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

"Don't plan to retire till they throw me out," says Neil Clipsham from his home in N. Wales, Pa. Neil and Jean travel extensively. He had a double hip replacement last February and says "it's a little exciting at airport security." . . . A nice newsy letter from Susan Mc Ginley says she's not visited Colby since our 25th, but she does a "Hail, Colby, Hail" when she drives by the campus. She's designed her own retirement home in Eddington, Maine, which she shares with "Lightening's First Lady Love," a scary looking shepherd/wolf mix who is "kissy sweet to all." The home "has lots of light and wood and incorporates old barn doors, hens' nests and table legs from an old family homestead and is eclectically decorated as only a theater retiree can do. Have bear, moose and lots of birds in my front yard." She spends her time trying to create a wild flower garden, dabbling in small-town politics and writing her first book, Love in the North Woods (1894-1898). She's in touch with Jill Long, who has added teaching to her administrative duties at Bangor Mental Health Institute, and with Marian Hale Fowler. Susan would like to hear from Ginny Marshall Cosbey, Peggy Hornaday Rhoads and Nancy Eckel Bradley '64. (Your class correspondent would like to hear from them, too!) . . . Nancy Barnett Fort has also resigned from the Broken Pencil Club with a long letter from her home in New Castle, N.H. Nancy has four children, including Jeff IV '91. She divorced in '92, moved to Austin, Texas, in '94 "along with the multitude of exotic animals we raised on our farm in Rye, N.H. Moved back to N.H. in '97 but kept Pigtail Farm, a 500-acre ranch in Briggs, Texas, where I raise mostly donkeys-with my old potbellied pigs, two llamas, one alpaca, our pet goats plus too many peacocks and a lot of rattlesnakes, armadillos, road runners, jackrabbits, etc. We specialize in breeding spotted standards, especially black and white, which are so beautiful and flashy. Just got into breeding mammoth donkeys with a new herd of 24. Spotted or white, donkeys are amazing animals, lovable, smart, easy keepers-all 100 of them." She can be found on the wait staff summers on the river at Geno's, 177 Mechanic Street, Portsmouth, N.H. Otherwise, try the ranch or New Castle, N.H., or Antigua. She sees Frances Matteson Packard and her husband. They have a tuna boat in New Castle. Nancy would like to hear from "Sunny, Bailey and all my old DKE friends." They could contact her by e-mail (nancydonkey@aol.com) or at the Spotted Donkey Co., 603-235-4858, where you can purchase your very own donkey. Are white mules next? . . . Hail, Colby, Hail!

--Richard W. Bankart

previous | next

The "overflow" news from the summer column, with apologies to those of you who had to wait so long to get "published," included summer plans anticipated and we hope successfully achieved: Karen Riendeau Remine was part of the Alumni College group meeting in Kinsale, Ireland, in July. . . . Paula McNamara was looking forward to running a gallery/workshop on her summer island home of Islesboro, Maine, where she was to show the photography of her husband, Jack McConnell, and other artists and do writing, painting and photo workshops. . . . Peter Anderson's summer plans included being host to a group of '66 geology majors and a few other Colby friends at his grandfather's cabin in a California canyon about four miles from the San Andreas fault and seven miles from the epicenter of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake-Shangri La to a geology major, I suppose. Peter and Elena continue to travel extensively, regularly to see Elena's family in Argentina and recently to the Andalusian province of Spain. His professional life still revolves around running Pacific Geotechnical Engineering and its eight employees and being an active member of Rotary International. . . . Lou Friedler, a math professor at Arcadia University (formerly Beaver College) in Glenside, Pa., is one of the long-silent classmates who responded to the class letter questionnaire. Thanks, Lou-I hope you're a trendsetter. . . . After many years as an independent school college placement counselor, Linda Mitchell Potter has become a public school psychologist in Woodstock, Vt., living in the Potters' ski house temporarily. Husband Lee '67 continues to live and work in Massachusetts during the week. Linda is enjoying her very diverse clientele but is working more hours than ever in what was supposed to be her transition to retirement. Taking care of her father and enjoying her granddaughter leave little free time for skiing. . . . Nice to have an update on Terry Saunders Lane and her family. Terry is director of the program department at The Boston Foundation; husband Jonathan is president of Icon Architecture. Justin, their photojournalist son, received a Pulitzer Prize for Photography in 2002 as part of The New York Times team covering 9/11 and its aftermath in N.Y.C. Daughter Diana is program coordinator for the San Francisco Food Bank and working on her master's in public policy at Berkeley. An accomplished family! . . . Debbie Chase e-mailed me from Denver, Colo., where she has lived for 30 years. Son Steve and daughter Wendy and her four (soon-to-be five) grandchildren also live there. Debbie retired for a few years, then returned to full-time work for Weight Watchers, a job she loves. . . . It's always hard to share sad news. Martha De Cou Dick wrote that when Allen and Janet Meyer Throop visited Martha in Boulder, Colo., in May, "Allen climbed the first Flatiron, a 5.4 technical ascent, in spite of having little use of his hands. He was supported by his son, Henry, and daughter, Heather, and by friends. Unfortunately, Allen is now living with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), diagnosed last December. His additional plans include trips to Alaska and Yellowstone and a reunion with some Colby friends in California." Allen and Jan are part of the Peter Anderson geology group mentioned above. I know you all join me in sending our love and thoughts to the Throops. Remember, you can get any classmate's address and phone number from me. . . . Elizabeth Hernberg Went loves her new title of mother of the groom-to-be. Her son, David, proposed to his future bride on board a tall ship docked in Newport, R.I. . . . After 37 years of silence, Carl Floyd decided to send in his news, although he credits his ex-wife, Judi David, with reporting news of him earlier this year. Carl retired a year ago from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, R.I., after a 35-year career mostly working on submarine periscopes, but he continues to work part time as a contractor. He's planning many trips in his new tent camper. Daughter Lynne continues to pursue her dream of a singing career, and daughter Rebecca will be married in August 2004. . . . Peter Lax's responses missed the class letter deadline, but he reports that his favorite book is Stupid White Men by Michael Moore. He took a two-week trip to Ireland to visit a son in Galway and offers to lead Colby alums on the trip if they need a consultant. He sends special greetings to Allen Throop and to Fran Finizio. . . . Another late but welcome response came from Bill Ingham of Seattle, who remembers slipping on the ice in front of Onie's and would bring warmer clothes if he could do his Colby years again! Congrats to Bill on his show of paintings and the book signing about his work at the Seattle gallery in September 2002. Books he recommends are Gallipoli by Alan Moorehead and Spies by Michael Frayn. . . . As always, thanks for your news.

--Meg Fallon Wheeler

More classmates seem to be planning retirements, celebrating the college graduations of their children (and financial freedom from "easy payment plans") and traveling to the far corners of the world. . . . She's come full circle and legally changed her name back to Sandy Miller because, Sandy says, it feels right! Flying to visit her granddaughter in Florida, she sat in a waiting area seat for a connecting flight through Cincinnati, when the person next to her said, "Sandy?" It was Tom Saliba, on his way to Italy via Cincinnati! "We had a nice opportunity to catch up on 35 years," Sandy wrote. "Fortunately, he boarded first so he missed my Lucille Ball-type impersonation when I couldn't produce my driver's license and emptied everything I had with me on the floor." Of course she found it the minute she sat down in the plane. But Sandy's sister was diagnosed with lung cancer, and she says, "I am trying to be her daily support system from afar, be there for her twin daughters and support my elderly parents during this painful period. I am very grateful for everything that is good in my life and happy that I can play this useful role." She misses her Colby friends and says it's too bad reunions are so far apart! . . . Woody Berube had foot and knee surgery over a six-week period last fall, but unfortunately it didn't alleviate the pain. His daughter, Breanne, graduated in June from Rhode Island School of Design and plans to give it a go as a freelance graphic designer in the Providence area. Like many others whose children are finishing with college, he's looking forward to her coming "off the payroll." Woody exchanges e-mails with Peter Swartz '66 frequently, and he and Jeff Hannon '68 stay in touch with what's going on in their lives. Woody says he grew out of the sports car phase this year and now happily drives an SUV, but his biggest news is that his 60-year-old brother was to be married for the first time in August. "He and his 'Berube-Wannabe' wife-to-be haven't done much planning yet, but he has his annual trips to Saratoga race track planned a year in advance. So, if you see the new SUV (license Plate SLVRBLIT) bearing down the Mass Pike in June and in August, flag me down." Late in June he and his wife, Connie, planned to drive to Pigeon Forge, Tenn., for Connie's family reunion and some golf for Woody, who says he'd like to hear from anyone (ecberube@aol.com). He and Connie live in Webster, N.Y., where he still works for Xerox and Connie works for an advertising specialty company called Recognition Experts. . . . When Gil Congdon's daughter, Brooke, graduated from Colby in 2002, he says, "it was time for me to put away my high school math books and retire after 34 years of teaching, coaching and athletic directing in Reading, Mass., Bethlehem, N.H., and Manchester-By-The-Sea, Mass. I guess I've had around 25 of my students go to Colby. I left the math teaching to my oldest son, Peter, at Matignon High School in Cambridge, Mass., and to Brooke at Andover High School and took the trip of my dreams with my wife, Pamela, to New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii in the summer." Back home, he joined the Bentley College faculty as an adjunct mathematics professor working with freshmen and looked forward to returning in the fall. He also joined a country club, where he was "working hard at lowering my embarrassingly high handicap," he says, hoping someday to be close to Woody Berube's three handicap. "Hiking and playing bridge regularly and occasionally singing in the community chorus help me pass the seven Saturdays in the week." . . . Joanna Snyder Richardson is now associate director, information access services at Bond University Library (Australia). She is still competing in Appaloosa Native Heritage Classes, was reserve champion at the Australian National Show and has an Appaloosa filly in the U.S. that recently won a world championship title in Fort Worth in Yearling Longeline! . . . Larry Sears, a teacher, completed his second master's in counseling in May 2002 at the University of Texas at El Paso. The mayor of El Paso appointed him to the city/county board of health as the "consumer representative." Last summer, while on a seven-day cycle trip through central Nova Scotia, Larry spent time with Dick Hunnewell and his family. Dick's son Josh will graduate from Colby in '04. . . . Chuck Levin's son Jonathan '97 passed the Massachusetts bar exam and was sworn in as a lawyer in December 2002. They are now practicing together in Needham, Mass., and changed the firm name to Levin Law Office. Jon was to marry Elizabeth Aloupis in June. . . . Telecom consultant Phil Kay works from home on West Beach in Beverly Farms, Mass. He sends an open invitation to anyone in the area to stop by for a boat ride, day on the beach or whatever. He continues to enjoy traveling world-wide speaking on sales effectiveness with Holden International, with trips to London and Tokyo planned this summer. He recently returned from Ft. Lauderdale (and took time to boat up the inland waterway) and Portland, Ore. (with time to ski Mt. Hood and hike around the gorge). Phil says, "The highlight of last year was daughter Debbie graduating from UPenn. HOOORAAY." . . . Keep the e-mails coming!

--Robert Gracia and Judy Gerrie Heine

top | next

I was delighted to be appointed as your next class correspondent (honest!). Many thanks to Nancy Dodge Bryan for the great job she did during her term. I will try to follow her excellent example. The big event of course was our 35th reunion in June. About 20 of us started off reunion by having dinner on Thursday night in Portland at Walter's Cafe, which was wonderful. There was also a cruise on Casco Bay Friday morning, which a number took advantage of. For those who keep score, 42 members of the Class of '68 registered, plus five Colby spouses and/or '68 classmates who graduated with other classes, plus other spouses, children and significant others. We had a gorgeous sunny day on Friday and partly cloudy but mostly rain-free days Saturday and Sunday, a minor miracle in our soggy spring. The award for most heroic travel goes to Ted Allison, who rode his motorcycle from Seattle to Waterville, stopping only to pick up his 16-year-old son, Jake, a hockey player, in Minnesota on the way. (Did I mention that Ted's son is a hockey player?) At the Awards Banquet, outgoing class president Art Brennan received a Colby Brick and Joe Boulos received the Distinguished Alumnus Award. The '68 tables were understandably rowdy in cheering for Art and Joe. Congratulations, guys, and thanks, Art, for a great job as class president. Our new president is Steve Ford and vice president is Jeff Lathrop, both Zetes, I might add, as well as yours truly (just a coincidence, folks, not a coup). I brought my son, Adam, to reunion and dragged him all around the campus, telling him Colby stories and trivia until his eyes glazed over. We also visited a certain college in Brunswick. Another West Coast resident, Ted Bromfield, who journeyed to reunion all the way from San Diego (not on a motorcycle), recently appeared on the front page of the San Diego County Bar Association magazine and was profiled as one of the leading environmental attorneys in San Diego. Ted moved to San Diego directly after Colby and has been there for the past 35 years, protecting its magnificent beaches and marine life from pollution. One of the highlights of the weekend was our class reception and reunion dinner in the Schupf art gallery. I sat next to Dick Fraser, who now lives in Greenwich, Conn., with his wife and three children. Dick went to Amos Tuck at Dartmouth for his M.B.A. after graduating from Colby and now is president of Ingram Todd, Inc., a mergers and acquisitions firm in Greenwich. He was horrified to find out that I had become class correspondent-this after telling me several of his Colby stories. (Don't worry, Dick, your secrets are safe with me.) I wish I had room to list the names of everyone who came to reunion; it was great to see you all, even if we're all just a little bit older. Let's not wait 10 or 15 years to get together again. . . . On a final note, the Sanford (Maine) News reports that Peter Swett was engaged to marry Jacqueline Ann Taylor on June 21. Peter is the owner of Doughty Falls Photography in North Berwick. Congratulations and best wishes to you both.

--Nancy Dodge Bryan

top | next

Correspondent did not submit any notes for this issue.

top | next