TWENTIES
Sue Cook '75, director of alumni relations, sent me a book of poems written by the late Geraldine Baker Hannay '21 in the hope that I would select one of the remarkable Mrs. Hannay's light verses for this column. Having read the entire book, I am absolutely unable to find a poem I like better than any other. Accordingly, I have used the dartboard approach to choose "Little Miss Muffet."
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider and sat
down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Again that same spider once more
sat beside her
Thinking his stunt to repeat.
She said, "Though you dare me
You're not going to scare me,
This time you're the one
to retreat!"
As the spider went slinking
He couldn't help thinking,
"The change in that gal goes
to show
That you will feel braver and
never will waver
When you have learned
how `just to say no'."
A brief note from Ted Smart '27 expresses his regret at missing the 50-plus Club dinner this past June 8, but lameness, with which many of us sympathize, kept him at home.

THIRTIES
Although Blanche Silverman Field '35 lives in an area rich in cultural opportunities, she says, "because of the high level of crime all over, I do not go out in the evening. There are many events held at night that I would enjoy attending." . . . Many of the 50-plus entries in these pages refer to heart bypass operations. Sol Fuller '36 joined the Bypass Club recently on May 20. Sadly, this forced him to miss his 60th reunion. In that connection he wrote, wistfully, "It would be so nice to share with you one more time, some of the memories of our youth now so precious in retrospect." . . . Reginald Humphrey '36 recalls Professor Wilkinson hooking his thumbs in his vest, thrusting his head forward and saying, "Now we will discuss that patriot, gentleman and scholar Warren Gamaliel Harding." Reg also remembers how Doctor Libby used to stand by a student as the latter launched into probably the finest speech since Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and proceed to ruin the speech by making faces at the student. . . . Nancy Libby '36, Fredonia, N.Y., is a hospital volunteer, president of the Shakespeare Club, member and ex- president of the AAUW and a member and deacon in the Presbyterian Church. She enjoys bridge, seeing plays in Toronto and socializing with lots of good friends. . . . From the pile of papers at the end of my work table, I have unearthed a precious letter from Marjorie Gould Shuman '37, written September 25, 1995. She reports on people she recently had contact with: Roger Stebbins '40, Ruth Yeaton McKee '37, Alice Bocquel Hartwell '36, J. Marble '38 and Hazel Wepfer Thayer '37, Dorothy Gould Rhoades '36 and, of course, her husband, Ed Shuman '38. Ruth McKee lives in East Boothbay, Maine, where her great excitements are "watching my amaryllis bloom, the tide go in and out and the birds come and go at my feeder." . . . Eleanor Barker McCargar '37, portrait painter, had plans, when last she wrote, to go to London to paint Viscount John Slim, a member of the House of Lords. Another activity, says Eleanor: "For the last 10 years, I have been getting recognition for my mother, Lucy Hayward Barker (1872- 1948), American Impressionist portrait painter. As a result, her work is now in 18 museums, including the Metropolitan in New York." . . . Betty Wilkinson Ryan '37 is in favor of the environment and mad at those who are trying to demolish federal laws protecting our air, water, forests, etc. She is also deeply unhappy, ticked off and mad at her very own United States senator, Alphonse D'Amato. . . . Leroy Young '38 writes that he and his wife, Eileen, are alive and holed up cosily in their little cottage at the end of Sabbath Day Lake, Maine. . . . In all the questionnaires I have read so far, no one has ever admitted to making a bad decision, but Peg Higgins Williams '38 comes along to break the record. Her mistake: not buying in Florida when prices were low. . . . Maynard Waltz '38 is delving deeply into his ancestry and has pegged one ancestor, Aedd Mawr, King Edward the Great, who lived in 1300 B.C. At four or five generations to a century, Maynard gets 131 to 145 generations from him to Aedd Mawr. In an enlightening note, Maynard points out that in 145 generations one has 2¹⁴⁵=4 followed by 43 zeroes ancestors. . . . Cliff Nelson '38, one of my closest Colby friends, writes that, not allowing for procrastination, it takes him twice as long to do half as much as it used to. (That's all right, Cliff. A lot of us are that way.) He gets upset at the federal government selling public land for the equivalent of $1 a tree. . . . When Martha Wakefield Falcone '38 returned to China, where she spent her first decade, she found that the house she and her family had lived in now held five families. In five weeks, she saw only one beggar and noted that everyone had clothes. Her hosts were thrilled to see an American who could speak their language. No one dared mention the Chinese government. . . . Violet Hamilton Christensen '39 hates cats and, when told the 1996 Colby calendar contained illustrations from the art collection of Katz, was less than curious about the paintings until she opened the calendar and noticed how the artist's name was spelled. . . . Faced with the question "What aren't you doing, but wish you were?", Edith Hendrickson Williams '39, replies: "Getting younger."

FORTIES
Bob Bruce '40 wrote to correct my November 1995 column describing Bob's WWII exploits. "Twasn't me," Bob protests. Right, Bob. It was Bob Rice '42, two years later than your class. . . . At almost 80, Richard L. Chasse '40, M.D., is feeling fine. He was a general surgeon for 40 years and is very glad now to be retired. He wishes he could lose some weight. He and his wife, Margaret, have six children. Among their diversions: they travel a lot. . . . Ruth Blake Thompson '40 is a volunteer helping mentally retarded adults in the area of Montpelier, Vt. To maintain fitness, Ruth does aqua exercises twice weekly at a local pool. . . . Gardner "Chubby" Oakes '40 joined the Bypass Club in the summer of 1995. He can't identify any "best" decision he has ever made, but the bypass operation may give him another 10 years, according to his cardiologist, so that may be his best decision. . . . Louise Bolt McGee '40 is the second person to have told me that the "ice box" questionnaire would have been more fun than the one all of you received. She refers to my cover letter in which I debated using the questionnaire that came with our new "ice box." Louise has spent 30 years, all told, in volunteer work in the medical field. She wishes she had pursued more education "while I still had some memory retention." . . . What is Howard Miller '40 doing, now that he is retired? "Very little now," he declares, "but when I get used to it, I'll probably do less." . . . Virginia Gray Schwab '40 joined the Navy in 1942 to see the world--"and did I ever!" says she. "It was my best decision." . . . Throughout the country, and New England in particular, Ruth "Bonnie" Roberts Hathaway '41 is known as a crusading environmentalist. Through her speeches and writings, she says, "My main purpose is to make people aware of how precious this environment is and how we should learn to live in harmony with it and take care of it." . . . The best decision ever made by Virginia Moore Fremon '41 was to start at Columbia University School of Nursing at age 50. She graduated B.S. and R.N. in a class of young girls all in their early 20s and now does volunteer nursing in a retirement village. The Fremons have two sons and two daughters. One daughter has been "downsized" for the fourth time and is, again, looking for work. . . . Although now retired and living in Rhode Island, Jean Coyle Delaney '42 meets once a month with former teaching colleagues in Connecticut. A little tutoring, solving crossword puzzles and reading keep her busy. Says Jean: "Virginia Mosher '41 and Joanna MacMurtry Workman '41 are to be commended for finally locating me at my new address." Virginia Mosher has one sister and 13 nieces and nephews plus lots of friends. She wonders if I (your secretary) am known as "Stretch" Eaton. No. My brother Arthur Tibbetts Eaton '44 ( 6' 5" at a guess) is known as "Stretch." . . . Linwood Potter '41 was an army chaplain for 21 years, retiring with the rank of major. His activities include amateur radio, men's club, neighborhood watch, hunting and fishing in N.H., travel, family, friends and VFW. . . . Sidney Brick '41 graduated with the Class of 1990. He and his wife, Charlotte, have been married for 52 years. Their son, Larry, is an attorney and has three children. Their daughter, Joyce, is a housewife with two children. Dr. Brick is a great admirer of the class agent job being done by Jane Russell Abbott '41. . . . Stanley Gruber '41 is semi- retired, he says, but is chairman and a director of the Bank of Woodstock, Vermont, with emphasis on real estate. . . . In a useful guide to the subjects of environment, war, politics, crime, etc., Elmer Baxter '41 says, "Let's have more of the first and less of the rest." He and his wife, Betty Sweetser Baxter '41, greatly enjoy Elderhostel trips. (I read somewhere recently that "Elderhostel people are nice."). . . . Emanuel "Manny" Fruman '42 has been having a tough year and, most recently, had a major multi- bypass operation, whatever that entails. Last year, when I was visiting relatives not far from Manny's home, I had a nice talk with him by phone because I had heard he wasn't feeling well. Now, all Manny has to do is recuperate. Best of luck from us all, Manny. . . . Elizabeth Coles Harris '42 thinks everything is too complicated and tangled in red tape in the fields of the environment, war, politics and crime. And she has a question: How do guns help in any of these areas? . . . Marlee Bragdon Monroe '42 wants us to bring back the old family virtues so that children have effective guidelines. All in favor say "Aye!" Did we hear a "Nay"? No, we didn't! . . . Albert I. Schoenberger '42 works with Alzheimer's patients 20 hours a week trying to make life more endurable for a group of people with a disease that destroys the quality of life. . . . Blanche "Sunny" Smith Fisher '42 is on the advisory council for SHO (Seniors Helping Others) and has spent 10 years as a legal advocate in court for battered children and abused women. . . . Harry Cohen '42 has been a practicing attorney in New Milford, Conn., for 49 years and loves it. Life begins at 75, says Harry, when everything falls in place. Memory may be shot but wisdom is at its peak. . . . Patricia Ford Ellis '43 and her husband Al '44 write from Lakeland, Fla., that they miss their classmates and want their affectionate greetings extended to each and every one of them. In the health department, Pat and Al are "getting along fairly well" in part because they both can get exercise in swimming. They have bought a parlor organ and are having fun taking lessons. . . . In her class letter dated November 1, 1995, class president Vivian Maxwell Brown '44 reported the absence of Class of '44 notes in Colby even though Louis Deraney, Class of '44 secretary, packed up everything he had received from his classmates and, at Vivian Brown's suggestion, sent it all to me. (And when she called me, I sounded vague. I bet I did. In her letter of February 1, 1996, Vivian reported, "Fletcher has had a most difficult fall and winter so far with pneumonia, a bone infection, and a triple bypass." Well, close, Vivian, but let's run that by again. It wasn't pneumonia, it was ulcers; the bone infection part is right, but it was a quadruple, not a triple bypass. I insisted on having the bypass only because all the other guys are having it. Since she wrote, a touch of water on the lung--two quarts!--has slowed me down some, but I am picking up speed and was even able yesterday to squirt a wasp nest with stuff you hadn't ought to breathe. They must have held their breaths too because they are out there again today, peppy as ever.) Vivian represented Colby at the installation of the fourth president of Corning (N.Y.) Community College, which has a campus much like Colby's, on a hill overlooking the town. (Vivian, who lived a few houses up from me on Silver Street in Waterville when we were quite young, is one of the finer persons you'll ever meet and a major asset to the College.) . . . Excerpts from the '44 mail, many of them regrettably ancient, include something you may know already: Lou Deraney made the headlines and editorial columns around Boston when he was attacked in his classroom at Brighton High School last December and had to have stitches in his upper lip. People were pretty well outraged by the incident because the attacker was a healthy 17-year-old punk while Lou is 78. . . . Bill Hibel '44 and his wife are active in Greyhound Pets of America, which finds homes for these dogs once their racing days are over. Common practice with these gentle, loving pets is to have them destroyed once they can no longer turn a profit for their owners. . . . Pauline Tatham Stanley '44 sent a clipping describing the rescue, by her granddaughter, Sara Washburn, and several other children, of an Ohio woman and two small children who were headed for disaster in a rowboat. The Governor of Maine presented Sara with a plaque in her honor. . . . Bob Sillen '44, Braintree, Mass., saw Phil Nutting '44 on Boston TV talking about cuts in medical benefits. . . . Priscilla Keating Swanson '44 and her husband had a short visit with Josephine "Jojo" Pitts McAlary '44 and her husband, Fred '43, in Rockport, Maine, in the summer of '95. . . . Fred Wood '44, in response to Vivian Brown's request for support of the Alumni Fund, said, "Colby did an awful lot for me by way of scholarships and jobs. The College deserves my support." . . . Grace Keefer Parker '45 is seldom able to attend the June festivities at Colby because they always coincide with major events in her United Methodist church. Mrs. Parker is director of ecumenical and community programs at the Union Theological Seminary in New York.
Class Correspondent: Fletcher Eaton '39