ALUMNI PROFILES
Curtis Johnson '75
Knowing the Drill

Jean Minkel '80
Outside the Box

T.J. Tavares '99
Real Politik

Andrea Pomerance '02
Culture Crossing

Our traveling '45s: As I write this in June, Helen Strauss was planning a tour of Oregon in August. It will be largely a nature appreciation trip but will also include an outdoor production of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Helen will add a visit with her nephew in Colorado. . . . Joan Gay Kent writes, "I went to San Diego last year, and if all my friends, relations and memories weren't in Long Island and if New York wasn't the greatest city in the world, I would seriously consider moving there." Joan's writing her second local history, about the town of North Hempstead from the earliest settlers circa 1645 to 2000. She recommends consulting the back issues section of your library to learn what things were really like in "the good old days." . . . Bill Whittemore, as we know, travels worldwide-this spring a return to Australia for a scientific meeting plus "lots of travel to the Outback and New Zealand." He made a rugged trip to Cooper Pedy (opal capital of the world) on a Ghan train using a modified Hummer plus dirt roads to reach the hotel, which is underground to avoid the 120-degree daytime temperature. The train was built in the late 1800s using camels from Afghanistan. ("See why it's called the Ghan train?" asks Bill.) Explains why today there are about a million camels in Australia. . . . Dee Sanford McCunn and Ian enjoyed a two-month car trip in parts of the South (including close calls with tornadoes) visiting several Tennessee cities, special sights in Alabama (e.g., the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville), Mississippi (covering the 450-mile Nachez Trace Parkway) and Cajun country. They then drove west through Texas to San Diego. . . . Muriel Marker Gould and I had a 10-day trip to Canada in May, entirely by train, from New York to Montreal, to Quebec City, and to Percé on the northern tip of the Gaspé peninsula. The overnight train serving the Gaspé was a challenge. Each tiny room is the width of a single bed, and when the bed is in place for the night there's no space left for the passenger to sit or stand, not even space for my not huge suitcase. Just another travel adventure, right?

Naomi Collett Paganelli

Correspondent did not submit any notes for this issue.

Anne Lawrence Bondy

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I quote a note from David Weber: "David C. Weber has adopted the motto: Carpe diem, which he translates to read 'Travel while one can.' Thus in the past 18 months he's explored Trinidad & Tobago, barged the Rhone in France, hiked Joshua Tree National Park, hunted Texan birds on the King Ranch, toured castles and gardens in Ireland, pursued nature up to Manitoba's Hudson Bay and this past July was going with one of his sons on safari to Zimbabwe and Botswana. His bio of Professor Carl J. Weber (who taught at Colby 1919 to 1959), Colby D.H.L. '59, is still in progress." Professor Weber was, of course, David's father. . . . Dana Robinson considers himself almost retired, but he was consulting part time in China for five months last year. He plays singles tennis two or three times weekly and golfs once a week. . . . In the spring, John and I took a boat trip from New Orleans to Chicago, which took us down the Mississippi, east to Alabama, where we turned north on the Mobile River, to the Tombigbee River and waterway, Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi and Illinois rivers to Lake Michigan and finally Navy Pier. We were in the area where many of the great battles of the Civil War were fought, and a lecturer on board made it an interesting and informative trip. One of our stops was Alton, Ill., where, with the rest of the group, we visited the memorial to Elijah Lovejoy but then asked for a bit more time to go on to the grave site by ourselves. It was a moving experience, especially since Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan last year, was posthumously given the Lovejoy Award. . . . I'm (mhfitch@attbi.com) having a difficult time getting news from almost all of you. Please do your part in bringing your classmates up to date.

Mary "Liz" Hall Fitch

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Received a fax from peripatetic Dave Choate. He wrote that he and Diane returned May 8, 2003, from an awesome bike and barge trip beginning in Amsterdam and ending two weeks later in Brugge. They biked for two days through Holland's colorful fields, taking "oodles" of pictures. They relaxed each day on their barge-they averaged 10 to 30 miles a day-and were glad to have a little rest before taking walking tours of such cities as Rotterdam, Antwerp and Ghent. They were in Amsterdam to celebrate the Queen's birthday: "What a blast!". . . . Also received an updated address from Sandra and Aaron "Sandy" Sandler: 7717 Plantation Circle, University Park, FL 34201-2067. Phone: 941-358-3358. . . . We attended Colby's 182nd commencement with our daughter, Deborah Marson '75, who is an overseer of the College. Commencement was on the lawn in front of Miller Library, and David and Deborah marched in the academic procession. The sky was threatening, and the cool wind was somewhat uncomfortable, but the weather failed to dampen the spirits of all in attendance. Two weeks later we attended our 55th reunion. On Friday the rain stopped, and we had a beautiful day to play in the alumni golf scramble at the Waterville Country Club. Friday night the Awards Banquet was attended by a respectable representation of the Class of '48 and their spouses and friends. On Saturday we listened to President Bro Adams discuss the Plan for Colby, sat through an Alumni Council Meeting, carried the Fifty-Plus banner in the parade of classes and then attended the lobster bake in the field house. The weather was again threatening, but it never rained during the festivities. We had to leave to return to Boston for our granddaughter's graduation from the Beaver Country Day School, so we cannot report on the class dinners held on Saturday night. The Class of '48 attendees, and we hope we did not omit any of the names, were Douglas Borton, Paul Solomon, Carol Silverstein Baker, Peg Clark Atkins, Gordon Miller, Bud '49 and Helen Moore Phillips, Sue Lynch Henry, Gerry Roy, Marianna Nutter Wyer, Fred Sutherland, Sid '49 and Anne Fraser McKeen and Joan Crawley Pollock. Some came alone, others with spouses or significant others, but we didn't attempt to record all those names for this column. We definitely recommend that those who haven't done so in the past return for any reunion, because the Fifty-Plus category includes all of the "mature graduates," and everyone is welcome. The staff does a terrific job of making you feel at home.

David and Dorothy Marson

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Not much news to report, but I did get an e-mail forwarded to me from the Alumni Office from Bud '50 and Mary Bauman Gates. Their granddaughter, Caitlin Gallagher, is attending Colby this fall. Caitlin is from Etna, N.H., and graduated from Hanover (N.H.) High School. . . . On Saturday, June 7, I went to Colby reunion for the day. I had previously arranged to meet Warren and Nellie MacDougall Parks there in time for the parade of classes. Including Nellie and myself, there were eight of us from the Class of '49 on the roster, all "locals." Gail and John Appleton, Catherine and Walter Borucki, Oz and Virginia Young Ellis, Bob and Mary Roberts Friberg, Anne (Fraser '48) and Sid McKeen and Muriel and Bob Tonge. I never saw Bob Tonge, but I met all the others either in the parade or ate with them at the lobster bake. I hardly recognized Sid McKeen-he's shaved off his beard and mustache! No other earth-shattering news to report. . . . Next year is our 55th reunion. Can you believe it? Reunion Weekend is June 4-6, so save the date and begin to think now about making the trek back to Colby.

Anne Hagar Eustis

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