Thanks to all who responded to the call for news. * Dick Larschan may have to “retire from retirement!” Living in NYC, he enjoys museum memberships, publishes reviews of Shakespeare on Broadway for a French journal, and serves on the New York Fulbright Alumni Association board. He also created a writing clinic as a College Ready volunteer in a Harlem public school, and he travels and socializes with friends. * Jim Harris volunteered to be our new class agent. Thanks to Don Short for nominating Jim. We all know of Don’s tireless efforts and dedication, and Jim is ready to take up the reins. At reunion last June, Jim and his wife, Maddie, met with Alan Mirken ’51, who was Jim’s mentor for nearly four decades in the book publishing business. Jim thought the Portland cruise was spectacular, as was the food and camaraderie at Colby. He especially enjoyed the tour of the new Davis Science Center and the visit to the art museum. * Steve Schoeman reflected on “a splendid 50th reunion. Perfect weather. Great esprit de corps. Those yummy Maine lobsters!” He found it a “delight to renew old friendships and make new ones, and revisit perhaps the most beautiful college campus in the country if not in the world.” * Attending our 50th reunion reminded Jean Martin Fowler of our extraordinary college years on the beautiful Colby campus. Now, five decades later, in an expression of gratitude, Jean is involved in a project geared toward scholarship funding for students at her former high school in New Jersey. She is on a board that manages the program for a school with very limited resources and for students with limited family support systems. The Alumni Scholarship Fund helps students who are going to college by providing computers, books, transportation, and other necessary items. In addition, Jean’s alumni fund board recently began a mentoring program to help students select colleges and a curriculum program to help lead them toward meaningful, well-paying jobs. “My involvement is very fulfilling,” Jean said. On a personal note, she and her husband, Michael, “had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family in North Carolina and a special Christmas in northern Pennsylvania,” where they celebrated with their youngest grandchildren. * From Martha Farrington Mayo: “What impressed me most about our 50th reunion was that it was easy and delightful to talk with anyone you happened to be near, whether or not you had been friends during our years on campus. The same held true for spouses! I also very much enjoyed joining up with the Folk Club even though I was not part of the group in college. I extend many thanks to the excellent committee that covered all the bases.” * After reunion last June, Marty Schatt Abbott-Shim visited Betsy Crockett Tyson-Smith in Concord, Mass., where they shared memorabilia and stories. During a visit to Oregon, Marty saw Essie McDonough Smith. They reminisced with the reunion yearbook and called Linda Field Mattox, who lives in the Seattle area. Marty also spent time in Oregon in September with her first grandson. She expects another grandson in May. While in the West, Marty hiked with her Atlanta friends in southern Utah. * Al Olivetti reports that he is “still going strong. All looks good; next CAT scan is in March. Otherwise I am feeling fine.” Your classmates, Al, hope all goes well and will be thinking of you with heartfelt support. * P.J. Downing Curtis thought the reunion was “terrific” and enjoyed reconnecting with so many old friends. Lucky P.J., she and John get to go back to Colby and be a part of John’s granddaughter’s swim team activities. P.J. also visits her grandchildren in Maine. * Brian ’63 and Susie Sawyer McAlary moved into their new, green, “mostly off-the-grid house” in Culpepper, Va. The wood boiler, the geothermal hydronics, and the solar panels are in working order.
Spring 2015