Class of '50

Our class president, Ellwyn Hayslip, has thrown out a challenge to our class to have fifty classmates on the reunion committee in honor of our 50th reunion. It’s the perfect time to get reconnected with our class and UVM. Clyde Badger of Marina del Rey, Calif., wrote that he and Dr. Ken Williams meet every few weeks in L.A. for lunch. Clyde skis, plays golf, and exercises at a gym regularly. Philip Sweetser has moved back to Hyde Park, Vt., since his retirement from E.I. Dupont Company in Wilmington, Del. Joseph DiMatteo of Teaneck, N.J., spends half of his time in Sea Girt, N.J. He has been retired for six years. Virginia Davis Cochran wrote from Richmond, Vt., that she lost her husband, Mickey ’48, in March 1998. They both worked very hard to make skiing a joy for children of all ages. Ginnie has turned their ski area over to a non-profit organization called Cochran, Inc., but continues to be busy helping to keep things running. She hopes to see everyone at our 50th reunion. Jackson Wisner of Ponce Inlet, Fla., continues as an adjunct instructor of chemistry at the Daytona Beach Community College. Ronald Aines retired as an executive of International Harvester Co. several years ago, after traveling around the world for thirty years for two companies. He lives in Northbrook, Ill., and now works in many parts of the world as a management consultant, recently in Africa for the World Bank. Vernon Cram of Black Mountain, N.C., is a retired supervisor at American Optical Co. He is a Teddy bear collector, making miniature housing and furniture. A. Robert Twiss has returned to his hometown of Craftsbury, Vt., where he built a new home on Craftsbury Common. He is very active in community affairs. Jack Hurley and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on February 5, 1999. They met at UVM. They have two grandsons, who they hope will attend UVM. John Clarey retired as president of Fairfield Aviation in New Jersey in 1978. Since then, he has been active as an FAA designer examiner in Naples, Fla. He examines pilots for all ratings from private and commercial to flight instructors to airline transport pilots. Jerry Stiller of Fairfield, Pa., is a civil engineer management consultant for Griller Associates. He has been active in the Civil Air Patrol and is currently serving as squadron commander in Frederick, Md. Jerry is a licensed pilot. Ralph Clark lives in Plattsburgh, N.Y., where he is a professor of biology. He wrote sadly that he lost his wife, Patricia, in December 1998. They were fortunate to have had a lovely trip down the Danube River during the fall before she died. Mark Stoddard of Sunbury, Pa., enjoys gardening, beekeeping, counseling, group Bible study activities with the Gideons, and traveling. William Worthen joined in an annual deer hunt at John Kubibi estate in Bensen, Vt. He said it lacked the fire power of the late ’40s, but it still had plenty of power. Col. Robert Looby plays golf at Kwiniaska Golf Course and is interested in the UVM golf tournament. Ellwyn Hayslip of Concord, N.H., is a retired professor of art but is now an active author, publisher, and marketing manager of Deer Run Book Publishing Co. Ellwyn is marketing his book, Your Career in Crafts. Arthur Jasper of Tehachapi, Calif. retired from West Coast United Egg Producers, but continues to serve as a consultant to the International Poultry Industry. Maynard North of Tampa, Fla., is a college professor and dean. He is active in the University of South Florida’s Learning in Retirement Institute as a board member and instructor in classical music. William VanScoik is enjoying retirement in Madison, Wisc. William has five grandchildren, whom he enjoys visiting. His son, Peter, of Germantown, Tenn., has two daughters, and son Kurt of St. Petersburg, Fla., has three sons. Robert Barrows and his wife, who live in Cape Canaveral, Fla., keep busy by visiting or being visited by their seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. Donald Farrington of Noank, Conn., is thoroughly enjoying his retirement and keeps busy traveling, sailing, cross-country skiing with his grandchildren, playing the banjo, taking photographs, and reading. Joseph Papandrea of Belmont, Mass., has visited the Space Coast and Disney World in Florida and Euro Disney. Mary Jo O’Neill Leach and her husband, Ed, keep busy with volunteer work. They make their home in Dayton, Ohio, but their children are scattered throughout the country, so they travel a lot. Robert Collopy of Winooski, Vt., has been retired from General Electric Co. for the past 13 years. He and his wife have four married children and six grandchildren. Mildred McNeilly Creasey has retired from teaching. She lives in Scotia, N.Y., where she is active in church and community affairs. Mildred and her husband have enjoyed traveling to Europe, the British Isles, and Russia. Their little grandson is a big part of her life. John Bellows of Bellingham, Wash., enjoys skiing, sailing, golfing, and traveling to Turkey, Norway, and through the Panama Canal. Professor Charles Carlton, PhD, has retired from teaching in the department of linguistics at the University of Rochester after thirty-five years. He has received many honors for his years of dedication.

Class of '51

In July, I had a pleasant telephone conversation with Nancy McKee Diesslin, who lives in Covina, Calif. She and her husband, Gus, travel frequently to visit their five children in Idaho; Brooklyn and Peekskill, N.Y.; and Fresno and Redding, Calif. Col. and Mrs. James Kovach were presented the top restoration award from the Halifax, N.C., Restoration Association for their Cellar Plantation (circa 1806). The Kovachs have also been elected to the board of governors of the Historic Halifax Association. Alma Warrell Briggs was given a wonderful birthday present in July from her husband, Jack. They visited Hawaii, where they had lived previously when Jack was on active duty. Alma and Mary Ellen Fuller Fitzgerald celebrate their birthday on the same day, July 18th. I just heard that Mary Babbit Tuthill also had a birthday celebration in July at her home in Williston, Vt.

 

Class of '52

Trudy Wolf and Ronnie Ross looked forward to returning to UVM for Homecoming Weekend. Me, too. My family and I took a delightful scenic trip this summer to Monomoy Island off Chatham, Mass., on Cape Cod.

 

Class of '53

Frank Leary wrote that he was sadly informing us that he represented the class at the funeral of Jim McMullan, who was class president and had been active in the Alumni Association for many years. George Cunavelis ’48 spoke on behalf of Jim’s beloved Kappa Sigma fraternity. Col. McMullan was honored with a full military funeral, and Capt. Leary presented the flag to Jim’s daughters. Frank also wrote that he is busy organizing his class’s 50th reunion at Dean Junior College. He was reelected the New England region commander of The Military Order of the World Wars.

 

Class of '54

Good to hear from so many classmates. Francine Strickler Sherman, our class president, has agreed to lead our reunion planning. I received Mattie Baigell news by email, and I hope others will consider sending their news to me this way at the above address. In 2000, Cambridge University will publish a selection of articles Matthew Baigell has written over the last 35 years as Artist and Identity in 20th Century American Art. His latest book, Jewish American Artists and the Holocaust was published in 1997. Donald Novick retired from the policy and planning unit of South Australia state education after twenty years of amusement, “pushing a large rock up a steep hill.” Col. Clement Nadeau of Killeen, Tex., is an owner/broker in his own real estate firm. Martha Edson fully retired in 1997, after having done human resources consulting for four years. Kevin Kearney, now retired in Florida, wrote that “UVM gave me a fine foundation for graduate studies, leading to two graduate degrees and a thirty-five-year career as a college teacher and administrator.” Richard Ross was married on December 27, 1998, in Needham, Mass. He now runs his own business, called Whom Do You Trust, offering consultations in risk management. Edward Godfrey retired from Utah Power & Light in 1990, then took a three-month motor home tour of the eastern U.S. He took a church mission to New York City in 1993 and 1994, remodeled his home from 1995-1997, and now is on a church mission involving genealogy in Salt Lake City. Thomas Mundie wrote from New Bern, N.C., “In addition to sailing our own sailboat, we have chartered sailboats in the Virgin Islands, the Grenadines in the Lesser Antilles, and the Bahamas. We spend our summers at Cedar Beach on Lake Champlain.” Paul Wishengrad has moved to Chestnut Hill, Mass., where he prepares income taxes and consults with troubled companies. Robert Merchant is actively involved in local government as a member of the city council in Barre, Vt., and other volunteer city activities. Marcia Bennett Kartsen wrote, “After twenty-six years in New Hampshire, we retired to North Carolina. We enjoy the nearby beaches and golf courses and return to New England frequently to visit our five children and ten grandchildren.” Marilyn Noyes Carmen recently sold her house in Bethlehem, N.H., and plans to move to Boise, Idaho. Jane Tandy Lindquist and her husband are enjoying their retirement on Cape Cod. Carol Bliss Morrison and husband Deke ’53 have enjoyed seeing Ted and Noel Booth at antique boat shows in Lake George and Old Forge, N.Y., during the past three summers. Carol noted, “We have three airline pilot sons (Delta, United, and American), who keep us traveling. We visit Utah, California, and Colorado to see our four children and six grandchildren.” Carl Notkin is now semi-retired. He is traveling to Japan to visit his son, Robert, who teaches for the Japanese government and also visited the California wine growing industry. Carl lives in Enosburg Falls, Vt. Joan Schneller Pomeranz and husband Joseph ’53 are moving to Lake Worth, Fla., near her father, Arthur Schneller, MD ’28 (the only living member of his class), who lives in West Palm Beach. LaVerne Trinko is now retired as a sales manager in a big steel company. He is enjoying retirement in Florida, “playing golf, singing songs, and being somebody.” Thomas Gage and wife Betsy spend most of their time at home in Bay Head, N.J. Their primary residence is in Ridgewood, N.J., where their son is a lawyer and father of their two grandchildren. The Rev. Shirley Smith Hoover is about to retire after having served as pastor in New England United Methodist churches for twenty-two years.

 

Class of '55

Mark your calendars for June 1-4, 2000, for our 45th reunion. We will be joined by the classes of ’54 and ’56 for this special occasion. Plans are beginning to take shape, but we need your help. Ronald Apman of Cooperstown, N.Y., has kept busy in his spare time going to church, singing in the choir, and attending family night suppers and Men’s Association suppers. Joan Rohrlick Birchwood completed her second book and is very involved in the creation of a new television show. Joan also will have an exhibition of her photomontages in the spring, and she is hoping that a children’s game she created will hit the marketplace soon. Joan and her husband, Michael, have two married daughters and two “incredible (naturally)” grandchildren. Joanne Murray Blakeman let us know that she enjoys a mini-reunion with other residents of Adsit House from the early 50s. Joanne lives in Montpelier, Vt. Edith Nichols Cameron of Stonington, Maine, is involved in local volunteer programs, has a busy real estate practice, and also plays tennis several times a week. Marlene Goodenough Carr retired from teaching last July. She and her husband, Frank, planned to move to California to be near their daughter and grandchildren. Frederick Cioffi wrote that Val and George Bordes were his guests at his winter quarters in Bonita Beach, Fla., in December 1998. Rudolph Deetjen retired to Maine full time. He keeps busy doing volunteer work, enjoying music, woodworking, and boating. His son, Clifford, and wife Kim moved to Burlington, where he is an architect with Breadloaf Corp., and his wife is an interior designer. Barbara Parker Farr of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., retired from Boeing Corporation in June 1998. Walter Johnson keeps busy playing golf and skiing. He makes his home in Ogden, Utah. Donald Josselyn is president-elect of the Ithaca, N.Y., Kiwanis Club. He also is chairman of Kids against Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco. Donald has three grandsons and one granddaughter. Robert McDonald has spent the past three years enjoying his retirement in Virginia Beach, Va. Prior to that, he traveled as a salesman in the offset printing business 40 years. Grete Isbrandtsen and George Plender retired to Castine, Maine, where George is now part-time harbor master. He loves it, and Grete thinks, “He’s gone to heaven—almost.” Carolyn Silsby enjoyed her trip to the tropical rainforests of Costa Rica with the Vermont Institute of Natural Science last January. Fred Smith of South Burlington, Vt., retired in March 1996 and traveled to Europe in 1998. He enjoys tennis and golf, and his family lives nearby. Frances Kidder Stiles moved to a smaller house that borders the Erie Canal. Her family is sponsoring a family from southern Sudan. Eleanor Levin Trachtenberg of Dallas, Tex., and Sally Weinstock joined Eleanor’s Temple Emanuel Choir tour of Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. They sang at Jewish synagogues and visited synagogues and Jewish Museums.

Class of '56

We will be joining the classes of ’54 and ’55 for an even bigger celebration of our 45th reunion. Mark your calendars and plan to be on campus on June 1-4, 2000. Plans are underway for a spectacular reunion with a “Lake View” theme. Linda Patterson Banta of Orangevale, Calif., recently completed her sabbatical. She took a leave of absence to study tertiary biology education in Australia and was affiliated with the University of Technology in Sydney during that time. Jean Mills Ballinger of Salem, Ore., is looking forward to retiring after a successful thirty-year career in classified newspaper advertising, which took her from the era of “hot lead” to all ads on the internet. Neal Battice retired in December 1998. He moved back to Chester, Vt., his former home, after working as a verifier in the A/P department in the main office of Big Y Foods, Inc., of Springfield, Mass. Nancy McGoughran Blanchet of Spring Lake Heights, N.J., has been fortunate to have maintained many close relationships with UVM classmates. She has also visited with the former Newman Club Chaplain. Carol Coen Dan and husband Lewis ’55, MD ’59, are the happy grandparents of Jaret Benjamin, son of Steven Dan. Their oldest son, Brian, and wife live nearby and have two children. Gilman Dedrick of Burnsville, Md., is still very much in the chicken business. He continues to publish papers on egg shell quality for the commercial layer business. He was the featured speaker at last year’s Latin American Poultry Science Meeting in Cancun, Mexico. Barbara Mitchell Dennis of Hartford, Conn., has retired from teaching health education in the Hartford public schools, where she has taught for the past thirty-six years. She is currently employed as the coordinator of a program to prevent teenage pregnancy called Postponing Sexual Involvement. Barbara has three daughters and one grandchild, and she enjoys traveling. Sandra Ellis Guenther of Golden, Colo., is looking for her lost University Players pin. Help, please. She is a charter member of the Descendants of Early Quakers and a member of the United Empire Loyalists as well as a life member of the Prince Edward Island Museum Association. Bruce Howard of Brewster, Mass., has four grandchildren. He enjoys retirement on Cape Cod. Bruce has been involved in a community landscape project and active in the German American Club. He recently traveled to Germany to uncover his ancestral origins. Lee Hitchcock of Myrtle Beach, S.C., is the district fire chief for Horry County. Gordon Hoxie of Lincoln, R.I., has retired after more than 42 years with the Federal Highway Administration. He and his wife, Betty, plan to spend more time with family and friends, take several long-deferred trips, and very gradually grow old together. Joan Dorfman Kreisler’s oldest son, Kevin, is a psychiatrist/internist in Tucson, Ariz. He and his wife have two sons. Son Kenneth is an anesthesiologist in Morgantown, W.Va. He and his wife have one son. Daughter Kay is in Scottsdale, Ariz., and she and her husband have two children. Thomas Laaspere, who is living in Norwich, Vt., visited the former Soviet Union after its collapse. He made several trips back to Estonia, the country of his birth. Edward McCabe of Princeton, N.J., wrote that he lives fairly close to George Hansen, M.D. Ruth Carroll Parmenter of Syracuse, N.Y., is currently lieutenant governor of marketing, overseeing eighty Toastmaster International clubs in central western New York. Charlotte Marks Raboy retired from the Las Virgines Unified School District in Calabasas, Calif. She had been an elementary teacher for three decades. Charlotte and her husband, Joe, live in Thousand Oaks. George Rood was making plans to retire from The New York Times at age sixty-five in the year 2000 but has decided that is still having fun “playing newspaper,” so he will probably keep editing for another year or two. Michael Rosco, his wife, Nell, and son Michael have relocated to Thousand Oaks, Calif. Michael, Sr., works part time. The Rev. Frank Thurston of Webster, N.H., enjoys traveling to visit family members and friends, attending plays and concerts, walking and reading, and participating in church activities. Kenneth Wadley of Westwood, N.J., retired three years ago. He is busy training and showing cocker spaniels in obedience and show rings. He recently spent two weeks in China. Sally Weinstock and Eleanor Trachtenberg ’55 went with their Temple Emanuel choir to Prague, Budapest, and Vienna. Penelope Collins Whalen from Bloomfield, Conn., continues to enjoy teaching music at the preschool level. She spends a great deal of time serving as president of the Kodaly Educators of Southern New England. Mary Sue Rothenberg Harkavy wrote from New York City, “We have three wonderful grandchildren, Rachael and Elizabeth Harkavy and Jacob Haigh.”

 

Class of '57

Carter and I made our annual trip to a cottage on Lake Champlain this summer and had a reunion with my sisters and their families. While there, I had lunch with Lorna Dean Brown, who lives in Charlotte. Lorna finds great satisfaction in substitute teaching in grades K-4 in Vergennes. She continues her climbs to the top of Mt. Philo almost every morning. She also helps husband Myron “Mike” Brown ’56 in his real estate office. Carter and I also visited the lakeside summer residence of John and Shirley Campbell Prushko. Shirl’s retirement occupation is real estate agent in San Marco Island, the Prushko’s summer residence. Our classmates who write in sound like they are busy and enjoying life. Elwood “Woody” Bickford has retired to Springfield, Vt., with his wife, Gladys (“Rusty”). Woody volunteers as a docent at two historic sites—Vermont’s oldest one-room school, located in Springfield, and the birthplace of Calvin Coolidge in Plymouth. He and Rusty live surrounded by an apple orchard that Woody tends as a hobby. He is often at his easel, painting Vermont scenes in oil, which are exhibited in Springfield. Family and foreign travel further occupy the Bickfords. Dr. Peter Nelson is facing the future with the new heart he received on July 2, 1998, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “So far, so good,” he wrote. Peter and his wife Betsy live in Harvard, Mass. Peter urges everyone to consider turning tragedy for one into life for another by providing for organ donation. I had a conversation with Lyn Bolton Perrin of Charlotte, Vt. She and husband Dave ’55 are enjoying life as retirees since Dave wound up his engineering career as an employee of Lockheed Martin in Burlington. All of their children, two girls and a boy, have engineering degrees: Henry, from UVM in 1990; Cynthia, from UVM in 1983 and Brown; and Susan, with two degrees from MIT. The Perrins travel, and, if possible, they take their canoe along. Lyn and Dave belong to the 251 Club, a group that pursues the goal of doing something special in each of the 251 towns of Vermont. The Perrins’ “something special” is to canoe in each town.

Class of '58

Father Mulligan has been sighted again in Essex Junction, Vt. He looks great and is retired and living in New Jersey. Dick Turrone was recently elected assistant presiding judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court. Dick and his wife, Their three daughters are scattered in three different states, and their son is a junior at Cal Poly. September 1998 was his first trip back to UVM since graduation. Judith Doe Collette moved to Brunswick, Maine, in April and would love to hear from alumni in the area. On a sadder note, Robert Krauser reported the death on May 11, 1999, of his wife of twenty-two years, Mary Kay Edwards Krauser, following a valiant eight-year battle with belatedly-diagnosed ovarian cancer.

Class of '59

Our 40th reunion was a glorious success in terms of spirit, camaraderie, and renewed friendships. I am proud to say that the class of ’59 was well recognized by President Ramaley as the class with the highest percentage of donors: 168 contributors out of a class of 547, making 29 percent. We exceeded our $60,000 goal by raising $83,630, a 39 percent increase. This performance earned our class a tree in the Reunion Arbor on the UVM Green. Our next reunion will be in 2003 when we will cluster with the classes of ’57 and ’58. Our years at the university were some of the most formative in our lives, and UVM means a lot to us, so let’s make plans to be there. Diane Weiss Mufson of Huntington, W.Va., reported that the governor of West Virginia recently appointed her to the State Board of Examiners in Psychology for a three-year term, ending in 2000. Diane owns and operates Affiliates in Psychology and Therapy, Inc., where she works as a licensed clinical psychologist and school psychologist. Benson Snaider of Woodbridge, Conn., an attorney, was selected by the National Business Institute to give lectures on the subject of condemnation law and land-use law. Ben gave presentations in New Haven and Hartford in May. Elliott Brown of Washington, D.C., reported that he had the honor of representing UVM at the inauguration of Dr. Julius Nimmons as the sixth president of the University of the District of Columbia.