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| MAY/JUNE 2004 VOLUME 106 NUMBER 6 | Class Notes |
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27 | "Like mother, like daughter." That's how a local newspaper began its story about Gertrude Godfrey Ronk, BA '29, of Williamsburg, MA. On a crisp Saturday late last November, just a month shy of her 100th birthday, Gertrude accepted the "Boston Post cane," a symbolic gift given by the Williamsburg selectmen to the town's oldest resident. Several decades earlier, Gertrude's mother had received the very same honor, "sitting in the same chair in the same room in the same house."As the Daily Hampshire Gazette described it, Gertrude was "a lifetime resident of Trumansburg, NY, until she retired to Williamsburg with her late husband Edward [PhD '34] in 1964.Her mother came to live with them several years later."
"Gertrude's cheerful and lively demeanor," the article continued, "puts to rest any myths about elderly women being docile or complacent. When the selectmen drew near to present her with the cane, she wagged her finger at the chairman: ‘Speak more slowly when you speak in public,' she said. Then she offered an assessment of local politics, calling the current board ‘the best-balanced trio that we've had since we've lived here.' "
Friends, family members, and neighbors gathered to celebrate the occasion and to praise Gertrude as an independent, feisty woman with a mind of her own. "She is always bringing something wonderful to other people's lives," said one neighbor. Gertrude, very appreciative but somewhat embarrassed, said that she enjoyed the company. "I think you're making a lot out of a thing that doesn't deserve it, but I thank you all."
What is the secret to the family's longevity? "Genes," says Gertrude. "And I'm not talking about the ones spelled J-E-A-N-S." Our best wishes go out to Mrs. Ronk, and the magazine thanks Priscilla Alden Clement '46 for sending us a copy of the article.-- Class of 1927, c/o Cornell Alumni Magazine, 401 East State St., Suite 301, Ithaca, NY 14850.
31 | Len Gordon, our longtime class vice president, has sent in an addition to the Legacy Lists from his new permanent address (6350 NW 62nd St., Apt. 111, Tamarac, FL 33319-6281; tel., (954) 726-5029): Emily Horwitz Gordon '07, daughter of David Gordon '64, niece of Peggy Gordon Miers '60, and Len's granddaughter. Frank Principe (Francis J., 53148 63rd St., Maspeth, NY 11378) has again been honored in his hometown for his life-long community service (for which the local newspaper has dubbed him "Mr. Maspeth"). This time he has gone national! The American Concrete Inst. has granted him their highest award, "Honorary Membership." Since the institute was established in 1926, it has elected only 17 persons to this position. Frank's award is for "his foresight, perseverance, and determination to improve both technical and commercial aspects of the concrete industry." Congratulations, Frank!
Way back in May 2003, Ruth Laible Tallmadge (81 Coniston Dr., Rochester, NY 14610) reported on a busy day in her garden in the category "What I accomplished yesterday": "Planted one dozen petunias and two veronica, one dozen cosmos. Spring planting now finished. Just hope the deer don't feel the urge to nibble."Ruth, we hope the deer got to somebody else's garden first, and that your 2004 planting is even more successful. Back in June 2003 our faithful correspondent Rosemary Hunt Todd (200 Alliance Way, 239C, Manchester, NH 03102) told of "rounding out seven months of living in a retirement spot in the wooded hills of Manchester." She has one daughter living nearby and planned a summer trip to see another daughter in New Jersey and a son near her old stamping ground, his summer home on Lake Michigan. At this age, there's nothing quite as enjoyable as visiting the descendants, is there?
Even farther back, in April 2003, Bill Vogel (William H. Jr., 12 Strawberry Lane,Warren, CT 06777) crossed out all the suggested categories for response and sent in the following: "What do I write that would be of interest to my fellow classmates? Thankfully, my health is good, I enjoy living in my own home, but things that I enjoy doing get harder to do. My honeybees died during this past winter. Now, do I replace them? I hope I can. Fortunately, my eyes are good and I can drive my car, have many interests, and keep active. In September (2003) a fellow Cornellian and fraternity brother Ed Matthews '37 and I will go to our reunion of the 1st A.W. Co. in Lambertville, NJ. In February 1941 we both were called to active duty in the Army Signal Corps (Bill was in the ROTC Signal Corps at Cornell) and sailed to Iceland in July and set up the Air Defense System there. It was operational by September--three months before Pearl Harbor. I hope to make our 75th Reunion in 2006! Best wishes to all." To answer your initial question, Bill: "Just what you wrote."
Helen McCurdy Grommon, MA '37 (Mrs. Alfred H., 501 Portola Rd., #8025, Portola Valley, CA 94028) was very single-minded in her responses to the suggested categories--what she was doing, what she had been doing, and what she hoped to do. Her answers referred to her continuing ambition: "To clean up my desk." When you finish, Helen, I have an Augean task here on the Cape for you. Tom Kelley (Thomas D., 11770 NE Yeomalt Point Dr., Bainbridge Island,WA 98110) reported back in April 2003 that he gets around and keeps busy, but has to use a walker. He also sent along a letter for Frank O'Brien reporting on a visit he had made some years before to the Castle in Ireland that was the ancestral home of the clan O'Brien. Some excerpts: "They had a medieval dinner for all the visitors, and I was ‘Lord of the Manor' that night . . . They sat me up on a throne with a diadem on my head, and then put my wife on a lower seat with a smaller diadem. She got mad when I told her that was appropriate. Then we had medieval food and drank mead, which comes from fermented honey. (Bill Vogel never brought any of that to Reunion!) There was a commotion when two medieval guards dragged a chap before me and said, ‘Sire, we caught this varlet trifling with the ladies! What shall we do with him?' I went back to my medieval Irish and ordered, ‘Throw him in the dun-john!' " -- Bill Vanneman, 237 N.Main St., S. Yarmouth, MA 02664-2088; e-mail, ggrampi@gis.net.
32 | During the holiday season I received a greeting card from James Whiskeman, 8424 E. Via De Encanta, Scottsdale, AZ 85258- 3908. Jim was a memorable pitcher about whom the Ithaca Journal once printed a headline that said "Whiskeman Defeats Colgate," or words to that effect. The card included a snapshot of a smiling Jim with a handsome dog on his lap.
As I write this, western New York is in the grip of a frigid February, but by the time this issue reaches you baseball will be a suitable topic. And so I report that today's paper carried the obituary of Robert Newman, loyal Cornellian and classmate. To tie in the baseball connection, I quote from the report in the Buffalo News: "The 93-year-old Buffalo native would later become the friend and lawyer for Baseball Hall of Fame Joseph V. ‘Marse Joe'McCarthy, the first manager to win pennants in both major leagues and the first to win the World Series four times in a row."
Bob and his wife regularly attended class reunions until his failing health precluded travel. He served in North Africa during WWII, and upon his return stateside met Women's Army Corps Sgt. Helen Wilson, whom he married in 1947.Helen told the News, "I outranked him.He was a private first class." That apparently was the recipe for a happy marriage.
Bernard Falk and I regularly communicate via e-mail and he recently sent me a page entitled "How Did We Survive?"With his permission I plan to insert a paragraph in this and a few subsequent columns with the title "Musings from Ben Falk." For example:"My mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs, and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning. My mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter. And I used to eat it raw sometimes, too, but I can't remember getting E. coli. We all took gym, not PE, and risked permanent injury with a pair of high-top Keds (worn only in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air-cushioned soles and built-in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries, but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now."
For those of you who may wonder how I can be so stupid as to lay myself open to charges of plagiarism and violation of Ben's privacy, be advised that Ben sent me a message saying I may present for publication anything he sends me. -- Jim Oppenheimer, 140 Chapin Pkwy., Buffalo, NY 14209; tel., (716) 886-1314.
33 | Your class secretary is regretfully giving out and up, at only 90. Ted Tracy, our class treasurer, has been forewarned. By the way, he is coming along fine with his new knee. I've just finished a stint in the hospital. If there's nothing wrong with you, they can always find something at this age. The taped copy of my rendition of "Streetcar Sam" lies in the Tompkins County Museum, right below the Cornell Alumni Magazine office on East State Street, for future generations. This will be my last column.Do stay tuned to this space, however, for future Class of '33 columns, and continue sharing your news by sending your friendly updates directly to the magazine (see address at the bottom of this column).
From Deane Dunloy: "Your pitiful plea for material touches my heart. But not my blind eyes or wobbly brain.With advanced macular degeneration, I can't even see this as I write. Hope you can. Tried to get to our 50th--with a suite on campus for granddaughter Allison Dunloy '00 and son James '72--but never made it, as my wife Martha died and I went to her funeral--blind. Sorry not to be there." Could have been any of us!
Lt. Col. Alfred Bennett (25212 Village 25, Camarillo, CA 93012): "I am the ombudsman for Leisure Village, a retirement community of 2,136 homes and about 3,500 people. It is run by volunteers, starting with the five-member board of directors, who are supported by the chairs for various committees--very democratic. Elections are held each year. Once a month the board holds an open meeting. The chairs relate what their committees accomplished the past month, and homeowners can relate their complaints or express their praise to the board. Then my turn comes. I relate the problems that people have directed to me and explain what I did for them--but without giving any personal information. It is all confidential.
"One day when I was out walking, I saw this younger couple. The husband was holding a cute puppy, and that's always an invitation to speak, at least about the puppy. Before I could open my mouth, the woman said, ‘Aren't you the ombudsman?' I didn't know what to expect. She said, ‘I listen to you every open board meeting.' (That was very nice to know.) But she was not through. She put icing on the cake by saying, ‘I find your reports very interesting.'When it was my turn to speak at the next open board meeting, I related what the woman had said, and ended by saying, ‘To that couple, whoever they are and wherever they are, I hope they get as much pleasure from the puppy as they gave to me.' "
Bill Neff (4031 Kennett Pike, #62, Wilmington, DE 19807): "Our 70th Reunion was great and well organized, thanks to Ted and his associates.We were pampered beyond expectations by the Statler Hotel staff. The receptions, dinners, and lunches at Barton Hall were most enjoyable. Our class picture was great. It would balance if somebody would make up a key chart showing the names and picture locations and send a copy to those in the picture." (This task was laid on Ted Tracy.)
Here is an excerpt from a letter to Ted from our Cornell Tradition scholarship recipient, Gina Testa: "I am writing this letter to thank you for your class's generous contribution to the Cornell Tradition, and for giving me the opportunity to attend such an outstanding university. I am a third year student in Arts and Sciences and have just recently declared Sociology as my major. I have taken a great variety of classes in the department and have decided on a concentration in organizational business. I am currently studying gender inequality and economic sociology, both of which interest me very much. I plan to attend graduate school, and will most likely study business or economics.
"I am originally from Drexel Hill, PA, a small town outside Philadelphia, and my family now resides in Lancaster, PA. I have two brothers and one sister. I have a great passion for sports and this helped spark my interest in Cornell. I was recruited by field hockey coach Michelle Tambroni, and several other Ivy League schools. However, Cornell was able to give me everything I was looking for--a healthy mix of academics and athletics. I am also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. This organization has opened many doors for me and allowed me to discover specific friendships. My field hockey team participated in several service projects last spring, including assisting in the landscaping of a local park. I am looking forward to my next years at Cornell, and once again would like to express my appreciation for your generosity.You have played a major part in helping my dreams to come true. Thanks so much."
And finally, an admission from your departing secretary:We--Catherine (Stainken) '36, MS '39, and I--have ten children: four Cornell; four Harvard; Gettysburg; UMass; Wellesley. Four with PhDs; all with master's. We will ALWAYS be Cornellians! -- Henry E.Horn, 47- 1 Trowbridge St., Cambridge, MA 02138; Class of '33, c/o Cornell Alumni Magazine, 401 East State St., Suite 301, Ithaca, NY 14850.
34 | Since I work on the premise "Better late than never," I hope this makes the May/June issue. We will have our 70th Reunion this year and I hope all who can will get there. Caroline Bissell Capper tells of two dentists, one doctor, and one pharmacist among her five grandchildren. There are also six greatgrandchildren. She still plays golf and is an active hospice volunteer. Caroline is thankful to still be here to enjoy family and friends. Elsie Starks Shreeve sent in a wonderful letter with so much information that I must shorten it. I truly love getting these news cards and wish I could include everything you tell. She now has 11 great-grandchildren, including a darling adopted from China. She is still driving, enjoys living with husband Al, and finds her home in the retirement village most pleasant.
Beulah Hyman Perskin is another Florida transplant. She lives with her daughter and family in Boca Raton and celebrated her 90th birthday --but then, who among us hasn't! There was a note written for Mary Jewell Willoughby and I hope she is well enough to know that we are glad to hear from her. She still owns the farm in Kansas where her grandparents settled.
Elizabeth Barber Evans has moved to 55 Harris Rd., Troy, NY 12182 and regrets not being able to get to reunion. Mary Terry Goff is still in her own house. She went on a ten-day cruise to Mexico and then a two-week cruise to Hawaii.
I've exhausted all the news cards and hope to get more for another letter.-- Eleanor Mirsky Bloom, 463 77th St., Brooklyn, NY 11209; tel., (718) 836-6344.
This is the last Class Notes before our 70th Reunion, June 10-13, at the Statler Hotel in the midst of the Cornell campus. 70 years is a long time! We worked hard then, but we had a great time! This reunion will give us all an opportunity to reminisce and rehash those great and happy memories.
I had a long phone visit with Max Dercum. I roomed across the hall from him in Boldt Hall our first year at Cornell.Max was a fine skier in college and active in the Cornell Ski Club.When he graduated he ended up in Colorado in the heart of that state's ski country. He became involved in the development of some of their fine ski facilities. He built a lovely home right there, raised a family, and taught them all to be very adept on the slopes.Max became a legend in the ski world out there, and in his honor they named one of the mountains Mount Dercum. I think that's another first for our class! What a wonderful success story. He turned his hobby into a successful career. Congratulations,Max. It couldn't happen to a nicer fellow.
Jim Hirshfeld,ME '37, an active member of our class in college, long since retired, is now living in Roscommon, MI, on the beautiful upper peninsula of Michigan. It was so good to catch up with Jim after too long a time. Glad to find him in good shape, discounted somewhat for age! Our good friend Hugh Westfall will be unable to make our 70th, which is a disappointment not only to Hugh but to his classmates. He's a great Cornellian and has been a regular reuner and great supporter of our class and of the Hotel school.We thank you for all your support,Hugh, and hope you continue to feel better.
Our reunion is shaping up well. We will have a fine attendance, and it will be a great gettogether. We will have our first opportunity to meet and visit with Cornell's new president, Jeffrey Lehman '77, an impressive figure.We will also have a special visit and tour of the new headquarters of Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology --a truly magnificent edifice.
Please make every effort, each of you of the Class of '34, to attend this reunion. This will be our class's big finale. Let's make it one you will long remember!
We will also be concluding our 70th Reunion Capital Campaign. Our goal is to set a new record for the number of class donors to the 70th Reunion.We are doing well so far, and with lots of effort we can set a new record. So please be sure to make a gift by June of this year, large or small.We want your name on our Class Honor Roll. Remember this is the last year your class will be asking you to make a gift to Cornell or seeking class dues from you. Let's end it on a high note! Thank you so much for your support. You are why Cornell '34 has always been a "Class Act." -- William R.Robertson, 143 Rivermead Rd., Peterborough, NH 03458; tel., (603) 924-8654.
35 | I was saddened at year-end to learn that Ann Sunstein Kheel '36, the brilliant and lovely wife of classmate Theodore W., had died. After raising five daughters and a son, she devoted many years of service as a civic leader and an environmentalist to New York City and New York State. On behalf of the Class of 1935, I wish to offer sincere condolences to Ted and their entire family.
Elizabeth Williams Stavely of 10961 Gurley Lane, Mendocino, CA 95460 writes that in 2002 she completed 50 years of service as a member of the League ofWomen Voters, as well as welcoming her first grandchild. She frequently sees Barbara Anderson Everett '60. Ward Luther, who lives in Freedom Village, 6404 21st Ave. W., #H-503, Bradenton, FL 34209, serves on the finance and well-being committees. He has four children and four grandchildren who live nearby.Ward, it's great to hear that you are enjoying life so fully.
Doris Struss Huster of 727 Berkshire Rd., Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230 writes that she and husband Frank are doing well and that she is enjoying the pocket calendar. Florence Nusim Greville, who played the piano for the group singing at our 65th Reunion, is also pleased with the calendar. Florence lives at 505 Pebble Hill Ct., Charlottesville,VA 22903. Florence, our next reunion is not so far off that you might dust off the old songbooks and start rattling the keys.
Dr. Tevis Goldhaft, 3300 Darby Rd., #3225, Haverford, PA 19041, used e-mail to call my attention to a front page New York Times article about the Class of 1933 at Princeton that sounded like it could have been written about the Class of 1935 at Cornell. Thank you, Tevis.
If you have no News, you must have a Memory that you would like to share. Send it to: -- Albert G. Preston Jr., 252 Overlook Dr., Greenwich, CT 06830; or e-mail, davada35@aol.com.
36 | Greetings. In our last column I bemoaned the fact that our news was drying up--but not so! Since then we have all received our letter asking for our annual dues, and included in that letter, as usual, was the News Form, which 28 of you (so far) returned with information about yourselves. Thank you! However, I'm sorry to report that of those 28, eight were without a name.We have been getting that same form for as long as I can remember and I'm sure that it is unique among all forms ever designed--it doesn't ask for a name. At first glance that makes sense because if the university sends it to us they must know our name. But apparently that doesn't work.
Over the years, by trial and error, most of us have figured out the system. When we first started, we got the letter and form and sent in a check and that seemed to keep the people in Alumni Affairs happy. So the next year they knew we were still around and sent us another letter and form, and we sent in a check, etc. But then one year we sent in some news about ourselves along with the check, but the check and the news got separated. By habit or pure intuition, some of us signed our name to the form, which was sent to old Bill, who jumped up and down and told his wife that he had some news and could use it.
For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, there's hope! Now we have a university president who for the first time in Cornell's history is one of us, and he's been getting that same form each year. I can see him now, sitting in his office at the U. of Michigan saying to himself, "I'd love to be President of Cornell, and if that should ever happen, the first thing I'm going to do is change that form. No, that's not right, the first thing I'm going to do is change the football team, and the second thing I'll do is change the form." But of course presidents are too busy with more serious matters, so I guess that won't happen. Therefore, if you should ever get a form with a blank box at the top and no instructions, that box is not there for decoration or to take up space, and it's not there for a message like,"Hail, Cornell," or "Merry Christmas." Nor is it for a photograph. It's for your NAME! Of course, there's a more simple solution, but . . .
Happily, one of us who has figured it out and who also was kind enough to send me a letter is Frank "Bob" Drews, which follows: "I just received the new issue of the alumni magazine and enjoyed your remarks about the Dartmouth game. That must have been senior year. As I remember, our junior year we played Richmond, supposedly a warm-up game. They beat us 6-0. On the Richmond team was Lyle Graham, later an executive with Philip Morris. He is now a close friend and former golfing partner, despite losing his left arm as a Navy pilot in WWII. We often joke about that game. They were not on the schedule the next year, and he says they dropped us because we almost beat them. You are right. Our classmates on our senior year team were a great bunch of men, Hack Wilson, Bill Borger, Jeff Stofer,Hank Godshall, Andy Peirce, Ev Bragg, Ron Wilson . . . I could go on forever.Many went on to graduate school to become lawyers, doctors, architects, and leaders in the business world.Were college football teams today composed of men like them, I think it would be better.
"You certainly have a tough job. The attrition rate of our classmates is high and those who are left sit in our retirement communities. We go to exercise class, play bridge and gin, have putting contests, and generally lie about what we did in our 20s and 30s. Almost no one is old enough to question what we say. At present only Howie Heintz, Paul Mattice, and I are still here from the Phi Gam Class of '36. Incidentally, the recent directory of Cornell Phi Gamma Delta has an address for William Borger: 76 Woodley Rd., c/o Helen O. Glower,Winnetka, IL 60093. For years we had no address for him."
Thanks, Bob.Wonderful letter and I'm sure the university will be glad to have Bill's address. It would be great to hear from Bill, Howie, and Paul, and also Hank Godshall, who played an important role in our class activities. Speaking of which, the honors continue to increase for Harry Bovay, who has just been awarded the 2004 Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award. He will be honored along with the eight other honorees at a ceremony in Ithaca on October 15. Harry can be reached at 2200 Willowick Rd., Unit 12H,Houston, TX 77027-3925. In our next column I'll happily have lots of news for you from those who have learned to sign those forms. -- Bill Hoyt, 8090 Oakmont Dr., Santa Rosa, CA 95409; e-mail, subilhoyt@SBCglobal.net.
37 | Dr. Alfred Freedman, although retired for 13 years, is still engaged in national and international boards of psychiatry and general medicine that are involved in issues concerning capital punishment. The boards investigate the role of physicians, particularly psychiatrists, in legal executions, and are campaigning for a moratorium and eventual abolition. Alfred and Marcia's son Paul is the Chester D. Tripp professor of history at Yale, and son Dan is Washington correspondent of Hearst Press.
Millard and Genevieve Coggshall celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last October in Clermont, FL. Wendell Fairbanks has moved to an assisted living facility at Columbia Ridge, 2300 W. 9th St., Apt. 226,Washougal,WA 98671. When they're not "wintering" in Lake Worth, FL, you'll find Ellis Jacobson and Dorothy, a retired registered nurse, at home at 156 Osborne Rd., Sacandaga Village, Northville, NY 12134-3472.
Bernard and Adele Massell Diamond '38 say they stay at home base in White Plains, NY, these days, where children and grandchildren visit often. The Diamonds have two sons, two daughters, and eight grandchildren, including Adam, who is working on a PhD in history, Lauren, a teacher, David, playing guitar and working with computers, and Jessica, just out of Oberlin, in India. Edward and Lenore Speiser are very proud of their sons' successful careers. Mark is CFO of a large local company, and Andy the senior vice president of the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. Four grandsons, all in college or high school, round out the family. Former extensive travelers, the Speisers haven't been away in the past few years.
Col. Edwin Moran had a 30-year career with the US Army Corps of Engineers. Ed and Barbara enjoy living at Kendal of Ithaca with lots of Cornellians. He continues his interest in writing and historical research, gets out on the golf course, and is a bank director. The Moran clan includes four children and eight grandchildren, all graduates of an assortment of colleges, and one great-grandchild.
At the Call family reunion in Letchworth State Park, Alden Jones was the eldest member among 70 family celebrating the 150th anniversary of ancestor Robert Call's coming to the US. Many of Alden's cousins were Cornell grads, including his sister Eileen Jones Lye '41 from Raleigh, NC.-- Robert A. Rosevear, 2714 Saratoga Rd. N., DeLand, FL 32720-1403.
38 | C.Monroe Albright Jr., MS '40 (Wilmington, DE) is still working at The Furniture Exchange Ltd., which he started in 1981 with his second wife, Nancy, after each had lost their first spouses. After three operations in 2002 he now operates with a cane. "Otherwise, life is great.My son Clayton M. III '76 lives here in Wilmington. He is married with two children. His daughter is entering Bucknell (hopefully) next year.Miss Ithaca; maybe see you for the 70th."
Ruth BarclayWright (Cape Porpoise, ME) and husband Harold '36, MD '39, are enjoying family. Two great-grandchildren live just around the corner. Daughter Doris is now in Florida with a cabin cruiser that she uses to sail back and forth via the Intracoastal Waterway. Their son Charles's art gallery in Kennebunkport is thriving. Son Edward, a professional guitarist, is always performing, and his two sons are also in music and the arts. Dorothy Godfrey Crowther (Elyria, OH) reports that she is living in a nice retirement center with others of the same age and having a wonderful time. Two of her children (Jack and Judy) live in Elyria. Oldest daughter Dee lives on Kelley's Island in Lake Erie, and daughter Cecily Jean resides in Chicago. Dorothy has nine grandchildren. One of them, Casey, is now a freshman at Cornell. "She loves it, of course!"
Harold Segall (hasegall@hklaw.com; Harrison, NY) and wife Edith had a wonderful trip to Venice and Paris last fall. Shortly after their return, the National Guild of Hypnotists published his article, "Golf--The Role of Hypnosis," in its newsletter. If any member of the class would like a copy, please send Harold your home address or e-mail. His e-mail address is above. After 55 years, his former firm, Gilbert, Segall and Young, had a happy and successful merger with his present firm,Holland & Knight. "I am still hard at work," he writes, "although I come to the office only four days a week. Since I live in Westchester I commute to Grand Central and then take the subway to Fulton Street. Edith and I enjoy the company of Lenny and Gloria Roberts, who are members of our country club.We enjoy our geriatric golf."
Sylvia Gluck Grossman (Roslyn, NY in summer; St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, in winter) says that she is comparatively healthy, but no longer plays tennis at her club--"only bridge and food." She and husband Irwin no longer travel the world. Sylvia still serves on the Visiting Nurse Assn. of Long Island executive board and on the board of ethics for the Town of North Hempstead, Long Island. She was cited as Volunteer of the Year by Ronald McDonald House, which she visits every two weeks with cakes from Entenman's. She has three sons and one grandson. One of her sons drafts healthcare legislation for Congress to consider. Frederick Tropp's daughter Caroline Beale (bealecons@ aol.com) let us know that her father passed away suddenly on October 7, 2003. "He remained very active," she wrote, "until an acute illness in mid-September, playing tennis and golf several times per week."
Elizabeth Burgess Benedict (Manlius, NY) wrote us about her children and grandchildren. Her son Dale Benedict '62, ME '63, lives in Michigan and is married to Marion (Krause) '66. Grandson Eric received his undergraduate and master's degree at Purdue and his PhD at the U. of Wisconsin. Granddaughter Brenda earned her BA at Hope College in Michigan and her MA at the U. of Oregon. James and Ruth Pierce Moyer '41, PhD '69 (Ellenton, FL) said they had no particular news. "Not very active anymore. But, still active and kicking!"
Keep sending your news! -- Class of '38, c/o Cornell Alumni Magazine, 401 East State St., Ste. 301, Ithaca, NY 14850; e-mail, cornell_magazine@cornell.edu.
39 | Perhaps the bitter cold and heavy snows of the worst winter in 50 years in Ithaca spread out across the land, because news has been sparse indeed.We huddled indoors, and I suppose you did, too. At any rate, reunion time is here, and the onset of summer, and we can all warm up together as we celebrate our 65th. I have not heard yet how many of our classmates will return to the Hill, but can assure you we'll have a wonderful time exclaiming over the many changes on campus, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. Sixty-nine years ago, we were belting out "Hi-Yi-Ki-I-Kus, nobody like us, we are the freshmen of Cornell." Remember? It's hard to believe.
Meanwhile, our lives have gone in many different directions, all influenced by special interests and circumstances. Priscilla Buchholz Frisbee's interest in local history, developed over many years with her husband Edward '38, JD '40, resulted in 2003 in the naming of the Edward Frisbee Center for Collections and Research at Historic Cherry Hill, a wonderful museum honoring early settlers--the Van Rensselaer and Rankin families of New York. As Priscilla said, "It was one of the biggest days of my life." She sent clippings of the celebration of the opening, and I shall send them to the archives at Cornell.
Barbara Babcock Payne, after a busy career as an assistant dean at Cornell, a fund-raiser for the United Negro College Fund, and other academic roles, now concentrates on her first love, gardening. She, with her children, gave Cornell a natural area for research in memory of her son Edward. Her latest effort is helping to track the migration of the viburnum leaf beetle in Ithaca. She looks after the funds we raise to support our garden at the Plantations, to which I hope you will remember to contribute to honor your friends and relatives.
Elvira Falco Bass, a noted research scientist at Sloan-Kettering in New York City, retired to Blue Hill in Maine and took up a whole new activity, getting involved in the Historical Society, collecting historical materials and books for their town library, and running the library book sales. Helen Ziegler Carr and husband John '41 have become avid boaters on Puget Sound in all kinds of weather. She says she's exchanged snow for rain, but doesn't seem to mind, pitying us poor Ithacans who get both snow and rain.
Now I'm looking forward to seeing those of you who can make it back to Cornell, to hear about your families, your activities, and your adventures. See you at Reunion! -- Ruth Gold Goodman, 103 White Park Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850; tel., (607) 257-6357; e-mail, bg11@cornell.edu.
John D.Hull Jr. and wife Astrid will make their usual trip to Sweden later this year so they can attend our 65th Reunion! They also plan to attend their granddaughter's high school graduation in May. Edward Holcomb, MD '43, and wife Nancy (Eggleston), MS '41, spent their spring and summer in the Isle of Palms, SC. Edward still enjoys tennis, skiing, and photography . . . and traveling, too, as they showed slides of their trip to the Galapagos Islands. Their timber harvest produces some ash hardwood and is used to produce baseball bats!
Frank McAleavey tells us that he and wife Jane celebrate their wedding anniversary every five years in Pacific Grove, CA. He hopes to return for reunion in June. Harvey McChesney and his wife spent February and March in Stuart, FL, as usual. After visiting his grandson in Phoenix, AZ, they went on a tour of Copper Canyon and the Sea of Cortez in Mexico. In October they were blessed with a great-grandchild, the first McChesney of that generation.
Mark T.Muller now lives with wife Helen in a high-rise condominium in Dallas. He is legally blind and listens to books from the Library of Congress. One of Mark's wartime experiences was recounted in his building's paper: He was commissioned with the Army Signal Corps and was among the first to land in New Guinea. There he met his wife-to-be, a former Red Cross and Army nurse in the 153rd battalion hospital in the first MASH unit set up in New Guinea.He retired from the service as a full colonel with 17 decorations. Their careers cover WWII, the Vietnam War, the Washington photography staffs of presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and MIT and UT professorships in Austin, teaching telecommunications. He encrypted codes for several generals, including General MacArthur, who signed papers permitting Mark and Helen to get married. They hope to be at reunion!
John Ogden works part-time as a realtor in Milwaukee for his two sons, who run the business. His third son, Christopher '82, is in the restaurant business in Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach, as well as in Savannah, where he owns and runs three shops. John hopes to see many of his classmates at the 65th Reunion. Alexander Yaxis keeps busy as a semi-retired dairy consultant. As a hobby he maintains his 28-ft. sailboat and fabricates boat parts, cruises on it in summer, and charters it in the British Virgin Islands during winter. He is looking forward to attending our 65th. Jerome Schneck says that the year 2003 marked his 60th wedding anniversary, as well as his graduation from medical school. He has retired from his practice of psychiatry and is now an honorary senior psychiatrist at St.Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center in New York City.
I hope you'll come to Ithaca next month for our 65th Reunion--the trip will do us all good! -- Phil Twitchell, 1963 Indian Valley Rd., Novato, CA 94947; e-mail, philtwitchell@comcast.net.