Class Notes

November 2001

by Tony Lee

It's difficult having to submit these notes just 3 days after the devastating terrorist acts on September 11. I feel like a frantic shepherd in a maelstrom who hasn't had time to count his sheep. I am sure many classmates have been personally impacted, and my heart goes out to you. I'll collect all personal stories, if any, and post them on the Web site. Meanwhile life goes on, and all publications, including alumni magazines, have their deadlines.

Frank Franklin reports: "I recently heard from Kip Burgweger and John Hunsaker. Hopefully all of us including families will come to the London mini reunion in 2003. We continue to enjoy Birmingham, Alabama. My work is going well and continues to be very challenging and fun. I did teach some Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition to our classmate Len Gaffga's son Nicholas who is a student here at UAB School of Medicine. He is quite personable and did a good job on his third year clerkship in Pediatrics. I read about Len's children in these class notes and the next month Nicholas rotated through Pediatrics. It really is a small world."

The above-mentioned John Hunsaker wrote: "My wife Donna and I are medical examiners in Kentucky. We analyze fatalities, determine whether or not another party was responsible, and testify in court. We are faculty members in the Departments of Pathology (she in Louisville and I in Lexington at University of Kentucky) and teach students and residents. We also attend forensic meetings to present talks and papers on medico-legal death investigation.

"My 31-year-old son John IV finished his Master's at American U in DC, and now works as a research associate at the Urban Institute there. Cole, my 9-year-old stepson, is now a thriving third grader very active in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, ski boarding, and martial arts. Our nonprofessional hours indeed revolve around his sporting events.

"Although I stopped working out about 10 years ago, Donna is preparing to run in the Marine Corps marathon in DC this fall. I spend free time reading German which was my major at Yale. My current project is the German edition of Mein Kampf, which, not surprisingly, remains just as fanatically misguided as the English translation I read years ago."

Peter Hicks sent a nice email: "I'm still a park ranger at Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero, Florida. One of my daughters lives in Naples, Florida and the other lives in Ft. Lauderdale. It's nice having them so close. My son lives in Greensboro, NC and is expecting a son in September. I saw Ed Wilhite a month or so ago. Anyone passing thorough SW Florida, please stop in and say hello.

"I've been a park ranger for 12 years. My job is varied. I'm a certified burner so I get to start the woods on fire and put it out at the end of the day. This park is an historic site so we give tours and campfire programs for visitors. Summer is mostly mowing grass. Oh, and there's exotic removal — using herbicides to kill plants like Brazilian Pepper and Australian Pines."

Ron Parlato has written an amusing article on Yale's admission policy re Italian Americans in the early 1960's. He also writes: "Most of my career since leaving Yale has been in international development, focusing on health. I have been a private consultant for most of my professional life, although I put in 5 years with the World Bank and 4 years with CARE in India. I am now with Save the Children Federation in Washington and working on a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant to reduce neonatal mortality in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

"My career has been divided by region — a big chunk in India and South Asia; an equally big chunk in Africa; an almost ten-year piece in Eastern Europe; a decent size time in Latin America and the Caribbean. I have never lost my enthusiasm for travel — new countries, languages, adventures have made my life exciting, happy, and never ever boring.

"I have a son at Harvard and my daughter, a Brown graduate, now works in San Francisco. Wife Peggy is a senior executive with a large international development firm in Washington."

Jack Huggins retired from Williams Companies, Inc. at the end of last year where he had been president of the ethanol group. He has since founded TJ3 Inc., an ethanol/business consulting firm that will keep him actively involved in the ethanol business. Jack and his wife Carol live in East Peoria, Illinois and have three grown children. He writes: "This change in occupations is less stressful and an opportunity to work with a wide variety of people. Carol and I will have a chance to spend more time together. I plan to remain actively involved with the community as a trustee with The Nature Conservancy of Illinois and a trustee of Illinois State University. We went windsurfing in Aruba this summer and in the Outer Banks of North Carolina this fall."

Richard Campbell is an unemployed teacher and chess player at the Marshall Chess Club in Brooklyn Heights. He still has legal and medical bills resulting from a tragic accident in Colorado in 1968 that killed his wife. He has been in touch with Wayne Cooper and Bill Slone, and has enjoyed periodic trips to Yale.

Giles Crane writes from Princeton where he and Diana live. Daughter Gillian is Assistant Dean of Students at Dobbs and their other daughter Rebecca is pursuing a doctorate of clinical psychology.

Paul Steiger married Wendy Brandes in July. Paul is the managing editor of The Wall Street Journal and Wendy is a vice president and the managing editor for web sites at Lehman Brothers.

Gerry Shea arranged for the 1964 Whiffenpoofs to tour Europe this summer and perform before several audiences. See our Web site for a full story by Blaine Krickl and photos.

Don't forget the February 2 dinner and hockey game against St. Lawrence, preceded by a meeting where we'll hear from our summer fellow, Leah Zimmerman, about her trip to Russia. The Yale '64 Golf Outing date has also been set for Friday, June 14.