50 | Our April 27 class dinner at the Cornell Club-New York was a great success! Forty-eight classmates and guests came, more than at any other of our New York dinners.

These New York dinners, you'll recall, have traditionally been held in January, in conjunction with the Mid-Winter Meeting of the Cornell Association of Class Officers (CACO). The CACO meeting has now moved to Philadelphia, and this year, for the first time ever, we held TWO class dinners, one in Philadelphia and one in New York. The New York one was so well-attended--apparently spring weather lures more people into Manhattan than January blizzards--that we plan on having TWO dinners again next year, one in Philadelphia at the time of the CACO meeting, February 8-9, 2008, and another in New York sometime in the spring. Stay tuned.

The usual suspects--the class officers and classmates who live in the New York area--attended the New York dinner, of course, but a number of classmates appeared who have not been regulars at these dinners. Among them: chemical engineer Gordon Dibble, who flew in from London; Nick Sawicke, BS Ag '49 (Liverpool, NY), who was in the construction business in the Syracuse area; Alex McDonald from Stamford, CT; and Leonilda Altman Farrow (Highlands, NJ; numbrex@verizon.net), who has a Bachelor of Engineering Physics degree from Cornell. Leonilda earned a PhD in physics from MIT and spent her career at Bell Labs in New Jersey.

After dinner Howie Heinsius (Shrewsbury, NJ; haheinsius@aol.com) and Dave and Susan Dingle (New Suffolk, NY; dingle0925@aol.com) entertained us with song, and Frank Robinson, director of the Johnson Museum, told us about the museum's expansion plans.

A couple of classmates had excellent excuses for not attending the dinner. Eve Weinschenker Paul (evewpaul@aol.com) could not come because her son Jeremy Paul was being installed that evening "as the new dean of the U. of Connecticut Law School--an occasion I can't miss." Eve herself was general counsel of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in New York. And Bob Post (Mantoloking, NJ; zaneyp@comcast.net) missed the dinner because he was in Ithaca, of all places. Bob rowed crew at Cornell, and said, "Our 1949 crew finally scraped together enough money to give a shell to the program. That weekend was when it was being christened."

Dick Loynd is one of the five "friends" who made a major gift to build the new Friends Hall adjoining Schoellkopf Memorial Hall and dedicated late last year. Friends Hall "houses two beautiful rooms,"Dick writes, "a Football Tradition Room and the university's athletic Hall of Fame Room." The other four friends--all are named on the building's plaque--are Lou Conti '41, Chuck Knight '57, MBA '59, Bob Staley '57, MBA '59, and Al Suter '57, MBA '59. "For me," says Dick, "it was a culmination of more than 25 years of effort, and it turned out better than any of us imagined." Dick was a member of the football team that won the Ivy League championship our senior year. He is currently president of Loynd Capital Management in Springfield, NJ.

Martin Harrison, PhD '55 (Hacienda Heights, CA; mrtnhr@netzero.net) was on the Cornell faculty in the Ag college's Plant Pathology department for 32 years.Martin is an authority on nematodes, simple threadlike roundworms that are important agricultural pests. He now volunteers at the Plant Information Office at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. Phyllis Shaw is living in Southampton on Long Island. Phyllis is one of at least five women in our class who served in the military during WWII and came to Cornell on the G.I. Bill. A Navy WAVE, Phyllis was an air-traffic controller in Jacksonville, FL. Her career was in publishing; she was a science and medical editor and writer.

Bob Wood (Pacific Grove, CA; helo609@comcast.net), who has a doctorate from Yale, was a professor of aeronautics at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. "I spent my career in helicopter design and engineering, about half in industry and half in academia. Though retired, I serve on the board of directors of the American Helicopter Society and write numerous articles about helicopters." Bob was named an honorary fellow of the AHS at an awards banquet on May 2, a status granted to just two of its more than 6,000 worldwide members annually. The event, attended by about 500 people, was all the more moving for Bob as several of his past doctoral students were able to be there, including a student he had in his first class at Georgia Tech in aeronautical engineering in 1966. "We have a cabin in Vermont," Bob continues, "and on our summer vacation we frequently stop over in Burlington and visit with Walt Bruska (wbruska@verizon.net). Regular e-mails from George and Beverley Collins Adams (gpadams@ieee.org) in Manlius help keep us up to date on the Class of 1950."

Bill Sharman, BArch '52, writes to tell us that his wife Audrey (Rossman) died suddenly last October. Freshman year, Audrey, Nancy Hubbard Brandt, and I spent many a long hour together, parsing our Chemistry 101 textbook, trying to understand the material. Audrey and Bill raised two daughters, and Audrey pursued a vast variety of volunteer activities in their town, Briarcliff Manor. She was, among other activities, an election inspector, a Sunday School teacher, a Girl Scout leader, and president of the Historical Society. Four hundred and fifty people, including the Fire Department in full-dress uniform, attended Audrey's funeral. -- Marion Steinmann, 237 West Highland Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118-3819; tel. (215) 242-8443; e-mail, cjoiner@ix.netcom.com; Paul H. Joslin, 6080 Terrace Dr., Johnston, IA 50151-1560; tel., (515) 278- 0960; e-mail, phj4@cornell.edu.

51 | Alfred Blumstein, PhD '60's Stockholm Prize in Criminology received short shrift in the March/April column since the news came in after the column had already been submitted. His degrees from Cornell include a Bachelor of Engineering Physics and a PhD in Operations Research, and he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. He is a fellow of the American Society of Criminology, was the 1987 recipient of the Society's Sutherland Award for "contributions to research," and was the president of the society in 1991-92. At the 1998 meeting of the ASC, he was presented with the Wolfgang Award for Distinguished Achievement in Criminology.His research over the past 20 years has covered many aspects of criminal justice and policy, including crime measurement, criminal careers, sentencing, deterrence and incapacitation, prison populations, demographic trends, juvenile violence, and drug enforcement policy.

On the policy side, he served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the state's criminal justice planning agency (1979-90), and on the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (1986-96). Dr. Blumstein was president of the Operations Research Society of America (1977-78) and was awarded its Kimball Medal "for service to the profession and the society" (1985), as well as its President's Award "for service to society" (1993).He was also president of the Inst. of Management Sciences (1987-88) and president of the Inst. for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (1996).

Don McNamara, Ponte Vedra, FL, sent a photo of Jeff and Mary Fleischmann with Ted Thoren, commenting, "Many classmates would love to see this photo of dear friend Jeff Fleischmann, wife Mary, and baseball coach Ted Thoren." Jeff is the new Commissioner of the GUSSOMO League (and a star athlete in both football and baseball while at Cornell). GUSSOMO, the Greater United States Strat-O-Matic Organization is the oldest, continuous computer (formerly Play-By-Mail) Strat-O-Matic league in the US. It started in 1971 as a "straight team" replay (league members managed the actual Major League teams).

Arthur Kalish, Old Westbury, NY, and a retired lawyer reports the sad news that his wife Janet died recently after a long illness. "We had been married almost 54 years. Good news: my oldest grandson, Stephen, will be starting at Cornell this fall. Other grandchildren may follow."Margaret "Pepper"Dutcher Fluke has her red hair back! She has finished the 112-page chapter on "Crafts" for The Arts of Durham. She is refurbishing the dollhouse her father made for her in 1938, pieces of which were brought from Germany 150 years ago by Pepper's mother's grandparents. She claims to have mastered her new computerized kiln and had pots in three shows in fall 2005 to prove it. Daughter Mary has 12 years now with the Mallard Creek Veterinary Practice, and son-in-law John 27 years with IBM.

Bill Phillips, Old Saybrook, CT, celebrated reaching 75 with ski trips with family or friends to Aspen, CO, Killington, VT, and Lech, Austria. Grandchildren are in race programs, school plays, etc. Bill still has an office at Ogilvy.Wife Barbara just had double knee replacement surgery, with fast recovery "after great work done at Cornell's hospital."He reports that Albie Glassenberg, New London, CT, and Bill Field, MBA '53, San Diego, plan to be at the next reunion.

Frances Goldberg Myers's husband Nat '49 passed away in November 2004--"a wonderful friend; a sad loss." She continues to be quite involved with the board for Cornell Hillel. She spent five weeks in Grand Cayman and reports that the island is slowly recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Ivan. A new grandchild, Benjamin Noah Myers, was born to Nathaniel "Chip"Myers '82, DVM '87, and Dana Kellerman '85, DVM '90, who practice internal medicine on small animals in Pittsburgh. Ken Myers '77 is now curator of American art at Detroit Inst. of Art. Daughter Pamela Myers '78, director of the Asheville (NC) Art Museum, conducts seminars in Eastern Europe on how to attract tourists and community support. Frances volunteers at the museum and as secretary of the North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement.

Sue Pickwick Ray, La Canada, CA, visited family in England in 2005 and then had a week each in Greece and Crete with friends, a summer trip to Baja California, and then back to England for a fall visit.While home she works part-time at school and volunteers at church. Congratulations to William and Jodie Arnold,Macatawa, MI, whose daughter Frances has been elected to the Inst. of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences. She is already a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Professor at Cal Tech. Bill works part-time as a member of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board, an agency of the US government.

The Class of '51 Web page is http://classof51.alumni.cornell.edu. Please send your news to -- Brad Bond, 101 Hillside Way,Marietta, OH 45750; tel., (740) 374-6715; e-mail, bbond@ee.net.

52 | Sometimes the confluence of submitted news, magazine lead times, and reality does not work. Last issue I was glad to relay news that Stu Merz, LLB '57, had submitted in October. As the magazine came out, I learned that Stu had died in January. Another good one gone.

As you will be reading this in July, you may wonder why there is no news of our 55th Reunion. As of now (I'm writing in mid-April), it hasn't happened. You will be able to read all about it in the September issue. That's the way lead times go.

Meanwhile, there is news, some glad, some sad, and as the new policy is to include e-mail addresses, they're included. If you don't want yours in, please say so. Allen Galson (agalson@aol.com) is busy in Dewitt, NY, as a volunteer board member of the Nature Conservancy, the Syracuse Int'l Film and Video Festival, and a retirement home complex. The Galsons were most recently in China, as Allen's wife had initiated a Syracuse U. program in Beijing. Marguerite McKaig Craner, BS Nurs, Columbus, OH, is 16 years retired from 20 years of teaching nursing in Columbus. For 55 years, with just a short hiatus, she was secretary for the Class of '52 at the School of Nursing. Bill and Barbara Shear Koschara '50 are in Groveland, NY. They, with the Livingston County historian and three others, co-authored The Sullivan Campaign of the Revolutionary War. They found the work great fun and produced more than 100 pages with photos, maps, bios, and many footnotes. Otherwise the Koscharas keep busy with friends, family, church, and farm. "Who said retirement was boring?" asks Bill.

Barbara Schlang Sonnenfeldt, Port Washington, NY, is retired with an exclamation point. As a retiree she is a volunteer reader for "Choice Magazine Listening," free tapes of unabridged poems, prose, and articles for the vision impaired. Subscriptions available. Her husband Richard has just published Witness to Nuremberg, available at Amazon.com. Phil Fleming wrote from Washington, DC, that he and Grace had spent Thanksgiving with Ed and Joan Ruby Hanpeter '51 at the Flemings' family farm in Mercersberg, PA. Phil reports the Hanpeters are spending more time at their Leland, MI, cottage, enjoying children and grandchildren. John and Barbara Gale Wood (woodbw@verizon.net), Hancock, NH, celebrated their 50th anniversary with friends of his from Pomona. Bad health twice stopped Barbara from a trip to Costa Rica, but she planned on Japanese and British gardens this spring. Donald Biles (dbiles@PTD.net) writes from Skytop, PA, that he has nothing to write about.

Constance Soelle Geerhart writes from Montgomery Village, MD, that she is tutoring at the Kingsbury School in Washington, DC. She is active with Kingsbury activities and with the Cornell Club of Washington and the Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church. She's visited with her son and daughter-in-law in San Francisco and with other adult children in Austin, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and had a trip to Durango. Howard, PhD '54, and Aliza Goldberger Shevrin (shevrin@umich.edu) are in Ann Arbor, MI. Aliza has a contract with Penguin to translate three Sholem Aleichem novels from Yiddish to English. On Howard's recent furlough from Michigan, they spent five months in New York and six in Cambridge, England. Aliza writes,"Happily, I am doing exactly what I love--big family, lots of travel, Howie doing his research."

Sad news from George Vlahakis (gvlahakis@comcast.net), Nashville, TN.While visiting in the Catskills last August, his wife Marina suffered a second stroke. They were able to return to Nashville in September, where Marina continues her rehab. It is slow. They pray for continued improvement. Helen Icken Safa (safa@latam.ufl.edu), Gainesville, FL, is retired but still actively writing, researching, and lecturing. She was just back from an international conference in Brazil where she presented a paper and gave a small course, and she published four major articles on Latin America last year. Robert Lamb (ecohaven2@aol.com), Terre Haute, IN, though retired as preservation and conservation librarian at the Cunningham Memorial Library of Indiana State U., is still repairing books of all shapes, sizes, and ages. He practices playing on his new piano and reads lots of metaphysical and mysticism books. Outdoors, he mows his lawns and raises a vegetable garden.

Joan Schoof Hoffman (Mrspeh@aol.com) is in Bogart, GA. She volunteers at a hospital, and in addition to gardening is relearning how to play bridge. Dean and Marilyn Heidelberger MacEwen (GDMHM@webtv.net) are in New Castle, DE, where Lynn is working on her church's celebration of its 350th anniversary as a congregation. "All well and happy," she reports. A trip to French Canada with Cornell friends was planned for October. Paul Herman had written of Bettie Buell Lyon's death last spring. Her husband Henry sent an elegiac note that concluded,"Many thanks to the blessing of friends in the Class of '52. You have no idea what joy you've added to our lives together. Go Big Red!" -- Joan Boffa Gaul, 7 Colonial Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15232; e-mail, joangaul@mac.com.

53 | Not so far above the horizon now, our 55th Reunion is less than a year away--June 5-8, 2008. Some of our classmates made it to a 54th last month with spouses, fellow travelers, people with reunions-yet-to-come duties--like seeing what could be learned from '52's 55th--and/or chronic returnees of the Continuous Reunion Club (CRC), which convenes every year.Mort Bunis, JD '55, and Claire Moran Ford, a veteran team reunited, are our chairfolk. They are looking for volunteers.

Joan Kanel Slomanson (NYC) reports that the first edition of her book When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's sold out quickly. A paperback edition is coming in the fall. Sheila Olsen Chidester, MEd '54 (Madison, NJ) presents a view of septuagenarianhood: "Realizing how very lucky I am that most of the time nothing hurts while I'm doing the usual house-yard-church activities and Nana visits." She warmly recalls sounds of music, "beginning with Dr. Grant's wonderful teaching and conducting of the Bach St. Matthew Passion during freshman year, A Cappella Chorus with Dr. Hull and Jim Van Horne, and all those wonderful composers and fellow singers." Barbi Brothers Abizaid (Broomfield, CO) would rather "be young and back at Cornell,"where she had "a superb teacher . . . an exemplary citizen and caretaker of Cornell and the world"-- Prof.Mario Einaudi, described by Wikipedia as "an active anti-fascist." His father, Luigi, was president of Italy during the Deane Waldo Malott regime at Day Hall. Ruth Burns Cowan, when last heard from, was deep into studies of the rule of law in the Republic of South Africa. Louise Stone Spring (Harrison, NY) maintains that husband Lionel and the grandlings keep her busy. She has "grandsons involved in numerous sports, keeping us running from one game to another."

GlenWoolfenden (Lake Placid, FL) listed only Sigma Alpha Epsilon among his outside (i.e., nonscholarly) interests in the '53 Cornellian yearbook. It still ranks high in his memories ("helping run the house, intramural sports, socializing with coeds, along with courses in my chosen field--ornithology, behavioral ecology"). So now he's in his 37th year of "following a marked population of the endangered Florida scrub-jay, a cooperative breeding species." Paul Whalen (Los Alamos, NM) still does half-days as a laboratory fellow at Los Alamos National Security LLC, with time out for an annual week in New York City and a couple of weeks in Europe. His most unforgettable Cornell experience? "The Engineering Physics department. All the professors had been at Los Alamos." Dick Thaler, LLB '56 (Lansing, NY), former Tompkins County district attorney, is "still practicing law in Ithaca," his old hometown. Elliott Stone, somewhat recently settled into Harvard Square in the heart of Cambridge, MA, muses, "If I had my life to live over, I would not be a Red Sox fan"--so soon after those fleeting days of euphoria. Remember? They did win a World Series just two years ago, their first since 1918. A wistful note: "It would be nice to see them win another pennant."

Willis Carrier (Martinsburg,WV) says that what's keeping him busy is retirement. Julian Aroesty (Lexington, MA), continuing the practice of cardiology and research in cardiovascular disease, has a youngest son in his second year in biomed engineering at the U. of Michigan. Julian's most unforgettable experience at Cornell? "No question. Vladimir Nabokov's 'Dirty Lit'--the European novel. I still remember many of his lectures. As he suggested, I have reread the classics--War and Peace (six times), Anna Karenina (four times), etc."

As you might imagine, when we asked what they would rather be doing, many said "nothing."Did that mean that there was nothing they'd rather be doing or that they'd rather be doing nothing? Allan Vesley (of Fearrington Village, NC, described as "an English country village full of bluebirds, hollyhocks, belted cows, and people of all ages") says he's busy with "croquet, golf, grandkids, continuing education, and serving on the animal use and care committee of UNC, Chapel Hill.""Reading, motorcycling, bicycling, and travel," says Donald Ewart (Scotia, NY). Thad Collum tells of fishing and golf in Florida, the Adirondacks, and Fayetteville, NY. Lester Simon (Locust, NJ) speaks of building a greenhouse, visiting the Galápagos with brother Martin '52 and their grandsons, and travel with "two enthusiastic Labradors." For William Huehn (Winchester, VA) it's Boy Scouts, Rotary, Community Foundation (Northern Shenandoah Valley), travel, etc. He warmly recalls Prof. Vladimir Nickolai Krukovsky's question: "Mr. Huehn, is photography art or science?," which piqued a semester-long discussion during laboratory exercises. Richard Klein (Tenafly, NJ) reports working part-time as a physician, teaching end-of-life care to med students, and "at last, being a grandparent."

As the days swoosh by to our Fab 55th, we hope there will be lots of tapering on to reunion such as old friends reaching out to reconnect. Beethoven in the Berkshires would be a golden opportunity. There's room for more and all are welcome at the '53 Tanglewood, MA, trek for an afternoon given over to the classical sounds of the Boston Symphony and Mister B, followed by supper at the rustic retreat of Phil and Roz Zalutsky Baron on Sunday, July 22. And once again we join old and new friends from other Fifties classes for Homecoming (vs. Colgate, Oct. 13) and gracious dining. -- Jim Hanchett, 300 First Ave., Apt. 8B, New York, NY 10009; e-mail, jch46@cornell.edu.

54 | Can you believe it is but two short years till our 55th Reunion? Mark your advance-planning calendars with a Big Red C for June 4-7, 2009. Our reunion chairs Jack Vail and Chick Trayford, MBA '60, know full well it will be here before we know it.We had a fabulous 50th, so those of you that missed that party should think of joining us for the next.Watch this space for ongoing information. Jack wintered in Fort Myers, FL, and while there or en route north or south has seen Lois and Bill Simon in Ponte Vedra Beach,Myn and JimWilson, Bill Deegan (who has a restaurant in Naples), and Dick and Sandy Nichol Coddington '55 in Sanibel before their return to the Connecticut coast. At home in Binghamton, Jack volunteers at SCORE, now known as Counselors to America's Small Business. "I find it very rewarding and interesting. It's a way to give back some of the knowledge I've gleaned in my 50-plus years out of Cornell. I highly recommend it to our classmates. It is not restricting. You do it when you can and with clients who you feel you can assist. One of my recent clients was a winery on Seneca Lake. All counseling is free and we are not compensated. If anyone is interested, they can go to SCORE.org for more info."

Tyler Todd took CAU's Treasures of the Black Sea trip earlier this year and found it fascinating. Tyler thought the Southern Coast to be very primitive but upon turning north to the Ukraine and Bulgaria, they found a dramatic change. The area includes Yalta, Odessa, and Sevastopol, all of which are striving to join the 21st century with mixed degrees of success. Bulgaria was popping all along their coastline since the British are making it their playground. Positive report all around for the trip. Joseph Hartwig lives in Florida, but is hardly retired and loves what he is doing.His company, J.G.Hartwig, manufactures custom furniture and equipment for educational institutions and is looking to expand. The Colbys,Mason and Pat (Jerome), commute between Naples and Avon Lane, OH.Mason has been attending reunions with Cayuga's Waiters, who have greatly enjoyed singing "Good Night Little Girl" and other golden oldies.

Stanley Worton keeps the gray cells attentive by auditing undergraduate classes at the U. of Miami between golf and tennis games and serving on the board of directors of the Health Foundation of South Florida. He, like so many of us, treasures the fall leaves on campus. Bill and Catherine Ryan Nelson are off around the world again. No mention of the RV this time. Stanley Wilkinson's retirement includes gardening, church, and family, which appears to be exactly as planned.Willard Wheeler is still happily un-retired.

Clancy and Barbara Gavin Fauntleroy '55 called to let me know that Barbara's book, The General and His Daughter, has been published by Fordham U. Press on the anniversary of the 100th birthday of her father, Lt. Gen. James M. Gavin, US Army (Ret.). The paratroopers who served with Gen. Gavin in the 82nd Airborne had asked Barbara over the years to share those letters with them. She has now compiled them--letters a general wrote to his 9-year-old daughter as he campaigned from North Africa to the beaches of Normandy in World War II. They give a very personal glimpse of a highly decorated officer as he took the time in the midst of battle to write the young daughter he had left at home. Clancy has designed a website where you can learn more and also order Barbara's book: www.gavin505.com.

Emily "Lili" Bates Douglas is studying second-level French at Mt. Holyoke College with all the 20-year-old smarties. Now, there's a challenge. Cycling, hiking, singing, and tending the grands compete for space on her calendar. Bruce Blackman, BArch '59, works part-time as an architectural consultant and enjoys woodworking, along with the usual games and travel. Stephen Krauss has taken another fascinating trip, this time through the 360 km. Canal du Midi in the South of France. The canal has a marvelous history and lovely surroundings. At home, Steve works on his printmaking, is active in the local chapter of the Interfaith Alliance, which encourages interfaith respect and dialogue, and was most recently elected to the board of the Community School of Art, which helps disadvantaged youth in various artistic endeavors. Steve fondly remembers lectures from Prof. Fritz Stevenson in modern German history.

Bill and Sallie Capron Marchant Schroeder juggle households in Naples, Kiawah Island, and Chagrin Falls, OH, and still have time to take a "land cruise" to Alaska. Singing the Alma Mater and the "Evening Song," house parties, sorority dances, and good friends are fond Cornell memories.What has Richard Harley, retired, been doing of late, you ask? He has been acquiring two new knees and one new shoulder, which is enough for the present. -- Leslie Papenfus Reed, 500 Wolfe St., Alexandria,VA 22314; e-mail, ljreed@speakeasy.net. Class website, http://classof54.alumni.cornell.edu/. Cornell Directory, https://directory.alumni.cornell.edu/.

55 | There was an interesting article in the New York Times last winter about the plight of city dwellers who find the perfect vacation house, far from the city, only to run into big problems when their appliances need servicing. Len Ladin and his wife Kay were pictured in front of the refrigerator at their summer house, looking quite glum because they couldn't find anyone to fix it!

Elizabeth "Libby"Milliken Klim was "sporting a butterfly-spattered cane" last May, but was still hoping to sail that summer. Her current art focus is botanical illustration. Libby and Bernie get together with Ben and Ruth "Rudy" Clarke Hawkins regularly for theater, bridge, and sailing. "Rudy does a fine job of adding Ellen Kemper Plummer and her husband to our yearly reunion," says Libby, and she also updates the other members of "the inferior corridor" at Dickson 5. Sue Spooner Olsen wrote that she had lunch with Ellen and her husband Norm '52, LLB '54, on the Seattle waterfront last summer. The Plummers had just journeyed across Canada by train and loved it. Joe and Vera Steiner Simon celebrated their 50th anniversary last September. Among their attendants on that long-ago day were Marianne Oehrlein van Dijk '56, the aforementioned Sue Spooner Olsen, Lenny Oniskey, Jim Rosecrans, Chuck Wolf, Ralph De Stefano, and me. I remember it was a great time with lots of laughs! The Simons spend the summer in Brant Beach, NJ, and the rest of the year they're back home in Sarasota.

SanfordWeill, retired CEO of CitiGroup, was recognized recently for his service on the boards of the Adirondack chapter of the Nature Conservancy and the Adirondack Land Trust. Sandy and his wife Joan live in New York City and are recipients of the "Spirit of the City" award, honoring their work on behalf of a host of arts, education, and medical organizations. Last October, Sandy and his co-author discussed their new book, The Real Deal, in the newly refurbished Bailey Hall. President Skorton expressed his appreciation to Sandy and Joan for their contributions to Cornell and to the medical school. Rae Pullen Alexakos and husband Leo enjoy winters in Sarasota and summers and fall in Quechee, VT. Rae volunteers at David's House (similar to Ronald McDonald House but affiliated with Dartmouth Hospital). "I enjoyed our 50th Reunion--my first!" she adds.

Philip Alkon, PhD '74, writes that he's given up teaching but is still involved in research projects (wildlife and cattle behavioral ecology) at New Mexico State U. Phil attended his high school reunion in New York City, where he ran into classmate Freddie Hellreich. The Alkons were planning a cruise to Alaska last September. Trumansburg resident John Wertis sends the following: "Having restored our 1800s barn through a New York State Barn Restoration Grant, we will be expanding our Boer meat goat operation (currently 30 does, three bucks, and 60 kids)." John also planted 65 Carpathian walnut trees in a project involving the Cornell horticulture department. "I'm so glad I came to Cornell and the Ithaca area, and we continue to enjoy all that it offers."

Dave and Joann Schmidt spent last winter at their condo in Ft. Pierce, FL, and enjoyed a cruise with a few of the South Florida Cornell Alumni Club members, visiting Key West, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman.More than 20 members of the Cayuga's Waiters of the '50s convened at reunion last year, says Dave. They put on programs for the Savage Club and Cornelliana Night--"and of course we hit a few of the tents throughout the weekend!" Class of 1955 participants were Dave, Irv "Bin" Pettit, and Charlie Wolf. Carl Fuchs and Ted Zimmer were unable to join the group due to health problems.

In closing, we extend our condolences to the family of Nancy Budlong Lent, whose husband informed us of her death. Please write and catch me up on your news, classmates. We want to know how you're spending these golden years! -- Nancy Savage Petrie, nancypetrie@optonline.net; tel., (631) 329-6430. Class website, http://classof55.alumni.cornell.edu.

56 | Dear Classmates: For the first time in memory, you will not receive news from our classmates this month. In transferring my article to Cornell Alumni Magazine, the computer crashed, leaving me crushed. I ask all of you who recently sent us notes to resend them to either Phyllis or me (see below) so we can incorporate them in our next column. Our apologies and love to all of you. -- Steve Kittenplan, catplan@aol.com; Phyllis Bosworth, phylboz@aol.com.

57 | As a reminder, reunion news will appear in the next issue of the magazine. Your humble correspondent will try to capture the essence of the experience, so if you saw him lingering at the beer tents, it was only in the interest of comprehensive reporting.

Barney Hodges (baritone supreme) is president of Sunrise Orchards in Cornwall, VT, and questions whether he has actually gone over the 70-year threshold, as have all the rest of us. Peter Gardner is also in the horticulture business, recently partly retired from total involvement with Gardner Greenhouses in Henrietta, NY. Daughter Sue Gardner Miller '89 and son-in-law Ted, MBA '94, operate the enterprise. Sue continues as a practicing physician in her spare time, in addition to raising a son and daughter. Daughter Cathie lives in Atlanta and is married to Steve Brennan,MBA '96, also a Johnson School graduate. They are parents of a 9-month-old son.

Phil Monroe, erstwhile roundballer, recently heard Assoc. Prof. Jim Bell give his presentation of "Postcards From Mars," and relates that it was terrific. Phil continues to serve as a city council member in Coronado, CA. Another classmate involved in government (federal) is Warren McLaine, currently assistant secretary of the Air Force. His plate is overflowing with numerous projects and priorities concerning advanced situations bordering on "Star Wars" technology.Warren's wife Linda is mentoring in a controversial program that provides therapy and counseling to Marines who have gone AWOL with burnout following multiple tours of duty in war zones. Daughter Meaghan completed a year as clerk for Assoc. Justice of the Supreme Court David Souter last December and, after an extensive round-the-world trip (aren't they all) is working in a law firm in Washington. Son Michael is a Navy submariner, enjoying shore duty in Italy after two war-zone deployments.Michael's wife Jeanne graduated from Harvard in the same class as Meaghan, who proffered the introductions.

Steve Gottlieb retired at the start of the year as acting New York State Supreme Court Justice, but continues on a full schedule as a judicial hearing officer in Queens County, NY, overseeing the daily commercial landlord and tenant calendar. Steve is the proud grandfather of a 1-year-old boy, compliments of daughter Christine. -- John Seiler, 221 St.Matthews Ave., Louisville, KY 40207; e-mail, Suitcase2@aol.com; tel., (502) 895-1477.

Mabel Klisch Deal and her husband Jerry celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to Hawaii in February. Also celebrating both a 50th wedding anniversary and a 70th birthday on the island of Kauai in Hawaii last December were Barbara Pincus Klein, MS '59, her husband, two daughters, and their families. The Kleins' granddaughter Rona Banai '10 starts her sophomore year in Chemical Engineering this fall. Barbara Freedman Fisher was widowed in 2005, but in 2006 she became Barbara Kasloff when she married Edward Kasloff and moved to Ft.Myers, FL. Rochelle Krugman Kainer, who is an analytic psychologist and writer, recently completed a novel. Joyce Mishel Ettinger is still teaching part-time.

Hester Young Kenneth was unable to attend reunion in June due to the fact that the U. of California School of Nursing, where she had been a faculty member, was celebrating its centennial. Hester left campus in 1955 to attend Cornell's New York Hospital School of Nursing. She received her doctorate at UCSF and then taught nursing, as well as doing research at Stanford Hospital. Hester has been married to Bob since 1966 and they have three children and two grandchildren. She is also a docent at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.Mary Alice Rusk Dirks, also a Cornell-NY Nursing graduate, continues in that field as an evening nursing supervisor at a nursing home. Mary Alice's three sons and one daughter have given her five grandchildren so far. Sandra Miller McAleer is an RN for the Main Line Health System.

Last winter the Cornell Glee Club made a swing through the Southeast, and one of their stops was Naples, FL, where Ron, MBA '57, and Helen Kuver Kramer had a chance to hear them. After the concert the Kramers bought the club's CD. Not too long after that,Helen was driving in Ft.Myers with the window down, singing along with the Glee Club. She didn't pay attention and drove through a yellow light. A policeman pulled her over and she said to him, "I'm sorry, but I was playing the CD and singing and didn't notice the yellow light."He asked her what the music was, and she answered that she was listening to Cornell songs. He said, "Oh,my son goes to Cornell! Enjoy your day," and drove off without giving her a ticket!

The English Department at Cornell established a visiting professorship with a gift from Stephen Weiss to the department in honor of renowned literary scholar and professor emeritus of English M. H. Abrams. The professorship's first appointee is Sandra Mortola Gilbert. Sandra, a literary critic from UC Davis and author of seven volumes of poetry and a number of feminist works, studied with Abrams as an undergraduate. -- Judith Reusswig, 19 Seburn Dr., Bluffton, SC 29909; e-mail, JCReuss@aol.com.

58 | Mid-2007, less than a year from our 50th Reunion, states a fact that we all probably find hard to believe.We'll soon be hearing much more from our reunion leaders, so I'll simply alert you to that and remind you (again) to save the dates, June 5-8, 2008.Meanwhile, thanks for your News and Dues returns from which your news now can flow to fellow classmates.

Sandra Schon MacKay of Palo Alto, CA (SDMackay59@aol.com) is one of our PhD RNs, a professor of nursing with a "great new job full-time in an accelerated BSN program to teach a number of nurses in the South Bay of California." As emerita professor at San Francisco State U., Sandra says she likes the challenge of a new job at a different college. Another Palo Alto 'mate is Tom Haines, who sent in his website address, www.tomsturnings.com, featuring his woodturnings. Ted Engman, MS '61 (LJRETE@msn.com) retired from NASA seven years ago, but still consults there when not skiing, fishing, or gardening from his home in Alexandria,VA. Sandra Ellis Lomker and her partner Tom Cornell are preparing to sell their house in Rochester, NY, from which they depart to their cottage in the Adirondacks.When home--and that soon will be a condo--Sandra keeps busy as a part-time social worker volunteering with Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, orienteering, quilting, hiking, and cross-country skiing.

Eleanor DeMov Schaffer (elliexcatsa@aol.com) lives in Freeport, NY, and also volunteers, but finds time for eight grandchildren, exercise, and gardening. She says she would rather be doing nothing other. PaulWiley and wife Barbara (wileybnp@juno.com) continue their volunteer work for Heifer Int'l. They have taken their young animals "to over 150 churches to lift up Heifers Int'l work in the world and to encourage people to give to that organization." Paul also gets much experience and work in the mission field from his membership on the board of directors of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. The Wileys live on their dairy farm, which now has been gifted entirely to their son Brad in Johnsonville, NY. Joyce Halsey Lindley (jlindley@rochester.rv.com) is a long-term substitute teacher for ESOL who says she'd rather be biking in Italy. She remembers most fondly from her time at Cornell her friends at Kappa Alpha Theta. Stephen Bender writes that his best memories are of fraternity living while at Cornell--"never to be duplicated Kappa Nu memories from 50 years ago." These days, Steve says he's enjoying country club life in Boynton Beach, FL, getting in usual outdoor activities.

Another retiree is Bruce "Ziggy"Hollman, a former research engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in his town of Dahlgren,VA. Now, he writes, he's very active in "the world's oldest fraternity, the Masons. I'm the Worshipful Master at Lodge 199 in Colonial Beach, VA. It takes lots of time, but is challenging and rewarding." One of our retired dentists, Fred Sherman, now a broker near his home in Tarzana, CA, spent ten days in Spain and is "doing pretty much as I please."He'd like to hear from more of his Sigma Alpha Mu brothers at scufred@aol.com. The Meakems, Jack,MBA '61, and Diane (Baillet) '61, now spend more than six months a year in Jupiter, FL, and when not there, are in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Three of the Meakems' four sons now have 11 children . . . and counting. Daughter Nancy was married last summer. Last fall, Jack and Diane visited France and Portugal with Glenn and MaddiMcAdams Dallas and report, "The trip was just great!" Jack is reachable at jjmeakem@aol.com. Pete Stifel is now single, he writes, and his present day job is "having fun--maintaining 1765 house and 300-acre estate, gardening, keeping animals, turning bowls, making hay, collecting art, serving on five boards, traveling, sailing, sawing 100-year-old white oak logs, etc."He's still in Easton,MD, and can be reached at stifel@friend.ly.net. He'd especially like to hear from Pablo Toro, whose last location was Bogotá, Colombia.

Phyllis YatesMarshall continues as president of FoodPower Inc., a restaurant consultancy that keeps her traveling doing restaurant makeovers. She most fondly remembers the beauty of the campus and would like to hear from Judy Carlson Allen at pamarshall@foodpower.com. Our world traveler Al Podell now has visited about 90 percent of the world's 180 countries, just having completed the five "'Stans," along with Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He's trying for 100 percent by reunion. Go, Al! Ken Ryan, MS '59 (ker36@cornell.edu), a licensed PE now retired, owns and operates a hardware store in Oxford, NY. He's also chairman of the Chenango County planning board and enjoys restoring tractors in his spare time. From that which is decipherable from the notes of Dr. Howard Semer, we see "Managing solo cardiology practice . . . very busy . . . looking for new partner in about a year . . . golf . . ." The rest is Greek, including a reference to Phi Ep and wishing to hear from Bob Evans, JD '60, his old fraternity brother. Barbara Avery, MA '59, is a retired attorney and currently director of Ohio Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. Recently, Barbara has been testifying before Ohio House and Senate committees against bills restricting abortion and a bill totally banning it with no exceptions. She also is taking western civilization and European art courses at Ohio State U. in preparation for a trip to Europe.

Finally, we hear from Myron Stacks (MSTACKS@aol.com), who read here a few columns ago that "George Nicholas, BS Hotel '71, has a summer place in East Hampton, NY (Long Island) and runs the Sunset Cove Marina as well as Fiddler's Cove restaurant."He continues: "I just happen to be the vice commodore of our yacht club, the Baldwin Yacht Club, in Old Saybrook, CT, and am in charge of our sailing calendar this coming summer.We will be going to Three Mile Harbor on two different occasions, and I would love to connect with George (no, I don't know him yet) and see if I can possibly steer some business his way." (Contact info was sent to Myron.) He further writes: "An aside: last year I started the Coastal Connecticut Cornell Club, located in Middlesex and New London counties, covering the coastal area between New Haven, New London,Mystic, and Middletown. All Cornellians and parents of Cornellians are welcome to join. So far we have 50-plus members and a growing list of social events. My wife and I have already started planning for our 50th Reunion in Ithaca. Trying to contact class fraternity brothers to join us there. Should be a gas!"

Here's hoping that others of the class are working on that too. Cheers for now. -- Dick Haggard, dhaggard@voicenet.com; Jan Arps Jarvie, jjarvie@sbcglobal.net. Class website, for other news and events of the class, http://classof58.alumni.cornell.edu.

59 | Karl Thomas and his wife, long-term residents of the Greater Hartford, CT, area, have moved to Suffield, CT. After retiring from the business world, they founded and operate a private charitable foundation that funds scholarships for students residing in Hartford. "We are poor tourists and find long-distance travel unpleasant at best," says Karl. "We hike and Nordic ski at every opportunity, and a 1952 Bentley provides more than enough hands-on work." The couple also enjoys orchestral music, and Karl is teaching himself how to play the piano--which, he says, "yields painfully slow progress, but progress nevertheless."

Hank Stark has been a columnist for the Ithaca Journal for about three years. "The editors refer to me as their 'wine writer and oenophile' and 'day tripper,'" he writes. "I try to discover villages or wineries that would make interesting day trips for readers and then review them, along with area restaurants.My objective is to help Ithaca residents-- college kids on dates, retirees, families with children, etc.--explore the beautiful scenery that surrounds us and discover all the cultural venues that dot this area." Hank continues to teach a course on basic investing principles at the county retirement center and part-time teaches at our university's College of Human Ecology. Through the Durland Alternatives Library located in Anabel Taylor Hall he has been a pen pal to some two dozen male prisoners scattered around the country. "It takes a lot of time and care, as in some cases I'm told that I'm their only 'friend' in the world."And two Fridays a month he facilitates a current events and world affairs conference at Kendal at Ithaca, the retirement community in which he and his wife Cher reside. "It's usually attended by about two dozen retirees, including Cornell professors, deans, and others interested in exploring provocative issues."

Attendees at our 45th Reunion had the pleasure of hearing Mike Greene of Lanham,MD, speak about his work at the National Academy of Sciences, specifically organizing the first Frontiers of Science and Engineering Symposium (FOSE) for young Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian scientists. The symposium was held in Ankara, Turkey, in September 2003.Mike is pleased to report that a second such symposium, FOSE07, was held in March in Seville, Spain. He had feared that the dismal Middle East situation would discourage applications, "but we had a rush and finally got 90 PhD-level participants and speakers, including two from Iraq and a few Spaniards and Americans. The U. of Seville generously paid all local costs as part of a celebration of Andalucía's 'Three Cultures' historical tradition, and we at the National Academy of Sciences paid the transport." FOSE07 included ten scientific sessions on topics ranging from astrophysics to nanotechnology to the Dead Sea, and a very popular speed session in which each participant had three minutes in which to describe his or her research. "Everyone seemed happy with the event, and Seville wants us back," says Mike. Afterwards, he and wife Anne had a fine time touring Granada and Cordoba to appreciate the land's Spanish-Moorish-Jewish heritage.

Thanks to Ron Demer, who is this column's best "stringer," we have news from Dick and Ginny Seegel of Wellesley Hills, MA, and Chatham, NY. Their three children all live in the Wellesley area. Liz is a veterinarian who owns the Wellesley Animal Hospital, and Leslie and Eric are directors at corporate Staples in Framingham. Dick is "semi-retired," going to his office for about six hours a day four or five days a week."My small law firm has grown to 19 lawyers!" he notes. He and Ginny faithfully attend Cornell-Harvard hockey games near their home--even taking along grandchildren--and this April they flew to San Francisco for a gathering of Tau Delta Phi members from the classes of '58 and '59. Dick comments that he hasn't been back to Ithaca since our 25th Reunion. I sure hope that he, and all you readers, are planning to be there for our 50th! -- Jenny Tesar, 97A Chestnut Hill Village, Bethel, CT 06801; tel., (203) 792-8237; e-mail, jet24@cornell.edu.