CLASS NOTES a local high school tennis team in Modesto. As frequently happens, our years apart disappeared quickly as Phil and I shared NMH stories over a glass of sauvignon blanc. Fond memories came back of classes with Judson Stent, football victories over Deerfield, athletic privs, the work program, and experiences with so many of our favorite classmates! Most of all what was present in our reminiscing was how grateful we both are for our very rich four-year experience at NMH, how it molded us for the better as impressionable young men, prepared us well for our college experiences, and gave us a healthy and meaningful perspective on life that has served us well. After spending some quality time with Judy, I think that Phil and I have both married well.” • John adds, “Cheri and I look forward to spending more time with Phil and Judy during their annual stays in Northern California — anyone in the San Francisco area is welcome to join us — as we age gracefully and prepare for upcoming NMH functions like our 60th reunion.”
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Northfield Mount Hermon Alexandra Groome Scopteuolo sandis10992@yahoo.com • Craig Walley operacraig@aol.com
From Alexandra “Sandi” Groome Scopteuolo: Hi, I’m your new class secretary (Gretel Porter resigned — thank you, Gretel, for serving our class!). • We had a wonderful reunion in June. Attendees were: Sally Hemenway Hall, Lucy Benjamin Hazler and husband Hans, Judy Howland, Bobbie Baldwin Joe, Gail Buerger Kerr, Shirley French Kingsbury, Stu and Sue Flasch McCalley, Jack and Rev. Susan Hayden Russell, Paul Althouse, Joe Berlant, John Bryan, Graham Cole, Chris Emmet, Warren Ferris, Pete Johnson, Les Leong, Bruce Schwanda, Al Simpson, Craig Walley, John Wheeler, and me. It’s such a great time to connect or re-connect with classmates! Even better, after the reunion we had 100 percent of the returning alumni donate to the school! In case you didn’t know, grants are awarded on alumni participation and the higher percentage helps, so if you haven’t donated, please consider it. Even $1 helps! • Aurelia Brazeal couldn’t attend reunion because she is driving her granddaughter to
Jo Dawson Kidder ’61 poses with her husband.
NMH for summer classes and just couldn’t imagine doing three drives from Washington, D.C. Jane Dawson Kidder couldn’t make it, but she had a wonderful cruise with friends down the Canal Du Midi in southern France. • Carol White Odell also couldn’t attend because she, her husband, and her brother (John White ’68) were doing an opening of a gallery in Cape Cod. She still has the Odell Studio Gallery in Chatham, Mass., working with oils and encaustic (wax). Carol has four grands. Her daughter, Alison, was class of ’95, and her son, John, was class of ’98. • Lucy Benjamin Hazler still looks the same and Gail Buerger Kerr looks even more glamorous than ever. Bobbie Baldwin Joe looks the same, too. Her husband, Lightning, couldn’t make the trip, but he is now sporting a new leg. • Diane “DeDe” Griffiths La Pan lives in Winter Haven, Fla., and has seven grands and three stepgrands. Her older son is in California and her younger son is in Nashville writing music. Her new puppy, a Maltese Shih Tzu, is her constant companion. • I live in Washingtonville, N.Y., with my husband, Matt, of 53 years. We have two daughters — a doctor and a lawyer — and five grands. The whole family is going on a cruise of the Mediterranean to celebrate two grands who have graduated high school. • If you are sorry
your news isn’t here, contact me for the next magazine issue. • From Craig Walley: A fine reunion was had by about 20 members of the class of ’61. • Bruce Schwanda and his wife, Anne, drove up to NMH from Florida. • On Saturday night, Dobbs Hartshorne entertained us with some lovely Bach and a very funny song and dance about a lost turtle. (You had to be there.) • John Hann, John Bryan, Pete Johnson, Joe Berlant, Chuck Bennett, John Wheeler, Les Leong, and Rick Najaka joined us as well. As always, there was a lot of re-connecting and remembering. It was great fun and the campus looked great. • At our class meeting, Graham Cole reminded us of the need to continue supporting our class Scholarship Fund and the General Fund. • Now for the wildlife report. On Sunday morning, my wife, Connie, and I took a short walk toward Dwight’s home and then turned back toward the dorm. Suddenly, we heard shouts of “bear!” from the area of Overtoun. We stopped and watched a large black bear lumber across the road in front of us and disappear into the woods. • Stanley France is
Jock Bethune ’62 (left) and John Wilson ’62 share their Scottish heritage.
still on the family farm in Middleburgh, N.Y. •
Chris Emmet is piling up frequent flier miles,
spending two weeks a month in Costa Rica with his new wife and her family, and the rest of the time in Far Hills, N.J., looking after his 50 horses. • Finally, Stu McCalley is retiring (partially) from his medical practice. By contrast, Warren Ferris continues his medical practice in Maryland.
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Northfield Louise Cole Nicollet lnicollet@gmail.com
Dear Classmates, It’s taken me a long time to process losing my beloved Northfield friend, Susan Saunders Chandler, and I’m still in a state of disbelief concerning her passing on 10/21/15. Though I am more than willing to step into Susan’s place as our class correspondent, I’ve been remiss this time. My apologies. It may not help that, in last year’s fall issue, my email address was incorrect. It is now correctly listed above. In any case, I’m hereby encouraging you to send your news for the next issue. With very best regards to you all. — Weezie
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Mount Hermon E. Scott Calvert scottcalvert@mac.com
I received a good response to my email appeal for notes. If you did not receive my appeal, visit the NMH website and add your email to the list in the NMH Online Community under Stay Connected in the Alumni section of the website. • As hard as it is to think about, most of us will have 50th college reunions this year. I just got back from mine, a very enjoyable weekend. I’m still pondering the reality that you can sit down with someone you have not seen in 50 years and have a conversation as though you last saw each other a month ago. On the way to reunion, I had a chance to catch up with Roger W. Smith, who is enjoying retirement while contemplating the inevitable downsize. While at reunion, I spent time with Thom Vargish, who has retired from his medical career in Chicago and moved to the Chesapeake Bay. With wife Kate, he is enjoying broadened sailing opportunities on the East Coast, this summer up to Maine for the first time. I also ran into Carlton Davis at reunion. He is in Pasadena, Calif., winding down an architecture career. • Bill Arnold writes, “Last October I gave a talk to NMH students about U.S. energy policy. It led to discussion with faculty about a proposed natural gas pipeline that would pass through Northfield. Students teamed up with a group of my Rice University M.B.A.s for an in-depth study of the project and residents’ views of it. To the best of my knowledge, it was the first time top secondaryschool students and M.B.A.s collaborated on a project. A representative of Kinder Morgan, the Houston company developing the project, attended the presentation here at Rice. Since then, Kinder Morgan withdrew the project for economic reasons. I have signed up for another year of graduate school teaching.”
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