Class Notes

September/October 2004

by Tony Lavely

As I write, it's been only thirty days since our 40th class reunion. Tony Lee, our out-going Class Secretary, has already written his reunion report for the July/August issue of this magazine. Tony Lee set a new standard for Class Secretary, and it's going to take two of us to even approach his performance. Closing dates being what they are, I now face a deadline for the September / October issue without much news to report. This does not mean that I am not taking this new job seriously!

It was only two weeks after our reunion that I found myself driving north on I-95, so I called my cohort, Terry Holcombe, and he plied me with a few beers and some really good burgers out in Branford. We called Chris Getman, and Toddie told us he was up in Cooperstown, putting another notch on his "Ballparks I Have Attended" bat. At the risk of repeating what Tony Lee has already reported about our reunion, Chris found a way to corral a large planning committee to put on what many told me was "our best reunion ever." The Alumni House has told us that with 29.1% of classmates returning, we beat the Class of 1963 record!

Between bites and gulps, Terry and I talked about the allocation of duties between your two new class secretaries. Keep in mind, we're the two guys who missed the meeting where we got "elected!" Anyway, Terry is the Class Secretary, in charge of all the important stuff, like budget, class events, council nominations, internships, etc. I'm the Corresponding Secretary, so I will do my best to gather the news and write the class notes.

One of the classmates who will have much more impact than either Terry or me is Sam Francis, our Webmaster. Our Class Website is fast becoming the best and the fastest source for class news. Everything Terry or I receive and report goes to Sam for inclusion on the website. Plus, if you're like me, seeing some pictures is a lot more interesting than just reading words.

Terry and I share a belief that one of the top priorities for our class over the next five years is to connect and engage classmates who have not attended reunions and other class events as regularly as some of us have. This is not about proselytizing for the sake of participation percentages; rather, it's a conviction that all of us who shared a common undergraduate experience in the early sixties can still enrich each others lives by sharing experiences in this stage. So if you're one of the people who have been "looking over the fence" assuming that it's a "private club," please give us a chance to change your mind. Better yet, if you're a classmate who has enjoyed the fellowship of classmates at class events and you know someone who hasn't joined in, please extend a personal "invitation." Sending something to me for the Class Notes is a good place to start.