ALUMNI PROFILES
Frances Vitaglione '63
Finding a Future

Fred Valone '72
Spiritual Challenge

Ari Druker '93
Asia Major

Sarah Toland '00
A Step Ahead

An update from Maurice Whitten is always welcome. In the fall, he taught a course, Science and Technology in the Civil War: A Prelude to Future Wars. The course was in the University of Southern Maine's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, held on the Portland campus. I'm sure it was fascinating--I remember how interesting the talk was that he gave at our elegant 50th reunion dinner held in the Colby College Museum of Art. Now, Maurice and Doris are back home in Gorham following their annual winter thaw-out in St. Petersburg. . . . I hope all's well with everyone else. Looking forward (as I am) to some travel? Let's hear about it or about whatever else you especially enjoy.

Naomi Collett Paganelli

Imagine my happy surprise while watching The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer one night to see Hannah Karp Laipson's daughter, Ellen, speaking as the Middle East expert that she is. Well informed, articulate and handsome. More recently, on the same news hour, there was Ellen's husband, Henri Barkey, discussing Turkey. Hannah and Mike can't afford to miss a single Lehrer program. . . . Please send me your news. You have my address, and if e-mail is easier for you I'm at grandmaalb@aol.com. I need to hear from you in order to write the news for this magazine--unless of course you'd like to hear about my grandchildren. I hope 2003 has been safe and peaceful for all.

Anne Lawrence Bondy

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Recently, Ernest and Beverly Benner Cassara had a short trip to the Middle East. I'll let her tell you about it in her own words: "In October, I was one of an eight-member group of the Cambridge Unitarian Universalist Committee on Justice in the Middle East, which traveled to Palestine and Israel on a fact-finding mission. We met with Palestinian human rights and relief agencies and Jewish peace groups. Of course, we visited as many of the famous sites as time permitted, from Hebron to Galilee and to the Egyptian border in Gaza. I have to say that we witnessed the most distressful Israeli devastation and destruction of life and property in many parts of the West Bank and especially Gaza. However, we met wonderfully noble and dedicated Palestinian leaders--doctors, teachers and clergy--working tirelessly against great odds to bring comfort and relief to good people who want no part of violence and who are enduring all in hopes that eventually justice will prevail for both Israel and Palestine and they will live in states, side by side in secure peace." . . . Thomas Burke again mentioned what a great reunion our 55th was and that he and his wife, Jan, were to take a 15-day cruise to Hawaii in November. He asks that everyone join him in giving to this year's Alumni Fund . . . so get out your checkbooks now and help him reach this year's goal. . . . Your classmates would like to know what you've been doing. Do them all a favor and, please, send me your news.

Mary "Liz" Hall Fitch

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David received best wishes on his 76th birthday from Betty and Marvin Joslow. They wrote, "Delighted to see you twice last summer." We also look forward to those visits on the Vineyard. . . . Carol Stoll Baker called recently and we had a long conversation about Colby and our Colby friends. Carol sees David's brother at Brandeis University, where they both attend classes. . . . Gordon Miller called to discuss the upcoming 55th anniversary of our graduation. Gordon suggested that we might be able to do something special for the Class of '48. The Alumni Office was going to survey the class to determine the potential attendance. We should keep in mind that due to space and staff limitations the five-year anniversary classes are the primary focus for reunions up to and including the 50th. . . . Howell Clement sent an e-mail requesting Marvin Joslow's e-mail address. He said that they already had a week of single-digit weather, and the e-mail was dated November 19. In the e-mail he mentioned that his heart was doing fine so the surgeon must have done a good job. We followed up on that comment and discovered that Howell had undergone open chest and heart surgery in September 2001. He never had a heart attack, and his condition was detected in a routine examination. He is back to refereeing soccer, playing golf, bike riding, felling trees and cutting and splitting them for firewood. . . . We decommissioned the boat in mid-October and spent about three weeks in Jupiter, Fla., preparing for the winter. We returned to the Boston area for Thanksgiving with our family. The weather was more like February than November, and we had single-digit temperatures and about eight inches of snow in a two-week period. Now we are back in Jupiter until April. We just received the wonderful news that our granddaughter, Jessica Marson McNulty, has been offered admission to Colby for the Class of 2007. The entire family is very excited for we will now have three generations as part of the Colby community, David '48, Deborah '75 and Jessica '07. . . . We need material for these columns. Please write.

David and Dorothy Marson

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The news is sparse, but my thanks to Anne Houston Stiller, who did complete the questionnaire in Colby and send it to me. A good time was had at her son John's wedding in October, and Colby was well represented--John's two sisters, a brother-in-law and his mother! Hootie and her husband, Bert, spent a few days with Bud and Jean Bonnell Day in Maine this summer. While there she also saw Jean Desper Thurston. In November I found myself in Damariscotta, so I, too, stopped to see Jebby and Bud, who were recently back from one of their frequent three-week visits to the Cotswolds in England--a trip postponed from last fall after the events of 9/11. It was good to see them. . . . It would be great if some more of you would follow Hootie's example and complete the questionnaire found in each issue of the magazine. Imagine, I might have more news than I could fit in one column!

Anne Hagar Eustis

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