Winter 2021/2022
In November of 2021, on Homecoming Weekend, the college and numerous alums celebrated the 50th anniversary of The Walk, the post-football game procession up Spring Street, after the final home game of the year. Scott Hopkins reminded me, “It is a tradition that started our junior year, after the team beat Amherst and found that the bus that was supposed to take them back to Cole Field wouldn’t start, so they walked…” This after-the-game parade of players, band members and fans has been celebrated by Sports Illustrated as “the best post-game tradition in America.” Accordingly, turning out for the 50th anniversary walk were the following ’73ers: Kevin Cummings, Ed D’Arata, Larry Heiges, Tom Lee, Anthony Parise, John Parker and Michael Prigoff. Joining them were: Jack Curtin ’72, John Dier ’72, John Enteman ’72, Dan Entwisle ’74, David Farren ’72, Paul Haklisch ’72, Wendy Hopkins ’72, Steve Kirkland ’72, John LaPann ’72, Rich Levy ’74, John Murray ’72, Dick Nesbitt ’74, Gregg Peterson ’72, Bill Pinakiewicz ’72, Ernie Smith ’72, Terry Smith ’72, Lew Steele ’72 and Paul Tucker ’72.
A few weeks later, Scott Hopkins resumed his series of Zoom “1969 Entry” calls with the Williams B cohort. On the call with Scott were: Robert Koegel, Frank Chapman, Craig Walker, Greg Groves, Eric Hansen, Bill Tarter, Bill Mahoney, Dave Loomis, Chip Rowley, Alan White, Rob Peterson and Scott Hibbard. Characteristically, classmates caught up with one another, events were re-lived, and tales were told.
Speaking of football and recollections, Putnam Smith wrote, “Our junior year I was attracted to a lovely girl from New Orleans, then a student at Mount Holyoke. I invited her to a Williams football game at Wesleyan, and we drove down and took our seats in a set of bleachers that probably held 1,000, tops. She watched the game, saw the Williams ‘band’ (funny hats and all) and just couldn’t stop laughing. ‘You call this football? Ah, hahahahahaha… These Yankees are too silly!’ She grew up at night games in Baton Rouge, back in the 50s. I didn’t get it until I went to the law school at the University of Georgia. We got free student tickets, and the scales fell from my eyes. You haven’t lived until you’ve enjoyed an SEC game in the sunny South! Just sayin’. And, yeah, it didn’t work out. Oddly, she still lives in Chicopee, Mass.—and I ended up in Atlanta. Go figure. So, Williams 8-0, the sacred No. 1 Bulldogs 8-0—It’ll never get better, I could keel over and die right now!” (Dan’s postscript: And that was before his University of Georgia Bulldogs triumphed over the University of Alabama to win the NCAA Championship!)
Also writing from the SEC was Hutch Smith, “Field Horne graced the rural mountains of Tennessee with his erudite presence back around Thanksgiving. We had an enjoyable time with a few offbeat historic bits and pieces as well as a field trip to The University of the South, or Sewanee, another purple and gold institution. Founded and still owned by Episcopal dioceses, many of the university’s founding fathers went on to become Confederate generals. History courses must get a bit touchy up there on the Cumberland Plateau. Tomorrow will find me en route to Maryland’s Eastern Shore and the company of a dear friend, Williams ’71, who may prefer to remain anonymous. We shall celebrate yet another Super Bowl with a variety of herbal teas and lemonade. Last year our celebratory libations became of a stronger sort following the scandalous halftime show! The facts remain in debate, but we did soothe our horrors and jagged nerves with Dr. Macallan’s most excellent elixir, and perhaps a few other medicinal dosages.”
Hopkins wrote, “Had a great conversation with Doug Morrell this past weekend. He and Georgette just got back from two weeks in Bermuda at an almost vacant resort. Doug got in multiple rounds of golf to get him started for the year. (He said he posted 63 scores last year!). Also spoke with Field Horne, Peter Klejna and Charlie Kieler over the weekend to make sure that they survived the recent ice storm. Everyone was fine but could go another 10 years without another such event!”
From “checking in” on classmates to “acclaiming them” is my transition to esteemed Class Agent Julian Beckford’s report, “While reading the January 2022 issue of Williams People, I was thrilled to see a picture of Nan Elliot and Mary Schendel holding heirloom Williams plates at Nan’s home in Anchorage, Alaska. One plate showcased the Hopkins Observatory, whose director, professor Jay Pasachoff came to Williams in 1972 and within 10 days after his arrival took students to observe a total solar eclipse. In December 2021, Pasachoff again took students (and alumni) to observe a major total solar eclipse; this time it was to Antarctica. With connections such as Nan and her books on Alaska, as well as her family connections to British India, and Tsong-Zung Chang and his connections to ancient and modern China, as well as Mom Arou and his connections to Sudan and South Sudan, I find it utterly amazing and highly inspirational that such a small college has such a global and cosmic reach. Williams truly brings together many people who want to make this a better world. Nayda Mariette, the widow of Myron Kellogg, shared with me some of Myron’s memorabilia, which emphasized in my mind the special linkage we have as the Class of ’73.”
There were several “long time no hear” submissions. First up was Bruce Homer-Smith: “We’ve been living among boxes the past two weeks, downsizing out of our Los Altos house in preparation for moving to The Forum, a very nice continuing care place in Cupertino, Calif. But that’s not what I wanted to write about. I’ve ended up having a very lucky life: a nine-month sailing trip from San Francisco to Acapulco—we navigated with a sextant and spent more time on the beaches than the ocean. Also, a career building custom databases with a bunch of friends—I loved all parts of the process, from requirements to coding to installation and ongoing adjustments to meet real-world issues. Well, not all parts—I didn’t like hunting down my mistakes, but that just made the stakes bigger the next time I built something. I’m still writing database programs—the last nine years PlantID.net, which helps people identify and learn about plants found in the wild in California. For an intro, check out PlantID.net/?Help=demo. Riding bikes with Winnie, my college sweetheart from Wellesley. She and I rode 90 days from Seattle to Boston in 2011. Winnie loved it so much she repeated the challenge from San Diego to St. Augustine, finishing last November. Chasing the ballata—I’ve discovered the secret for me—trying for a beautiful ball flight rather than distance. I’ve got no excuse for why this captures me, but it does. Singing—as a former Ephlater, I’m hoping to join an a cappella group at The Forum when we move in April. Best wishes to my classmates!”
And then Chris Curtis: “Thanks for the extension on my term paper, I mean blurb. My wife, Viola, and I live in Yucatan, Mexico. Our retired life has been almost precisely coterminous with the advent of Covid. Over the past year, we have settled into our house, built about 50 yards from the beach. We are extremely remote out here—the nearest village, on the northwest shore of this peninsula, has no post office (hence no mail), no police, no bank, no grocery store and no paved roads out of town to our place. So Covid isolation was particularly extreme in our case. For about a six-mile radius there are only two full-time resident households; we constitute one of them. So, we suffered through a lot of sun, walking the dogs on the beach, reading, art, music and writing. Returning to music, my passion since adolescence, I have created perhaps a dozen demos in my modest home studio of tunes I have composed, and a fantastic real-deal studio in Merida wants to produce a couple of them. I also have a U.K. expat collaborator, a gifted vocalist, also a composer. He’s produced by the same studio. There is an indie radio podcast in Scotland, of all places, that plays his stuff, and soon sensitive Scottish ears will be hearing my contributions in the background of his tunes. I became a grandfather on February 3 to Rio Rhodes Showalter Curtis. He was born to my son, Roberto, and his wife, Melissa, in San Francisco. The plan is to head there in a few weeks to meet him—and out of everything I’ve said here, this is the one with most import, not just personally, but in its own unique way the greater march of humanity, as well.”
Mark Walsh wrote, “After 24 years’ hiatus, it’s about time I checked in. We have stayed healthy hunkered down in Holly Springs, N.C., including my wife Nancy’s widowed nonagenarian mom, who moved into our master bedroom 18 months ago. So far, Nancy is four years a survivor from a rare and aggressive breast cancer. Our first grandchild arrived, to daughter Tracy in L.A., 13 months ago. Now in Seattle, little Fiona keeps up with her Nini and Baba on Skype. The focus of my creative energies is a group of local pianists who perform every few weeks in one another’s homes. My exploration of classical literature has taken me into French and Russian composers active around the turn of the 20th century, which will keep me busy at an advanced intermediate level for the foreseeable future. Covid’s grip is loosening enough down here to allow renewed access to Raleigh’s excellent symphony and ballet companies, if only to the multi-vaccinated. We are planning a car trip soon to see son Brendan in Atlanta and will also fly to visit Nancy’s sister in Sarasota, Fla. Nancy and I look forward to seeing old and new friends in late June for the reunion-sponsored trip to Oxford.”
Nancy Storrs wrote from Canada, “where things are more cautious during these Covid months, which has made me quite an isolationist! I still coach rowing and love to row, but traveling, regattas and the excitement of the sport has been lacking… I have only been to the U.S. to visit my sister twice and actually drove thru Billsville to see how great the place looks! Brought back serious memories! I also checked out the Williams boathouse on Lake Onota and am glad to hear of the new facility planned! Go Ephs!”
Milton Grenfell delivered his submission under the wire: “I’m still practicing what has rightly been called an ‘old man’s profession’—architecture. Not sure whether that’s because architects can’t afford to retire or don’t want to, but here I am. My work, in a number of different architectural ‘languages’ (i.e., styles), spans from upstate New York (thank you, Field Horne!) to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. BTW, if any of you are wanting habitation more suitable to your ‘golden years’ or that long-awaited vacation home, give me a call.”
David Futransky updated: “In Palm Desert for a few days and played golf with Wally Schlech ’71, who was vacationing in the area. Brought back many memories of the Williams Rugby Football Club—Wally was captain in ’70-’71, and I was president ’71-’73. Great to catch up in person instead of on Facebook. Still managing institutional development at Evanston Township High School, where we are getting ready for the centennial celebration of our building. Have enjoyed working with 50th reunion team at the college and helping to plan our Oxford trip, knowing that ‘man plans and God laughs.’”
Speaking of reunion planning, Robert Koegel wrote: “While reunion is so much more than the weekend, you might consider saying that Tom Geissler and I invite our classmates to let us know of any new ideas or cherished old ones for weekend activities.”
Planning and remembrances can go hand in hand, and I am reminded of the sad news Steve Harty shared in November with the announcements of two classmate deaths. Lloyd Epstein had lived at Williams in Morgan Middle East and roomed with Alex Aghayan and Tom Barron, who remained a lifelong friend. Lloyd was a founding partner in the law firm Epstein & Weil, with a practice focused on criminal defense. A remembrance of him circulated by the Southern District Court noted: ‘Lloyd Epstein [was a] longtime member of the New York Criminal Bar Association and a wonderful person and lawyer.’ Lloyd is survived by his wife, Judith, and sons Oren, Benjamin and Joel.
D.D. La Pointe was an exchange student at Williams who graduated from Smith College and then took a graduate degree in geology from University of Montana. The concluding paragraph of her obit proclaimed, “She will be remembered as a brilliant geoscientist, dedicated teacher, talented quilter and loving wife, mother and grandmother.” At her celebration of life, “the family encouraged guests to wear tie-dye, camouflage, field clothes or anything they felt comfortable with to honor D.D.’s lively spirit and spunky personality.”
I had the pleasure of lunching with the indefatigable Lucy Calkins near her Morningside Heights work base. She’d emailed back in January: “Lucy Calkins writes that she has been enjoying a new life chapter, this time in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. She’s still working at Columbia’s grad school for education, Teachers College, and has been handling the challenges of leading an organization through fearful times. She finds organizational leadership especially challenging when everyone is anxious—her staff, school leaders, teachers, parents, kids. Lucy lost her husband two years ago and has been dating for the first time in 40 years—quite an experience, one for the books. She’s early in the process of getting a puppy, eyeing every breed that walks past as a candidate and resolving to do as much travel as possible before she’s tied down.”
At year end I caught up with Juli Parker, who shared, “John Parker and I are getting quite used to the retired life! Golf, friends, family, several volunteer activities and travel make us question how we fit everything in while working! We’re spending more time in Florida on the Gulf Coast where we’ve been going for over 45 years. John continues to be involved in medicine, assisting on cases and still the first doctor all our family and friends call. He loves helping others navigate the medical system.”
Other welcomed “begin 2022” notes included Mark Donahue’s: “As I write in early January, Julie and I are slogging through the post-holiday blahs—adjusting to a void that has replaced the hustle-bustle associated with having had all three of our children home.” Also, I heard from recent transplant to San Diego Carol Holland Lifshitz, who acclaimed our southern California winter weather.
Until April’s multi-class Presidential Forum weekend (coming before these notes are published) and the class Oxford trip, that’s all, folks.
