The Great Class of 1965

Boot 'n Beanie / June 2000
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THE BOOT 'n BEANIE
The Newsletter of the Dartmouth Class of 1965
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June, 2000

Dear '65 Classmates:

Some 53 of our classmates along with spouses and significant others were in Hanover from June 12 - 15 for our 35th Reunion. If you weren't there, you missed a great time, despite questionable (but not really bad) weather most of the time. The entire event was organized by Mike Bettmann and a committee which included Steve Fowler, Treasurer, Steve Banta, Mike Gonnerman, Jim Griffiths, Howie Mueller, Bob Murphy, Brian Porzak, Brian Walsh and Steve Waterhouse. They did a fantastic job of assembling an interesting, fun schedule of official events while leaving everyone time to enjoy renewing old acquaintances, visiting favorite haunts in the Hanover area or relaxing.


Dinner in the Tent: Bob and French McConnaughey

The weekend included seminars on topics ranging from '65's in the Arts to Entrepreneurship, picnics, dinners (including entertainment at one by Bob Murphy and the Charades), a very successful auction with proceeds going to the 1965 Scholarship Fund, golf, tennis, a 1965 Memorial Service, which was very moving, and other events too numerous to be mentioned.


Storrs Pond: Jim Ramsey and Dick Avery

In attendance for all or part of the weekend were: Jeff Aldred, Hank Amon, Ted Atkinson and Marcia Pryde, Steve and Cheli Banta, Rich and Mahala Beams, Mike and Ellen Bettmann, Bob and Sharon Blake, Dick and Jean Bordeau, Ted Bracken, Don and Marianne Bradley, John and Gretchen Bullock, Tom and Dianne Campbell, Russ and Cheryl Capelle, Richard Davey, Dick Durrance and Sue Drinker, Bob Ernst, Tom and Val Flechtner, Steve and Linda Fowler, Pete and Marcia Frederick, Steven and Karen Fuller, Mike and Betsy Gonnerman, Richard Goodin, Jim and Debbie Griffiths, Andy and Adelaide Gundlach, Roger and Nancy Hansen, Richard Harris and Susan Rawles, Karin Harvey, Bill and Gretchen Hicks, Ward Hindman, Sven and Laurie Karlen, Stu and Diane Keiller, Ron and Sandy Knapp, Bob and French McConnaughey, Tom and Jane Meacham, Rick and Duffy Monahon, Bob and Brigid Murphy, Mark Nackman, Mike and Jeannine Orr, David and Margie Pearsall, Brian and Amy Jo Porzak, Bob and Ann Quasman, Roger Rines, Stu Russell, Kent and Liz Salisbury, Steve Shaul, Mark Sheingorn, James and Sandra Smith, Jim Stanbery, David and Christine Tafe, Brian Walsh and Linda Patchett, Steve and Linda Waterhouse, Bill and Sue Webster, Ed Wynot and Allen Zern.

At least that's the official list. A number of others, including Dick Avery, Sin-Sing Chiu, John Ferdico, Jim Ramsey and perhaps several others made brief appearances at a meal, during "tent activities" or on some other occasion during the reunion.


Some of the crowd in the '65 tent: Mike Gonerman, Bill Hicks, Hank Amon, Bob Ernst, Roger Rines and Ron Knapp. Note the neat Boot & Beanie shirts that came in very handy with the weather.

Hank Amon, who led our Alumni Fund efforts over the last several years and whose culminating effort in that capacity was our $2,765,000 gift to the College at our 35th Reunion, was elected President of the Class of 1965 for the period through June, 2005. Hank has written a letter to the Class with much more news of the Reunion as well as discussion of planned Class events and activities.

NEWS FROM THE MAILBOX

Inasmuch as Bob Murphy is taking over this job as of next month it seems fitting to start off the news section with some information about him. This comes from a clipping from Bringing Healthcare Home, a publication of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Alliance, which Jim Griffiths sent several weeks ago.

In addition to singing songs from our College days with the Charades and holding down a position as Treasurer of Hypertherm, Bob has been Chairman of the Visiting Nurse Alliance of Vermont and New Hampshire since 1994. The VNA/VNH is no small organization -- it has a $14 million annual budget, 400 employees in ten regional offices and a fund raising goal for 2000 that exceeds $600,000. Bob is also on the Board of the Friends of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center.

The article goes on to report that, with six grown children, two boys and four girls, Bob and his wife, Brigid, enjoy seven grandchildren and travel to the UK and Scotland. And on top of all that, Bob will be producing the Boot & Beanie through June, 2005.


Bob Murphy and the Do Waps

Ed Keible sent me an email back in April, at which time he was planning to be at our 35th Reunion. Ed reported that his company, Endgate Corporation, has increased in size to roughly 400 employees, as compared to about 25 at the time of our last reunion. In early April, Endgate acquired a subsidiary of TRW and the resulting company, of which Ed is CEO, is known as Endwave Corporation. Ed reported at the time of his email that they were in the process of selecting investment bankers to take Endwave public. Apparently the IPO process was proceeding rapidly enough that Ed was unable to get to the reunion a couple of weeks ago.

In case you are wondering what Endwave does, I will tell you what its press release says: it designs and manufactures a complete portfolio of broadband wireless access products, including specialized antennas, transceivers and Outdoor Units -- units that transmit and receive radio signals and serve as the "engines" of broadband wireless Internet access and cellular backhaul systems. Now that you know that, you may want to know more, in which case I encourage you to go to www.endwave.com, where you can get a more detailed explanation of what Endwave does. The web site even has a glossary for technophobes to make the product explanations comprehensible.

Although I haven't studied the glossary and have only a glimmering of an understanding of what Endwave does, it sounds like Ed is a very successful entrepreneur in the New Economy, despite the fact that even he must be over 30 by now.

I got a card from John Tobin in which he reported, "I am unable to attend the reunion -- a disappointment because the only other one I attended proved to be much more pleasurable that I had expected. I did drive through Hanover with my brother (Middlebury) last summer and was disappointed to discover Webster Hall locked so we could not view the Class Project.

"Re: John [unreadable]'s comments about parenting adolescents, as a pediatrician/parent I have formulated Tobin's rule of Elderly Parenting: -- you do not make up with insight for what you lack in energy."

Rob Overton wrote, "After several years of procrastination, Andi and I are finally cutting the mooring lines completely. Our last full time job responsibilities end[ed] this April 30, and we're off sailing on our Stevens 50 sailboat. This spring we'll be in the Bahamas and U. S. East Coast, then across to the UK for at least a year in Europe. Then, who knows? Interested '65's can track us at http://aboard-akka.tripod.com."

Well, a newsletter editor is supposed to gather news, so I went to Rob's web site and it appears his enthusiasm for keeping the world informed of his whereabouts has diminished. There is a pretty good log of a trip he and Andi took last December to the Caribbean, and there is a schedule for a their trip from the Caribbean up the east coast (they should be somewhere around Virginia right now if they are on schedule), eventually getting to Maine.

Despite the lack of current information, there is a tantalizing sentence on one of the web site's pages that says anybody who wants to join Rob and Andi on part of their voyage should contact Rob by email, which you can do through a link on the web site. So any of you who always wanted a sailing adventure...

Rick Monahon sent the following news of the Monahon clan, who make their home in Peterborough, NH: "New house almost complete, our architect was a genius, but slow, slow...A great year in the business -- Architects -- working in four northern states...real busy...Daughter Sophie a sophomore at Milton Academy -- ski team, soccer, theater...great to have an excuse to go to Boston more...Wife, Duffy, leading the charge for conservation, preservation locally and statewide...Rick, just back from a week of heli skiing in British Columbia...an extraordinary experience...glacier skiing, powder eights, tree skiing...quite thrilling...4 Winds Farm (our home) more cleared land every year...sheep herd now 30...Easter lambs for sale."

There is more news to report, but I will pass that on to Bob Murphy so he has some ammunition for his first Newsletter.

All the best,

DARTMOUTH CLASS OF 1965

June, 2000

Dear 1965 Classmates,

Now that the dust has settled on our 35th Reunion held in Hanover on Monday, June 12, to Thursday, June 15, I would like to offer a few reflections and thoughts.


Visiting at Storrs Pond: Hank Amon, Gretchen and Bill Hicks

Although the weather was far from perfect (including rain outs of our scheduled outdoor dinners on Monday in the Bema and Wednesday at the DOC House), the spirit and camaraderie generated by those 115 classmates and spouses/guests who attended the Reunion could not be dampened. Mike Bettmann and Steve Fowler did a superb job organizing the 35th Reunion, and let me again add a collective thanks for their efforts.

Steve Fowler's wife Linda and Dartmouth students


Seminar attendees

For those who were not able to attend, the schedule included four symposia: '65 Abroad, '65 Entrepreneurs, '65 in the Arts and "Civic Leadership and the Undergraduate Experience at Dartmouth". The discussions were lively and the questions probing. In fact, the number of classmates commenting on their amateur thespian and musical activities at the symposium on the Arts led, at the suggestion of Steve Waterhouse, to the loose formation of the Class of 1965 Players who, under the leadership of Brian Porzak and Jim Griffiths, agreed to present a musical at the Class of 1965 40th Reunion! I'm sure there is much acting and musical talent in the Class of 1965 that was not represented at the 35th Reunion. Here is your chance to perform on stage (or be in charge of costumes or lighting). Although it is, of course, early days, please indicate your interest in being involved in this extravaganza by contacting Brian at aixfilm@aol.com or Jim at jim.griffiths.65@alum.dartmouth.org.


Dinner at Storrs Pond: The Fredericks, Dick and Marcia, and Ed Wynot

Our three Reunion dinners were also a highlight. As noted, our Monday dinner, scheduled for the Bema, had to be held under the Class Reunion tent due to the threat of rain. The Charades led by Bob Murphy were still able to perform some golden oldies for the assembled group. Tuesday night's dinner of steak and lobster was held in a tent by the Connecticut River to the sounds of not only pounding rain but also the Injunaires (oops, sorry, the Dartmouth Aires). We all then removed to the class tent for more retro music provided by Lou's Mobile Music.

Wednesday's final dinner was held in Alumni Hall, again due to the threat of rain. The dinner was highlighted by the presentation to President Wright of a check in the amount of $2,765,000, representing contributions by members of the Class of 1965 to the 35th Reunion appeal. This contribution represented the largest ever 35th Reunion donation to the College. The night also featured an auction of items, including a watercolor by classmate Brian Walsh, a winter weekend at the home of Jim and Debbie Griffiths and various Dartmouth memorabilia, that raised over $4,000 for the Class of 1965 Scholarship Fund. There was much audience participation during the auction, not only as regards bidding! Dick Durrance, his father and Amy Jo Porzak will have writer's cramp from all the poster and book signing that they agreed to do or that was otherwise imposed upon them!

During the course of the Reunion, a class meeting was held, and Jim Griffiths reviewed his term as President (July 1995-June 2000). Among the highlights were the successful completion of the Webster Hall Project, the introduction of the Class of 1965 Scholarship Fund, the launch of a series of mini-reunions outside of Hanover, including the Class of 1965 50th Birthday Party in Washington, D.C., Napa Valley (1977), Charleston, SC (1998), and Bermuda (1999), and five successful Alumni Fund campaigns. A new slate of officers was also elected. The new group, to hold office until our 40th Reunion in 2005, is at Class Officers

Larry Litten is a graduate of UCLA who has recently moved to Hanover to be Director of Research at the College. He is a friend and former colleague of Ted Bracken, who proposed Larry for adopted membership in the Class. This was unanimously approved at the Class meeting where, in introductory remarks about Larry, it was noted that he is an amateur brewer. Hence, his election as class brewmaster. It is hoped that Larry will be able to provide some evidence of his craft at the October mini-reunion! Larry is the third adopted Class member, the others being John Hayes and Tom Webster (Bill's brother).

As noted above, Sing Chiu was elected Vice President, ROW (Rest Of World)! A preliminary discussion was held with Sing to possibly hold a Class of 1965 60th Birthday Party in Hong Kong. You will recall that the Class held a 50th Birthday Party in Washington, D.C., and it was a great success. So, start thinking about a trip to Hong Kong in 2003. Depending upon the level of interest, we may be able to obtain attractive air and hotel discounts. Or, save those frequent flier miles! More on this later.

The Class of 1965 intends to continue the out-of-Hanover mini-reunions so successfully inaugurated under Jim Griffiths' presidency. Plans are currently being developed for a winter 2001 outing in Vail, Colorado. Meanwhile, mark your calendars for the regular fall mini-reunion in Hanover, this year scheduled for October 27-29, in conjunction with the Harvard football game. We again intend to center activities at Pierce's Inn. Many of us stayed with Reg and Nancy Pierce over the 35th Reunion, and they are as energetic as ever.

Plans are also well underway to improve our Class website. Ward Hindman and I met during our 35th Reunion with representatives of the College to learn more about the College's software and how to make our website compatible with the College's technology. Ward will be working over the summer to substantially upgrade our website. I intend to make greater use of this medium over the next five years. Please take the time to check the website out, bookmark it as a favorite and periodically check it for news and announcements. Go to www.dartmouth. edu/alumni and click on "classes". I also hope to make greater use of e-mail among Class officers and classmates. During the Reunion, many new e-mail addresses were obtained. Make sure we have yours. If you were not able to attend the Reunion, please send an email to me (amoncar@whitecase.com) so that I can add you to the list.

An important part of the next five years will be the extension of the Class of 1965 Scholarship Fund. We are fast closing in on $50,000, which will be enough to provide one undergraduate with an annual scholarship stipend. Our goal in the near term is to get to $200,000, so that we might, at all times, be providing some financial support to an undergraduate in each of the four classes. More on this later. Steve Fowler, our new Class Treasurer, and I will also be working on ways to increase the number of dues paying classmates. We are currently stalled at just over 300 which is good but not good enough. Even if there are individuals in the Class who, for whatever reason, may not be able or otherwise feel it appropriate to support the College financially, we certainly want to attract more individuals who feel (hopefully) a loyalty to the Class and are willing to support its activities through dues. In this connection, I hope to be able to arrange with the College for payment of Class dues through our website and, possibly, for dues to be automatically charged to the credit cards of those classmates who are willing to authorize annual payments of this nature.

In closing, let me again express the thanks of the Class of 1965 to Jim Griffiths for his dedication, initiative and loyalty during his just concluded five year presidency of the Class. At Wednesday's dinner concluding our 35th Reunion, Jim was presented with the original "boot and beanie" artwork prepared by Brian Walsh for the 35th Reunion logo, signed by all those in attendance at the Alumni Hall dinner. A round of snaps, as well, for all of those officers and dedicated volunteers who have done so much over the past five years to perpetuate and even to enhance our reputation as the Great Class of 1965!

See you in Hanover October 27-29!

Hank Amon, President

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW

Fall Mini Reunion, Hanover, October 27-29, 2000

Football vs. Harvard

Class of 1965 Headquarters, Pierce's Inn

Send news of yourself, your family and what you have been up to, to:

Bob Murphy

7 Willow Spring Lane

Hanover, NH 03755

Bob.Murphy@Hypertherm.com

 

 

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