May 2023 (early release)
1973 [50th] Reunion June 8-11
Dan Farley, 2385 Ridgegate Row, La Jolla, CA 92037; 1973secretary@williams.edu
Linda Heath spoke for many: “Looking forward to being in Williamstown in June with everyone to celebrate our 50 years. A huge thank you to our classmates who organized the weekend. We have two family weddings this year. My daughter is getting married in Seattle in July, and my second son is marrying in September in Kauai. His betrothed is from Australia, so Hawaii made sense. That is our travel time for 2023. Enjoying my new knees.”
Julia Parker echoed the anticipation: “John Parker and I are really looking forward to our 50th, as sobering as that sounds. My father went to Williams, and when he and my mom went to his 50th, it crossed my mind that they were getting old, very old! Everything certainly changes with time, including perspectives; but after attending Zooms and calls with classmates, I see that there’s still a lot of youthful enthusiasm for this next chapter. Thank goodness for name tags for many reasons! It will be wonderful to be back on campus, reacquainting, interacting and enjoying one another as we share the impact that Williams had on all of us.”
Greg Groves updated us: “Looking forward to it all. The 50th class reunion will mark my second return to the site of the agonizing and costly reappraisal and shaping of my identity as an African American. The experience led to a career as a community organizer and activist attorney (still engaged in both pursuits). My intent on the return will be to flow freely in the beauty and the wonder of reconnections and reflections at the gatherings. Brief family bio: wife of 42 years, appellate court judge; children, both graduates of Princeton, daughter—civil rights attorney; son—primary/secondary education reformer.”
Mark Donahue, another attorney parent, reflected on what may be a shared perspective: “I’m keeping my fingers crossed about attending our 50th reunion but won’t be able to fly to the East Coast unless the Covid situation improves markedly. Our daughter Suzanne changed to a new law firm to work in Orange County. Our youngest child, Sarah, will complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at USC, then head to UCLA’s dental school.”
Milton Grenfell shared: “I’ll be there for our 50th. My wife will accompany me along with our daughter, who will graduate from Williams this same June (double major in history and English, Williams-Exeter Programme, and an A student!). I sometimes think Williams admitted me just to get to our daughter.”
I also heard from Jim Morgan and Sally Shipton as the list of prospective reunion attendees posted on williamscollege73.comcontinued to grow.
The deaths of two classmates prompted an outpouring of affection and memories: Jack Berno died the first week of January, and Chris Pitt passed on Dec. 24, 2022. Jack’s Bryant House buddies attended his funeral in his hometown of Chillicothe, Ohio, where Jack’s wife, Robin, two sons, a stepson and his extended family, along with a network of friends and professional colleagues, mourned his unexpected death. Jack was acclaimed as an intelligent, dedicated and compassionate doctor who returned “home” to practice, first as an internist and later as a key medical leader in the region. His longtime, devoted classmates championed him as a person who was as intensely loyal to his friends and family as he was passionate about his job. Memories of Jack, along with his obituary, can be found on the college’s site, alumni.williams.edu/remembrances, which is the go-to reference for reading about and remembering ’73 classmates and other Williams alums who have died.
Chris Pitt lived for 17 years after he was first diagnosed with cancer. His obituary acclaimed him as a model for many, as he continued to do things that others in his circumstance might have given up. Professionally, Chris practiced law for more than 30 years, specializing in complex real estate title matters and providing pro bono work with immigration asylum efforts. He filled his life with activities he loved—choral singing, his church choir and his passion for the outdoors, specifically hiking; he hiked all 48 of the 4,000-foot peaks in New Hampshire and rim-to-rim in the Grand Canyon. Chris is survived by his wife of 47 years, Dottie, plus his two daughters and his son. For each of these classmates (and the dozens of others who have died), there will be remembrances in the class’s 50th book. Those memorials, along with the reflections and obits on the college’s site, provide more intimate life details and encomia than space here allows.
Jerry Wheelock wrote to acclaim Chris’s hiking accomplishments. Bill Foot shared a more intimate connection with Chris and provided personal updates: “When notified in mid-December by Chris’ wife, Dottie, that his prognosis was dire, I hopped the next flight to Boston and was able to spend several hours with him over a couple of days. His brain was playing tricks on him, but asSally (Shipton) Nourse reported, the part that housed his wit never left him. Chris and I were co-managers of the Williams Choral Society, and he was one of the classmates with whom I kept in touch continuously since leaving Williams. I was the best man at his wedding, and he was in mine. During that trip, Dottie and I were able to have dinner with Liz Haff ’75 and Hank Haff’75. Liz had introduced me to my wife, Becky, when they both worked at the University of Minnesota Art Gallery 44 years ago. In other news, I’m still certified to referee youth, adult recreational and high school soccer. There’s some activity indoors during the winter, but I’m most active from May through October. Finally, downsizing has begun. We’re in the process of selling our house of 30 years and trying to figure out, as many others have, what it will be like to have less than half the space. I keep reminding myself that it will also be less than half the maintenance and that someone else will be responsible for shoveling the sidewalks!”
Doug Ray’s report touched numerous topics: “The pandemic kept Melissa and me in our small condo in Miami Beach—which might have been claustrophobic but for long walks on the beach. Yet sheltering in place did have its benefits. After Williams, I’d done some composing (my music theory classes and arranging for Ephlats came in good stead), but now I had the opportunity to write orchestral and choral music full time. The performances (available on MusicTreks.org) include pieces set in Venice, a suite set in Hangzhou, China (performed with traditional Chinese instruments) and a 26-part requiem mass, which we filmed in Europe and Latin America. Speaking of Ephlats, I was sad to learn of Chris Pitt’s passing. His enthusiasm and humor during our long Baxter basement rehearsals were contagious. And he contributed terrific arrangements—if the truth be told, his were far better than mine!”
Bill Simon’s contributions warrant multiple entries. Bill spearheaded the Williams Class of 1973 Reunion Survey, the summary of which will be published in the class’s 50th book. As Steve Hauge confirmed, more than 55% of the class responded and contributed. One highlight in advance to share: The most popular profession of responders was teacher/professor, at 16%. This is a notable increase from the Class of ’71 results, in which “educator” ranked fourth. Bill’s own performance in January showed him “walking the talk,” as he added to his regular teaching duties at UCLA to lead a Williams Winter Study class and a special presentation titled “The History of Financial Panics and Asset Bubbles.”
Steve Harty shared the list of classmates who Zoom-attended Bill’s lecture and reported that the enrollment was the biggest class turnout ever for a remote event.
Bill and I later discussed the survey in some detail, along with our thoughts about its lead profession, and he suggested that had the inquiry broadened to cover more “educating” performances, he was confident it would have included many who mentored and prompted learning among younger professional colleagues. A person who does so himself, Bill spoke with pride of our class’s paying it forward.
Matriculating was a key feature of Jim Cox-Chapman’s message: “My wife and I are looking forward to attending reunion. What a 50 years it has been! I retired from a career in medicine six years ago. This past fall, I enrolled in divinity school, something I had considered right after leaving Williams. I am not sure where the journey will take me. Part of my reason is responding to the question: What do I want to do with possibly the last vital decade of my life? We are blessed to have one of our children and her family live only a mile away—we all benefit from being so close together. I keep in good touch with Joe Standart and Jackie Oliveri and look forward to seeing everyone else in June.”
From Dave Butts: “From Christmas ’21 through the end of October ’22, life was challenging and chaotic. Sue had retired as a Fairfax County special ed teacher. Our plans featured a move to New England when I retired. We began looking at condominiums on the North Shore of Boston. With Covid, most of that looking was done remotely. A great realtor and two children who lived in the Boston area were a tremendous help with this process. The first disruption: Our dental practice was forced to relocate our office after 34 years in the same office space. We then sold our beloved home of 35 years and interim-moved to a nearby apartment. Fortunately, we found and bought a really nice condominium in Beverly, Mass., in mid-June. I played in the alumni golf tournament in July with my son-in-law, Andrew. Enjoyed seeing Tom Lee and Mary and Rob Cella at this event. We love where we now live, near our daughter Kristen’s family and our son David Butts ’06 and his wife. Kristen gave birth to a second son, Bryce, on Dec. 1, 2022; brother Zach is 2. It’s truly a joy to be watching the two boys grow and evolve. We see them regularly.
“I’ve spoken with Roger Kriete and Larry Shoer, who share the same wonderful experience. I am thrilled to be living in New England: unlimited outdoor opportunities; vast cultural resources, including Tanglewood, the BSO, the MFA, Rockport Music and, of course, Williams; and access to many Williams classmates and friends. I recently joined Taconic Golf Club as a nonresident alum. Sue and I are very excited about our upcoming reunion this June. I applaud Scott Hopkins for his extensive efforts on our behalf.”
Scott Hopkins sent his own news: “Not that I need more things to keep me busy, but I’m embarking on a new project as assistant girls’ lacrosse coach for our local 10,000-student school district team. The team finished second in the state last year due primarily to one exceptional girl who scored 74% of the team’s goals, averaging 13 goals per game! She’s now at Penn State. Fortunately, we have a nice core of juniors and seniors and an experienced head coach whom I’ll learn from; and, hopefully, by the time we’re in Williamstown, I’ll have a state championship to celebrate.” Scott also shared a great travel photo from Janice and Bruce Richards and Victoria and Larry Heiges traveling in Yucatan.
Phil Dodd was invaluable with a sweeping roundup: “When I last checked in with Rick Cook, he had just returned from a trip to Portugal and Spain for some bicycling and to visit museums. Organized bike trips are a significant part of his life and have brought him to places like Croatia, Eastern Europe and Scotland. ‘I enjoy meeting non-Americans on these trips,’ he said. Widowed 10 years ago, Rick has since moved from Kennebunkport, Maine, into a condo in Portland, Maine, but embraces the L.L. Bean mantra to ‘get outside.’ In addition to biking, he enjoys skiing and snowshoeing in the winter and the museums in Portland. Rick said he gets together for a drink periodically with former Class President Tom Hyndman. Rick has a son in Seattle, married with two children, and a daughter in Boston, married with one child. Paul Kingston, until recently a professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, wrote this about our collective offspring: ‘Having read our class notes over the years, I can only conclude that our class produces extraordinary grandchildren. I’m happy to report our four grandkids are brilliant, energetic, interesting and, above all, fun to hang with.’ He said his wife, Jane Kingston (formerly Jane Censer, Wellesley exchange ’74), ‘has perfected her short-order French toast and bacon skills because that’s the meal of choice, no matter the time of day. How lucky we are that our own three kids, having started their careers elsewhere, now live in Charlottesville, Va., our home for 41 years. Jane and I are retired from our academic careers.’ Paul also reported that his brother Jim Kingston ’75 and his wife, Jessie Potter Kingston ’75, now live in Providence, R.I. Paul says they became interested in the area when one of their daughters attended Brown, but Paul thinks the good local Italian food is what sealed the deal for Jim.”
Jay Haug served up humor with his report: “Well, it has finally happened. Apparently, Steve Hauge and I have become the same person. After 50 years of differentiating ourselves, being called Steve ‘Haig’ and Jay ‘Howgie’ after accepting the fact that, of all Williams alums living and dead, we are right next to each other alphabetically, we can now accept that we are, in fact, the same person! I was listed as Jay Hauge in the last class notes, so apparently, this is all true. (To be fair, this might be expected since I have missed the last two reunions, but I will definitely be there at the 50th, where my goal is to remember who I am.) I hope it’s not too late. I will also raise a glass to Steve, my half-brother. In other news, Claudia and I welcomed grandchild number six, with number seven due in May. I look forward to the ’73 family wallow in June.”
I do try to model what I encourage of others, and over the past several months, I have exchanged extensive reading lists with John Alper and Bob Gross of “must-read” titles, authors, characters and series, looking to keep bookstores, libraries and eBook platforms in business. Speaking of books, I can’t fail to acclaim the mammoth and complex project of the class book, which Field Horne, acclaimed editor of our 25th, is again quarterbacking for distribution to each of you before we come to Williamstown in June.
Finally, it’s been 10 years as your class secretary, and I want to express my appreciation for getting to share your words and updates and to help connect you with classmates. As an original ’72er, I am grateful for this role’s expanding my relationships beyond that core group of friends who made for my deep connections and enrollment with ’73. Now, it’s time for a new editorial voice.
