ALUMNI PROFILES
Roman Dashawetz '70
Medical Mission

Deanna Cook '88
Cooking the Books

Peter Sekulow '90
Ballpark Figure

Carolyn Szum '01
Air Cleaner

Staff Sergeant J.J. Lovett '96 & Sergeant Eric Anderson '98

Thomas Curran '02

Hi all! Some things apparently don't change--a dearth of news, for instance. However, when news does come in, it's definitely interesting. For instance, Andre "Andy" Boissevain, retired family practice physician who spent the second half of his career in the U.S. Army, together with his wife, Judy, a retired R.N. (he says "naturally"), has finally moved into a much smaller house (no lawn) right on the beach on the beautiful Straits of Ivan de Fuca, 90 miles west of Seattle, with 360 degree views, 50 feet from launching their kayaks. I must have passed this spot when Jane and I visited Victoria, B.C., a few years back. Sequim, Wash., is a bit of a stretch from Waterville, Maine, but we hope they are planning on attending our 50th reunion in early June 2005. Don't know, or can't remember, if we give an award for coming the longest distance, but if so, perhaps he can give Sistie Restall Horne or Beryl Wellersdieck Piper a run for their money. Andy notes they have kids everywhere--Conn., Calif., Wash.; only the dog is left at home. Andy celebrated his 70th birthday recently--as have many of us, another milestone we gave little thought to 50+/- years ago. Last year they did a medical missionary trip to a primitive island (Honduras area) and claimed it was like going back 200 years in time--no electricity, phones, TV, roads, cards; also zero diagnostic capabilities. Luckily no critical problems. In short, a great experience. He and Judy returned from a two-month trip, including a 33-day cruise from L.A. to Sydney, Australia, visiting many Pacific islands along the way. Sounds good to me! . . . And then I heard from Nate Miller, formerly of Caribou, Maine, now living in Sarasota, Fla. George Haskell warned me I would be hearing from Nate and tried to distract him from his appointed mission, but Nate never wavered from the purpose of his call. At least I got some information for the column in return for my 50th anniversary commitment. Nate and his wife, Winnie (Robertson '54), have two children and five grandchildren, two living in the Pittsfield, Mass., area, and three in New Orleans. They were to head for Spain with their daughter-in-law, an M.D. with the U.S. Navy. Following graduate school, Nate worked for General Mills in the Minneapolis and Toledo metropolitan areas in accounting and comptroller capacities, retiring in '94. Nate plans on attending our 50th. . . . Nothing else to report, except that the fund-raising efforts in connection with our 50th, under the direction and leadership of George Haskell, is, as promised, underway. Everyone is encouraged to help him and his committee attain their objective.

--Ken Van Praag

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Our class has another published author: Willard Wyman is finishing work on a novel, High Country. "Fenton's Cutoff," a chapter from the novel, has been published in Epoch magazine (vol. 51, no. 3) at Cornell University. This story of a young boy, alone, bringing out a mule pack during a big snowstorm, has whetted my appetite for the rest of the book. Bill says none of the characters in his book are fashioned after himself, but he did make the ride out alone in a snowstorm long ago--in fact, the fall of '56. If Bill will promise to come east for June 2006, we will most certainly try to put together a book review/discussion panel of classmates. . . . As this is my only news for this report, I will give you a heads-up about our reunion. Next fall we will begin the three-year countdown, and committees will be formed. At the 50th we are guests of the College, but we do hope to start the weekend with a pre-reunion get-together. And since our reunion will start at the College on a Thursday night, we have an extra evening and day to plan our own special events. Those still hitting the golf ball can finally play in the Colby Tournament. I promise to lead my annual nature walk, but this time to the arboretum, which we funded for our graduation gift--and which has gone unexplored by me for 50 years. . . . I need your news.

--Kathy McConaughy Zambello

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Our world situation seems to change from day to day, so it hardly seems appropriate to comment on it. I would rather jump right in with good news. Our class has definitely come to life, so to speak, and we thank everyone for sending in any and all contributions. . . . It was wonderful to hear from Ron Rasmussen. As many of you know, Ron woke up paralyzed in July 1997 as the result of a staph infection of the spinal cord. Ron writes, "I've finally found an activity that I enjoy! Aims/Challenged America has a rehabilitation sailing program, so I go sailing in San Diego Bay, in modified 16-foot sailboats with two sails." He is also writing a non-fiction book but is really motivated the most by his 10-year-old daughter. . . . Charlie Smith writes from Cambridge, Mass., that he is very much alive and well and fortunate to have many good friends and to enjoy golf and tennis. He is still very active as a real estate broker and also in residential preservation and restoration of smaller Greek Revival and Victorian homes; his most recent project has been to restore an 1812 Federal home in Harvard, Mass. His real estate ventures also have taken him to property overlooking the harbor in Wiscasset, Maine, and undoubtedly to a rendezvous with Mac Blanchard in nearby Damariscotta. . . . Recently retired from teaching, Betty Strong Miller tells us that she is still contributing to the education and interpretation of the National Park System out of Valley Forge Park. Her volunteer work also extends to Maine, where she is active in the Maine Lakes Environmental Association. Betty splits her residency between Malvern, Pa., and South Waterford, Maine (the beautiful lakes area). She is now widowed but enjoys the company of her three married daughters and five grandchildren, all living nearby. . . . We are hearing from many long-lost classmates! Fran Rambach Gaynes tells us that she and her husband are moving to Key Biscayne, Fla., after living 45 years in Roslyn, Long Island, N.Y. Despite having many friends in Florida, Fran says the hardest part of pulling up roots will be leaving their son's family in Rye, N.Y., and the Bryant Library in Roslyn, where she has been a trustee for eight years. With relocation to greater Miami, Fran regrets that she did not pay better attention in Spanish class. . . . We chose to stay home this winter and brave the Maine elements . . . you know, the proverbial tons of ice and snow, frigid winds, etc. It was a great decision, albeit there was a little of the aforementioned. We thoroughly enjoyed the company of our little grandchildren and just being at home in these uncertain times. . . . Don't forget to keep sending your news along to us.

--Guy and Elenor Ewing Vigue

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This is a mystery to me, but I came upon some e-mails that should have been included in previous columns. These go back to September 2002, but I can't explain where they have been. I apologize to these classmates; I did not intend to overlook you, and I am certainly grateful for your input. . . . Myron Gantt notified us in September 2002 that his wife, Ilse, died in August 2002. They had 14 years of peaceful living on the south shores of Lake Murray near Columbia, S.C. Now Myron has decided to leave that area and see the rest of the country by motor home. He joined a Livingston, Texas, organization called Escapees, which is made up of others who travel by motor home. Myron's three sons are looking forward to seeing their dad as he travels about the country. . . . Al Dean also wrote in September that after 10 years in Maine he and his wife, Kay (German '59), are back in Leominster, Mass., at the same house they have owned for 41 years. While in Maine, Al owned and operated eight Midas Service Shops. Al is now retired, and his son Tom and his partner's son are running the stores. Tom lives in Windham with his wife, Marnie MacLean, and you can see them every weekend on Channel 8 in Maine. Al and Kay's oldest son, Gary, is a traffic engineer, and he and his wife, Gail, have produced the first granddaughter, Emma, 4. Youngest son, Phil, has been promoted to a full producer at ESPN and is responsible for all the NBA games that the channel televises. After almost six years of labor, Al fulfilled a dream of 30 years by completing an airplane in the spring of 2002. He did all the flight testing in Lewiston in May a year ago, and the plane is now in Fitchburg, Mass. Future plans call for regular visits to their oldest son in New Jersey and perhaps a trip to California if Al gets his instrument rating. Last year Al and Kay went on a cruise to Alaska with Wendy (McWilliam '60) and George Denneen for 10 days. For the past two and a half years Al has been a volunteer DJ on WICN 90.5 FM in Worcester. This is an NPR station featuring 20 hours of jazz daily. This has caused Al to dig out all his old vinyl records and have a good time every Sunday playing them as well as new artists. The Deans were looking forward to Al's 45th reunion. . . . Clark Jones is currently living on Cape Cod and is a sales rep in the mobile electronic business. Clark's wife, Donna, is a branch manager with the Rockland Trust Company. Clark and Donna have three children: Chris, a Navy commander and a carrier pilot now working for Gen. Tommy Franks; Jonathan, who is in the securities business; and Meredith, who has decided to become a stay-at-home mom with her two children. . . . After 10 years, this is my last column. Over the years I have been in touch with many of my old friends and with other classmates whom I did not know that well. I enjoyed hearing from all of you. As you are aware, in the last year or so the number of replies has dwindled. Please help out the new class correspondent by filling out and sending in the questionnaire you find in the magazine or by using the quick and easy e-mail method of contacting the Alumni Office. Thank you for your input over the years and all the best to you, especially good health.

-Margaret Smith Henry

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Your reunion committee is hard at work, making wondrous plans for our 45th reunion, so please save the weekend of June 4-6, 2004. Mark your calendars and plan to be there to share the great activities and some nice surprises! . . . Mabelle "Melly" McKevett Grolljahn is still peddling real estate, painting and generally enjoying la dolce vita. Long weekends on Martha's Vineyard offer plenty of good painting subjects. . . . Louise (Robb '60) and Art Goldschmidt took a cruise to some exotic points in both of our larger oceans. Art has written a revision of his Historical Dictionary of Egypt and taught Islam and Nationalism in the Middle East at Penn State; lots of activity for a retiree! . . . Barbara Hunter Pallotta earned her master of arts in liberal studies from Ramapo College in New Jersey at about the same time that husband Jack retired after 30 years with Guardian Life Insurance Co. The Pallottas, like so many other classmates, are doing quite a bit of traveling. . . . My loyal correspondent Bob Keltie enjoyed a college hockey game in Boston with Dick Morrison and shared a late-night bottle of wine with Al Wilbur. Bob was a goal judge at the NHL All-Star Game in South Florida and says that life is good in 2003. . . . Liz Hay Henderson's life has settled into peaceful retirement. She sews, quilts and makes mohair, jointed teddy bears. Liz and Richard have 14 grandchildren, so there is never a lack of needlework projects. . . . Topsfield, Mass., resident Greg Mac Arthur was chosen as Massachusetts 2003 Businessman of the Year by the Business Advisory Council of the National Republican Congressional Committee. The award was presented at a special ceremony in March. Congrats, Greg! . . . On a personal note, I have had another healthy mammogram; since each of these small successes feels like another chance at life, they seem more like birthdays than anniversaries. In that vein, I'm now seven years old! Lady classmates/spouses/significant others: is it time for your mammogram?

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