Formmates from 1961 (l. to r.) Chris Jennings, Stoney Stollenwerck, Jim Hatch, Bill Donald, and Mike Seymour donned their blue shirts for a luncheon at Oceans 234 restaurant in Deerfield Beach, Fla., in February.
John Groman
jgroman@usa.net
Rufus Botzow
rcbotzow@charter.net
Peter Gerry, Bill Gordon, Ashley Higgins, and Haven Pell got together (in Ashley’s case, for the first time in 53 years) for the 75th Gillett Arkansas Coon Supper. The event is a highlight of the political year in the Arkansas Delta and the SPSers were joined by the governor, one senator, and Miss Arkansas. The little fellow on the orange banner (see photo) is much saddened, as many of his friends and relations found their way onto the paper plates arrayed on the tables in the high school gymnasium. The following day, Gerry and Pell joined Higgins, their guide and mentor, for weapons training on the levee that keeps the Mississippi River from running amok.
Members of the Form of 1964 (l. to r.) Peter Gerry, Bill Gordon, Ashley Higgins, and Haven Pell dined on raccoon at the 75th Annual Gillett Coon Supper in Gillett, Ark., in January.
Hugh Clark
hclark@ursinus.edu
News from Dick Dale: “Life is full of adventures here in Londonderry, N.H. I continue to serve on a regional school board called the Taconic and Green, and on the Londonderry Planning Commission as the chair of the new Traffic Safety Committee. I am also on the local Emergency Planning Committee, treasurer of a Trout Club and local Historical Society, a board member of the Vermont Conference of the United Church of Christ (VtCUCC), a member of the Rotary, and a tax preparer for the ASRP. All much fun and totally my choice to stay active, engaged, and busy. Got a new granddaughter on February 20, whom we will visit in April in Shanghai.”
Gordon Grand writes: “Cecily and I were on Anguilla in September when the island was a direct hit from Irma. We had wind gusts up to 220 miles per hour. Like Puerto Rico, the island was devastated and is still recovering. We had no electricity for 92 days and still have no phones, cable, and limited internet. Our main house had a lot of door and window damage but is livable. Half of our guest cottage was blown away, and the furniture virtually disappeared. None of the large hotels have reopened as of yet, and it is now March. Some restaurants are now open. This tourist season is very slow. People loyal to the island have tried to come back to support the place, but there are no new guests and limited places to stay.
Although this has been a terrible 5 1/2 months, the spirit of the Anguillan people is amazing, as Bill Jackson, John Higgins, and Jim Phillips will attest, having been here last year. Many people lost their houses and all their possessions with little or no work available until recently. They continue to smile, are upbeat, and are thankful to be safe. Unlike our neighboring island, St. Maarten, there has been little robbery and crime, and the Anguillans have done an incredible job cleaning up the island and getting it back on its feet. Other than the hotel closings, one would now not believe that it was totally destroyed in September. It has been a rewarding experience to watch and help Anguilla rebound from a horrendous storm and a terrifying experience – a good life lesson to say the least.”
Tom Shortall
shortall.nevis@gmail.com
Terry Hunt
terryhuntedd@gmail.com
A message from Charlie Bradshaw: “We returned in October 2016 from our three-year ministry in Uganda. After eight months of living in other people’s homes, we bought a house in Hancock, Maine. We enjoyed blissful summer jobs at the Bar Harbor Oceanarium, where I was the ‘docent’ in the Lobster Museum. Starting last August, Beth and I have been teaching fifth through seventh grade in the Mirus Academy, a small classical Christian elementary school in Ellsworth, Maine, that was founded four years ago. Between the two of us, we teach all subjects. My Latin study from olden days has resulted in a marketable skill.”
Paul Reingold writes: “I’ve decided to retire from the Michigan Law School clinic in May, but will teach a seminar in the fall. I have an owed sabbatical for winter ’19 – then I’ll decide if I want to keep teaching a seminar or call it a day. Forty years of practice and 35 years of teaching seem like good round numbers.”
Stephen Post recently hosted a roundtable discussion in New York City on the topic of “transhumanism.” Stephen is the director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine. Stephen and other thinkers discussed how modern technology in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals, and genomics are opening up new challenges to how we define “humans” today.
An update from Livy Sutro: “I have been retired from adult probation work for four years now, and they have sped by. I am teaching one class in anthropology at the local community college and am president of the board of the local NAMI affiliate, both of which keep me too busy. Jan, my wife (who teaches English to immigrants), and I have been doing a fair amount of traveling since retirement. Last year, we were in Portugal and Mexico for a time. We just came back from Paris, where we celebrated our 30th anniversary. The boarding school French came in handy. We have plans to rendezvous with the kids in Montreal this summer, as they are both on the Atlantic coast these days. I have been going to the gym several times a week, doing yoga, meditating, and trying to stay as holistically healthy as possible. Best regards to all formmates, and I am looking forward to our 50th next year.”