his spirit. I cannot know this for certain, of course, but he seemed to me to be a happy man. I hope he was because he certainly deserved to be. Maybe it was his sly smile and what, at times, looked like laughter in his eyes that first struck me more than 64 years ago. When he was last here, as we talked, I saw that spirit still alive and thriving and still a bit wild, thank goodness.”

Thank you for that remembrance, Peter. Rick Pfau P’95 adds that he’s been elected junior warden of St. Andrew’s Episcopal, a deliberately inclusive parish in Albany, N.Y., and also serves on the board of the Capital Area Council of Churches, an ecumenical organization that runs a homeless shelter, awards scholarships in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and supports cooperation among faith traditions. He plays tennis three times a week, more doubles than singles, and spends part of every day missing Nancy.

Art Massolo P’93 (ajmassolo@comcast.net): “Barring a miracle, Karen and I will not be at our 60th. I have had knee problems forever, but

after multiple surgeries I have reached a point where I cannot stand for more than five minutes without support. The knee mechanics are not there. For someone who traveled around the world for most of his life, I have not been on a plane for four years. So, anything I do with Hamilton is done by email, phone, Zoom, or FaceTime. Hopefully some of that can be done around the 60th.”

In January, Joanna and Tony Woodin ’65, GP’23 (woodinwj@yahoo.com) reported: “We just got back from three glorious weeks in Spain, specifically on the Costa del Sol. Let me tell you, Spain has it figured out: clean, prosperous, not a hint of racism or violence, people well dressed, very few whiny/crying kids, and saw maybe six beggars in as many cities. Enormously popular celebrations of Christmas, New Year’s, and Three Kings Day. Great food, wine, and low prices. We spent nine days in an apartment in Málaga, then rented a car and drove to Córdoba, Úbeda, Valencia, Nerja, back to Málaga, and then flew home. Side trips to Antequera and Frigiliana. Spain is so great, maybe we’ll go back.

“I recently met a super alumnus, Monty Pooley ’84, P’16,’19, whose father (not grandfather!) was a contemporary of our father’s (c. 1936). Monty is a Hamilton board member and the kind of guy I wish our daughters had married. I heard my dad speak highly of Montgomery Pooley ’38, P’84, GP’16,’19 ever since I was a kid! What a shame we did not get the chance to reminisce with our dads about Hamilton College.”

Zibby and Peter Munson P’11 (peter.c.munson @gmail.com) also enjoyed Spain: “We arrived in Spain the morning of Jan. 8; we have been coming here for 12 or 15 years to the same area and, for the last 10 or 12, to the same tiny town (La Herradura) on the sea (pop. 4,000), and the same apartment (3 beds, 3 1/2 baths, 1,500 sq. ft.) with a terrace overlooking the sea. We stay for three months, do some traveling (but less and less), and have a few friends visit (too many last year, but only two scheduled this year).

Zibby goes to Spanish school (the owners are by now pretty good friends of hers — I think she is owed a small equity position after 10-12 years of adhesion); I read, go to a gym, chat a bit (after two years living in Argentina, one in Chile, and 10 further years traveling one week per month across all of Latin America, I am fairly comfortable in Spanish, albeit with a strong Argentine accent). We have, by design, made only a few friends in La Herradura (one American couple, some German, some English, and some Spanish). By our age, I think we have enough friends.

“My take on Spain is that, since they have only known democracy since 1975, and experienced sustained prosperity once in the European Union (1986) and the introduction of the Euro in 1999, this new and ‘modern’ reality is barely a quarter century old. And it is to be cherished and appreciated, by them and by us.

Zoom screenshot of Steve Busky ’64 and classmates.

Problems in ‘getting over’ this new national, collective reality and putting regional differences ‘on the shelf’ have not been so easy, e.g. Basque and Catalonian examples. And being a vibrant participant in the international economy, instead of relying so heavily on the surrounding sea and the rich earth beneath, is a new phenomenon as well, as I understand it. ‘Free and fair elections’ is, remarkably, also a fairly new phenomenon. Anyway, I still feel somehow excited to be visiting here — but ‘here’ only in terms of the towns that do not appear in bold, solid, capital letters on maps. We have yet to darken the doors of the likes of Marbella for more than a drive-through. Exploring the cities the Woodins saw is, I would say, the way to do it. Very glad to have Tony and Joanna Woodin aboard as new admirers of Spain, but don’t tell everyone. We can be selective and preserve this new reality for what, to us, may seem an eternity.”

Gordon Boak P’89,’92 (jgbdoc@icloud.com) writes: “Christmastime 2023: Where to begin? In Gaza? Ukraine? In Yemen or Ethiopia? At the Rio Grande? Sigh. June and September for us were lovely on Martha’s Vineyard. Junior will get new siding after 60 years. And, by the way, while there we bought a cemetery plot and joined the Federated Church of Edgartown. Putting down roots? Marilyn’s and my octogenarian aches are more or less status quo. A little slower, but still glad to see the sunrise. If you are nearby, stop by and never mind the mess. We are always glad to see you. Or drop us a note at JGBDOC@icloud.com and Marilynboak@icloud.com. All the best to everyone.”

Jim Schleifer (jamestsch1@gmail.com) says: “I am planning on coming to the 60th reunion in June. Unfortunately, my wife, Alison, will

not be with me. She has dementia and has been in a long-term care facility for over a year. It is very hard to lose your life companion of over 60 years. I am trying to cope. My daughter and her family live only five minutes from me and are a great support. I see them often. This year I

visited my sister, who lives near Rochester, N.Y., and my brother, who is in Southern California. In October, I also began as a volunteer in the neonatal ICU at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. That work is a great joy. In 2025, I plan to return to France to see friends and may do some other traveling with Road Scholar. Looking forward to June!”

From John Cowl (johncowl98@gmail.com): “It has been another memorable period in our lives as well as that of our country. On the positive side, our trip to Italy with Cheryl’s family was quite wonderful, from Dec. 21 to Jan. 1. Traveling with folks who had never been there before exposed me to some things I hadn’t seen for many years as well as entirely new ones. A cooking class in Florence provided a new recipe for polpette that will become a frequent addition to my cooking repertoire in the Berkshires. A Christmas feast in Florence at Trattoria 4 Leoni was not only extraordinary gastronomically but also allowed for my reunion with a waiter who had cared for me and my family for many years. The New Year’s Eve cenone (11 courses) in Rome was extraordinary and was followed by fireworks next door. Having the opportunity to get to know Cheryl’s six grandchildren was special. Interacting with intelligent and thoughtful kids between 12 and 20 years of age gave me hope for the future. Our having enjoyed my family’s trip to Tanzania so much has spawned another planned adventure

An Alpha Delta Phi fraternity reunion: back row, from left: David Snell ’64, Ellen and Scott Hand ’64, Zibby and Peter Munson ’64, P’11, Lael and Jon Vick ’64, P’97, Woody Walls ’64, and Sandy and Phil Hornburg ’64. Front row: hosts Dick Stebbins ’64 and his wife, Jane.

The Alpha Delt reunion in the library at Casa Dorinda. From left: Woody Walls ’64, David Snell, Scott Hand ’64, Jon Vick ’64, P’97, and Peter Munson ’64, P’11. Not pictured: Dick Stebbins ’64 and Phil Hornburg ’64.

in March to the Galapagos with the addition of a third grandchild. Meanwhile, Cheryl’s crew is entertaining a new Christmas trip, possibly to Spain and Portugal. At our advanced age, there’s no sense in putting off plans for the future. The future is now.

“Speaking of which, I hope there will be an in-gathering of as many of our classmates as possible in June. The Wednesday afternoon Zoom group that some of us established three years ago has been an enjoyable and enriching experience. So many of our classmates have made more creative, interesting, and noteworthy contributions than I’d have ever imagined. It would be great to learn about even more such accomplishments at the reunion.”

And last but not least, last Oct. 7, Alpha Delta Phis and their wives gathered for a mini-reunion weekend of friendship, fellowship, frolicking, and… (no, I can’t say it)… okay, fun, as guests of Jane and Dick Stebbins (scorpion42sscors@icloud.com ), who now live at Casa Dorinda, an expansive mansion built in the 1920s by the folks who brought us castor oil, in Montecito, Calif. Highlights of the get-together were a chartered whale-watching boat ride into the Santa Barbara Channel where we saw dozens of humpback whales and hundreds of dolphins, a golf tournament, and a banquet hosted by Dick and Jane.

That’s all for now.

Class Correspondent: Jeff Kremen

Contact Information: jeffkremen@gmail.com

After learning of the passing of Bob “Bones” Pomeroy P’90’93 several weeks earlier, we traveled to Quechee, Vt., to attend a celebration of life at the Quechee Club. I guess there were

nearly 175 guests, including family and friends from every period of Bones’s life. Among those I saw were Don Burns ’64, Fred Taylor, Peter Chapin ’67, Jeff Hennig ’66, P’92,’95, Paul Thut, Bob Cady ’67, and Fred Marty ’67. Family and close friends talked and shared pictures and experiences about their relationship with Bones over his life. Truly a unique man who had both many close relationships and a brilliant mind. Some of us later moved to the home of Sandy Pomeroy W’65, P’90,’93 to continue to share memories of our times with Bones. A great guy who will be greatly missed! [Please see the Necrology section for the obituary.]

Sam Havens P’95 writes: “1. Spent the holidays with older kids and grandkids in Connecticut and Sun Valley, Idaho. My son Scott Havens ’95 was recently named president of business operations of the New York Mets. 2. Travel plans included a week in Turks and Caicos in February, Amsterdam in May, and an 11-day cruise from Rome to Venice in late August. 3. Battling metastatic prostate cancer, but it seems under control at the moment. Otherwise, we are all healthy here. I saw Kathy and Carl Neun recently for lunch when their cruise stopped in Newport, R.I. I expect to be at our 60th reunion.”

Hendrik Blanksma says: “Best wishes to all of you. My family and I are still well. Some 10 years ago, I visited the campus and was surprised by the new buildings as well as by the good shape of buildings I remembered from the ’60s.”

Robert Wood had “no news worth sharing from me this time around, other than a brief trip to Kauai, Hawaii, in March for some sun.”

Rod Parker P’06 shares: “I am living in Florida and Cape Cod with my wife, Julie. Our three children love to visit us along with our seven grandkids. We play golf and travel overseas twice a year: Barbados in the winter, and, last summer, golf in Ireland. My passions are art, photography, and writing, having created a bunch of books, with art and poetry, and several are on Amazon now. The topics range from Tales of the Forest, to two books on Understanding the Mind of Autism , to children’s

books, and, soon, my life philosophy, The White Book, and I Want To Fly. It all keeps me busy, and that’s about it.”

Tony Woodin GP’23 says: “Our grandson Jack Vogt ’23, a math and computer science major and soccer co-captain, works as a software engineer with Amazon Web Services in Boston, where he plays club soccer with a group of young Hamilton alums. Otherwise, we are chugging along with the normal aches, pains, and maladies of 80-plus-year-olds.”

Jim Cobey relates: “I am physically well, but have some intermittent cardiac angina for which I pop in a nitroglycerine occasionally. Over Christmas, we had 12 people and five dogs! Most of my time is spent working with voicesfromtheholyland.org, planning films each month and setting up the ‘salon’ discussion on one Sunday afternoon each month to discuss the situation in the region. I have performed surgery in Gaza before. My hospital, Ali Arab Hospital, run by the Episcopal church, has been bombed a number of times. It normally has 40 beds, but now has over 100 patients. My surgeon friends that I have worked with are still doing surgery with limited equipment. I am also working with groups to make Congress aware of the plight of Palestinians.”

Tina and Bill Toomajian P’01 spent a week with Doug Hyde and Margy at their winter residence in Elbow Cay, Bahamas, in January. They all plan to attend the 60th reunion next year.

The final note is from your class correspondent. Judith and I recently had dinner with John Stovall and his wife, Judy, in Denver. Jeff plays golf weekly striving for bogey, which is appropriate for this stage in life. He has expanded his art medium into watercolor this past year. It is a challenge all its own, but fun. The Western scenery provides endless material for the landscape painter. We are both hoping we can make it to the 60th reunion next year.

During our stay in Scottsdale, Ariz., this year, I played golf with Keith Wrigley ‘64 and his wife, Mary.

Bill Toomajian ’65, P’01 and Doug Hyde ’65 in Elbow Cay, Bahamas.

John Stovall ’65 and Jeff Kremen ’65 had dinner in Denver.

Mary and Keith Wrigley ’64 with Jeff Kremen ’65 after a golf outing in Scottsdale, Ariz.

1966

Class Correspondent: Curt Brand Contact Information: curtisbrand@gmail.com

News from the Class of ’66 is sparse, but here’s what I have:

Bruce Littman continues to live quietly along Lake Leman trying to age gracefully. He writes: “My wife, Diana, has Alzheimer’s disease. She remains at home with me as her primary caregiver. For fun and out of continuing interest, I collect books, particularly early editions of Montaigne (thanks to Professor Hamlin), Rabelais (thanks to Professor Davis) and Plutarch incunables (thanks to Professor Graves). My collections stop with the first English language translations. My periodic travel to cities in Europe today is organized around major book fairs. All year I also tend to my garden of herbaceous and tree peonies, mostly Chinese plants and Japanese or French hybrids. I first learned about cultivating peonies because of A.P. Saunders, who taught chemistry at Hamilton and was also the dean of the College. He is the “father of the modern peony.” I was able to visit his property, “the Ribbon,” near the College. I am fortunate to have several of his hybrids in my garden. He was president of the American Peony Society around 1930. I strongly recommend visiting the Grant Garden in the Root Glen to obtain a sense of his immense horticultural contributions. So there it is: nothing special in my life, just ‘a library and a garden.’”

Jim Meade, in his customary style, reports: “I’m sitting on the bed in a remote house in Hyderabad, India, where I have joined a group of 11,000 yogic flyers whose expressed purpose is to alleviate world tension. I have made numerous inquiries into helping fulfill our slogan of ‘know thyself.’ I am based in Northeast Pennsylvania temporarily and also available by Zoom. My mechanism for self-realization I explain nicely in my recent book, End Anxiety I did inquire into the vacated presidency of our dear alma mater. The reception was polite. ‘Hi’ to everybody. I’d love to chat and reminisce. Go Blue.”

Editor’s note: Perhaps Jim, in his meditational efforts, has figured out how to be in Southern India and Northeast PA at the same time.

John Snyder manages to keep in touch with Ted Frese, Tom Murray, Ford Ballard ’68, Jim Mabie, and Tom Wilson ’67 in a regular Zoom call each Monday at 5 p.m.

Chuck Dowd reports that in early January he and wife, Sue, decamped from their home on the north shore of Lake Tahoe for the supposedly warmer climes of Arizona for a week. Imagine their surprise when as they drove south from Phoenix to Bisbee, Ariz., when, 10 miles from the Mexican border, they were met

with snow on the ground and freezing temperatures. What’s going on? Global warming or a new Ice Age?

Adding to their foibles, they got lost on a hike in the Sonoran Desert and spent all afternoon getting back to the trail head on a hike that was supposed to be one hour. Despite all this they had a marvelous time and made it back home safely to find there had been an avalanche at nearby Palisades, Nev., in their absence! They were headed for the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico in March to hopefully find the warmth they seek among the ruins of Tulum.

Bob McKie writes: “I am trying to keep a hand in retriever training, keeping the dwindling local Star Class sailboat fleets alive, and doing as much clay target shooting (and a little instructing) as I can. Nothing really noteworthy.” Bob also notes that Bill Coen ’83, who spent three years as an assistant coach at Hamilton under Tom Murphy, has been the head basketball coach at Northeastern for almost two decades.

Bob adds: “I enter the year of the dreaded eighth decade, I find myself increasingly grateful for the four years we had in Clinton. While Hamilton today is undoubtedly a very fine (and beautiful) school, I somehow think that the educational experience that we had has necessarily been lost in translation. Faculty who lived on or near campus, tiny classes, long-serving (and suffering) faculty, and constant demands for clear and accurate communication skill have largely been left by the wayside, not only in Clinton, but pretty much everywhere. We were very fortunate, even if the surroundings were spartan by today’s standards.

“I forwarded the Dick Soden obit to Neil McBride ‘67, who was my roommate in South senior year. We lived next door to Dick. My email arrived as Neil was fighting a terrible snowstorm in Knoxville, Tenn., which, as you can imagine, is not used to dealing with such things. I will probably go to Dick’s memorial and will try to tweak Roger Howlett into going, if he is around.

“I hope that all is well with you, and everyone you are in touch with. I hope there is at least one more opportunity for us to get together in person, while we are all still able.”

Tom Gouge P’73 writes: “Oh well, I finally did it. Retired from surgery on my 80th in September. You have to do it sometime and that seemed like a nice round number. In addition to the resumption of New York City activities after COVID, Joanne and I are spending more time in Bridgehampton. I have gone from worrying about surgical education and board passage rates for my residents to the education of our grandkids, ages 9 and 5, and to fussing about the race committee at the Devon Yacht Club and figuring out where we want to go next.”

I managed to hunt down Pete Badger, who is officially in the Class of ’63, but who spent a few years in the Marines and returned to complete

his coursework with our class. I found his email in the alumni directory and sent him an email inquiring as to his health and welfare. Pete responded: “My wife and I are still on the planet (not inside it). After 38 years of happy life in Northern Virginia, we moved to a retirement community in Highlands Ranch, Colo., 10 miles and 10 minutes from my son. He is a civil engineer managing an engineering project and has two children still at home, a lacrosse-playing high school senior son and a soccer-playing high school sophomore daughter. Since our health is good, we can spend our octogenarian years watching lacrosse and soccer (and NFL football and March Madness), reading, and walking our dog. No more need for shoveling snow, housework, or even preparing meals. We are comfortable and getting along well.”

And a last-minute contribution from Terry Brooks: “Turned 80. Never thought it would happen. I am in shock. Published my 44th book in November 2023. Never thought that would happen either. Still writing so at least I don’t die of boredom. Shooting for 50 books before I check out. Good to have a goal of some sort. Locked away on the Oregon Coast for the past five years, living outside the grip of COVID. Many of you probably did the same.

“Am now becoming the storied old writer in my field of adventure/fantasy writing, and I REALLY don’t believe that is happening. What’s wrong with people? Sometimes stop in midthought and think about Hamilton and all of you 1966 whizz kids. Miss you and all the good times, whatever they were. That’s what old people do, I hear. Be well, all of you.”

Andy Horton also checked in: “Odette and I had a quiet Christmas in ‘Okla and Homa’ without the youngsters since we had spent a lot of time with them during the year, and they had ongoing Christmas activities themselves! … I will be teaching another film course this spring at the University of Oklahoma on Global Film Comedy again.”

Emma, 3, granddaughter of Andy Horton ’66.

From Ted Frese: “It was another enjoyable 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend this past December. Tom Gouge and his wife, Joanne, John Snyder, and myself had a lovely time partaking of the free drinks at Campari Headquarters, even running into Griffin Kearns ’20, whom several of us had met on a Grand Central Station scavenger hunt at a previous 1812 weekend. (In case you’re as dubious about this event as I was initially, it really was fun, and every time I go through Grand Central, I see a plaque or architectural feature that we discovered as part of the hunt.) The next day, at the Leadership Circle Dinner in Gotham Hall, we were joined by Tom Schwartz, who did a great job moderating the four recent Hamilton presidents in a discussion of what it’s like to be a college president – Gene Tobin, Joan Stewart, David Wippman, and himself, having been an interim president of Hamilton and full-time president of SUNY Purchase and Drew University. When the dinners and the discussions were over, everyone stood up to sing ‘Carissima,’ and of course we ’66-ers all voiced the eternally correct ending, ‘We still will be thy boys.’ More informative forums (or fora, if you remember your Latin) the next day. And then, that Sunday, John and I joined Jim Mabie, his wife, Margot, and Watson Bosler ’68 at a vintage Greenwich Village restaurant for an evening of laughter and memories enfolding.”

From your correspondent: Since I find news of my fellow classmates is so sparse, I’m going to briefly journey into my adventures since departing from the Hill. Here’s my summary of time on the planet. Following graduation I wound up in the Army and served in Panama and Vietnam. A shoulder dislocation in ’Nam got me status as a disabled veteran. Exposure to Agent Orange took my prostate 50 years later. The rest of me, with hip and knee replacements, is fine if you consider the age of the original equipment.

After discharge, I decided the world had more than enough bankers, and I returned to school at the University of Maryland where I obtained a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and also met my wife, Marina, who is Greek. We now live in Storrs, Conn., about a mile-and-ahalf from the University of Connecticut campus. We have four children and four grandchildren. The kids live far away — Salt Lake City, Carmel Valley, Calif., Anchorage, Alaska, and New York City. Marina and I are both retired. I guess I am now a full-time singer-songwriter, but fortunately don’t have to depend on gig money to stay afloat.

We have a place in Maine where we have spent summers for the past 21 years. It’s about an hour west of Bar Harbor. The house is in a little village where we live among a diverse population ranging from lobstermen to hedge fund managers.

Other than the lingering side effects of prostate surgery I am in good health. We also are

gym rats and go pretty regularly when we are in town. We manage a trip to Greece every couple of years and have visited a smattering of old-world countries over the years. I keep in regular contact with Chuck Dowd and Pete Belknap, and saw Pete this fall when we were out in California watching the grand-twins while their winemaker father was at a wine festival. (Check out “Ian Brand winemaker” on Google). While reading the last Glade & Glen , I was reminded that Rick Edelson P’97 has been head of the Dermatology Department at Yale New Haven for many years. I found his email, made contact, and Marina and I enjoyed a fine meal with Rick and his wife, Ruth, at a fine Spanish restaurant in New Haven. The conversation ranged from old memories to children to politics which, mixed with the fine food, made for a wonderful evening.

So, my challenge to you is to reach out. Call or email someone from the Hill that you haven’t seen for years. They may know of a really good restaurant, and you might have a really good time.

In closing, should you venture past Storrs while heading north toward Boston during the academic year or further northeast to Downeast Maine in the summer, please let us know. I would enjoy seeing your smiling faces.

1967

Class Correspondent: Barrett Seaman

Contact Information: absea@aol.com

Charles Bonenti reports that he and his wife, Stephanie Johnson, are adjusting to life at Kimball Farms, the retirement community they moved to last year in Lenox, Mass. Among their new neighbors is Reed Hand ’56. A retired newspaper editor, Charles is helping to edit and write the community’s monthly newsletter and serves on the trips and speakers committee. Classmate Nelson Woodfork and his wife, Ann,

visited in the fall. Charles also stays in touch with Martin Baenninger in Montreal, Canada, and Jeffrey Black in Saranac Lake, N.Y.

Bruce Sanford writes that he retired from BakerHostetler in 2021 after 50 years (15 on the management committee); there was no charm in 51. “We divide time between residences in Washington, Nantucket, Mass., and Palm Beach, Fla. To keep the brain stimulated, I’m serving as an editor/coach for authors whose publishers send them to me to polish a manuscript into a publishable product. In these days when wonderful old Sports Illustrated is vanishing, it’s perhaps not surprising that my former clients in book publishing land can’t pay editors to spend time editing all their titles — too many other demands on their time. So that’s when they send the authors to me; they pay me (less than lawyer rates — ha) and it’s been great fun. I only do three books at a time — can’t crowd my social life.

“At our age,” Bruce continues, “everyone has medical news, too. I have a doozy; in March 2022 I had a double lung transplant at the Cleveland Clinic, a fabulous place. The doctors there gave me a new breath of life and I am one lucky guy.”

Carleton College’s William H. Laird Professor of German and the Liberal Arts, Emeritus, Roger Paas, recently published a three-volume catalog of a major collection of books he assembled over the past four decades: Edward FitzGerald’s Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and Related Materials (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2023). You can see more at Amazon: a.co/d/7tZSZDH.

Henry Kaufman reports: “My wife, Meryl, and I moved to Washington, D.C., to be near our grown daughter, after nearly half a century in New York City and its environs. I’m still not fully retired as an attorney. I’ve given up my litigation but am still doing my book vetting and other media and publishing, as well as First Amendment and defamation-related legal consulting. I am also still dedicated to my political cartooning with New Yorker artist Felipe Galindo (FEGGO). And we are still working to defeat Donald Trump for obvious reasons that we attempt to bring to cartoon life. Here’s the tentative cover for our second book, to be published this spring, featuring a cartoon we call ‘Witch Hunts,’ in time for the last six months of the 2024 campaign. I’m also available to follow on X/Twitter on a daily basis, @henry_kaufman20.”

1968

Class Correspondent: Mike Berkowitz

Contact Information: m.berkowitz@sbcglobal.net

This issue of class notes features reports from two of our officers — Class President Chris

Henry Kaufman ’67’s political cartoon “Witch Hunts.”

Wilkinson and Class Gift Chair Hal Higby P’99 — and concludes on a note of optimism from Rev. Rand Peabody. Special thanks to Rand and his wife, Sally Sedgwick Peabody K’70, for their exemplary good work. They point out that it’s still our world to help shape!

Carroll and Chris Wilkinson celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary late last November with a trip to Washington, D.C., which, despite its being only 3.5 hours away from their home in Morgantown, W.V., had not been a destination since before the pandemic. They visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture, taking in, among other cultural artifacts, Chuck Berry’s shiny red Cadillac convertible and Louis and Lucille Armstrong’s recipe for red beans and rice, a staple of many New Orleanians’ diets. The East Wing of the National Gallery of Art was another destination, principally for the gallery of mobiles by Alexander Calder. From there they walked to the west lawn of the Capitol Building to witness the lighting of the National Christmas Tree, 64' tall and brought to Washington from the Monongahela National Forest located in Central West Virginia. They had first encountered the tree several weeks earlier when, on its way to the nation’s capital, it paused for several hours in Morgantown.

After living in Wilton, Conn., for 32 of the past 42 years — with a 10-year hiatus in the Chicago area in the ’90s before returning to the Nutmeg State — Judy and Hal Higby P’99 have decamped for Rochester, N.Y., to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Hal adds: “Before anyone reading this who remembers that I grew up outside Buffalo, N.Y., chooses to remind me of that provenance and suggest that I couldn’t resist the pull of the native soil, and its snowfall, let me assure you that, so far at least, Rochester isn’t even close to Buffalo’s winter threats. It still might surprise me, but into February has been no worse than occasionally cold and dank and relatively snow-free. And, otherwise, a pleasant surprise.

“The Flower City, like upstate elsewhere, has had a rough few decades economically, but we

are finding it very habitable. Nothing is further than 20 minutes by car, and there’s a lot to see. Good museums, well-supported top minor league baseball and hockey teams (the Utica Comets, successor to the original Clinton Comets, now play in the same league as the Rochester Americans), ample outdoor space for hiking and recreation, and proximity to areas like the Finger Lakes, which has morphed into a series of wine tours. Plus, we get to see a lot of schoolage basketball and soccer games. All in all, it’s been an easy transition.”

Rev. Rand Peabody and Sally Sedgwick Peabody K’71 are very happy in their third year at Brooksby Village, a senior living community numbering 1,800 residents in the Boston area. Aside from enjoying abundant social opportunities, they are involved in a broad variety of activities. Recently they helped organize a pro-democracy forum that drew more than 60 residents. Sally is active in a Concerned Citizens group that sponsors numerous highly attended programs. She also offers commentary during a weekly Zoom session on current events, is a co-creator of a lobbying group opposing gun violence, and serves on the chapel board. For his part, Rand participates in an every-week group of theological professionals. Plus, he lectures on literature, participates in theatrical events, shows work at the photo club, and has become the convener for a playing roster of 40 resident golfers. He says: “We both feel as productive right now as before we retired!”

We end on a bittersweet note. James MacIntyre sent a note in December and left the world too early in January. He will be memorialized in a future issue of Glade & Glen . We’ll give him the last word: “I visited my former roommate and Delta Upsilon fraternity brother, David Sansone, at his home in Charlottesville, Va., in March 2023. It was wonderful and the first time we’ve been together since graduation in 1968, 55 years ago!

“David is a retired classics professor (University of Illinois ), who is still researching ancient Greek and Latin manuscripts and writing. I am living in Charlotte, N.C., and am now a retired child and adolescent psychiatrist enjoying our grandchildren and learning to paint watercolor landscapes.”

1969

Class Correspondent: Tom Ducibella

Contact Information: tom@nanduce.com

Headlines from Rob Stroud P’03: “I am about to board a flight to the Philippines, having left Madison, Wis., just before our first significant snow of the season. I have two weeks of scuba to look forward to before returning home. Not only am I planning to attend the 55th reunion, I am also planning to ride my bike from Madison to Clinton. By taking a ferry across Lake Michigan, I will avoid riding around Chicago. The trip will be a bit under 1,000 miles. See you in June.” The class will be hearing much more about his trip from Steve Kenny P’07 and Mike Seitzinger, so stay tuned and plan to welcome Rob, especially when he arrives. From networking, we are happy to report that many of you are coming to the 55th reunion in June, and you should have received an inspiring reunion package from Steve and Mike. Not to be forgotten is our Class of 1969 Alex Hamilton scholarship fund. Why is that scholarship fund important to ’69? Recall what Russell Baker, our senior year Commencement speaker and famous columnist, told us. To paraphrase Baker: although my generation made significant advancements after World War II, we also did not get everything right. So use your Hamilton education to play a role in making the world a better place and fixing what we did not. Coming full circle, the scholarship is our way of moving this important goal forward for the next generation. For those who can afford to contribute, ask yourself: Is there anything out there you’d like fixed?

Recalling the freshman year blizzard on campus, Jim Franciose wrote: “I can picture the campus in my mind. Classes were canceled. Snow drifts covered the entrances to several buildings. Was it the first time in College history that school was closed due to snow? I had heard rumors to that effect. I also recall a flu

Christopher Wilkinson ’68 and his wife, Carroll, celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in style in Washington, D.C.

James MacIntyre ’68, left, reunited with David Sansone ’68 in Charlottesville, Va., in March 2023, and shared these photos via social media.

Rob Stroud ’69, P’03 in his bike gear.

epidemic so severe that we were told to go home! I think that also happened the same year.”

In October 2023, Bill Muller and his wife, Lynne Wilkinson Muller K’74, P’00, joined Mark Johnson and his wife, Stacey, for a cruise around Manhattan on the Circle Line. Mark and Stacey reside in Biddeford, Maine; Lynne and Bill reside in Brookhaven Hamlet, Long Island, N.Y.

Sitting beside a cozy fire, Bruce Dobkin writes that “he will never miss that snow. With a wind chill factor, it is sunny and 64 degrees in my backyard” in Southern California. Like Bruce, Steve Kenny, Mike Seitzinger, and A.G. Lafley are all in the sunny South (I expect, as this is being written in February), while your correspondent, like many of you (for example, Bob Horn in Ithaca, N.Y.), are spraying our snow shovels with WD-40 to make the snow slide off more easily to combat aging. For better weather, Bob’s anti-aging routine is riding a three-wheel bike around Ithaca. Since my (TD) recollection of Ithaca includes lots of hills, I expect Bob to be in decent shape.

Mike Seitzinger reports that he and Bill Barton, Bob “ Briefcase” Berger, and A.G. Lafley attended both the Dec. 9th ceremony to name the Hamilton basketball court the Coach Tom Murphy Court as well as the follow-up dinner honoring Coach Murphy. Mike also says that Ernie Wood continues to expand nationally his printmaking artwork. To see his work, visit Ernie Wood Art at erniewood.com.

Donna and Don Tomb P’08 add: “Having lived most of my life in Upstate New York (Hamilton and then 49 years in Saratoga Springs), I long for some snow in the Richmond, Va., area where Donna and I have lived, now full time, for six years. Ironically, our daughter and grandchildren, the real reason we moved here, now live outside of Philly due to our son-in-

law’s job change. Shit happens. We hope to make it to our 55th reunion (having missed the 50th), if health problems permit. If not, we will be with you in spirit.”

Lewis “Bubba” Lawson writes: “All is going well in Richmond. … Gigi and I are hoping to make the big 55th if the ‘crick don’t rise.’ I have kept busy writing op-eds for newspapers, doing volunteer teaching jobs for those in need, and giving a few speeches here and there. Like Oliver Goldsmith said, ‘It’s better to wear out than to rust out!’ Best wishes to all the ‘69ers. Carry on!”

Rob Schultz sends a few big thumbs up from down South.

Keith Daniel is putting together his next online music course, continuing in chronological order; this time will be the classical period, likely in late spring or summer. Stay tuned, pun intended.

Lewis Lawson writes from Richmond, Va.: “I remember fondly being in Alex Haley’s class at Hamilton as he described how he was so close in tracing his lineage to his family’s origins in Gambia. The only holdup was that he could not connect the oral tradition passed down to him from his grandmother to any dialect spoken in Gambia. We asked him to cite an example of some of the different dialects. A Gambian student, Ebou Manga ’68 I believe was his name, raised his hand and said that one of the dialects was the language of his tribe. It’s hard to capture Alex Haley’s excitement. They visited Gambia that spring to see if the stories Haley had heard from his grandmother connected with the same oral tradition from Manga’s tribe. The rest is history!

“The pictures I have sent came from a recent visit to Annapolis, Md., and once again reminded me of what an honor and privilege it was to spend four years at Hamilton! Seminal moments like Haley’s class were a direct influence on my spending 45 years in education.”

David “Obie” Obersheimer wrote in January: “As Anne and I head to Lake Tahoe, Nev., to visit our baby granddaughter this week, after a similar visit to Boston a few weeks ago, I will have visited grandkids and skied in three states this month, mixing pleasure with pleasure. I still own and manage a 300-acre forestry property in Western New York. Looking forward to catching up with the ’69ers at our 55th.”

Your class correspondent has been enjoying messaging Rob Stroud about cycling and exchanging a ton of emails with Steve and Mike about how some of us can assist Rob in his excursion to our 55th, as well as how all of us can welcome him on arrival. I will be driving with Keith Daniel from the Boston area to the reunion, unfortunately from the opposite direction as Rob. Also, another connection to the Hill is my periodic correspondence with Associate Professor of Biology Natalie Nannas, who recently received promotion and tenure. We share interests in bioethics and proper chromosome separation in cell division — if not right, bad things happen.

Reunions include the potential to meet with a particular faculty member in your field of interest, even if he/she is new to you. Call or email www.hamilton.edu/academics/our-faculty/directory. In fact, legendary Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry Emeritus Robin Kinnel writes that he will be “around” during Reunions, and I hope to catch up with him.

1970

Class Correspondents: Ray Boggs and Geoff Precourt

Contact Information: rboggssmb@gmail.com; gprecourt@gmail.com

Passing on the Boston Post Cane is an old New England tradition that started as a newspaper promotion. In brief: Each town in the six-state region was handed a ceremonial cane that, in turn, was handed on to the oldest resident of that village. When the cane-holder passed on, the Boston Post relic would go to the next oldest elder.

Bill Muller ’69 and Lynne Wilkinson Muller K’74, P’00 rendezvous with Stacey and Mark Johnson ’69 in New York City.

Lewis Lawson ’69 with a statue of author and onetime Hamilton writer-in-residence Alex Haley.

Woodsman Dave Obersheimer ’69 shares his Upstate New York fire.

Hamilton has its own legacy of canes, but when Bill Royer passed away in June, we were left without a class notes cane holder. There was no way anyone in the class could stand up to Bill’s 50-plus years of service, but the two of us volunteered to fill in. Honoring Bill’s legacy, we’ll try to keep up to date on our classmates’ comings and goings, until we leave the stage and it’s time for someone else to pick up the Class Notes Cane.

With that introduction, we’ll kick off a rather lengthy account with our own news. We both live in New England and our paths cross often in Maine.

“My wife and I moved full time to Newcastle, Maine, three years ago,” Geoff Precourt reports. “Kathryn and I were both winding down careers in the magazine business, and it was time to slow down. Our previous home was in the backwoods of Western Massachusetts, and we’re happy to have restaurants, a movie theater, and a pub within walking distance.” Geoff is largely retired but still hangs on as editor emeritus of the Journal of Advertising Research, where he spent a dozen years as editor-in-chief. He still keeps up on his hunt-and-peck typing skills volunteering as a writer for the Carpenter’s Boat Shop, a not-for-profit in nearby Pemaquid that uses boat building as a force for community building.

And, he adds, his midcoast Maine home is not far from Lower Narrows Pond in Winthrop, Maine, where Ray Boggs and his wife, Theresa, have a place. As good luck would have it, there’s a Sea Dog Brew Pub equidistant from both homes.

Ray has been retired for five years after 22 years with technology market-research firm IDC (International Data Corp.) where he headed the small/medium business research practice. Ray taught high school English for seven years after getting an MAT degree from Brown University, but grabbed an MBA from Boston College while teaching, enabling a career shift with stints at BIS/Giga/Forrester among others. Ray and Theresa have 10 grandkids, thanks to their three kids and also thanks to IVF technology (for four) as well as adoption (three) and the traditional approach (three).

While Ray was doing a fair amount of domestic travel, with occasional forays abroad (European capitals, Tokyo, São Paulo) for business and vacations, others in our class have been far more adventurous. Tom Biancaniello writes that he and his wife, Pat, went on a safari to Kruger National Park in South Africa last September. “Incredible experience: They really get you up close and personal with the animals in the bush. We did a little touring around Cape Town, Johannesburg, and went to see the incredible Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.” Tom retired from clinical practice but still teaches as a volunteer at schools of medicine at Columbia University and Stony Brook University, New York.

Percy Luney long ago retired the trophy as our most-traveled classmate, as evidenced on Facebook. He writes, “In the last two years, Bev and I have traveled to Morocco, Italy (Puglia region), Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, and Netherlands. I thought it ironic that the wine of the Puglia region [famous for its whitewashed hill towns] is Negroamaro, made from a black-skinned grape of the same name. This summer, we also toured 14 national parks over a 17-day period. My favorite was the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota.”

Class notes devotees will recall that Percy had a distinguished career as a legal academic in the U.S. as well as Japan, including service as law school dean at Florida A&M University.

John Pitarresi also has been on the move, including to Paris in 2022. “It was tremendous in every way, and the people we met — from Moroccan coffee shop owners to waiters to the Garde Nationale [French military force] — were friendly and helpful. We hit all the tourist spots and a lot of non-tourist spots.

“The most amazing thing? The Eiffel Tower. I knew it was very, very tall, but I was not prepared for how sensationally massive it is. Photos simply don’t transmit that. Went to Morocco in 2019 (met a couple of future Hamilton students

World traveler Percy Luney ’70 insists, “My wife, Bev, has shown me more churches and mosques in our travels than Professor of Art Paul Parker had slides. This horse statue by Botero from Colombia was on display in Rabat, Morocco.”

on the flight back, including Ravi Travers ’24, now a senior Continentals soccer player) and then Thailand just before the pandemic in 2020. I don’t know how many miles that was, but it was 16 1/2 hours flying over the top of the world to Hong Kong (or Kowloon) and then a couple more to Bangkok.

“Beautiful country, but I’m not sure I could ever endure those flights again.”

James Harmon (more about him later) was in Marrakech last year but more recently in France, hiking the Alps, visiting Josephine Baker’s château in Dordogne, and reuniting with Hamilton College Junior Year in France alums in Paris.

For those less excited about eight-hour time zone changes, Hawaii has appeal. John Bilzor (also see more later) and his wife, Quita, decided to avoid Florida in favor of crossing Hawaii off a ridiculously long “we’ve-never- done-that” list and wrote that they “are now spending our fourth day in Princeville, Kauai. It is just wonderful being here after enduring a horrendous flight, which we will not soon forget.”

Stewart Herman reports that he and wife, Linda, visited the Big Island last March. They spent 10 days exploring the main island, especially crawling around (smallish) volcanoes. Stewart says this was the first such adventure since his double-lung transplant three years ago.

Two classmates who had a head start on traveling were Stephen Rowe and Jim Thayer. Both left Clinton after our first year and took their acts on the road.

In more detail, Stephen trekked to Boston and Emerson College for more intensive work in acting. Though he still bleeds a bit of Buff & Blue, it was a move that paid off. “Extensive show-biz work with Edward Albee (two international tours and The Goat, 2002 Tony for Best Play), playwright Richard Nelson ’72, and British/Broadway directing ace Michael Grandage (Frost/Nixon and Red ) has softened the trauma of bad dates at Hamilton mixers,” he writes.

After an acting career that included 11 Broadway shows (including three Tony Award winners), more than 70 television shows (you can spot him on a number of the Law & Order iterations), film appearances (including Basic Instinct, The Pink Panther, and Stephen Spielberg’s The Post), countless off-Broadway appearances, and regional theater work, Stephen has retired his makeup kit to focus on training actors at Queens College/CUNY, where he settled into teaching for the last 20 years after faculty stints at Sarah Lawrence College, University of Southern California, and Harvard University. He and his wife, Chris, now live in Central New Jersey, “where all flat roads to the beach never remind me of the wicked hike up College Hill Road.”

Jim Thayer ’s winding road led to getting advanced degrees in anthropology (Ph.D., Michigan University, 1981) with fieldwork in

Ray Boggs ’70, left, and Geoff Precourt ’70.

Sierra Leone (and later in South Africa). “I was a college professor for 25 years (Western Michigan University, Oklahoma State University),” he reports, “teaching anthropology, world religions, and African studies.

“As I retired from one profession, I segued into another: in 2003, I was ordained as a priest in the Orthodox church. I served parishes in South Dakota and Wyoming. After retirement in 2012, I have been serving as an assistant priest at St. Philip’s Orthodox Church in Souderton, Pa., (about 25 miles from Philadelphia). Never married, quite happy, and my health is still holding up as I turn 77!”

Tom Copeland stayed with us in Clinton all four years and now spends about seven months a year in Florida and five months in Massachusetts. He writes, ”We have been coming to Naples for a dozen years and finally bought in 2018. We obviously enjoy the weather but also the vibrancy we find here. We are right next to the Everglades, and it has been fun to learn about this fascinating ecosystem. We have also added bocce to our usual golf games.

“After too many years of not doing much with Hamilton, we have been going back for the last few years for Fallcoming because we really enjoy seeing the students. We have endowed two scholarships — one general for science students (especially chemistry) and one to support scientific research, especially over the summer.”

There’s history in that second gift, Tom reports: “I did summer research on the Hill and my wife, Diane, did the same at Brown, and we both thought that work was a major influence on our lives. There are over 200 students doing summer research at Hamilton in all sorts of fields now. There were three of us back in our time.”

Jon Wygant has been blazing an entrepreneurial trail in Santa Barbara, Calif., after earning a master’s degree in spiritual psychology at the University of Santa Monica. Jon was president and co-founder of Iris Arc Crystal and is now president/founder of BigSpeak Inc., a speakers bureau with a roster of heavyweights. Jon has kept up with his Spanish and can still recite the opening of El Cid from memory (while wearing his Mexican sarape!).

Michael Lordi is now retired, living in San Francisco after a number of years helping befuddled MBA students at NYU’s business school library. (Michael earned a master’s degree in library science at Columbia.) Recalling his stellar work on the Roots LP that served as a humor issue of The Spectator, Michael notes, “A few years ago, l ran into a Kirkland alumna of a later generation than ours. Evidently somebody was still playing our humor issue record on campus. When l admitted to writing the Big Rock Candy Mountain parody, she solemnly told me it was chauvinistic and unfunny. Today l would probably be accused of fostering a hostile atmosphere.”

Mathews Hollinshead, with a sigh of relief, writes that he is now off Minnesota’s Twin Cities regional-transportation advisory board and no longer voting on $200 million in federal funding every cycle. But he’s still keeping busy: In January he joined 30 other leaders in a press conference, supporting a new People Over Parking affordable housing bill to outlaw minimum parking requirements statewide. He recently bought his second electric vehicle, trying to master the technicalities of winter battery management.

Frank Muckenhaupt is relaxing in Warrenton, Va., the birthplace and resting place of John S. Mosby, the Civil War raider known as “The Gray Ghost.” Frank recently hosted Mike Delahanty ’71 and his wife, Susan Shyan Delahanty K’72. Mike is retired as medical director of Edward Shaw Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. No retirement plans for Frank, though, who continues his stamp collecting and dealing at shows east of the Mississippi and via the website Stamps2Go.com, where Frank is known as “CEDARRUN.” Back in the day, when Frank was with the Duke University bookstore, he would regularly run into Professor of History Ed Lee. Some may recall Frank was almost a history major before joining Professor Paul Parker in the delights of the art world.

Wally Herrod and his wife, Barb, now of Sun Prairie, Wis., have been together since 1967. In addition to taking scores of road trips over the years, they are now enthusiastic regulars at the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and organ concerts. Their daughter, Casey Oelkers, is director of development for the MSO. Wally and Barb also co-lead hikes for their Lutheran church’s senior adult ministry.

From Eric Best: “I’m living a mostly solitary life on Frenchboro, a 5.5-square mile island of 90% conservation land about eight miles south of Mount Desert Island in Maine. Getting here means a ferry that runs only three days a week, so if you want your meal of choice, you have to bring the ingredients with you when you come. No stores. We have cars but no traffic. Population about 28 in winter. Slightly more than doubles when the exquisite weather returns in late spring to last through October.

“This location for this part of my life ,” he continues, “came about because I sailed in 2018 with my youngest of three children, who was wrestling with college entrance disappointment. (No worries, she graduated from UCLA with high honors in geography and is now applying that in New Zealand to improve her surfing skills.) I went for a walk around the harbor, fell in love with an 1824 house that had belonged to the island’s founder, and decided to follow my heart. My place includes a guest cottage suitable for four, so if you hanker for an idyllic Maine setting and trail hiking that can compete favorably with any I have ever seen in Maine, come visit. My number is: 516-712-7817.”

Dick Cohen has five grandchildren, 6 years old and under. “They are incredible, as I suspect that all grandchildren are. They live literally around the corner, so Mary Beth and I are very much involved in their lives. We have both retired, which gives us the time to be with them.

“We traveled frequently before the pandemic, but since then we have confined ourselves to trips to Jamaica and getaways to the shore. We also ventured to Maine where we saw our new Class Notes editors of Glade & Glen . At home I exercise — only occasionally in a pool, mostly on a tennis court — read, and write letters to members of Congress. I’m hoping to see Wils Mathias and his wife, Lonnie, in April, and I hear from Dave Moore from time to time. Along with the rest of my classmates, I hope to continue chugging along.”

Since 1996, Wally Jaffe has lived in Portland, Ore., with his partner, Paul King. “We moved from New York City basically for a change of pace and to lower expenses,” he explains. “At that time, Portland wasn’t on anyone’s map, and we didn’t know anyone. Over time, Portland has been in the news a lot, both for its amazing food scene, its setting — with Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens on the horizon — and unfortunately also for its terrible homeless situation. It’s a beautiful city, nonetheless.”

In 1997, Wally and Paul formed White Bird (“named after our cockatoo, Barney”), a dance-presenting company. In the last 25 years, they brought 12 dance companies annually from across the globe to perform in Portland and have built a sizable audience for dance. “We actually became the sole dance-only presenter west of the Rockies.”

With the pandemic, Wally and Paul stepped back to become co-chairs of the White Bird board: “We have always been strong advocates for the dance field and have sought to encourage presenters in the U.S. and Canada to bring more dance to their communities and venues.”

One thing that hasn’t changed, Wally adds: “I still have incredibly strong and fond memories of my time at Hamilton. I developed my love of German literature there, which led to my spending a year on a Fulbright in 1970-71, and then receiving my Ph.D. at Yale. I think back upon the great friends I made, some of whom sadly have passed away, such as Brian Jones as well as Bruce Nichols and Bob Nichols

Another from the annals of the performance arts: Steve Gulick ’s day job has been as an adjunct professor of English and public speaking at the Community College of Philadelphia after earning a master’s degree in public speaking at the University of Pennsylvania. But his after-hours work has been with the American Historical Theater as a longtime reenactor of colonial figures, especially William Penn and Thomas Paine. He also played the provincial Franciscan priest who rejected Thomas Merton’s application to join the order in Rendezvous in Bangkok … Who Killed Thomas Merton? at Philadelphia’s

Commodore Barry Arts and Cultural Center, “ Home to the Delaware Valley Irish.”

The year 2024 marks 50 years for Eve and Howard Shapiro in the Washington, D.C., area — 45 years working in health policy and five years in retirement. “Aside from notoriously humid summers,” he notes, “we have always found this to be a livable city and conducive to retirement with its museums, performing arts, and other activities.

“The highlight of our fall was a three-day weekend with Hamilton friends and their wives at the home of Jackie and George Radcliffe ’71 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It included Cheryl and Rob Shallish, Pam and John Harper ’71, Heloisa and Mark Hasskarl ’71, and Peter Salsbury ’71. Jackie, Cheryl, and Pam are alumnae of Elmira College; their matches with three Hamilton men were not coincidental!”

The takeaway from the getaway? “Wonderful conversations, great food, and entertainment provided by the Radcliffe beagles.”

Reinvention keeps Joe Groff active these days. “I majored in music at Hamilton but never did anything with it,” he writes. In fact, “It was the oboe that got me into Hamilton, but I was lackadaisical about it. Two years ago, at the ripe old age of 73, I decided to see if I could get serious about the oboe again. I found that playing again gave me a great deal of joy, so I purchased, for the first time in my life, a good oboe. I now practice diligently nearly every day, and my skills continue to improve.

“I am fortunate enough to have been accepted to play in the Sage City Symphony in Bennington, Vt., as second oboe. And of all things, here in rural Upstate New York, I have found my way into a good woodwind quintet, all of whose players are of retirement age and who are as

motivated as I am to strive for excellence and beauty in music. Need I add that it is a calming antidote to the political upheaval that threatens to upset all of our lives?

“So that’s my story. It may not interest everyone, but we all carve out little niches for ourselves, and this is mine.”

Peter Kennedy says he’s “happy to have left my life as a litigator behind many years ago.” But he’s kept his competitive edge up: “I’m part of a Hamilton hockey alumni group run by Dave McCart ’71 that Zooms every other month. The group includes Kevin Kennedy and others who were in classes before and after us.”

Peter reports he’s not playing hockey anymore but still does recreational skating several times per week and enjoys hitting the golf ball to see where it takes him. “It took a while to get back to it after shoulder replacement several years ago. My hope is that I will be able to shoot my age this year.”

Speaking of hockey, Wil Everhart P’02 tells us: “John Pitarresi, Jerry Pitarresi ’71, P’08,’10, Scott Dillenback ’80, and I met for the WesleyanHamilton hockey game that was part of the men’s hockey reunion weekend in January.” He also helped organize an Al Ham party in Harrisburg, Pa., hosted by Laura Goldberg Kuller ’85 and her husband, Steve.

Bruce MacIntyre is professor emeritus at the Conservatory of Music of Brooklyn College (CUNY) where, from 1984 to 2017, he taught music history, directed choruses, advised theses, and served as deputy chairman and as the conservatory’s director.

Bruce completed graduate work at Stony Brook, the University of Cologne, and CUNY Graduate Center with interest in Viennese choral and chamber music of the late 18th

century, including the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

With his wife, Mary Paul, (they married in the Chapel in 1984) and cat, Edmund, Bruce lives in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, enjoying New York City’s cultural offerings and traveling to the Jersey Shore and Adirondacks, as well as exotic foreign lands on occasion. Of course, we recall Bruce’s leadership of the geezer septet mini-choir at our belated 50th reunion dinner.

John Bilzor admits, “I chalk up to spending 98% of my waking (and probably sleeping) hours worrying about Trump. In recent years Quita and I have taken to spending a few winter weeks being Florida rental snowbirds. Virginia Beach, Va., has not had snow for the last two winters or more, but we do like the warmth and light (and mostly nothing else) in Florida. I have never been particularly ambitious and have achieved accordingly. Besides, it’s difficult to collect thoughts when they disappear so quickly.”

Bruce Gaylord P’06,’09 has been all over Hamilton for decades, and it’s difficult to summarize his connections to the College. For starters, Bruce and his wife, Gail Kelly, have two sons, Jesse ’06 and Cameron ’09, both of whom graduated from Hamilton (as did Bruce’s brother Larry ’74). Jesse and his wife live in Washington, D.C., and have two daughters. Cameron and his wife were married last August and live in Manhattan.

But wait: there’s more. Bruce writes: “I was co-chair (along with Alexandra Stevens ’95) of the Fairfield County Connecticut Alumni Association for a number of years. Gail and I were co-chairs of the Parents Fund of the Parents Council for three years. I am currently in my third year as a member of Hamilton’s Nominations Committee. I was a member of our class’s reunion committees over the years and was a volunteer to the College in other capacities.”

How much of a volunteer? Gail and Bruce were given Hamilton’s Volunteers of the Year Award in 2017. And, when they haven’t been

An October gathering on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, from left: John Harper ’71; Howard Shapiro ’70 and his wife, Eve; Peter Salsbury ’71; Rob Shallish ’70 and his wife, Cheryl; Heloisa and Mark Hasskarl ’71; George Radcliffe ’71 and his wife, Jackie; and friend Pam Harper.

From left: Bill Monaghan ’70, P’98,’01, his daughter Meredith Chamberlin ’98, Laura Goldberg Kuller ’85, Wil Everhart ‘70, P’02, and John Capowski ’68, and at the Al Ham birthday party in Harrisburg, Pa.

donating their time and services to the College, they’ve both been active in community affairs, signing on for committees and events and serving on nonprofit boards.

“I recently retired from the board of Homes with Hope, a 501(c)(3) that addresses issues of homelessness and food insecurity, and have mentored a young man for the last five years,” Bruce reports.

For day jobs, “I graduated from law school after Hamilton and, several years after that, from New York University business school (with an M.B.A.). I worked in the legal department of what is now JPMorgan Chase in New York for 32 years and then in the legal department of Terex Corp. (as chief counsel for one of the company’s business segments) in Westport, Conn., for eight years, before I retired in 2014.

Bruce and Gail (who is also an attorney) have lived in Westport for 41 years. Whenever they can find some spare time, “We visit with our sons and their families (especially our granddaughters!), play golf, hike, walk, bike, work out at the gym, travel, meet with friends, take classes at the Lifetime Learners Institute, and read.”

John Polak P’98,’04 also has maintained close contact with Hamilton. Three of his children attended the College, and he has high hopes that his six grandchildren (who live down the street from him in Napier, Ill.) “may someday also tread the campus.

“As for me, I have successfully retired after 51 years in the insurance industry. While I would like to claim golf as my carryover sport from Hamilton, I am so bad at it I have taken up tube-watching and naps.”

And, when he’s up from the couch, travel is a big part of John’s life: “Pre-COVID, our longest trips were to China (including a stop-in in Tibet and Wuhan, but I didn’t inhale). Since then, we did a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest.”

Another classmate who has kept the legacy of our class fresh is Steve Rabe P’04, whose daughter, Elizabeth, graduated from Hamilton in 2004. With post-pandemic travel to Paris and Normandy, Steve and his wife, Genice, plan to travel to Japan this spring, with a 50th wedding anniversary on the books for this August. Until then, he’s getting to know his new hometown: “We recently sold our home on 103 acres near Salem, Ore., and moved to Portland,” he reports. “We had wanted for a long time to live in ‘Portlandia.’ We are within walking distance of 150 restaurants, lots of bars, and a big hardware store.”

Steve was set to present a virtual event for Hamilton alumni and parents moderated by Professor of History Maurice Isserman. The focus of the session: Steve’s book, The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in A French Village (Cambridge University Press, 2022). “The book has sold amazingly well,” he writes. “We sold

out the first printing in one month, and the book has just kept on selling.”

A final nugget from Steve: “I’m addicted to golf. In 2020, I shot my age [then 72]. Next day, I got younger and scored a 71.”

Class notes is just one of the places where John Engell ’s name is appearing in print. Since retiring from his position as a professor of English at San Jose State University, he writes, “I’ve become a full-time writer of fiction, with a bit of poetry, as well. And I love it.

“In early September of this year, Short Story America Press will publish a collection of my stories, Piedmont People: A Carolina Story Collection . Eleven of the 12 stories in this collection already have been published individually in literary magazines. The collection also will include the first chapter of one of the three novels I have written in the last few years. I’m hoping to land a publisher for one or more of these novels. I’m currently beginning to plan readings I will do early this fall here on the West Coast in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, and maybe Portland, San Jose, and San Diego.”

James Harmon writes, “A long time ago I came across a discussion about a liberal arts education that included comments about the meaning of the word ‘education.’ The speaker pointed out that its Latin roots refer not to anything like ‘filling up,’ but rather to the process of ‘being led out.’ I’ve always liked that idea. Certainly, my experiences at Hamilton encouraged me to look at education that way. I’m still being educated, and, I guess, along the way I reinvent myself.

“ Bill Royer called himself ‘a gentleman of leisure.’ That’s what I am now, and I am grateful to Hamilton for giving me a solid foundation. I am never bored. Never wondering what to do.”

Missing from the 1970 roster of updates is Bill Royer, who faithfully and diligently compiled these notes from the time of our graduation until last June, when he passed away at his home in Chattanooga, Tenn.

“He was the world’s most diligent class correspondent,” says Bruce Gaylord P’06,’09 “We will miss him for that and for being a great classmate with a terrific sense of humor.”

Kevin Kennedy writes, “Bill was kind to all and a consummate gentleman. … Our world is diminished by his departure.” From Peter Kennedy: “He touched so many and asked for so little, except for news.” Adds Ray Boggs, “Bill was the ideal correspondent, coaxing news from us with a gentle good humor.”

“Bill did yeoman’s work; kept us all connected,” remembers Roger Jones. Adds Bill Monaghan P’98,’01, “I don’t know if I ever spoke to Bill in four years on campus and that was clearly my loss. Over the years, he was so diligent making sure that the class was represented.”

Geoff Precourt notes, “Bill’s kindness, his patience with us, and his gentle sense of humor have kept our ’70 community active and alive for decades.” Peter Peuler, one of Bill’s Dunham

roommates, cites his “kind and gentle manner.” Eric Best recalls “a gentle soul who was generous to all.” And, as Ting-Yi Oei observes, “Bill was a very kind and devoted classmate, and we will miss him.”

“We were not close on the Hill,” adds Percy Luney, “but we kept in touch by email and identified with each other as Hamilton grads in the South. Four years ago, before the pandemic, I had a meeting in Chattanooga and scheduled a time for Bill and me to get together for lunch. We had a delightful afternoon talking about Hamilton and Southern politics over a bottle of wine. I only wish that I had gotten to know Bill better when we were at Hamilton.”

The McCallie School, an all-boys private school, brought Bill to Tennessee. As he recalled in 2012 on the occasion of his retirement, “I had never been to the South. I arrived in Chattanooga in 1972 because I needed a job and McCallie needed a French teacher. Before I knew it, McCallie had become home. The students became my family.”

James Harmon, who remained close to Bill in the years after graduation (“I miss him terribly”) was unable to attend the celebration of Bill’s life on the Chattanooga campus last September, but did hear from one of his McCallie colleagues who wrote, “We had over 150 people there and former students of Bill came from all over the country. Lots of Manhattans and Old Fashioneds were consumed in Bill’s honor (along with beer and wine, too, of course!).

“The toasts went on and on. He was spoken of as a ‘second father’ to all these boys, now grown men. It was so touching. Some students who took one of his French classes told of how they spent their time learning all about French wine. Bill would peep out the classroom door to make sure the coast was clear and then let them sip the different wines in teeny little cups.

“Fellow teachers in the Language Department remembered when Bill became head of the department and insisted that all classes in a modern language must be taught totally in that language — no English spoken. That had

Bill Royer ’70

1972

Class Correspondents: Susan Bickford and Glenn Reisman

Contact Information: susan.bickford@gmail.com; glenn.reisman@ge.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton/Kirkland College Class of 1972

Barbara Stein reports, “Our DC-Baltimore Kirkland group got together Feb. 7 for dinner, but primarily to attend Ann Armfield Hahn’s daughter (world-famous violinist) Hillary Hahn’s concert at the Kennedy Center.”

not been done before. And it is still the rule today as well.

“I remember Bill used to tell me that whenever he went on a trip to France that he would always dream in French. So cool!”

“Our class has lost its voice for many years,” Tom Biancaniello notes. Two of our classmates address Bill directly: “Il va nous manquer! (Phillip Wolfe) and “ Va avec Dieu, Guillaume.” ( Wally Herrod)

1971

Class Correspondent: Rory Radding

Contact Information: roryradding@gmail.com

Jack Withiam P’16,’20 sent a photo from 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend in New York City. He is pictured with James Taylor ’17, Joel Johnson ’65, P’93, and Dave Nichols ’77. The foursome took in Sweeney Todd together on Saturday night and captured a group shot from the lobby of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre where they saw the show.

Nancy Ross and her brother Bob Ross ’69 will be presenting a series of programs on George Gershwin at the Chautauqua Institution during the week of July 15th. The series was inspired by the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, and the 100th birthday of Nancy’s and Bob’s mother, who was George Gershwin’s first cousin. The series includes: “George Gershwin As Artist,” “George Gershwin As Family Man, Behind the Fame” (recollections of Nancy’s and Bob’s mother growing up in the Gershwin family with her cousin “Georgie”), and “George Gershwin As a Major Influence in America and Abroad for More Than 100 Years.”

Nancy and Bob will both be at Reunion Weekend in June, and anyone interested in finding out more about the Chautauqua Gershwin series can contact them by email, Nancy at nrossco@aol.com or Bob at robertrossadk@ gmail.com.

Ruth Stevens continues to be very active with other K’72 friends and her career: “Constance Stellas and I will be welcoming Ilene Hoyle, Leslie Swid, Kate Emlen P’14, and Christie Vilsack P’00 to New York City for a weekend of constant conversation in early May. I am busy preparing to teach marketing in the executive M.B.A. program at NYU Stern [School of Business] this summer. I love the schedule: Ten, threehour sessions on Friday and Saturday mornings, every other weekend.”

Katrin Belenky Peck sends greetings to K’72: “Even though I was unable to attend our 50th reunion, I have been pleased to stay in touch with several Kirkland classmates in DC, Baltimore, and Richmond, Va. My husband, Sam Peck, and I built a home in 2021 in Glen Echo, Md., near Bethesda. We like it here, and for a change of pace we visit Sam’s son, daughter-inlaw, and 2- 1/2-year-old granddaughter in New York City, or take short vacations in Vero Beach, Fla. I am always in touch with Mikey

Dodds Russell P’95 and her husband, Hank Hutson ’69, who live in Baltimore. Mikey and Hank attended my December New Dominion Chorale concert in McLean, Va., and I was very pleased. I also stay in touch with my Kirkland and law school pal, Sara Redding Wilson, and recently I connected again with Elspeth Savage McClelland. Sam and I are fully retired. He manages a small hedge fund, and I do lots of choral singing and aquarobics, and fulfill various volunteer leadership roles for Vassar College. We adore our two Brittany Spaniels, Yasha and Abby.” Susan Bickford reports that she will not require any further treatment after her bilateral mastectomy in December and she’s getting back to writing her next thriller. “My sister, Pal, used to come and visit me often at Kirkland and some may remember her. She stayed with me for almost four weeks. She cleaned out my closets, reorganized my garage, installed new locks, and restructured my pantry. Then it was time to go. It was wonderful to know that two very different people can get along so well.”

David Nathans shares: “Finally retired from daily work, I am busier than ever with local volunteer projects and playing lots of racquet sports, primarily tennis and paddle. Most importantly, I have been invited to be a visiting scholar at the American Academy in Rome this spring. I will be completing long-dormant research from graduate school on a forgotten 19th-century American poet-painter named Thomas Buchanan Read. In his day, Read claimed fellow poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and renowned American sculptor Hiram Powers among his closest friends. Read’s most famous poem and painting is Sheridan’s Ride, glorifying the Union general’s victory in the Shenandoah Valley in October 1864. I was fortunate enough to acquire a version of the painting (I’m sharing a picture of it in our library) a few years ago. It has inspired me to tell the story of Read’s great commercial success while living in Rome between 1868-1872. My American Academy proposal suggests an academic periodical article or two, but the wonderful wealth of primary material in letters, journals, and diaries has me dreaming about

From left: James Taylor ’17, Jack Withiam ’71, P’16,’20, Joel Johnson ’65, P’93, and Dave Nichols ’77 at Sweeney Todd during 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend in New York City.

David Nathans ’72 in his library next to his version of Thomas Buchanan Read’s painting of General Philip Sheridan.

A few DC/Baltimore Kirkland folks got together to attend an incredible concert that featured world-renowned violinist Hilary Hahn, daughter of Anne Armfield Hahn K’72, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

From left: Alison Ely Barschdorf K’72, Hilary Hahn, Anne Armfield Hahn K’72, Barbara Stein K’72, Elaine Weiss K’73, and Mikey Dodds K’72. While not in the photo, among the plus-ones was Hank Hutson ‘69.

writing a blockbuster historical film screenplay. What fun!”

Rob Dretler announced that “I decided to cut back to half time as an infectious disease specialist, so I am working closer to 30 hours a week. But I still love the work so I’m not ready to quit, especially since my daughter is a partner in the group and she is becoming managing partner as I step down. It is great to work with and to see your child every day. Plus, she and her husband and my two grandchildren live less than two miles away from us.”

Rob “was invited to become a director of the board of the Infectious Disease Society of America. So the free time I had planned with cutting hours has immediately been swallowed up. I feel like Ado Annie in Oklahoma: ‘I’m just a girl who can’t say no. I’m in a terrible fix.’

“Meanwhile, Muffie and I have been married for 45 years this April! But for our celebration, she is going to her Wellesley reunion, and I’m biking with three friends from Prague to Budapest to Vienna. Perhaps the secret of a successful relationship is holding out a bit of independence.”

Jon Hysell P’04 reported: “My wife, Britt, and I had a pleasant meeting with Robert V. Hansmann at his writers’ center in Bennington, Vt., on the way back to Clinton from Franconia Notch in New Hampshire. Bob was in good spirits and his center is a well-crafted space for writers to find their voices.”

Jordan’s attempt to become House speaker, including one by me and one by Richie Kavesh. While that may or may not have set a record by having two members of the same college’s graduating class getting letters printed in The Times on the same day, it sure does say something really good for the continuing effect that the Government and English departments have on Hamilton students.” Two weeks later, Chuck had a letter published in The Washington Post dealing with the proposed expulsion of George Santos from the House of Representatives. It was actually the second time in 2023 that Chuck, in what is sort of like the pundit’s equivalent of picking up the 7/10 split, had letters published in both The Times and The Post within a two-week period.

Donny Williamson wrote to say that since our 50th reunion, he, Robby Brewer P’09, and Don Reynolds ’76 have been meeting every few months for lunch to trade stories about their careers and Hamilton experience. Donny sold his accounting practice last year and will retire from American University in September, when he will become a full-time farmer on a property in Central Virginia. He frankly finds the transition to retirement disconcerting, but it really was time to move on and start something new. The adventure continues! Don is the Kogod Eminent Professor of Taxation, Howard S. Dvorkin Fellow, and Dean’s Faculty Excellence Fellow in Accounting at the Kogod School of Business, American University.

Mark Richard reports that he is not retired and isn’t planning to retire anytime soon. He is teaching a seminar on gender and racial identities and a course in modal logic, and continues to be director of graduate studies at a middling school in Massachusetts (Harvard — my addition, not his). He finally broke down and got a tattoo (which reads, “Why not Sneeze, Rose Sélavy”) and has booked an appointment for another. He is thinking about doing a karaoke performance of “Baby, Baby, Where Did My Hair Go?” He misses his friends from Hamilton and Kirkland and encourages them to get in touch. This means you, “ Stocker, Leff, Ash, Murphy, Norman, Decter, Kroll, Weisman, Klenck, Kestenbaum, Towers, Reisman, Bath, Berley, and all the rest of youse.” He says it’s getting late in the game, so let us be together. Mark is the director of graduate studies in the Philosophy Department at Harvard.

that he is not hitting as high a speed as he used to. He hasn’t broken 50 mph for a couple of seasons now. His travel schedule continues in late April and May with an East Coast sojourn in North Carolina where he hopes to see family, friends, and classmates, along with some sunshine, at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Steve Gebo said the highlight of last year was his 43-day, 21-state, 9,800-mile cross-country trip across the northern part of the country. They visited 14 national parks as well as several national monuments and historic sites. All of the national parks are good (they have visited 43), but their favorites were the Grand Tetons and the Redwoods. Other highlights of the trip were a float trip down the Snake River, the Black Hills in South Dakota, and the Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park. He says that it is not often you get to see hundreds of buffalo charging at you across the prairie. One of their goals is to visit all 50 states. “We now have only Hawaii left and hope to visit there this year,” he says.

Class Correspondent: Judy Nauseef and Rick Eckman

Contact Information: judy.nauseef@gmail.com; richard.eckman@troutman.com

Congrats to Chuck Cutolo, who reports that “the Oct. 21, 2023, edition of The New York Times printed three letters to the editor about Jim

Tommy Thompson says: “Winter is ski time for me.” Despite other distractions, he has put in four weeks so far, two at Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid, N.Y., one at Ski Santa Fe in New Mexico, and one at Wolf Creek Pass Ski Area in Colorado. Two more weeks, one at Taos Ski Valley and another at Ski Santa Fe, were coming up in February. After that, he was home for all of March and early April. There will be a few day trips to Ski Santa Fe before the season ends. He has noticed that it takes longer to beat his legs into shape each year and

Phil O’Neill continues to fail complete retirement. A selection panel of experienced international judges and academics, acting on behalf of the European Commission, found Phil to be suitable for appointment to resolve sovereign trade disputes. He is now publicly listed on the European Union panel for the position of chairperson for arbitrations — one of a handful of Americans named among approximately 60 individuals globally to the list of arbitrators eligible to chair arbitral panels

Jon Hysell ’72, P’04 and Robert V. Hansmann ’72.

A painting by Gina Werfel K’73.

for disputes under the EU/UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (Brexit).

Craig Caldwell continues to travel around the world birding. He says he had a lot of fun preparing and giving his “A Birder’s Odyssey” talk. He has taken birding tours to the Galapagos and Australia. His world list now stands at 4,795. Next up (which will probably be finished by the time folks read this) are Romania and Hungary.

Now, the Kirkland update from Judy Nauseef: Gina Werfel sent information about her upcoming show with her husband, Hearne Pardee. The show, titled Fragments, runs from Feb. 9 to April 2, 2024, at the Pence Gallery in Davis, Calif. Fragments highlights Gina and Hearne’s recent paintings, collages, and drawings. Both have recently retired from teaching at University of California, Davis, having spent more than 20 years teaching art, in addition to maintaining busy studio practices. Despite the differences between their respective work, they each approach their practice with the intent of layering or fragmenting multiple points of view or perspectives.

Caroline Webber shares: “I’m teaching my once-a-year course in Food, Nutrition, and Climate Change at Western Michigan University and continue to do some volunteer work with an Afghan family who settled in Kalamazoo two years ago. Working with a mom and eldest daughter who are illiterate even in their native tongue (no writing skills at all) makes me appreciate the good fortune of being born in a place and time where mandatory schooling for both girls and boys (1950s lingo) is taken for granted.”

Elyn MacInnis has this wonderful story to tell: “I went to Kuliang, the mountain town outside of Fuzhou, China, to be part of a big symposium about the significance of people-to-people friendship, celebrating the multiple generations of friendships between the Chinese and American families there. We were honored with a letter from President Xi, who thanked us and encouraged us to do more to bring out the stories of the people on the mountain. [See a

video with English subtitles about the ‘Kuliang Friends’ here: www.youtube.com/watch?v= KSMUwaMDxJ8.] I didn’t think I would write another book in my life, but it is happening because everyone is so enthusiastic. After the summer symposium, I was invited to attend the ‘Friends’ dinner that President Xi had during the APEC meetings in San Francisco, and I got to meet him and shake hands.”

Martha Hawley says: “I’m now living in Haarlem (in the Netherlands, mother to Harlem, New York City), still close to Amsterdam with my daughter and friends, but smaller, minus hordes of tourists, and a bit closer to the North Sea. It’s nice to take a short bus ride to the beach and sip coffee while looking out at the (lack of) surf.

“I just spent a month in the U.S., with a sister and her husband in Georgia. I’ve been to Georgia many times since they moved there in the ’70s, but each visit serves up the powerful contrast between warm hospitality, ‘How y’all doin?’ everywhere, and life with a pronounced conservative tone and without public transpor -

tation. I had the unique experience this time of acquiring a red [University of] Georgia Bulldogs sweatshirt to join in the last bit of college football happiness in the household, and of having my hair cut by a powerful woman who turned out to also be a dairy farmer.”

Kristin Wambold Liebling writes: “Our big news is that this past July, my husband, Charlie ’74, and I traveled to the Garden of La Foce in Chianciano, Italy, to celebrate the wedding of our son Christopher to Lina Basilaia of Georgia (the Republic). (The silver lining of the COVID crisis was the disruption of consular operations which made it impossible for the Basilaia family to get visas for the U.S. — hence, Italy). The event was attended by the entire Wambold family, including Auntie Robin Wambold, and the Liebling clans. Among the guests were Peter Spellane and his wife, Joanne. The happy newlyweds are settled in New York City and are doing their best to avoid pressure to produce grandchildren immediately. As for the grown-ups, my term as director on the board for the International Center for Transitional Justice has been renewed for another three years, and Charlie is continuing his activism on behalf of the Western Sahara. Life is full and we are very grateful for all our blessings in these difficult times.

The last word comes from your correspondent, Judy Nauseef: “The mountains of Clintonlike snow have melted, but it will be a few more weeks before spring shows up and you are reading this issue. Many visits with family and friends and a return trip to Provence were highlights of last year. Our 2024 calendar began with our children letting us know when

Elyn MacInnis K’73 meeting Chinese President Xi.

Charlie Liebling ’74 and Kristin Wambold Liebling K’73 at their son’s wedding in the Garden of La Foce in Chianciano, Italy.

Kristin Wambold Liebling K’73 and Charlie Liebling ’74 with their son, Christopher, and his new wife, Lina.

Kristin Wambold Liebling K’73 and Charlie Liebling ’74 with their son and daughter-in-law.

they are coming home, which we love. I am continuing to write on native plants for the Better Homes and Garden blog. Thank you to these Kirkland women for keeping in touch.”

1974

Class Correspondent: Nanelle Napp and Ed Watkins

Contact Information: elle2nan@gmail.com; watkinseg1974@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College and Kirkland College Classes of 1974

Hamilton College Class of 1974

Ed Watkins has the first word: We hope everyone plans to attend our 50th reunion. Go to our class website, hk74.org, to see who is coming.

Greg Eisenhut and his family won some cash and a brand new car on Family Feud in February. Greg’s answers were, if nothing, creative.

Father Dan Ruff writes: “I continue to work in campus ministry at St. Joseph’s University (SJU) in Philadelphia. I also continue to ‘moonlight’ as an adjunct professor of preaching at St. Charles Seminary. My main responsibilities at SJU include running the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults Program for students seeking baptism, first communion, and/or confirmation. I also preside and preach regularly, of course, and I do ‘Wednesday Worship’ every week (exposition, adoration, and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament). I am trying to get back to seeing more theatre, which is my great passion. It took a long while after the pandemic ended for me to feel comfortable going to a crowded theatre. I guess now I am more daunted by the cost — even for local and community-based theatre. The fine and performing arts seem to be suffering from ‘long COVID’ — audiences have not come back in the same numbers as before, and the arts are finding it challenging to continue. Just to put in a plug, however: I think the arts are more needed than ever if civilization is to have a chance to survive. Jim Kennedy and I certainly made a contribution when we appeared in The Servant of Two Masters at Minor Theater as part of a January course on the 4-1-4 curriculum (remember that?).”

And now, over to Nanelle Napp: When you read this edition of Glade & Glen , our 50th reunion will be a little more than a month away. The 50th reunion committee has been preparing a wonderful weekend, June 6-9, with pre-reunion events on June 5 in Utica. As the co-chair of our reunion committee, I have had the pleasure to talk to many of you and to hear about other women of the Kirkland Class of 1974.

Kathleen Smith, who lives in Taos, N.M., is excited about making the trip to Clinton as she has not been East in a while. She will be talking about her art on Friday evening. Kathleen works with pastels creating incredible New Mexico landscapes. She says on the Wilder Nightingale Gallery’s website: “Pastels became my chosen medium for their immediacy and the purity of colors which were part of my experience in the New Mexico light.”

I heard from another artist, Judi Carlen, who lives in Millwood, N.Y., and hopes to move to the Hudson Valley. Judi’s work is also stunning. I have included an image of one of her paintings. I will work with the school to investigate how we can publish more of her art and Kathleen’s. Judi is juggling events and unsure if she can come to the reunion.

Peg Read-Weiss would love to be with us for the reunion but will be attending her nephew’s wedding that weekend. She and her husband are doing well living in Massachusetts.

Lynne Hochheiser Groff also wanted to be with us; however, her son is getting his doctorate in California that weekend. We congratulate him on his accomplishment.

Maria Zammit P’08 and Michael Bordy have been working to coordinate events, including virtual, on-campus, and Utica options, in celebration of our 50th reunion. We have an amazing number of authors, artists, professors, teachers, physicians, lawyers, and businesspeople who could all share their insights on their career and life journeys. Maria and Michael had to narrow it to four “alumni colleges’,” the term the College uses for reunion presentations and talks. We will have Susie Hartman, writer, and Columbia adjunct professor, talk on Thursday about her book, City of Refugees. This event will be at Munson in Utica and includes a lunch catered by a refugee restaurant owner whom Susie's book follows. John Donohue will speak on gun control; John is a Stamford law professor and has written extensively on this crucial issue. Ashton Applewhite, writer and activist, will talk about aging and the biased stereotypes we possess related to aging. Suzy Elmiger, film editor, will speak about her experience in the film industry, a profession traditionally dominated by men and one in which she has had an award-winning career. And, in the words of Connie Miner, “the reunion will be a wonderful gabfest,” plus music, dancing, and eating.

Check out our website, developed by Cosmo Castellano P’11, hk74.org. We hope to see you

in June. Please register. There is still a place for you.

Editor’s note: In the last issue, we mistakenly stated that Elizabeth Samenfeld-Specht K’74 graduated from Kirkland in 1975; she graduated from Kirkland in 1974.

1975

Class Correspondent: Bob Hylas

Contact Information: bobhylas@gmail.com

First of all, Bob Evans P’09,’10,’12 suggested we send a reminder that a 50th reunion committee is forming and is making plans for the great event! He also suggested we all put June 12-15, 2025, on our calendars! Great suggestion, Bob — done. He also sends his warmest regards and hopes to see us at the reunion.

As pictured, David Brody recently ran into Bob Kinkel ’79 at Cabernet, a Williamsville, N.Y., wine bar. They had lots of fun catching up. Dave didn’t know Bob at Hamilton, as Bob arrived the fall after Dave graduated. The first time Dave and Bob met was through Jeb Guthrie, when Jeb was setting up for a long-ago reunion concert. A few months later, Dave was sitting in Cabernet having a glass of wine with friends and who walked in but “this guy who looked familiar.” They did a double-take and discovered not only did they both go to Hamilton, but they both were from the same hometown! Dave and Bob have been friends ever since. Dave has many Hamilton friends who were not even on the Hill when he was there — “such a nice feeling!”

Mike Calder says, “As to my story,” he retired in 2023 “after 42 years of service with one company and 47 [years] overall in the insurance business.” For the past 20-plus years, Mike was part of the international division of his company and, as such, traveled extensively overseas. By last September, all that travel qualified Mike for membership in the Travelers Century Club because he met the requirement of visiting over 100 countries and distinct territories around the world. “Retirement plans?” Well, Mike and his wife have even more travel plans. They just returned from Central America and planned to visit the Middle East in May. Says Mike: “Gotta

One of Judi Carlen K’74’s paintings.

David Brody ’75 and Bob Kinkel ’79 at Cabernet wine bar.

use those accumulated air miles somehow.”

(Correction: In a prior issue of Glade & Glen, Mike reported meeting classmate Kevin Drew at a recycling conference. We incorrectly reported that Mike made a presentation at that conference, whereas it was Kevin who spoke at the conference where Mike and Kevin met and had a chance to catch up, as previously reported.)

WendyEllen Schacknow Cochran continues to bask in her fairly new hometown of Napa, Calif. She currently is teaching Hebrew school to second and third graders at her local temple and enjoying life in wine country. But she’s hoping to soon get back onto the “travel train.” For instance, she’s planning a Viking cruise before next November and a long visit to the Northeast in August to attend her cousin’s wedding in Boston. The last time she drove over 900 miles was starting in Long Island, N.Y., and making it to Vermont and Massachusetts. She’s also hoping to celebrate her 70th

birthday in Santa Fe, N.M., for a “study trip” on the hidden Jews of Mexico. For WendyEllen, “life is good.” She is “humbly accepting” any visitors to Napa. “Let me know!”

Some updates from Phyllis Cohen: She reports that 2023 was “consumed” with travel, including to Los Angeles, to the Cal-A-Vie Spa near San Diego, and to New York and London. Other wise, Phyllis “mostly” did bridal showers and planned for her daughter’s September 2023 wedding, after which she and her husband “escaped” to a relaxing week in Napa Valley. During the trip to New York, they saw Beth Martin. Otherwise, they had a quiet fall. This year will be even busier for Phyllis, with several trips already planned to New York, where they have a second home, and in May to Portugal and Spain. Phyllis says, “I couldn’t help myself” from sharing a photo of her daughter’s wedding.

Bill Ferris reports all is good in New Jersey aside from “the almost constant rain.” He is staying active now with six grandchildren frequently swarming about. He also mentioned, “I had to express deep sympathy lately to Dave Brody and other valiant Buffalo Bills fans in their sudden playoff demise.” Steve Gorman ’76 visited Bill that playoff weekend and they shared “utmost hopes” for our Buffalo buddies. Steve brought some nice flowers, as pictured, for Bill’s wife (with the flowers clearly saying, according to Bill, ‘GO BILLS!’).

Robin Hall Jordan writes that she and her husband, Robert, retired eight years ago to the Boothbay peninsula off of Maine. Their 1800s home overlooks a river. Robin also reminisced about waitressing in the area many years ago at the Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor during her Kirkland/Hamilton summers!

Now fully retired, Robin and her husband volunteer for the Boothbay Land Trust in its water quality sampling program and for the nonprofit Harbor Theater, which presents classic films, has an art series, sponsors guest speakers, and shows the usual film fare. They also “work” as greeters for the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, a fabulous 325-acre spot with whimsical troll decorations and beautifully designed landscape architectures. Robin mentioned that Steve Malcolm ’74 lives in the area and built a great local business. Robin’s sister and brother-in-law live less than a mile away on the same island where they can all spend loads of time with her sister’s two kids, their spouses, and two granddaughters when they visit.

Looking back, Robin loved her work as a physician’s assistant in the many different places that life took them (including North Carolina, at the state hospital; Florida, at the University of Miami diabetes unit; Belgium, at the NATO hospital; and Ohio, in a family practice), as Robert had a full career as a U.S. Air Force fighter jet officer, followed by various defense government positions. Robin says: “We sure moved often and saw the U.S. from coast

to coast, as well as Europe and Korea.” Now they both often use the common local phrase: “Maine, the way life should be.” Robin sent a picture and mentioned her marriage is “38 years and counting.”

Martin Percy has never before submitted an update for Class Notes, but responded this time with some “feedback” and agreed to share this update. After graduating in 1975, Martin eventually decided to enlist in the U.S. Army where he served on active duty for three years followed by a three-year reserve commitment. Upon completion of his military obligation, he enrolled at Clarkson College of Technology (CCT) where he earned both a B.S. and an M.S. in civil and environmental engineering and was inducted into the Chi Epsilon, Phi Kappa Phi, and Tau Beta Pi honor societies. After he got his master’s degree, Martin was hired by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) where he eventually earned both a professional engineer’s license and a certification as a professional traffic engineer. He was also certified as a professional traffic operations engineer.

Beth Martin K’75 and Phyllis Cohen K’75 in New York City.

Phyllis Cohen K’75 at her daughter’s wedding in September 2023.

Steve Gorman ’76 with the flowers he brought for Bill Ferris ’75’s wife on a visit to Steve in New Jersey.

Robin Hall Jordan K’75 and her husband, Robert, in Maine.

He worked for nearly 30 years for the NYSDOT and retired as the region 7 regional traffic engineer. (He says his only certification now is simply as “old and in the way — ha ha ha!”) Now fully retired, Martin’s “feedback” was his rather mixed feelings about the time he spent at Hamilton. He was a member of the Hamilton men’s lacrosse team where he did feel he was able to make an important contribution. But otherwise, he never truly was able to engage academically or, for whatever reason, become fully invested in the people and the time he spent at Hamilton, although he did meet several people he will always remember fondly. Regardless, after so many years and as we approach 50 years since we graduated, Martin wishes to extend his regards and sincere best wishes to old friends and all of his former classmates as we approach this important milestone. In other words, “Cheers!”

Deborah Ross P’87 also doesn’t think she has sent in an update “in a long time, if ever,” but says, “Here’s my life at the moment.” At the end of 2021, she retired from teaching at Hawaii Pacific University and moved with her dog and

cat to Ashland, Ore., to help take care of her sister. During that time, her daughter, Violet, got married and gave birth to a grandson, Levi Keith Hodge, whom she sent a picture of, posing in a pumpkin! Levi turned 1 in January and Violet has now almost finished a doctoral program at the University of South Carolina. Deborah’s son, Anton, has been living and working in Georgia but is planning on moving to Ashland soon.

Deborah is also still writing, mostly fiction and memoirs. Besides the two pieces that appeared in the two volumes of Lost Orchard, her most recent publication is a short story called “Adverse Possession” (she sent a photo of the cover page) in the online magazine Blue Lake Review available at bluelakereview.weebly.

com/adverse-possession.html. (Per Deborah, “if anyone is interested” a list of some of her publications is available at https://www.linkedin. com/pulse/selected-publications-deborah-ross/?trackingId=rd9zt%2BI0QSuiAMvU1X%2B8Yg%3D%3D.)

Tracey Stephens says 2024 is the Lunar Year of the Dragon and she is embracing it! She turned 70 last year and felt a renewed vigor and sense of purpose in her life, as she shed expectations and assumptions about what “older” people are supposed to be doing. She’s been successfully designing and renovating sustainable, award-winning kitchens and baths for the past 30-plus years. She’s a committed climate activist working on the local, state, and national levels to end fossil fuels and stop environmental racism. She is also quite proud of her son who has had success with his band Pinegrove — “lo-fi language arts rock with a lil bit of twang.” A few years ago, she and her husband downsized to a two-family house in Bloomfield, N.J., that they share with their

We’re already thinking about Reunion Weekend 2025, are you?

Join your class year’s reunion committee to help plan a weekend to remember! All classes from the 5s and 10s are invited.

REUNIONS ’25 JUNE 5 - 8, 2025

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Levi, the grandson of Deborah Ross K’75, P’87.

The cover of Deborah Ross K’75, P’87’s “Adverse Possession.”

Tracey Stephens K’75.

Keehn Thomsen ’75 and Dave Duggan ’75.

“daughter and fam.” Tracey is “excited for what’s next!”

Keehn Thomsen was happy to report that last November, Dave Duggan’s wife had a business trip to Seattle, so naturally Dave came along. Keehn entertained them at his home with “a typical Seattle dinner of salmon.” They had an enjoyable evening catching up and reminiscing about Hamilton’s infamous Dunham dorm where they both “survived” across the hall from each other during their freshman year. Keehn is looking forward to taking Dave up on his invitation to dinner next time Keehn travels to “upstate.”

into my first career, volunteering on a dental relief mission in Cambodia.”

Neil shares a very special cause: “Perhaps one of my most gratifying experiences ever, my wife, Sherri, and I have gotten very involved with supporting the Ukrainian refugees in person throughout Poland. This will continue into 2024 and beyond and extend into Ukraine once the war ends and where the needs surrounding the rebuild will be great. Anyone who might feel a calling to support and experience this yourself, please reach out, as I have many contacts who can get you involved in many different ways to help.”

Class Correspondent: Tom Moore

Contact Information: tjmoorehamcoll76@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton and Kirkland College Class of 1976

Our Hamilton and Kirkland classmates continue to have a variety of interesting and inspiring experiences, including traveling throughout Europe, publishing, assisting international refugees, playing in rock bands, developing innovative medical treatments, as well as enjoying retirement and staying connected with each other.

Plans are underway for our 50th reunion in 2026. Many thanks to our classmates who volunteered to lead the efforts. Let’s have a large turnout to celebrate!

Walt Stugis will continue to serve as class president and 50th reunion co-chair. Bill Finan P’08,’10,’12 will serve as reunion co-chair along with Walt. Don Reynolds and David Baker will serve as 50th reunion gift co-chairs. Rob Morris P’16,’17 will serve as the class’s half-century annalist.

Lisa Uvanni has stepped in as the Kirkland president and 50th reunion chair, replacing Annie Karl Halvorsen P’09. We all owe a great debt of gratitude to Annie for her many years of enthusiastic service and for keeping the heart of our classes beating. The Alumni Office is looking for volunteers to help complete the Kirkland Reunion team.

Neil Eisner says life post-retirement has many rewards. He reports, “I retired at the end of 2021. My SAP consulting career was fantastic and nothing will ever diminish that, but it was just time for the next chapter. I love living life on my own schedule rather than what others put in my calendar. I could not be happier in this next phase — I have found a perfect balance of exploring the world, playing disc golf, volunteering, and spending quality time with friends old and new, not just in the U.S. but all over the world. Even venturing back (kind of)

Once again Shelley Facos takes the prize for her travels. She writes, “I ended my second-tolast semester of wage slavery at Indiana University Bloomington in fall 2023 and am now in Europe until August. I spent a few fabulous days in Buffalo in December with Dave Brody ’75 and am house-, kitty-, and mom-sitting in Potsdam, Germany, until early April for my ‘brother’ (for the story of how I acquired a German family in the mid-1980s, check out An American in Pandemic Paris). The house is built on land adjacent to a former Russian military training base and is a 10-minute walk to Sanssouci Park, the ‘Versailles’ of Germany (more woodsy than formal garden) and a 20-minute train ride to Berlin.”

The day Shelly wrote, she was in “Paris, where I come regularly, this time to see Anna Netrebko (I’m a sort of groupie) sing in Adriana Lecouvreur and (as always) to listen to Manouche music at La Chope des Puces. In late February, I’ll spend a week with Swiss friend Heidi at her chalet in a small alpine village in Wiler, Switzerland, (I miss the winters I spent in Lapland!) for a snow fix. In March, I’ll head to Warsaw, Poland, where I lecture occasionally, to see the acclaimed Arcadia exhibition at the National Museum, organized by my friend Agnieszka Rosales (and

also binge on the delicious gluten-free doughnuts at Bez). In mid-April, I’ll spend another week or so in Paris with my singer-songwriter daughter, Hanna Francis, hosted by a friend whose apartment overlooks the Moulin Rouge.

“I’ll return home with Hanna to Viareggio, Italy, where, a few days later, I’ll begin a twoweek Tuscan-Umbrian adventure with Harriet, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our meeting during our junior semester in Siena, Italy. In June, I’ll be at my apartment in Stockholm, Sweden, where Xia, my assistant when teaching in Shanghai, China, in 2013, comes to visit for two weeks. He’s eager to see Nordic nature. Then I will spend July mostly in Hainewalde, Germany, (it’s where the ‘palace’ night scene at the beginning of Grand Budapest Hotel was filmed), where I stay at the end of a short, steep road in a home atop a hill, where the only sounds are church bells, wind in the trees, and occasional cows and roosters. At the end of July, it’s back to civilization and the Bregenzer Festspiele (opera festival) to see Der Freischütz on the sea stage. I’ll hang with a grad school pal

Neil Eisner ’76 and his wife, Sherri, volunteering at the Przemysl, Poland, train station, the first place refugees arrive after leaving Ukraine.

Three Kirkland classmates invaded Cape Cod in October: Joyce Schaefer Morse K’76, Candy Appleton K’76, and Astrid Trostorff K’76.

who lives in Bregenz, Austria, before returning to Berlin and Bloomington in August. If anyone finds themselves in one of these places and feels like a rendezvous, get in touch (mfacos@ indiana.edu). When not moving, I’m writing (www.michellefacos.com).”

Congratulations to Robert Kaplan, who had his first book of poetry, Past/Present and Other Poems, published in September 2023 by Poets of Queens Press. Robert, you have made our distinguished English professors (Mr. Wagner, Mr. Barrett, Mr. Briggs, and Mr. Marki among many) proud!

Dave Joelson says that he is starting to get the hang of retirement now that he is his second year. “Our band, Willful Misconduct, keeps rocking as if we weren’t 70 years old, I’m still seeing the inside of the gym, and my retirement gig is buying coffee beans for a small Greenwich, Conn., chain called CFCF Coffee, which I commend to anybody out there passing through the state. Three outlets — look out, Starbucks, here we come! Of course the grandfather gig is best of all, and as the late Jim Wooldridge once said, had I known it was this good I would have skipped the parent step altogether. It is too cold to actually do anything right now, but we can plan like nobody’s business: trips to Nashville, Tenn., Australia, and Citi Field (Mets-Yanks) are all in the works.” Dave says he will send highlights including photographic evidence after the fact, and he hopes everybody is well and, by the time this is published, fully recovered from the ending of the Buffalo Bills’ NFL season.

Dave also is taking good advantage of COVID-era technology to stay in frequent contact with his Hamilton friends. “I am keeping in touch with a lot of the guys via a weekly Zoom with Greg Thomas, Craig Sonnenberg, Doug Errico, Charlie Cary, Annie Karl Halvorsen P’09, and a few ‘yutes’ like Dick Mullaney ’77, Chip Hollands ’77, and Mike Tamulis ’79. Every now and again, Rich Vincelette will grace us with his presence

and even Mark Kasdorf P’06,’09 joins on rare occasions. Then I have a constant/daily chat with Matt Meagher, Tim Finan ’75, P’13, Dick M. and a few non-Hamiltonians covering sports and a lot more. We even started a book club.”

Candy Appleton enjoyed a trip to Cape Cod last fall with Kirkland classmates Joyce Schaefer Morse and Astrid Trostorff. I hope other classmates will share photos for the next issue of Glade & Glen .

Dan Daly and his wife, Mary, live in Orlando, Fla. Last summer, they had a great visit with Gary Neville, one of my Dunham roommates, in Rockland, Maine, and enjoyed time with Gary and his wife, Elaine, sailing on the Atlantic Ocean.

Rob Morris P’16,’17 says he has been visiting regularly with Jack Syage about the company Jack started to develop a treatment for celiac disease. The company is making great progress and is planning phase 3 patient trials. Rob continues to work in private equity “because, as Richard Gere said so eloquently in An Officer and Gentleman , ‘I got nowhere else to go.’”

A little about your class correspondent: My wife, Jennifer, and I took a quick trip to Las Vegas before my work at The Kinkaid School recommenced after winter break. Highlights included watching the Stanley Cup-champion Las Vegas Knights play the Florida Panthers and taking a tour of The Sphere, a multibillion- dollar, next-generation entertainment medium that is redefining the future of live entertainment, according to its website. The tour included viewing a multi-sensory film in 18K with seats that made you feel everything. If you go to Vegas, be sure to visit The Sphere, and try a special meal served in The Venetian Hotel. A favorite of The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, “The Elvis” was an amazing breakfast of waffles smothered with maple syrup, peanut butter, jelly, fruit, and caramelized bananas. It was worth trying once, but I had to follow it with a long walk and some fasting. I bet “The Elvis” would have been a big hit on the weekends in the Hamilton or Kirkland dining halls when we were there.

1977

Class Correspondent: Carol Travis Friscia

Contact Information: carolfriscia@me.com

Thanks to all who sent notes for this issue.

Class President Greg Pepe reports that he and Susan Skerritt P’11 have had preliminary calls on the class annalist letter for our 50th reunion, one with each other and one with the College folks. He says: “The 1973 class photo book when we were freshmen is such a memory jog. If our classmates would be willing to share with Sue and me that would be great. There are hundreds of stories out there that never made it into an official publication or any other record that would give the letter a genuine feel.” More on this effort is sure to come, but feel free to begin sharing stories — you are welcome to email me (carolfriscia@me.com), or send directly to Greg (gpepe@npmlaw.com) or Susan (susan.skerritt@gmail.com).

Greg also reports that he “received an email from Tom Allen that he and Sandy Hamilton have more or less retired from the film industry, unless a really great project comes along. Tom is doing lots of biking and playing tennis, and from what I can see is still the top “over-65” tennis dog in Greenwich, Conn. Greg and Ann were spending time in Captiva, Fla., this winter and planned a Viking River Cruise from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam in April.

So happy to hear from Julie Lewis who writes that she and her husband, John, live in Providence, R.I. She reports that “my son and two stepchildren are fully launched, and we have two grandchildren living in Woodstock, Vt. After 40 years as a news and documentary film editor, I am now learning to embrace ‘retirement’ by catching up with friends, hiking, traveling, mentoring, and music. Two years ago, John and I stopped by the campus for the first time since my 10th reunion in ’87. Both campuses look wonderful. I’ve seen Sam Babbitt in several plays as he and Natalie used to live in Providence. His acting chops remain strong,

Shelley Facos ’76 in Paris.

Soccer teammates Gary Neville ’76 and Dan Daly ’76 sailing off the coast of Maine.

Julie Lewis K’77 under the Kirkland Gate.

and I now flashback to when he was The Monarch of the Sea in Pinafore in the Hamilton Chapel, where Keith Jarrett also performed. (Taj Mahal was in the gym.)”

Thanks to Dan Forbes for contributing a class note for the first time!

“Sure, I might have contributed to Glade & Glen sometime over the last, oh, 47 years or so — but why rush things? After all, I didn’t get married until my 40s, nor did my wife, Julie, (the hotshot artist) bless me with twin male galoots, now both 6’4” and a handful as they finish up high school, until I was well along in life. (You can do the math.)

“Had I written before, I might have mentioned my up-and-down career as an investigative reporter. I happen to tell bus drivers and such (because it just naturally comes up), that I testified before both the U.S. House and Senate at hearings my journalism caused after I exposed that — at Big Pharma’s behest — the Clinton White House paid the TV networks $24 million to air White House-dictated, sub rosa propaganda. (See: www.salon.com/2000 /01/13/drugs_6/) TV honchos changed the scripts for sitcoms and dramas so as to demonize marijuana and thus, so the thinking went, defeat state medical-use ballot initiatives. Big scandal.

“Or that I later exposed that a Portland, Ore., glass company had for decades befouled its neighborhood with arsenic, lead, cadmium, and hexavalent chromium; that series of scoops led to changes in state law and a $6.5 million settlement with the company’s neighbors. Or that my reporting helped bludgeon Portland into becoming the first city in the nation to outlaw using a bulldozer to knock down old houses covered in decades of lead paint, thus curtailing the spread of this horrendous neurotoxin.

“Wearying of tooting my own horn, let me say that I spent a bunch of years on the wrong side of the barricades as an informational handmaiden to Wall Street. After years of misgivings, I finally had to quit when, doing a story on investing in Latin America, three different bankers said of the murderous dictator: ‘That Augusto Pinochet, sure he had some rough edges. But, boy, did he whip that Chilean economy into shape.’ Some might recall my rather unfortunate red beard, which I had already punted; no longer able to look myself in the mirror to shave, that was my last business story.

“Maybe I could have told you of acting in three plays on Broadway. (My amateur theater troupe twice rented a theater on Broadway down in Manhattan’s Chinatown, and also on Broadway a bit north of that, miles from Times Square’s theatre district. But, 200 people in the audience on a Saturday night, it was acting to me.)

Certainly my novel, Derail this Train Wreck, (www.fomitepress.com/derail-this-train-wreck. html) published by a small literary press, could have been mentioned, though it sank like a

small stone down a very deep well with scarcely a ripple. A rollicking affair, it was sparked by a chairs-sprawling New York Police Department attack on Julie and myself at an Arlo Guthrie concert, of all things, at Lincoln Center, of all places. They paid, and free speech case law was made.

“Or I could have talked about the family’s salubrious move to Portland, Ore., when the kids were little after wearying of bouncing around various New York City apartments. Became a Little League and soccer coach, though I had never touched a soccer ball in my life. (My boys’ team needed a coach and, in my four years, we played for the city championship twice — note played , not won.) Or that, mirabile dictu, Julie and I just celebrated our 25th anniversary.

“But no one’s interested in the effusive self-regard above, words I could barely bring myself to type. No. The reason I finally chose to contribute this note is that just this week I published a 5,000-word (criminy!), really nifty elegy for a famous Portland homeless person. A friend of mine (he was a friend to many), he cut a wide swath, drawing 200 people for his memorial. Hey, writers want to be read, the poet’s compensation. It’s a wild poem (www. newmystics.com/lit/DanielForbes.html) — give it a look-see if you have a really comfortable chair and a fair bit of time on your hands. It might repay a reading.”

Also pleased to hear from Bruce Levine, who writes: “I can’t recall the last time I sent something in. I’ll start with the fact that after practicing law, doing management and economic development consulting, and running two start-up companies, I have spent the last 18 years with Drexel University, the last 12 of them on the faculty of the School of Education. I am a clinical professor of education policy, but lest you think I live in the Philadelphia area, I have been happily living in Washington, D.C., the entire time. We were one of the early major university pioneers of online learning, and so I have been teaching that way since long before COVID. I enjoy the teaching and interaction with my master’s and doctoral students

and the ability to pursue research ideas that matter to me, like the need for more civic education/literacy. Better late than never, I have my first book scheduled for publication in September by Harvard University Press. Another first was running for and winning elective office last year so, under DC’s unique governance structure, I am one of eight advisory neighborhood commissioners for the southwest quadrant of the city. My wife, Sharron, and I love living in DC on the southwest waterfront, but we have also always spent a lot of time traveling which, ailing body parts allowing, we intend to continue. My two grown kids also live nearby in DC. Tom Genton ’80 and his wife are close friends of ours, whom we see often, and I get to see Greg Marsello and Melinda Foley when they pass through. I am also in good touch with Chip Hollands in DC and Peggy Dills Kelter K’78 in Oregon. If any old friends are passing through, please let me know.” (Bruce’s email: balevine82@gmail.com)

Love to hear what Sam “Sharon” Katz has been up to. She notes that she, “who was thrown out of Carol Bellini Sharp’s acting class in her sophomore year (for laughing in class) and later was derailed from her radio career at the National Broadcasting Co. (long story)” headed back to performing in 2011. Since 2014, she’s been with the Improvisational Repertory Theatre Ensemble (IRTE). Currently working on productions for IRTE’s 13th season, the troupe brings experimental, long-form improvisation to audiences in New York City and fringe festivals around the country. Katz invites everyone in the Kirkland and Hamilton family to check out the IRTE schedule of shows at The Producer’s Club in the heart of the theatre district of Manhattan. Information can be found at www.irteinfo.com. Off stage, Katz is in her 27th year as the writer, editor, and executive assistant to the president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, Inc., the labor union of 18,000 active and retired New York Police Department detectives. Despite her busy work schedule, Sam is available to squeeze in any role you are casting for a 68-year-old, 4'11" funny lady. (Sam’s email : samkatznyc@gmail.com)

Sam Katz K’77 in some recent roles!

A quick note from Linda Dunn: “Packing boxes. Moving to Chicago in April. I’ll miss my co-op gallery, my students, and my friends. New adventures await. Anyone live near Rogers Park, Ill.?” Linda also shared this poem by Robert Pinsky…

Whatever makes a child want to glue macaroni on a paper plate and paint the assemblage and see it on the refrigerator — that has always been strong in me.

Richard Previdi writes that he is “dividing my time between Bryn Mawr, Pa., Martha’s Vineyard, and Jupiter, Fla., with my wife of 36 years, Deborah. I would be happy to reconnect with anyone in those areas. We are expecting our first grandchild in May and plan to bike Iceland this summer.”

Scott McLean P’15 writes: “I’m taking a gap year. As of January 2024, I’m retired from seeing patients as a clinical geneticist. By the last count, this is my seventh retirement (English teacher, vascular tech, Army pediatrician/geneticist, business manager, medical editor, solo private practice, and, most recently, 10 years at CHRISTUS Children’s Hospital as an employee of Baylor College of Medicine.) At the last minute I managed to snag a promotion to professor, presumably to soothe my ego, but my ego (it turns out!) does not care. This winter Paula and I are skiing in Colorado and trying unsuccessfully to figure out the difference between retirement and epic vacation. We plan to maintain the homestead in San Antonio but have some hankering to light out for the territory.”

Mark Curran wrote about his visit to campus: “It was a thrill — and a lot of fun — to return to the Hill on Dec. 9 for the dedication of the basketball court in the Bundy Field House to legendary men’s basketball coach and former athletic director Tom Murphy P’97,’99. So very well deserved for all of Coach Murphy’s steadfast dedication to men’s and women’s athletics at Hamilton over 30 years. It was humbling to be among so many former Continentals basket-

ball players from the late ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, all former players for Coach Murphy. (It made me think for a minute at the well-attended celebration dinner after the dedication that I went to a basketball powerhouse disguised as an elite liberal arts college!)

“It was great to reunite with teammates and classmates Billy “Tarby” Tarbell and Brian Coombes, and John Klauberg ’78 ‘Coombesie,’ our co-captain senior year, was Coach Murphy’s first allstate recruit (Connecticut) and ‘Klau’ was All-American on two teams our junior and senior year that began the Hamilton turnaround with 22-4 and 21-5 records, respectively, fueled by bleachers full of cheering Hamilton classmates in the intimate but noisy confines of the Alumni Gym.

“Also back in Clinton for the festivities were fellow classmates from other sports, including baseball’s John Driscoll, football’s Steve Nee, and tennis’s Phil Spellane. Other teammates who made it back for the dedication included Nick Lore, who was the basketball team manager. Great to also catch up with hoopsters Ernie Found ’74, Doug Wright ’75, Mark ‘Kazzie’ Kasdorf ’76, P’06,’09, Gerry O’Neill ’78, Bob Malaby ’78, John Magee ’79, Bill Southworth ’79, and Bob Johnson ’79, along with many other accomplished scorers and rebounders spanning the Murphy era, as well as members of the current team under Coach Adam Stockwell.

“Tarby and l joked that had we been playing in the current era, we might have entered the (horrible) transfer portal in hopes of gaining more playing time — but, of course, we would not have missed out on being part of the Continentals’ ‘Iron Squad’ in such pivotal years!”

Wendy Lefsetz Morris attended the wedding of Barbara D’Amico to Steve Steckler in Oxford, Md., last July. She says: “We had a chance to visit and reminisce during the brunch the following day at Barbara and Steve’s new home in Easton, Md.”

Lori Reidel reports that she and her husband, Jimmy, attended a reading of Judy Silverstein Gray’s K’78 book Unwavering in Bonita Springs, Fla. Lori says: “Judy met up with us on Sanibel

Island for dinner at Doc Ford’s and talking that went late into the night and early morning. A great visit!”

Richard Burns writes that he is “on his 10th interim CEO assignment, this time at GLAD (www.glad.org), the LGBT rights impact litigation organization based in Boston, where I happily get to work with Hamilton alum Mary Bonauto ’83.” Richard also chairs the founding board of The American LGBTQ+ Museum of History (americanlgbtqmuseum.org/who-weare), which just opened its first traveling exhibition at the National Center for Civil & Human Rights in Atlanta (www.queerjustice.info). He and his Hamilton roommate, Robby Miller, and Rob’s wife, Ruthanne (Wesleyan ’77), got together in December in Washington, D.C., for the first time since COVID. And, Richard writes that he is “always making a gratitude list and wondering about retirement.”

And finally from your class correspondent: I had a great phone call from Jane McAllister, where she shared her new passion for quilting. She began sewing during COVID and says she is now hooked. Me, too, and I know others of you are out there. Maybe something to share in the next Glade & Glen notes?

Left to right: Billy Tarbell ’77, John Klauberg ’78, Mark Curran ’77, and Brian Coombes ’77 at the dedication of Coach Tom Murphy Court.

Wendy Lefsetz Morris K’77, left, with Barbara D’Amico K’77.

Judy Silverstein Gray K’78, left, and Lori Reidel K’77 caught up in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Richard Burns ’77, left, with Robby Miller ’77 and Ruthanne Miller at The Tabard Inn in Washington, D.C.

1978

Class Correspondent: Bob McCormick

Contact Information: wrhearst56@aol.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1978

Randee Wysoki is off the clock, so to speak, after 41 years of delivering babies and otherwise attending to women’s health needs. “It all started at Kirkland during a winter study at Faxton Hospital,” Randee recounts. “Little did I know that the month-long internship would lead to my being fascinated by the sanctity of the operating room and surgery in general. It was worth trudging down the Hill at 6 a.m. in a very snowy January 1976 to meet my ride to Utica. It led me to Georgetown, Emory, participation in the National Health Service Corps on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and, finally, to Westchester County, N.Y.”

Randee commends her family for their infinite patience during the years when the stork led her a merry dance. Now, what with the retirement of her husband, David, and their son Michael’s job in the aviation business, the family — which includes another son, Adam — is free to indulge a penchant for travel. Randee says she still plies a needle, but the only resistance it meets is her ball of yarn.

Another county heard from: John Ketchum. John reports that after his retirement seven years ago from Novartis Oncology in Switzerland, he and his wife repaired, variously, to a harbor-side condo in Boston and a rustic retreat in New Hampshire. He keeps his hand in through service on a couple of biotech boards and as business adviser to small pharmaceutical firms. Says John: “I enjoy working on landscaping and forestry projects, and occasionally some carpentry.”

Meanwhile, Pete Davis is “living the dream” in Ocean City, N.J. (Whereas son John, a recent graduate of Gettysburg College, presumably has his nose to the grindstone!) “I am in touch with Bill Skinner, and last fall I golfed with Psi Upsilon fraternity brothers Tom Masterson ’77 and Bill Tarbell ’77,” writes Pete.

Rob Millar has sad news: The death of his mother, Mary Lou Millar P’78,’90, GP’22 (née McNaughton), early this year at the age of 92. [Please see the Necrology section for her obituary.] Not only was she the widow of Professor of History Emeritus David Millar, she worked as the receptionist in the College’s Admission Office for decades after Rob and his brother James ’90 made their way through Hamilton. May she rest in peace. It’s safe to say that few families have exceeded the Millars in service to the College (I include Rob’s record as an indefatigable class agent).

Connie Halporn has never been so busy as since her retirement from Columbia University, where she served as a medical photographer.

Connie was invaluable in the organization and execution of our classes’ 45th reunion, and now she announces her collaboration on the book The New City: How to Build Our Sustainable Urban Future, written by Dickson Despommier. Connie worked with Dr. Despommier at Columbia, so he naturally thought of her for the essential task of choosing photos and creating tables and diagrams for his book. The work took Connie in surprising directions. “I spent countless hours navigating the strange and convoluted world of ‘permissions,’” Connie notes. “There were architects, photographers, and energy companies to track down, then figure out how to contact and then email them with our requests.” NASA’s image gallery (www.nasa.gov/image-galleries), for one, is a trove of delights, she says.

The book, from Columbia University Press, offers practical ways forward in transcending the boxy glass-and-steel construction that came to dominate cityscapes, as the world inevitably transitions to a greener, more organic future.

Connie credits her years on the Hill for preparing her for this phase of her life: “The professors taught me that I could think for myself and not hide behind established and safe concepts. Being able to create my own concentration allowed me to combine my scientific and artistic interests in a multimedia senior project. ... The takeaway is always be open to new paths as you continue your own journey. You never know who you’ll find!”

Then there’s Steve Morelli, whose labor of love (five years’ worth!) is the newly released World War II spy novel Central Park, which posits a peripatetic lawyer who frequents places high and low in furtherance of the Allied cause. Its good reception — the title is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble — has led Steve to begin work on a sequel. In his, ahem, spare time, Steve tends the legal-services company he founded with wife Lois. He also manages the pro shop at the Stone Docks links in High Falls, N.Y. — “a nice little course, challenging and long enough to pull out the driver and the woods on the par-fives. I can get you a deal!” Steve and Lois’ seven children (two sets of twins included) have flown the nest and presented their parents with 10 grandchildren.

This from Tom Davis: “I retired [after 14 years in the federal government]!” The work — closing banks during the big downturn, later analyzing data for the General Services Administration, the nation’s purchasing arm — was by turns boring and interesting, says he. Tom and Wenda, his wife of 43 years, have two sons and three grandchildren. At last report, he was embarking on a long retreat in aid of discernment.

Tom, shake hands with Rich Polishuk, who has just retired from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services as a refugee officer. Rich has repaired to the seaside, in Rumford, R.I., and is likewise mulling his next adventure.

Kevin McDonough checks in from Narrowsburg, N.Y., hard by Woodstock, where he lives with wife Kay and three photogenic pug dogs. He continues the Sisyphean task of writing a daily column — it’s syndicated — of television criticism, a job that has afforded him a ringside seat to the surprising evolution of what used to be called “TV” and the end-of-life spasms of the newspaper industry. Kevin notes that his is the very last column to be distributed by United Feature Syndicate. Time was, United’s stable included the comic strips “Peanuts” and “Nancy,” as well as Jack Anderson’s column, which he wrote with Les Whitten, father to our classmate Andy.

Since 2002, Kevin has served on his town council. “Local public service is a great antidote to toxic tribalism,” he notes. The meetings, he reports, “sometimes resemble the finely etched details of a Frederick Wiseman documentary, unfolding at the speed of drying paint. Or the spasmodic crowd dynamics of characters in a Simpsons episode. Often both at the same time.”

Now that I think on it, Jim Franken used to ink a comic strip for The Spectator when I edited it. Jim is a busy bee, meeting as he did with friends Paula Eberhart (in Southern California) and Judy Silverstein Gray (in Tampa). Of fellow math major Paula, he writes: “[She] stopped in West Los Angeles to see her daughter and three grandchildren. At a small French eatery, we caught up on happenings since our 45th. Staten Island is still Paula’s home and she is nearly extricated from her former home in Argentina. She is active in the Philanthropic Educational Organization, a U.S.-based international women’s organization focused on providing educational opportunities for young women. Wow! I got tired just writing that sentence.” Jim says that by comparison, his life with spouse Karen is dull; limiting his consulting work (pensions) to one day a week leaves plenty of time for the couple’s vacation home in Palm Desert, Calif.

For once, old reliable Don Vidler is [almost] speechless. But he does relay news of John Ernst — retired with wife Laurie to Saco, Maine — and fellow Down Easter Jay Maloney, who sold his venerable business, Maloney Marine Rigging, and resides in Brunswick with wife Amy.

There’s yet another lawyer in the Bill Helmer family now that his and Maureen’s youngest has passed the bar exam. Three cheers for their daughter Liz!

From down Texas way, Eric Karl shares the happy news that his and Rocio’s first grandchild made his entrance in October. They traveled to Omaha, Neb., for the christening, and their son’s family returned the favor by visiting over Thanksgiving. The couple’s daughter, Tina, will graduate from the University of Texas at Austin this year. “I’m old,” the new grandfather ruefully admits. Eric, whose handsome visage belies his years, keeps busy by

volunteering as president of their homeowners association and treasurer of a local charity. Likewise swelling the ranks of first-time grandparents are Jeff Stoller and his wife, Julia, courtesy of daughter Meagan. The couple has high hopes of realizing their dream trip to Maine and Canada’s Atlantic Coast. Flush with endorphins from our 45th reunion, Jeff is stepping into a volunteer role with the group planning our — gulp! — 50th reunion.

Try not to be jealous: John Brennan and wife Jean, at daughter Kathleen’s urging, visited paradise, a.k.a. Tahiti. It’s everything you would expect, like Hawaii avant le deluge, says John. “Mister Christian, bring me more breadfruit — and a dram of Tahitian rum!” barks the intrepid adventurer. Unlike most of us, John has the good fortune to have his father, age 94, with him still. God love you, Mr. Brennan.

Erstwhile Class President Mike Lengvarsky P’16 writes: “ Ted Molloy and I both live in Granby, Conn., and are members of the YMCA there, so we tend to cross paths at least once every two weeks. ... I’ve recently been appointed to the Town of Granby’s Commission on Aging. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” That’s the spirit, Mike.

Finally, retired jurist Chris Cahill reports that he and Kim entertained Scott Klein at their digs in the beautiful Hudson Valley burg of Kingston, N.Y. Chris notes that the couple is fortunate to have grandson George and granddaughter Anna Wren living nearby, in Rhinebeck, with their parents. Chris is in regular communication with Mike Martin, Jon Roth ’77, and Roy Schecter ’73. He concludes thusly: “On Oct. 20, our own class notes editor, Bob McCormick, and his lovely bride, Rose, welcomed into the world their first grandchild, Annabelle Ruth McCormick. They are all over the moon with Annie.” There. He said it, not I!

It was gratifying to hear from so many of you this go-round. Thank you. At the same time, I note that the College is reducing the frequency of Glade & Glen — and with it, Class notes — to twice a year. Regrettable, but there it is. For folks our age, six months is a long time to wait, I know — our attention spans have atrophied! So if you have news that is time-sensitive, please get it to me as it happens so that I can tell our classmates via email.

1979

Class Correspondent: Brad Auerbach

Contact Information: brad@bradauerbach.com

I have been bantering with Mike Grygiel P’23 about notable First Amendment cases (several of which he handled as attorney at Greenberg Traurig, LLP). He spends time as an adjunct professor at Cornell Law School as part of its First Amendment Clinic. We have also been chatting about rock ‘n’ roll, perhaps gathering

From left: Pankaj Uppal ’79, Marianne Uppal, Jay Villarreal, Joe Holliday ’79, Ronnie Liebowitz and Doug Rose ’79, Sara Frey, Tricia and Don Nielsen ’79, Babs and Mike Denney ’79, and Alan Blasenstein ’79, P’12.

to see the next Rolling Stones tour. It may be the last time, I don’t know. Our last correspondence was during the atmospheric river up and down the California coast. Mike was stuck in Santa Barbara with the Dulles blues again.

Bill Brancard keeps our legal theme going with perhaps our first update from Santa Fe, N.M. Bill retired from practicing law last year. He humbly reports: “Not sure why, but the New Mexico State Bar Natural Resources and Environmental Law Section handed me an Outstanding Career Achievement Award.” By the time you read this, Bill will have visited London where his son is attending college.

And back for a moment to rainfall, Alan Blasenstein P’12 sent this report and an accompanying photo.“This past summer, Pankaj Uppal and his wife, Marianne, hosted a reunion of some old Hamilton friends at their house in Wilton, Conn. On hand for the weekend were Mike Denney, Joe Holliday, Don Nielsen, and Doug and Ronnie Liebowitz Rose. I had not seen most of the group in many years, and it was a first-time meeting of most of the friends for my wife, Sara. An enjoyable day was capped off by a wonderful dinner prepared by Marianne. The torrential downpour outside did not dampen the bonhomie of the occasion.”

Joe Holliday supplied the same reunion news and recounted the circumstances as follows: “A Connecticut summer was a good change of pace from our previous mountain reunions during autumn colors.” Joe says he is enjoying his retirement from college teaching by working around the world as a guest lecturer and naturalist for Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic Society.

Aron Ain P’09,’11 indicates that he “welcomed two more grandchildren to our family in late 2023, bringing our team to five beautiful children all under the age of 5. I continue to get joy from my family, including watching my girls as moms, my sons-in-law as dads, and my wife and I as Nana and Papa. We spend the winters in Naples, Fla., and the spring, summer, and fall in Westerly, R.I., and Newton, Mass. For certain we are not suffering. I retired from my full-time role in 2022 and am enjoying more free time and flexibility. I still work in a few

ways, continue to speak to groups on creating inspired workplaces, and volunteer with several different organizations, including as a Hamilton trustee. I attended the weddings of both of Marc White’s daughters in 2023, including one on the island of Paros in Greece. More recently, my wife and I had a joyful dinner with Tom Saeli from our class and his wife, Molly ’81, in Naples, where they also spend the winter. I see other Hamilton graduates in various places and speak with many others, including a nice lunch in the past year with Shawn George ’77 in Naples.”

Angela Ross P’13,’16 and I were bantering about securing our Italian passports via our grandparents. She spends each September there. She will be back in June for a women’s bike trip in Puglia, but still hopes to hear about a solid turnout for our 45th class reunion. More on that in a moment.

Steve Talevi P’10 spent January in Florida at the Wendelstedt Umpire School. “It’s hard, both mentally and physically, but I am enjoying it. I have umpired for three years; so far, no ejections. My dog Goody and I enjoy living lakeside on Canadarago Lake in Richfield Springs, N.Y. All are welcome if you are in the area. Maybe we can discuss the dropped third strike rule or the infield fly rule! LOL!”

Tom Doolittle has a bunch of updates: “Much travel is planned for the Doolittles in 2024: Sicily in May with friends from graduate school, and Ireland in September with Caterpillar Inc. friends are on the agenda. All children are gainfully employed and off the Doolittle payroll, which is nice. We have two in Washington, D.C., one in New York City, and one in Nashville, Tenn., which keeps us on the road. Regarding alumni, we saw Laura Hausman Kadane and Kendra Alexander over the holidays, and we were in New York City in January and saw John Brennan and his wife, Jean, who were there dogsitting for their daughter and son-inlaw. Always good to catch up with old, ah perhaps I should say long-time, friends. Also had a quick exchange with Bob Kinkel after seeing his work with Dina on the Ukraine video. I thought it was excellent. Fun circumstance: Watching a new cooking show called Mountain Kitchen , hosted by Annie Stark ’10, daughter of actress Glenn Close, and she casually mentioned that she attended Hamilton. As did her husband [Marc Albu ’08], who makes occasional appearances. As did her good friend who made an appearance. Three shoutouts to Hamilton College including a quick picture of the campus — not bad for an eight-episode show. I continue to do some executive coaching and currently have two gigs. I enjoy blending the psychology background with experience in human resources to help leaders be more effective in their role. I will be attending the 45th reunion, barring any surprises, as I don’t want to break my streak. Lynne is waiting to hear if other spouses will be there but is up for it if others plan to attend.”

Another reference to our 45th reunion: I hope you are either making plans or legitimate excuses! Amy Cohen will become a first-time grandma in June, and that is probably a legitimate excuse.

Bill Meagher is practicing his sand shots from the bunker in anticipation of Reunion Weekend. He also sent a photo of dinner in New York City with suitemates Vicki Nightingale and Peggy McDonnell. That is Bob Hartheimer on the right in the photo.

Your class correspondent continues to teach at UCSD’s School of Global Policy and Strategy, as well as an online class at Berklee College of Music’s graduate business program. With my lawyer hat on, I have a few new clients from the sports world (Professional Fighters League, Professional Bull Riders, and the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League). With my business development hat on, I am handling merchandise and branding for George Clinton (of the band Funkadelic) and Sergio Mendes. Much fun, but wouldn’t it be grand to handle merch for The Kinks?

Be sure you put our 45th reunion on the calendar: June 6-9. The Kinks aren’t touring, but you can expect some great live music and some great times with classmates.

Ten points if you can identify without internet assistance the operative statement about our reunion: a splendid time is guaranteed for all. Send me your guesses and news: Brad@ BradAuerbach.com.

only experienced Maryland winters with their limited snowfall, I had never seen anything like it. I saw a lot of things for the first time during my years on the Hill, and I loved it! It seemed like I was learning new things every day, and the education wasn’t only happening in the classroom. I continue to have new experiences — this past October my husband, David, and I went to Portugal where we toured cathedrals, wandered through castles, drank port, and discovered how refreshing sangria can be on a hot afternoon, all new experiences for us. It seems that a lot of our classmates also strive for new experiences — read on to see what folks have been up to.

Jonathan Fellows and Maureen O’Neill Fellows have been married since 1982 and have lived in Cazenovia, N.Y., since 1992. They live just down the street from Steve Adolfi and near to Dave Chanatry. Jonathan graduated from Cornell Law School in 1985 and has been in private practice with a Syracuse firm since 1986. Maureen received a master’s degree from Cornell and a Ph.D. from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She retired after 34 years in various administrative posts at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, but like many of our classmates, she decided to go back to work and now runs the district office of a member of the New York State Assembly. Jonathan and Maureen raised three children in Cazenovia and are active in many community organizations, including Maureen serving several terms on the Cazenovia village board of trustees. They enjoy frequent visits to nearby Clinton and stay in touch with many classmates. They recently met up with Dean Wetherell, Dave Chanatry, Ed Bonanno, Tom Billet ’79, P’15, and Mark Schenkman at Lee Berner ’s Pocono retreat. In

August, Maureen and Jonathan purchased a cottage on the Sheepscot River in Maine and look forward to seeing many Hamilton friends on the beautiful Maine coast.

Ed Bonanno and his wife and daughter live in Avon-by-the-Sea, N.J. Down the road and beach from Asbury Park, Ed is currently the mayor of this small, close-knit beach town. After graduating from Hamilton, Ed received a Juris Doctor from Fordham University School of Law and, for 26 years, he was a prosecutor in the New Jersey attorney general’s office. Since retiring as a prosecutor, Ed has been practicing law at a local firm and enjoying swimming and kayaking in the ocean. He is planning to start traveling more and hopes to see his classmates on the road.

Mark Schenkman wrote of his recent exploits: “While sitting here during this unusual DC cold snap, I am thinking of my upcoming ski trip to Colorado next week. It is good to be retired — well, mostly. After trying a few careers, I ended up as a physical therapist, which was a good choice for me. I have had several hobbies over the years, but the two I have settled on are bicycling and photography. My latest photography adventure was a black-and-white workshop in Death Valley in December. Although a lot of the park was closed due to damage from Hurricane Hilary, we were treated to Lake Manly on the valley floor and several of the canyon roads that had been reopened. On the bicycle front, my last big adventure was in 2019. It was a six-week trip with 14 others from the Canadian border to the Mexican border, mostly following the Pacific Coast Highway. The bicycling was excellent, but I think I am getting too old for six weeks of camping. I am considering a bike trip from Pittsburgh to DC along the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Towpath.”

Class Correspondent: Peggy Daniel

Contact Information: peggydaniel@earthlink.net

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1980

There’s a dusting of snow on the ground here in the Catskills as I write this, which has me thinking back to January 1977. I remember a huge snow drift across from the entrance to McIntosh dorm our freshman year. Having

From left: Vicki Nightingale ’79, Peggy McDonnell ’79, Bill Meagher ’79, and Bob Hartheimer ’79 at dinner in New York City.

From left: Dean Wetherell ’80, Dave Chanatry ’80, Ed Bonanno ’80, Lee Berner ’80, Tom Billet ’79, P’15, Jonathan Fellows ’80, Maureen O’Neill Fellows ’80, and Mark Schenkman ’80.

For those who were concerned, Dave Chanatry did a drive-by of The Rok in October and sent in a picture to prove it’s going strong. It has been renovated recently: it looks like in addition to a new coat of paint, there have been a few shamrocks added. But I’m sure it’s the same old place we know and love, and it will be waiting for us when we’re on the Hill for our 45th reunion in June 2025!

Sandy Schirmer is still working for the Ohio attorney general in the information technology section as a project analyst. He writes, “I love my job, 10 years now as a civil servant, and 30 years in IT. Previously, I had worked in real estate and got pretty handy in some of the trades. I started a sideline business about 10 years ago, selling a revamped ‘slice-a-slice’ called The Nicer Slicer. It even rated inclusion in Hamilton’s new holiday product catalog this year! I am going to leave the $10 discount in place for Hamiltonians. Use the code “HAMILY” and Shopify will reduce your bill. That has been a lot of fun, as the secret sauce of the tool is what it does to toast. We experienced a nice increase in sales this year and look forward to additional work, which will bring the persuasive argument into its own. Watch the website (thenicerslicer.com) for fun as I expect that to start to evolve now over the next year or so.

“In other news,” he continues, “I have two boys. Louis is about to graduate from Kenyon and is thinking about moving to France. Zander appears to be off to Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., to study sound technology and, I hope, English and French.

“I am doing well remodeling my old house in German Village in Columbus, Ohio, converting my old workshop into a photo studio, and I am generally in clean-up mode — something about being 65 and having been very busy with family, fun, and a career for more decades than I like to remember. I work out, lift weights, and ride a stationary bike in my home gym four-to-five times a week, and I still play a lot of golf, crosscountry ski, and sail when I get the chance. Louis’s plan to move to France has got me working on my French, and that is lots of fun.

“When I look back at my college years, I think, as many of us did, I may have over -

emphasized having fun. Hamilton did teach me so many things, even if I did not work as hard as I should have. One of the things it left me with was a great joy for learning and that has served me well for years. For that, and for memories of so many great friends, I am eternally grateful.”

Speaking of people who prioritized partying (he was working at the pub, after all), John O’Reilly checked in. In October he visited Sean Buckley in Princeton, N.J. He says: “Sean is a very successful medical malpractice defense lawyer. We went out to lunch and soon we were back to freshman year — two Irishmen sharing stories full of blarney over a beer, proof that not too much has changed over the last 43 years!”

John and his wife, Ann, headed to Florida this winter, and he planned on visiting lots of classmates as they tour around. Fingers crossed we’ll get an update in the next edition of class notes!

In family news, both Sean Buckley and Hugh Vickery have become grandparents again! In Sean’s case, his daughter had their second grandchild, so now they have both a granddaughter and a grandson. Hugh’s third grandchild, Rory Alfred Vickery, was born to his son and daughter-in-law, Oliver and Sara, in August.

I saw on Facebook that David Pratt’s young adult novel Wallaçonia is back in both real and virtual print. It’s also available as an audiobook, with David reading. Congrats for the additional attention this great book is getting, David!

Both Keith Whelan and Steve Adolfi wrote to say they, along with Scott Dillenback, met up for dinner at Alteri’s in Clinton. They were gathered to honor former Hamilton coach Tom Murphy, who was honored with having the Hamilton basketball court named for him. The three were freshman roommates back in ’76, and rumor has it many great stories were told (retold?) over dinner. Oh to be a fly on that wall!

Mike Burkhard was also in Clinton for Coach Murphy’s naming ceremony. He writes: “It was a memorable December weekend when I visited Hamilton and celebrated the naming of the basketball court in Coach Tom Murphy’s honor! It was great to see Coach Murph and so many

alumni after many years. The men’s and women’s basketball programs are both thriving, including a new fundraiser of over $1 million coinciding with the naming of the court. It was especially good to see my classmates Keith Whelan and Jon ‘Hondo’ Hind. Hondo is the same in energy and vision and has done amazing things with Hamilton athletics and facilities. Overall, the College looks great and seems to be in a good place for the future.

“In March, I planned to be in Florida to see my son Eric and his wife, Allie, in St. Petersburg, and also stop to see John Macci, who just bought a home in Hernando, Fla. By Oct. 1, 2024, I’ll be publishing my second book, 52 Weeks of Goodness, and will be doing a new speaking tour. It’s good to stay busy and keep the mind active!”

Mike Trevisani shared: “After hanging up my scalpel as a colon and rectal surgeon in Central Florida, I developed another passion for activities in hospital management. I became a chief medical officer and have had assignments in Florida, Ohio, New York, and, most recently, completed a one-year assignment in California where my wife, Paula, and I took in the sites at Yosemite National Park. Being empty-nesters makes this a whole lot easier. I now do interim

Don’s Rok, waiting for us to arrive in June 2025.

From left: Keith Whelan ’80, Steve Adolfi ’80, and Scott Dillenback ’80 enjoyed a meal and stories at Alteri’s.

Mike Burkhard ’80 with the man of the hour, Coach Murphy, at the naming ceremony.

Mike Trevisani ’80 and his wife, Paula, enjoyed Yosemite National Park.

work, mostly for Trinity Health, and am off to Syracuse, N.Y., where I will be the interim chief medical officer for St. Joseph’s Health Hospital and chief clinical officer for Trinity Health of New York.”

Rich Tipperman’s twin daughters are now 27. My, how time flies! Rich writes that “both are living and working in New York City as software engineers. (One works for Google; the other works for Squarespace.) I’m still working but am cutting my hours back a bit. We will travel to India next January where I will receive an award from the Indian Ophthalmology Association for contributions to the field. After that we will travel to Nepal.” Ever understated, Rich ended his email with, “Not too much else to report,” which made me laugh, as it seems that he has done quite a bit, especially as compared to me!

Rob Smith recently retired from American Airlines. He writes: “Sixty-five is the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots. However, an old Navy pilot friend of mine is the chief pilot for Polar Beverages out of Worcester, Mass., so he hired me as a part-

time pilot for their private jet, a Cessna Citation. We fly the company’s execs around to various meetings and stuff like that. You can fly private at any age as long as you pass the FAA physical! This also gives me more time to travel: my wife, Chessell, and I went on a trip to Japan to ski, followed by a sea kayaking trip to the Marquesas Islands in Tahiti.”

I heard from Leslie Hale, who said, “After 40 years of living in Seattle and realizing that I was vacationing in small towns when I traveled, I have returned to the rural living of my youth by moving to Greenbank, Wash., on Whidbey Island. It was tough moving after 30 years in one place, but the deed is done and I am looking forward to kayaking, making art, hiking, and joining this artistic community just 20 miles north of Seattle. I am not retired yet; in fact, I am co-founder of a design-and-strategy consulting practice that launched this year called Global Impact Collective (Globalimpactcollective.net).”

Peter Bell sent in this update: “40 years ago this spring I graduated from med school. I didn’t expect to be a med school dean, nor did I expect to be a founding dean, but that’s what I am! I went to med school to be a family physician. I chose to attend an osteopathic med school because the integration of bodymind-spirit was very appealing. The addition of biomechanical medicine was also of interest. Subsequently, I completed a residency in family medicine, followed by a residency in emergency medicine. I practiced both specialties my first year in practice, but, due to the need for emergency physicians, focused on emergency medicine. It opened doors to clinical, administrative, and academic opportunities.

“We move into our new med school building on Feb. 14, 2023. The ribbon-cutting for Baptist Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine [in Memphis, Tenn.] is April 6. We orient our first class during the last week of July. Our mission is serving mid-South rural and underserved areas, with an emphasis on primary care. We are using holistic admissions criteria predicated on mission fit, servant’s heart, owner’s mind, and motivation. I meet with the candidates on the day of their live, in-person interview to explain what we are

looking for in a candidate. I define the expectations to be a successful, patient-centered physician (it’s not about you). I use the analogy of sprinting a marathon to emphasize how rigorous the next four years will be.

“We require the standard prerequisite courses that are heavy on the sciences. We require a minimum GPA of 3.0, but we don’t have a required MCAT score. We evaluate the applicant’s entire file on about two dozen factors that are supported by the literature for predicting success in med school. We score applicants in order to determine progression to a secondary application and again for progression to an invitation to interview. The live, in-person interviews are blinded to capacity (grades, MCAT, transcripts). We are assessing soft skills, dedication to becoming a physician, and mission alignment. Character counts! The final review is by the admissions committee, composed of a dozen faculty. The acceptance list is forwarded to me for process review: I don’t decide who to accept; I make sure the process from application through acceptance has been followed. We have done exceptionally well so far for a new med school. A lot of great things are yet to come.”

Jonathan Springer noted that it has been a long time since we’ve spoken and an even longer time since he’s submitted to class notes. (“Longer time” in this case means: never!) But he’s more than made up for it with this update. I learned that, for most of the last 40 years, he has been practicing law in Portsmouth, N.H. Jonathan continues, “For the last 15 years or so, I have been a solo practitioner at my own firm, Springer Law Office. Over the years as I have said that to people, I would then add in a subtle pitch for business … but as you read these notes, don’t bother to call. I will be retiring in a couple of years and have already started paring down my practice. My practice has an emphasis on litigation and land-use law, and, in the latter category, representing telecommunication carriers and tower companies seeking to erect what are known in the trade as personal wireless service facilities, popularly known as cell

Rich Tipperman ’80 and his family, enjoying time together.

Rob Smith ’80 and his wife, Chessell, relaxed on a recent trip.

Rob Smith ’80 and his wife skied in Japan.

Rob Smith ’80 and his wife sea kayaking in the Marquesas Islands.

towers. This has made me extremely popular in many bucolic little towns throughout Northern New England: next time you drive through this area, if you see a 190-foot lattice tower which mars your scenic view, there is a good chance that is my handiwork.

“On a personal level, I have been happily married since 1988. My wife, Karen, also an attorney, had a long career as an assistant district attorney. Our two children are now 32 and 30 and are successfully pursuing their own careers, one in New Hampshire and one in New York City. We raised our family in Exeter, N.H., but upon my wife’s retirement, moved to Wolfeboro, by the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. Our first grandchild was born almost two years ago, and we are enjoying being grandparents immensely. And last, but not least, I still play hockey in a beer league.”

Eric Rosedale and Sandra had a truly remarkable trip to Hokkaido over the holidays — snow shoeing, hiking, and mountain biking — followed by a trek along the Samurai Mountain Path in the Central Alps of Japan. Eric is still practicing law, supporting a playwright foundation, and living in London and Amsterdam — and, soon, Miami.

Scott Wadsworth retired two-and-a-half years ago and lives in New Hope, Pa., with his wife, Lisa, and two new Maine Coon kittens, their third set over the years. Scott writes, “We make two or three fishing trips a year to the Thousand Islands region of the St. Lawrence River. Last August, we did back-to-back, seven-day cruises in Alaska to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We also visited South Dakota. The year before that, we took a cruise to Greenland and another to Bermuda. I keep in touch with Jon Hallenbeck, whom we’ve visited and hosted, and Shep Webb, via Facebook and daily texts to share The New York Times’s Connections results. I’ve taken up cooking, to the delight of my wife, and recently took a course in how to break into the voiceover industry. Life is very good.”

Shep, on the other hand, tells me that he has absolutely nothing to report: “It has just been that kind of a year.” At least we know he’s doing The New York Times puzzles!

Caroline Ghertler wrote: “Since I work as a set decorator in TV and film, I haven’t worked since last April due to the SAG and WGA strikes that brought the whole film/TV industry to a standstill. The strike is finally over, but I’m still not working since many shows haven’t started up yet. It was a good time for me to catch up with old friends from Hamilton and Kirkland, like Amy Rothman ’81, Susan Grossman, and Maribeth Riordan. (Maribeth left Kirkland after our freshman year.) We had a small reunion in the spring and met for lunch at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. During my unemployment, I did a lot of walking in Prospect Park and working out at the gym. I visited many museums — I saw so many great art shows, like the [Richard] Avedon show at the

Gagosian Gallery, the Degas/Manet exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Picasso show at MOMA, just to name a few. I took care of a lot of paperwork I have neglected and was able to spend a lot of time with my daughter over the summer while she was home from college. And, of course, I saw a lot of movies (Barbie three times!) as well. It was a good time to slow down and reflect on my life. I can’t believe I am 65. My best to all my classmates and old friends from Hamilton/Kirkland 1980.”

Susan Rich Kelly has been traveling. She shares: “After a trip to Mallorca, Spain, last year, my husband and I visited the Instituto Internacional in Madrid, where we studied during junior year. We spent time with the new director and enjoyed seeing the beautiful restoration. I would love to connect with other Junior Year in Spain ’78 alumni — you can reach me at Suekelly175@gmail.com.”

John Wayman has had a long career at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the otolaryngology department. He wrote: “I have been fortunate to have had wonderful mentors, colleagues, and patients. It has been an honor to train the next generation, or should I say, next generations, of ENT surgeons. I’ve decided to retire at the end of this year. While the prospect of retirement is somewhat scary, I’m worn out by the increasing demands of documentation and regulation. I hope to spend more time sailing on Lake Ontario and working on the restoration of a 1974 Triumph TR6 Roadster. I’m hoping to travel a little bit as well, if I can get my wife, Karen, out of her garden.

“I have heard from Tim Fagan, who has been in Japan teaching geology for many years, that he will be retiring in 2025. He tells me that he will return to the States full time, and I’ll be happy to have him back in the U.S.

“If anyone has tips on how best to transition to retirement, I’d be happy to hear them. I’ve

been an academic surgeon so long that I have a hard time identifying myself as anything else. At least I have a year to figure it out. Best wishes to you and all our classmates.”

Chris Combemale has lived in London since 1994. For the past 12 years, he has been CEO of the Data and Marketing Association, where he has led the industry on key issues of data protection and privacy during a period of tremendous change in consumer behavior and digital transformation. He has been a leader in designing the UK’s post-Brexit data protection legislation as chair of the business advisory group to Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan, and advocates for a strong balance between innovation and privacy. He remains married to Magdalene, whom he met when he was in Asia from 1989 to 1994, and has two grown children. Both kids went to college in the U.S. and are pursuing their careers in New York City. Chris says he’s been able to stay in touch with some Hamilton classmates over the years, especially Mort Korn and Kim Coons ’79, Wendy Pollock-Gilson and Bob Gilson P’12, and Patrick Murphy.

Last I heard, Bob Fryklund and his wife, Louise, were lost somewhere on the border between Chile and Argentina in the southern ice field. Perhaps we’ll hear more from him once they get somewhere warmer!

Steve Symonds wrote: “I was lucky to have drinks with Steve Starnes P’11 and his wonderful wife, Rose DiSanto, at the Gramercy Tavern in New York City in early November. Just a few days later, I left for a three-week trip to India (my first) for a friend’s wedding. Afterward, I toured Delhi, Agra, the Rajasthan cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Udaipur before winding up my trip in Varanasi along the Ganges. I also attended a Cricket World Cup match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.”

Steve Starnes must be getting around, as he says: “My son-in-law, Jayme Califano, got me into his office for lunch today with Rich Bernstein Rich was presenting at a lunch for the Morristown, N.J., office. I walked in, and Rich was so gracious; he immediately commented that I wore my Hamilton tie. It was great to see him. As always, Rich’s presentation was incredibly interesting and insightful.”

So it seems that his business is going well, but, more importantly, Rich Bernstein recently hit his 250th SoulCycle ride! As he told me: “Not bad for an old dude.”

Aaron Reed P’13 wanted to reminisce: “My wife had a work trip to Tokyo in December 2022 when she met, toured around the city, and had a wonderful meal with Hidenori Tomoyose ’84. Soon after her return, I had a call from Bob Hellinger ’s wife, Dale, informing me of his passing from complications of a dissected aorta aneurysm that he suffered in 2011. Bob and I had had a wonderful lunch together in June 2022 in Washington, D.C., with Craig Lasher ’81. In June, my wife and I went to Seattle

Sue Kelly ’80 at the Instituto International in Madrid, where she participated in Hamilton’s Junior Year in Spain.

to attend a memorial dinner for Bob with his family members and members of the Seattle Mariners organization. During the dinner, I read words from a long, previous school friend of mine and Bob’s.”

Aaron had a Hamilton-filled fall. He wrote: “In September, I was able to meet Jim Yetman ‘82 for lunch in Walnut Creek, Calif. November allowed time for me to give a tour of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum UdvarHazy Center to Rick Kienle ’79, whom I met up with twice in 2023 for the first time in 25 or 30 years. Accompanying my wife on a work trip in December, I made plans to spend a day with Jim Dowling ’81, whom I had also not seen in 25-plus years. These two history majors spent a solid seven hours devouring the World War II Museum together and did not even find time for lunch or a beer afterward!”

A final note from Aaron: “Anyone planning a trip to Washington, D.C., interested in a tour of the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport in Virginia, please let me know.”

After winning the Truman Scholarship in 1978, Fred Nelson fulfilled the scholarship’s mission of encouraging individuals who demonstrate outstanding potential for public service. You may have seen the article in the fall issue of Hamilton magazine, but for those who missed it — Steve Starnes pointed it out to me — here’s a synopsis: after graduating as valedictorian of our class, Fred graduated with honors from Harvard Law School, where he won many honors, including best oral advocate (yay Hamilton’s focus on clear communications!). He has had many impressive titles, including deputy assistant attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice and associate White House counsel to President George H.W. Bush. Fred was also sought after as a legal specialist in Eastern European issues, which made him quite popular in the early 1990s after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Fred left Washington, D.C., to return home to Ohio, where he continued collecting notable positions, such as

first chief of staff to U.S. Representative Steve Chabot (R-Cincinnati), judge of the Ohio Tenth District Court, and regular panelist on the local ABC affiliate’s public affairs TV roundtable.”

Hancock Estabrook, LLP announced that John Murad, Jr. was selected for inclusion in “Upstate New York Super Lawyers” for 2023. John is a trial lawyer and a partner in the firm’s litigation practice. His clients include national and local manufacturers and businesses, healthcare professionals and institutions, municipalities, and not-for-profit organizations.

I have some sad news to report. Barbara Starnes P’80, GP’11 passed away in February. [See the Necrology section for her obituary.] Many in our class remember Steve Starnes’s mother with great affection, and she graciously hosted many of our reunion cocktail parties at her house just up the hill from the College. Often referring to herself as “the longest resident on College Hill not yet in the cemetery,” Barbara lived a full life in the arms of Hamilton. Her father, Professor of History Edgar “Digger” Graves, was a longtime chairman of Hamilton’s History Department. Her brother Stephen ’54, was a Hamilton man. If that wasn’t enough connection, she married a Hamilton history professor and was thrilled that both her son, Steve, and Steve’s daughter, Elizabeth Palmer Califano ’11, attended Hamilton. After 30 years as a teacher, Barbara joined the Hamilton staff, running the tutoring classes in the Higher Education Opportunity Programs. In her spare time, Barbara was an inveterate adventure traveler, visiting Australasia, the Antarctic, Galapagos Island, and Machu Picchu, and taking more than 20 trips to Africa. We will all miss Barbara; many of us considered her our “mom away from home.” A memorial service is planned for her at Hamilton in June. Many thanks to those who sent me updates on their lives. It’s funny how I always start out with one or two, and I worry that this will be the issue when I will have a short class notes section, but then, after a nudge or two (thanks, Frank Tietje!), I get more and more updates so I can rest easy that there will be plenty for you guys to read about. If you haven’t updated me on your life lately, or ever, get ready — I’ll be sending out another call for stories this summer!

and I moved to manage the Superior Court, I am keeping my toes in the election waters by doing inter national work.

Class President Elly Cyr visited Suzy Shatz and her husband, Rick, in Marina Del Ray, Calif., in mid-September. They visited the beautiful J. Paul Getty Museum and saw Jacob Collier and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Holly wood Bowl. Suzy and Rick hosted a lovely Rosh Hashanah dinner at their home, and Stephanie Leiter P’20 joined. After dinner, they had a phone chat with Elizabeth Hoffman, who lives in Claremont, Calif.

Tia Strombeck reports that one of her puffin photos was selected in the Top 200 of the annual juried North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) photo competition. The photo will be featured in both the digital and printed editions of NANPA’s Expressions publication, the organization’s showcase retrospective. Congratulations!

Alice Blondin Carman ’82, P’11 and Steve Carman P’11 are enjoying filling the roles of “Mimi and Gramps” for their daughter’s two little girls.

Finally, Abby Coffin P’14 reports that she and her husband, Peter Coffin P’14, still reside in Chestnut Hill, Mass., but spend a great deal of time in San Diego. They had a wonderful Thanksgiving there this year with their whole family. She says: “We are like birds migrating with the weather. Wherever we are, we love to go to Hamilton events. It has been a fun way to keep in touch!”

Class Correspondent: Paddy McGuire

Contact Information: hamilton@paddymcguire.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1981 Your intrepid correspondent must get this finished since I leave soon on an election observer mission to Azerbaijan. Although the voters in my county retired me from overseeing elections here in favor of an election denier,

Aaron Reed ’80 and Bob Hellinger ’80 in the Alumni Parade in 1985.

From left: Suzy Shatz ’81, Stephanie Leiter ’81, P’20, and Elly Cyr ’81.

From left: Peter and Abby Coffin ’81, P’14, and their children, Hannah ‘14, Lillian, Jared, and Mia.

1982

Class Correspondent: Beth Tulloch

Contact Information: bethtulloch@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1982

Hello, Class of ‘82! Just a few updates this time around:

Congratulations to Joe Hobika on his recent re-election as president of the Utica school board. He says that the role makes for interesting “you can’t make this stuff up” times and invites novelists or screenwriters to get in touch for details. Joe’s son, Joseph III, is working as an assistant district attorney in Lewis County, N.Y. On one of his first days at work, he ran into Scott Nortz, who shared stories about Joe and Scott’s experiences studying together for the New York State bar exam. That sounds intriguing, but, sadly, Joe didn’t share any further details. Last summer, Joe and Rob Galbraith were partners in the Oak Hill Invitational Golf Tournament; for the third time, they won their flight, but were eliminated despite Rob heroically burying a putt on the first playoff hole to stay in the match. Joe invites any classmate around campus during golf season to get in touch to see if an outing can be arranged. He notes that the recently restored course is very well maintained and great fun to play. Joe and his wife are enjoying life with their two grandchildren, Roberto and Lucia.

Congratulations are also due to Alan Cienki, who was recently awarded a fellowship from the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences to spend February through June in the Netherlands writing up his research: nias.knaw.nl/fellow/ alan-cienki. The fellowship will be a semester break from his usual routine at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam), where he’s a professor in linguistics.

Dan Rosenfeld writes that he’s in his 20th year serving as the cantor of Temple Beth Am in Merrick, Long Island. His son Nikita made him a grandfather with grandsons Alex and

Max. Dan’s younger son Eliot is taking the world by storm in Philadelphia. Dan recently attended a private event at Citi Field where he met former New York Mets player Mookie Wilson, thanks to a former bar mitzvah student whose wedding Dan officiated. Last summer, Dan and Eliot attended the Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue, Long Island, with classmates/married couple Angela North and Anthony Manson. Dan is grateful to alumni and the College for the wonderful tributes paid to his late father, Marjorie and Robert W. McEwen Professor of English William Rosenfeld P’82,’84.

Dave Moonay is doing well: he enjoyed skiing with friends in Stowe, Vt., seeing the Boston Pops, and ringing in the new year with friends. He sends classmates his regards, along with a photo of a rest stop after biking.

Jeff Smith submitted a photo of his dad, Warren Smith ’53, P’82,’85,’87, blowing out the candles at his 92nd birthday party. Warren is still active in his favorite sports and will have celebrated his 93rd birthday by the time you read this. Very happy birthday, Warren!

Please drop me a note with your life updates. We love to hear about our classmates!

I’ll start out with an update from Charlie Osgood P’26, who had quite the story to tell after driving his daughter back to Hamilton. He writes: “I had the unexpected adventure of driving with my daughter Charlotte ’26, now in her sophomore year, across the country after Christmas break. I flew from Seattle to Salt Lake City to meet her, and we played tag with winter storms as we worked our way east, covering Wyoming and Nebraska in a day, followed by Iowa and Illinois the next day, and then a truly early 2:30 a.m. departure from Chicago to navigate Indiana, Ohio, and a corner of Pennsylvania in advance [of] an incoming storm. I had always looked forward to someday driving across the country, but never dreamt it would be in the dead of winter. Highlights of the trip included counting 30 18-wheelers that spun off the road as we crossed snowy Iowa; checking out the “World’s Biggest Truck Stop” (who knew?) on I-80; and turning north at Buffalo to visit Niagara Falls on a winter afternoon. Once Char was safely back at Hamilton, payback for the 2,200 miles in three days was enjoying a really relaxing Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend with Jim Madden at his home in Rochester, N.Y. Meg Love joined us for dinner on Sunday night before I headed to the airport, and back to Wenatchee, Wash., on Monday.”

From Meg Love: “Had a great time recently when Jim Madden called to say Charlie Osgood would be in the area en route to bringing his daughter, Charlotte, back to Hamilton. Jim hosted a great dinner, and we had a fine time catching up. Wish we’d taken a picture, but alas, we did not. I’m still with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, managing print and mail operations for our offices across Upstate New York and continuing to enjoy the work immensely. I’ve experienced a complete ‘failure to launch’ at home and currently have all three kids plus two grandkids living at home. So much for empty-nesting!”

John Christopher P’14 was able to reunite with several classmates at his daughter’s wedding: “I had a chance to connect up with several ’83ers at my daughter Katherine’s wedding last September, including Steve Valone, Kathy Decker

Class Correspondent: Joseph Flynn

Contact Information: jtflynnmd@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1983

Thanks again to everyone who responded to my repeated requests for news! I really enjoy hearing from everyone and being able to update the rest of the class on each other’s activities.

Dave Mooney ’82 enjoyed a mountain bike ride on a balmy winter day.

Warren Smith ’53, P’82,’85,’87 celebrated his 92nd birthday in 2023 with sons Jeff Smith ’82, Andy Smith ’85, and Matt Smith ’87.

From left: Steve Valone ’83, Kathy Decker Sutton ’83, Alana Christopher ’14, John Christopher ’83, P’14, and Cathy Crosby ’83.

Sutton, and Cathy Crosby. If you can believe it, the C/Kathies joined me in a banjo/ukulele flash mob serenade the night before the wedding!”

Another family update came from Andres Henriquez P’15: “I became a grandfather last year! Meet Henry Roman Finnegan, my very first grandson. I am wearing a Hamilton T-shirt, but I don’t have any Hamilton swag for the little guy yet.” I bet that the College Bookstore might be able to supply something for little Henry — your class correspondent has outfitted all my nephews, great-nephews, and great-nieces from there!

We also have a few career updates this time. From Nicole Katz Rhind P’18: “After launching a career as a trader and then analyst on Wall Street and returning for my MBA to pivot into a Fortune 500 beauty marketing career, I pivoted completely and enrolled in graduate school for social work to give back and help individuals improve their lives. After four years working with children from trauma situations on the agency side, I have finally put up my solo practice shingle in my town of New Canaan, Conn.: Thrive Mental Wellness, LLC. I work exclusively with adolescents and young adults struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, and mood disorders. I am finally following my passion! You are never too old to reinvent your dreams. … And oh, by the way, after a storied career in advertising and publishing, my husband, Jamie Rhind P’18, is killing it as a top Lexus Associate in Westport, Conn. He is enjoying his passions of cars and schmoozing — a perfect fit! Living the dream.”

King Wiemann also shared a career update: “I just received and accepted a job offer from Boeing in Oklahoma City. I’ve been living and working in the metro DC area for a few years now, enjoying reconnecting with friends and activities from my time living here more than

20 years ago. Now, I get to start a new life in a place that is entirely new to me. My wife is thrilled because she will now be living much closer to her family in Fort Smith, Ark., just across the border from Oklahoma City. I’ve already reached out to amateur and semiprofessional music ensembles, offering my oboe skills. Already have one offer!”

The prize for most distant traveler among our class this year must go to Andy Slentz, who wrote: “We are still in Houston as I finish out my career at Hess Corp., which has been approached by Chevron Corp. in a friendly acquisition. Charting our locations, Houston is now officially the longest place that we have ever lived as a family! We have begun long-overdue travel to reconnect with far-flung friends in the post-COVID era and have made excursions to Australia (where we lived for five years), the U.K., Italy, France, Denmark, and Antarctica. We are part of the world’s ‘Continent Club,’ for which you think you would get a badge, certificate, or T-shirt. (You don’t.) On the Hamilton side, our extended family recently established the Robert D. Slentz ’47, P’83 Endowed Scholarship Fund in honor of our father to provide financial aid for students, with preference to those declaring majors in the mathematics or science disciplines. The scholarship will help to cement his legacy and encourage others to consider a career in education.“

From Antarctica to Alaska, here’s a great story and photo from Tim Kane: “An incredible antler story! Tuesday, Jan. 14: I meet a beautiful bull moose, admire his antlers and offer him my address in case he wants to shed them behind my house. Tuesday, Jan. 23: While riding my bike, I see a large moose, bedded down and with no antlers. After about 30 minutes of riding, I turn around at one end of the bike trail loop and I pass a man carrying a beautiful

moose antler. I stop and chat with him. He tells me he found the antler near the trail where I saw the moose without antlers. He goes on to say he is from Slovenia, where he and his family would often look for and find elk antlers. (He’s got skills!) He then says he is living in a homeless shelter and happy every day he wakes up alive, healthy, and able to walk on the beautiful trails. He then offers me the antler. I thank him and decline, saying he found the antler, which is a remarkable thing! … We say goodbye and I head off to finish my ride. After turning around at the other end of the bike trail loop and riding back home, I see the man again. This time I show him photos and videos of the bull moose I met and we see clearly that the antler he found was the left antler from that bull moose. The moose must have shed it in the past day and a half! He then insists I accept his gift of the antler. I accept. I then asked him if he has an email or cell number so we can be in touch and he told me that he doesn’t have a phone or email. He does tell me his bed number at the shelter. I told him I would drop off a surprise for him at the shelter in thanks for his generosity. We then parted ways.” What an amazing tale!

From the wilds of New York City comes this update from John Hadity: “I chair the board of directors of a nonprofit theatre group in New York City, Tectonic Theater Project, and am pleased to announce that our most recent play, Here There Are Blueberries, has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. The play tells the story of an album of historical, Nazi-era photographs, what they reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust and our own humanity. It will have an off-Broadway run in April and May at New York Theatre Workshop.”

In November, Julie Faith Parker presented her new book, Eve Isn’t Evil: Feminist Readings of the Bible to Upend Our Assumptions (Baker Academic Press, 2023), to alumni in a virtual event. In the book, Julie reads biblical texts through a feminist lens while intertwining personal stories with academic knowledge and theological insights. Emphasizing the Old Testament (the area of her Ph.D. studies and teaching as a professor), Eve Isn’t Evil brings readers’ attention to texts that may surprise

Henry Roman Finnegan, Andres Henriquez ’83, P’15’s first grandson.

Andy Slentz ’83 in Antarctica.

Tim Kane ’83 with the kind man who gifted him bull moose antlers.

1984

Class Correspondent: Charlie Mierswa

Contact Information: cmierswa1@gmail.com

them. As she explores passages from the Bible, Julie shared in both her book and presentation stories about her own experiences, including raising a son on the autism spectrum, experiencing abuse as a pastor, traveling in a war zone with bullets whizzing by, and teaching inside a prison. She reminds us that the Bible can be a source of strength, guidance, comfort, and even joyful defiance.

Early reviews of Eve Isn’t Evil credit the book as both informative and fun. Jonathan Merritt, a contributing writer for The Atlantic, observed: “Too often, books written by Bible scholars are like a piece of week-old cake — dry, dense, and difficult to digest. But Eve Isn’t Evil shatters the category, managing to be poignant and personal and occasionally hilarious without sacrificing academic rigor.” Publishers Weekly explains that this book “tackles scripture from a broad-thinking, feminist perspective” and describes it as “smart and impressive.”

Julie notes that part of the genesis of Eve Isn’t Evil was a presentation that she gave at an Alumni College at her 2008 reunion. There she presented a lecture on Genesis 2-3 titled, “Is Eve Evil?” Clearly, that question has been answered in her most recent book with a resounding “No!”

Ellen Brand had this brief update: “Just finished a sabbatical. Spent time exploring study abroad pedagogy. I have traveled to London multiple times as faculty, an interest sparked by my senior year winter term in London, through Hamilton.”

Finally, these words from Erick Steen: “Had fun seeing everyone at our reunion but was disappointed I couldn’t spend more time with our class. The simultaneous Buffers and geology reunions had me stretched thin. I finally bought a house in Buena Vista, Colo., and my guest room is waiting for visitors. I also have an RV hook-up in my driveway if that’s anyone’s preferred modus operandi.”

As always, stay in touch: you don’t have to wait for my pleas on the listserv to send updates!

It has been a while since you have all seen an update from our classmates, but hopefully it’s worth the wait! By the time you read this, we will be well into 2024, but I’m going to wish you all a happy and healthy 2024 regardless. Unlike the last class notes, I have no awards to present, and there aren’t any general themes running through the submissions. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the reunion in June and look forward to in-person updates that I can include in the next iteration of the class notes. Going forward, there will only be two updates per year, as the College is changing the publication schedule of the magazine and Glade & Glen , so you won’t be getting any of my annoying emails until well after the reunion! For now, let’s catch up with what has been going on with you since last fall!

December marked the traditional 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend in New York City. There were drink-mixing classes, private tours at the Met, Broadway shows, the traditional dinner, and a Brooklyn Nets basketball game. I, of course, had to crash the Nets game in the owners’ suite since I worked there for 15 years! The Nets beat the Orlando Magic in a commanding fashion, for all those interested. The annual 1812 dinner was an amazing evening, although President David Wippman was suffering from laryngitis, so our former president Joan Stewart stepped up and delivered part of his speech. Our own David Solomon P’16 hosted the event, congratulating everyone for their amazing fundraising achievements as part of the Because

Hamilton campaign. I also ran into Mark Mancuso P’24, Julia Cowles, Matthew Fremont-Smith, Monty Pooley P’16,’19, John Gevinski P’22 and his wonderful daughter Carolyn ’22, Sharon Madison, and Alfred Slanetz. Unfortunately, Julie Ross was ill and wasn’t able to attend, and Randi Lowitt Gnesin had a work conflict and missed it also. A good time was had by all, and I was able to grab a picture with Mark. I think the picture title should be “two old guys!”

Speaking of annual events, Liz Finegan Menges P’12,’17 has organized an annual get-together with Susie Harris Daut, Jen Hager ’85, Carolyn Hoyt Stevens ’85, Tracy Hamlin Groves, Alison Lemeshow Taubman, Monique Du Bois Sofen, Betsy Timoney, Cindy Andel Dolan ’85, and Elizabeth Hagerty Dessen Apparently, this burgeoning tradition started during COVID when the group gathered regularly on Zoom. This year they went to Saratoga, N.Y., for a few days and posed for a great photo! The event was beautifully curated by Monique,

Carrie Klein ’86 received a free copy of Eve Isn’t Evil from Julie Faith Parker ’83, who offered the book as a giveaway to one lucky attendee of her Hamilton virtual event.

From left: Charlie Mierswa ’84, P’11 and Mark Mancuso ’84, P’24 at the 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend dinner.

From left: Susie Harris Daut ’84, Jen Hager ’85, Carolyn Hoyt Stevens ’85, Tracy Hamlin Groves ’84, Alison Lemeshow Taubman ’84, Liz Finegan Menges ’84, P’12,’17, Monique Du Bois Sofen ’84, Betsy Timoney ’84, Cindy Andel Dolan ’85, and Elizabeth Hagerty Dessen ’84.

Betsy, and Alison. The itinerary included a potluck dinner at the home of a friend of Al and Monique’s in the center of town. Al created delicious drinks, and they all chatted late into the night around the fire pit, listening to a playlist of all our old favorite college tunes. The following days included a guided historical walking tour of Saratoga, a scavenger hunt, more dinners, and lots of reminiscing with wine, beer, and incredible company. They wondered why it took so long to pull this off and decided that COVID had some benefits after all. Their next trip is already in the works, and we look forward to hearing about the next one!

Al Sofen P’16 has established an annual event to honor the memory of our own Bill Bunke. In October 2021, a group of Hamilton friends gathered in the Catskills for a weekend to reconnect and to celebrate and remember their friend Bill, who had passed away earlier that year. They had such a great time that they decided to try and gather in different locations on a regular basis. Their photo was taken during this year’s gathering in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., in early October 2023. In attendance with Al were Tom Sweeney, Dave Bonzerato, John Gevinski P’22, John Webber, Steve Reynolds, Mike Diebus, John Kiffel, Sal Angotti, John Steffy, Scott Amoye ’85, and Eric Ebbert. Once again, everyone had a wonderful time sharing stories, laughs, great food, drinks, and even a round of golf. Their next gathering will be on the Hill for Reunion Weekend in June 2024.

Before enjoying the fun-filled weekend in Saratoga, Betsy Timoney had lots of fun moving her daughter into her dorm to start her freshman year. She commented that it is bittersweet to be an empty-nester, but it reminded her of

the excitement she felt starting at Hamilton. Over Thanksgiving, her daughter Emily competed for Team USA in the Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, so Betsy made a South American trip out of it, starting in Patagonia, then to Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls, to Santiago to watch Emily compete, and finally finishing on the Chilean coast. She even tried sand surfing. (Wish we had photos!) Sounds like it was an amazing trip. She closed out the year turning 60 — she may be the last of our class to reach that milestone. More travel is planned for 2024, so we look forward to hearing about those adventures as well. She is looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion!

Another Betsy, Betsy Graham Tilkemeier, checked in: “Last weekend, I hosted four of my close Hamilton friends at our new home in Sarasota, Fla.: Amy Reich ’85, Kristen Sanders

Smyth ’86, Tracy Smith Fauver ’86, and Sally Adelstein Blanks. They snapped a great photo. Betsy is continuing her work as co-founder and managing partner of North Line Partners, a boutique executive search firm, alongside her husband, Jon, where they focus on hiring top leaders for private equity-backed companies in the consumer sector. They have two sons. One is a first lieutenant/ infantry officer in the U.S. Army (he did ROTC at Union College), and the other is a recent graduate of the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and an equity research associate at Cleveland Research Co.

Betsy also provided an update for Sally, who lives with her husband, Maurice, in Minneapolis, where she continues her nonprofit board work in the arts, education, and mental healthcare fields. Maurice is a former architect and co-founder and COO of Blu Dot, a furniture design and manufacturing company. They have two daughters. One daughter currently lives near Asheville, N.C., and their other daughter is in her second year at University of St Andrews in Scotland. It seems there is a major Hamilton connection to St Andrews, as many alums’ kids have gone there and loved it just as much as we all enjoyed when we were at Hamilton!

Alex Lewis had a colorful contribution. He’s going to be quite busy traveling. In the spring, he’ll be hitting Europe, Scandinavia, and the subcontinent. He’ll be leaving from Calumet City and drinking Orange Whips. (Grin.) But seriously, he does plan to hit a beach somewhere for the first time in six years. Closer to home, he has a nephew graduating high school in Philadelphia, a niece graduating college in Eau Claire, Wis., and other reasons that will

From left: Tom Sweeney ’84, Dave Bonzerato ’84, John Gevinski ’84, P’22, John Webber ’84, Steve Reynolds ’84, Mike Diebus ’84, Alan Sofen ’84, P’16, John Kiffel ’84, Sal Angotti ’84, John Steffy ’84, Scott Amoye ’85, and Eric Ebbert ’84.

From left: Amy Reich ’85, Betsy Tilkemeier ’84, Kristen Sanders Smyth ’86, Tracy Smith Fauver ’86, and Sally Adelstein Blanks ’84.

take him to DC, Buffalo, and Charleston, S.C., and Clinton! These East Coast travels were part of his motivation two years ago to leave Texas and move to the Northeast. As Alex puts it: “In Texas, an eight-hours’ drive gets you absolutely NOWHERE interesting, unless you like old, colorful Cadillacs upended in the flatlands — and a 14-hour drive isn’t much of an improvement.”

Jeb Beckwith also moved recently. He’s now in North Carolina living near another Psi Upsilon fraternity brother, Sam Palomaki ’20, who works with him at Clean Origin, the diamond company. Maybe the North Carolina address will help his son with his NASCAR goals! (You may recall from prior class notes that Jeb’s son is a winning race car driver!) Jeb stays close with his Psi brothers and was headed to Florida in February for another Psi’s wedding, Addison Morse ’16

Other moves include Matthew Fremont-Smith, who is now in Providence, R.I., quite a change from his residences in New York City and Asia! Matt reports that Providence has surprisingly good “cultcha” due to all the universities in the area, and has a great restaurant scene. He has two children in college, sadly, none at Hamilton, as they wanted a sports team that actually wins something, so they went Division I! He has one more chance for a Hamiltonian, as he still has a child in high school. Providence gives him a small-town feel with easy access to the Cape and to family in Boston. He still commutes to New York City every couple of weeks. He says

to hop off I-95 and visit — not sure if he’s thinking about lunch at Applebee’s, but who knows?

Matthew connected me with Andrew Friedmann, who I don’t think has ever submitted an update before, so I had to prompt him with some questions. Where does he work? Is he married? Any kids? Any jail time? Where is he living? His responses were as follows: Working for the Department of Environmental Protection. No jail time…yet! He has three kids: a nurse, a journalist, and a medical school applicant. He went through an amicable divorce and recently bought a house in Woburn, Mass., which he is renovating on his own. He’s looking forward to catching up with everyone at the reunion!

Kate Stewart, you may recall, went to Canada a year ago to represent the over-60 crowd in a long-track skating race. Well, she is doing it again, and this time she is headed to the Netherlands to race short track in Enschede. She is one of only nine Americans who made the cut! She practices in a local hockey rink and hits the gym quite often, so she’s hoping to outdo her performance from last year. As of this writing, she had recently contracted COVID for the first time, which did not help her training regimen. Although I’m not training for a skating event, I too got COVID for the first time — great way to start 2024! Kate is looking forward to our reunion and hopes for an ’80s dance party! (We’re working on that, Kate.)

Pam Skripak and Dave Gordon had some amazing news to share. They celebrated their 35th anniversary with a trip to Ecuador, where they

served for over two years in the Peace Corps. Their grown children, Hallie Skripak Gordon ’16 and Braden Skripak Gordon, and their partners, joined them. They spent time in the Amazon, hiked up to over 17,000 feet on Cotopaxi, and snorkeled off the coast. They also returned to a small community for an extremely emotional reunion with the then-children and many neighbors who became part of their “family” while they were there with the Peace Corps. They are heartbroken by the news coming out of Ecuador these days and hope for peace and security there soon. In other 2023 news, Pam and friends launched Home Earth Alliance (homeearthalliance.org), a non-profit organization designed to educate, inspire, and empower people to cultivate homes and outdoor spaces that support biodiversity, mitigate climate change, and promote environmental justice. The goal for 2024 is to launch “IMAGINE Native Plant Farm” to meet the growing demand for ecoregional and ethically grown native plant materials. They do what they can to practice what they preach and have planted close to 250 native trees and shrubs on their own seven acres. Thanks for making the world a better place for all of us, Pam and Dave.

Bob Tucker P’19 and his wife, Jen, recently caught up with Steve Burnett in Hamden, Conn. Steve and his wife, Maggie, were traveling from their home in Vermont to visit their daughter, her husband, and two granddaughters. The little girls, Tate and Marlo, are 2-and-a-half and 6-months-old, respectively. After spending the early part of his career in Connecticut, Steve has now been in Vermont for 12 years, where he is a retirement plan consultant for businesses throughout the region. Steve adds: “it’s great to be able to live and work in such a beautiful place.”

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In addition to connecting with Steve, Bob got together with Mike Boyd P’17 and his wife this winter. Mike’s wife is a high school classmate of his and they get together once or twice a year. Bob also sees Pam and Dave pretty regularly when they visit Dave’s mom. Bob is doing well and still working as an architect in Woodbridge, Conn., with his wife. One of their sons got married in their backyard this past summer, which was a lot of fun, according to Bob, and a lot of work. Both their boys live in Brooklyn, N.Y., about 10 blocks from each other, which is nice. Bob and his wife are hoping to find time to go to Brooklyn and see them soon!

Amy Lauer writes that she is fortunate to be healthy, happy, and energized about life as she heads toward turning 61 in March. After 30-plus years in retail (Gap, Old Navy, Sephora), she aligned her purpose with her work and went to “coaching school.” She launched her Certified Leadership Coaching practice, Catalyst & Co., which, in her own words, has become “a magical place” for her, as she “loves guiding emerging leaders.” This year is shaping up to be a full one for her. In February, she will

“downsize” with a move from the home where she raised four children, tended to her fatherin-law during his last years of life, and worked from through the COVID years. They are looking for a smaller space in San Francisco. In April, she will have the pleasure of honoring her 91-year-old mother’s productive impact as a teacher and musician by attending a National League of American Pen Women Biennial Symposium in Columbus, Ohio, where she is teaching a course she created for the occasion: “Symbiosis: Words Inspiring Music Inspiring Words.” In May, they celebrate their son’s graduation from Colby College and will take time to enjoy Maine’s beautiful coast, lakes, and forests the week before his big event. In June, she hopes to join us all on the Hill to reconnect with friends and make new ones at our big 40th reunion.

Mary Rozell writes that she will not be able to make the reunion because she will be in Miami on business. She currently runs a global art collection for a bank with 50,000 works of art. She apparently does lots of activations, runs a gallery, and travels in search of new works. I did get a contribution from an unusual source: Doug Schoemer ’85. Although not in our class, he got my request for updates anyway? He got together this summer with a bunch of Hamiltonians who rented a house in North Carolina last summer. He also wanted to give a shout-out to Ed DuPre!

As for myself, I’m enjoying every minute of being a grandfather — I just wish that my granddaughter didn’t live five hours away! Stay well, and see you in June!

Class Correspondent: Debbie Grassi Baker

Contact Information: debgbaker737@gmail.com

James Sloves is getting married! His fiancée, Michelle, is a physical therapist and they are loving life in Lake Tahoe and sent breathtaking photos of them in the great outdoors.

After 37 years, Gretchen Grad has moved from Chicago. She and her husband, Brian, are now calling Northern Michigan home — for most of the year, anyway. From January through March, however, you can find them in San Diego. Can you blame them? Hands of Peace, the nonprofit Gretchen founded and ran for 21 years, recently ended operations, unable to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Though disappointed, Gretchen is incredibly proud of the 840 Israeli, Palestinian, and American youth who participated in her leadership program and have gone on to change the world in remarkable ways.

Gretchen stays in regular communication with Henry Barton, Dave Fowler, Ingrid “Inky” Schneider, Jim Read ’86, and Barbie Dane. Despite living in six different states, they have a text thread going that keeps them close. According to Gretchen, Dave has recently risen to grandparent status, which calls for a round of congratulations to Dave and his family.

Also keeping the Buff & Blue connection strong are Matt Harding, Mike Glass, John Hincks ’86, F. W. Pearce ’84, Toby Brown, Bill Pratt, Rich Petralia, Richard “Trip” Balch, and Dan Connolly P’18 James Whalen hosted their annual gathering over a long weekend at his place in Park City, Utah. With gratitude, they toasted being together again and in remembrance of their friend, the late David Hornblower ’86

Meanwhile, across the pond, Chris Soltis is wrapping up his second year in London. His daughters are all in school: Chloe in 10th grade; Katie in 12th grade and headed to Cornell University next year; and Maddie is a junior at Wesleyan University. And, in a isn’t-it-

a-small-world kind of way, Chris and I discovered that one of Maddie’s friends at Wesleyan is my next-door neighbor! I am hoping that means Maddie will come for a visit someday and appear on my doorstep so I get to meet her. Yes, the Hamilton connection includes the next generation, whether they like it or not!

As for me, I am still raising money for Boys & Girls Clubs of King County in Seattle, taking the ferry across from Bainbridge Island two or three times a week. I have had the pleasure of connecting with classmates myself this last year, which always warms my heart. Fellow islander Jennifer Mann and I finally made it to Blackbird Bakery for a coffee and a chat. She is rocking the world of children’s literature with her picture books and illustrations, and I always love getting the inside scoop from her. In the fall, I headed east to celebrate turning 60 with a visit to New York City to see Alan Wolfe (and watch the New York Jets lose all on their own) and Rob Godosky (who, rumor has it, is learning to whittle), finishing up with a weekend on the Jersey Shore with Suzanne Wise King P’19, Anne Clark Christman, Laura Siff Reichert, Ellen Kohler, and Cora Alsante, which we filled with a whole heap of talking, laughing, and remembering — in addition to singing along to Annie’s playlist and testing out Sue’s new breathing app. Plans were underway for next year when we went our separate ways on Sunday. Little did we know that we would be together again the very next weekend saying goodbye to Evelyn “Evie” Scoville. She will be memorialized in a future issue of Glade & Glen

James Sloves ’85 and his fiancée, Michelle, in Lake Tahoe.

James Whalen ’85 hosted his annual gathering. From left: Matt Harding ’85, Mike Glass ’85, John Hincks ’86, F. W. Pearce ’84, Toby Brown ’85, James Whalen ’85, Bill Pratt ’85, Rich Petralia ’85, Richard “Trip” Balch ’85, and Dan Connolly ’85, P’18. They raised a glass to the late David Hornblower ’86.

Class Correspondent: Melissa Joyce-Rosen

Contact Information: melissajoycerosen@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1986

John Vecchione was the first to email, saying, “I’ll see what I can do but I saw the picture of Laurie Semple McCarthy in revolutionary period garb and it was great.” Thanks to the class notes items submitted last year by both Laurie and Claire Carlson Czajkowski, they were featured in a story on Hamilton’s website titled, “A Passion for the Past Reunites Two Alumnae.” (Here is the link: www.hamilton.edu/news/stories/museum-deerfield-revolutionary-war-archaeology.)

Timing is everything! Tracy Smith Fauver emailed, “I don’t normally have anything to submit, but spent last weekend with Hamilton friends in Sarasota, Fla., at Betsy Tilkemeier ’84’s house.” Tracy sent in a picture from the beach.

From the Ithaca, N.Y., area, Katrina Greenly Binkewicz emailed an update. “It has been a busy year for us. I retired after 19 years of teaching high school art and biology. My mother, Sally Lou, lives with us now. I am focusing on becoming a practicing artist again.” Katrina has been sharing some of her pieces on Facebook and they’re beautiful. She continued, “ Matthew [Binkewicz, her husband] works full time as a hospice chaplain for Hospice of Central New York & Hospice of the Finger Lakes. He teaches part time for SUNY Canton online (his course is Death, Dying and Bereavement) and is the priest for St. George Orthodox Church in Lansing, N.Y., which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in August. We celebrated our son, Anthony Greenly, marrying his long-term partner, Alanna Vadnais, this past August.”

Tori Campbell Nelson sent a picture and update as well. “I do have a fun update. A few of us got together for Amy Hollands’s daughter’s wedding in November in Mobile, Ala. It included Amy,

Meredith Emerson Ritchie, myself, and Jane Robinson Collins.”

Tori and her husband have been living in Singapore for six years for her husband’s job. She continued: “We’re back to doing lots of regional traveling now that COVID restrictions have lifted, including recent visits to Nepal, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and the Maldives. And I’m also busy running a podcast I started five years ago with three former TV colleagues called KidNuz (www.kidnuz.org). It’s a seven-minute daily podcast of news just for kids, mainly between the ages of 6 and 13. It’s quite popular, with nearly 19 million downloads and thousands of teachers playing it in their classrooms. If anyone happens to be in Singapore, please let me know!”

I know a number of classmates are celebrating a big birthday this year, starting a new job or retiring, experiencing a sabbatical, and more. Congratulations all around. Drop me a note with your updates for the next column so I don’t have to take our updates from Facebook.

1987

Class Correspondent: Monique Lui Holloway

Contact Information: moniqueholloway@comcast.net

We received several updates this time and some from people who may have never sent in any news before. Thank you to everyone who contributed!

First, I heard from former class notes correspondent Evan Smith. He sent a photo of himself with Jen Murphy P’23 at Commencement. Evan gave the baccalaureate address, and Jen’s daughter, Sophie ’23, graduated. You can read the speech on hamilton.edu. Great job, Evan! Denise DePalma said this was possibly her first entry to class notes. She wrote about her recent get-togethers. “Live music was the catalyst for two of my recent visits with fellow Hamiltonians. In August, I was offered a serendipitous ticket to see Bruce Springsteen at Gillette Stadium with my freshman roommate Kelly Lambert Walker. It was a beautiful night for a

concert, made even more special by the fact that it was one of the Boss’s last performances before having to cancel the rest of his tour. Of course, we had to send our floor-seat selfie to Tom Bankert, Bruce’s biggest fan from Kirkland Dorm 1983, who came to New York City in December to support a promising new artist, Madeline the Person. The weekend started with Nancy Dennis, Todd Fraser, and I taking in the sights of Christmas at Rockefeller Center, followed by cocktails and Greek food in Astoria (where my family and I recently moved after 20 years in suburban Long Island). We ended with a trip to Brooklyn for an evening of live music. We were joined by Maura Kernan ’08, who is Tom’s niece, and other friends and family. It was a fun night, reminiscent of many other live music events on the Hill!

Steven Loew says: “After 27 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, I’ve accepted a position with the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section. I moved to DC at the end of January. The timing is good because I’m now an emptynester: my youngest daughter is a freshman at William & Mary, and my oldest daughter is a junior at the University of South Carolina — which also means I won’t be retiring any time soon. I still love to ski and have been on the slopes every year since 1969. Someday, I’ll be as good as some of my old ski buddies, Dave Goldstone ’89, Jamie Kuhn P’17, and Caleb Windover

Tracy Smith Fauver ’86 and friends at the beach. From left: Tracy, Amy Reich ’85, Kristen Sanders Smyth ’86, Sally Adelstein Blanks ’84, and Betsy Graham Tilkemeier ’84.

Tori Campbell Nelson ’86’s photo from the wedding of Amy Hollands ’86’s daughter.

From left: Amy, Meredith Emerson Ritchie ’86, Tori, and Jane Robinson Collins ’86.

Evan Smith ’87 and Jen Murphy ’87, P’23 at Hamilton’s 2023 Commencement. Evan delivered the baccalaureate address.

From left: Denise DePalma ’87, Todd Fraser ’87, Tom Bankert ’87, and Nancy Dennis ’87.

Lori Rottenberg lives near Steve in Arlington, Va., with her husband, Chuck Hanclich (Williams ’87), whom she met as part of Hamilton’s Junior Year in Spain in 1986. “We enjoy being empty-nesters but are fortunate that one of our daughters, Margot Hanclich, lives nearby in Alexandria, Va. Our other daughter lives in San Antonio, Texas!

“Shortly before Thanksgiving, Chuck, Margot, and I had a lovely dinner in Arlington with Ellen Hotchkiss Rainey and Laurie Mutch Trout and their husbands, Terry and Doug, and Laurie’s daughter Elizabeth. Now retired, Ellen shuttles between her homes in Clinton, N.Y., and Arlington, and Laurie and Doug moved to Arlington a few years ago. We are lucky to have such good friends here to keep our Hamilton connections alive!

“I also stay in touch with Jenny Brooks, who attended Hamilton from 1983 to 1985 before transferring. She got her doctorate in sociology and taught in the Troy University Sociology Department for many years until she recently left academia to become a grant writer for various progressive organizations. She is also an active supporter and filmmaker about blues musicians, based, as she is, in Alabama.

“I have been on the faculty at George Mason University since 2013. I teach English to international students who want to matriculate at U.S. universities and poetry to students in the honors college. It’s such interesting work, as I regularly teach students from China, Saudi Arabia, and many other nations. I continue to write my own poetry and publish in various journals and will be finishing my MFA in creative writing this spring. Those with interest in my writing can check out my website, lrottenberg.weebly.com.”

Thad Mantaro shared: “I reunited with my study abroad roommate from the CET/Wellesley China Studies program recently, Dr. Drew Hudnut.” Thad and Drew were roommates in the spring of 1985 and had not been in close contact for nearly 40 years. Thad visited Drew and his wife, Sara, at their vacation home in Sea Ranch, Calif., and spent a wonderful night connecting about China and their shared experience.

Additionally, The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) will publish Thad and colleague Dr. Ryan Travia’s book proposal, Well-being Leadership in Higher Education: A Guide for Successful Well-being Programs. Thad writes: “Despite numerous colleges and universities doing exemplary work in the health and wellness space, a comprehensive text on the leadership of well-being programs does not exist. The book will provide a primary source for research and scholarship related to the leadership of well-being in college environments through a practitioner’s lens.”

John Nye was also kind enough to check in and said: “The entire extended family was

together for Christmas week, which is an increasingly rare treat. The auction house rolls into 2024 with a brand new website, back-end data management system, and a mobile app, so there’s no reason everyone shouldn’t be bidding. Though we don’t have any big travel plans or retirements in the foreseeable future, we look forward to spending more time in Clinton and New Hampshire.”

Please keep sending updates and photos. Always great to hear from you.

1989

Class Correspondent: No correspondent at this time Class President Frank Vlossak says: “By some obscure provisions of the College and Alumni Council’s governing documents, the awesome responsibility of compiling our class notes has fallen to me. I apologize for this relatively brief initial report, but am very grateful to my fellow Minor dorm freshman year resident Mary Ervin Dempsey for providing some great material for it. Please send me your news, and together we can ensure that the next edition of Glade & Glen will have a robust and engrossing class notes section.”

Mary writes that she is “still living in New Hampshire, just outside of Portsmouth, and working for a division of Swiss Re Ltd. in Boston, though working mostly from home. My big thrill last year was working land support for a crew of four who set a world record, rowing across the Pacific Ocean from California to Hawaii. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as ocean rowing before that. Amazing experience! (See more at pacific-discovery. com.) I have two teenage sons: Liam is graduating high school this year and headed to Providence College. My older son, Jack, is halfway through his first year at Trinity College in Connecticut. To prove it’s a small world, both my kids went to Berwick Academy in Maine where Chris Mansfield teaches high school science, and both had him for at least one class. They report that he’s cool. I saw Mayank Parekh about a year ago when he and his older daughter were touring schools in the area, including Hamilton. He is still living in Singapore with his wife and two daughters and running marathons in his spare time. I report that he is also cool.”

Our class continues to be well-represented on the College’s Board of Trustees. Last summer, Kevin O’Donnell P’22,’25 and Bill Schmoker joined the board. From the College’s announcement: “Kevin O’Donnell built his career in the reinsurance industry and is president and chief executive officer of RenaissanceRe, a leading global property and casualty reinsurer. In addition, he is actively involved with many industry and educational organizations and is the chair of ClimateWise, a current trustee of The Institutes, and a member of the board of overseers

for St. John’s University School of Risk Management, Insurance, and Actuarial Sciences. … Kevin and his wife, Jennie Lee O’Donnell P’22,’25, live in Bermuda. They have three daughters, Emma, Mollie ’22, and Hailey ’25

“In recent years, Bill Schmoker has subsidized Hamilton’s spring trip to Nepal, associated with a class focused on adventure writing, and established a substantial endowment for the Outdoor Leadership Program. He is a vice president and senior investment manager for the Principal Financial Group in Minneapolis. He has served as board chair for the Minnesota Children’s Museum, a trustee for the Jeremiah Program, which disrupts the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children, as well as a trustee for the Breck School. Bill recently completed a term as board chair for Wilderness Inquiry, which promotes outdoor adventures for people of all ages and backgrounds.”

Please mark your calendars for June 6-9, 2024, for our 35th reunion. It is guaranteed to be an enjoyable and memorable weekend, but will be even better if you join us.

1990

Class Correspondent: Tamara Helmich Conway

Contact Information: tamaraconway@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1990 Suzanne Smore wrote: “Friends from near and far gathered in Los Angeles to ring in 2024. While attending a local party, we met another Hamiltonian, Abigail Caldwell Walsh ’91. It’s a small world. Marjorie Depuy was awarded the prize for traveling the farthest distance, coming from New Zealand.”

Left to right: Gillian Zucker ’90, Suzanne Smore ’90, Abigail Caldwell Walsh ’91, and Marjorie Depuy ’90 rang in 2024 together in Los Angeles.

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Become a Chapel Bell member today by giving monthly. As a member of the Chapel Bell Society, you’ll receive benefits all year long.

• New year, new gear. Chapel Bell members receive an exclusive Hamilton collectible every year. For 2024, you can opt for the Howard Diner t-shirt, a figurine of Root Hall, or snag the classic Chapel Bell socks.

• Get cozy. Receive a pair of exclusive Chapel Bell Society socks when you establish your monthly sustaining gift or choose from the annual collectibles.

• Cheers. Free drink at The Little Pub during Reunion and Fallcoming/Family weekends, or any time you visit.

• VIP treatment. We’ll waive your $10 event gift at Fallcoming, Reunions, About Towns, and Alexander Hamilton Birthday Parties.

• 1812, now within reach! With manageable monthly increments, you may consider contributing at the leadership level to join The 1812 Leadership Circle.

• Set it and forget it. Donations are automatically deducted monthly from your credit card. Hamilton employees can opt for the convenience of a monthly payroll deduction.

• It all adds up. To help you keep track, we’ll send you a written calendar yearend summary of your cumulative giving.

Start taking advantage of these great benefits, and make TODAY the day that you join the Chapel Bell Society.

To learn more, visit hamilton.edu/chapelbell

1991

Class Correspondent: Ray Lauenstein

Contact Information: rlauenstein@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1991

First off: happy 55th birthday to us! While some have had it and some have not, this is essentially our year to turn the speed limit. And let’s hope we are all still able to pull into the passing lane and step on it when called upon!

Brief update this time around starting with my running into Jason Heller and Alison O’Brien Heller at a Clifton Park (N.Y.) coffee shop. I am happy to report they are loving their new Lake George house featuring a new dock with an elevated deck. Jason reached the pinnacle of his financial advising career when he commuted to a client meeting on his jet ski! While I had to miss the Al Ham birthday event in Saratoga, Jason and Allison did see Suzanne Cristo and Suzanne Singer Boger P’25, who both reside in the Capital District region.

Susie Forester Goodall checked in from the Pacific Northwest and “had the best time catching up at the Al Ham birthday party event in Seattle with some friends, Ed Muir ’92 and John Hoey ’92. We need more Hamilton fun out West!” So if you are in the area, connect with Susie and the local Ham-Tech crew.

A nice update from Bert Cooper P’26, who sent the following: “This past June, I pulled together Chris Travers, Joby Gardner, Rick Lefever, and Scott Zeller to participate in a striped bass fishing tournament in Rhode Island, where my much better half for the last 27 years, Elizabeth ‘Lani’ Fletcher P’26, and I live. The boys and I get together annually, and I’ll be better about sending in photos. Lani and I live in Cranston, R.I., these days, and our 20-year-old daughter is currently attending Hamilton as a sophomore, loves it, and is making new friendships

Susie Forester Goodall ’91 with friends Ed Muir ’92 and John Hoey ’92 at the Seattle Al Ham birthday party.

that I hope are as durable as those that I made while there.” Thanks for the photo, Bert, and maybe next time you and Lani are in the picture as well!

Viki Murphy Yaeger sent a great dinner photo from a reunion with Toni Scott, Alex Walsh Gibbs, Anne McGuckin-Nelson, and Suzannah Maycock Brown. This crew gets together regularly, and it’s always nice to hear from them.

Some reunions are more exotic than others: case in point, the recent trip by Karen Rothballer Seelert P’26, Laura Broenniman, and Caroline Thomas to Morocco. Awesome photo, ladies, and keep up the adventures!

My freshman Bundy East roommate, Jonas Karlson, seems to have cracked the code on retirement planning! Check out his update: “COVID changed a lot, especially in medicine. After years of watching YouTube videos of sailing, fishing, shrimping, crabbing, scalloping,

and all sorts of water activities, I am semi-retiring in Florida. Punta Gorda is a small, quiet town between Naples and Sarasota on the Peace River. I bought a canal-front home where I can keep boats in the water in my backyard. Oh, and I bought a 42’ sailboat. It’s an older home that needs renovation. I’ll work full time, but less hours than previously, while the renovation takes place. Then, I plan to use my free time with all the above-mentioned activities, especially crabbing. A person with a Florida fishing license may keep five blue crab traps and five stone crab traps. I hope to catch enough for dinners.” Better catch a few more, as I have a feeling some of your friends might just be “in the neighborhood” more than you think. Enjoy, Jonas, and send us a photo of you on that boat!

John Bolton is reveling in being the father of a “Michigan Man,” noting that he hosted 12 of his son Justin’s University of Michigan fraternity brothers for the College Football Playoff National Championship game played in Houston! At least he can still say “Go Blue!” and it works. While that’s great and all, nothing can top John being a dog mascot at Hamilton basketball games because his nickname was “Dawg.” I am hoping for a 35th reunion appearance by John and Brett Mandel as the Continental!

Sadly, the class learned of the passing of Michael Salvatore in February. Chris Vander Rhodes had been friends with him since the year it all started for us, 1987, and passed along the news of her dear friend. If you have Hamilton memories you would like to share with the College, please do so via our classmate Brett Mandel, who can pass such things on to the Glade & Glen editor.

As for me, my daughter Sophie will be attending the College of Charleston next fall, surfboard firmly in tow, of course. Allison and I both travel for work, so now having a second, licensed child has been helpful, as much as it can be stressful. I went to my usual University of Central Florida football game to see Herb Hand ’90 coach his o-line to victory. I also went to my first, and maybe not my last, Electric Daisy Carnival as the guest of a client. Work will continue to take me to faraway places: next stop, Colombia, for a Latin American leisure and entertainment expo! My trade show schedule will take me to Frisco, Texas, at the new PGA resort, as well as to San Diego, Orlando, Fla., and Las Vegas. If you live in these places, send me a message.

If you are on Facebook, but not a member of our class group, please consider joining as it has become a good little community. Otherwise, send me an update directly at rlauenstein@gmail.com.

1992

Class Correspondent: Richard Skinner

Contact Information: richardmcgrathskinner@ gmail.com

Jesse Zanger has a new hobby — taking pictures of birds: “As a native New Yorker who lives happily in the city to this day, it seems somewhat unlikely.” But Jesse became intrigued by some red-tailed hawks flying in Riverside Park. Soon he began photographing them, as well as the occasional bald eagle, “commuting up and down along the Hudson River. There’s no way I could’ve imagined, as a kid, seeing a bald eagle in New York City. Now it is a thing that happens from time to time and is always a thrill. I’ve leaned more and more into this hobby over the past few years. It has been very personally rewarding.” Follow Jesse on his Instagram account, @MeLikeBird.

Chris Travers ’91, Joby Gardner ’91, Rick Lefever ’91, and Scott Zeller ’91 participated in a striped bass fishing contest as guests of Bert Cooper and Elizabeth Fletcher ’91, P’26.

From left: Anne McGuckin Nelson ’91, Viki Murphy Yaeger ’91, Toni Scott ’91, Alex Gibbs Walsh ’91, and Suzannah Maycock Brown ’91 at a mini-reunion dinner in Chicago.

Laura Bronneman ’91, Karen Rothball Seelert ’91, P’26, and Carline Thomas ’91 in the dunes of Morocco.

1993

Class Correspondent: Brendan McCormick

Contact Information: brendanmccormick@verizon.net

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1993

This issue’s report is action-packed, with unions, reunions, comings, and goings. Thanks to all who shared their news and photos.

Art Massolo married Val Gelnovatch at a small, intimate affair at her parents’ home in Miami in January. Lured by an invitation to a small “engagement party,” family and a few local friends, including the parents of the couple, were surprised when Art and Val were actually married by celebrant Gavin Macphail ’94

Gaby Glatzer Scully was delighted to get away in January with Robin Schafer, Allison Jennings, and Annie Rickards Poskitt Sunshine McCoy Stein had to cancel at the last minute because of a brutal case of the flu and was sorely missed, although they did print out her picture and take “Flat Sunshine” with them wherever they went. They had an amazing, long weekend

filled with excellent food, deep conversation, and relaxation. On their last night, they raised pink glasses to the late Megan Robb on the third anniversary of her passing.

Hamilton arrivals: Longtime class notes reader and first-time contributor Rick Meyers P’28 shares that his daughter will be enrolling at Hamilton this year as part of the track team. Doug Miller P’28’s daughter Trixie will be enrolling as well, likely starting in the Hamilton Semester in London program before arriving in Clinton early next year.

And a Hamilton departure: After four-anda-half years working for Hamilton as the major gift officer for Texas and the West Coast from her home near Dallas, Allison Mayberry recently joined Yale University as deputy director of leadership giving. She will lead a team of gift officers raising donations of $10,000-$250,000 in the western half of the country, from Texas to California. This amazing opportunity at Yale brought her back to her home state of Connecticut for the first time in 30 years, and she is settling into life in New Haven. The idea

of moving back to New England came about after spending time there in recent months, including celebrating Jeannine Diddle Uzzi ’s wedding to Heather Sawyer in Maine, with Dunham 312 roomies Ann Busch Haines and Jessica Solky Butzel. Allison writes: “If any ’93ers pass through New Haven, let me know and we’ll meet for pizza!” Allison looks forward to continuing to be a loyal Hamilton alumna, donor, and volunteer.

1994

Class Correspondent: Julie Saslow

Contact Information: juliewinkler72@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton Class of 1994

Thank you to all who responded to the word “begging” in my last plea for class notes — apparently, it is humility that works! We hope to see you June 6-9 for our 30th reunion. Watch your email for more information about that weekend, which will be “One Hill of a Party.”

Class President Liz Keogh P’26 reports that Laura White Kolshak is living in Palm Beach, Fla., where she is an orthopedic surgeon focusing on hands and upper extremities. She loves living on the west coast of Florida and recently bought a home in the country for enjoying family time. Liz also shared that Andrea Rasmussen continues her hard-fought journey toward health at the amazing Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. She is so grateful for all the support and love that so many members of our class have shared!

Sarah Green took a business trip to Australia, where she was able to have lunch with Mark Havens, who lives in Sydney with his wife and college-aged kids. She also visited with Elan Singer and his family during vacation time in Newport, R.I. Elan has been commuting monthly from New York to Tel Aviv, Israel, since 2019, and he reports that he, his wife, Dana, and their children are “all safe and hoping for better days ahead!”

Cameron “Kip” Paine has moved to St Louis. Doc Obermeyer, make sure to show him the hot spots! Kip is now president and CEO of Maris MLS.

In a great Hamilton swap, as Kip goes west, John “Jack” Fortney is heading east! Jack recently accepted the position of superintendent for the Kearsarge Regional School District in New Hampshire, and he, his wife, and their grandchildren will be moving at the beginning of the summer. I hope fellow classmates will welcome him home warmly!

Tim Callahan and his wife, Judy Chan, live in the Berkshires, Mass. Judy teaches fifth grade math and science in Pittsfield, Mass., and Tim is an assistant superintendent of schools in North Adams, Mass., and recently completed his doctorate in educational leadership. Judy and Tim’s kids are in college, and Tim notes

Art Massolo ’93 (center) married Val Gelnovatch in Miami in an intimate ceremony with family and friends. Art’s dad, Art Massolo ’64, P’93, is at bottom left.

From left: Annie Rickards Poskitt ’93, Robin Schafer ’93, Allison Jennings ’93, and Gaby Glatzer Scully ’93.

The Dunham 312 girls: Anne Busch Haines ’93, Jeannine Diddle Uzzi ’93, Allison Mayberry ’93, and Jessica Solky Butzel ’93.

that he is looking forward to joining Judy in her summer travels this year, during which they will celebrate 27 years of marriage and play some disc golf in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Alison Rosenblum reports she had a great visit with Jess Mozeico ’95, who is the winemaker and owner at Et Fille Wines in Portland, Ore.

Sharon McFarland reports (after a long absence, in which she was missed by your faithful correspondent) that both of her children are attending Union College, and her son will be graduating this June.

Julia Cron and her husband, James Lai ’93, made a major move to New York City, where Julie is now the vice chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College. James became associate director of clinical sciences in New York University’s Geriatric Division and the couple are living in New York City while maintaining roots in Guilford, Conn.

Katie Lamont and Aditya Bhasin report from Charlotte, N.C., where they are currently emptynesting with two kids away in college. In addition to seeing Megan Barlow, Helene Joseph Laurenti, and Craig Danforth ‘93 at Charlottebased Hamilton events, the couple hosted the Al Ham birthday party for the area, where more than 30 alumni from the classes of 1962 to 2022 enjoyed themselves. A thank you to Aditya, who is ending his term as Alumni Trustee. We are grateful for all of your work!

Helene reports that she, Beth Merrill, and Dr. Courtenay Moore got together to celebrate turning 50 with a fantastic trip to the Galapagos Islands!

In January, Sheppard Mullin elected Kevin Cloutier P’27 managing partner. Kevin, a Chicago partner, will be on the law firm’s leadership team.

Sarah Skolfield, a physician’s assistant working in the emergency department of her community hospital, notes that it has been a challenging few years — “something about a virus.” She still plays field hockey whenever she can, when without injury: “apparently, as you get older you can’t do all the stuff you did in college.” (Sarah — we salute even the attempt!) She catches up with Kathy Flynn, Dina Pilipczuk, and Lisa Chaffee via Zoom, connects with Karen Werkhoven ’96, and has an ongoing meetup with Kate Glezen ’85 at their local library.

Susannah Nathan Files reports that she and husband John are in Bethesda, Md., and have visits with alumni in the DC area, along with Victoria Tricarico Kidd in nearby Potomac, Md. Susie travels for her work on college campuses and encourages any classmates near a college to get in touch with her at susanna.files@ gmail.com. She has met up with Peter Otto in Oregon, Jen Arcuni in California, Rob Carrigg ’95 in New Hampshire, Trevor Nardini in Massachusetts, and Amy Gibson Cooperman at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

Angel Francis Chapin regaled me with her outof-this-world Christmas celebrations, and her

decorating is unparalleled! She lives with her husband and kids in the Cleveland area. I hope my fervent admiration for Claire Goldstein is clear in this section of the notes. This year, Claire will be promoted to full professor at University of California, Davis, in the Department of French and Italian. Her latest book, In the Sun King’s Cosmos: Comets in the Cultural Imagination of Seventeenth Century France, will be published by Northwestern University Press this year. In addition, Claire has been living with Stage 4 ALK+ lung cancer for over five years. In her own words: “I’m super grateful for the targeted treatments that have given me all this beautiful time and especially for the chance to be on a great new clinical trial. Go, research!” Dr. Goldstein, your Hamilton classmates are equally thrilled at what you and science are conquering, and we celebrate all of your accomplishments!

1995

Class Correspondent: Bill Ferguson

Contact Information: hamilton.college@outlook.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1995 I hope you are all enjoying the warmer weather! It must have been a sleepy winter for most of us, since news from our class was sparse this time. But we did receive a welcome note from Gin Savage Schobel. She says that she has been hard at work in her new role at her longtime company after enjoying a seven-month sabbatical in 2022. Gin added, “The time off was such an amazing opportunity to organize the house, manage the basement being refinished, travel to Cancún, Scotland, and England with family, and become a gym rat!” While trips are a little less common now for her, Gin did go on her second cruise — the first for her now 10-yearold son and her first with him — last February. They enjoyed it so much that they are planning another one this year, visiting Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize, and Mexico.

Later this summer, Gin will attend a family camp week at Camp Wohelo in Maine, the camp she attended for six years back in the ’80s. But this time, Kim Baker will also be there with her own 10-year-old daughter. In fact, it was Kim who encouraged Gin to come with her after she had a great time last summer. Gin says she couldn’t resist the chance to recreate Sebago Lake memories with a friend she has known since junior high.

As for your class correspondent, after parttime studies for three years, I have finished my certification program at the Theology of the Body Institute near Philadelphia. I am currently discussing with my local bishop ways we can offer the positive insights from the emerging field of Theology of the Body regarding the

deeper meaning of the human body and of human love to everyone, especially our youth and teens. As part of this, I hope to get more involved with some periodic teaching in our Catholic schools, but we’ll have to see how things pan out! As an associate pastor, I continue enjoying getting to know people at my new church, St. Mary’s in Delaware, Ohio, especially the growing number of young families.

Best wishes for a great summer! Carissima.

1996

Class Correspondent: Tina McSorley Sommer

Contact Information: mcsommy@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1996

Greetings ’96ers! I hope this update finds you all well. I am excited to write that when I wrote this, I had just been on College Hill for the first time since 2006, and it was amazing how much the campus has changed! Reading about the new buildings does not do justice to their beauty and the cohesiveness they bring to the campus. I saw Beth Merle ’94 as soon as I got there, and we spent the day walking around while our daughters played lacrosse on the new indoor turf. We went into Clinton to get coffee and I saw Lisa Magnarelli as soon as I parked. It was amazing to connect with her in person and see her beautiful daughter, Nora, and their adorable dog, Chip.

As we know, Hamilton is a very special place, and our connections to the campus and people we met there run very deep. Earlier this year, I saw Maureen Flynn Asiel at a girls’ high school basketball game, as our daughters were playing against each other. Maureen and I get together with Kate Ryan Riccio as often as we can, which is difficult with families and jobs!

Lisa Magnarelli ’96, left, with Tina McSorley Sommer ’96.

Maureen is working for New Canaan CARES, a youth organization in New Canaan, Conn. She has seen Brooke Cobb Jones ’97 as well as other familiar Hamilton faces around town. I also see Christie Gammill ’97 every week, as our daughters play soccer together. The daughter of Greg Schwartz ’94 is also on their soccer team. It is a very small, Hamilton-centric world!

Bill Murphy ’s love of all things Mardi Gras runs very deep. He and his family spent many years living in New Orleans, and Bill returns every year to ride on floats and take part in all the Mardi Gras fun. This year, he had a number of classmates join him for the festivities. He shared a picture of himself with Cary Devorsetz, Gavin Mlinar, Jason Gould, and Audrey Weiner Gould, all dressed up in their Mardi Gras splendor.

Please keep all the updates coming!

1997

Class Correspondent: Leslie Kotalik

Contact Information: leslie.kotalik@gmail.com

Great news: Josie Collier P’14’s book launched in February, and she hopes to plan some fun activities this spring to get people excited about it! Josie and Steve Culbertson ’79 supported Jake Blount ’17 during a performance at The George Washington University, and she also got to spend the day in Washington, D.C., catching up with her favorite alumna, her daughter Nanyamka-Keyané Fleming ’14.

During Hamilton’s Fallcoming & Family Weekend, LaVanguardia and BLSU alumni supported MARC’S new initiative called Enlace. In attendance were Josie, Cindy Perez ’98, Sharon D. Madison ’84, Daniel Garcia ’84, Jazmín Gatto de Torres ’02, Marlin Johnson ’98, Vidal Torres ’00, and Larry Arias ’84.

Judd Taylor, Wendy Marrs Gillies P’27, and your class correspondent attended the Hamilton swimming alumni event at the College in November. Does it get any better than pizza and wings in the Bristol Common Room?

Proving just how small the world is, during 2023, Julie Zalgenas Hirst had multiple chance meetings with classmates. She bumped into Liz Dillon on the Cape having lunch. In July, Julie had a great brunch meet-up in Albany with Laura Oakley, whom she hadn’t seen in years. Then, in December, she bumped into Janet Day at Stop & Shop in Natick, Mass.

In January, Brett Nolan randomly noticed a Hamilton 2024 calendar hanging in the office next to his. Turns out his office neighbor is Dave Kassay ’82! They had been sitting next to each other for months and had no idea — another data point for small-world Hamilton connections.

Mills Chapman kindly responded to my efforts to get updates, but reports, “my life is a bit bland right now.” But he knew I would include that! Maybe he’ll have something riveting for the next edition.

Nick Laidlaw P’28, Jeff McMahon, and Bob Naughton are in their sixth year of the third company they have started together. They built a conversational AI platform called Voicify that

From left: Cary Devorsetz ’96, Gavin Mlinar ’96, Jason Gould ’96, Audrey Weiner Gould ’96, and Bill Murphy ’96 dressed up in their Mardi Gras splendor.

The cover of Josie Collier ’97, P’14’s new book, What a Year!: Collierisms, Cocktails, & Cooking

From left: Steve Culbertson ’79, Jake Blount ’17, and Josie Collier ’97, P’14 at Jake’s performance.

Nanyamka-Keyané Fleming ’14 and Josie Collier ’97, P’14 in Washington, D.C.

From left: Judd Taylor ’97, Leslie Allen Kotalik ’97, and Wendy Marrs Gillies ’97, P’27 at the Hamilton swimming event for alumni in November.

1999

Temporary Class Correspondent: Hilary Haldeman

Contact Information: hilarygordon1221@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 1999

Since our last issue, Class Correspondent Sarah House Murphy has stepped down from her role. Thank you, Sarah, for keeping your class updated! For this issue, Class President Hilary Haldeman took over temporarily to gather your updates.

It has been a while since we have had a presence in the class notes, and I (Hilary) am delighted to hear from so many of you! Seems like everyone is busy with their lives and doing amazing things.

Isabel Barrow and Amber Kleeschulte Richard see each other quite a bit as their husbands, Ed Cassin ’03 and Scott Richard, are co-coaches of their sons’ U-12 hockey team in Virginia!

helps the restaurant and hospitality industry take food orders via telephony, SMS text, and chat. Nick is also happy to share that his son, Zander ’28, will follow in his and his wife’s (Tanya Pastra-Landis P’28) footsteps and start his first days on the Hill as a freshman this fall.

On Jan. 7, Erin Head participated in the runDisney 2024 Walt Disney World Marathon (all 26.6 miles of it!) at “The Happiest Place On Earth.” After running a couple half-marathons and other, shorter races over the years, she had been dreaming of running a full marathon for decades and finally made it happen. She reports: “It was really hard but so great to finally accomplish this goal!” Erin is now training for another full race in May, the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon.

Anne McIndoe Taylor, Wendy Marrs Gillies, Kate Murphy (Shawn Murphy ’s wife), and I had a blast meeting up in Waterville Valley, N.H., for a girls’ weekend full of snowshoeing, spectating World Cup freestyle skiing, puzzling, playing silly games, and just generally catching up!

1998

Class Correspondent: Sam Packer Finkelstein

Contact Information: packer.samantha@gmail.com

Mayor of Cali, Colombia, Alejandro Éder was profiled by BNN Breaking — The People’s Network website in October 2023. Newly elected last fall, Alejandro is married to activist and actress Taliana Vargas and has two children, Alicia and Antonio. The story focused on his unique hobby: collecting chili peppers. According to the article: “His collection, a culmination of years of passion, comprises around 30 varieties of chili peppers. These fiery fruits are more than just a hobby to him; they are testimonies of relationships, tokens from friends and loved ones who understand and appreciate his unusual fascination. … His gastronomic adventures involve experimenting with these fiery treats, using them to spice up traditional Colombian and Valle del Cauca dishes. He even starts his day with a kick, adding chili peppers to his morning eggs. Alejandro’s fiery passion for chili peppers is a metaphor for the zest he brings to his work and life.” You can read more about Alejandro here: bnnbreaking.com/ politics/alejandro-eder-calis-new-mayor-and-chili-pepper-enthusiast.

Tip Fleming wrote to say that he lives with his wife and 4-year-old son in New York City and enjoys time in Maine. He recently launched a financial communications and investor-relations practice at Brand Equities, a 35-year-old marketing agency. With a focus on assisting publicly traded and pre-IPO companies, he has expertise in seamlessly integrating stateof-the-art, hyper-targeted digital marketing strategies that are tailored to influence key decision makers, elevate company profiles in the market, and drive shareholder engagement.

Congratulations are in order for Alex Slater, who writes that he is “happy to share that I am engaged to a lovely man called Andrew Whittaker. Wedding to come this year in Scotland!”

And, finally, Courtney Estill Collins and Clarke Collins accepted a three-book publishing deal with Shadow Spark Press for their co-authored Vows & Valor adult fantasy trilogy. The first book, In the Name of Honor, debuts January 2025 in paperback, digital, and audiobook. An amazing accomplishment!

A Fallcoming & Family Weekend celebration for Hamilton Enlace. Seated, from left: Josie Collier ’97, P’14, Cindy Perez ’98, Sharon D. Madison ’84. Standing: Daniel Garcia ’84, Jazmín Gatto de Torres ’02, Marlin Johnson ’98, Vidal Torres ’00, and Larry Arias ’84.

From left: Leslie Allen Kotalik ’97, Anne McIndoe Taylor ’97, Kate Murphy, and Wendy Marrs Gillies ’97, P’27 pose in the snow.

From left: Scott Richard ’99, Amber Kleeschulte Richard ’99, Isabel Barrow ’99, and Ed Cassin ’03.

On a personal note, Jesse Haldeman and I continue to live in Bermuda with our three children, along with our dog and several chickens. Bermuda has been our home for the past 20 years, and we continue loving our life here.

If you have any updates or announcements you’d like to share with the alumni community, please feel free to reach out. Your contributions are always welcome.

I am looking forward to seeing you all in person at our 25th reunion this June 6-9 on the Hill! A final note: join our Facebook page, if you haven’t done so already, at www.facebook. com/groups/11624703862.

2000

Class Correspondent: Carol Bennett Lang

Contact Information: carol.b.lang@gmail.com

We received a quick note from our very own on-the-Hill ambassador Sara Ziesenitz: “I spent time with hockey alumni at the Hamilton vs. Tufts men’s ice hockey game. It was particularly great to spend time with teammate Ben Schiller, reliving the glory days of The Wise Guys championship year (2000) for co-ed intramural ice hockey.

“I also saw Tait Svenson and Kristin Simonson while I was in California. I see Rachel Osborne regularly in New York City. It’s great to stay connected to Hamilton classmates and I’m already looking forward to our 25th reunion celebration!”

In October, Kiki Yang was named to the Fortune China Most Powerful Women: Ones to Watch list. Kiki is co-head of Asia-Pacific Private Equity at Bain & Co.

2001

Class Correspondent: Nina Sharma

Contact Information: ninasharma1@gmail.com

Happy spring! (Though, as I write this, it’s snowing in New York City!)

Sara Paley Fogarty writes: “I got to see two of my besties this fall/winter. Met up with Emily Coleman Murlidhar in Boston this October when I was there for work. Also got to see Adrien Moseley Preston over winter break in DC — our kids played together like they were old friends — such a treat! I headed to Vermont this winter for some skiing. We also took the whole family to Park City, Utah, in March for spring break skiing.”

Josh and Sara Conklin continue to enjoy life in New Hampshire. Josh spends his time as a stay-at-home dad and as a volunteer for the local PTA. He and 12-year-old daughter Masia both have roles in the upcoming community production of Matilda . Sara also recently returned to performance for the first time since graduating from Hamilton, playing a Hot Box Girl in a local production of Guys and Dolls. Sara and Josh are embarking on a journey to optimize their home for climate and biodiversity, and recently sowed a wildflower meadow to replace their front lawn. (Here’s hoping it works!) They are excited to visit New York City in April and see Jane Long!

E. Foley spent 2023 searching in vain for a building to house her expanding dog training business near Burtonsville, Md. She has the demand, the funding, and the staffing ready — and hoping that if she builds that, the building will come. The search continues in 2024!

James Bentley shares: “I am writing from Lake Bohinj, Slovenia, where I am staying for a few days before heading south for a tour of Croatia. After 16 years of teaching English at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, I was

Emily Coleman Murlidhar ’01, left, and Sara Paley Fogarty ’01 met up in Boston.

Sara Paley Fogarty ’01, left, and Adrien Moseley Preston ’01 in DC.

Sara and Josh Conklin ’01.

From left: Amanda Zorumski ’01, Clementine Martin Illanes ‘01, Sindu Subance von Ziegesar ’01, and Kristin Seyffarth Hathaway ’01.

Nina Sharma ’01 with the “Saunders Girls.”

awarded a one-year, paid sabbatical and have been traveling the world with my family since mid-August 2023. In September, we crossed paths with Dr. Tom Klein ’00 and Matt de Tessan in the Rockies and have since traveled through Scotland, England, Morocco, Ghana, Italy, and France, homeschooling the kids as we go. Looking forward to reuniting with Tom, Matt, and Peter Diiorio in April for JazzFest in New Orleans.”

Amanda Zorumski shared: “Joe [Zorumski ’00] and I have been living in New Canaan, Conn., for the past 14 years. We have three boys that keep us on our toes and are all active in hockey (big surprise) and lacrosse. I have been working as an interior designer for as long as I can remember. We got together this past Thanksgiving with Clemmie [Martin Ilanes], Kristin [Seyffarth Hathaway], Sindy [Subance von Ziegesar], and all of our families. Twelve kids, ranging in age from 14 to 5! It was so much fun and we got to celebrate my oldest child’s 14th birthday with everyone.”

Your class correspondent had two great Hamilton reunions this winter — the first with Neil Basu, Sarah Hemendinger Basu ’00, Peggy Malloy Garte, Jeff Garte ’00, Katie Wasilenko Miller ’99, Courtney Fitch Hirschey ’03, and others at the 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend dinner in New York City in December. A huge thanks to Sara Rizzo Ziesenitz ’00 for an incredible event!

The second was a reunion with a group of classmates that still refer to ourselves as the “Saunders Girls” and who hadn’t all been in one place in roughly 18 years: Irene Agriodimas Vance, Katie Cohn Corey, Caty Wakefield Berman, Lindsay McGrath Griesmeyer, Gwen Matusek Hancock, Cecily Wheeler Yarosh, Lydia Godfrey Evans, Liz Greene Rentz, and Meghna Rakshit, who called in from Mumbai to say hello. We missed you, Marika Geertz! Until next time!

2002

Class Correspondent: Dan Fillius

Contact Information: danfillius@yahoo.com

Selena Coppock shares: “I got engaged recently to my lovely boyfriend, Aaron. We’re committed to our DINK lifestyle (‘Double Income, No Kids’) and we’re enjoying living in Brooklyn, N.Y., and wedding planning. I’m organizing a bachelorette party in Palm Springs, Calif., that will be all about caftans. I still work at The Princeton Review (now as director of editorial), but I retired from standup comedy in 2020. So now I only have a day job instead of a day job and a night job.”

Matt Eng reports: “Last August, my son’s baseball team represented the Northwest Region at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. It was a thrilling experience, made even more special by seeing Hamilton

From left: Alex Geertz ’04, Amy Gross ’02, and Marika Geertz ’01 at Grand Central Station in September 2023. “I always leave our visits inspired and impressed by all they accomplish and the gusto with which they live their lives,” says Amy.

friends Kurt Mangold and Wil Everhart ’70, P’02 at Lamade Stadium. While my son’s team didn’t win the championship, a third-place finish among U.S. teams wasn’t too shabby.”

Amy Gross writes: “I am still living in New York City and passed my 10-year anniversary as the executive director of Save Venice, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice, Italy. My daughter Lilah is enjoying kindergarten, especially Spanish, math, and gym. I had the pleasure of seeing Marika Geertz ’01 and Alex Geertz ’04 over the summer and, in recent years, have enjoyed seeing Erin Root Boulware when she is in the city on business. A highlight of 2023 was reconnecting with Cristina Freyre Batt and Jeff Batt for dinner at their lovely home outside of Washington, D.C. Hope to see more Hamilton friends in 2024 and wish everyone a happy, healthy, and joyful year.”

Carrie Patch Knudsen is emerging out of a chrysalis of child-rearing and earning an advanced degree to alight anew in her chosen

Nina Sharma ’01 with friends at the 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend dinner in New York City.

Lilah, daughter of Amy Gross ’02, as a rainbow cat for her school’s Halloween parade in Central Park.

Carrie Patch Knudsen ’02 during her - daughter’s first skate at the Rock Rink in New York City.

field of education; she recently became an associate principal at the Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School in Hudson, N.Y. Carrie lives in Columbia County with her husband and two children, who aren’t quite old enough to look for colleges yet. She sees Jazmín Gatto de Torres and family every summer in the NEK of VT (Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom — ifykyk), and she and her son are vying to surpass Daniel Boisvert ’s daily Duolingo steak. Carrie is only a month in, her son just completed a year, and Dan has reached 1,900 days. Kudos to him; it’s good to have someone to look up to! She’s happy to connect over LinkedIn with other alums,

particularly those also in the field of education: linkedin.com/in/carrie-patch-knudsen.

Speaking of Jazmín Gatto de Torres, she shared a photo after seeing Gabe Mollica ’14 and his show, Solo: A Show About Friendship, with New York City region alumni. She invited the Hamily in the city to join her and captured a photo of the group who gathered to see Gabe. Justin Stolarczyk has been working in high luxury residential real estate in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Upstate New York since moving from Miami in 2010. Last year he ranked in the top 250 of agents in New York State for overall residential sales by The Wall Street Journal, and

he currently works at Brown Harris Stevens. He notes, “At the moment, [I’m] coordinating an annual dinner I have with Ryan MacAvery and Gaspar J. Morrell.”

Your correspondent is in Des Moines, Iowa, for the long haul, helping the state’s commercial vegetable growers with technical assistance. My job involves a lot of driving across the state to visit farms and conducting educational programming for farmers. I love helping farmers with these site visits, though I increasingly dislike driving. When home I try to balance that out by walking and biking for errands in the neighborhood: going to the library, dropping kids off at school, trips to the hardware store, etc. Our garden brings me and my wife, Sarah, a lot of joy still, and it was a featured stop on our neighborhood’s garden tour in early summer 2023. Our kids, Willa and Eleanor, just keep growing and impressing us. Both have joined a school swim team and are quite accomplished!

We’re grateful that Elizabeth Evans Draper and her husband, Rob Draper, along with their kids, visited us in Des Moines last summer; they helped us cheer on our two swimmers in their final meet of the summer. In November, while visiting my family in the Denver area, we snuck in a hike with Doug Boulware and Erin Root Boulware and their kids — it had been too long since our last visit with them, and I’m so glad we reconnected.

Lastly, I recently learned that Associate Professor of Biology Emeritus Bill Pfitsch, who advised me for my senior thesis project, has moved to Iowa. He lives a short hour away and I’ll be taking the opportunity to stop by and catch up this year when my travels take me in his direction.

2003

Class Correspondent: Amanda Gengler Horrigan

Contact Information: amandagengler@yahoo.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 2003

It was fabulous to see so many of you at our 20th reunion last year! I expect to see even more on our 25th!

From left: Vidal Torres ’00, Lauren Cuozzo Murray ’02, Susie Szeto Price ’92, Gabe Mollica ’14, Jazmín Gatto de Torres ’02, Adriana Payne ’92, Jamie Dennison ’07, and Colby Dennison ’07 at Gabe’s show, Solo: A Show About Friendship

From left: Dan Fillius ’02, Doug Boulware ’02, Madeline Boulware, Henry Boulware, Erin Root Boulware ’02, Sarah Fillius, Eleanor Fillius, and Willa Fillius spent time together hiking in Eldorado Canyon, Colo.

Sierra Grille, the restaurant Randy Bruce ’03 opened in Atlantic Beach, Fla.

Randy Bruce reports that more than a year ago he opened Sierra Grille restaurant in Atlantic Beach, Fla.

Dave Steadman writes that he is “still living the dream in DC” with his kids Amos (5) and Ansel (2). Dave is in his third semester at George Washington University, where he is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration with a focus on nonprofit management and education policy. He isn’t sure of his plans after graduation, so if anyone has any ideas or leads, please get in touch. He also nudges you not to forget to make your gift to the Hamilton Fund before June 30.

Dania Ramos also said it was wonderful seeing so many classmates at the 20th reunion and adds that her husband, Larry, and daughter Lily also really enjoyed the weekend. Dania had a healthy baby boy in August, Ryan Marten Laski. She adds: “Lily is warming up to being a big sister, and Ryan absolutely adores her.” Dania works as the director of human resources for a social services nonprofit in New York City.

Jon Bellona also enjoyed our reunion and added that it was truly wonderful to meet

classmates’ families. While in town he also met up with Amie Bluff ‘05, who is now a vice principal in Clinton with a daughter, Grace, at college and son Miles in high school. Jon’s 7-year-old son, Peregrine, caught his first firefly at Amie’s house. Jon welcomed a new addition to the family, Ellery Swift Bellona, in August. He continues to be a faculty member in the School of Music and Dance at the University of Oregon, but he was able to take parental leave after Ellery’s birth. During another adventure, Jon drove to Woods Hole, Mass., for grant work and got to spend quality time with Caitlin Cunningham ’04 and her husband, Tim, and stepdaughter Margot. Caitlin is a senior photographer at Boston College and still shoots freelance photos when not relaxing on Martha’s Vineyard.

Katrina Schell shared an important milestone: Tumbling After, Hamilton’s youngest women’s

and nonbinary a cappella group (est. 1998), celebrated its silver anniversary at Reunion Weekend 2023 with a multi-generational gathering of members, family, and friends. In attendance were founding member Nella Bloom ’01, Megan Manchester Chenoweth ’01, Denise Kless Kelly ’01, Rebecca Pressman ’02, Nicole Caporusso Kutcher ’02, Lizzie Padin Storer, Juliette Reiss, Courtney Fitch Hirschey, Katrina Schell, Laura O’Brien ’04, Bethany Wade ’04, Erica Hassink Logan ’04, Kit Schofield ’05, Tess Giardina ’05, Rachel Heffner-Burns ’05, Karin Waldbrand ’06, Fiona MacQuarrie Helmuth ’09, Amanda Sheff ’13, Alex Keefe ’13, Liz Gil ’13, Emma Feitelson ’17, Isabel O’Malley ’18, and Hannah Meisels ’18. Not in attendance, but also a key part of planning, was current Tumbling After president Isa Cardoso ’25. It was a celebration of friendships built around music, of connecting across generations to sing together and share

Classmates eating together off campus during our 20th Reunion Weekend.

Randy Bruce ’03 with his family.

Ellery Swift Bellona.

A group of classmates in the pub at our 20th reunion.

each other’s music, and reveling in the rebellious spirit that makes us Tumbling After. Your correspondent lives in Darien, Conn., with my family, including my daughter Emma (7) and son Connor (5). I have started working part time for myself, doing financial research and writing for media outlets and finance companies. Another Hamilton alum lives two doors down, and there are plenty of others running around town, including Thatcher Martin. Both of my kids have loved having Colleen Palmer Weidner ’04 as their pre-K teacher!

Don’t be so quiet next time: please submit some updates!

2004

Class Correspondent: Liz Ransom

Contact Information: elizabeth.ransom@gmail.com

Eric Scott Kaplan and Mary Kate Kaplan ’05 are living happily in Chatham, N.J., where Mary Kate is a board-certified behavior analyst focusing on children with autism, and Eric is a partner with WEMBÉ, a Paraguayan-based vegan wellness brand. Their sons Tucker (10) and Hudson (8) love sports, playing with their golden retrievers, and having adventures outdoors. Tucker is the goalie for his lacrosse team and already has better stats than his dad did! They send their classes most sincere wishes for success, health, and happiness.

It was a hot labor summer in Los Angeles! Celine Geiger joined Michael Galante on the WGA/ SAG-AFTRA picket lines. Meg Swertlow and your correspondent met recently for a baby playdate: her daughter, Rosie, is a few weeks older than my son, Beau, who turned 1 in January! (What is time?!) Kimberley Payne Castro swung through town in November with her son, Fawkes. We had a blast catching up!

Carly Capitula is thrilled to share that she had a baby boy, James, in November. Carly and her husband are navigating being first-time parents and enjoying every moment with James.

Nathaly Fran’ois-McKenzie has been doing very well! Her family has grown, and she has been very busy with her three littles (5, 4, and 2). She joined a urology group in Maryland, where they are closer to family, and things are going great!

Graham Stephens has no news to report, but Sam Bowlby is actively being recruited by the LIV Tour, given he loves to strip it and still dresses like a confused 1970s weird uncle. He can shoot 86 with the best of them.

That’s it for now. Hope to see many of you on the Hill for our 20th reunion!

2005

Class Correspondent: Michelle Levi Noe

Contact Information: levi.michelle@gmail.com

Last June, Carolyn Crandall and a great crew of classmates, including Sarah Mattingly, Erica

Claustro, and Kristin Heath Clarkson, completed a one-day, 27-mile hike in Western Massachusetts to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Sarah Jones and her family came to cheer them on at the finish line. The CFF is an organization that is very near to Carolyn’s heart as her son Kiran was diagnosed with CF when he was a few months old. It was an amazing reunion for all, and the group can’t wait to hit the trails again together this summer.

Kat McCrory started a new job at The New York Times in early 2024 where she will edit earlycareer reporters selected to be part of The Times’s local investigations fellowship program.

Steven Butterhof and his wife, Tara, left Baltimore, where they had been living for 16 years, and moved to Southern New Jersey. He reports: “Baltimore was overall great, in that I met Jesus and my wife (also from South Jersey), but nothing beats having the kids grow up two miles down the road from my parents and 30 minutes down the road from Tara’s. It’s good to be home.”

Ciere Boatright was unanimously approved to run the Chicago Department of Planning and Development in November. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said of her in a statement: “As a native Chicagoan who knows the landscape of our city, [Ciere’s] unique understanding of community economic development, commercial real estate, affordable housing, job creation, and neighborhood engagement will ensure our city works equitably for all Chicagoans.” Congratulations, Ciere!

2006

Class Correspondent: Meghan Hover Szczech

Contact Information: meghanhover@yahoo.com

Alexis Casady-Cohen and David Cohen ’05 were “in the neighborhood” of the Hill for the first time in 17 years at the end of last May. The air was smoky from the Canadian wildfires, but they made the trek from Canandaigua, N.Y., to introduce their three kids to Hamilton! Elyas

Tumbling After celebrated its silver anniversary at Reunion Weekend 2023.

From left: Erica Claustro ’05, Sarah Jones ’05, Carolyn Crandall ’05, Sarah Mattingly ’05, and Kristin Heath Clarkson ’05.

David Cohen ’05 and Alexis Casady-Cohen ’06 with their children during a visit to the Hill in summer 2023.

(future Class of 2035?) loved the Root Glen and the Taylor Science Center; Scarlett (future Class of 2040?) enjoyed shopping at the bookstore and dancing on the wood floor of the Fillius Events Barn; and Margot (future Class of 2043?) said she liked seeing The Little Pub, where her parents met, and concluded “College has a lot of walking.” Alexis and David live in Tucker, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, where Alexis is vice president, senior division counsel at InComm Payments, and David is the regional sales manager for North Asia and Pacific Asia

at AJC Group. They wish all of their friends health and happiness in 2024!

There was an informal reunion for New Year’s in Cape Cod. The group included John Steinberg and Amanda Hannoosh Steinberg with their daughter, Inara; Eric Shaw with girlfriend Mai; Anne and Greg Armstrong with their daughter, Robin; Jordan Barone ’08 and Emily Maltby Barone with their kids, Maddie and Max; and Courtney Johnson and Ben Norland with their kids,

Millie and Cyrus. The group rented a big house and had a fantastic time catching up.

Julia Williamson Robinson and Anne Lucas Durham reconnected after more than 10 years when their kids ended up at the same school and instantly became best friends. Julia has stayed in close touch with Heather King Frechette, and they meet every Friday for a weekly workout (sometimes Henry Frechette joins, too!). Anne and her family also spent time with Joanna DuFour and Mara Dropkin-Frank Simon ’05 and their families at the Cape this summer for the Falmouth Road Race. And, despite their being scattered throughout the country, Anne has stayed in close contact with Allison Nichols Dellacava, Meghan Rose Gangel, Julia Ho, and Dee Martin

Colby Bishop McCarthy, Alexis Castrovinci Schayowitz, Adam Schayowitz ’03, Ali Simons Novak, Ryan Novak, Anne Lucas Durham, Liz Purchia Gannon, and their families met in Lake Placid, N.Y., to continue their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day/ Adirondack tradition. The original group of five girls has now expanded to 19 total. The crew had a blast skiing, sledding, ice skating, and toasting to many years of friendship.

Obio Ntia and his wife, Yvette Wang, welcomed their second child, Evangeline Chinyere Ntia, aka Wang Nian-yi (王念颐), on Jan 24, 2024. Evangeline was born in Taipei, Taiwan. The Nigerian/Igbo name, Chinyere, is the same as her grandmother’s: it means “God’s gift.” And Evangeline means “good news.” Harrison (7) is thrilled to be a big brother. Obio is completing his tour as a consul in the U.S. Consulate

From left (adults): John Steinberg ’06 and Amanda Hannoosh Steinberg ’06, Eric Shaw and Maie, Anne and Greg Armstrong ’06, Jordan Barone ’08 and Emily Maltby Barone ’06, and Courtney Johnson ’06 and Ben Norland ’06.

Clockwise from top right: The children of Julia Williamson Robinson ’06, Charlie and Sophia Robinson, and of Anne Lucas Durham ’06, Nell and Maddie.

Adults, from left: Colby Bishop McCarthy ’06 and husband Brendan McCarthy, Adam Schayowitz ’03, Ali Simons Novak ’06, Alexis Castrovinci Schayowitz ’06, Anne Lucas Durham ’06, Liz Purchia Gannon ’06 and husband, Tim Gannon, Ryan Novak ’06, and Tyler Durham.

General in Karachi, Pakistan. His next assignment is as the immigrant visa chief in the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey.

2007

Class Correspondent: Sara Carhart

Contact Information: carhart.sara@gmail.com

Caroline O’Shea married Brian McLane in her hometown of Baltimore on Nov. 11, with an excellent Hamilton presence from Reagan Sayles Carroll and Dan Carroll, Rebecca Parkhurst, Allison Demas, Alex Taddei ’06, Jon Kuhl ’06, Dan Horowitz ’06, Dan Bleeker ’06, and their partners. Caroline

and her husband live in Washington, D.C., where she also started a new job last year with the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.

Alec Denton had a busy 2023! He writes that his travels to Colorado and North Carolina brought lots of fun Hamilton reunions, including with Matt Bradley, Leanne Pasquini Gilbertson, Ross Griswold, Matt House ’08, Taylor Janes ’06, Blake Keogh ’05, Andy Mention, Mitch O’Connor, and Paxton Ramsdell. Back at his home in Atlanta, he welcomed both visitors, including Josh Klahre ’01, Mike Sussman ’05, and Grant Zubritsky, and connected with local Hamiltonians, including Edvige Jean-François ’90 and Tad Travis ’91. In December, he was overjoyed to welcome a new addition to the family, a son, Charles “Murray” Denton III.

Mary Beth Day relocated to Sacramento, Calif., in 2022 with her husband, and they welcomed their son, Rowan, in July 2023. Mary Beth is still enjoying work as a facilitator and project manager for Kearns & West, an environmental conflict resolution firm.

Caitlin Connelly writes that she has a new baby, Harrison Kocses, and completed her master’s degree in leadership and administration from SUNY New Paltz.

Lindsay Rubenstein got married in Ireland to her husband, Aidan, at the end of December. Of course, Erika Drummond ’07 was one of her bridesmaids!

Suzanne Allen DiMont got married this past summer. Suzanne writes that it was so fun having some Hamilton folks out, but of course they forgot to get a group photo. What a blast! Nick Woodall moved his printmaking and sculpture studios to Austin, Texas, last year. Nick writes that it took 32 freight loads of machinery to get Spun Gold Mfg. to Texas, but he is happily calling it home for the foreseeable future.

Jenny Orbaker Crocker says hello from Brisbane, Australia! Jenny started her first

Obio Ntia ’06 and his family.

Caroline O’Shea married Brian McLane in Baltimore on Nov. 11, 2023.

Alec Denton ’07, far right, with friends and classmates, including Taylor Janes ’06, Ross Griswold ’07, and Paxton Ramsdell ’07.

From left: Grant Zubritsky and Alec Denton ’07.

registered nursing job on a surgical ward in April and her family moved into their forever home in July. Rachel Bennek visited for two weeks in November. They stayed in Brisbane for the first week and Jenny’s kids loved having “Aunty Rach” around. Then they spent five nights in Queenstown, New Zealand, which was absolutely gorgeous, and they had the best time hiking, canyon swinging, jet boating, exploring, and eating lots of ice cream.

2008

Class Correspondent: Melissa Joy Kong

Contact Information: melissajoykong@gmail.com

Walter Schoen wed Seth P. Lucas in a civil ceremony in Cambridge, Mass., on June 15, 2023. The couple was joined by immediate family. In German custom, they wore pennies in their shoes for good luck. Congratulations, Walter and Seth!

Syngen Kanassatega was recently appointed as an assistant U.S. attorney — District of Minnesota. He now prosecutes federal narcotics offenses and offenses committed on Indian reservations and communities.

Maddy Leder Martin and her husband, Stuart Martin, welcomed their first baby, Miles Martin. Ali Mason and Greg Jaske attended our 15-year reunion with their son Mason. Since then, they welcomed a new addition, son Riley Barrett Jaske, who was born on Sept. 1, 2023.

Kate Childs married Tanner Jones in November 2023 in the Berkshires. Fellow Hamilton alums in attendance included Blythe Winchester Brock, Katie Plummer Philippi, and Sarah Levitan Perry

Blythe Winchester Brock was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer last February, and after 16 rounds of chemo, surgery, and 25 doses of radiation, she is in remission. THE BEST NEWS EVER! She writes, “My update to our class is a reminder that one out of eight women will get breast cancer during her lifetime. I’m so grateful for the amazing support from my dear Hamilton friends. Cancer is touching the lives of our class as more and more people are getting diagnosed under 40. Please get your mammograms and ultrasounds, and, most importantly, know what is normal for your own body, and advocate for yourself. Please take care of yourselves!”

Jason Oberholtzer just launched his new podcast called “Never Post ” The biweekly episodes explore “the weird, wonderful, and contradictory aspects of the online experience.” It draws connections and poses questions, hoping to unravel the complexities of the

Mary Beth Day ’07 with her husband, David Dillon, and son Rowan Guist.

Lindsay Rubenstein ’07 and her bridesmaids. Erika Drummond ’07 is second from the right.

Suzanne Allen DiMont ’07 at her wedding.

Jenny Orbaker Crocker ’07, left, and Rachel Bennek ’07 hiking Roy’s Peak in Wanaka, New Zealand.

Ali Mason ’08 and Greg Jaske ’08 with their sons.

From left: Blythe Winchester Brock ’08, Kate Childs-Jones ’08, Katie Plummer Philippi ’08, and Sarah Levitan Perry ’08.

relationship between humans and technology. Give it a listen!

Julianne Jaquith was promoted to partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in Houston and Washington, D.C., effective Jan. 1, 2024. Highly proficient in Spanish, Jaquith says her practice focuses on high-stakes international disputes, including international arbitration and cross-border litigation. While she specializes in Latin America, she has also handled disputes in various countries worldwide. She also has experience across a number of industries, including energy, oil and gas, mining, telecommunications, and post-merger and acquisition disputes. Congratulations, Julianne!

Danielle Pastuszak started her own business, Mvmtology, in Brookline, Mass. She specializes in orthopedic, sports, and pelvic health physical therapy, and also offers Pilates instruction.

Abigail Saunders Fisher lives outside of Portland, Maine, where she works in human resources for Allagash Brewing Co. and runs a small vegetable farm with her husband. Liz Pinnie McGonigle also lives in Portland and they see each other regularly. This summer, Liz and Abby rented a house near Damariscotta, Maine, with fellow Hamiltonians Tara Eckberg , Julia Daly Tracy ’09, Heidi Clark Bellorado, Nikki Barrett Kelleners, Marcy Carpenter Vanderjeugd, and Elena Filekova. Abby writes: “With five home states, two countries, and 15 kids among us, it was a feat getting everyone together, but it’s always the highlight of my year.”

Matt D’Amico and Scott Brinitzer ’85 spent the holidays in France with Scott’s family and enjoyed sipping vin chaud at the Christmas markets in Alsace. Post-holidays, January was quite busy, with Matt organizing the Al Ham birthday party in DC, which had over 50 alums in attendance — the best turnout in recent history!

Gregory Ray is still living in Ithaca, N.Y., where he teaches at Cornell’s Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. Late last year, Elisabeth Ursell ’09 and Leandra

Folk ’09 visited him in Ithaca. While teaching in New York City this winter, Greg caught up with Elisabeth again. He also saw Dan Witte ’14 when he came to speak in Greg’s technology innovation class at Cornell Tech in New York City.

In November, Adam Polonski and his wife and co-founder, Nora, opened their first-ever Lost Lantern Whiskey tasting room in Vergennes, Vt., near Burlington. Any Hamilton alums passing through Vermont should visit! Adam also wrote: “I really enjoyed seeing so many people at the 15th reunion. It was an honor to host a whiskey tasting for Lost Lantern Whiskey in the Events Barn and share a range of our whiskies from across the U.S. with members of our class and beyond.” Note from Melissa: For all those who couldn’t be there at reunions, the tasting was amazing! I highly recommend giving the Lost Lantern brand a try whenever you get the chance.

Kimberly Roe White is a general pediatrician at Complete Children’s Health in Lincoln, Neb. In July 2023, her family of three met the hobbits in New Zealand and caught a couple of Women’s World Cup games in Auckland.

Matt Pitarresi married Nelly Jean Baptiste on Feb. 4, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The wedding was held on The Great Lawn on the West Palm Waterfront. Hamilton was well represented, with more than four members of the wedding party, the officiant, and numerous other members of our class there. Hamilton alumni in attendance included Jerry Pitarresi ‘71, P’08,’10 (father of the groom), John Pitarresi ‘70 (uncle of the groom), Marc Pitarresi ‘10 (brother and best man), John Cooper (groomsman), Rabbi Richard Chapin ’71 (officiant), Jon Glusband, Jack Maloney, Mike Martini, Ryan McGann (honorable mention — best dressed), and Rob Reynolds ’09.

Matt’s wife, Nelly, is currently serving as the head chef at Planta West Palm Beach. Matt is a consultant by day, advising small businesses, governments, and nonprofits. In the evenings, he is the sous chef at Nomad @ Sean Rush in West Palm Beach. Nelly and Matt live in West Palm Beach with their two dogs, Hopper and Kaos.

One last note from your correspondent: I moved into a new home in Chicago last fall and have had a great time connecting with many Hamilton alums in the city regularly, including Jarobin Gilbert, Tara Huggins ’14, Liz Carty ’11, Mary Thede ’15, and Matt Chandler. After running my marketing agency, Iceberg, for the past nine years, I returned to the corporate world as a senior director of product marketing for a tech company in Chicago, and I couldn’t be more excited for the change.

As I write my last round of class notes after 15 years as correspondent, I can’t help but think about the seasons of evolution in all of our lives. It has been beautiful to collect all of your updates over the years and see the waves of growth through education, work, marriages, kids, and location changes. We’re also entering a season where we are experiencing things as a class that perhaps we didn’t think would happen to us, or at least so soon: sudden professional endings, relationship changes, sickness, and even death.

If writing class notes has taught me anything, it’s that life is so precious, fragile, and ever-changing. It is unreasonably good to us and also unpredictably challenging. It has been an honor to collect your notes about all of those shifts, and I look forward to seeing what the next 15 years have in store for us. Cheers to all of the good things that await and the lessons and appreciation that are born out of some of the harder things.

2009

Class Correspondent: Fiona MacQuarrie Helmuth

Contact Information: fionahelmuth@gmail.com

We have another little Hamiltonian to celebrate! Christina Culver welcomed her daughter, Juliette, in October.

A few alumni, including Mike Bourbeau ’11, Harry Jung ’10, Andrew Miller, and Divij Matthew, gathered together at Joe Bock ’s wedding in Mountain Lakes, N.J.

From left: Tara Eckberg ’08, Abigail Saunders Fisher ’08, Julia Daly Tracy ’09, Heidi Clark Bellorado ’08, Nikki Barrett Kelleners ’08, Liz Pinnie McGonigle ’08, Marcy Carpenter Vanderjeugd ’08, and Elena Filekova ’08 .

Matt Pitarresi ’08 shared this photo from his wedding in February in West Palm Beach, Fla. Hamilton family and friends were there in full force!

From left: Mike Bourbeau ’11, Harry Jung ’10, Andrew Miller ’09, Joe Bock ’09, and Divij Matthew ’09 at Joe’s wedding.

Kaillie Briscoe Kelly also reconnected with a Hamilton friend when she swung through Clinton on her way back to Massachusetts. She, Kalley Greer Friedman ’06, Jeff Friedman ’04, and the Friedmans’ “three adorable boys” had coffee with Mackay Rippey P’12, “legendary defensive coordinator for Hamilton women’s lacrosse.” Kaillie continues to be active in lacrosse as the head coach at Lincoln-Sudbury High School; her team won a D1 Massachusetts State Championship for the first time in 36 years!

Charlie Ruff ’10 writes that Jason Brown was named chief financial officer at Karuna Therapeutics over the summer. As seen in headline news in The Wall Street Journal , Karuna sold to Bristol Myers for over $300/share in December. Ruff writes, “During Jason’s tenure at Karuna, the stock increased over 20 times.”

Grant Blosser, Willy Cowles, Alex Caruso, Eddie Bossange ’06, and Scott Blosser ’12 met in British Columbia for a backcountry ski trip in January. Grant writes, “Good times were had by all, as the snow was deep, the camaraderie was topnotch, and the beer flowed like wine. Willy

brought a stash of his homemade granola, which kept us well-fed and energized.”

As for your class correspondent, I’m thrilled to have signed with a literary agent after three years of working on my first novel. We’ll be submitting the manuscript to acquisitions editors this spring. Visit www.fionahelmuthwrites. com to follow along!

And, lastly, please come home to the Hill for our 15th reunion, June 6-9. Registration info can be found on Hamilton’s website. It will be a wonderful chance to reconnect with friends, reminisce, and freeze time for a weekend!

2010

Class Correspondent: Kory Diserens

Contact Information: kdiserens@gmail.com

Our class is doing well. Laura Foote and her husband, Sam Moss, welcomed their second child, Max, in December.

Andy Steele and his wife welcomed their twins, Alexander and Arthur, in September. Andy writes: “After years of trying, we finally grew our family beyond our elderly, sassy cat. (Shoutout to others who go through various trials and tribulations to build the family of their dreams. It’s all about perseverance and commitment, according to my Spotify podcasts.) On the job front, as a U.S. diplomat, I wrapped up a great two years living in Chinese Communist Party-imposed quarantines in Beijing, China, and moved to Lima, Peru, to work on environment and health issues at our embassy. Peruvian food really is as good as people say it is, but beware of Google Maps that reference roads that, in reality, are dirt pathways easily washed out by El Niño rains.”

Reaves Carrington ’11 and Danielle on their

Francesca Villa married Anthony Apruzzese in January in Jersey City, N.J. The wedding was officiated by a friend of the couple, Nate Harris ’07, and fun was had by all attendees, including Nate’s wife, Lily Ericsson, as well as Matilda Andersson, Caitlin Nevins, Katya Adair Borda, Jackie Marra Rogalski, and, of course, Francesca’s sister Antonia Villa ’12.

2011

Class Correspondent: Nick Stagliano

Contact Information: stagliano.nick@gmail.com

Reaves Carrington got married to Danielle Mastro on June 17 in Savannah, Ga.

Jenna Johnson and Jed Davis had their third child in July, a boy named Fox Wilhelm. They

From left: Grant Blosser ’09, Willy Cowles ’09, Alex Caruso ’09, Eddie Bossange ‘06, and Scott Blosser ’12.

Laura Foote ’10 and her husband, Sam Moss, welcomed baby Max in December.

From left: Lily Ericson ’10, Matilda Andersson ’10, Caitlin Nevins ’10, Francesca Villa ’10, Jackie Marra Rogalski ’10, and Katya Adair Borda ’10.

Jed Davis ’11 and Jenna Johnson ’11 with their family.

wedding day.

have moved to Michigan and are loving being Midwesterners. On a recent trip to New York, Jed and Jenna were happy to see Rebecca Heus and Charlotte Munson

Zac Haluza, Mike Moreno, and Nate Burbank reconnected at a Hamilton Career Network event at the Chelsea Bell in New York City.

2012

Class Correspondents: Ryn Steck and Sarah Chapin

Contact Information: classof2012notes@gmail.com

Daniel Hughes and his wife, Julia Pereira Rezende, welcomed their first child, Naomi Pereira-Hughes in August. Naomi is happy, healthy, and spending time hanging out with Billy Ford ’10, Matthew Ross ’13, and Abby Pynchon ’16 in Berkeley, Calif., where Daniel and his family live.

Alex Snow and Rachel Grannis also welcomed a new family member — their second son, Alden, in November. They are still enjoying life in the Netherlands (nine years now!). Highlights include the home birth culture and having no car, instead riding around with a cargo bike, or “Dutch minivan.”

Riley Stepnick Williams and her husband, Andrew, welcomed a second daughter, Marceline Mae, on Aug. 28, 2023. Big sister, Zara, is very happy to have a sibling! Riley is still teaching, performing, and composing in Buffalo, N.Y.

Jane Rouse Lloyd and Christopher Lloyd ’09 see Leighanne Sherrow ’11 and Jon Michel ’13 regularly in New Jersey. Their kids have become frequent playmates, and they love watching all the children become friends!

Also in New Jersey is your co-correspondent, Ryn Steck. Ryn enjoyed a winter retreat, house/ pet sitting in the Pioneer Valley, and reunited with Amy Wright ’15 in Northampton, Mass., in January. December brought a meet-up with Paul Zarella, Danielle Mortorano, Peter Lauro,

Hannah Wagner ’15, and Biff Parker-Magyar in Jamestown, R.I. Activities when they all hang out are a little less rugby and a little more Ms. Rachel and diaper changes these days! The highlight of November was getting to help Daniel Feinberg and wife, Mel Yaris, move out of their apartment and into a home around the corner from Ryn in New Jersey.

In another recent relocation, Katherine Still moved to Vermont in September and started a new job with a small investment advisory firm. Katherine is really enjoying Vermont so far,

From left: Zac Haluza ’11, Mike Moreno ’11, and Nate Burbank ’11 in New York City at the Chelsea Bell.

Alex Snow ’12 and Rachel Grannis ’12 welcomed their second son, Alden, in November.

Ryn Steck ’12 and Amy Wright ’15 reunited in January.

Emily Murphy ’12 moved to Japan about a year ago.

From left to right, starting at top left: Matt Langan ’14, Tom Cyran ’12, James Crafa ’12, Sarah Kelley Chapin ’12, Colin Chapin ’12, Steve Pet ’12, Nathan Burbank ’11, L.J. Scurfield ’12, Scott Blosser ’12, Liam Ronan ’12, John Wulf ’12, and Steven Saurbier ’12 at the wedding of Ben Schwartz ’12 and his wife, Caitlyn.

and the weather at Hamilton was certainly great preparation for living in Northern New England.

A little further afield is Emily Murphy, who moved to Japan about a year ago and what a great year it has been! Highlights have been Emily’s daughter’s (5) Japanese school, delicious sushi/ramen/okonomiyaki, and trips to Mount Fuji, Osaka, and Hiroshima. Emily and family will be sad to leave later this year, but after working remotely this long, they will not miss the 14-hour time difference!

In November, Kendall Weir celebrated the wedding of Ben Schwartz to his wife, Caitlyn, in Philadelphia along with many fellow Hamilton alumni! Kendall toasted the newlyweds with Matt Langan ’14, Tom Cyran, James Crafa, Sarah Kelley Chapin, Colin Chapin, Steve Pet, Nathan Burbank ’11, L.J. Scurfield, Scott Blosser, Liam Ronan, John Wulf, and Steven Saurbier. Kendall kept the party going in December, also attending the wedding of Nathan Burbank ’11 and Perry Ryan in New York City.

Friends from the rowing team met up at the wedding of Ally Kontra ’15 and her husband, Andrew, in Philadelphia. From left: Keara Lynn ’16, Mollie Major ’14, Meredith Garner ’15, Ally Kontra ’15, Andrew, Hideko Nara ’15, and Rachel Cooley ’18.

2013

Class Correspondent: Alex Orlov and Will Rusche

Contact Information: alexandra.m.orlov@gmail.com and wmrusche@gmail.com

We missed adding this note in an earlier issue and we regret it. Generations of Continentals gathered for the wedding of Emeline Yordán and Kevin Boyce in Riverwoods, Ill., in August 2022. Guests included Sarah Lasker York ’14, Amanda Thorman, Mariah Monks, Jaime Yordán ’71, Gaston Yordán ’98, Sophie Hays, and Chelsea Haight

2015

Class Correspondent: Ben Fields

Contact Information: hamilton2015notes@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 2015

This round of class notes is fairly short, but with some meaningful updates.

Ally Kontra celebrated her wedding at the end of August in a beautiful ceremony on the banks of the Delaware River. She also just started pursuing her M.S. in nutrition and dietetics at Drexel University with the goal of becoming a registered dietitian soon.

In other familial news, Deanna Nappi welcomed her daughter, Elena Annette, on Jan. 4. A future Continental, no doubt!

Kendall Weir ’12 with Perry Ryan ’12 and Nathan Burbank ’11.

From left: Sarah Lasker York ’14, Amanda Thorman ’13, Mariah Monks ’13, Emeline Yordán ’13, Jaime Yordán ’71, Gaston Yordán ’98, Sophie Hays ’13, and Chelsea Haight ’13.

Deanna Nappi ’15 welcomed her daughter, Elena Annette, in January.

Not to be outdone, Nick Anastasi and his wife, Amanda O’Brien ’13, are four months into parenthood after having their daughter, Sophia, on Oct. 3. Nick and Amanda are staying busy in Boston where he is an associate at Pierce Atwood and she is pursuing her Ph.D. at Harvard.

In other professional news, Helen Santoro recently began a new job as an investigative reporter at The Lever, looking into political corruption and corporate greed in healthcare.

Kate Bickmore opened her first U.S. solo art show at the Andrew Reed Gallery in Miami in September and was able to spend time with some fellow alumni around New Year’s.

Jin Zhou recently began pursuing her M.B.A. at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Chris Jusuf is working hard prosecuting felony crimes and managing a county-wide auto theft interdiction task force as a deputy district attorney for Riverside County, Calif.

That’s all for now. Looking forward to much more news to come as we edge closer to our 10th reunion next summer!

2016

Class Correspondent: Kaitlin McCabe

Contact Information: kamccabe1@gmail.com

Facebook Group: Hamilton College Class of 2016

Our class is making moves! Rohan Arcot started his Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Boston University and is already a department favorite as the doctoral student representative for his program. Laura Becker recently started her role as a contractor in the Department of Commerce with a focus on attracting greenfield/brownfield foreign direct investments. You can find her at the 2024 SelectUSA Investment Summit. Last fall, the Pentagon promoted Richard Wu to senior operations research analyst, for which he supports critical defense budget decisions.

In personal news, Jack Moses would like to announce his engagement to his fiancée, Ava Herms. They will be getting married this November in Kentucky.

Beloved Hamilton couple Daniel Erichson and Elisa MacColl married in the Chapel in August 2023. They had fun taking photos down at Wertimer (where they met!) and then walking up the Hill to the Chapel for the ceremony. They spent the fall of 2023 in Madrid and just moved to an apartment in Cambridge, Mass.

2018

Class Correspondent: Matt Lebowitz

Contact Information: mlebo96@gmail.com

Diana Suder and Cassidy Ferguson ’17 were married on Sept. 30, 2023, after meeting at Hamilton and dating ever since. Friends who attended the wedding included Ben Perlmutter ’16, Joe Rupprecht, Sarah Magee, and Lily Collins ’19. Diana and Cassie live in California together, where Diana is a Ph.D. candidate in molecular biology and Cassie is a data analyst.

Nick Anastasi and Amanda O’Brien ’13 welcomed a daughter, Sophia, in October.

From left: Mercy Corredor ’15, Gaby Pico ’16, Micah Stimson ’15, and Kate Bickmore ’15.

Elisa MacColl ’16 and Daniel Erichson ’16 got married in the Chapel in August 2023.

Hamilton friends celebrated the wedding of Elisa MacColl ’16 and Daniel Erichson ’16, center.

Diana Suder ’18 and Cassidy Ferguson ’17 were married on Sept. 30, 2023, after meeting at Hamilton and dating ever since.

2019

Class Correspondent: None at the time of publication

John Dorer and Rebecca Williams were married on Sept. 10, 2023, at the Anthony Wayne House in Paoli, Pa. Rebecca writes: “John and I met through College Choir and a cappella, and were thrilled to have plenty of Hamilton alums celebrating with us, both friends and family. This picture shows the alums in attendance, with a Hamilton pennant that originally belonged to my grandfather, Walcott-Bartlett Professor of Religion Emeritus Jay Williams ’54, P’83, GP’11,’19.”

2020

Class Correspondent: Ruth Schmidt

Contact Information: ruthie.h.schmidt@gmail.com

Hi, everyone! I hope the end of 2023 went well and the beginning of 2024 is off to a wonderful start. Yours truly was able to spend some

Rebecca Williams ’19 and John Dorer ’19 celebrated their marriage in September with Hamilton friends. They are holding a Hamilton College pennant that originally belonged to Rebecca’s grandfather, Walcott-Bartlett Professor of Religion Emeritus Jay Williams ’54, P’83, GP’11,’19.

extended time on the East Coast during the holidays and got to visit with so many Hamiltonian friends — it was wonderful to see so many faces that I’ve missed!

I know what you’re thinking: I probably could have used that time to gather some precious class notes, but I didn’t. So, anywho, here’s what your classmates with news to share have been up to since our last issue of Glade & Glen: Nick Walters is working toward his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge (currently in the third of likely four years there), focusing on the analysis of early 16th-century English sacred

In Recognition

Board of Trustees

Congratulations to these new members!

Josie M. Collier ’97, P’14

Stuart “Stu” P. Ingis ’93

Gillian B. Zucker ’90

Elizabeth “Liz” Fox Keogh ’94, P’26

Bell Ringer Award

The Bell Ringer Award is presented each year at Reunions to a member of the Hamilton family in recognition of lifetime contributions made to the College, its alumni, and the community.

The 2023-24 award goes to George Baker ’74.

music. He is also singing in the Sidney Sussex College Choir, Cambridge, and in the Cambridge Early Music Consort, a recently formed group specializing in the performance of 15th- and 16th-century choral music. After he earns his Ph.D., he hopes to obtain a research fellowship, most likely in the United Kingdom.

Constanza Lorente started a full-time position as project coordinator and DEI liaison at John Deere’s Kaiserslautern, Germany, office in February. Constanza and Cesar Guerrero also visited Kaja Bielecka ’21 for Christmas in Łódź, Poland, and they had a wonderful time together!

College Key Award

College Key Awards recognize alumni, parents, or friends of Hamilton who have performed a service or activity that has directly benefited a specific volunteer program or the College.

The 2023-24 awards go to Cleon Cumberbatch ’90, Cosmo Castellano ’74, P’11, Blake Darcy ’78, Herb Hand ’90, Darin Hickman ’93, Robert Simon ’85, P’13, Luvuyo Madasa ’09, Barbara BrittHysell P’04, and Sara Redding Wilson K’72.

We also belatedly recognize Steven Larson ’03, the late David Hornblower ’86, and Greg Selch ’88, who were recognized with 2022-23 awards.

Constanza Lorente ’20 on the job!

Necrology

John Edgar Williams, Jr. ’44, P ’74, GP ’11 (1922–2023)

John “Jack” Edgar Williams, Jr., ’44, P’74, GP’11 died in his 100th year on Feb. 7, 2023, in Cincinnati. He was born in New Rochelle, N.Y., on March 24, 1922, but when the Great Depression hit, the family moved several times as his father searched for work. They ultimately settled in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and Jack came to Hamilton from Shaker Heights High School.

A member of Psi Upsilon fraternity, Jack majored in economics and mathematics, though reportedly the latter discipline was not his strong suit. He recalled that a member of the mathematics faculty recommended that he not contemplate graduate study in the field. Jack played football and hockey, and ran track, lettering in all three sports, while also performing in the College Choir.

World War II interrupted his education. In January 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and, after the D-Day invasion, he was assigned to the 75th Infantry Division then operating in Northern France. In December 1944, Jack and his unit were in the Ardennes Forest in what would prove to be the deadliest single battle of the war: the Battle of the Bulge. Making matters worse, the weather was brutal, with freezing temperatures accompanied by rain, snow, and sleet. Jack would recall sharing a foxhole with another soldier that Christmas Eve, huddling together to keep from freezing. On Christmas Day, his platoon was among the American forces that repelled an attack by a German Panzer Division in the town of Grandménil, Belgium. Following a series of battlefield promotions, and now a second lieutenant, he was assigned in 1945 as stockade commander at a prisoner of war camp in Germany. He was discharged later that year after two-and-a-half years of service. Returning to Hamilton, he earned his degree in June 1947. Among his other achievements was serving as president of the Student Council and earning the Fowler Award as the football team’s most valuable player. After Hamilton, he attended Harvard Business School to study marketing.

On a sunny September afternoon in 1947, a week after he began his first semester, Jack and three other business school students visited the

campus of Wellesley College. There, he was matched up with a young woman from Westfield, N.J.: Elizabeth Buchanan. They clicked. The next weekend, the two of them met up again, this time at a mixer on the Harvard campus, and their relationship unfolded from there. They married on June 25, 1949, in her hometown. They had four children.

A week after their wedding, the Williamses moved to Detroit, where Jack began work in merchandising at the J.L. Hudson Department Store, bringing with him not only his Harvard education but also experience in retail sales acquired at Macy’s New York store during the summer of 1948. While he worked at Hudson’s, Elizabeth began graduate work at the University of Michigan in human development and psychology, studies that culminated in a doctorate and led to her academic career in gerontology.

In time, they moved from Detroit to the northern suburb of Grosse Pointe Park and then later to Grosse Pointe Farms. On the shore of Lake St. Clair, the latter community was in an ideal spot for the family’s sailing hobby.

In 1975, after 25 years at Hudson’s, Jack’s employment was suddenly terminated following the appointment of a new president. Undeterred, he set up two new companies. The first, Michigan Shelf Distributors, marketed shelving and other furniture to new businesses. The second, Michigan Incentive, a manufacturing sales representative firm, promoted the idea of using various “premiums” to attract customers to new businesses. Both were highly successful.

Jack also began to work as a carpenter. Now licensed as a builder, he started out constructing additions for houses, including an expansion to a family-owned cabin on Lake Huron. He soon lent his skills to the rehabilitation of the Detroit neighborhood of Ravendale, an area that had fallen into disrepair. Grosse Pointe Memorial (Presbyterian) Church, where he was a member and for a time an elder and a deacon, played an important role in this all-volunteer effort. Jack ultimately oversaw the work of 60 volunteers in restoring what was arguably the most dilapidated structure in the community.

After working in Ravendale, Jack turned his attention and skills to Habitat for Humanity. He organized building parties of young people from his own and 11 other churches to travel to various parts of the country to construct new homes and rehabilitate older ones. For his years

of service, Jack would receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Habitat for Humanity. He also designed and built a summer home for his family on Lac Courte-Oreilles in Northern Wisconsin. While an electrician handled the electrical work, Jack did all the rest.

Jack started skiing while at the Harvard Business School, and it became a regular winter activity for his family. Every third weekend, the Williamses joined friends to travel north from Detroit to ski at Skyline Hill. Jack became particularly adept at skiing backwards, a skill that came in handy when he wanted to film others descending the slopes. Closer to home, where the terrain was flatter, cross-country skiing was the practice, and he and his family traveled to Europe on two occasions to enjoy the sport.

For many years, Jack was a member of the Grosse Pointe Senior Men’s Club, serving as the organization’s president for a year. He arranged for guest lecturers on a wide variety of subjects. He also served as director of the Mosse Point Hunt Club and joined the advisory board of the Economic Club of Detroit.

Jack also played golf, though with a notable slice. He and Elizabeth played tennis, winning a few tournaments on the courts, and he was an accomplished squash player as well. When not outdoors, he was an avid reader of history. So well known was his interest among his friends, that at least once at Christmas he received multiple copies of the same historythemed book as gifts.

Hamilton meant a great deal to Jack, and given the nature of his career, not surprisingly, the public speaking requirement exerted a great and positive influence on him. Influential faculty included Professor of History Edgar B. “Digger” Graves, Professor of Mathematics Boyd Patterson, and basketball coach Mox Weber. He repaid the College with exemplary service over the years as a volunteer for two capital campaigns, as a member of the Alumni Council and Alumni Association, and by serving on his class committee, reunion gift committee, and special gifts committee. Capping his generosity over 44 years, Jack became a Joel Bristol Associate, establishing a charitable trust to benefit Hamilton.

John E. Williams is survived by his wife of almost 74 years; four children, including John B. Williams ’74, P’11; 14 grandchildren, including Michael H. Williams ’11; and 21 great-grandchildren.

The quill represents members of Joel Bristol Associates.

Lasse Dyrdal ’48 (1923–2023)

Lasse Dyrdal died on June 13, 2023, in Oslo, Norway. Born on March 21, 1923, in the village of Granvin, near the country’s Atlantic coast, he attended high school in the neighboring town of Voss and then completed an additional year of study at Volda Commercial College during 1944.

Following the defeat of the Germans, Lasse attended the University of Oslo to study philology, an interest he likely developed due to his family’s deep fascination with various languages. After the Nazis closed it in 1943, the school reopened on Sept. 1, 1945, and Lasse joined several thousand others seeking to attend what was then the nation’s only university.

During his first semester, Lasse learned of a program initiated by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education that enabled Norwegian students to study in the United States. The ministry had formed an “American Committee,” which reviewed students’ applications and assigned each successful applicant to a college or university in the U.S. Though still taking his entrance examinations for the University of Oslo, Lasse applied and was accepted. He decided to wait a year and, because Hamilton had agreed to admit him, he came to the Hill on July 1, 1946. As he later put it: “Hamilton chose me. I did not choose Hamilton.” The College granted him credit for the equivalent of two years of undergraduate study in Norway, and thus he began as a junior.

He had never been to America before he boarded the steamship Stavangerfjord to begin an eight-day, 4,000-mile voyage to New York City. Years later, he observed that prior to his arrival in Clinton, the closest he had come to Central New York was reading James Fenimore Cooper’s Pathfinder and The Last of the Mohicans.

His arrival on the Hill landed him in the middle of Hamilton’s summer session, and he found he had to play catch-up to keep pace with other students. The College’s academic calendar consisted of four, 12-week sessions so war veterans could complete their degrees quickly and get on with their lives. Lasse’s mastery of English did not include the military slang spoken by the veterans, and his dictionary proved utterly inadequate to the task. Life in South Dorm with three roommates was also a new experience, as were the generous helpings at meals in Commons. He quickly adjusted to both.

At Hamilton, Lasse majored in both English literature and history and was a member of Squires fraternity. He was on the track team and elected its captain for his senior year. He went out for javelin, an event he had

not tried before. He also sang bass in the College Choir and in barbershop quartets in various fraternities on Saturday evenings. While a junior, he was in the International Relations Club and served on the staff of The Continental in his final year.

To earn spending money, Lasse washed dishes in Commons and occasionally babysat for the children of veterans living in the North Village. When word got around that he was a man who could both babysit and wash dishes, business picked up.

Looking back in 1996 as his class’s 50th reunion was approaching, he recalled with pleasure taking courses in English and American literature as well as in history. Thomas Johnston, Robert “Bobo” Rudd, Edgar Graves, and David Ellis were four faculty members whose teaching had a profound impact upon him. He also remembered satisfying the foreign language requirement in French by an examination that consisted of “a pleasant conversation with Professor [Theodore] Bowie.” Lasse took his studies seriously, and his academic distinction was acknowledged when he was admitted to Phi Beta Kappa in his final year.

From the time he arrived on campus through graduation, he indicated that his plans were to return to Norway and teach English in a high school; however, when he returned to the University in Oslo he continued his philological studies. On June 19, 1949, he began what he believed would be just a summer job at Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK), the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. His plans were to continue his philological studies in the fall, and so he did. They culminated in 1954 when he received the equivalent of a Master of Arts degree in that subject. Concurrently, his NRK summer job turned into the first of a series of positions in the department for program planning and presentation. In time he was promoted to department head.

In the meantime, by 1950, Lasse had become engaged to Nora Moe, a pharmacology student at the University of Oslo. They had first met in Volda while in high school, and prior to his departure for Hamilton they reunited on several occasions in Oslo. Nora was from Ørsta, about 200 miles north of Granvin.

It was in Ørsta that they were married on July 22, 1950. By then Nora had graduated and was conducting research for Nyco AS, a pharmaceutical company. They had two daughters and a son. Sadly, she died on March 17, 1986, after just 35 years of marriage.

Lasse enjoyed an extraordinarily long career at NRK. After stepping down in 1991 at age 68, he accepted a new assignment in 2001 when it set about to digitize recordings of programs that the corporation had archived for decades. Lasse could identify the voices heard on programs beginning in the 1950s, bringing to the task a formidable institutional memory. He

stepped away for the second and final time in 2012. He was then 89 years old and had worked for NRK for a total of 53 years.

In the 10-year period between his first “retirement” and his second, Lasse returned to the University of Oslo to pursue his interest in linguistics. In that period, he prepared “New Norwegian” translations of English texts. New Norwegian was then a recently established written language combining elements of various spoken Norwegian dialects including that spoken in the vicinity of his birthplace. It became the second “official” language of Norway. Not surprisingly, he was also an active member of the Norwegian Association of Literary Translators as well as The Norwegian Non-Fiction Writers and Translators Association.

Throughout his adult life, Lasse maintained close ties with several of his classmates as well as the College itself. He regularly communicated news that appeared in the Alumni Review. He attended many reunions, beginning with his 25th in 1973. In addition to his class’s reunions, he also attended at least one reunion of the Class of 1950 as well as the bicentennial reunion in 2012. His final visit to the Hill was in 2015 when he was accompanied by his grandson. On other occasions, one or more of his children joined him.

He also corresponded regularly with a succession of College presidents as well as with staff members in the Development Office. He made many donations to the Hamilton Fund even when the currencies of Norway and the United States were not easily exchanged. Just a few months before he died, on the occasion of his 100 birthday, Lasse was photographed wearing the cap created for Hamilton’s bicentennial.

Reflecting on his time on the Hill, Lasse wrote in his 50th reunion yearbook that his “two years at Hamilton gave me — beside a fair command of American English — an excellent academic training which broadened my mind and led to a better understanding of the world, especially the United States. Hamilton for me was a liberal college in the best meaning of the word.”

Lasse Dyrdal is survived by two daughters, a son, and four grandchildren.

Harold “Bud” Edward Coleman ’50, P’84 (1929–2023)

Harold “Bud” Edward Coleman ’50, P’84 died at his home in Palo Alto, Calif., on May 26, 2023. Born in Utica on July 4, 1929, he came to Hamilton from the Utica Free Academy. On the Hill, he joined Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and majored in chemistry and history. In his second year, he joined the campus radio station, WHC, and in his final year he was in the Biology Club. He also was awarded first place in the McKinney

Prize oration competition as a sophomore and graduated with honors in chemistry.

Early on, Bud intended to pursue a medical career. He contemplated becoming an oral surgeon or an internist but would in fact specialize in anesthesiology. From Hamilton, he went to the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine where his distinguished academic achievement led to his induction into Alpha Omega Alpha, the medical honorary society. After earning his medical degree in 1954 and completing his internship, he was inducted into the U.S. Army’s Medical Corps in 1955. That same year on June 26, he married Roxanne Kantor, herself a Utica native and a student at Syracuse University. Two weeks after they were married, he began a training course at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He continued training at Letterman Army Hospital at the Presidio of San Francisco before being posted to Camp Cooke in Lompoc, Calif., (now Vandenberg Air Force Base) as a psychiatrist in its military prison. Bud fell in love with California during these years and began to envision a career there.

Honorably discharged in 1957 with the rank of captain, Bud returned to Rochester for training in anesthesiology. In 1960, he and Roxanne moved to Palo Alto, where he joined the anesthesia faculty at what was then known as the Palo Alto-Stanford Hospital. In 1963, El Camino Hospital was completed in nearby Mountain View, Calif., and Bud and four of his colleagues established its anesthesiology department. By 2000, it had grown to include 18 specialists. Before retiring in 1991, he established the practice of 24-hour anesthesiology care in the maternity unit, with emphasis on the comparatively new application of epidural anesthesia. He was also among the founders of the El Camino Insurance Exchange, a medical malpractice insurance company, and served as the vice chairman of its board of directors. This initiative was prompted by what was at the time a crisis in California in the malpractice insurance industry. The company became a model for others to follow.

Bud and Roxanne raised two daughters and two sons in Palo Alto. In retirement, they divided their time between their home there and one in the Adirondacks. Bud was an avid golfer and for more than 50 years a member of the Stanford Golf Club. He also sailed and windsurfed well into his 70s.

Until the end of his life, Bud enjoyed playing bridge. He took up this card game at the College, as he recounted in an article for the Hamilton Alumni Review, in a story that celebrated Dr. Paul Greengard ’48 winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2001. Bud lived next door to Dr. Greengard with his then-roommate Peter Falk, whose tenure at Hamilton was brief, but whose starring role as the rumpled detective in the television series Columbo (including reruns) was considerably longer. Greengard, his

roommate, and Falk all played bridge, and they needed a fourth. Greengard taught Bud the game that became a lifelong hobby.

Bud was a consistent donor to the College and was a member of the Joel Bristol Associates to honor a bequest from his estate. He also served as a volunteer for the Admissions Office for a time.

Reflecting on his time on the Hill, Bud observed in his 50th reunion yearbook: “At Hamilton, I learned to discriminate not in its pejorative sense, but in the positive aspects of the word allowing me throughout the years to appreciate the wheat and avoid the chaff.”

Beyond recalling with amusement the morning spectacle of 15 members of his fraternity stuffing themselves into a brother’s car to ride up the Hill, Bud also recalled “leaving Sunday night Chapel after a sermon by Norman Thomas, my head swimming with ideas.”

Harold E. Coleman is survived by his wife and four children, including David J. Coleman ’84, seven grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and his nephew, Charles T. Coleman ’73.

Joseph Poyer Deyo Hull, Jr. ’52, P’87,’91 (1931–2023)

Joseph Poyer Deyo Hull, Jr. ’52, P’87,’91 died in Lakewood, Colo., on Feb. 21, 2023. Born on Jan. 21, 1931, in Tulsa, Okla., he came to Hamilton from Tulsa Central High School. His father, Joseph P. D. Hull, Class of 1913, was a geologist, and so it is perhaps not surprising that Joe majored in geology as well as in mathematics on the Hill.

He was a member of the Emerson Literary Society and, during his junior year, of the Interfraternity Council. He was on the track team all four years. Inducted into the Block “H” Club as a junior, he was the secretary-treasurer for his class that same year. During his final two years he was in the Geology Club. As a senior, he was on the staff of The Hamiltonian

Having compiled a distinguished academic record in high school, Joe was similarly accomplished at Hamilton. He received the Fayerweather Prize Scholarship at the end of his first year for having earned the highest grade point average in his class. That same year, he tied with another student for the McKinney Speaking Prize. As a junior, he won the Tompkins Prize in mathematics, an award given to two members of that class who excel on an examination based on three years of study in that field. By the time he graduated with honors in geology, Joe had been inducted into both the Society of Sigma Xi and Phi Beta Kappa.

Aided by the two National Science Foundation fellowships, Joe began graduate

study in geology at Columbia University, completing his master’s degree in 1953 and his doctorate in 1955. The title of his dissertation was “Guadalupian Sandstone Facies of the Delaware Basin, Texas, and Mexico,” a study that served in part to prepare him for his career as a petroleum geologist. In the summer of 1953, between degrees, he worked for the Humble Oil & Refining Co. in Midland, Texas. Two years later, doctorate in hand, he returned to Humble to begin his career.

In 1958, he left Humble to become an exploration geologist for Kerr-McGee Oil Industries in Oklahoma City, where he worked until 1961. By then a district geologist, Joe opened an office in Pittsburgh to serve as the base of operations for oil exploration in the Central Appalachians. In Pittsburgh he met Renate Kranz, who had immigrated from Germany in 1956. They married on May 27, 1962. They moved to Calgary, Alberta, in 1969, when Joe was appointed manager of KerrMcGee’s Canadian explorations.

In 1975, he left Kerr-McGee to head up the Impel Energy Corp., a newly formed subsidiary of the Great Western United Corp., in which Bunker and Herbert Hunt of Dallas, owned a controlling share. Based in Denver, Impel’s goal was to uncover reserves of oil, natural gas, and coal in the Rocky Mountains. Other companies had by then discovered new energy sources in Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming, and Joe was convinced that elsewhere in those, and neighboring, states were previously unexplored locations where the geology looked promising for significant energy reserves.

Joe, Renate, and their two children made their home in the Denver suburb of Golden. After leaving Impel in 1980, he worked for a series of other oil exploration companies — Paige Petroleum, Ensource, and Wolf Energy Co. — most frequently as a vice president for exploration. He retired from Wolf Energy in 1990 but continued as a consultant who mapped potential oil fields in Colorado.

During his career, Joe served the geology profession by his active participation in the Rocky Mountain Association of Geologists, including a term as its president in 1982. When, in 1988, he received the association’s Distinguished Service Award, it was noted that his service spanned “all levels of involvement from committee member to officer,” resulting in “significant contributions every year since [his move] to Denver” in 1975. Also a longtime member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, for a time he served on its advisory council.

In truth, Joe’s life after his years with Wolf Energy could hardly be termed a “retirement.” Beyond mapping oil fields, he lent his expertise to his classmate Jack Bakken ’52, the only other geology major in their class, by assessing the value of various oil and gas properties for Jack’s company, Business Appraisal Associates. He

also developed an interest in his family’s genealogy, compiled several iterations of its history, and sent copies of his self-published work to distant (and in some cases newly discovered) relatives.

He and Renate traveled extensively, often to locations of geological interest: to Iceland, where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are joined; to the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, created at the same time the ancestral Appalachian Mountains appeared and the result of a collision between the African and North American plates; to the African Rift Valley, slowly widening as the African plate rotates from the Eurasian plate. Other destinations included Mount Etna, the Andes, India, Japan, Thailand, and Cambodia. Closer to home, the couple hiked and skied cross-country in the Rocky Mountains.

Joe was very supportive of Hamilton. Both his children attended the College, and he volunteered to promote the 175th Anniversary Campaign, served on both the Alumni Association and the Alumni Council, was a member of his class’s reunion planning and gift committees, and was a Career Center volunteer. He contributed to the Hamilton Fund for 31 years.

In his 40th reunion yearbook, Joe observed that “going to Hamilton after high school in Oklahoma exposed me to new cultures and lifestyles. The Hamilton experience fostered a long-term outlook on life. Appreciation of the past helps us understand the present and consider the future.” He added: “I would do it all again.”

Joseph P. D. Hull, Jr. is survived by his wife and his children, Thomas D. Hull ’87 and Karen Sanders Hull ’91.

Jeffrey Steinkamp ’53 (1932–2023)

Jeffrey Steinkamp ’53 died on Aug. 26, 2023, in Lebanon, N.H. Born in Milford, Conn., on Jan. 12, 1932, he grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y., and came to Hamilton from Scarsdale High School. On the Hill, he majored in mathematics and history. A member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, he served as its president during his senior year. Jeff was a singer and joined the College Glee Club during his first two years and the College Choir beginning in his sophomore year.

Following graduation, Jeff enlisted in the Naval Reserve. After completing the Officers Candidate Program in Long Beach, Calif., he served two years of active duty as a lieutenant, junior grade, on the destroyer USS Ross based in Norfolk, Va. He later noted that the only time he did not feel seasick in rough weather was in

the fall of 1954, when his ship plowed through the tail end of Hurricane Hazel. The reason? He was too scared to notice the ship’s motion. His service ended in March 1970, when he retired with the rank of lieutenant.

Returning to Scarsdale at the end of his active duty, Jeff joined a real estate firm in 1957, beginning a career that lasted until his retirement in 1992. He established a new residential real estate company with a partner in 1960: Steinkamp & Britton, Inc. He threw himself into his work, often toiling seven days a week.

In Scarsdale, Jeff was a member of the Scarsdale Volunteer Fire Co. #2 and for a period was secretary of the Scarsdale Town Club, a men’s organization that formulated the three-non-partisan form of village government — that is, three town councilors elected on a non-partisan basis — that other small communities later adopted. In 1967, following a fire that heavily damaged a church in Scarsdale, he helped rebuild it.

His dedication to community service continued after he moved to Rochester, Vt., following his retirement. There, he was a member of the Rochester United Church of Christ, performed in a local mixed voice choir, and served on the board of directors and development committee of Gifford Medical Center in the nearby town of Randolph. Jeff skied downhill at Killington Mountain Ski Resort into his 80s, after which he was content to ski cross-country. He golfed at the Rutland (Vt.) Country Club. He enjoyed photographing the Vermont countryside and, claiming that he never learned to cook, not surprisingly liked fine restaurants. Jeff also maintained close ties with several of his classmates.

For Jeff, it was the “stimulation of the liberal arts curriculum” at Hamilton that had an enduring impact upon him, as did the lasting friendships made at the College. Courses in art appreciation and embryology as well as singing in the College Choir under both Berrian Shute and John Baldwin constituted other fond memories. Jeff made it a point to travel to New York City in 2000 to sing at the John L. Baldwin Memorial dinner. He and several classmates constituted the oldest members of the choir on that occasion.

Jeff, a Joel Bristol Associate, was a generous supporter of the College, establishing a life income gift in the form of a charitable remainder annuity trust in 1992, along with other regular contributions. When it matured, it funded a professorship and scholarship to honor John Baldwin. He served on his class committee and as its gift committee chair. Jeffrey Steinkamp is survived by several cousins and numerous friends.

William Everard Braunlich ’57 (1937–2023)

William Everard Braunlich ’57 died on Oct. 9, 2023, in Burlington, Mass. Born on March 6, 1937, on Staten Island, N.Y., he came to Hamilton from Curtis High School. On the Hill, he majored in history and economics and was a member and, as a senior, president of Delta Phi fraternity. He participated in the Campus Fund and in the Chapel Congregation during his freshman and sophomore years and was a member of the Interfraternity Council in his senior year. He was also a member of the track team during his first two years.

Following graduation, Bill worked for New York Telephone Co., beginning a career in the phone industry that would last until his retirement in 2006, interrupted only by six years of active duty in the U.S. Navy. Shortly after he accepted the job at New York Telephone, he reported to the Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. After completing school in November 1958, Bill was assigned to USS John Wills, a destroyer escort based in Newport. After two three-year hitches, he left active duty but remained in the Naval Reserve for 23 years, until he retired in 1980 with the rank of commander.

Bill enrolled at Columbia University Law School but after a year decided that he “did not want to spend the rest of my life as an attorney.” After withdrawing from that program, he returned to New York Telephone as division manager. During this time he met June Schlichting, a native of Queens, N.Y. They were married on Feb. 11, 1967, in Rego Park, N.J., and first made their home in nearby Chatham. They had two daughters.

In 1973, Bill returned to graduate school at the Stern School of Business at New York University, completing his M.B.A. in finance and marketing in 1975 while continuing to work for New York Telephone. In 1979, the family moved to the Boston suburb of Boxford, Mass., when he was promoted to vice president and general manager of NYNEX Information Resources Co., based in Lynn. In 1984, after AT&T concluded its divestiture of the several regional companies that provided local phone service, New York Telephone merged with New England Bell to form NYNEX. That same year, Bill was promoted to chief operating officer of NYNEX Yellow Pages.

In 1990, when NYNEX offered what Bill later characterized as “a very generous management retirement incentive,” he retired on a Friday. The following Monday he began work as president of Volt Telecommunications Group, a company specializing in engineering, installa-

The quill represents members of Joel Bristol Associates.

tion, and maintenance of telephone infrastructure. Under his leadership, the company became highly profitable by the time he retired in 2006.

But for Bill, “retirement” was a misnomer. Well before he formally stopped work, Bill was already immersed in a project that had captured his attention when his younger daughter, Heidi, was diagnosed with intractable epilepsy, a condition whereby a patient’s seizures cannot be controlled by medications. He became a board member and later president of the Epilepsy Association of Massachusetts. During his tenure, the organization grew from a Bostonbased initiative to a statewide group and simultaneously became one of the largest epilepsy organizations in the country. For his work Bill received the organization’s Candlelight Award in 1993.

The Massachusetts Epilepsy Association would subsequently merge with its counterpart in Rhode Island, and Bill continued his involvement by joining the board of directors of the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Epilepsy Foundation; he would later chair the board. The organization eventually expanded to become the Epilepsy Foundation of New England for which Bill went on to serve as treasurer and later president.

In 1995, Bill became a member of the executive committee and on different occasions served as senior vice chair. Ultimately, he joined the board of the National Epilepsy Foundation. His service earned him the title of Volunteer of the Year in 2009.

In 1999, Bill and June moved from Boxford to Rockport, Mass., a town on the North Shore of Boston. He volunteered to serve on United Way campaigns and was an active member of Episcopal churches, first in Topsfield and then in Gloucester.

In 2006, he became a co-founder of the Epilepsy Therapy Development Project that focuses on supporting research and development projects to help those with the disease. Between February and October 2006, Bill was responsible for raising $700,000 for the project.

Bill’s devotion to the cause of epilepsy research was matched by his commitment to Hamilton. He was a consistent donor to the Hamilton Fund and for a time served on the Annual Giving Leadership Committee. In 1998, he established the Robert Gustav Braunlich III ’55 Memorial Scholarship, named for his older brother who was diagnosed with tuberculosis in February 1957, four months before Bill graduated. This scholarship was one component of Hamilton’s New Century Campaign.

Bill served on the Alumni Council and volunteered in support of several capital campaigns. For his class’s 50th reunion, he led the gift committee and served on the reunion planning committee. A Joel Bristol Associate, he also volunteered as a resource for the Career Center. For all of his extraordinary service, Bill received the 2013 Bell Ringer Award.

Recalling with particular pleasure courses with Edgar B. “Digger” Graves, Sidney Wertimer, and William Starnes, Bill wrote in his 50th reunion yearbook: “I firmly believe that the breadth and depth of our Hamilton education, with strong focus on written and oral communication, provided the underpinning for a successful career in the Navy, in the telecommunications industry, and in my charitable activities. … Our total Hamilton experience, interwoven throughout by the honor system, served for me to absolutely reinforce this value as a primary attribute for life.”

William E. Braunlich is survived by his wife, his younger brother, two daughters, and a grandson. He was predeceased by his brother Robert G. Braunlich III ’55.

Donald William Seyba ’57 (1930–2023)

Donald William Seyba ’57 died on Jan. 28, 2023, in Sun City, Ariz. Born on Aug. 21, 1930, in Rochester, N.Y., he graduated from East High School in Rochester in 1948. From there he entered the U.S. Army and served during the Korean War. He came to Hamilton in 1953 accompanied by his wife, Kathryn, a registered nurse whom he had married in November 1951 in Seneca Falls, N.Y. They resided in the North Village with other military veterans and their families, and their first child, David, was born in December 1954. Don majored in French and mathematics, was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, and served on the staff of The Spectator.

acquire prints and furniture as they traveled throughout the country.

After 28 years with IBM, Don retired in 1989 and turned his attention to other interests. He traveled to the Shelter Institute in Bath, Maine, in 1993 to attend a workshop on home construction. He took what he learned and totally rebuilt the family’s home in Ridgefield over a two-year period. Then, following their relocation the next year to the Phoenix suburb of Sun City, Ariz., he participated in the construction of their new, now permanent, home. In retirement, Don and Kay continued to travel to, among other places, San Francisco, this when a plane ticket was only $59, and San Diego and Los Angeles, both within driving distance. Both were bridge players and readers, he of books on mathematics (one of his undergraduate majors) and physics, she of fiction and The New York Times crossword puzzle. Sadly, Kay fell victim to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and, after battling it for approximately six years, succumbed on Sept. 19, 2011.

Don was extraordinarily loyal to the College in large part, as he explained in his 50th reunion yearbook, because “the greatest gift from Hamilton was that it gave me a lifelong desire to continue learning. … If I had to give advice to incoming students, it would be not only to hone the skills and interests you already have, but take a look at some areas that will become far more significant later in (your) careers.”

Following graduation, Don and his family moved to Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he worked in the sales department of The Carborundum Co. until 1961. In the course of a conversation over lunch in New York City, his classmate Jerry van Dijk ’57 urged him to consider working for IBM. Two weeks later, Don began what turned out to be a 28-year career with that corporation. He, Kay, and their children relocated to Ridgefield, Conn. It was there that Don, who had always liked running, joined the Ridgefield Wolfpit Running Club and participated regularly in their races. On at least one occasion, he participated in the Marine Corps Marathon, which begins and ends in Arlington, Va., while winding through parts of Washington, D.C.

His work involved travel to Europe and East Asia. In the course of the 1980s, he and Kay lived in Tokyo for four years, during which time Don developed a marketing strategy for the Asia Pacific region. This was followed by further assignments in Hong Kong and Thailand. While in Japan, they learned what Don later called “taxicab Japanese” and used that skill to

The

Hamilton’s “greatest gift” was amply repaid by Don’s engagement as an alumnus. Chosen president of his class in 1957, he took it upon himself to publish the Hamilton ’57 Newsletter, a short version of the alumni magazine with news of the College as well as of classmates. A regular donor to the Hamilton Fund, Don was an early advocate of the Joel Bristol Associates and took it upon himself to recruit 12 classmates to become members.

When competitive rowing became one of the College’s intercollegiate sports in 1998, Don raised the funds necessary to provide the men’s crew team with a new rowing shell after pledging two-thirds of the cost himself. Careful to avoid distracting classmates from the Hamilton Fund, he successfully solicited support for this cause from those who were not regular donors. Early that September, the rowing shell Kathryn Seyba arrived at the College.

Don and Kay regularly hosted Hamilton’s Phoenix Area Alumni Association as well as members of the College’s Communications & Development Office during their visits to the Southwest. He also facilitated networking between older alumni in the area and young ones who benefited from having mentors. Moreover, over the years, he supported the Priorities for Hamilton capital campaign, chaired his class’s reunion gift committee, and served on the Alumni Council.

quill represents members of Joel Bristol Associates.

In 1999, the Council initiated the Hamilton College Volunteer of the Year Award. Don was the inaugural recipient. His citation included reference to the large number of initiatives Don undertook on behalf of the College. It concluded: “Someone has credited you with an idea a minute, and we are grateful that, with your driving energy behind them, so many have been translated into reality.”

Donald W. Seyba is survived by his three daughters, one son, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

Hadley Scott Roe ’60 (1938–2023)

Hadley Scott Roe ’60 died on June 19, 2023, in Mount Kisco, N.Y. Born in Orange, N.J., on Aug. 10, 1938, he grew up in the neighboring town of Short Hills and came to Hamilton from Millburn High School, where he had played on the football and tennis teams. He played those same sports on the Hill and was captain of the tennis team during his senior year. As a member of Hamilton’s undefeated football team in 1958, he played both tight end and defensive end. Hadley majored in history and joined Psi Upsilon fraternity.

Following graduation and on the advice of H. Lee White, Class of 1934, a family friend and mentor, Hadley went to the University of Virginia School of Law, earning his LLB in 1963. His specialty was maritime law. Thereafter, he joined the law firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, becoming a partner on Jan. 1, 1973, and specializing in international maritime financial markets.

In 1963, he became engaged to Dianne Hibbard of Southbury, Conn. They were married on Aug. 22, 1964, in Haddam Neck, Conn. They had two sons and a daughter.

Hadley’s career in maritime law involved him in a number of negotiations, some leading to the formation of new shipping companies. Among these was the Costamare Container Shipping Group, initially made up of retired World War II Liberty ships that he’d purchased at auction. Later, in 1992, he formed the Maritime Finance Group within the law firm of Seward & Kissel LLP with four colleagues. The initial group of five attorneys grew to as many as 50 in subsequent years. His principal clients were from Norway, Greece, and China. On behalf of the maritime group, he accepted the Lloyd’s of London award for deal of the year in 2012.

After his first marriage dissolved, Hadley married Mary Lee Fox in Mount Kisco on May 2, 1987, which that year was Kentucky Derby Day. The winner of the race was Alysheba.

Thereafter, they celebrated both their wedding anniversary and the stallion’s victory with numerous friends, on some occasions as many as 200. Hadley retired in 2014.

Proud to be a Hamilton graduate, he was a regular and generous donor to the Hamilton Fund and chaired the Alumni Fund campaign in 1976. A friend of Hamilton football, he contributed to upgrading Steuben Field as well as the team’s locker rooms. He also gave financial support for the renovation of the Chemistry Building, contributed to several of the College’s capital campaigns, and was a member of the major gifts committee as well as his class committee and reunion gift committee.

Hadley S. Roe is survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, and seven grandchildren.

John Treadwell Nichols II ’62 (1940–2023)

When The Sterile Cuckoo appeared in print in the spring of 1965, more than one Hamilton freshman read it with the expectation that the book would reveal the underground nature of social life on the Hill: the challenges of forming and maintaining a relationship with a female contemporary studying at a college many miles away and the possibility of heartbreak were that relationship to end. When, in 1969, the film version of the novel appeared, it enjoyed a wide viewership among students and alumni alike. Many of the former had roles in its production: shot almost entirely on campus and the surrounding area, the movie had only three professional actors in its cast, with other players drawn from students as well as Clinton locals, and dozens of undergraduates who populated party scenes. Alumni flocked to theaters to see the campus star in a Hollywood film, one for which Liza Minnelli was nominated for an Academy Award. Both groups debated the veracity of the film’s portrayal of college life.

The author of that all-important book in Hamilton lore, John Treadwell Nichols II ’62, died in Taos, N.M., on Nov. 27, 2023. Born in Berkeley, Calif., on July 23, 1940, John moved around the country as a child, living in six different communities as his father took on various assignments for the Central Intelligence Agency. Although Washington, D.C., was his family home during his high school years, he came to Hamilton from the Loomis School in Windsor, Conn.

From the outset, John intended to become a writer. In an interview with NPR, he recalled that he had started writing stories at age 10 and wrote one per year before he finished high school. As noted in his admission application, he saw value in coming to the College: “Since I

am interested in making a career of writing, I believe it would be to my advantage to attend Hamilton, which offers courses in English composition and literature, and various art and history courses which will teach me to better appreciate not only writing, but the world I shall be interested in writing about.”

Majoring in English literature and a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity, John’s extracurricular activities centered on sports, principally hockey and secondarily football and track. He played hockey all four years and was team co-captain as a senior. He played fullback during his one year on the football team. He ran track during his first two years, and cross country during his junior and senior years. He was also a member of the Doers & Thinkers honor society, Was Los, and Pentagon. During his final two years, he was on the Honor Court and the staff of The Spectator, joined the Student Senate as a junior, and performed with The Charlatans in his final year.

John was one of two seniors awarded the William Duncan Saunders Prize for Creative Writing. As noted by a classmate in the 1962 version of The Hamiltonian: “John leaves the Hill with a tuned guitar, a shattered hockey stick, a worn typewriter, a well-earned Hamilton sheepskin, and the respect of all who have known him.” He owned a typewriter before entering Hamilton, and he was never without one for the rest of his life; all of his published works first saw the light of day on such a device, never a laptop.

From Hamilton, John traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to live with his grandmother and to write The Sterile Cuckoo, which he completed in 1963 and sold to his publisher for a princely advance of $500. While it was his first novel to be published, it was the eighth such effort that he had completed. Returning to New York, he married Ruth Wetherell Harding, the first of his three wives. They had a son and a daughter.

Living in a fifth-floor walk-up apartment in what is now Soho, he began to draft five novels concurrently. Of these, The Wizard of Loneliness was published in 1966. His day jobs included unloading trucks and playing guitar in coffeehouses. He also traveled through Central America, principally Guatemala, during the winter of 1964-65. He was shocked by the poverty and exploitation in the region and by the unmistakable evidence that the United States had played a role in creating that environment.

In 1969, his life changed when Paramount Pictures released the film version of The Sterile Cuckoo, which introduced the world to Liza Minnelli as “Pookie,” the girlfriend of “uptight college freshman” Jerry Payne, played by Wendell Burton. John’s share of the film’s proceeds, which totalled a reported $14 million at the box office, enabled him to leave New York and write full time.

He and his family moved to Taos, N.M., a town he had visited for five days in the summer of 1957 between his junior and senior years at

Loomis. During that brief stay, he found a job in construction building adobes. The experience, including his first introduction to the Hispanic culture of the region, was certainly a major factor in his decision to live there permanently.

Shortly after his arrival, John became politically engaged in the community and the state. From 1970 to 1972, he wrote what he later described as “muckraking” articles for The New Mexico Review about land and water use, ongoing sources of conflict between the Hispanic and white communities, with the latter counting on greater political power and financial resources to support their ambitions. No doubt his travels to Guatemala prepared him to confront comparable realities in Northern New Mexico.

In 1974, as his first marriage was ending, John’s third novel, The Milagro Beanfield War, was published. Taking up the subject that had been central to his articles and political activism, it featured a fictional Hispanic agricultural community in Northern New Mexico and its resistance to developers determined to take control of the town’s water resources and land to advance their own goals. It was the first of what would ultimately become a trilogy, including The Magic Journey (1978) and The Nirvana Blues (1981), all of which were set in and around Taos.

Milagro proved to be popular on many college campuses and was celebrated in New Mexico. For a time, it was among the most widely read novels about Hispanic communities. In 1988, Robert Redford directed a film adaptation, and John wrote the screenplay. The cast included Rubén Blades, Sônia Braga, Melanie Griffith, and Christopher Walken. John wrote other screenplays during the 1980s and 1990s, but other than Milagro, only his uncredited work on Missing (1982), directed by the Greek director Costa-Gravas, was produced.

John continued to be a prolific writer, and, by 2020, had produced 13 novels and nine works of nonfiction, all focusing upon Taos and Northern New Mexico in one way or another. Three of his non-fiction works constitute a second trilogy: If Mountains Die: A New Mexico Memoir (1979), The Last Beautiful Days of Autumn (1982), and On the Mesa (1986). His final book was a memoir: I Got Mine: Confessions of a Midlist Writer (2022). According to his daughter, John was at the time of his death in the process of editing an anthology of letters, essays, and unpublished manuscripts.

John was a creature of strict habit and discipline when it came to writing. During the week, beginning around 8 p.m., he would sit down at his typewriter and work. He would not stop until 7:30 or 8 a.m. the next morning. He would then sleep until mid-afternoon and devote the day to errands and socializing. By contrast, his weekends were wide open.

When he wasn’t writing, John was a dedicated fisherman and photographer. According to his friend Taylor Streit, a famous

New Mexico fishing guide, John “was the one who would go on [river] trails you almost needed a rope to get down. He fished obscure places I’ve never fished and probably never will.” Not surprisingly, the subject of John’s photographs was the natural beauty of his adopted state.

For John, Hamilton offered a wealth of opportunities: “I got to play sports, be a journalist, act in plays, do music, hang with drunken rollers, deal with Honor Court issues and Pentagon, write literature, talk with a wide range of professors, and have friends all across the spectrum in every walk of life. I could be macroscopic, interested in everything, and I have been that way the rest of my life. Hamilton was also so conservative it taught me to be radical.”

On May 21, 2000, President Eugene Tobin conferred upon John the honorary degree Doctor of Literature. After summarizing his many accomplishments as an author, Tobin said: “All reflect your fervent belief in the power of literature to contribute to a better world, and with rare and remarkable integrity, you have devoted your life’s work to that end.”

John T. Nichols II is survived by his son, daughter, and three granddaughters.

Forrest Lowell Jones II ’65 (1943–2022)

Forrest Lowell Jones II ’65 died in Los Angeles on Dec. 26, 2022. Born in San Francisco on Aug. 11, 1943, he later lived in Fort Bragg, Calif., Highland Park, Ill., Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., and Ardsley-on-Hudson, N.Y., because his father’s work as a sales manager for the Union Lumber Co. required periodic relocations. Forrest came to Hamilton from The Choate School. On the Hill, he majored in English and became a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. He also played on the hockey team, noting in his 40th reunion yearbook that he “wasn’t exactly a star.” He also described himself as a mediocre student but nevertheless won the John Howard Cunningham Essay Prize, awarded to a senior submitting the best essay on some aspect of the life of Abraham Lincoln.

After graduation, Forrest traveled, as he put it, “through [Professor of Art] Paul Parker’s Europe of art and architecture” before settling for a time in Madrid, Spain, where he hoped to write a novel in emulation of Ernest Hemingway and to practice his Spanish. In 1966, he joined the Navy, attended Officer Candidate School in San Diego, and, with the rank of lieutenant, served two tours of duty on the destroyer USS Baine (DD-630) in the Gulf of Tonkin from 1966 to 1968. Thereafter, during 1968 and 1969, he had shore duty at Guantanamo Bay. While there,

he fell for the charms of the Caribbean Sea; he would later choose to live there in retirement.

Shortly after his honorable discharge in the summer of 1969, Forrest became reacquainted with Mady Riegel, whom he had first met on the Hill at the wedding of his fraternity brother Scott Hand ’64. They were married in December of that same year and stayed together for 12 years. A few months after the wedding, Forrest and Mady moved to San Francisco, where his first job was with the publisher W.H. Freeman (founded by William H. Freeman, Class of 1926), a company specializing in college textbooks in the sciences. His assignment was to seek out manuscripts worthy of publication, which involved visiting colleges and universities in a given territory ostensibly to promote recent publications, but also to encourage faculty members to develop their own manuscripts.

Tiring of all of the travel this job required and following the birth of his son Bayard in 1973, Forrest left W.H. Freeman. He and Mady had by then developed an interest in cooking, going so far as to take classes with local chefs, and decided to open what he would later describe as an “upscale kitchenware store” — Forrest Jones, Inc. — in a 3,000-square-foot space. There they stocked a great variety of dinnerware, kitchen appliances, and related housewares. The store also included a working kitchen in which some of San Francisco’s leading chefs taught cooking lessons to interested customers.

Forrest Jones’s inventory subsequently expanded beyond kitchen and housewares to the point where Forrest would later describe it as “an eclectic general store,” and its location on Sacramento Street helped to resuscitate that neighborhood’s shopping district. Later, for a time, there were two branches, one elsewhere in San Francisco, the other in San Rafael, Calif.

The store attracted the favorable attention of The San Francisco Chronicle in 1995 when it was mentioned in a front-page article headlined, “49 Reasons Why San Francisco is Super,” the “49” a reference to the San Francisco 49ers winning their fifth Super Bowl that year.

Concurrently with operating his stores, Forrest pursued an interest in clinical psychology at San Francisco State University. Admitted to the doctoral program in 1994, he noted in his 40th reunion yearbook: “I did not complete [the degree], but I was a far better grad student than ever I’d been as an undergrad.”

In 2003, Forrest and Tom Ewig, a longtime friend from Ardsley-on-Hudson, took a sailing cruise of the Western Caribbean that included stops in nearby Belize. One of the port calls was at the town of San Pedro, at the southern end of a small island, Ambergris Caye. For Forrest, it was the most interesting and lively port on this cruise, and four years later he closed his stores, determined to retire to San Pedro. His plan was interrupted by a diagnosis of lung cancer, but in 2008, he made the move and,

except for periodic visits to the U.S. to consult with his doctors, remained there until the fall of 2022, living in a condominium at the San Pedro Yacht Club.

Forrest quickly immersed himself in the life of San Pedro by helping to found the San Pedro Sailing Club and establishing a sailing program for local children. Over time, several hundred young people attended, and he was their principal sailing instructor. In 2012, the club sent sailors to the North American Sailing Championships. In 2015 and 2016, it entered international competitions in Canada and Malaysia. Along the way, Forrest’s attention was drawn to Blanca Yesenia Velasquez, a young girl with an unusual aptitude for the sport. He provided support for Blanca and later adopted her.

Eventually, the cancer he was fighting reached the terminal stage and, on Oct. 30, 2022, Forrest left San Pedro for Los Angeles accompanied by his son Pierson and Blanca, who had been caring for him in Belize. He died not quite two months later.

Hamilton meant a great deal to him. Forrest reflected on the College’s impact upon him in his 40th reunion yearbook: “I value, and I believe that I continue to retain what I did learn and what Hamilton is widely recognized for — teaching articulate self-expression, critical thinking (a.k.a. ‘b.s. detection’), and one more thing — a high degree of active curiosity. Curiosity and how it feels to pursue something with openness, whether you eventually ‘get it’ or not.”

He served the College as a volunteer for the Priorities for Hamilton capital campaign, as a member of his class committee, and as class correspondent from 2002 to 2018.

Forrest Lowell Jones II is survived by his two sons, daughter, and former wife.

Keith Mostofi ’65 (1944–2022)

Keith Mostofi ’65 died on June 26, 2022, in Chambersburg, Pa. Born in Boston on June 1, 1944, he grew up in Chevy Chase, Md., and came to Hamilton from Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. On the Hill, he majored in history. On one memorable occasion, he traveled with some other students to Elmira College, where one of the Hamilton students had already arranged a date with an Elmira student. Keith and the others were hoping to meet women on site, and Keith, at least, lucked out. He met Christine Munger, and the two were married on Aug. 12, 1967, in her hometown of Carthage, N.Y.

After graduating, Keith returned to the Washington area for graduate study at American University, completing his master’s degree in 1966. Thereafter, he and Christine moved to Portsmouth, Va., where he had accepted a position in the History Department of Tidewater College. In 1968, he began doctoral study in

military history at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. There, Keith was awarded a Governor’s Fellowship in 1971 to study military fortress systems in Munich, Germany.

In 1975, Keith studied to become a supply system analyst through a training program sponsored by the U.S. Army and held at the Red River Army Depot, near Texarkana, Texas. In 1976, he graduated first in his class and was rewarded by being given his choice of assignments as a civilian employee. He chose Letterkenny Army Depot near Chambersburg in Eastern Pennsylvania in part because it offered the highest salary. Concurrently, Christine taught school in Chambersburg, and the town became the Mostofi’s permanent home, even though his subsequent assignments took them to various locations in Europe and Washington. While at Letterkenny, Keith held various positions and was honored for meritorious service more than once.

In the fall of 1989, he was posted to Heidelberg, Germany, for what turned out to be six years and subsequently was sent to Hovalt, Luxembourg, in 1995 for another year with the U.S. Army in Europe. After returning to Pennsylvania in 1996, Keith was transferred to the Pentagon in 1998 to work in logistics for the Department of the Army until he retired in 2010.

Keith then immersed himself in a variety of activities, one of which was model railroading, a lifelong interest that he mentioned even in his admission application to Hamilton. Not only did he work on his own layout, but he became an active member of the Cumberland Valley Model Railroad Club. He enjoyed teaching both children and adults about trains at the club’s Chambersburg headquarters, which had an extensive layout and multiple trains running simultaneously. Keith was a voracious reader, principally of history, another habit dating from his youth. He also was a woodworker who built tables and bookshelves, frequently out of mahogany, his favorite wood. He also delved into his own family’s ancestry. For his two grandchildren, he was the resident expert on almost every subject.

Keith Mostofi ’65 was survived by his wife, who died in November 2023, his son, daughter-in law, and two grandchildren.

Robert Cortis “Bones” Pomeroy ’65, P’90,’93 (1943–2023)

Robert Cortis “Bones” Pomeroy ’65, P’90,’93 died on May 21, 2023, in Quechee, Vt. Born in Syracuse, N.Y., on Sept. 17, 1943, and raised there, he came to Hamilton from Nottingham High School in his hometown. He acquired his nickname

The

honestly: when he arrived on campus, reportedly while 6 feet tall, he weighed only 120 pounds. A nickname that may have started off as “skin and bones” was soon abbreviated without loss of meaning.

On the Hill, Bob majored in mathematics and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. His academic achievements were distinguished. In his junior year he received both the Tompkins Prize in Mathematics, awarded annually to two students excelling in the subject, and the Edward Huntington Memorial Scholarship, given to a rising senior who intends to take at least one math course in his final year. As a senior, Bob was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.

During his junior year, he traveled to Skidmore College and met Sandra Campbell, also a junior. Their relationship flourished, and they were married in 1966. By then, Bob, having chosen a legal career, was immersed in his studies at Harvard Law School. Earning his LLB in 1968, he joined Goodwin, Procter & Hoar (later Goodwin Procter) in Boston on July 1 of the same year. He specialized in trusts and estate planning, made partner in 1977, and remained with the firm until retiring in 2013. Along the way, he became a member of the American Bar Association and the bar associations of Boston and Florida. He was also a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council.

Concurrent with his legal education and initial practice, Bob and Sandra created a family: two daughters and a son. Two of their children would come to Hamilton.

Inspired by the example of his father and encouraged by a close friend, Bob began in 1988 to actively fundraise for the American Heart Association. He would continue to do so for many years. His hobbies included golf (he helped organize the annual DKE Golf Tournaments held on Reunion Weekends), skiing, squash, and sailing. Among his memorable voyages was one in the fall of 2007 when he sailed his 34’ sloop from Massachusetts to Beaufort, S.C., and met up with a classmate upon his arrival.

After living in the Boston suburbs of Andover and Charlestown, the Pomeroys permanently settled in their summer home in Quechee, Vt., in 2008. Thereafter he worked remotely except when he needed to be in the Boston offices of Goodwin Procter. On those occasions he stayed with a daughter in Winchester, Mass.

Bob’s memories of his time on the Hill were dominated by recollections of the high academic standards to which he and his fellow students were held. Courses in Freshman English (including the quest for “Yes” essays, presumably) and history were particularly memorable. Indeed, he recalled in his 40th reunion yearbook that, among other experiences: “I also remember not wanting to graduate, having formed a desire to become a ‘liberal artist,’ staying on campus and taking courses

quill represents members of Joel Bristol Associates.

and going to fraternity parties for the rest of my life.” Of particular importance was “the strong sense of community and goodwill” that the College represented.

Bob repaid the College with a record of extraordinary service and support that began shortly after he graduated. His contributions included chairing the Class of 1965’s 25th reunion committee, serving on the Alumni Council, and joining the special gifts committee in Boston for the 175th Anniversary Campaign. He also presided over the Boston Alumni Association. A consistent and increasingly generous donor, he regularly reached out to classmates on behalf of the Hamilton Fund and volunteered for the Career Center. Not surprisingly, given his specialty in estate planning, he made a generous provision for Hamilton in his will and thus became a Joel Bristol Associate.

Robert C. Pomeroy is survived by his wife, son Robert “Cort” C. Pomeroy, Jr. ’90, daughters Lisa and Heather Pomeroy Kelly ’93, brother William J. Pomeroy ’68, his mother Elizabeth Pomeroy, two granddaughters, and a grandson.

Robert Mason Colley ’66, P’19 (1942–2023)

Robert Mason Colley ’66, P’19 died on Aug. 20, 2023, at his home in Syracuse, N.Y. Born on Oct. 15, 1942, in Buffalo, he came to Hamilton from Williamsburg, N.Y., having graduated from Hamburg Central High School. On the Hill, he majored in English and was a member of Sigma Phi fraternity.

His approach to his studies was initially decidedly casual, leading Dean Sidney Wertimer to admit him to the “Underachievers’ Club.” Bob was instructed to withdraw and, when he found his purpose, to return. Bob left at the end of the spring semester in 1963. Thereafter, as he stated in a class note in 2010, he found his focus first by working in a bank (an experience he found “awful”) and then, having avoided the draft, by joining the Army Reserves (an experience he found even worse than banking). He was “excused” from officer training due to his outspoken opposition to the Vietnam War, and then he was excused from military service altogether.

This dose of reality seemed to work. He returned to the College at the start of the spring semester in 1965 and joined the Class of 1966. As he recalled in the 25th reunion yearbook: “I was so glad to be back on the Hill that I actually got good grades my senior year.” He was also admitted to Nous Onze, later recalling with pleasure the meetings held with its adviser, Professor Robert Barnes “Bobo” Rudd. He also worked on the staff of The Hamiltonian , rising to the position of assistant editor his junior year.

Following graduation, Bob worked for Scribner’s publishing company but soon left to pursue graduate studies in English at Syracuse University. Withdrawing from that program, he took a series of jobs teaching English in local high schools and community colleges, in a sense making his way toward what would prove to be the focus of his later academic career: adult education.

While an adjunct professor teaching a course in business ethics, he also became director of the university’s independent study degree programs in a variety of disciplines designed to serve individuals in mid-career. After earning a master’s degree in the philosophy of education in 1984, and having begun doctoral studies from which he later withdrew, Bob developed college programs for various corporations, the military (including for service personnel engaged in Operation Desert Shield in 1991), and even a maximum-security prison. By 2006, he had risen to become associate dean of Syracuse’s University College, overseeing research and communications.

Following an earlier marriage and one extended relationship, Bob met Katryn P. Hansen, who was affiliated with the School of Architecture at Syracuse and would later become its assistant dean. They were married in 1995, and a year later their daughter, Maura, was born.

Bob had a longstanding interest in the arts and in 2007 established Stone Canoe, a periodical devoted to the work of writers and artists residing in Central New York. Initially published by the university, it was subsequently sponsored by the Downtown Writers Center of the Greater Syracuse YMCA.

In 2012, following his retirement, Bob and a friend formed what he would later describe as “a boutique publishing company,” Standing Stone Books, devoted to the publication of poetry, fiction, and design. Having developed skills as a landscape and portrait photographer, Bob published three collections of photographs, including Scotland and the Hebrides (2016). Images of Cape Cod appeared in the other two books. He exhibited his work in galleries on the Cape as well as in several in the vicinity of Syracuse.

He was also an avid tennis player and devoted to film.

Beyond these occupations, Bob was also an active member of several arts organizations including the Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts in Ithaca, N.Y., the Ithaca City of Asylum, which provides shelter for writers and artists at risk of persecution in their countries of origin, the Community Folk Art Center in Syracuse, and the YMCA of Central New York Y-Arts, an organization providing financial aid to children and youth to study music, writing, and the visual arts.

Bob’s memories of Hamilton are dominated by those of the camaraderie he felt with other students. Professors who were particularly

memorable included Paul Parker, Edwin Barrett, Peter Berek, Thomas Johnston, and Edgar B. Graves. Almost inevitably, he also recalled trips to Wells and Skidmore, houseparty Sunday morning gin-and-juice parties at Theta Delta Chi, and “trying to stay one step ahead of Dean Wertimer.”

Bob served on his class committee and reunion gift committee, and offered his services to the Career Center’s volunteer program.

Robert M. Colley is survived by his wife and his daughter, Maura Colley ’19.

Peter Stanley Brams ’68 (1946–2023)

Responding to a question on his admission application to Hamilton in 1964, Peter Brams indicated that among his hobbies, in addition to coin collecting, debating, and reading books about history and current affairs, he was interested in art and architecture. Those passions would become both the foundation of his professional life and his lifelong dedication as a collector.

Peter died on July 1, 2023, at his home in Jackson Heights, in Queens, N.Y. Born on March 8, 1946, in Concord, N.H., he came to Hamilton from Concord Senior High School. On the Hill, he majored in art history and was a member of Gryphon fraternity. On one occasion Peter also played a minor part in the Charlatans’ production of Georg Büchner’s play Woyzeck. In a revue staged by Peter Kingsley ’68, he appeared as the Statue of Liberty, with an inverted, quart-sized Coca-Cola bottle serving as his torch.

Upon graduating, Peter moved to Brooklyn Heights and explored various types of employment: working for a stock broker, fundraising for the United Jewish Appeal and New York University Medical Center, and working at a real estate firm. In 1969, he relocated to the Upper West Side of Manhattan, sharing an apartment with three Hamilton alumni, before later returning to Brooklyn Heights.

It was in this period that he laid the foundation for his subsequent career as a jewelry designer. An acquaintance was making knockoffs of jewelry created by leading designers. Peter used such pieces as models for his own designs, sending his prototypes to a company in Mexico where they were manufactured and sent back to him, so that he could approach dealers who might be persuaded to include his work in their inventories.

His interactions with jewelry companies led to his meeting Abraham Rosenberg who worked for one such firm. In 1979, they formed their own: Peter Brams Designs, Ltd. While Abe handled marketing and sales, Peter continued to design.

The partnership lasted for almost 20 years, during the course of which the business grew significantly, having successfully weathered an economic crisis in 1980 that threatened to put it

out of business. That year the price of gold ballooned to $800 an ounce. Had they not quickly changed manufacturing specifications, prices of individual pieces of Peter’s designs might have reached as much as $1,200, prohibitively expensive in that day’s market. Peter and Abe shifted the manufacturing process from casting individual pieces to using die striking, which brought the price of finished pieces down to around $250, a level the market could readily bear. By 1990, the company had grown to employ 150 people, and seven years later, Peter and Abe sold the company to Jacmel, a firm located in midtown Manhattan. Abe moved on in 1999, but Peter continued to design until retiring in 2003.

While he was having great success in creating jewelry, Peter was also focused on collecting art, and he chose an unusual approach. As Steve Powers, co-owner of an art gallery in lower Manhattan, observed: “He didn’t follow fashion and wasn’t swayed by what others were buying. He bought with an open mind, a discerning eye, and an adventurous heart.” Beginning around 1980, Peter began collecting contemporary art, including works by Americans Jean-Michel Basquiat and Phillipe Taaffe as well as Milan Kunc, who is Czech. Later, his collection included works by William Edmondson, William Hawkins, and Sam Doyle. In this period, he consulted with Diego Cortez, one of the major figures in the New York art scene, whose exhibition of contemporary New York artists in 1981 included Basquiat’s work, thus bringing that artist to the attention of collectors of contemporary art.

But Peter remained his own man. He did not collect art with a view toward profiting from a subsequent sale, but rather to surround himself with works that appealed to him aesthetically, in a variety of media, from painting and prints to sculpture. By then he was living in a condominium in Guttenberg, N.J., overlooking the Hudson River and Manhattan, and Peter’s home was his personal art gallery.

He willingly lent some of his works when moved to do so. During the period from Dec. 12, 1986, to Jan. 28, 1987, 28 pieces by seven artists from Peter’s collection were exhibited at the Emerson Gallery at Hamilton, located in the former James Library. In 2002, he also lent a small abstract drawing by Arthur Dove to the gallery for an exhibit of works collected by Hamilton alumni.

The exhibition catalog included a personal statement by each lender. Peter’s was concise but revealing: “I love to collect. I’ve always loved to collect. … Each collection becomes a work in progress. … The search, the decisions, the editing, the tweaking are as close as I will ever come to satisfying my creative tendencies. A quiet evening spent moving objects around and discovering new dimensions of old friends is my perfect pleasure. I guess that is why I collect, and why I will always collect.”

By the end of the 1980s, Peter changed course and began to acquire American folk art — termed “Outsider Art” — by self-taught individuals who did not regard themselves as part of a lineage of artists and who largely kept to themselves, not seeking public attention. Creators of both types of art did not cultivate wide recognition and, in the case of the folk artists, were largely anonymous. Peter was drawn to these works out of personal interest, and his collection continued to grow. Prior to moving to Jackson Heights in 2001, his Guttenberg condo was reported to be so overwhelmed by art that there was space for only two chairs: one for Peter, the other for a visitor. Before making the move to Queens, he sold his collection.

His impulse to collect was by no means diminished in this period, but the focus of his collecting shifted again, to works, initially carvings, created by indigenous Woodland people who resided in what is now the Northeastern United States before the arrival of European settlers. In 2012, he sold this collection as well, prompted in part by the first of several heart-related health crises. One reason for the sale was that he did not wish to burden his relatives with the task of disposing of his collection after his death. Nevertheless, he was ever the collector and subsequently began to purchase certain works by “Outsiders” and American folk artists that had eluded his grasp in the 1990s.

Sadly, Peter’s heart problems worsened, and in 2018 he suffered another heart attack that required surgery to replace a heart valve. He never fully recovered.

Throughout his adult life, Peter spoke fondly of the College and served it in a number of ways. He was a generous supporter of the Emerson Gallery as well as the College as a whole, making numerous substantial gifts during the Campaign for the ’90s. Peter also served on the committee on the visual arts, major gifts committee, and the Alumni Council, in addition to lending art works to the College from time to time.

Peter S. Brams is survived by his mother and his niece.

John Edward Collins ’68 (1946–2023)

John Edward Collins ’68 died on Aug. 18, 2023, in Burlington, N.J. Born on June 27, 1946, in Bristol, Pa., he spent his early years in New Jersey before his family moved to Manhattan while his father attended Columbia University. The Collinses subsequently moved to East Northport, Long Island, where John developed what would be a lifelong passion for America’s national pastime. He came to Hamilton from West Hempstead High School. On the Hill, John majored in history, was a member of Delta

Upsilon fraternity, and played on the College’s varsity baseball team throughout his four years. Graduating with honors in history, John joined the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) for two years and was assigned to work at the Bethlehem Center of Nashville, a social service agency for families in the city. While there, in August 1968, John met Dorothy Allison, who was attending Tennessee State University and working for the Metro Action Commission, an agency with a mission comparable to that of the Bethlehem Center. They married in June 1970.

John had anticipated studying law after VISTA, and though he was accepted by both the University of Chicago and Cornell University law schools, his attention was drawn to a newer program at Montclair (N.J.) State University that prepared recent college graduates to teach inner-city youth, an interest that was clearly born of his work in Nashville. For four years, he taught at Brainerd Elementary School in Mt. Holly, N.J. In 1974, his family moved from Mt. Holly to nearby Willingboro, which became their permanent home. That same year, John worked for New Jersey’s Bureau of Children’s Services and began attending Temple University’s law school at night. He earned his Juris Doctor in 1977.

John’s subsequent legal career included service as counsel for the New Jersey School Boards Association and the New Jersey Educational Association. For 28 years, he was the municipal prosecutor for Willingboro Township. In addition to having his own practice, John on various occasions worked at the Selikoff & Cohen and Parker-McCay law firms, focusing on municipal and education law.

John’s profound sense of civic duty was reflected in his active and longtime engagement with local Democratic politics in Willingboro. He served for almost four decades as a pro bono legal advisor for the Willingboro Democratic Committee (WDC), the Willingboro Democratic Club, and the Burlington County Democratic Committee (BCDC). In that same period, John was the Democratic committeeman in New Jersey’s 34th District, centered in Willingboro, at first in close collaboration with his friend and neighbor committeewoman Freddie George and thereafter with his wife. On at least one occasion John knocked on every door in the 34th district in an effort to increase voter participation. He also served on the Willingboro library and zoning boards.

Reflecting his love for history, John joined the Burlington County Historical Society. Such was his affection for the subject that his and Dorothy’s favorite travel memories were the eight summers they explored the Underground Railroad Trail from Maryland and the MidAtlantic to Burlington, N.J. They also traveled through New England states and Canada’s Maritime Provinces, and as far west as Windsor, Ontario. But they always made it a point to end

each trip in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., close to John’s parents’ home in nearby Albany.

Of singular importance in appreciating John’s life and work is the fact that after graduating from Hamilton, he did not throw his baseball mitt in a closet and forget about it. He spent many years as a coach for the Willingboro Babe Ruth League team for 13-to-14-year-old boys, and later realized his dream of leading a college baseball team, serving as assistant coach for Burlington County College.

But John was not content simply to sit in the dugout or occupy one of the coach’s boxes watching boys and young men out on the field. He became a lifetime player, pitching and playing second base for the Willingboro team of the New Jersey Wonder Boys. And because his team was part of the national Roy Hobbs Baseball League, he traveled to Fort Myers, Fla., for its annual gatherings and proudly displayed his Forever Young Atlantic Champion 2018 trophy from the league. True to the trophy’s celebration of never outgrowing the sport, John played on the 40+, 50+, and 60+ Wonder Boys teams, and then played for the over-70 squad until Alzheimer’s disease halted his participation in 2019.

His support of the game included lobbying for an upgrade to the Wonder Boys’s home field in Willingboro and also monitoring the conditions of other baseball fields nearby. For his dedication to the game of baseball, John was named Hamilton’s Baseball Alumnus of the Year in 2017.

His perspective on his years on the Hill evolved over the years. In 1993, in his 25th reunion yearbook, he confessed that “I am still wrestling with feelings of ambivalence about my Hamilton experience. I do not feel joy when I think about my four years in Clinton.” He added: “My desire to come to terms with my Hamilton experience springs from the recognition that my four years helped me to define the person I have become. … In the final analysis, my attempts to make sense of my Hamilton years are part of a continuing effort to know myself.”

By 2008 and his 40th reunion yearbook, his views had mellowed somewhat: “I think I have always been self-reliant, but the Hamilton experience increased my inner toughness. Despite the days (mostly in the winter) I felt like hurling epithets at it, I now find myself promoting the College to my grandsons.” On the occasion of his 50th reunion, John reflected succinctly in his yearbook: “Rigorous education. Good preparation for later employment and public service. Not so good preparation for appropriate social interactions.”

His at-times conflicted reflections notwithstanding, John was active in the Philadelphia chapter of the Alumni Association and was a member of the Class of 1968’s 50th reunion planning and gift committees. Not one to shun responsibility, when it came time for

someone to sample the dishes that might grace the reunion banquet, John often stepped up.

Not surprisingly, he was highly respected in Willingboro, his home for 49 years. Dorothy wrote that he “was the calm, steady voice of reason in all things Willingboro, and the loss of his wit, energy, loyalty, friendship, and devotion to what is right and just leaves a gaping hole in the soul of this town.”

Learning of his death, Michael Berkowitz ’68 wrote: “John was an incredible loss, as he was smart, funny, well-grounded, and forward thinking. We were on the 50th reunion panel together [that discussed the impact of the year 1968 on the College, its alumni, and the nation at large]. I couldn’t thank him enough for his insight, balance, keen observation, and humor.”

John E. Collins is survived by his wife, a sister, three adopted children, three grandchildren, one brother-in-law, one sister-in-law, and a niece. He is also survived by his cousin Nicholas Allen Jacobs ’96.

— Memorial biography prepared in collaboration with Dorothy A. Collins

Stuart Pollard Hanson ’68 (1946–2023)

“I believe that every person should become a creative and realistic contributor to the achievement of a just, peaceful, and united world community.” Thus did Stuart Pollard Hanson ’68, who died on March 10, 2023, in Oakland, Calif., begin the personal essay that accompanied his application for admission to Hamilton. This was a creed that shaped much of his life.

Born in Boston on Aug. 15, 1946, Stu grew up in Littleton, Mass., and came to Hamilton from Littleton High School. On the Hill, he majored in history and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He also worked on The Spectator, served as stage manager for various Charlatan productions, and was a member of the Student Senate. In his senior year, he received the Dean Alfange Prize for writing the best essay on an issue of American constitutional government. It was titled “The Right to Counsel From 1776 to 1967.”

Following graduation, Stu avoided the draft by enlisting in the U.S. Army. He saw duty as a supply sergeant for units of combat engineers in both the U.S. and Germany, thereby avoiding the war in Vietnam. Following his discharge in 1971, he began his career in social service as an anti-poverty organizer for a community mental health center in Lowell, Mass. This work led to his pursuit of a Master of Social Work degree, which he earned at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1977. His focus was on research and planning. Thereafter, Stu departed for Oakland, where he pursued a doctorate in social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. By 1981, he had completed all coursework and the

comprehensive examination prerequisite to writing his dissertation. In that same period, he met Lou Fox, a native of Long Island. They were married in 1983 and had a daughter and a son. By then, Stu was working for the first of a series of consulting organizations located in the Bay Area performing policy and program evaluation research for federal, state, and local governments. This work included research into strategies for reducing high-risk drinking on college campuses using environments management strategies. The goal was to reduce access to alcohol. The evaluation of the effectiveness of social service programs defined much of Stu’s subsequent career.

Beginning in 1986, he also brought his expertise into the classroom. He became an adjunct faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, San Jose State University, and California State University, East Bay. His courses included one on social science research methods and another on statistics. His students included graduate students pursuing master’s degrees in social work and public administrators at those four institutions.

Stu described himself as one who played golf badly, tennis ineffectively, and whose reputation as a “home chef” was mixed. Others took issue with this last characterization, stating that he was a gourmet cook who enjoyed preparing meals not only for Lou, but also for their two children, two grandchildren, and friends.

His recollections of his time on the Hill included happy memories of Will Stuart, Sam Pryor, and Chad Worcester, his roommates in South Dorm, a performance by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and professors David Millar and David Ellis. For Stu, the benefits of a Hamilton education included the development of critical thinking and writing skills that served him well during his career.

Stuart P. Hanson is survived by his wife, two children, and two grandchildren.

Karl Imants Danga ’69 (1947–2022)

Karl Imants Danga ’69 died at his home in Christiansted, St. Croix, on Nov. 11, 2022. Born in Uppsala, Sweden, on Aug. 11, 1947, Karl emigrated with his parents and sister to the United States in 1959 and settled in Norwich, N.Y., when his father took a job at Norwich Pharmaceuticals (now Norwich Pharma). Karl came to Hamilton from Norwich High School with an interest in international law.

On the Hill, he majored in government, was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and

Root-Jessup Council, and joined WHCL. By the beginning of his sophomore year, Karl was honored with a Charles Dana Foundation Scholarship in recognition of his “scholarship, leadership, and extracurricular activities.” In the second semester of his junior year, he seized the opportunity to participate in a semester-long Washington study group created by Colgate University; Karl was the only non-Colgate student to participate.

In the course of his studies at Hamilton, Karl turned away from his original interest in international law because, as he noted in his 25th reunion yearbook: “Professor [of International Relations] Channing B. Richardson got me interested in Africa and in a career in the foreign service.” His interest in Africa was heightened when, after graduating with honors in government, Karl joined the Peace Corps and was sent to the West African nation of Dahomey, then a self-governing French colony and now the Republic of Benin.

As his Peace Corps assignment was coming to an end in 1971, Karl learned that he had been awarded a Herbert H. Lehman Fellowship to support graduate study in international affairs. He used it to pursue a master’s degree in that field at Columbia University, concentrating in African studies. Degree in hand and prior to joining the State Department in March 1973, he worked for a time as a bartender at Club Med in Tunisia and as a tour director for Travcoa, leading tours in Southern and East Africa.

It wasn’t until 1985 that Karl was assigned to a post in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically as consul general in Lubumbashi, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. His prior posts included tours in Cebu in the Philippines; Tripoli, Libya; Seoul, South Korea; Bridgetown, Barbados (as consul general); and Washington, D.C. (as management analyst for the assistant secretary for consular affairs). From Zaire, Karl moved on to become chargé d’affaires in Moroni, the capital of a small archipelago off the coast of Mozambique known as the Union of the Comoros. Thereafter, he became regional consular officer in Johannesburg, South Africa, and then deputy chief of mission in Asmara, Eritrea.

Asmara was his last posting as a full-time employee of the State Department, and Karl retired in September 1995 after 23 years of service. He then made his home on St. Croix, purchasing a condo on the north side of the island in Christiansted. In retirement, he occasionally attended meetings of the local Rotary Club. By nature footloose, Karl continued to travel, including at least one trip with his family to his parents’ birthplace in Latvia and to do temporary assignments for the State Department in various countries, including the Ivory Coast and Nigeria, where he adjudicated visa applications for those seeking to emigrate to the United States. He also renewed his association with the tour company Travcoa,

leading tours to Turkey, Syria, Ethiopia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

In his later years, Karl battled both cancer and heart disease, but in spite of these challenges, had no interest in returning to the continental United States for treatment and chose to remain on St. Croix until the end. Through his estate, he provided a gift to support Hamilton’s Africana Studies program.

Karl I. Danga ’69 is survived by his sister, a niece, and a nephew.

Kevin Edward Gilbert ’70 (1949–2022)

Kevin Edward Gilbert ’70 died on Oct. 28, 2022, in Bloomington, Ind. Born on Jan. 6, 1949, in Brooklyn, N.Y., he grew up in Inwood, Long Island, and came to Hamilton from Lawrence High School in Cedarhurst, N.Y. By the time he arrived at Hamilton, he had already developed an interest in science, which only grew during his time on the Hill. He majored in chemistry and was a member of Chi Psi fraternity. His academic achievements included receiving both the Norton and Underwood prizes, the former for demonstrating “the greatest capacity for research in chemistry” and the latter for excelling in the same subject as a senior. He was also inducted into the Society of Sigma Xi, the scientific research honor society.

A dedicated runner, Kevin was a member of the cross-country and track teams. The 440 relay and the 220 were specialties. He received the Walter L. Ahner Award in both his sophomore and senior years as the most outstanding track man — he earned the greatest number of points during the season — and was elected team captain as a senior. During his junior year he also played intramural hockey and football. Not surprisingly, he was a member of the Block “H” Club throughout his time on the Hill.

From Hamilton, Kevin proceeded to the doctoral program in organic chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, completing his degree in 1974. The title of his dissertation was “Syntheses and Properties of Aliphatic Azo, Azoxy, and Azodioxy Compounds.” From there, he went to the University of Oregon to do postdoctoral work studying thermal rearrangements of small molecules. Of equal importance in Eugene, he met a young woman named Marianne Kielian, who lived upstairs in the building where he resided. She was pursuing graduate studies in music theory.

In 1976, Kevin left academia for a year to accept a job at Air Products and Chemicals in Allentown, Pa., but when the opportunity presented itself to become a postdoctoral fellow for two years at the University of Washington in Seattle, he took it. Meanwhile, Marianne had accepted a position at Indiana University in 1978 at the Jacobs School of Music, while pursuing a Ph.D. in music theory at the University of Michigan, which she completed in 1981. In

1979, Kevin found employment at Indiana as an associate scientist in the Chemistry Department with responsibilities for courses in organic chemistry, molecular modeling, and chemical informatics, as well as in conducting his own research. Finally reunited, Kevin and Marianne were married on Oct. 6, 1979.

As his career at Indiana evolved, Kevin acquired the position of associate scientist, enabling him to focus exclusively on his research. In 1985, in collaboration with a colleague, he founded Serena Software, a company that developed PCModel, designed to predict molecular properties using then newly available personal computers. The company later developed other programs: Orbdraw, Vibrate, and GMMX. All were intended to support chemical research and courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. They also attracted the favorable attention of several companies. Kevin’s work made him a leading innovator in computational molecular modeling. His devotion to his field is reflected in the fact that for 50 years he was a member of the American Chemical Society.

Kevin was a man of many interests. In addition to camping, bicycling, and hiking, he continued to run and served as a certified official for the Athletic Conference, the U.S. governing body in track and field competitions. He also volunteered with the Indiana women’s track team. At different times he played the violin, the piano, and the recorder, and his enthusiasm for this last instrument led him to become a member of the American Recorder Society. He was a baker of bread and pies, including a pie for each guest attending a holiday gathering. He read widely, learned to tie flies for fishing, and did woodworking.

Kevin E. Gilbert ’70 is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.

Henry Broadwell Watkins III ’73 (1951–2023)

Henry Broadwell Watkins III ’73 died on Nov. 13, 2023, in Naples, Fla. Born on Oct. 13, 1951, in Fort Myers, Fla., he came to Hamilton from St. Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Fla. On the Hill, he majored in mathematics and was a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. He was on the staff of The Spectator as well.

At one time, he contemplated a career either in mathematics or engineering, but following graduation, he, like a number of his classmates, moved to New York City to begin a career in banking. He started in the lending division of Manufacturers Hanover Trust Bank, where he spearheaded financing of the Alaska pipeline for Standard Oil of Ohio and initiated the introduction of the loan to The Limited Stores. In 1980, Henry moved to the Wells Fargo Leasing Co., where he financed over 200 barges

The quill represents members of Joel Bristol Associates.

to transport goods on the Mississippi River and modernized the Motel 6 chain.

In April 1982, he married Bernadette Devonshire Sullivan. She was known to intimates as “Bern.” They had two daughters, Devon and Anne.

From Wells Fargo Leasing, Henry proceeded to Citicorp North America as a senior vice president. Among his major accomplishments was to arrange funding for a ring road around Ankara, Turkey.

In 1991, Henry changed course. He left the New York financial world and moved with his family to Naples, Fla. Early in 1994, with six associates, he formed the Founders National Trust Bank and subsequently launched his own business, the Naples Management & Investment Co., where he was president. As needed, he was an advisor to his brother, Michael, who managed the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Course, which was founded by their grandfather in 1946. Henry was executive vice president.

By 2011, both of his daughters had grown up and left home for jobs in Boston and New York. Henry and Bern decided to acquire a second, summer home in Southampton, Long Island, where they were roughly equidistant from Devon and Anne. Henceforth, they divided their time largely between Naples and Southampton.

Naples benefited greatly from Henry’s philanthropy. He helped found the Pelican Bay Business Association and served on the board of Partners in Education, which paired students with adult mentors who assisted with group test preparation and college counseling. The organization also provided scholarships for those in financial need.

He was a board member of Youth Haven, a social service agency that provided shelter for abused, traumatized, neglected, and homeless children, as well as on the boards of the YMCA, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Fort Royal Property Owners Association. He also served on the finance committee of his church, Trinity by the Cove. He was honored for his contributions when he was named one of the 100 Most Influential Business Leaders of Naples.

When not involved with business matters or community service, Henry was an avid tennis player, as were Bern and their daughters. Doubles games were a regular feature of family life. He was also a Pittsburgh Pirates fan.

His devotion to his hometown was equalled by his support for Hamilton. He was an early and regular contributor to the Hamilton Fund and served at different times as a free agent, class committee member, class gift chair, and reunion gift committee member. He took an active role in a succession of capital campaigns, including the Priorities for Hamilton capital campaign and 175th Anniversary Campaign. He joined the Alumni Council, was an officer of the Alumni Association, and volunteered for the Career Center.

But one of his most enduring contributions was not so much financial (though its financial implications were significant), as it was conceptual. Ben Madonia ’73, longtime member of the Advancement Office, shared this story, to which he was an eyewitness:

“In the late 1970s, soon after the merger of Hamilton and Kirkland, Hamilton anticipated a budget deficit. The Hamilton Fund leadership team, which included Henry, made a compelling case for increased support to avoid the deficit, and the alumni came through. Trustee and Hamilton Fund leadership recognized that the College had a very young alumni body, which was going to get even younger, because class size by decade increased from 100 to 400 from 1945 to 1975.

“How does Hamilton College recognize young alumni and encourage Hamilton Fund participation? Board Chairman Mac Bristol ’43 challenged the trustees and Hamilton Fund leadership team to come up with an idea. Henry suggested the GOLD Group: ‘Graduates of the Last Decade.’ Interestingly, colleges and universities across the country copied the concept and the acronym of the GOLD Group.

“I believe that GOLD Group and the implementation in 1981-82 of the senior gift campaign were the two most important Alumni Relations/Hamilton Fund concepts in Hamilton’s history, without which we would not have had 50%, even 60% participation rates in the 1980s and 1990s, or the 40% today.”

In February 2008, Henry became the founding and major donor to the Henry B. Watkins Scholarship, named for his grandfather, a member of the Class of 1912. Reflecting the importance of community engagement in his life, the purpose of the scholarship is to provide funds for “an incoming student who has demonstrated academic excellence, with preference given to one who has shown an active involvement through volunteerism in her/his community’s not-for-profit organizations.” In subsequent years, he continued to contribute to the scholarship’s principal while donating a like amount to the College for immediate use. In recognition of his philanthropy through planned giving, he was identified as a Joel Bristol Associate.

Henry B. Watkins III ’73 is survived by his wife, two daughters, one grandson, and his niece, Glenn G. Watkins ’12. He was predeceased by his great uncle, Robert P. Watkins Class of 1889, and his grandfather, Henry B. Watkins, Class of 1912, GP’73.

John Winthrop Judson ’73 (1951–2022)

John Winthrop Judson ’73 died on April 25, 2022, in Greenwich, Conn. Born in Greenwich on Dec. 5, 1951, he came to Hamilton from Suffield (Conn.) Academy. On the Hill, he majored in political science and was both a

member of Sigma Phi fraternity and an officer in it during his senior year.

He was a swimmer on the College team during his first two years and also played water polo as a sophomore and a junior. He was a member of the Block “H” Club and was on the staff of both The Spectator and The Hamiltonian . It was on the Hill that John met Marjory Oppenheimer K’75. They married in New York City in 1977 and, two years later, returned to John’s hometown of Greenwich where they resided thereafter.

By that time, John was an assistant treasurer and commercial lending officer at Chase Manhattan Bank, where he started following graduation and a nine-month period of travel. He started as a credit analyst after he joined the bank in late 1974. By the end of the 1970s, John was working as an investment banker for the Irving Trust Co. in New York and by 1980 had been promoted to vice president. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a position in the bond division of First Boston Corp., an investment bank and subsidiary of Credit Suisse, where he became a partner in 1990. He focused on raising capital for various bank clients and, by the summer of 1991, had a hand in raising over $80 billion.

Late in the 1990s, he rejoined Chase Manhattan as an investment banker. In 2000, Chase Manhattan merged with J. P. Morgan & Co., becoming J.P. Morgan Chase. Following the merger and an internal reorganization, part of John’s investment banking unit was absorbed by a different department, and in 2002, he was let go after almost 30 years. Faced with a potential career roadblock, he chose to go in a completely new direction.

Beginning in September of that year, John registered for his first classes in landscape design at the New York Botanical Garden. By the end of 2003, he had all of the courses he needed to start a second career in the field and established a landscape design business in Greenwich. Within three years he had more business than he could handle, with customers located throughout Fairfield County, Conn.

John was an avid golfer who could be seen regularly on the links of the Greenwich Country Club, where he was a lifelong member. He also enjoyed tennis, squash, and badminton, as well as running and swimming. In retirement, he worked in his home garden and spent time with his labrador retriever, Benny. He recalled in his 10th reunion yearbook that among his fond memories of his time on the Hill was raising labrador puppies in the Sigma Phi house.

John regarded his time at the College as simply “the best four years of my life” and repaid Hamilton by serving on both the 175th Anniversary Campaign and the Campaign for the ’90s, for which he served as vice chair of the special gifts committee in the Fairfield County region. He was also a member of his class and reunion gift committees.

John W. Judson is survived by his wife, four children, and one grandson.

Nancy Blanshard Kelner K’74 (1952–2018)

Nancy Blanshard Kelner K’74 died on Nov. 11, 2018, in hospice care in Pinellas Park, Fla. Born on Jan. 2, 1952, in West Mount Airy, Pa., she later lived in Philadelphia and came to Kirkland from the Germantown Friends School. On the Hill, she majored in American literature and also met Laurence R. Kelner ’72. They were married on Aug. 27, 1972, at the Chestnut Hill (Quaker) Meeting House in Chestnut Hill, Pa.

They made their home in Stroudsburg, Pa., where Larry took a job in his father’s business: Stroudsburg Wholesalers, Inc. Meanwhile, Nancy took courses at the University of Pennsylvania and East Stroudsburg State College (now East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania) to complete degree requirements at Kirkland so she could graduate with her class. In time, Larry was promoted to wholesale manager, and, after completing her coursework, Nancy began to work at Larry’s company, putting together and shipping orders. The hours were long, often more than 40 hours per week.

On Jan. 7, 1978, Nancy gave birth to Sylvie, the first of her two daughters. She stepped away from the company to devote time to her child. Two years later, Paula, named for her grandfather, Paul Blanshard, Jr., was born on Aug. 19, 1980. By 1985, the Kelners had moved to Palm Harbor, Fla., where Larry began selling mortgages. For a time, Nancy volunteered as a tutor in an elementary school.

In Memoriam

After their marriage ended, Nancy moved to Holiday, Fla., and studied to be a computer coder, creating programs for medical practices. She continued in this work until her death.

Nancy Blanshard Kelner is survived by her two daughters and five grandchildren.

Jason “Tag” J. Tagliaferri ’96 (1974–2023)

Jason J. Tagliaferri, known to his friends as “Tag,” died on May 23, 2023, in Rome, N.Y., the city in which he was born on Oct. 23, 1974. He came to Hamilton from the Rome Free Academy (RFA). On the Hill, he majored in geology and comparative literature, and was a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity. A two-sport athlete at RFA, he played football for Hamilton during his first year and baseball all four years, primarily as first baseman. He was one of the team’s leading hitters and homered during a college tournament at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Following graduation, Tag worked as an environmental specialist for the Galson Corp., a company focused on industrial hygiene and indoor air quality testing, to assure companies’ compliance with air quality standards established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. From there he moved on to ENSR, an environmental remediation company.

In 2000, Tag became engaged to Michelle L. Cosentino ’98. They were married on Oct. 6, 2001, in the Hamilton Chapel. They had three children. Their marriage ended in 2018.

Around this time, Tag tired of working on environmental issues and changed course. He became a public school teacher in earth science, a logical subject for a geology major. While still employed by ENSR, he started working as a substitute teacher in the Rome City School District. In 2002, he accepted a full-time position in the Westmoreland (N.Y.) Central School District, near Clinton. Concurrently, he pursued a master’s degree in education at Utica College (now Utica University), which he completed in 2005.

In 2008, a local television station honored him as “Educator of the Week.” For a number of years, Tag coached both junior varsity and varsity baseball at Westmoreland, giving it up only when his own children were old enough to be coached by him in various youth sports.

Tag was a devoted Hamilton alumnus. For a number of summers, he hosted weekend parties for his Hamilton classmates and other friends. The celebrations came to be called “Tagfests,” which, according to one attendee, were occasions that enabled those present once again “to act like the college idiots we once were.”

Upon hearing of his death, his friend Jason Lizio ’96 wrote: “If there is anything people need to know about him, it’s that he was all about friends and family. … Tag will be missed by anyone who knew him.”

Jason J. Tagliaferri is survived by his former wife, two daughters, and a son.

WE MOURN THE LOSS of all of our alumni. They have left us too soon. Below is a list of those whom we have lost recently, listed in order of class year.

We will make every effort to memorialize their lives in a future issue of Glade & Glen. Please email hamily@hamilton.edu and share your stories about your friends with us.

May the memory of your classmates be a blessing and an inspiration.

Clarence R. Clements ’49

Elliott Howard ’49

Robert C. Conklin ’50, P’83

Donald S. Stone ’50

John V. Byrne ’51

David N. Whitcombe ’51

Stuart W. Robinson ’52

Louis P. Contiguglia ’53

Mark H. Elias ’53

Henry “Hank” L. Kopple ’53

Charles B. Pratt ’54

Frank G. Leo ’54

Robert H. Goodhand ’54

Donald Peters Wefer ’54

Dayton R. Griffith, Jr. ’55

Dick H. May ’57

Bruce T. Smith ’57, P’85

R. Frederick Chase ’59

Richard G. Brown ’60

Glen G. Hudson ’60

Harold von Brockdorff ’62

James “Tim” H. Mills, Jr. ’64

Richard A. Soden ’66

William J. Milton Jr. ’67

James C. Macintyre ’68

Christopher M. Brdlik ’73

John F. Zaehringer ’73

David Marshall ’76

Edward A. Ewald ’77

Robin Jackson ’79

Elizabeth Wolfe Reed ’80

Kevin M. Grimmer ’81

John C. Cruskie ’84

Evelyn M. Scoville ’85

David M. Hornblower ’86

Sonia S. Williams ’89

Richard K. Jones ’91

Michael P. Salvatore ’91

Former Faculty

Larry E. Knop P’04

Professor of Mathematics Emeritus Larry E. Knop P’04 died on Sept. 9, 2023, at his Clinton home following an extended illness.

Born on Sept. 10, 1940, in Fort Wayne, Ind., Knop earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in 1962, his master’s degree from the University of Miami in 1964, and his Ph.D. from the University of Utah in 1973. After appointments at Southern Illinois University and the University of Texas at Austin, he came to College Hill as an assistant professor in 1977.

Knop’s scholarly interests included mathematical modeling and improper integrals and differential equations. Although he took his responsibility as a teacher seriously, he maintained an easygoing style. He described his textbook, Linear Algebra: A First Course with Applications, as “a great textbook, easy reading (well, relatively easy), with jokes.” Students appreciated the presentation. “I even read his textbook to my friends who aren’t in his class,” said one student, “because it’s funny and interesting to read.”

Students also recalled their courses with Knop fondly. “I love Professor Knop,” said one. “[N]ot only is he a great professor, but he is also extremely helpful. He ALWAYS makes himself available to students for questions on assignments or the material.” Another student described him as a “great person, always here for his students, very funny, and patient,” and a colleague called him “kind” and “dedicated to his students.”

The author of numerous journal articles and a presenter at various professional meetings and symposia, Knop took several visiting appointments during his tenure at Hamilton,

including at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., where he participated in the Math Clinic Program, and at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where he pursued research into mathematical biology and applied mathematics. In 1981, he served as director of the National Science Foundation Undergraduate Participation Project in the study of mathematical models of population dynamics. With three fellow Hamilton colleagues he developed an introductory statistics course for students in psychology and mathematics supported by a grant from the Pew Program in Undergraduate Science Education.

In addition to serving as chair of the Mathematics Department when it included computer science, he regularly attended undergraduate mathematics conferences with his students and advised them on their research. A department colleague once described him as “a versatile mathematician whose interests are wide and varied” and “a reliable, committed departmental citizen who steps in to help with whatever is needed.”

Knop retired officially in 2013 but continued to teach occasionally at Hamilton and as part of the Mohawk Consortium College in Prison Program. Along with his wife, the former Shirley Deatrick, whom he had married in 1966, he enjoyed playing tennis, camping, and traveling. The couple had visited all 50 states and many countries. He was an avid reader and enjoyed science fiction.

In addition to his wife, Larry Knop is survived by three sons, including Darren Knop ’04, and four grandsons with a granddaughter on the way.

Larry E. Knop P’04

Former Faculty

Ángel David Nieves

Ángel David Nieves, who served for a decade as an associate professor in the Africana Studies Program and co-director of the Digital Humanities Initiative, died on Dec. 5. An architectural historian and digital humanities scholar, his work examined the social, political, and technological dimensions of the modern racialized landscape.

Professor Nieves joined the Hamilton faculty in 2008 after teaching at the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Preservation, and Planning. He received his bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1994 from Syracuse University, his master’s degree in anthropology from Binghamton University in 1996, and his Ph.D. in the history of architecture and urban development and Africana studies in 2001 from Cornell University.

His digital research and scholarship earned him wide acclaim, and he was instrumental in establishing the Digital Humanities Initiative at Hamilton, which received an $800,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in 2010. At the time he was granted tenure, also in 2010, the dean noted that Ángel established himself as “a major force for curricular innovation, program development, and community involvement on campus.”

Having served on academic committees and task forces, Ángel was also an effective mentor to various campus groups, particularly those involving students of color. Students called him a passionate, challenging, and inspirational teacher, and an outside reviewer at the time he received tenure said his work was “innovative, interdisciplinary, and sophisticated.” In 2010, he received the John R. Hatch Excellence in Teaching Award.

Ángel left Hamilton in 2018 to pursue other professional opportunities, including heading up digital humanities and public humanities centers at San Diego State University.

In 2020, he joined Northeastern University in Boston as the Dean’s Professor of Public and Digital Humanities and professor of Africana studies and history.

According to a published obituary, “His professional path is also reflected in his groundbreaking scholarship. He was the author of An Architecture of Education: African American Women Design the New South (2018) and co-editor of ‘We Shall Independent Be:’ African American Place Making and the Struggle to Claim Space in the U.S. (2008) and People, Practice, Power: Digital Humanities Outside the Center (2021) as well as a range of digital history publications and experimental online platforms. Among these are ‘Soweto ’76,’ which drew on digital archive and virtual reality research to document the student uprising in Johannesburg, South Africa, that followed the murder of 12-year-old Hector Pieterson and led to the anti-apartheid movement’s eventual victory.

“‘Soweto ’76’ was part of Nieves’ larger project, Apartheid Heritages: A Spatial History of South Africa’s Townships, a series of digital collaborations as well as a digital book project. Dr. Nieves received support for his work from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. A committed advocate of justice and equity, Dr. Nieves left an indelible impression not only on the growing body of scholarship on race and the built, imagined, and destroyed environments, but on the many communities that he helped to catalyze through his life’s work.”

Ángel Nieves’ death came several weeks after he suffered a heart attack and also followed the passing earlier in the year of his husband, Paul Richard Foote. Friends say that Ángel joked after being admitted to the hospital that he suffered from a broken heart.

Ángel David Nieves

Former Staff and Parent

Mary Lou McNaughton Millar P’78,’90, GP’22

Mary Lou McNaughton Millar P’78,’90, GP’22, a former longtime receptionist in the Admission Office, died on Jan. 6, 2024. She was the wife of the late Professor of History Emeritus David Millar, who served on the faculty from 1963 to 1991.

Born in Menomonie, Wis., on March 1, 1931, Mary Lou completed her high school education in Menomonie schools and college coursework at George Washington University and Western Illinois. From 1949 to 1952, she served as a private secretary to the president of the O&N Lumber Co. in Menomonie, launching what would be a long career in administrative work.

On June 6, 1953, Mary Lou married David Millar, whom she had known since high school. From 1952 to 1960, having followed her sister to Washington, D.C., she worked in the Internal Revenue Office of the General Counsel, later transferring to the Treasury Department and the Tax Court of the United States. She served as confidential secretary to judges William Drennen and Clarence V. Opper.

The Millars welcomed their first son in 1956 and soon moved to Ithaca, N.Y. Mary Lou

worked as the secretary to University Counsel at Cornell University while her husband completed his Ph.D. Relocating to Clinton when David joined the Hamilton faculty, Mary Lou served in a variety of capacities both at the College and local law offices while welcoming two more sons. The couple lived in Seattle in 1972 and traveled throughout Europe in 1976.

From 1981 until her retirement in 1999, Mary Lou took on a more visible role. As the receptionist in Hamilton’s Admission Office, she was the face of the College, always quick to offer a warm welcome and greeting to future students and families arriving for interviews and tours. Off College Hill, she volunteered as host mother to two ABC program students, as a Cub Scout den mother, and in the Lutheran Care Ministry in Clinton supporting the Martin Luther Nursing Home. She later served as Chapter BG president and a long-term member of the P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization).

Mary Lou died on what would have been her husband’s 92nd birthday. Surviving are three sons, Robert ’78, Bruce, and James ’90 and his wife Anna Millar ’91; 10 grandchildren, including Ally Millar ’22; and four great-grandchildren.

Mary Lou McNaughton Millar

Former Staff and Parent

Barbara Baldwin Graves Starnes P’80, GP’11

Barbara Baldwin Graves Starnes P’80, GP’11, a Hamilton friend and former employee who spent much of her life on College Hill sharing warmth and hospitality with students and alumni, died on Feb. 10, 2024.

Born on May 4, 1933, she was the daughter of longtime Professor of History Edgar “Digger” Graves and his wife, Beatrice. Growing up, she loved sports, particularly ice hockey. According to her family in a published obituary, “She played on the College Hill Killers boys’ team who were archrivals of the Clinton Devil Dogs. [She] loved golf and tennis at Hamilton and eventually at the Sadaquada Golf Club.”

After a short stint at Wells College, Barbara graduated from the Katherine Gibbs School in Boston before assuming a post at the Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. After the loss of her brother, Stephen Graves ’54, to polio in 1956, she spent time in Turkey with the consul general of Istanbul, Robert Miner ’32, and his family.

After returning to the States the following year, Barbara married Hamilton history professor William Starnes in the Chapel. The couple welcomed a son, Stephen Starnes ’80, before her husband died in 1961.

A single mother, Barbara split her time between raising her son and eventually graduating from Syracuse University and later with a master’s degree from Temple. She pursued a 30-year career in Whitesboro Central Schools as an elementary classroom teacher and later a reading specialist. Sabbaticals took her to Japan, the Australian outback, and China, where she studied methods of teaching children with learning differences. She taught graduate classes for teachers at SUNY College of Technology in Utica and, after finishing her career with Hamilton’s Higher Education Opportunity Program, oversaw tutoring services.

In her retirement, Barbara often embarked on global expeditions to such locales as Australasia, the Antarctic, the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, and eventually Africa, which she visited more than 20 times. On her last safari in 2014, she celebrated her 80th birthday accompanied by her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, Elizabeth Starnes Califano ’11.

Closer to Hamilton, Barbara frequently welcomed students, alumni, and faculty members to her home on College Hill for dinners and other occasions. For years, she hosted international students during breaks, drove them to doctor appointments or the airport, and, in one instance, changed a student’s life by helping her attain permanent legal status in the U.S. She served in loco parentis to many.

Barbara consistently supported causes important to her, including the Hamilton Fund, women’s ice hockey, the Root Glen, and a family scholarship fund. For many years she was a docent at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute (now the Munson) and the Kirkland Town Library. She was a founding member of the board of the Clinton A Better Chance program and volunteered as marshal for the LPGA at local events.

In 2016, Barbara was honored with one of the College’s premier honors, the Jeff Little ’71 Volunteer of the Year Award. “Those who love Hamilton, who treasure its history and cherish the opportunities and friendships they found here, do what they can to help the College flourish,” the citation read. “Even among such loyal supporters, you stand as an inspiration for your decades of quiet dedication.”

Barbara Starnes, who regularly referred to herself as the longest resident of College Hill not yet in the College Cemetery, is survived by her son and his wife, her granddaughter and her husband, and two great-grandchildren.

Barbara Baldwin Graves Starnes

Parting Shots: Scenes of Spring From Campus and Beyond

Students traveled with Prof. Dave Bailey on a volcanology field trip to Tenerife in the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.

Photo by Dave Bailey

For spring break, 17 students and two Hamilton leaders trekked to Annapurna Basecamp in Nepal. Photos by Associate Director of Outdoor Leadership Sarah Skoy and Caroline Ullem ‘24.

Spring can be a confusing time for flora on the Hill.

Photo by Mohammed Sami ‘27

Making new friends while volunteering at Root Farm in Sauquoit, N.Y.

Photo by Yunhai (Oliver) Zhao ’24

Students helped build homes by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity in Asheville, N.C.

Photo source: Hamilton College Instagram

Glow Skating — glow-in-the-dark ice skating.

Photo by Ross Eagle ’26

Hamilton had a front-row seat to the solar eclipse on April 8. Thanks to many organizers, more than 1,000 members of the College community got to revel in the exciting moment, either on campus or in the Adirondacks. Photo by Yunhai (Oliver) Zhao ‘24

Students, faculty, and staff attended Hamilton’s totality event at White-Otter Fish & Game Club in Woodgate, N.Y., in the Adirondacks. Students used telescopes equipped with solar lenses to view the eclipse. Photo by Yunhai (Oliver) Zhao ‘24

In all, more than 800 campus community members went to Woodgate and experienced totality. Photo by Yunhai (Oliver) Zhao ‘24

Introducing our new Director of Gift Planning: Julie Ross ’84

IN FEBRUARY, WE WELCOMED Julie Ross ’84 back to the Hill. As our new director of gift planning and a much-loved alumna, she is a welcome addition to our team. We asked her a few questions so you can learn a bit more about her as she settles into her new role.

WELCOME TO OUR TEAM! WHAT SHOULD OUR ALUMNI KNOW ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?

Inspired by a significant estate gift from William MacLaren Bristol, Jr., Class of 1917, the Joel Bristol Associates is a recognition society for those who have included Hamilton in their estate plans or completed a planned gift. Visit Our Website: hamilton.edu/planningyourgift

I have had a long career in law and academia, first as a litigator in Los Angeles for almost 10 years and then on the faculty at Georgetown Law for almost 25 years. I’ve enjoyed serving as an advocate, problem solver, teacher, manager, and mentor in those roles, as well as collaborating with colleagues and clients. I’ve also enjoyed the many volunteer roles I’ve played over the past few decades with Hamilton’s Alumni Association and Advancement Office, including serving as my class gift chair, Alumni Association president, vice-chair and chair of the Hamilton Fund, and member of the development committee as an Alumni Trustee.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THIS NEW ROLE?

I am excited about the prospect of working with fellow alumni and other benefactors to find ways to create or expand their own legacies at Hamilton, as well as working with — and learning from — Hamilton’s talented team of professionals. I’m also looking forward to expanding my knowledge and experience in a way that benefits Hamilton and its extended community.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT OR MEMORY OF HAMILTON?

I have too many wonderful memories from my time at Hamilton and visits to the Hill since then to narrow it down to just one, but one of my favorite things about the College that has endured over the years is the sense of community that exists among the various constituencies of the college — fellow alumni, current students, parents of students, faculty, and staff. This is what drew me to taking on this role with Hamilton, because of the opportunity it provides to engage with so many parts of the broader community.

Julie Ross

’84

Director, Gift Planning jross3@hamilton.edu