Dimitri Sevastopoulo
dsevastopoulo@gmail.com
John Wilmerding ’56 lives in our apartment building in Manhattan. Aside from his excellent company, we are beneficiaries of his unrivaled expertise in American art, as we often dine together. In mid-July, John, my son, Marc, and I drove to Northeast Harbor, Maine, where John has spent summers for more than 30 years. Observing the strictest COVID-19 protocols, Cathy and I stayed in John’s sister’s cottage for a few days. On several occasions, we were invited by John to enjoy the beauty of his view of Somes Sound. One evening, the three of us joined Bill Foulke and his wife, Wendy, for drinks at their home overlooking Seal Harbor and on their boat the next day for a cruise to Great Cranberry Island. On the occasion of a small birthday party Cathy gave me at the Asticou Inn, we were fortunate to count among our guests Ford and Brian Draper. Later that month, Andy Baxter hosted a cookout for me and Cathy at his home in Lyme, Conn. Cathy and I had not seen Andy since before COVID-19. He had made it apparent that “foreigners” were not being hosted at his home. However, in late July, we decided to look for a house to rent near the Connecticut River. We booked a room at the Griswold Inn (opened in 1776) in Essex and advised Andy of our plans. He invited us to enjoy a barbecue overlooking a pond of water lilies, and he provided a lovely evening of ribeye steaks, rosé, mosquito repellent, and a view of a demi-moon crossing the horizon before our eyes.
John Mechem writes: “Dimitri, Joe Mechem, and I want to congratulate the 63 members of the Form of 1960 for reaching 100 percent class participation and setting a record for dollars gifted to the Alumni Fund for their ‘virtual’ 60th reunion. We are awed and inspired by your generosity. The commitment that the form has made to SPS speaks volumes about the value the members put on the SPS education, the terrific job Kathy Giles is doing in meeting the internal and external challenges of today, and confidence in the future of the School. We hope all are in good health, safe, and smart as they meet today’s unique challenges.”
Andy Baxter ’60 discovering a bottle that matches his shirt.
(L. to r.) Dimitri Sevastopoulo ’60 and Jack ’60 and Joe Mechem ’60 showing their form pride after breaking the 55th reunion giving record.
(L. to r.) John C. Wilmerding ’56, Marc Sevasto- poulo, son of Dimitri, and Dimitri Sevastopoulo ’60 at John’s home in Northeast Harbor, Maine.
Mike Seymour
mike@hol.edu
Greetings from the Form of 1961. I ran a second virtual class for teachers consisting of 10, one-hour presentations from instructors of the Heritage Institute (www.hol.edu), which offers online and in-person professional development courses for teachers. We addressed many of the frustrations teachers are having with distance teaching. Dedicated sculler Jim Hatch is grateful to have his Filippi available on the lake that is but a half mile from my house. Jim gets out early every other day, weather permitting. Ed Tiffany spent time with family between skiing in Franconia, time at their Wings Cove house in Marion, and back in Boston. All in the family are healthy, but Ed got infected by the Babesia parasite and Lyme bacteria, both tick borne, and having fainted at the emergency entrance, broke his arm. So, for the rest of the summer, he is off his bike and out of sailboats and the tennis court.
Chris Jennings reports little of interest except for this: In Florida in March he flew 10 solos and three successful check rides with an FAA examiner to add a glider rating to his pilot’s certificate. Chris says, “Yeah, nuts at 77, but it was fun and I was glad I did it. Think I’m afraid of what happens when you just sit in that rocking chair.”
Lloyd Macdonald ’62 (l.) and Tony Schall ’62 and their wives, Anne and Sharon (not pictured), enjoyed lunch together in Castine, Maine.
Stu Douglas writes: “My tennis game seems to improve with age (three times per week). Golf as well, shot an 81 in a stroke-play tournament and earned some nice dinner money. See you all at our 60th.”
That’s all folks! (Most in our generation should know where that famous quote came from.)
Rob Claflin
robclaflin@comcast.net
Rick Sperry
overcable@aol.com
Alex Shoumatoff paid a rare and delightful visit to Nancy and me in Haverford in early spring, just before Tony Parker’s gala for The Bishop Walker School at the National Cathedral in Washington. Alex and I braved the chilly weather and played a full round of 18 at the Merion Golf Club and, surprisingly, we weren’t too bad. Alex then proceeded to D.C. to conduct research for a book on The Bishop Walker School, which included the gala and a visit to the school itself. My American history website (www.history500.com), out there now for eight years, is going great. I have added three new Zoom courses (World War II – Pacific, the Korean War, and the War of 1812) that I teach. Lots of slides, lots of fun, and easy to follow along. I am also offering History 500 for free (normally $100 lifetime) to anyone in SPS ’64. Just let me know if you are interested (richardsperry@history500.com). I’d love to have you.
Jared Roberts writes: “The big news in my life was the June 8 wedding of my daughter, Ellie ’08, to Dylan Aluise. Due to COVID-19, it was an immediate-family-only outdoor event, with a grand total of nine in attendance. When she’s not getting married, Ellie is a fourth-year resident in emergency medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan and at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens.”
Tony Parker has been busy pulling together some great Zoom conference calls for SPS ’64, focusing on the accomplishments of some of our formmates. The last call included David Irons on his lifelong involvement in Bali and the amazing artwork from there. Bob Bailey, a professor at the University of Chicago, discussed an AIDS control project he has been working on for 20 years. Ashley Higgins talked about his time as a judge in Arkansas and other miscellaneous topics. The Zoom group included about 20 people, and if anyone wants to join, send Tony a note (parker@parkertide.com).
Alex Shoumatoff shares this news: “My wife and I and two of our boys are playing lots of golf. Great therapy in these trying times. The ‘vomit draft’ of my biography of Boyd Easton Bissell, the baker of Heidelberg bread, arguably the tastiest and healthiest bread in North America, who was married twice to women who gave him three kids and has been with his husband Pierre for the last 21 years, is 850 pages, which I am now cutting in half. It’s called Against the Grain.”
Jim Goodwin writes: “Hello, formmates. I hugely enjoyed the little ‘re-Zoom-ion’ Tony Parker organized and hope for more. Thank you, Tony. I’m still in Salem, Mass., living alone with some aches and pains but getting along and trying to care for my mother, although she’s in Virginia. We had to cancel Mom’s 100th birthday party last March because of COVID-19. When she was born, the Spanish flu pandemic was not quite over, women did not quite have the vote, and their Ohio farm had no electricity, telephone, refrigeration, or milk pick-up, so they fed the extra milk to the hogs. But Grandad had an Indian motorcycle. One wonders what life will be like in 2046/7. I would love to hear from any of you – preferably before then!
Ted Baehr shares this news: “My son who went to SPS, Major James Baehr ’01, has been working at the White House, overseeing the government’s response to solving the crises of veteran’s suicide and human trafficking. My son in Australia celebrated the birth or their eighth child, and first boy. My daughter in California and my other son in California look forward to the arrival of their next children as well. This will bring the total number of grandchildren to 14. My beloved, beautiful wife Lili has been on chemo drugs and infusions for 24 years for cicatricial pemphigoid, and has another very major operation this August at USC. Our ministry of Movieguide grew to 41 million measured (from 37 million) this year on TV, radio, web, etc., due to the lockdown. I am still writing books and working too much, and I am scheduled to speak once more in India and South Korea (as well as Ethiopia) this fall. I assume these will be postponed, but not yet. I focus on a lot of good memories, but the book Notes on a Silencing about SPS has brought many of the bad to mind.”
Bob Hall
ro.hall@northeastern.edu
Eric Saunders
esaunders@bernsteinshur.com
The Form of 1965 held a virtual reunion on Zoom to celebrate its 55th. More than 40 formmates participated in the meeting and shared their experiences over the past five years, including struggles. In the interests of time, it was agreed that we would not brag on our children or grandchildren. As a follow-up to what was a successful get-together, John Herbert agreed to chair a series of Zoom meetings on specific topics, including racial injustice and the role of private boarding schools in the 21st century.
Hugh Clark
hclark@ursinus.edu
Jim Phillips writes: “Coping with COVID-19. As I think about the last few months, I have given up many routines, but to my surprise have found new forms of life experiences and entertainment. Watching our daughter, Sarah, handle her first-year residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital was stressful to Marta and me as long hours in the ICU without a break was a baptism by fire. She survived, I am happy to report, and is now a ‘senior resident,’ or least, that is the title I gave her to boost her spirits. Meanwhile, our son, Eric, and his girlfriend have worked remotely for three months and are lucky to have jobs. Marta and I have discovered the joy of owning a Peloton to maintain aerobic conditioning and flexibility via their yoga app. Don’t think we will return to the gym anytime soon. We have binge-watched on Netflix i.e. Longmire, Madame Secretary, and Royal Pain as well as Prime Video i.e. Blacklist, The Heart Guy, and Jack Ryan…to mention a few. We have also had time to read (call if you need ideas) and Zoomed with family members stretched around the world. How cool is that? Will our children head back to the office? I am happy to report Eric can’t wait as he misses the interaction with co-workers and other humans. I guess we don’t count.”
Jay Hopkins ’66 in the 40-year-old Turbo Twin Comanche he flew to training engagements for five years.
Hugh Clark writes: “Barbara and I fled our winter retreat outside Philadelphia and returned to our Mount Desert Island hideaway in March. We went from temps in the 50s-60s with daffodils and forsythia to 20s-30s with four snow events, including Mother’s Day. But outside of Portland, Maine, is pretty unaffected. Our county so far has only 15 identified cases, MDI remains pretty empty, and we feel pretty safe. Of course, that could change with one bad encounter. We did our quarantine, which allowed for isolated hiking and lots of dining in. Since then we have shared socially distanced cocktails with our near neighbors, and now our son and family have arrived for an extended visit (it must be extended because they must quarantine before they can begin to enjoy MDI & Acadia National Park). We have no idea what we’ll do this winter. Perhaps we will hunker down and enjoy a Maine winter. I’ve always concluded by inviting one and all to come visit, but maybe not this year!”
Jay Hopkins writes: “I had a right knee replacement last year, after climbing too many mountains and too many miles on a bicycle. I’m taking it easy now – just do a 30-minute walk up a wash every morning, with coyotes, owls, lots of rabbits and quail, and an occasional bobcat. I had a very successful 25 years training the military, corporations, government agencies, and aviation missionaries (see errorpreventioninstitute.com), but when I hit 15 grandchildren, I decided to lease the business. Now it’s taking off again under the hands of someone more capable with social media, as I continue to serve as the founder and do a lot of the writing. My personal project is a new educational website called Joyful Fire (www.joyfulfire.org ) about the joys of totally surrendering to God, and how to do it. I’ve been working on the website for over a year and decided I’d better go live or I would end up taking it to the grave with me. On the home scene, with nine children and 15 grandchildren, it seems like it is always someone’s birthday, or something else is going on. I also try to stay strong and healthy by working out every day and using the keto diet. So far it is going well – no health issues and no medications.”
A message from Copey Coppedge: “Living my life between Cape Cod and Gulf Stream, Fla. A single parent of Peter ’17, who is a rising senior at Dartmouth. I am very much enjoying this chapter of my life, which involves much less stress, a lot of reading, swimming, and Pilates for exercise, and a continuing watch for a good partner with whom I can enjoy my time and do some traveling. I am feeling very mixed about St. Paul’s these days. My son flourished there despite losing his mother as a Fourth Former; the faculty and his adviser, Dr. Theresa Ferns ’84, did a wonderful job of supporting him and guiding him academically and socially to heights I never achieved there. On the other hand, I am appalled the Board decided to remove Bill Matthews ’61 and Bill Oates from the Performing Arts Building (Oates) and the hockey center (Matthews). These were, in my opinion, the two best SPS Rectors over the past 60+ years and while, in hindsight, they may have made a few mistakes in dealing with specific faculty termination decisions, their overall ‘body of work’ was superior to the other SPS Rectors I have observed. I also believe strongly that the Board’s process was seriously flawed (no due process) and driven by marketing considerations rather than by the need to take meaningful steps to make SPS a safer community. It’s not clear why discrediting and embarrassing these two Rectors and their families makes St. Paul’s a safer or better school for the students.”
Eliot Larson
ewlarson@comcast.net
Thomas Whitney, Jr. writes: “Shortly before the pandemic, Will Dick ’67, his daughter, Caitlin ’05, my daughter, Blake, and I performed a benefit concert for our church. It was a lot of fun and we look forward to getting together again soon.”
Hugh Taylor shares: “My two jobs gave me a dual perspective on the pandemic. My family medicine office did telemedicine only for three months. My patients tolerated it, but when given the opportunity in mid-June to come for in-person visits, they surprised us by signing up in droves, despite requirements to wear a mask, wait in their cars, and be screened three times before each visit. I am also president of the medical staff at my hospital. We managed to avoid running out of ICU beds and ventilators in April, but we had to redeploy surgeons as intensivists and primary care docs as hospitalists to make it work. It felt like a war zone; we had a daily ‘incident command’ call to update the leaders, and there was usually something new every day. Like my colleagues, I have enjoyed the feeling of being near-normal since mid-June, but all we talk about now, as cases start to increase in Massachusetts, is how to deal with the second wave. One thing we all agree on – please, please wear a mask.”
Procter Smith checks in from his home in Canaan, N.H.: “The Smith family first came to this area in 1985 to work in Cardigan Mountain School’s summer program. We continued at Cardigan for 19 summers, buying a house nearby along the way. In December of 2018, my daughter moved here to purchase a small restaurant and convert it to a bakery-café. The Red Wagon Bakery, on Route 4 in Canaan, opened for business in March 2019 – and closed one year later per Governor Sununu’s coronavirus-driven order to restaurant owners state-wide. Through some imaginative marketing and strong community support, Nellie has made it through a tough, tough time. She even collected three ‘Best of New Hampshire’ awards (Dartmouth-Sunapee region) from New Hampshire Magazine in June. While I continue to teach at Salisbury School, preparing now to start my 49th year in the classroom, the rest of the time I can usually be found in the Red Wagon dish room, contributing my services to Nellie’s enterprise. Anyone passing this way is most welcome to stop by, though checking business hours first on the Red Wagon website is recommended. I also enjoyed a virtual reunion in June with Vince Cheng, the Shirley Sutton Thomas Professor of English at the University of Utah. A noted scholar on James Joyce, Vince joined a Zoom meeting with me and four friends who were completing a month-long reading and discussion of Ulysses, initiated as a means of deflecting coronavirus malaise. Vince’s geniality, erudition, and inquisitiveness sparked an illuminating and thoroughly delightful finale.”