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

CLASS CORRESPONDENT
Jane Holden Huerta
classnews1960@alum.colby.edu

Sally Walker Simpson is still teaching and supervising at Tri-State University in Angola, Ind. Last fall she was chosen by the Indiana Professional Standards Board to be part of the advisory committee charged with writing Standards for Reading Professionals. They wrote standards for reading specialists and K-12 reading teachers and believe that Indiana is the only state that will have a K-12 reading teacher license. Last summer Sally went on an alumni trip to Tuscany, had a great time visiting all the sights and reports that both accommodations and food were excellent. She recommends the alumni trips. . . . Since the latest arrival in December, Jock and Pat Walker Knowles have eight grandchildren. Son Jon and wife in N.Y.C. have none, but daughter Amy and husband in R.I. have two children, daughter Callie (Colby) and husband (Colby) in South Berwick, Maine, have three, and daughter Sarah and husband in Dunstable, Mass., have three. That's five girls and three boys. Five years ago Jock and Pat bought a farmhouse in Freeman, Maine, and try to spend one long weekend out of each month at their getaway. . . . Ann Stocking Townsend has enjoyed Elderhostel trips and hopes to see other Colby grads on some of them in the future. She spends time volunteering, working with families who get Habitat for Humanity homes in the Erie, Pa., area. She is also busy as a CASA volunteer, working as a court-appointed special advocate for children in foster care. . . . In keeping with President Bixler's injunction to explore the world's vast realms of knowledge and geography so as to keep our lives in perspective, Ralph Nelson (with wife and daughter) visited Antarctica recently. Ralph says the clear air, the turbulent seas, the dramatic mountains and clouds, the fact that the birds and animals let them approach within a few feet and the international cooperation in research proved this to be a world apart, inspiring both awe and humility. It was as close to going into space, Ralph says, as he and his family are likely to get. Each Zodiac trip was like a spacewalk: they knew they would explore a place that few will ever reach, and they knew they could not survive for long if they did not get back to the Clipper Adventurer for a boot wash, a warm drink, dinner and a lecture to explain this novel environment. Their photos and accompanying discussion reflect both a wonder at the magnificence of the scenery and animals they saw and an undercurrent of dread at the stark reality of danger and death all around them. . . . Janice Rideout Carr continues as faculty program coordinator at Foothill College, the job she has had since 1989. Her husband is retired from NASA after 30 years as a research scientist and is now holding several volunteer positions, including chief radio officer for the County Office of Emergency Services. His retirement present to himself was a camper van, which they have used for a few interesting trips to some western states. . . . Don Freedman has been living and teaching mathematics in the Berkshires for the past 10 years. He is going to retire this year or next and will be spending more time in Colorado, skiing and visiting their son. He sings barbershop, referees college rugby games, studies linguistics and travels. The last time he visited Colby was in the fall of '01 with John Vollmer and Jock Knowles to play in a varsity-alumni soccer game. He says, "We were much, much older than any other alumni and certainly felt it." I remember watching Don, John and Jock play soccer in 1956-they were the ones who got soccer started at Colby! . . . Last year Peg Jack Johnston took a three-week vacation in Spain: Barcelona, Seville, the southern coast, etc.-"a wonderful country to visit with so much history and variety." She also took several trips to Sacramento and Chicago to see her two grandchildren, now approaching ages 2 and 1 respectively. She has a third child, living in Denver, who was previously on the East Coast. In April, all three sons and families joined her in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a week of exploring and beaching. Peg is still remodeling her 1907 bungalow-the basement is finished after 12 months and now they start on the kitchen. Peg says that once you start, everything else looks shabby but will be wonderful when finished. She invites us to visit! In February, Peg was diagnosed with breast cancer from a mamo plus, so two surgeries and tons of tests later she stills feel wonderful and totally normal. She has probably started chemo by the time you read this. The full treatment is about nine months (chemo and radiation) plus five years of pills, but she plans to keep busy at work, keep exercising and not let it bog her down. She feels so fortunate that science has progressed to make the process easier and more thorough. And Peg says that it is a kick to shop for wigs! Fortunately, business has been great for her, and it did not slow down last year. They currently have six active brokers in the office selling businesses. As Peg says, being your own boss really is the way to go, and her business is always exciting. . . . Please keep the e-mails coming to jane.huerta@usa.net. The more news I get, the better this column will be-and everything you send is interesting and newsworthy!

Jane Holden Huerta

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We're halfway to our next reunion (the 45th!) in 2006! E-mail me (diaferrei@aol.com) anytime with updates and reflections. . . . Carol Trigg Friedley retired at age 55 with husband Dave to settle in Sunriver, Ore., at a year-round resort on the dry side of the Cascade Mountains. Carol writes, "We love being involved in our community (of 1,400) and spend almost 50 percent of our time traveling. Most of my family has migrated from the New England area south to Florida, so we go east a couple of times a year. Our kids and their kids-12 in all-are spread throughout the west. After traveling abroad so often while Dave was working, we find we still love to travel everywhere, but on our own terms. We ski, bike, hike, canoe and float the Deschutes River. We live on the golf course but have not found time to take it up again (maybe when we are old). We also enjoy camping with our motor home." . . . Terry Lee continues work in his chosen field of career counseling, coaching, marketing and consulting, now part time with R.L. Stevens & Associates out of their Bedford, N.H., office. His clients include recent graduates as well as company presidents, and he "still love[s] the challenge, even after 27 years in the business." Terry and wife Cathie sold their Andover, Mass., homes in 2000 and bought a townhouse in Atkinson, N.H. "Best move we ever made," he said. They have three girls: Tracy is a registered nurse, Shannon works in financial services but is preparing to teach, and Katy just graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a job! Not bad for this economy. . . . David Ziskind has been named senior vice president of STV Incorporated, a subsidiary of STV Group, Inc., an engineering, architectural, planning, environmental and construction firm. He will be responsible for the management, direction and growth of the architectural practices of the firm's northeast region, which includes New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. . . . Ann Lehman Lysaght's first granddaughter was born in April; Ann recently planned a mini reunion with Dave and Judy Neumann Seddon and Steve and Martha Hooven Richardson. Steve and Martha own Stave Puzzles (custom made, handcut wooden jigsaw puzzles) in Norwich, Vt. Check out their awesome Web site at www.stave.com. . . . Another classmate recently down-sizing from house to townhouse is Hank Sheldon. The move for Hank and wife Elise took them from Glen Ellyn to Carol Stream, Ill. Son Brian is a freshman at Purdue, and daughter Christelle is a senior at DePaul. Hank recently retired from United Airlines following a 33-year flying career. . . . Marty Fromm '62 says she still considers herself to be part of the Class of '61. We keep waiting for you to come back for a reunion, Marty! Anyone interested in reconnecting (she's a business owner in Eau Claire, Wis.) can e-mail her (martyf@tele-serve-1.com). . . . Bill Wooldredge reports that he visited Sue and Bob Hartman '60 in May, is a grandfather of twins (daughter Becky is in Seattle) and planned to attend the Alumni College in July. Give us an update on your impressions there, Bill. Classmates who've been to past Alumni Colleges claim attendance is a "peak experience." . . . A recent addition (born May 25 in Portland) to your correspondent's family (a future Colby girl?): grandniece Ainsley Scrafton Pollock, grandchild of Joe and Lee Scrafton Bujold '64 and Bill '64 and Jeanne Anderson Pollock '63. My Maine/Colby family connection increases! Aloha.

--Diane Scrafton Ferreira

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Largely due to my complete and total lack of aptitude at the computer, my last column disappeared from view (my fault, I know). I'm going to take the easy road and reproduce what I wrote as well as add a few updates and leftovers from reunion in June 2002 (now, amazingly, over a year ago). It was good to see Nancy and Whit Coombs, who say that they probably will not retire until they're 75-they say they love life and are having too much fun buying and building businesses! They maintain a breeding kennel of 25 Great Pyrenees dogs and judge dog shows all over the United States and Europe. . . . Boyd and Mary (Muff) Symonds Leavitt recommend the Elderhostel at Camp Kieve's Kennedy Learning Center in Nobleboro, Maine. They had a great time there during their trip east to Colby from California in June last year. They extend an invitation to all who find themselves on the "left coast" to visit them and catch up with the "many '62 expatriates" there. I still marvel at the fact that they drove all the way to Maine for reunion! . . . Gail Macomber Cheeseman reported departing for Antarctica on December 27, 2002, to lead 94 shipmates plus 14 crew and staff on the beautiful Polar Star, a Norwegian passenger ship that is also an icebreaker, for 26 days of adventure from Ushuaia, Argentina, to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. Access details of the Cheesemans' adventures on their Web site: www.cheesemans.com. . . . Harry and Judy Hoagland Bristol traveled from their home in Houston, Texas, for reunion. So good to see you, roomie! Judy and Harry travel in their retirement. In February they took a "big trip" to Peru, spending time in Macchu Picchu, among other fascinating places, but Judy claims their week along the Amazon with mosquito nets, no electricity and fishing for piranha was the most unforgettable part of their trip. In September they spent a week in Jackson Hole and Yellowstone as well as Cody, Wyo. Thanksgiving brought a week on Amelia Island in Florida. . . . Beautiful Linn Spencer Hayes, also present at reunion, forwarded her annual Christmas remembrances letter and said: "Here's to . . . the women of the Colby Class of 1962 who graduated at the beginning of a revolution in women's roles for which few of us had role models. This amazing group of less than a hundred women each found her way through personal and cultural mazes. Sarah [Linn's son's partner] observed that she could easily see who we had been at 20 as Liz, Janie, Patch, Nancy, Debby and I stood arms entwined, laughing at the camera." Linn's first grandchild, Zachary Reid Hayes, was born December 30, 2002. Linn plans to teach him to play basketball. Congratulations to you and Tim, Linn. . . . Brenda Phillipps Gibbons talks with enthusiasm about retirement in Stuart, Fla., her new granddaughter, Kendall Gibbons (born April 14, 2003), and summers in Marion, Mass., visiting family and friends. Brenda fondly remembers hockey, the Colbyettes, Guys and Dolls, French classes, cold winters and great people when she thinks of Colby. . . . Dick Poland's daughter, Nicole, who ran this year's Boston Marathon, graduated from Colby in '01. His son, Sam, is a member of the Colby Eight, just like his dad, and will graduate in '04. He said it was heartwarming to read about Peter Wagner '66 in the last issue of Colby magazine. "Tink" Wagner, Ceylon Barclay '63 and Dick went to Livermore High School together, played sports, sang in the church choir and "raised the dickens." In response to the question, "What important parts of your life started at Colby," Dick said singing in the Colby Eight, unbelievably, led him to a career in computer programming and his present job as "a trombone player in the circus." . . . Malcolm Maclean sent an announcement that his law firm, Maclean, Holloway, Doherty, Ardiff & Morse, P.C., moved to a new address in Peabody, Mass. So no retirement for you, Malcolm? . . . Ron Ryan, chief operating officer of the Philadelphia Flyers for 12 years, recently was named president of the team. . . . Patty Downs Berger recently won two gold medals in the National Adult Figure Skating competitions. One program, she said, was her serious program, "with all my best moves," and the other was "interpretive." She recreated Dolly Parton in 9 to 5 and claims to have lost all her inhibitions to pull that off. Patty is retired from medicine but working toward a universal health care system that would "eliminate private insurance companies (single payer) and provide comprehensive health care for everyone." Patty recently saw Mary Ballantyne Gentle on Martha's Vineyard. Mary is working on school curricula and tutoring students with disabilities-and spending two to three months each year in the Bahamas. . . . Among the great joys of my life during the past year is the birth of my first grandson, Matthew Colin Joiner, on August 12, 2002. He is, of course, perfect in every way, with eyes the color of the sky and the disposition of a sunny day. . . . If you had the great good fortune to be at Colby in June 2002, you know how wonderful it is to reconnect with old and special friends. I'm available at nmksig@yahoo.com; I'll probably answer you if you e-mail. (That is, if I can ever learn to do it successfully.)

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The 43 or so of us who attended our 40th reunion had a great time sharing stories of our present lives and enjoying Maine and each other. On Saturday we heard President Bro Adams speak on Colby today and proposed new developments, saw a documentary film on Mount Katahdin by Huey (Class of '70) and had a shore luncheon in the field house. We laughed for an hour and a half going through paces directed by Pen Williamson on the football field. A test to see how our memories were withstanding the onslaught of age had questions such as "Do you remember what day we graduated?" (June 10.) "Do you remember who the speaker was?" (Dr. Bixler.) "Do you remember who received honorary degrees?" (Yikes!) "Do you remember the baccalaureate speech?" (Here Pat Ey Ingraham recited chapter and verse, and we were totally impressed!) Saturday's dinner was at Roberts, and bands and dancing followed in Cotter Union. . . . Our class was recognized for its total gifts of $1,734,500: capital gifts of $1,553,745, the Alumni Fund of $157,255, "odds and ends" of $23,500 and the second highest class participation-66 percent. Thanks go to Al Carville and his volunteers for all their effort and success in fund raising. . . . The Marriner Distinguished Service Award went to Susan Comeau, who has for many years given much to Colby and was acknowledged by Bro Adams as having been of immense help to him. Two classmates were recognized for their publications: Ceylon Barclay for his book Red Rum Punch on Granada in the Caribbean and Roger Jeans, who co-edited Good-Bye to Old Peking. Book signings by other alumni were held in the Marchese Pub in Cotter Union. . . . Our class officers for the next five years will be Karen Beganny Megathlin as president, Pen Williamson as vice president, yours truly as class correspondent and Jane Melanson Dahmen as chief fund raiser. . . . Thanks to the following classmates for news. David Pulver was elected to another term on the board of directors of Hearst-Argyle Television in May. He is president of Cornerstone Capital, Inc., a private investment company, and a director of the William Carter Company and of the Public Health Institute-and a trustee of Colby. He and his wife, Carol, live in Mendham, N.J. . . . Lillian Waugh in West Virginia planned to be in New England in mid-August to visit her sisters, Laurie Waugh Harris '60 and Lucille Waugh, and her daughter, who has launched a teaching career at Needham (Mass.) High School. Lillian still enjoys power yoga in spite of a rotator cuff injury and was looking forward to playing golf with her husband, David, when she gets better. . . . Barb Haines Chase couldn't attend the reunion because the choir she and Bill '62 are in had an important rehearsal before their trip to Scandinavia. (Mary Michelmore Ackerman-Hayes and her husband, Don, who also live in the Keene, N.H., area, will also go on the choir trip.) Atop Cadillac Mountain they ran into Roger and Nancy Reynolds Jensen, who were on their way to the reunion. Barb hopes people read about their latest wonderful trip to Nepal, which was in the 1962 class news column last winter. Dian Emerson Sparling also was on that trip, where they worked for two weeks with a group treating 1,700 patients. Barb later worked in the permanent Helping Hands clinic in Kathmandu! . . . Susan Ferries Moore, who did attend the reunion, is having a great time as vice president for Environmental Affairs at Georgia-Pacific and is kept busy with many environmental issues as the company has a diverse line of products from toilet paper to lumber. She and her husband, Jack, together have six children and six grandchildren, ages 7 to 1. They live on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay and enjoy a large vegetable garden, which she says "could feed half of Virginia." She is thinking of retiring next year and is looking forward to traveling and getting to all the projects that have been on the shelf. . . . Nancy (Judd '61) and Peter Coughlan live in Fairfax, Va., and have three sons and four grandchildren. He retired from a 20-year military career in the Air Force in 1987 and then joined a consulting firm working with emergency management personnel at all levels of local, state, federal and foreign national government. He retired from that job in 2000. He and Nancy celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in July with a vacation to Maine, including a brief stop at Colby, which neither had seen for those same 40 years. . . . Al and Rosemary Blankenship Hubbard enjoy their children and grandchildren "to the max" and recently celebrated their 41st anniversary. Rosemary wrote, "Al says to tell you we are semi-retired (and semi-broke!)." Proud of their '49 Chevrolet and their two Volvos with a total of 300,000 miles on them, they also have a project helping preserve the culture and property of farmers in the mountains of North Carolina who are under pressure from golf and ski developers to sell their farms. Al is an environmental geologist who works to preserve ground-water quality in the industrial South (they live in Charlotte, N.C.), and he enjoys playing bluegrass guitar.

--Karen Forslund Falb

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Reunion is mental exercise: "Uh . . . ATO? . . . soccer?" . . . "Didn't you date my roommate?" "I remember you were going to be a doctor?"; nostalgia: "Isn't this the hill we tobogganed down?" "I can hear Professor Geib in this very room." "Rocks! Where are all those rocks I had to identify?"; wishful thinking: "Where's Bernie?" "I wish I could have studied in these luxurious labs!"; lying: "You haven't changed a bit!" ("Well, I recognized you, didn't I?") Reunion is also a chance to see how big the trees have grown, to see how important the College considers all its alums, to take some short classes by various alums during the weekend and hear Al Corey once again! See you next June! . . . It was a treat to hear from Sue Ellsworth this month. She wrote, "I might mention my disappointment at not being mentioned in the milestones as the oldest first-time bride. Rich Feeley and I have been married for three and a half years now, and we even still like each other. He is in international public health at BU, and I am still attempting to teach sixth graders their own language in Lexington, Mass. Hope to see you at the next reunion." . . . Martha Farrington Mayo also checked in. "Why, when we are supposed to be retired, are we so busy?" she wrote. "My job includes some lobbying, so I get to keep an eye on my husband, who is a state senator. In addition to that, I am president of Maine Preservation and a board member and chair of the design committee of Main Street Bath. Our cottage on Squirrel Island is a welcome and therapeutic get-away. We try to spend weekends there from mid-April through October. This year, ice and snow in the woods prevented water hook up, so we had to settle for starting in May! We look forward each year to time with family and old friends." . . . Dorothy Thompson Herrin is happy to report that she is retiring from teaching: "So far my only plans are to do some volunteer work in my community, just things that I think I'll really enjoy, and never to go to Texas in the summer again! (That is where my two children and two grandchildren live.)"

--Sara Shaw Rhoades

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