www.andover.edu/intouch NSF) and high Arctic (courtesy of the Canadian Coast Guard).” Check out the final products of Gabriel’s expeditions here: www.gabriel-warren. com (it’s astonishing, I promise). I have addresses for him, if anyone wants. Also reporting in after long years of lurking was Ken Cooper: “After nearly 40 years working as a journalist, I have finally published a book as co-author of Portraits of Purpose: A Tribute to Leadership, with Boston photographer Don West. I spent all of 2013 interviewing 60-plus people in person and writing profiles of the 127 individuals in the book. They are African Americans and their allies—of every race and ethnicity—who have worked for social change in the Boston area since 1980. I learned a lot about Boston, which I thought I knew pretty well, and the connections between many people in the book. So I’m off to a late start as an author, but as soon as I’m done promoting this one, I plan to dive into another book idea I’ve been researching for seven years. That book I will do solo.” Elsewhere in this edition of the magazine, you will (I hope) find a feature piece about Jeff Howard and his stewardship of the restoration and expansion of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn. Thanks to editor Kristin Bair O’Keeffe for giving this story space. If architecture is your thing, check out the Howard+Revis website at http://howardrevis.com. It’s very impressive! One happy milestone: Gene Dallago celebrated his 60th birthday in Denver with friends. And one sad one: We lost Matt Barry to a tragic adverse surgical outcome. Such an ebullient, everhappy character, whom everyone was thrilled to see at the 40th. [Editor’s note: Please see Matt Barry’s obituary in the In Memoriam section.] Dave Swanson fled the New England winter for a short sabbatical in Southern California, where he is guest-lecturing (I think in San Diego, but he’s not answering his texts). Until he returns, I’ll be doing The Next Page blues jam without a sidekick. This is the year that most of us will turn 60. I expect my inbox to overflow with accounts of great celebrations. I’m encouraging all in the Northeast to get together for a group bash, as the ’72 class did so successfully at Jon Atwood ’72’s last September. Who’s on board? Finally, did you know the class has its own Facebook page? Look for “Andover/Abbot Class of 1973” and join the group!
1974 Jack Gray 80 Central Park West, Apt. 20F New York NY 10023-5215 212-496-1594 jackgray@BlueLink.Andover.edu
Our classmate Tom Finkelpearl has assumed a big job in a big town. He is New York City’s cultural affairs commissioner, and when he was picked
by Mayor Bill de Blasio, there was noise from Manhattan-centric parties that a man who’d made his mark at the Queens Museum was not up to the job. Of course, a year on, Tom has stepped to the center of the room with assurance, not least because Queens is now the next Brooklyn (which has long eclipsed Manhattan in matters hip). A recent New York Times article highlighted the stakes Tom is playing for. The mayor introduced a new program to provide municipal identification cards to all New Yorkers, including undocumented immigrants, that will include discounts at many of the city’s leading cultural institutions. According to the Times, when asked if institutions could afford to provide the benefits, Tom said to the reporters present, “In the long run, it’s going to be a proposition that could actually improve the membership quantities at these institutions.” Again according to the Times, Mr. de Blasio quickly took back the microphone and dismissed concerns about what he deemed “narrow economics.” The mayor continued, “I think we have to remember what these institutions are here for,” adding, “From my point of view, this is about the mission to expose this entire city to our cultural assets.” Steve Miller was honored for his part in creating and running the School of Information Systems at Singapore Management University. He was awarded the Singapore government’s public administration medal (silver) for his 12 years of work there and for his other contributions to national and public service. Steve being Steve, he downplayed the honor with this: “To keep this in context and perspective, about 3,000-plus people each year get some type of mention or commendation as part of the yearly National Day (Day of Independence) celebration—ranging from the really special medals received by only one person a year to some type of mention made for hundreds for various types of community work. This is not one of the really special medals. This is one tier down—still quite prestigious. In this year’s ceremony, 70 people, from across all parts of the Singapore government, received this level of award.” Face it, Steve: You’re really special. No column written so close to the conclusion of the holidays would be complete without a mention of an encounter with Jonathan Meath. One night in mid-December I was at home, deep into Frontline on PBS, when the phone rang. Jonathan was in a cab coming from LaGuardia and would be staying a few blocks from my apartment; was I in for a drink at his hotel? A half hour later we were ensconced with cocktails. A crew of young women our daughters’ ages interrupted our conversation demanding “selfies with Santa.” Jonathan was game. Finally, Bruce Fleming’s annual holiday missive brimmed with wit, gentle prodding of his two sons, and, as usual, a big love hug to his wife of decades, Mary Beth. Speaking of love hugs, the idea of celebrating our 60th birthdays together in about a year is circulating. Sounds fun to me. You?
1975 40th REUNION June 12–14, 2015 Mari Wellin King 1884 Beans Bight Road N.E. Bainbridge Island WA 98110 206-842-1885 marjoriewk@gmail.com Roger L. Strong Jr. 6 Ridgeview Circle Armonk NY 10504 914-273-6710 strongjr@optonline.net Peter Wyman 963 Ponus Ridge Road New Canaan CT 06840 203-966-1074 peter.wyman@merrillcorp.com
A belated “Happy New (Reunion) Year!” to all you beloved ’75ers. Did someone say “40th”? Please mark June 12–14, 2015, on your calendars and make plans to attend. Our fearless class president, Brian Burke, and his hard-working reunion committee (Felecia Elias, Phil Hueber, Mari Wellin King, Bert Garry, Giles McNamee, Kurt Silverman, Geoff Richards, and me, Peter Wyman) are guaranteeing a great weekend! Living in LA, Chris Kapetan reports being very happily remarried and doing well after a tough journey, given the loss of two brothers. Chris was in a film this year called Altered Perception, in which she plays a doctor who gets in trouble for testing a drug irresponsibly. Maybe we can have a screening at our reunion? Chris has two sons: Peter, the director of outreach for the Bruce Museum, lives in Greenwich, Conn.; Stephen lives in LA and works in animation. Sue Vernon is in her second year of teaching fifth grade at the American Embassy School in Delhi, India, and reports loving the country. The lead elementary school science teacher, she also teaches taekwondo five days a week while working on her third-degree black belt. A professor of anthropology at the University of Maine, Dan Sandweiss also chairs the Peabody Museum advisory committee, attending meetings on campus several times a year. Dan focuses on archaeology of the Andes and was recently elected to the board of the Society for American Archaeology and as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He reports running across fellow archaeologist Larry Coben several times a year at Andover meetings and/or in Peru. Living in Durham, N.C., and working as COO of Duke Translational Research Institute, Vicki Christian wrote, “Academic research and medicine are pretty intense these days. I use all my gifts and stamina to keep 175 employees Andover | Spring 2015
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