CLASS NOTES the Veterans Administration, and in private practice with his wife, Justine Vaughen, also a physician. Dick’s lifelong volunteering and recreations included: attending orthopedist for athletic teams and a ballet troupe, sailing, environmental protection, Boy and Girl Scouts, his home workshop, and his church. He and Justine raised two daughters; they have five grandchildren. Memorably, Dick and Justine were with us for our class reunion in spring ’11. I hope all NMH people give special regard to the life and work of a most distinguished alumnus, Edward Said ’53. (That’s pronounced ”sigh-EED.”). Today’s continuing turmoil in the Middle East and ongoing severe challenges for America in the world remind me of lines from our class hymn: “New occasions teach new duties/Time makes ancient good uncouth.” Said always urged that we pay attention to and think critically about America’s international role and responsibilities. Though he arrived on campus in ’51 from Cairo, Egypt, feeling lonely, homesick, and out of place, he soon was making top grades, playing competitivelevel tennis, and becoming a talented classical pianist, via lessons with Carleton L’Hommedieu ’18. Little more than a decade later, Edward Said, Ph.D., emerged as a leader on the Columbia University faculty, where today there’s an endowed professorship in his name. Using his lifelong experience in two worlds and his deep research in literature and history, Professor Said showed how uniquely Western conceptions of and beliefs about the Middle East, from the Crusades on, have shaped the West’s attitudes and actions toward the East—with consequences for Palestinians, Israelis, other peoples of the region, and for America. In his commencement speech at NMH in 2002, he urged that we use the special advantages and meet the special responsibilities that come from having lived and learned at our school. Here’s how he challenged the class of ’02, and, I believe, all of us: “keep careful hold of your capacities for critical thinking, for rational analysis, for resisting received ideas and unexamined dogmas…Your most important possession is your committed critical engagement in our society…only cynicism allows one to sit back and say, ‘oh, well, that’s the way it is’…Human beings make their history…One must always be ready to pay the price for one’s deeply held beliefs. The saddest thing is not to have any. Do not ever be afraid of the label ‘controversial,’ and do not…give up your …right to use your mind rather than your stomach or your appetite…Too often…we use the word ‘history’ as a synonym for oblivion…‘you’re history.’ Just the opposite…Awareness of history assures us of our humanity, guarantees our life as a republic, ensures our identity…as an essential part of the human march toward emancipation and enlightenment. We still have a very long way to go.”
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ARLENE FINCH REYNOLDS 273 Erie Rd Columbus OH 43214-3600 arlenerey@aol.com
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PETE DEVENIS 9 South Meadow Ridge Concord MA 01742-3000 ingadevenis@aol.com
John Dayton attended NMH as a junior but
returned to Teaneck, N.J., to graduate with his friends. He writes: “That single year at Hermon was a very good year that left me wonderful impressions and memories.” John graduated from the College of William & Mary as a government major and served as class and student body president. He worked most of his life in the Langley branch of the Department of State and served in Jordan, Somalia, Indonesia, Japan, and Washington, D.C. Like our other hunting classmate Bob Buker, John writes: “I was a mighty hunter and slew a great many beasts— two elephants, a lion, and a cape buffalo in Somalia and later a Sumatran tiger. Since my marriage to Julie, I’ve gotten rid of the firearms in favor of cameras and have become a conservationist, birder, and animal lover. In 1950, spooking against the Soviets seemed like a good, virtuous, and even glamorous thing to do. But in retrospect, the 30-year Cold War seems feckless—even pointless. We did not ‘win’ the war—they ‘lost’ it, simply because we were economically and politically stronger.” Jack Hipps and I enjoy practicing with the soccer ball frequently. Jack came to Mt. Hermon as a sophomore in the fall of ’43 but graduated a year early because we went to summer school. He went on to Vanderbilt and then into the U.S. Army. He later went to the University of Richmond and then on to Duke for some graduate work. He spent most of his career in international work. “Part of that time I worked for Control Data, a large mainframe computer company based in Minneapolis. I worked for them mainly in China and in Southeast Asia. When the company finally went belly-up, I got into corporate real estate. My wife and I have lived in Tucson for the last eight years but try to get out of here every summer.” We are grateful to Bob Dorr for a computer disk of pictures of our last reunion. He writes: “Dot and I are still in travel mode. November ’11 we flew to Venice, Italy, where we boarded a cruise ship that touched base in numerous Mediterranean ports, including Israel and Egypt. I was most impressed with the importance of Mt. Hermon in the geography of Israel. It lies in the northern part of the country and is the source of the Jordan River, which flows into the Sea of Galilee and ends up in the Dead Sea. I can appreciate why Moody chose to name his school Mt. Hermon.” Jack Deveneau attended Mt. Hermon as a freshman and sophomore before returning to Hillhouse High School in New Haven to finish. He toured the U.S. by car with son Lloyd, starting from Albuquerque, N.M. They stopped one night in our home at the end of July ’12 before continuing on a nostalgic trip to Mt. Hermon and Northfield. If any other classmates are in the Concord area, please call us. We have plenty of room for you to stay. Jack was co-captain of the soccer team at Hillhouse and
wishes that his team had played Mt. Hermon. Jack earned a bachelor’s in business administration in night school and worked at the atomic weapons labs for Sandia Corp. and Los Alamos Scientific Lab in New Mexico, New York, and California before retiring in ’91. Jack and I sat next to each other in several classes since the first five letters in our last names match. Leonard Lundquist passed away on 7/2/12. We extend our belated condolences to his sons David and Scott, as well as to his grandchildren. He retired from Boeing Corporation and was an active member of the Newington Ski Club. Dean Clarke passed away 8/7/12. He is survived by his son William, daughter Katherine, brother Jeremiah, and several grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, to whom we extend our condolences. Dean was a veteran of the USN and USAF, serving during World War II and the Korean War. Dean enjoyed motorcycling through the U.S. and sailing on the Chesapeake.
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BETTY BOLGER FLEMING 456 Riverside Dr Princeton NJ 08540-5421 bettyb.fleming@verizon.net
Perhaps we were all worn out by the election and our holiday efforts, since I heard little news from our class members. Connie Callahan Hornickel wrote first and commented that she continues “to be in awe of the great NMH Magazine—each issue is a treasure.” Primarily, she wrote to express her sadness over the news coming out of Newtown, a grief that will be shared by us all, well into the years to come. Jane Everett Haslun and Bill are still adjusting to their life in a retirement community and are enjoying their new home. They slowly are making new friends, while still being in touch with their Granby friends 20 minutes away. Sadly, we will all miss Bill’s Mt. Hermon news, which he reluctantly gave up due to vision problems. Bill kept in close contact with his classmates, and his columns were always interesting and lively. Two of our classmates were hospitalized late in the year, but it was remarkable that both messages were so upbeat and optimistic. Paul, the youngest son of Priscilla Adams Moulthrop, wrote midDecember to say that Priscilla was in the hospital with neurological symptoms. No more than 12 days later, Priscilla wrote to say she was home, using a walker in the house and a wheelchair outside. She was happily anticipating a busy Christmas at their home with the family of 17 doing the preparations and cooking. By participating early in the year in a busy program for physical therapy, she hopes to be walking with just a cane by March. Joan Thompson Baker sent a Christmas card, which mixed her fun and pleasure in the holiday season with her story of ending up in the hospital with atrial fibrillation. “Came home and it flared up again. Back on oxygen, and working hard to get
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