Enveloped by Cuba
Alumni gather to help Cubans on their own turf.

Medal Round in Sydney
Hilary Gehman '93 rows in the Olympics.

Alumni Club Circuit
Club News, upcoming events, etc.

ALUMNI PROFILES
Robert C. Gerrard '60
Tackling the case
of a lifetime

Kevin Leddy '77

Helena Bonnell
Gilman '78
Microsoft in the Middle East

Todd Coffin '83

Carolyn Treat '82
Turning art into a balm

Christopher Thayer '93

Michael Eash '94
Chopping champion

Reunion part 1: That yellow blur whizzing past Anne and Bud Marvin as they motored south from reunion has been confirmed as Caesar Seferian, with Nick Locsin in the mechanic seat. At first Bud thought it was Nick in his new yellow Cessna Skylane, but it turned out to be Fast Al himself in a Porsche Boxter. Caesar continues with the Office of Management and Budget, where he evaluates the effectiveness of various programs. And you thought no one was watching! Nick is still in the computer sales business. Those were two of the 49 classmates and 42 spouses who enjoyed a perfect weekend at Colby. The fun started two days earlier, when we gathered at the Spruce Point Inn in Boothbay Harbor. I was joined by our new class president, Sunny Coady, presiding president Bud Marvin and Anne, Rick and Nancy Winslow Harwood, Kari and Marty Dodge, Jeff Fleuren and his daughter Ann, Ellen and Lew Krinsky and George Hooker, who bagged the long-distance prize by arriving without his elephant from Thailand. George has a consulting business aiding international clients with business development in Thailand. He and his partner also work on public policy issues. Jeff is in logistics with the Housatonic short line railroad in Connecticut. We arrived on Wednesday and enjoyed a gourmet dinner at the inn overlooking the harbor. As dessert was served, in popped Bob Rogers, who arrived from Ashland, Ohio, where he is associate professor of economics at Ashland University. After Colby Bob obtained a master's and later a Ph.D. in economics. He had worked for the federal government but decided the academic life and a chance to pursue some research were more fulfilling. On Thursday we were joined by Louise Melanson Belknap and David. They have closed their hardware store in Damariscotta, sold the inventory and retired. Well, not quite. It seems David invented some sort of fire alarm system that is virtually foolproof and, with Louise, continues to sell and service the units via mail. We all went down to the Lobstermen's Co-op on the docks and enjoyed fried clams, steamers, lobsters and 80-degree blazing sun. That evening we enjoyed an hour cruise to and around an island in the harbor before returning for dinner at J. Hawk restaurant, owned by Bob Rogers's brother and a partner. On Friday we took separate paths north to Waterville. I passed a place called Whippers car wash. I later discovered the Whipper empire still includes a pizzeria near the bridge in Winslow. Had a double scoop ice cream cone at Giffords'–they bought out Rummel's several years ago, but it's the same place and atmosphere–then headed up Kennedy Memorial Drive past the JFK shopping center, a McDonald's and the cinema to Second Rangeway. The Silent Woman is now the Weathervane, Bill Cottle's kiddie park is a Wal-Mart and Pizza Hut and there are gas stations and businesses where we remember scrub brush. The approach to campus via Johnson Pond is still magnificent, with the willow trees framing the shining college on the hill. A painless registration process landed us in the East Quad in something now called the Johnson-Chaplin Commons. The class HQ was on the ground floor of Champlin next to the old KDR. The dorm halls are carpeted, and single rooms have largely replaced the twin rooms we recall. Also missing was any sign of Al Bassett. A search of Averill Hall, which was not used for reunion, disclosed it is still a housekeeping disaster, so his legacy is secure. Oh yes, technology has created an electronic keypad dorm entry lock system replacing the broken and missing locks of our era. You still need a key for your room, but punch 2000 and you're in the front door. We yakked and yakked and yakked. . . . I have been reminded that I am a Luddite without Internet capability. The Alumni Office has set up an e-mail address for news (classnews1965@alum.colby.edu). They will snail mail me your e-mails. . . . Stay tuned for Tom Hill's "Top Ten ways to know you were in the Class of 1965." . . . Hail, Colby, Hail

–Richard W. Bankart

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Greetings-congratulations go out to J.J. Mueller and Chris Sinton, who were married in June 1999 at a small family ceremony. And it all started at the 30th reunion! They have moved to Florida, where Chris has a new job. J.J. will continue her entertainment agency from there. . . . Patty Whittemore Jenkins is still with State Street Bank, but it has sold its lending division and there are dramatic changes afoot in the industry. She and her husband, Allen, live in Braintree, Mass. Their oldest son, Bill, is at Trinity College, while their younger son, Ted, is a freshman at Boston College High School. She broke a vertebra on a business trip to Italy last year and has been doing regular physical therapy to recoup. When she was on a recent business trip in New York City, she had dinner with her former roommate, Carol Beers, who was also on business from the West Coast, and Phyllis Jalbert. Phyllis is doing well but has had a long year of adjustment after Michael's death. Patty also sends word that Sandy Miller Keohane was featured in a Boston Globe article on the front cover of the home section. . . . Joyce Demkowicz Henckler and her husband, Don, have had an exciting year. When they wrote, their son Aaron '03 had just completed his freshman year at Colby and as a member of the crew team was going over to England for the events at Henley. They had the opportunity to attend the Champion Regatta in Worcester, Mass., and instantly became crew fans! Their other son, Adam, is entering his senior year in civil engineering at the University of Maine. Joyce has started an antiques resale business and has had some success with finding some "treasures." Their other avocational interest continues to be "acting" in TV commercials and being available as "extras" for movies shot in Maine. In June they were in Rockland for the shooting of In the Bedroom with Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson (The Full Monty and General Cornwallis in the new Mel Gibson movie, Patriot). Joyce says, "We each have over 20 credits but are still waiting for our 'big' break!" Joyce lives at 84 Woodland Drive, Bangor, Maine 04401, and works at UMO (Joyce_ Henckler@umit.maine.edu). . . . After a decade as staff for the Kennebec Coalition (working to remove the Edwards Dam from Maine's Kennebec River), Steve Brooke (sbrooke@ amrivers.org) is now the director of the Maine field office for American Rivers, our nation's leading river conservation organization, where he continues to work restoring Maine's rivers. Steve and his wife, Beth, live at 4R Fundy Road, Falmouth, Maine 04105 (207-781-8364). They attended their son Ethan's college graduation (Antioch College in Ohio) last May. . . . Jim Katz e-mailed (jimkatz@johnabbott.qc.ca) from John Abbot College in Quebec. Jim's at 292 Senneville Road, RR, Senneville, Quebec, Canada, H9X 3X6 (514-457-5942). He and his partner, Atmo Zakes, got up to a bit of fun this past April 14. That is the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and they hosted a "Last Dinner on the Titanic" party complete with the original first-class menu. Guests dressed in authentic Edwardian costumes (a bonanza for a local costume rental outfit) and played the roles of original passengers. Forty people stuffed the living-room-turned-first-class-dining-room and six more were at a table in the basement (steerage). A champagne toast and moment of silence shattered by "Nearer My God to Thee" on the bagpipes ended the evening. . . . Finally, best wishes to Linda (Mitchell '66) and Lee Potter as they celebrated at the May wedding of their son Drum Potter '88 to Susan Westendorf in a ceremony in Brooklyn, N.Y. In attendance at the nuptials were Ginger Jackson Blakeslee '66, Sara "Ginger" Holbrook '66, Chris Brown '65 and Bob Gracia. . . . Classmates who have used the new e-mail response system seem to think that it's a great idea. Many say that the only time they put pen to paper is to sign their name. Hope to hear from lots more of you very soon.

–Robert Gracia and Judy Gerrie Heine

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I heard from only two classmates for this issue, both via e-mail–wish more of you would send me some! . . . Barbara Brown writes from Boise, Idaho, that she is embarking on a journey she's never really known– that is, truly living alone. Her youngest daughter, Jamison, left in September '99 to attend college at Washington State. Her older daughters, Alixe and Michele, are married and live in Huntington Beach, Calif., and Eagle, Idaho, respectively. Barbara hopes to attend the next reunion and says that now that she is older and has had a chance to know lots of different people in many places, she recognizes the unique qualities of her Colby friends and acquaintances. She has dabbled in the real estate field, but her main career continues to be in education. She recently spent four months developing a program for the Nampa, Idaho, school district to help students from the Idaho State School and Hospital make the transition into the public schools. She is thinking about moving, so if anyone needs a special education teacher, let her know. She has the opportunity at this point in her life to go anywhere she wants. In the meantime she would love to see Colby alums if anyone is ever in her state. She'd also love to hear from Colby friends via e-mail (barbr@micron.net). . . . Judith De Luce writes that she has become a "techie" (www.muohio.edu/~delucej): after 25 years of teaching classics at Miami University, she has embraced technology with a vengeance. All her courses are on line, and she is part of a national project that has given her the chance to team teach an upper-level Latin class (with a former Wisconsin colleague a two-hour drive from her) using the virtual reality environment of the VRoma MOO; students and instructors alike talked together and did assignments using the MOO as well as e-mail. Most recently she worked with a student to create what they think is the only one of its kind on the Web, a virtual sculpture gallery that shows how 15 pieces of Greek and Roman sculpture would have looked with their original paint. They used Adobe PhotoShop and painted the sculptures as accurately as they could (view them at http:
//eekman.com/virtual_gallery). She also continues to spend as much time as she can singing and has just returned from a concert tour in Europe with a small ensemble made up of singers from four of the Miami vocal groups. . . . Since I'm not getting a lot of news, how about sending off a fast e-mail with your thoughts on retirement (if you have any)? At what age will you retire? Will you change your residence or buy a second home? What will you do to keep busy? Do you think you'll want to work part time at the same or a different career? Will your money last if you live to be 95? What kind of trips will you take? Will you want to live near children and grandchildren? E-mail me at classnews1968 @alum.colby.edu.

–Nancy Dodge Bryan

Don Cooper and his wife, Sandy, celebrated their 27th anniversary in June. After years as a teacher and school administrator Sandy has become an independent publishing contractor. Don is anticipating retiring after 30 years as a secondary English teacher and coach. His older son, Colby, works for the National Security Council, and his younger son, Kyle, is a civil engineer in the Baltimore area. New Colby president "Bro" Adams was someone they became familiar with during their sons' years at Bucknell, and they were always impressed with him. Don is pleased that Adams was selected to lead Colby into the 2000s. . . . In addition to serving as director of development and alumni affairs at Millbrook School in Millbrook, N.Y., Bob Anthony is president of the board of trustees of Dutchess Day School in Millbrook, where his three children attend. He also is president of the board of directors of Hay Harbor Club on Fishers Island, N.Y., where Bob and his family own a home. . . . Gary Austin married Judy Wiswall on April 22, with a "three-hour cruise" on the Chesapeake Bay as a reception. In attendance was fraternity brother Sandy Hoe. Gary reconnected with Sandy and his wife, Denise, at the 30-year reunion, and they are spending time golfing, boating and going to Redskins and Naval Academy football games. . . . Bill Burges has put his government major to work in Ohio–with a media and marketing twist. Specializing in the "politics of public, educational and health administration," Burges & Burges: Strategists now has offices in Cleveland, Akron, Columbus and Youngstown. As long as it's still fun and they remain an industry leader, Bill says, they'll keep going. Among this year's clients is Ohio Supreme Court Justice Alice Robie Resnick, whose third term bid is viewed by experts and the national media as one of the most critical judicial elections in the nation. Bill and Charlene report that they still have a life, though. They live in the city on Lake Erie and weekend in the N.Y. Alleghenies with their two adopted dogs, Alex the chinook and Connie the English setter. After four years as chair of the Cleveland-Nike (now Buy.com) Open, Bill is semi-shopping for another charitable leadership stint.

–Meg Bernier