By Bill Sargent
Frank Grazioso wrote a lovely tribute to his law partner, Sheldon D. Hosen, who passed away on December 16. “He was brilliant as a counselor and drafter of legal instruments. He was a passionate advocate, earning the respect and affection of generations of clients. He was a man of good humor who could not resist the opportunity to say something funny even at the most ‘serious’ moments. He served his community as the most generous of citizen donors, giving his vast experience, his time, and energy for the betterment of the lives of the poor and disadvantaged. His and Kathe’s home was a refuge for all, especially for kids whose parents had left them. They adopted several kids. He lived his American ideals, accepting friends of all races and nationalities as his brothers and sisters of an extended family. Humble, a bit shy, but a giant among men. I loved him like a brother and will of course long for the daily conversations we had over our 53-year friendship.”
Alan Cooper writes, “We got together with John Anderson and Vee Perini ’62 at John and Cissy’s beautiful place in Durango a few weeks ago. Those guys have actually gotten older. A real treat to see them both again.”
Ed Cussler says, “After 50 years of teaching chemical engineering, I will retire at the end of 2016. I have loved my job. The students have always been young, smart, and hard working. On the other hand, their parents have changed: they used to be much older than me, and now don’t look old enough to have children at all. I plan to do more cooking, rowing, and traveling, building on this year’s trip to Vietnam with Dick McGuire and our wives.”
David Noble has fascinating news: “I just returned from Yale where I had photography meetings at the Beinecke, which is acquiring my photographic archive and papers. (They already have about 250 photographs.)”
Nick Nobbe reports, “I will be retiring for my third time, and am more than ready. Why the hell did I postpone this? Ah, yes, the money and just fun to work with a good group. And that’s also why I’m enjoying each reunion more and more. My apologies for crapping out and not making a proper exit at last summer’s event, because I wrenched my back. My good friend and classmate, Penn Jarvis, rescued me, put me up for the night in Hartford, and saw me off to the airport. Tempus fugit.”
When the call for class notes went out with planned future dates, Allen Young wondered “2020? How many of us will be alive in 2020?” He had few doubts about himself. “I believe I am the youngest member of our class—I was born on November 14, 1940. I’ll outlive all of you!”
Bill MacLean sent a nice note about his life. “As we approach our 60th high school reunions, I have a flood of memories, including the excitement of graduating from Loomis to go on to college. Yale was amazing in so many ways, and provided me the foundation to go on to medical school at P&S and a lifetime as a physician. I am still practicing cardiology, but without night call or procedures, a more gentlemanly lifestyle. The excitement and privilege of patient encounters remains strong. All the rules, regulations, and monitoring cannot spoil the one-on-one encounter with a patient. It remains a great privilege. I look forward to every day as a physician.” Bill adds, “My older children have provided me with seven grandchildren, all of whom light up my life. And my bonus in life, Zachary, my 6-foot-3, 16-year-old tenth-grader son, has continued to be a joy even with the new aspect of 16-year-old independence, which is sometimes tumultuous. He is like looking at myself 50 years ago. My older son, Ian, is in law practice in NYC. My older daughter, Kathryn, teaches high school science and math in Las Vegas. My younger daughter, Stephanie, is a nurse practitioner at University of Alabama at Birmingham ER. And my wife Lisa remains beautiful and loving (most of the time). We have had some limited health issues, none of which has slowed us down for any length of time. Certainly, life is good.”
The class steering committee has provided reunion dates: Philadelphia mini: October 12–15, 2017 (Manko, Marvin, Tierney, McLane, Starr); Louisville mini: September 20–23, 2018 (Henry Kuehn); Charleston mini: Sept/Oct 2019 (McLane, Mallory); Dallas/Fort Worth mini: Sept/Oct 2020 (Pendergrass); 60th Reunion at Yale: May 2021 (Townsend).
Also in the works are an academic seminar weekend at Yale in spring of 2018 (Teti, Cantor) and another spring mini.
Vince Teti, our class of ’61 treasurer, recently sent out the annual appeal for class dues. He notes that dues help replenish our class treasury and are especially meaningful as occasional subsidies for mini-reunions and for the major fifth-year reunions. Your dues help keep costs down to spur attendance for those who might otherwise not be able to attend.
Lou Allyn, our class webmaster, says that we only have e-mail addresses for about 70 percent of the class, so if you are one of the 30 percent, please send your e-mail address to Lou at allynlouis6@gmail.com.
Lastly, Maysie Starr, head of the widows committee, would like roommates and good friends of classmates to reach out to the surviving spouses of classmates who have died and encourage them to attend class reunions.